Former Wildcat standout Sean Rooks likely died as a result of heart disease or other natural causes, according to Jeff Moran, a spokesman for Philadelphia Public Health Department.
An initial autopsy was performed earlier today by the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office, according to USA Today.
"What (the examiner) said most recently was that all evidence is Mr. Rooks died of natural causes," Moran told the Star. After further testing, a final determination of the cause of death is expected in four to eight weeks, Moran said.
Rooks, 46, died suddenly Tuesday at a Philadelphia restaurant, just hours after he had interviewed for an assistant coach position with the New York Knicks.
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The Orange County Register had a look at Rooks' days with the Lakers and Clippers, while the Arizona Republic noted that Rooks was a player development assistant for the Suns.
ICYMI, we had some thoughts from former teammates and coaches in our full story on Rooks for Wednesday's edition.
UA coach Sean Miller, meanwhile, passed on condolences via a statement issued today by the school.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Rooks family upon hearing the news of Sean’s passing," Miller said. "I have often heard Coach (Lute) Olson and Sean’s Arizona teammates refer to him in so many glowing terms, particularly as someone that learned the value of hard work in college and developed himself into a NBA player. It is saddening to see him leave us at such a young age.
"We also pass on our condolences to his son, Kameron, a member of our conference at California and someone that is becoming an excellent player in his own right.”
Miller expressed recruiting interest in Kameron four years ago, though Sean Rooks said then that his son had more to prove as a high-major prospect. Kameron Rooks averaged 3.6 points and 4.9 rebounds over 33 games as a redshirt sophomore for the Bears last season, starting 10 games.
Wayne Tinkle will receive a 70 percent raise next season at Oregon State, a base salary of $1.7 million that escalates another $100,000 for each of the following five seasons. Tinkle was also given a two-year extension, taking him through 2021-22.
Tinkle indicated to the Oregonian that the new contract will help the Beavers in recruiting.
Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott told the Mercury News that it's a "misconception" that the conference is spending heavily on its Pacific Rim initiatives, which include sending a team of conference players to Australia next month.
