Death of Ball State's Zach Hollywood, a Bradley native, ruled suicide

Death of Ball State’s Zach Hollywood, a Bradley native, ruled suicide

By Associated Press

MUNCIE, Ind. — Ball State coach James Whitford is offering condolences to the family of Zach Hollywood a day after the basketball player was found dead of an apparent suicide in an off-campus apartment.

Delaware County coroner Scott Hahn said Hollywood killed himself. The 19-year-old Hollywood was from Bradley, Illinois, and redshirted last season as a freshman.

His was discovered 1 p.m. Tuesday. Hollywood last tweeted at 4:39 a.m. Tuesday, saying “Be careful what you say to everyone because you don’t know what kind of battles they are going through.”

Be careful what you say to everyone because you don't know what kind of battles they are going through
— Zachary Hollywood (@zachhollywood24) August 22, 2017

Hollywood played on the Ball State practice squad last season and had four years of eligibility remaining.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of Zach Hollywood. Zach was a terrific young man with an incredibly bright future in front of him. His loss is a true tragedy for all those who knew and loved him,” Whitford said in a statement Wednesday. “Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected, especially Zach’s family. This is an incredibly hard moment for everyone.”

Team spokesman Tyson Mathews said players and coaches would have no any additional comment.

Hollywood, a 6-foot-9 forward, was expected to play a significant role for the Cardinals this season. He chose Ball State after averaging 17.5 points during his senior season at Bradley-Bourbonnais High School.

He was born in Kankakee, Illinois. His father Scott played college basketball at Youngstown State. His mother, Susan, who died in August 2016, was described in her obituary as “Her son’s biggest sports fan.”

BSU student link profiled him earlier this year on dealing with the death of his mother.

“Everyone has their problems and battles they might not tell anyone,” Zach Hollywood said in the video. “When I feel pain, I just think about all the pain my mom felt and how much she still fought to try to make it through it. There’s no pain that I can feel that I can’t push myself through.”