Former Alabama Basketball Standout Mikhail Torrance Dead At 37

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Former University of Alabama basketball player Mikhail Torrance has died at the age of 37, the university announced Thursday.

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No cause of death was immediately released.

A native of Eight Mile, Torrance played three seasons for the Crimson Tide from 2006-09 and was known for his playmaking ability at point guard.

As a senior for the Crimson Tide, Torrance appeared in 32 games, averaging 15.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. This performance was good enough to see Torrance named second-team All-SEC.

During his junior season in 2008-09, he started several games and averaged some of the best performances of his collegiate career, including a career-high 24-point outing against Ole Miss and another 24-point effort at Auburn.

He also recorded a season-high seven assists against Arkansas and helped lead Alabama during Southeastern Conference play.

Torrance appeared in 21 games as a freshman before playing in 30 games during his sophomore season.

In 2007-08, he averaged 3.3 points and 2.4 assists per game and dished out a career-high 10 assists against George Washington. He earned three starts that season and scored in double figures four times.

As a freshman in 2006-07, Torrance averaged 3.0 points per game and delivered one of his top performances against Auburn, scoring a team-high 14 points in a season-high 27 minutes of action.

After his collegiate career came to an end, Torrance went undrafted in the 2010 NBA Draft amid concerns about a heart condition that surfaced during pre-draft evaluations.

He later played for the Miami Heat's NBA Summer League team and was set to begin a professional career with Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel.

However, his career was interrupted in August 2010 when he collapsed during a workout in Florida and suffered a medical emergency that deprived his brain of oxygen.

Torrance eventually returned to professional basketball, playing in Turkey, Canada, Finland, the Dominican Republic and Mexico over the following years.

Before arriving in Tuscaloosa, Torrance starred at Mary G. Montgomery High School in Mobile County, where he was a two-time First-Team All-State selection and the 2006 Mobile Optimist Club Class 6A Player of the Year.

As a prep standout, he averaged 22 points, eight assists and seven rebounds as a senior while helping lead the Vikings to consecutive 20-win seasons.

The university did not release additional details Thursday, including information about funeral arrangements.

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