The basketball world is stunned by the news that former Purdue All-American and NBA player Caleb Swanigan is dead at 25. In two seasons with the Boilermakers, Swanigan averaged 19.7 points and 10.4 rebounds a game. He was a 2017 first-round selection of the Portland Trail Blazers and played 65 games for them over three seasons. He also was a Sacramento King for 10 games in between.
Swanigan played one game against Notre Dame. That occurred during the 2016 edition of the now-defunct Crossroads Classic in Indianapolis. Facing an Irish team that was coming off back-to-back Elite Eights, Swanigan was the straw that stirred the Boilermakers that day as he had a game-high 26 points to go with 10 rebounds in an 86-81 win. Meanwhile, the Irish got 23 points from [autotag]Bonzie Colson[/autotag] and 22 from [autotag]Matt Farrell[/autotag].
Our thoughts and prayers go to the Swanigan family during this difficult time. He might only have faced the Irish once, but his mark on basketball in Indiana never will be forgotten.