Former Knicks first-round pick Jerrod Mustaf dead at 55 following storied college basketball career at Maryland

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By Alex Raskin

Published: 14:18 GMT, 29 October 2024 | Updated: 14:29 GMT, 29 October 2024

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Former New York Knicks first-round pick Jerrod Mustaf died Monday at age 55, the Baltimore Sun is reporting.

No cause of death has been revealed.

Mustaf was a star at Maryland for three seasons, averaging 16.6 points a game from 1988 until 1990.

The Whiteville, North Carolina native was drafted 17th overall by the Knicks in 1990 ahead of future NBA stars such as Jayson Williams, Toni Kukoc, Antonio Davis and Cedric Ceballos.

Mustaf was later accused of being involved in the murder of his pregnant girlfriend, Althea Hayes, in 1993. He would deny the allegations, even as Mustaf\'s cousin, Lavonnie Wooten, was found guilty of the crime and sentenced to life in prison. 

Jerrod Mustaf was picked 17th overall by the Knicks in the 1990 draft out of Maryland

Mustaf later played for the Phoenix Suns before embarking on a career in Europe 

The son of self-described \'black militant\' Shaar Mustaf, the younger Mustaf played high school ball at DeMatha High in Hyattsville, where he developed into one of the top recruits in the county.

At his father\'s urging, Mustaf enrolled at Maryland, where he was named to three Parade All-American tams.

Although he was a first-round pick, Mustaf struggled to crack the Knicks rotation, given the depth at power forward with the presence of Charles Oakley. As a result, New York traded Mustaf to Phoenix in the deal that brought defensive ace Xavier McDaniel to the Knicks.

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