Mike Pratt, a former Kentucky men’s basketball player and recently the radio color commentator, passed away on Thursday night after a battle with colon and liver cancer. He was 73.

Pratt played for UK from the 1967-68 through 1969-70 seasons. He had been the color commentator on radio broadcasts of UK games the past 21 seasons, Jerry Tipton of the Lexington Herald-Leader reported.

Pratt was a second-team All-American basketball player in 1970, and finished his career with 1,359 points (still ranks among the top 25 UK scorers of all-time) and 718 rebounds. A two-time first-team All-SEC selection by the league’s coaches (1969, 70), Prate was named an Academic All-American in 1970, according to UK Athletics. Pratt helped lead UK to 3 SEC championships and 2 Elite Eight appearances, finishing the regular season ranked No. 1 his senior season. After finishing collegiate career, Pratt played two seasons for the Kentucky Colonels of the ABA and was later an assistant coach on UNC-Charlotte’s 1977 Final Four team, later serving as UNCC’s head coach for four years.

In recent weeks, coach John Calipari joined fundraising efforts for Pratt, which included a Give Send Go effort.

Through his three year fight against cancer, Pratt remained the color analyst at Kentucky alongside the voice of the Wildcats, Tom Leach. The Give Send Go site described him this way: Being a former player, his love for the University shines through in every broadcast. He has also kept up his Friday talk show with Bob Valvano and most recently his daily talk show with Dan Issel.