Sept. 22, 2009

LOGAN, Utah - Former Utah State basketball player Ed Epps passed away this week near his hometown of Washington, D.C., after a long battle with stomach cancer.

Epps was a standout forward/guard for Utah State from 1969-71 as he helped the Aggies to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 1970 and 1971. During the 1969-70 season, Epps hit a 22-foot jumper with 13 seconds left to beat Santa Clara, 69-68, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He then scored 10 first-half points against UCLA in the Elite Eight as USU's season ended just one game short of the Final Four. Utah State finished that magical year with a 22-7 record and a final national ranking of No. 16 in the country.

Epps, who prepped at Cardoza High School in Washington, D.C., transferred to Utah State after spending one season at Ft. Pierce (Fla.) Junior College. During his sophomore season at USU, Epps was the Aggies' second-leading scorer and finished the year averaging 13.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. As a sophomore, Epps scored a career-high 28 points to lead the Aggies to a 97-94 home win against Brigham Young.