According to multiple reports, former Louisville basketball player Troy "Escalade" Jackson passed away in his sleep last night in Los Angeles. He was 35-years-old.
Jackson appeared in just 20 games at Louisville from 1996-98. He averaged 3.0 points and 1.6 rebounds but was more known for his size (6-9, 350 lbs.) and surprising agility, a pair of qualities which helped him gain notoriety while playing streetball for the AND 1 Mixtape Tour.
Jackson's nephew, Mark Jackson Jr., is currently a walk-on for the Cardinals.
When I was in 7th grade, we were preparing for the city tournament and through some connection ended up practicing at U of L. Troy was there by himself - apparently working on getting his weight down - and ended up coming out to the gym and shooting around with us. It was pretty cool and he was hilarious.
My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.