RICHMOND, Va. -- Chris Cheeks, the former player and assistant coach at VCU and several other schools, passed away of an apparent heart attack, sources have told CBS 6 sports.
Cheeks played just two years for the Rams, from 1987-1989, but packed a career’s worth of highlights in those two seasons. His 42 points against Old Dominion in 1989 are the second most in a single game in VCU history and his 667 total points that season are the third most ever scored by a Ram in one year. Cheeks averaged just over 20 points and nearly 5 rebounds per game in his VCU career. He is one of just two players in school history to average over 20 points per game in their career.
Cheeks 23.8 points per game as a senior is the third highest mark in VCU history and the most of any Ram since 1970. He also earned Second Team All-Sun Belt Conference honors in 1988 after he averaged 17.3 points and led the Rams to a 23-12 record and the third round of the Postseason NIT. He was also named to the Sun Belt All-Tournament Team that season.
After his playing career, Cheeks was an assistant coach at several schools, including VCU under Sonny Smith and Mac McCarthy, during which the Rams won both the CAA regular season and tournament championships. He also made stops at Western Kentucky, Delaware, Charlotte, West Virginia, and Georgia State.
Cheeks is survived by his wife Mona, and three children: Christopher Jr, Brandon and Lauren. He was 54.
