Utes junior guard Parker Van Dyke was shaken by the text message he received as he and teammates were looking forward to taking on Pac-12 Conference rival Colorado on Friday.
Van Dyke’s mother let him know via text the heart-wrenching news that soon flooded social media streams. Jon Huntsman Sr., one of Utah’s best-known businessmen and philanthropists, a major donor to the university as well as a friend and mentor to members of the basketball program, died at the age of 80.
“That’s tough news for us, for the state of Utah, for the program — specifically Utah basketball,” Van Dyke, a Salt Lake City resident, said after Friday night’s loss to Colorado in Boulder, Colo.