Update: Former Liberty head coach, Jeff Meyer, who coached Aluma while he was a member of the Flames shared his thoughts on his former player: “My family and I are saddened beyond words with the sudden passing of our friend Peter Aluma. We loved Peter and were blessed to have stayed in touch with him throughout his life. We do find comfort in knowing that Peter is with Our Lord. Peter was always the Ultimate Teammate and became a Tremendous Servant Leader. He lived his life with amazing humility, perspective, and a persevering spirit that inspired so many who knew him. Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with Peter’s family and friends at this difficult time.”
Update: Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay has offered the following statement on the passing of Aluma: “We are saddened to hear of the loss of one of our former greats. Peter Aluma was not just a wonderful basketball player, but he was a gift to many. Though we are sure because of his faith that he has gone home, we grieve along with all of those who had the good fortune of doing life with him. Our heartfelt condolences and prayers go out to his family members and anyone else that loves Peter. We certainly do!”
Liberty University Hall of Famer Peter Aluma has passed away at the age of 46. The news has spread across social media, including from former Liberty men’s basketball head coach Randy Dunton. He was living in Sacramento, California and fell ill over the weekend, doctors were unable to revive him, according to Dunton.
Aluma was one of the best basketball players to wear a Liberty uniform. Playing with the Flames from 1994-1997, Aluma finished his career with 1,715 points and 682 rebounds, those numbers put him 7th on Liberty’s all-time scoring list and 8th on the program’s career rebound list. He also owns program records for career blocked shots (366) and free throws attempted (677).
He helped the Flames capture the program’s first-ever Big South title and NCAA Tournament appearance as a freshman in 1994 and was the Big South Tournament MVP in both 1994 and 1997. He was a three-time Big South all-conference selection, making the second team in 1995 and first team in 1996 and 1997. He was inducted into the Big South Hall of Fame in 2008 and Liberty Hall of Fame in 2018.
Following his career at Liberty, Aluma played for the Sacramento Kings (1998-99 season) and was on the Phoenix Suns’ preseason roster in 1999-2000. He also played professionally in Venezuela in 1998, was a member of the Nigeria national team that played in the 1998 World FIBA Championship and played for the Harlem Globetrotters in 2001.
Liberty’s GameOn show did a story featuring Aluma about a year ago.
Aluma’s son, Keve Aluma, who started for Mike Young at Wofford last season, transferred to Virginia Tech last summer. Keve is currently sitting on the 2019-20 season under the NCAA’s transfer rules.
Here’s a recent video interview from Liberty with Aluma following his Liberty University Hall of Fame Induction:
*photo courtesy Liberty University
