Nephew of Tubby Smith killed

Gophers basketball coach Tubby Smith calls a nephew who was stabbed to death "a special young man."

By MYRON P. MEDCALF, Star Tribune

Last update: September 22, 2008 - 9:57 PM

Print this story

Follow Myron on Twitter

More from Gophers

The nephew of Gophers men's basketball coach Tubby Smith died Sunday morning after he was stabbed outside of an apartment building in Worcester, Mass., according to Worcester police. William L. Smith, 19, was the son of Tubby Smith's brother, William, university officials confirmed Monday.

Worcester police said a fight broke out in an off-campus apartment near Becker College, where Smith had just transferred a few weeks ago, and then spilled outside. Police said the fight began when "uninvited guests" refused to leave the party.

When police arrived, they saw "several groups of males fighting," according to the police report. Smith was stabbed once in the chest and another victim was wounded. Smith was pronounced dead at 2:45 a.m. at the University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center. No arrests had been made as of Monday afternoon.

"I want to thank everyone for keeping my family in their thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time," Tubby Smith said in a statement released by the university Monday. "We lost a special young man last night. The grieving process will take some time for my brother and his family but I know that they appreciate and will need all the support."

Smith, like his father, William, and uncle, Tubby, was a multi-sport athlete at Great Mills High School in Great Mills, Md., said Brenda Henley, the school's athletic director.

Henley said students at Great Mills, where Smith played basketball, football and baseball, have started the Smith Family Relief Fund at their school bank and will collect funds beginning this week.

Smith's high school basketball coach, Frank Peck, said Smith attended West Virginia Tech last year before transferring to Becker College to play basketball. He described him as a talented athlete with an "infectious" personality.

"You can't put into words what kind of senseless tragedy something like this is," Peck said.