ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Patrick Dennehy has never been the sort to disappear for days on end without calling someone, or the sort to put himself in danger with gambling, gangs or drugs, a former roommate and longtime friend of the missing Baylor University basketball player said Sunday.

"I just remember Pat as being always to himself. He wasn't like a person who would cause trouble for no reason," said Senque Carey, who played basketball with Dennehy on the University of New Mexico team before Dennehy transferred to Baylor his junior year.

Dennehy didn't have many close friends among his teammates in New Mexico, but he remained close to Carey.

The two had known each other since middle school and had played basketball together for St. Francis High School in Mountain View, Calif. When Carey joined the University of New Mexico team, Dennehy followed him.

Now, Carey is left wondering whether his friend is still alive.

Authorities and Baylor officials say Dennehy, 21, hasn't been heard from in more than two weeks. His sport utility vehicle was found abandoned in a parking lot last week in Virginia with its license plates missing, and police in Texas have said they fear Dennehy may have been the victim of homicide.

The FBI has also joined the search for the missing player.

Investigators believe the 6-foot-10, 230-pound center might have been killed in the Waco area, where Baylor is located, though they won't say what led them to that conclusion.

Dennehy's girlfriend, 20-year-old Jessica De La Rosa, said Sunday she last spoke with him on the night of June 11.

"It was a typical conversation," she said. "He was just fine. He told me he just needed to go and would call me the next day."

De La Rosa and Dennehy communicated frequently by phone after he transferred to Baylor. Asked if Dennehy had expressed any concern for his safety or whether he was having problems with teammates or anyone else, De La Rosa said: "I can't say anything about any problems because that's part of the investigation right now."

Authorities have searched Dennehy's apartment at least twice, the Waco Tribune-Herald reported Saturday, and they sent at least one detective to Virginia Beach, Va., to examine Dennehy's vehicle.

Among the people detectives have been questioning have been his Baylor teammates.

One of Dennehy's former coaches at Baylor called the center "a low maintenance player" and said he was unaware of any problems between Dennehy and the team.

"It was nothing more than any other player would go through," said Brian O'Neill, a former Baylor assistant coach who left the team in April. "Once and a while, you'd have some talking back and forth during practice, but that exists with all players."

O'Neill said Dennehy practiced with his Baylor teammates for only about two weeks because of a knee injury.

Dennehy's stepfather, Brian Brabazon, told the Waco Tribune-Herald someone had recently stolen money from his stepson and that Dennehy had told Baylor coaches he was scared.

But Carey said Dennehy wasn't involved in anything -- drugs, gangs, gambling -- that would put him in danger. His group of friends was small but varied, because the quiet young man fits in with a lot of different people, he said.

O'Neill said Dennehy seemed wise beyond his years.

"I thought he was kind of mature for his age," he said. "He was great to talk to and he had a great understanding of the game. He was doing well in school."

The circumstances of Dennehy's disappearance don't fit his personality, Carey said.

"I don't think Pat would ever leave and not call anybody," Carey said. And driving all the way to Virginia and removing his license plate is even less likely, he said.

Waco police spokesman Steven Anderson said police have interviewed Baylor players, among other people, in the disappearance, which seems strange to Carey.

He said he didn't know the Baylor team but can't imagine what could drive a teammate to hurt Dennehy.

"It's just kind of weird," he said. "I can't think of a situation where someone would become that angry, let alone a teammate."

Carey said he's holding out hope that Dennehy is alive somewhere and OK.

"As long as he's alive, that's all I'm worried about," he said.

De La Rosa said she along with Dennehy's friends and family continue to remain hopeful.

"Right now we just want to find Patrick," she said. "We just want him to come home to us."

Associated Press writer Pete Herrera contributed to this report.