Baskerville Holmes (May 5, 1964 – March 18, 1997) was an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player from

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

, who was selected in the 1986 NBA draft with the 68th (3rd round) pick by the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

. His unique name was given to him by his mother, who was inspired by

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...

and Sir

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...

's crime novel ''

The Hound of the Baskervilles ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' is the third of the four crime novels by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialised in ''The Strand Magazine'' from August 1901 to April 1902, it is set i ...

''.'I got so much on my mind, I don't know what to do'
/ref> He was a Tennessee state high school champion in the

high jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...

Career

A 6'7" (2.01 m)

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to center (basketball), centers. When on Of ...

, Holmes played for four seasons at

Memphis State University } The University of Memphis (UofM) is a public university, public research university in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 22,000 students. The university maintains the Herff College of Engineering ...

from 1982 to 1986 wearing #43. While with the Tigers, Holmes (along with William Bedford and Keith Lee) formed a very powerful and productive front court. In 1986, Holmes was drafted into the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

by the

but never played for them. He played professional basketball in

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

and

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

, before returning to Memphis where he became a

truck driver A truck driver (commonly referred to as a trucker, teamster, or driver in the United States and Canada; a truckie in Australia and New Zealand; a HGV driver in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the European Union, a lorry driver, or driver in ...

Death

In March 1997, Holmes, who was believed to have suffered from

drug addiction Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to engage in certain behaviors, one of which is the usage of a drug, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use of ...

and depression, had an argument with his girlfriend of six years and shot her dead. Sometime after (on the same day) Holmes then killed himself. Before he died, he called his girlfriend's brother and told him that he had accidentally killed her.Team tragedy: '85 Tigers had talent, but troubles haunt them
''Commercial Appeal'', April 3, 2008

References

External links

– ESPN.com feature

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holmes, Baskerville 1964 births 1997 suicides 1997 deaths African-American basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Finland American expatriate basketball people in Spain American expatriate basketball people in Sweden American male high jumpers Basketball players from Memphis, Tennessee Memphis Tigers men's basketball players Milwaukee Bucks draft picks Murder–suicides in Tennessee Power forwards (basketball) Shooting guards American men's basketball players 20th-century African-American sportspeople Suicides by firearm in Tennessee The Hound of the Baskervilles American truck drivers