SHREVEPORT – Chad Maclies enrolled at Centenary College in the fall of 2001 and had no idea the kind of impact he would make on the institution.

A resolution to retire Maclies’ No. 21 jersey was written shortly after Maclies died of a heart condition in his dorm room May 3, 2005, but was discovered by current men’s basketball head coach Adam Walsh late last week.

“Through changes of personnel, administration and coaching, we’ve unfortunately missed the urgency when it was initially presented,” Walsh said. “We are immediately honoring this resolution and this young man. No Gent will ever wear No. 21 again in honor of this tremendous piece of Gent history and the young man who passed away too soon.”

Maclies graduated from Kingswood High school in Kingswood, Texas, and received a full athletic scholarship to Centenary. He double majored in mathematics and physics with a minor in computer science. He received numerous accolades from the Mid-Continent Conference, Louisiana Sports Writers’ Association and Centenary while being named to the Dean’s List. He posthumously received his degree May 7, 2005.

“Through acquaintances, I know the impact Chad had on this campus and on this program,” Walsh said. “We really wanted to take responsibility of honoring this resolution and making sure it stands forever in this program. This is such a significant honor that shouldn’t be taken lightly and we’re proud to have this number retired.”

Maclies joins Centenary legend and former NBA star Robert Parrish as the only retired jerseys in Centenary basketball history.