Authorities believe Mackey, 22, was killed when the fire, caused by food on the stove, consumed the oxygen in his small apartment outside Conway.
Mackey, of Little Rock, helped the Bears to a 20-10 record last season and a berth in the Gulf South Conference tournament. He averaged 4.0 points and 1.8 rebounds in his only season at Central Arkansas.
Authorities believe the fire started Wednesday evening or early Thursday. Because the windows and doors were closed, the fire ``put itself out'' and did not spread, Faulkner County Coroner Patrick Moore said.
``The way that place was sealed up, nobody probably smelled any smoke,'' Mayflower Fire Chief Chris Fishburn said. Three other apartments in the building were unaffected, and none of the occupants of the other units was aware of a fire, he said.
Fishburn said: ``It looked like he was trying to get to a window'' when he lost consciousness.
