Ball State basketball player Zach Hollywood passes away

Zach Hollywood, 19, of Bradley, Illinois, a member of the Ball State Cardinals men’s basketball team, passed away from as-of-currently unknown causes Wednesday afternoon, according to the Ball State Daily.

Hollywood, a six-foot-nine, 192 lb. forward, was a practice team contributor in his first year on campus under coach James Whitford and was set to begin his redshirt freshman campaign in the 2017-2018 season.

The university released a statement via email, which the Ball State Daily obtained and published:

"On behalf of Ball State University, it is with profound sadness that we learned today of the passing of Zachary 'Zach' Hollywood, a student from Bradley, Illinois. Zach has been a part of our community for the past year. During his time on campus, he was a member of the men’s basketball team and made many positive impressions throughout campus. This is a tragedy. Our heartfelt condolences are with his family, friends and teammates.

'For members of our Ball State family who need support during this difficult time, we encourage them to take advantage of the numerous resources available on- and off-campus.'"

Hollywood was a key part of the 2015 Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School squad, averaging 17.5 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game as a Boilermaker, shooting 70 percent from the floor and 43.5 percent from three-point range.

Hollywood was a second-team all-state selection two-time All-Southwest Conference performer and scored over 1,000 points in his high school career.

With key departures at the forward positions for Ball State, Hollywood would likely have seen the floor this season for the Cardinals.

This story will be updated as it develops.

We at Hustle Belt offer our condolences to his family and the Ball State community.