Chauncey Hardy, Ex-Sacred Heart Guard, Killed In Romania; Man In Custody

NEW YORK (WFAN/AP) — Romanian prosecutors say a man has been detained over the killing of former Sacred Heart player Chauncey Hardy.

Ionut Adrian Tanasoaia surrendered to police early Monday. He is accused of beating up Hardy in a bar in the southern Romanian city of Giurgiu on Saturday night.

Mediafax news agency reported that Tanasoaia allegedly attacked the ex-Pioneers guard because he wanted to dance with his girlfriend.

Hardy died shortly after undergoing surgery in a Bucharest hospital on Sunday. The 23-year-old from Middletown, Conn., had sustained severe head injuries and was in a coma when he was admitted to the hospital.

"This is a terrible tragedy and we are saddened as a University and a basketball program," Sacred Heart men's basketball coach Dave Bike said in a statement. "This is not just about a basketball player, but the person as well. It transcends what happens on a basketball court. We feel tremendous sadness and loss for Chauncey's family and those who were close to him."

Hardy played for CSS Giurgiu in southern Romania and was celebrating a victory over rival Dinamo Bucharest in Giurgiu when several men were reported to have attacked him.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of a fine young man who had his life cut short at such a young age while he was overseas doing something he loved," said Sacred Heart athletic director C. Donald Cook.

Hardy averaged 12.5 points for Sacred Heart in 2009-10.

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