Police in Illinois investigating the death of a former University of Maine basketball star who was shot there this week are asking for help from anyone who might have information, including acquaintances in Maine who recently may have been in contact with him.

Nate Fox, who played two seasons at Maine from 1998 to 2000 and went on to play professional basketball in Europe for 12 seasons, was shot at least twice on Monday outside a townhouse that he shared with his girlfriend in Bloomingdale, Illinois, according to the Daily Herald newspaper that covers the suburban town about 30 miles west of Chicago.

Fox, 37, was returning home from his job as a car salesman around 9:40 p.m. in his 2013 maroon Jaguar XJ when he was shot. He was taken to Adventist Glen Oaks Medical Center in neighboring Glendale Heights, where he died, police said.

Bloomingdale Police Chief Frank Giammarese on Friday declined to release details about the shooting, including how many times Fox was shot, whether his car was struck or if he was in the vehicle at the time of the shooting.

“We’re looking at all possibilities,” Giammarese said by phone. “We’ve interviewed numerous, numerous people.”

Giammarese said he and detectives worked through the Christmas holiday looking at leads and now are broadening their investigation to determine whether Fox had any communications, however minor, with acquaintances outside Illinois, such as former teammates in Maine or in Europe.

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“This one is challenging because it’s not one of those open-and-shut cases,” Giammarese said Friday. “I met with his mom and dad (on Christmas), and I’ve been doing police work for 26 years, and it was tough to discuss the death of a child. It’s heartbreaking.”

A team of detectives that make up the area’s major crimes task force from 23 area towns is investigating Fox’s death, the chief said.

“We were brainstorming this morning about reaching out to his former teammates,” Giammarese said. “We’re willing to speak to anyone who may have information for us. We’re trying to make sure we don’t miss anything.”

Fox grew up in the Illinois town of Plainfield and graduated from high school there, playing basketball and football. His parents, who still live in Plainfield, did not return a phone message seeking comment.

A 6-foot-9 forward, Fox began his college basketball career at Boston College before transferring to Maine. After sitting out a season, Fox averaged 17.9 points and 7.8 rebounds in helping the Black Bears go 43-16 in his two seasons at Orono.

“He had a great sense of humor that his teammates loved,” said John Giannini, who coached Fox at Maine. “He was really fun to be around. He really cared about his teammates.”

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Giannini, who now coaches the La Salle University men’s team, recalled one example of Fox’s concern for his teammates that stands out in his mind.

During a game at Delaware in which the Black Bears nearly coughed up the lead after being in front most of the way, Giannini lashed out at some of the players for the mistakes they were making that nearly cost them the game. Fox wasn’t one of the players, but Giannini said his power forward was the most visibly affected.

“I just saw the caring attitude he had about those guys on the team,” said Giannini, who was moved to apologize to his players partly because of the way his outburst had affected Fox.

“He never cared if I criticized him, but if I got on his teammates that bothered him,” Giannini said.

Fox, an America East first-team selection after the 1999-2000 season, went on to play in Europe from 2000 to 2012.

Fox lived with his girlfriend, Carlie Fraley, at the townhouse near where he was shot. She does not have a listed phone number.


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