Maryland’s Richaud Pack dyes his hair blond after aunt’s sudden death

Some people have teased Maryland redshirt senior Richaud Pack this week about his newly blond hair. Then they heard the story behind it.

Pack’s aunt, Paulette McClendon-Martin, had blond hair all her life, so when she died recently at age 69, Pack and his mother, Kaija, could think of no better way to honor her.

Pack went to his barber earlier this week, in the days leading up to No. 4 seed Maryland’s NCAA tournament game against Valparaiso on Friday, and had his typically dark hair turned gold, a loving tribute to a family member lost too soon.

“It was kind of a sudden thing,” Pack said Wednesday. “She lived a full life, but at the same time she was pretty healthy, we thought. So it was a surprise. Even though she was older, it was a surprise.”

Pack is a fifth-year senior at Maryland and primarily serves as a backup point guard to freshman Melo Trimble. He is one of three players on the team who has previous NCAA tournament experience, alongside seniors Dez Wells and Evan Smotrcyz. Pack’s only previous trip there came during his time at North Carolina AT&T, and he was not allowed to participate due to the NCAA’s transfer regulations.

Pack didn’t feel comfortable speaking about how his aunt died. He said they spoke once or twice a month and described her as the one “who kept us all together.”

“You know, it’s family,” Pack said. “I don’t know how to explain our relationship, but we were close.”

Pack, his two sisters and his younger brother have all dyed their hair, and Pack’s mother planned to dye hers, too. The senior guard isn’t sure how long he’ll keep it blond. “Probably until it grows out,” he said.

The significance of the gesture wasn’t lost on Pack’s teammates.

“I think that’s very special and that’s very heartfelt to be able to do something like that,” Wells said. “His whole family’s done it. So I think that just shows what kind of person he is with his family and that’s the same way he is with us, and everybody else. We care for each other that much. We’ll do whatever for each other, whenever we need anything. We have each others’ back, and that’s what family’s all about.”