Jaraan Cornell, South Bend Clay and Purdue basketball legend, dies at 48
The details surrounding his death are unknown, but multiple sources confirmed to the South Bend Tribune that his body was found in his apartment Friday morning.
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Noie column: Friday was a bad day after the loss of a good one in South Bend boys basketball
More: 30 years ago South Bend Clay made HS basketball history. What the team is saying today
Cornell was a star for the South Bend Clay boys basketball team in the 1990s. He hit one of the defining shots in state history during the 1994 state championship game, draining a '3' as time expired in regulation to force overtime. Clay went onto beat Valparaiso, 93-88, in overtime in one of the final title games on the one-class era.
Jaraan Cornell celebrates hitting the tying shot at the buzzer as South Bend Clay went on to defeat No. 1 Valparaiso in overtime for the 1994 state championship.
Cornell was a sophomore on the 1994 team. He would be named an Indiana All-Star and finished third in the Mr. Basketball award voting in 1996. He then had a decorated playing career at Purdue University, including back-to-back third team all-Big Ten selections in 1998 and 1999. He was named to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame Silver Anniversary team in 2021.
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Cornell returned to South Bend later in life, becoming a basketball coach. He spent the 2013 and 2014 seasons leading the Clay girls basketball program and was still active in the hoops scene in town.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Legendary South Bend Clay basketball player Jaraan Cornell dies at 48
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