Houston Baptist University is mourning the loss of one of their own.
On June 20, the college confirmed basketball player Darius Lee died of a gunshot wound after a shooting at a gathering in his hometown of Harlem, New York.
“We are devastated. Darius was a remarkable young man who loved the Lord, his mom, his family, his teammates, his friends and his entire HBU family,” James Sears Bryant head men’s basketball coach Ron Cottrell said in a statement from the school. ”We are in shock and cannot wrap our heads around this news. My heart breaks for his mom, his sister and his entire family, and for our basketball team. The only thing we find comfort in right now is knowing where Darius is. He is in the arms of Jesus…we know that as fact. And we will see him again some day.”
While Coach Cottrell praised Lee as a great basketball player, “he was an even better person. I can’t even think of basketball right now. I can only think of what a light Darius was during his short time on earth. He was a joy to coach and we loved him so much.”