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Written by Matthew Maurer
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On Monday, April 27, 2009, Glen "Gondo" Gondrezick passed away at the age of 53 due to complications from a heart transplant he underwent in September 2008.
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Gondo
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Gondrezick was selected 26th overall in the 1977 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks. He had a solid 6-year NBA career with the Knicks and Denver Nuggets before heading off to Italy for two years. The Colorado native was a fan favorite while playing for his hometown Denver team. Gondrezick wasn't known as a player of tremendous athletic talent, but he more than made up for this with toughness and an all out aggressive style of play.
The UNLV alum was a key member in their first Final Four appearance in 1977. Gondrezick was one of the players Jerry Tarkanian signed during his inaugural coaching season at UNLV. In Gondrezick's four years at UNLV Tarkanian had an 86% winning average. One of the most memorable wins came against San Francisco College, who was the number one team in the land. The win firmly cemented UNLV as an up and coming power on the college basketball landscape. Gondrezick's play was so instrumental that his jersey was retired by the school in 1997. He is currently ranked 16th on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,311 points and ninth with 831 career rebounds.
After leaving pro basketball for good Gondrezick went on to become the color commentator for UNLV basketball the past 17 years. In 2000 he learned that he had congenital heart disease, which slowly worsened until his heart only pumped at 9% capacity.
Glen Gondrezick is remembered by his family as a loving father and one of best practical jokers on or off the court. He is survived by his sons Travis and Kelan, and daughter his Britt.
The Draft Review remembers Glen Gondrezick. View his historical draft profile.
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