College basketball world mourns Chris Spatola’s death: ‘All-time great dudes’

ESPN analyst Chris Spatola, 47, unexpectedly died on Monday, Sept. 21, leaving the college basketball world heartbroken.

Spatola, who ranks 10th on Army’s all-time scoring list, deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2002-07 following his four-year playing career. He returned to college basketball as a staff member at Duke under his father-in-law Mike Krzyzewski, one of the sport’s greatest coaches, from 2007-12 before becoming a broadcaster.

REQUIRED READING: Chris Spatola, ESPN personality and son-in-law of Mike Krzyzewski, suddenly dies at 47

“Chris Spatola brought a unique perspective to ESPN’s college basketball coverage, shaped by his experiences as a student-athlete, Army veteran, coach and broadcaster,” ESPN said in a statement. “He was thoughtful, prepared and passionate about the sport, earning the respect of colleagues, coaches, players and fans alike. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his loved ones during this difficult time.”

It’s clear Spatola meant a lot to numerous people in the industry. Those who knew him called him “kind,” “egoless” and “an all-time dude” in tributes on social media.

Here are some of those tributes to Spatola:

College basketball, media world mourn Chris Spatola’s death

Steve Kornacki, known for election day coverage for NBC, offered interesting perspective on Spatola’s path to broadcasting. He said he hadn’t seen him in years, but was always touched by what Spatola accomplished.

“This is just shocking,” Kornacki wrote. “I grew up with Chris and while I hadn’t seen him in a very long time, I was so impressed over the years watching all that he became and achieved in life. He had to be the best basketball player to come through our small town and it was obvious back then he was going places. The kid I remember was friendly and warm and funny and great to talk to and also unusually smart and ambitious. And he put it all together in life.

“Just a huge, total success story who I know made a lot of people from his Groton-Dunstable Middle School days proud. RIP to him and deepest sympathies to his loved ones and many friends.”

ESPN play-by-play broadcaster Mike Monaco worked college basketball games with Spatola over the years, saying he was lucky to know him.

“Shocked and devastated to hear the news about Chris,” Monaco wrote. “Just keep staring at the screen. Simply a damn good human being. Smart, witty, curious, principled, and kind. And man did he love his family. Praying hard for his family & all those lucky enough to know him.”

Numerous tributes noted Spatola’s love for his family, including Baylor coach Scott Drew, who called him a “great friend.”

“Chris was a friend and someone I really respected,” Drew said. “So many Great Memories of Baylor Games he announced. He often talked about his family and I know how much he loved them. Praying for the Spatola Family.”

Here are some of the other best tributes to Spatola: