[Smoothjazzusa] Bassist Wayman Tisdale dies from cancer at 44

[Steve "The Jazz Man" Bauer]

Wayman Tisdale dies from cancer at 44
 Tisdale, who this year was elected to the College Basketball Hall of 
Fame,
died this morning at the age of 44.
The passing of the three-time All-American at Oklahoma was confirmed 
by the University
of Oklahoma and
CBS Sports.
Tisdale had
lost a leg
 to cancer recently, and had been fighting the disease for two years.
Tisdale still holds the record at Oklahoma for the most points scored 
by any player
through their freshman and sophomore seasons.
He
won a gold medal
 as a member of the 1984 U.S. Olympic basketball team and the Indiana 
Pacers made
Tisdale the second overall pick in the 1985 NBA Draft.
As a center and power forward, Tisdale averaged over 15 points and six 
rebounds per
game in a
12-season pro career
 with the Pacers, Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns. His best season 
was in 1989-90
with the Kings, when he averaged 22.3 points and 7.5 rebounds a game.
Since retiring from the NBA in 1997, Tisdale had recorded several jazz 
albums and
had performed on worldwide tours and collaborated with artists like 
country music
star Toby Keith.
Tisdale learned he had cancer after slipping on a staircase at his 
home, and the
ease with which a leg bone shattered alarmed doctors.