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Police look to Baylor team for missing player
(CNN) -- Waco, Texas police investigating the disappearance of Baylor University basketball player Patrick Dennehy as a possible homicide say leads in the case indicate his teammates may be involved. The 21-year-old, 6-foot-10 junior center from Santa Clara, California, who joined the team last year, was last reported seen June 11, a statement from Baylor said. Dennehy's dark blue Chevrolet Tahoe SUV was found Thursday in Virginia Beach, Virginia, with its license plates removed, according to a police statement released Friday. Waco police sent a detective to investigate. "From that lead and others, potential suspects in the disappearance of Dennehy potentially include fellow Baylor basketball players," Waco Police Public Information Officer Steven Anderson said in the statement. "Police have received information from several sources that would lead investigators to believe that foul play was involved in the disappearance of Mr. Dennehy," the statement says. "One of the potential leads that investigators have been following is that Dennehy was the victim of a homicide in the Waco area." Possible crime scenes in Waco were being investigated, Anderson added. "[It's] not classified as a homicide yet, but information that we're getting now does lead that way," Anderson told reporters Saturday. Dave Bliss, the head coach of men's basketball at Baylor, said the players and coaches have been speaking to investigators, but he lamented the lack of answers.
"The team, the university, and all the members of the Baylor family and myself are in tremendous disbelief about the recent events," Bliss told reporters Saturday. "In fact, no part of this really seems real." Bliss said he had spent the morning calling all the players on the team and Dennehy's mother in an attempt to reassure them. "We still believe in miracles. They do happen," Bliss said. "We certainly hope, obviously, that there's some answers soon." Known for his rebounding prowess, Dennehy sat out last season after his transfer from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque but was expected to vie for playing time at center this fall, the university said. As a sophomore at New Mexico, he received an honorable mention in the All-Mountain West Conference after averaging 10.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. "This is sad, because he's one of the top recruits," said Baylor student Tyler Johns. "He's supposed to be a pretty good guy coming in, and I know Bliss usually has been building up this team, working really hard." Bliss called Dennehy an "unbelievable young man" who is a good student with a radiating personality. Dennehy was born in Oakland, California, and attended high school in Santa Clara, California, and East Palo Alto, California. As a senior in high school, he rated a high honorable mention All-America by Street & Smith's magazine, according to Baylor.
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