University of Denver basketball sophomore forward Coban Porter was arrested early Sunday morning on suspicion of vehicular homicide and reckless driving in connection with a 1:54 AM two-vehicle crash at University Boulevard and Buchtel Blvd. in Denver, according to Denver Police and the Denver Post. One driver died at the scene.
According to the Post, A DU spokesman released a statement from the university:
“This is a tragic and heartbreaking situation, and our deepest sympathies are with those involved in the accident, their families, and friends,” the statement read. “All the resources of our campus and broader community, including counseling services, are available to any DU community member in need of assistance 24/7.”
Porter, 21, a 6-5 shooting guard from Columbia, Mo., had been ruled out for the entire ’22-’23 DU season in order to rehab his knee after ACL surgery this past summer. Porter averaged 11.4 points in 28 games as a freshman last season, averaging 24 minutes per game, and emerged as a potential star player for the Pioneers.
Coban is the brother of Denver Nuggets player Michael Porter, Jr.
DU coach Jeff Wulbrun, his coaching staff, members of the DU administration, and the rest of the DU basketball team met on Sunday to discuss the incident.
The Pioneers are scheduled to travel to Tulsa to play Oral Roberts this Wednesday.
Here at LetsGoDU, we are stunned by this news, as we believe it is the first arrest of a current DU student-athlete in about 15 years. Members of the staff here at LetsGoDU have met Porter both at Magness Arena and away from the arena, and describe him as “kind” “engaging,” and “a very personable young man.”
At this point, none of us know the details. I can say that Coban is one of the nicest and most thoughtful student-athletes I have met at DU. Heartbreaking for everyone involved in this tragedy. Prayers to everyone impacted by this horrible event.
How incredibly sad this is for everyone involved.
So sad to hear about this and sending love and positive thoughts to everyone involved and affected by this.
Gut-wrenching to read this, and certainly tragic circumstances for everyone involved, particularly the person whose life was lost. Very very sad.
Just awful all around. The only thing that matters is the life lost, the the family and friends that are grieving their loss.
Reported: drove 50 mph down Buchtel, ran a red light into University. We’ve all had some drinks and drove. But in my past, I drove 3x more carefully in that situation. Who drinks, speeds recklessly down a slow street, and on top of that blows through a red light into traffic? Let the facts develop, but anger is an understandable reaction if these things turn out to be true. Horrible waste of a person’s life.
A waste of two lives really…