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An arrest was made Monday in Romania in the killing of former Sacred Heart University basketball player Chauncey Hardy. He died Saturday after an altercation in a bar in the southern Romanian city of Giurgiu.
Ionut Adrian Tanasoaia surrendered to police and will be in custody for 29 days while he awaits trial. He is accused of beating Hardy. According to a report on CBSNews.com, Hardy was punched after he playfully put his cap on a woman's head, prosecutors said. They added that the woman's boyfriend objected to the gesture, and Hardy tried to show he didn't understand Romanian. Tanasoaia then allegedly punched Hardy on the chin and he fell to the ground. A preliminary autopsy revealed a massive hemorrhage and broken skull.
"This is a terrible tragedy and we are saddened as a university and as a basketball program," Sacred Heart coach Dave Bike said on the Fairfield team's website. "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 was a member of the Sacred Heart men's basketball program from 2006 through 2010. He appeared in 114 games over his four-year career and helped lead the Pioneers to back-to-back appearances in the Northeast Conference Championship game in 2007 and 2008. He finished his career with 1,247 points, averaging 11.0 per game.
Hardy played for CSS Giurgiu and was celebrating a victory over rival Dinamo Bucharest. He played in high school at Xavier in Middletown.
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