Former UTEP basketball standout Chris Sandle dies

Former UTEP basketball standout Chris Sandle passed away last Wednesday night at his home in Compton, Calif., at the age of 44.

Sandle's mother, Ruby Hurd, told the Long Beach Press-Telegram that he was found dead in his bed in his apartment.

"He had been very sick," Hurd told the newspaper. "He was diagnosed with hypertension more than a year ago. And he was hospitalized for four days (last week) because of gall stones that were causing blockage and a lot of pain. He had struggled with his health for a while."

Sandle was a McDonald's All-American at Long Beach Poly High in 1984 and played his first two collegiate seasons at Arizona State. He played for UTEP in 1986-88 for two seasons. He was UTEP's second leading scorer behind Jeep Jackson in his junior season, averaging 12.9 points a game. He led UTEP in scoring in his senior season, averaging 17.1 points a game.

Sandle helped UTEP engineer an overtime upset win against Arizona his junior season. He scored 28 points in UTEP's opening-round NCAA Tournament loss to Seton Hall in 1988.