Growing up a college basketball fan in Rhode Island, and eventually attending URI, one of my favorite players was Kenny Green. A 6-9 shot-blocking fool, Green (a Waterbury native) was a freshman sensation on the Rams' surprise Sweet 16 team in 1988. After the Rams advanced past the first two rounds and the team plane arrived at T.F. Greene Airport, a banner with the name "Kenny" was placed over the T.F., temporarily changing the name of the airport to "Kenny Greene Airport."

Anyway, I loved me some Kenny Green. Reading this story on Green from a Middle Eastern newspaper's website is both shocking and sad. Never mind the strange grammar, which seems to be a result of some poor translation (i.e., it reports that Green's "mum" had "prostrate" cancer). The fact that Green has fallen on terrible times, a result of trying to help out his ailing (and now deceased) mother, is sad to read about.