Los Altos Town Crier » Thursday memorial for slain St. Francis hoops star Dennehy

By Pete Borello

Image from article Thursday memorial for slain St. Francis hoops star Dennehy

A memorial service for former St. Francis High School basketball star Patrick Dennehy is scheduled for 11 a.m., Thursday, at the Jubilee Christian Center in San Jose.

Dennehy, who graduated from St. Francis in 2000, was found slain July 25 in Waco, Texas, where he attended Baylor University. His roommate and former teammate at Baylor, Carlton Dotson, is charged with shooting Dennehy.

Dennehy, 21, transferred to Baylor last year from the University of New Mexico. Dennehy spent two years at St. Francis (after transferring from Wilcox High School), helping the Lancers win the Central Coast Section Division II championship in his senior year.

“My reflections are that he was a very quiet and almost studious type of kid,” said Joe Schram, longtime statistician for the St. Francis basketball team. “He was very dedicated and worked very hard.”

The 6-foot-10 Dennehy aspired to play in the NBA and, by all accounts, looked forward to getting a fresh start at Baylor after his dismissal from the New Mexico team for disciplinary reasons. The junior, who averaged 10.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in his last season with the Lobos, had to sit out the 2002-2003 season due to NCAA transfer rules.

At St. Francis, Dennehy “was never a problem that I was aware of,” Schram said. “He got along with all the other kids on the team.”

Chase Lyman, one of Dennehy’s closest friends on the St. Francis team, also spoke highly of his former teammate.

“I think that people are getting the wrong perception of Pat,” said Lyman, who is playing football for University of California-Berkeley. “The media has been portraying him as a troublemaker who ‘had this coming someday.’ This was not at all the case. Pat was a shy guy, an introvert, and he wasn’t confrontational.”

Dennehy was reported missing June 19 and his Chevy Tahoe was discovered a week later in Virginia.

Dotson, 21, was arrested July 21 in his home state of Maryland after admitting to FBI agents that he shot Dennehy when Dennehy tried to shoot him, according to the arrest warrant affidavit. Dennehy’s remains were found in a field four miles from the Baylor campus.

Officials from Baylor, including head basketball coach Dave Bliss, are expected to attend Thursday’s service. A service was held at Baylor’s campus chapel last week and another is planned for September when students are back in school.

Cards and donations to help Dennehy’s family cover funeral costs may be sent to the Jubilee Christian Center, 175 Nortech Parkway, San Jose, CA 95134. Please make checks out to “Patrick Dennehy Fund.”