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Former Texas Basketball Player Jason Klotz Passes Away at 44

Jason Klotz spent five total seasons with the Texas Longhorns from 2000 to 2005.
Zach Dimmitt|
Texas Longhorns basketball during a timeout against Oklahoma Sooners at Frank Erwin Center.
Texas Longhorns basketball during a timeout against Oklahoma Sooners at Frank Erwin Center. | USA TODAY Sports

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Texas Longhorns

Former Texas Longhorns basketball player Jason Klotz has passed away at the age of 44, per reports from the Houston Chronicle.

Klotz, who played center at Texas for five seasons under head coach Rick Barnes, starred at Klein Forest High School in Houston before arriving to Austin ahead of the 2000-01 season. He appeared in 131 career games (27 starts) while averaging 6.2 points and 3.8 rebounds in 17.0 minutes per game.

Klotz made the NCAA Tournament during each of his five years with Texas, which included three straight Sweet 16 appearances along with a trip to the Final Four in 2003. He logged seven minutes and scored one point in Texas' Final Four loss to Syracuse.

He appeared in 12 total NCAA Tournament games while at Texas, tying a program record.

PJ Tucker on Passing of Jason Klotz: "Love You Forever"

PJ Tucker
PJ Tucker, former player for the Texas Longhorns, is awarded the Texas Athletics Hall of Honor trophy during the first half between the Texas Longhorns and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Moody Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Former Texas forward PJ Tucker, who was teammates with Klotz for two seasons in Austin, acknowledged his passing with a heartfelt message on social media.

"Damn dawg this one hurts. 1 of 1!!" Tucker wrote. "When i first go to Austin you were one of few that looked out for me. S many memories. Love you brother forever!"

Klotz played in just three games as a freshman before an ankle injury suffered in practice forced him to miss the rest of the season. He was granted a redshirt year by the NCAA.

The following season in 2001-02, Klotz was voted as the team's most improved player after playing in 34 games and logging three starts.

This growth continued during his sophomore season and into his junior year during the 2003-04 campaign when Klotz was named an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection by the league coaches after averaging 7.0 points and 3.9 rebounds in 32 games. He had 10 points and five rebounds in Texas' win over North Carolina in the second round of the NCAA Tournament that season.

As a senior in 2004-05, Klotz was named team captain and co-team MVP. It was his best year as a Longhorn, as Klotz averaged 11.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks across 30 games and 16 starts.

In the final game of his college career, Klotz scored a career-high 20 points in Texas' loss to Nevada in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

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Zach Dimmitt
ZACH DIMMITT

Zach Dimmitt is the Deputy Editor for Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI. He also contributes as a writer for the On SI channels of the Oregon Ducks, Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans. He was previously the editor-in-chief of Buffalo Bills on SI, Philadelphia Eagles on SI and Seattle Seahawks on SI. Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Dimmitt received his Bachelor’s Degree in journalism at the University of Texas at Austin in 2022. He originally started with SI’s Fan Nation network in 2021, providing extensive coverage of the NFL and NBA along with college football and basketball. In that time, Dimmitt has published thousands of stories and has reached millions of people across multiple fan bases. You can follow him on X at @ZachDimmitt7

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