Tribute to Ethan Dietz
November 22, 2025, was just supposed to be another night on the court for Connors State College sophomore Ethan Dietz as the Cowboys played Grayson College in Denison, Texas.
But in a freak accident while battling for a rebound, Ethan took a blow to the head and hit the floor where it was later determined that he suffered a brain bleed and passed away three days later.
Dietz was part of a Cinderella team in 2024 that took another tragedy, the death of coach Bill Muse’s wife Connie over the Christmas break, and used that to power themselves to a conference title, a Region 2 championship and all the way to the NJCAA national tournament championship game. The Conway, Arkansas product averaged 7.7 points a game last year and was expected to be a major factor for the Cowboys this season as one of four full or part-time returning starters from last year’s team.
A vigil was held for Ethan on December 1 on the Warner campus to remember the contributions he made to the team and the school. Connors president Dr. Ron Ramming remembered Dietz as a great example of what a student athlete is supposed to be.
“Ethan was the model of a student athlete-smart, talented and dedicated,” said Ramming. “We as the Connors State College family, his friends, classmates, faculty and staff are all heartbroken over his loss.”
The Revered Leroy Walker, pastor of the Rayfield Baptist Church in Muskogee, enjoyed welcoming new basketball players to Connors each year and spoke about his encounters with Dietz.
“I met Ethan when he first came to Connors last year. He had a heart of gold and was a person that people gravitated toward. He showed the kind of person he was by the way he treated his grandparents who made it to all of his home games. No matter what he was doing in the gym, Ethan would run to the stands first thing and give his grandparents a hug and a kiss. He was quiet yet powerful and always calm and easy going.”
It remains to be seen how coaches and players will respond to a second tragedy in as many years. Perhaps this will be a catalyst for renewed dedication in the second semester that will propel them to greater success as it did last year.
You can be sure that Ethan Dietz will be looking down on his Cowboys and rooting them on.
