photo by: Photo courtesy of Kansas Athletics

Incoming Kansas freshman Gethro Muscadin

Former Kansas men’s basketball forward Gethro Muscadin died Monday at age 20, about 10 months after a serious car crash that put him in a coma.

Muscadin, a native of Haiti, played in 11 games for Kansas during the 2020-2021 season and also briefly played for New Mexico before the accident, which occurred near Topeka in late December 2021.

On Tuesday morning, the New Mexico Lobos basketball program’s Twitter account confirmed that Muscadin had died, writing, “The Lobo community is saddened by the passing of former New Mexico basketball player Gethro Muscadin. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this time.”

Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self tweeted: “So young. So sad. He will always be a teammate of ours. RIP,” and also released a longer statement with his condolences.

“Gethro left us late last night,” Self’s statement said. “He was involved in a major car accident 10 months ago and has basically been in a non-responsive state since then. Although only here one year, Gethro was loved and liked by all and will always be remembered as a Jayhawk. We wish his family and loved ones the best going through this most difficult time.”

Muscadin transferred out of the KU program after his freshman season to go to New Mexico, but in December 2021 he parted ways with the Lobos. At the time, New Mexico coach Richard Pitino said he and Muscadin agreed the program was not the right fit for Muscadin.

The accident occurred on Dec. 30, 2021. Muscadin and a friend left Lawrence after watching KU’s game against Nevada at Allen Fieldhouse and were heading south to Wichita. However, a few miles south of Topeka, the car they were in went off the road and rolled multiple times, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol’s online crash logs. Muscadin, who was not wearing a seatbelt, suffered life-threatening injuries. The day after the crash, Self said that Muscadin was “definitely fighting for his life” and that “I’m praying for a miracle.”

According to a GoFundMe page set up for Muscadin’s family after the incident, his mother and sister were able to travel to Kansas to be with him for a while.

In college and in high school, when he played on the AAU circuit and at Sunrise Christian Academy in the Wichita area, Muscadin was known for his outgoing personality and sunny disposition. He played alongside current Jayhawks Dajuan Harris Jr., Jalen Wilson and Michael Jankovich, and also was a teammate of Ochai Agbaji, Christian Braun, Mitch Lightfoot, David McCormack and Chris Teahan.