Ex-Duke basketball player falls to death in NYC

NEW YORK - Former Duke basketball player Thomas Emma fell from the 12th floor of the New York Athletic Club in Manhattan to his death in an apparent suicide, police said.

Emma's body was found at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday on a second-floor landing of the building on Central Park South. The New York City medical examiner will determine the cause of his death.

Emma was the captain for the 1983 Duke team that featured the freshman trio of Jay Bilas, Johnny Dawkins and Mark Alarie, who eventually led the Blue Devils to the 1986 Final Four. Emma was drafted in the 10th round by the Chicago Bulls but never played in the NBA.

He averaged 7.1 points while starting 71 games during his college career.

Bilas, a college basketball analyst for ESPN, told The Herald-Sun that Emma "was like a big brother to me." Bilas said that Emma had been struggling with his health in recent months.

Emma was a high school star in Manhasset, on Long Island, and later was president of Power Performance, Inc., a company devoted to training young athletes. Emma also wrote a book titled "Basketball Player's Comprehensive Guide to Strength Training."

According to the website dukeupdate.com, Emma had a master's degree from Columbia University.