Two Illinois State staff members among those dead in a plane crash

Two Illinois State athletics staff members died tragically late Monday night.

Associate men's basketball coach Torrey Ward and deputy athletic director Aaron Leetch were two of seven people killed in a plane crash Monday night near Bloomington, Ill., Illinois State confirmed in a statement released Tuesday afternoon. The passengers aboard the private plane attended the national title game between Duke and Wisconsin in Indianapolis on Monday night but encountered heavy fog on their flight home.

"Words cannot fully express the grief that is felt in the wake of such a tragedy," Illinois State president Larry H. Dietz said in a statement. "We move between shock and profound sadness."

A native of Birmingham, Ward played at UAB from 1997 to 2000, starting 74 games and helping the Blazers reach the NCAA tournament as a junior. He played professionally in China before stints as an assistant coach at Jacksonville State, Ole Miss and Illinois State.

Ward worked with Illinois State's big men the past few years, helping Jackie Carmichael earn all-conference honors in 2013 and developing Reggie Lynch into an all-conference center this past season. His haunting final tweet came from Monday's national title game.

Leetch held different positions within the Illinois State athletic department from 2005-11 and from 2013 until his death. In between, he spent two years as the athletic director at Whitworth University in Spokane, Wash.

Ward is survived by two young children. Leetch leaves behind his wife and two daughters.

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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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