Former Houston and Arkansas basketball player Reggie Chaney died on Monday, according to multiple reports. He was 23 years old.
The cause of death was not immediately available, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Chaney played three seasons for Houston from 2020-23 and two for Arkansas from 2018-20. He was a member of the Cougars team that made the Final Four in 2021 and the 2023 team that entered the NCAA tournament as a No. 1 seed.
Chaney was named the AAC’s Sixth Man of the Year last season on a team that finished 31-3. He was slated to play professional basketball with Greece’s Psychiko B.C., according to the Chronicle. Chaney was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and played high school basketball in Texas before transferring as a senior to Findlay Prep in Nevada. He committed to Arkansas as a three-star prospect in 2017 and transferred to Houston after his sophomore season.
After a Sweet 16 loss to Miami ended his college career in March, Chaney spoke about his relationship with his teammates.
“The loss isn’t the biggest thing,” Chaney said. “Not seeing these guys every day, not playing with these guys on the court ever again, not putting the Houston jersey on, that’s what hurts really bad.”
Chaney’s friends, coaches and teammates remembered him fondly upon the news of his death. Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman wrote on social media that Chaney was “a relentless worker and loved by his teammates.”
Chaney was born to parents Chandra Chaney and Reggie Lee and had two sisters, Aubrey Lee and Damia Chaney, and a brother, Carter Lee.
