Gene Ransom Wiki
Gene Ransom Biography
Who was Gene Ransom ?
Gene Ransom, a member of the California College Basketball Hall of Fame, was shot to death while driving on a freeway, police said. He was 65 years old.
Ransom was heading north on Interstate 880 in Oakland when his car crashed into the guardrail shortly after 5 p.m. Friday night, prompting an investigation.
The California Highway Patrol quickly determined that Ransom, a renowned University of California point guard on the Berkley Golden Bears in the late 1970s, had been shot, according to KPIX.
Juan Angel Garcia Arrested
On Saturday morning, a San Francisco man was in custody for Ransom’s murder.
Juan Angel Garcia, 25, was arrested around 10 a.m., the California Highway Patrol said. The motive for the shooting is under investigation, ABC7’s Bay Area affiliate reported.
The 5-foot-9 Ransom scored at least 30 points in a game multiple times for the Golden Bears, led the team in assists during his three seasons there and once, in 1977, played 63.5 minutes and scored 36 points in five overtime. beat Oregon, according to Sports Illustrated.
Gene Ransom Death
“He did things at his size that other guys couldn’t do,” his former teammate Ruppert Jones told SI. “He was able to compete with players much bigger than him because he had the ability to create space. He was a great ball handler, he could shoot and he wasn’t afraid.”
Ransom’s death is one of several freeway shootings plaguing the area: Last month, a sheriff’s recruit was shot and killed while driving home from the police academy and in November, two people, including a toddler , died while traveling on the freeway, KPIX reported.
Freeway Shooting
“We are shocked to hear reports that Cal Athletics Hall of Famer Gene Ransom has been identified as a victim in a deadly freeway shooting. Our thoughts are with Gene’s family and friends for this tragic loss. Gene was one of the greatest players in the history of our men’s basketball program and he will be greatly missed.”
Oakland Athletics scout Shooty Babitt also shared some of his memories of Ransom.
“A lot of times, you just felt like you had to be dreaming, you couldn’t believe what he just did, I mean, if it wasn’t for the no-look passes,” he said. “His hands were twice the size of mine, he probably grabbed a basketball when he came out of his mother, I mean this guy was just amazing.”
