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The FBI said Sunday it had joined the search for a missing Baylor basketball player, even as fears grew among the athlete's friends that he may not be alive.
Patrick James Dennehy, 21, hasn't been heard from in more than two weeks, and police suspect he was killed in the Waco area. His sport utility vehicle, its license plates missing, was found abandoned in a mall parking lot in Virginia last week.
A former roommate and longtime friend in Albuquerque, N.M., Senque Carey, said Dennehy had never been the sort to disappear for days on end without calling someone, or the sort to put himself in danger.
``I just remember Pat as being always to himself. He wasn't like a person who would cause trouble for no reason,'' said Carey, who played basketball with Dennehy on the University of New Mexico team before Dennehy transferred to Baylor his junior year.
John Cunningham, a speech communications professor at the Waco university, said Dennehy was working on an independent study project for his class this summer.
He said Dennehy was a ``solid B student'' who dreamed of playing for the NBA and then working in public relations for his favorite team, the Sacramento Kings.
``It's been unbelievably hard,'' Cunningham said Sunday. ``Right now, the hardest part is not knowing. We're trying to stay positive, but it's been hard as more time passes.''
Waco police say Dennehy's teammates and others have been questioned about the disappearance of the 6-foot-10, 230-pound center and junior speech communications major from Santa Clara, Calif. Police declined to comment Sunday, saying a news conference was planned for Monday afternoon.
Rene Salinas, an spokesman in the FBI's San Antonio office, said Sunday that the FBI was helping Waco police in the investigation. He declined further comment.
Dennehy often sat in the front row so he could concentrate and didn't talk much before or after class to his teammates, who sat in the back, Cunningham said. But the professor said he was surprised about reports that basketball players may be suspects.
``I've taught those guys, and there's no way in my mind that any of them are capable of doing anything like that,'' Cunningham said.
Dennehy's stepfather, Brian Brabazon, told the Waco Tribune-Herald someone had recently stolen money from his stepson and that Dennehy had told Baylor coaches he was scared.
Waco police apparently are investigating reports that Dennehy was threatened by a teammate and that he had recently argued with at least two players, the newspaper reported.
Men's basketball coach Dave Bliss did not immediately return telephone calls Sunday to The Associated Press. In a news conference Saturday, Bliss said the campus was ``in tremendous disbelief'' and that players have cooperated with police.
Kevin Henry, a former Baylor basketball player and now a grad student who supervised athletes last year, said Dennehy's teammates were upset over the disappearance.
``This is a guy you practice with, lift weights with, eat meals with ... so it's got to be tough on them. That's your brother,'' said Henry, a former University of New Mexico player who showed Dennehy around that campus during a recruiting trip in 2000.
Dennehy's girlfriend in Albuquerque, 20-year-old Jessica De La Rosa, said Sunday she last spoke with him the night of June 11.
``It was a typical conversation,'' she said. ``He was just fine. He told me he just needed to go and would call me the next day.''
De La Rosa and Dennehy communicated frequently by phone after he transferred to Baylor. Asked if Dennehy was concerned about his safety, or had problems with teammates or others, De La Rosa said: ``I can't say anything about any problems because that's part of the investigation right now.''
Dennehy played two years at the University of New Mexico under coach Fran Fraschilla before transferring to Baylor. His sophomore season there was clouded by problems, including an argument during a game in 2002 when Dennehy shoved a teammate, kicked over a chair and stormed into the locker room. He didn't return to the game.
Fraschilla declined to discipline Dennehy, and the team doctor said Dennehy was being treated for ``a confidential medical condition.''
Dennehy sat out last season after transferring to Baylor and was expected to compete for playing time this fall.
Patrick James Dennehy, 21, hasn't been heard from in more than two weeks, and police suspect he was killed in the Waco area. His sport utility vehicle, its license plates missing, was found abandoned in a mall parking lot in Virginia last week.
A former roommate and longtime friend in Albuquerque, N.M., Senque Carey, said Dennehy had never been the sort to disappear for days on end without calling someone, or the sort to put himself in danger.
``I just remember Pat as being always to himself. He wasn't like a person who would cause trouble for no reason,'' said Carey, who played basketball with Dennehy on the University of New Mexico team before Dennehy transferred to Baylor his junior year.
John Cunningham, a speech communications professor at the Waco university, said Dennehy was working on an independent study project for his class this summer.
He said Dennehy was a ``solid B student'' who dreamed of playing for the NBA and then working in public relations for his favorite team, the Sacramento Kings.
``It's been unbelievably hard,'' Cunningham said Sunday. ``Right now, the hardest part is not knowing. We're trying to stay positive, but it's been hard as more time passes.''
Waco police say Dennehy's teammates and others have been questioned about the disappearance of the 6-foot-10, 230-pound center and junior speech communications major from Santa Clara, Calif. Police declined to comment Sunday, saying a news conference was planned for Monday afternoon.
Rene Salinas, an spokesman in the FBI's San Antonio office, said Sunday that the FBI was helping Waco police in the investigation. He declined further comment.
Dennehy often sat in the front row so he could concentrate and didn't talk much before or after class to his teammates, who sat in the back, Cunningham said. But the professor said he was surprised about reports that basketball players may be suspects.
``I've taught those guys, and there's no way in my mind that any of them are capable of doing anything like that,'' Cunningham said.
Dennehy's stepfather, Brian Brabazon, told the Waco Tribune-Herald someone had recently stolen money from his stepson and that Dennehy had told Baylor coaches he was scared.
Waco police apparently are investigating reports that Dennehy was threatened by a teammate and that he had recently argued with at least two players, the newspaper reported.
Men's basketball coach Dave Bliss did not immediately return telephone calls Sunday to The Associated Press. In a news conference Saturday, Bliss said the campus was ``in tremendous disbelief'' and that players have cooperated with police.
Kevin Henry, a former Baylor basketball player and now a grad student who supervised athletes last year, said Dennehy's teammates were upset over the disappearance.
``This is a guy you practice with, lift weights with, eat meals with ... so it's got to be tough on them. That's your brother,'' said Henry, a former University of New Mexico player who showed Dennehy around that campus during a recruiting trip in 2000.
Dennehy's girlfriend in Albuquerque, 20-year-old Jessica De La Rosa, said Sunday she last spoke with him the night of June 11.
``It was a typical conversation,'' she said. ``He was just fine. He told me he just needed to go and would call me the next day.''
De La Rosa and Dennehy communicated frequently by phone after he transferred to Baylor. Asked if Dennehy was concerned about his safety, or had problems with teammates or others, De La Rosa said: ``I can't say anything about any problems because that's part of the investigation right now.''
Dennehy played two years at the University of New Mexico under coach Fran Fraschilla before transferring to Baylor. His sophomore season there was clouded by problems, including an argument during a game in 2002 when Dennehy shoved a teammate, kicked over a chair and stormed into the locker room. He didn't return to the game.
Fraschilla declined to discipline Dennehy, and the team doctor said Dennehy was being treated for ``a confidential medical condition.''
Dennehy sat out last season after transferring to Baylor and was expected to compete for playing time this fall.