DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) — Chris Spatola, a former Army starting guard and ESPN college basketball analyst, has died at 47, the network announced Tuesday.
The Krzyzewski family shared a statement with our newsgathering partners at the News
A four-year starter at West Point, Spatola led Army in scoring for three seasons and finished No. 10 on the program's career scoring list with 1,543 points.
Following his graduation, Spatola served on active duty from 2002 through 2007. He deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and received the Joint Service Commendation Medal for exceptional combat performance, along with the Army Commendation Medal for outstanding leadership.
From 2007 to 2012, Spatola worked on the Duke staff under his father-in-law, Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski. During that span, the Blue Devils won the 2010 national championship and four ACC tournament titles. Spatola also served as a court coach for the USA teams that captured gold at the 2008 Olympics and 2010 FIBA World Championship.
ESPN contributed to this report
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