Rest In Peace, Forever In Our Hearts: Two Elite Players From Providence Perish in Aircraft Crash Accident.

ATTLEBORO Following his death from lung disease last week, former basketball star and 1998 state champion Leland Anderson, 43, left the local athletic community of one of its most accomplished alumni.

Although complete information is still pending, Anderson’s demise has been confirmed by Mark Houle, the athletic director at Attleboro and Anderson’s former coach.

Houle said on X, “I am saddened to hear of Leland Anderson’s passing.” “Leland, his family, and his teammates have my deepest sympathies. He loved hoops and had a fantastic attitude. Leader and all-time top scorer for (Attleboro) during our 1998 State Championship campaign. RIP, #34.

Houle spoke with The Sun Chronicle later on Monday.

He remarked, “Leland’s best quality is that he works well in a team.” “He’d go for the ball, get a rebound, and accelerate play. He was really selfless, and together we were able to flee and run. All were aware that the ball would pass through him or (Derek) Swenson. We ran a state competition of that nature. There was pressure and intense competitiveness.

“We were scheduled to play Boston English in the South Sectional semifinals on that tragic day in Attleboro.” It was tragic, according to Houle. “I believe that at the time, the basketball program brought the city together. It was just what the city needed, and it drew everyone together. We were always there for one another, and that is unquestionably a legacy of 1998. The influence Leland made was amazing, and the city came together.

Standing six feet eight inches tall when he played collegiate basketball for Providence College and Michigan, Anderson relocated to California in 2003 to pursue a variety of different endeavors, such as semipro basketball, a brief stint in professional wrestling, and a role in film.