Former Morgan State basketball standout Blake Bozeman, son of former coach, dies

The Morgan State University men’s basketball program is mourning the death of former point guard Blake Bozeman. The son of former Bears and California coach Todd Bozeman was 31.

The Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C. confirmed that Bozeman was killed Saturday night in a shooting at a nightclub in the city.

“I was heartbroken because that’s a brother of mine,” said Cedric Blossom, a power forward who played with Bozeman from 2012 to 2014 and is currently a graduate assistant for Penn State men’s basketball. “I played with him for three years. So we had endless practices together, and we went to war together against other teams. So it definitely hurts.”

Justin Black, a shooting guard who also played with Bozeman from 2012 to 2014 and is a member of the Washington Mystics’ basketball operations and scout team, said, “It’s extremely heavy. It’s very hard trying to rationalize death when it happens. It happened, and it wasn’t something that he could control. … To be hit by a stray bullet when he was minding his own business and was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, it’s extremely hurtful.”

Todd Bozeman, who coached California from 1993 to 1996 and Morgan State from 2006 to 2019, did not return a request for comment.

Morgan State extended its prayers to the Bozeman family, saying in a written statement, “Our family was an extension of his and he was a shining example of what it means to be a student-athlete.”

Norfolk State coach Robert Jones passed along his sympathy to the Bozeman family and railed against gun violence.

“This senseless gun violence gotta stop!” he wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “Another young man lost . RIP Blake Bozeman and condolences to Coach Todd Bozeman.”

Black said he has known Blake Bozeman since an AAU Tournament when the former was a freshman at DeMatha Catholic and the latter was an eighth grader. Black said because he grew up in Washington, about 15 minutes from the Bozeman family’s home in Bowie, the duo got to know each other well.

Black said Blake Bozeman enjoyed being his father’s son but also knew that others viewed him differently.

“He always was extra passionate about trying to establish his own dreams because his dad was such an influential figure,” Black said. “He felt like he had to make his own path, and I loved that the most about Blake.”

Black, a shooting guard, joined the Bears in 2010 for a chance to play under Todd Bozeman. He said when the son followed his father a year later, the younger Bozeman took the opportunity to speak to his teammates.

“Everyone was unsure if Boze was going to favor his son and all of this other stuff,” Black said. “I’ll never forget that he made this locker room speech and said, ‘Look, I don’t know what you guys know about me or what you heard, but I’m here to be a part of the team. I’m willing to do what it takes to win.’ I think he doubled down on…