BUTLER

Joel Cornette's cause of death released

The former Butler basketball standout died unexpectedly in his Chicago apartment last month.

Dana Hunsinger Benbow
dana.benbow@indystar.com
Former Butler basketball standout Joel Cornette died Aug. 16, 2016, at the age of 35.

Former Butler basketball standout Joel Cornette died from coronary atherosclerosis, the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office told IndyStar on Thursday.

The condition slowly narrows and hardens arteries of the heart and is commonly called coronary artery disease. The manner of death was natural, the office said.

Coronary artery disease is the No. 1 killer of Americans, according to the American Heart Association. Most often, death occurs from heart attacks caused by sudden blood clots in the arteries. People with the disease "might not notice a problem until (they) have a significant blockage or a heart attack," according to the Mayo Clinic.

Cornette was 35 when he died unexpectedly in his Chicago apartment last month. The 6-10 Cornette, who played forward and center, was credited with helping to put the Bulldogs on the national map, leading the team to its first Sweet 16 in nearly 40 years in 2003.

Doyel: Joel Cornette's legacy as friend, leader

Cornette was working as a sports agent in Chicago at the time of his death. A 911 call was made by a woman at Cornette's apartment who identified herself as his friend, after midnight Aug. 15. By 1:03 a.m. Aug. 16, he had been pronounced dead.

Former teammates, coaches, friends and family paid tribute to Cornette last month at a celebration of life at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Cornette was known as a selfless player, a jokester and someone who was kind to a fault.

On the day Cornette died, former Butler coach Todd Lickliter said he was among his favorite players he ever coached — probably his favorite.

Todd Lickliter on Joel Cornette: 'You pray it's a mistake'

"Joel was highly intelligent, articulate, bold and extremely loyal," Lickliter told IndyStar. "The only negative I can think of is he made it very difficult to coach others, because he was such a pleasure to coach. He set a bar that was incredible, a standard that was so high. He did things that only winners do."

Cornette helped the Bulldogs to a 100-30 record in his four seasons and Butler made three NCAA tournament appearances during his time there. Cornette scored 1,100 career points and 712 rebounds, marks that are 33rd and 10th respectively in Butler history. His 144 career blocks and .544 career field goal percentage also rank among the top 10 in Butler history.

His biggest contribution on the court, Lickliter said, was that he knew how to make the other guys better.

"He did that because it wasn't about him," he said. "You didn't have to coddle Joel or even praise him. Joel just looked at the scoreboard and as long as it favored Butler, he was satisfied."

Cornette's love of the Bulldogs never died. He came back often to talk to players and would send notes of encouragement to Butler coach Chris Holtmann.

"He was one of those guys that celebrated our big wins as if he were still playing," Holtmann said.

Follow IndyStar reporter Dana Benbow on Twitter: @DanaBenbow.