Clifford Rozier, the only NBA first round pick to come out of Manatee County, passed away Friday after suffering from a heart attack according to a Facebook post from his family.
Rozier, 45, played at Southeast High School and was named the state's Mr. Basketball in 1990. He went on to star at Louisville after transferring from North Carolina. He averaged 18.1 points and 11.1 rebounds a game as a senior, and his 15-of-15 shooting performance in a win over Eastern Kentucky that season remains an NCAA record.
Rozier fell on hard times after his professional career came to an end. According to a 2010 Herald-Tribune story Rozier was diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
He was a recovering crack addict who spent five years wandering the streets, sometimes carrying a pistol, often hearing voices. Voices telling him to jump in front of cars, confront police so they would shoot him, or jump from a building to see if he could fly.
After spending time in jail cells and psychiatric wards, Rozier lived in a Bradenton halfway house with nine other men.
"Ain't nobody heard from me in almost 10 years," Rozier said at the time. "I don't go nowhere. I keep to myself. I want to stay here."
Condolences to his friends and family. Drug addiction and mental illness are terrible things to deal with. RIP.
Rozier, 45, played at Southeast High School and was named the state's Mr. Basketball in 1990. He went on to star at Louisville after transferring from North Carolina. He averaged 18.1 points and 11.1 rebounds a game as a senior, and his 15-of-15 shooting performance in a win over Eastern Kentucky that season remains an NCAA record.
Rozier fell on hard times after his professional career came to an end. According to a 2010 Herald-Tribune story Rozier was diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
He was a recovering crack addict who spent five years wandering the streets, sometimes carrying a pistol, often hearing voices. Voices telling him to jump in front of cars, confront police so they would shoot him, or jump from a building to see if he could fly.
After spending time in jail cells and psychiatric wards, Rozier lived in a Bradenton halfway house with nine other men.
"Ain't nobody heard from me in almost 10 years," Rozier said at the time. "I don't go nowhere. I keep to myself. I want to stay here."
Condolences to his friends and family. Drug addiction and mental illness are terrible things to deal with. RIP.