Tyrek Coger, an Oklahoma State basketball player who was set to begin his first season with the Cowboys after transferring from junior college Cape Fear, died after a 40-minute team workout on Thursday, according to ESPN.
The workout was reportedly a stairs workout at the university’s football stadium, where the temperature was 99 degrees Fahrenheit. However, no official cause of death had been listed as of Friday afternoon.
Oklahoma State coach Brad Underwood released this statement following Coger’s death.
“Tyrek was excited to be at Oklahoma State and had such passion for the game and was looking forward to being an OSU Cowboy. Losing a member of the team is like losing a member of the family. But we know our loss pales in comparison to the pain his family is going through.”
University spokesperson Gary Shutt said that Coger “did not appear to be struggling” during the workout but the team noticed issues after he sat down.
Coger, who originally committed to playing at both Missouri and Ole Miss before eventually landing at OK State, did have a history of health issues. He had severe headaches in high school which led to him being forced to have fluid removed from his brain. Coger’s health problems were what initially caused him to decommit from Missouri. It’s unclear whether that had anything to do with his collapse and death.
Coger was just 21 years old.
(Via ESPN, okstate.com)
