Stanley Robinson, Former UConn Basketball Player, Dies at Age 32

The UConn Huskies men's basketball team announced the death of former standout forward Stanley Robinson on Wednesday. He was 32.

"Just a really, really sweet kid," former UConn head coach Jim Calhoun told Dom Amore of the Hartford Courant. "The world was harsh for him, because he was such a caring, giving person."

Robinson played for the Huskies from 2006 through 2010. He took a hiatus from the program for five months in 2008 to deal with personal issues, led by taking care of his two young daughters.

"I didn't want everyone to get in my business, so I just wanted to leave quietly and get it done," he told reporters in January 2010 about the decision. "I could have played basketball somewhere else instead, but I felt I should go to work and help my family."

The Alabama native returned for the stretch run of the 2008-09 season and helped lead UConn to the national semifinals.

Robinson, who became known for his emphatic dunks, averaged 9.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.0 blocks while shooting 48.5 percent from the field in 126 appearances across four years with the program.

The Orlando Magic selected him in the second round of the 2010 draft, but he never appeared in an NBA game.

His pro career spanned three continents and featured an NBA D-League championship with the Iowa Energy in 2011. He most recently played for the Espanol de Talca in Chile.

No details about Robinson's death were immediately released.