ChiTown
05-25-2010, 07:43 AM
I can't stand Mark Turgeon, but this is a helluva nice thing that he did.
Hoops powers meet to honor fallen star
By STEVE MARK
Updated: 05.20.10
As Tobi Oyedeji’s name was introduced, a standing ovation followed. This had happened numerous times before for the Bellaire basketball star, yet on this night, it was so very different.
This time, Oyedeji wasn’t there to bask in the spotlight, though thousands of others were on hand to carry Tobi’s torch. In an unprecedented display of city basketball sportsmanship, the seniors of Bellaire and Yates high schools met in an exhibition game at Delmar Fieldhouse as a fundraiser for funeral expenses for his parents to lay their only child to rest.
Moments before the opening ovation, Oyedeji’s teammate, Jonathan Evans, delivered an emotional tribute, halting intermittently while being comforted by Bellaire Coach Bruce Glover.
“He was a model of the perfect person to be like,” Evans told the crowd of about 4,500 who paid $5 each to enter the event, three days after Oyedeji died in an automobile accident on South Main Street after attending his prom. “Instead of mourning Tobi’s death, we come to celebrate the life…of a remarkable human being.”
Glover’s idea to match the two state powers for a charity event had to be approved by the University Interscholastic League. With Yates winning the mythical 4A national championship and Bellaire ranked highly in 5A nationwide polls, area fans had longed for this impossible game. Crowds showed up at Delmar three hours before tipoff, and 400 were turned away due to concerns by the fire marshal.
“It’s very ironic that we’re all here because of this,” said Glover. “But, it’s the love factor, and for two hours tonight, we can all exhale. Yep, we’re going to exhale tonight.”
“It’s been really tough for us at school,” said Bellaire teammate Sebastian Douglas. “Tobi really touched a lot of lives at school other than basketball. He was a kind young man, and he always had a smile on his face.”
The event also attracted players and coaches from Texas A&M, where Oyedeji planned to play after graduation from Bellaire. A&M head Coach Mark Turgeon had been in immediate contact with the Oyedeji family after learning about Sunday’s accident, and arranged to pay Tobi’s funeral expenses.
“He never played for us, but I feel like I’ve coached him for the last three years,” said Turgeon. “I always knew Tobi was going to play for us someday after I first started recruiting him. I loved the kid, and I’m just sick about this.
“My heart hurts for his family,” added Turgeon, who said the school will soon establish a scholarship fund in Oyedeji’s name. “Tobi will always be an Aggie.”
Many students sported Texas A&M’s maroon colors. Others donned freshly-printed T-shirts with Oyedeji’s likeness under the phrase, “In Loving Memory.” Seven hundred shirts were made; by the end of the first quarter, only 30 were left.
The exhibition created the first opportunity of the week for some students to break from the despondent mood on the Bellaire campus. Erica Perme, wearing face paint with Oyedeji’s number 35, said: “We wish he was here. Today was actually the first day I’ve smiled, because I knew this event was for him.”
Clutching Perme’s arm was her close friend, Alyssa Neilson, Oyedeji’s girlfriend and student at Dulles High School. Oyedeji dropped Neilson at her home shortly before the fatal accident.
“It’s really hard,” said Neilson. “I really wish I could talk to him.”
Every player in the exhibition wore number 35. Yates won the contest 100-93, as fans left Delmar wondering how the game would have fared if each team had a full complement of players, and if the entire game had been serious in nature. Still, the overriding talk surrounded the one player who wasn’t there.
“We want to help everybody remember him,” said Yates student Janay Hanks.
“It felt good for us to play, even though it was without Tobi,” said Bellaire senior Joe Okafor. “It’s real hard right now, but this is something we felt we had to do.”
Afterward, the two teams joined hands in prayer, chanting “Tobi” in unison. Sport provided a short respite in the midst of a life lessons taught way too early, too difficult for a high school community to come to grips with.
http://www.hcnonline.com/articles/2010/05/20/bellaire_examiner/news/be_tribute_game.txt
Hoops powers meet to honor fallen star
By STEVE MARK
Updated: 05.20.10
As Tobi Oyedeji’s name was introduced, a standing ovation followed. This had happened numerous times before for the Bellaire basketball star, yet on this night, it was so very different.
This time, Oyedeji wasn’t there to bask in the spotlight, though thousands of others were on hand to carry Tobi’s torch. In an unprecedented display of city basketball sportsmanship, the seniors of Bellaire and Yates high schools met in an exhibition game at Delmar Fieldhouse as a fundraiser for funeral expenses for his parents to lay their only child to rest.
Moments before the opening ovation, Oyedeji’s teammate, Jonathan Evans, delivered an emotional tribute, halting intermittently while being comforted by Bellaire Coach Bruce Glover.
“He was a model of the perfect person to be like,” Evans told the crowd of about 4,500 who paid $5 each to enter the event, three days after Oyedeji died in an automobile accident on South Main Street after attending his prom. “Instead of mourning Tobi’s death, we come to celebrate the life…of a remarkable human being.”
Glover’s idea to match the two state powers for a charity event had to be approved by the University Interscholastic League. With Yates winning the mythical 4A national championship and Bellaire ranked highly in 5A nationwide polls, area fans had longed for this impossible game. Crowds showed up at Delmar three hours before tipoff, and 400 were turned away due to concerns by the fire marshal.
“It’s very ironic that we’re all here because of this,” said Glover. “But, it’s the love factor, and for two hours tonight, we can all exhale. Yep, we’re going to exhale tonight.”
“It’s been really tough for us at school,” said Bellaire teammate Sebastian Douglas. “Tobi really touched a lot of lives at school other than basketball. He was a kind young man, and he always had a smile on his face.”
The event also attracted players and coaches from Texas A&M, where Oyedeji planned to play after graduation from Bellaire. A&M head Coach Mark Turgeon had been in immediate contact with the Oyedeji family after learning about Sunday’s accident, and arranged to pay Tobi’s funeral expenses.
“He never played for us, but I feel like I’ve coached him for the last three years,” said Turgeon. “I always knew Tobi was going to play for us someday after I first started recruiting him. I loved the kid, and I’m just sick about this.
“My heart hurts for his family,” added Turgeon, who said the school will soon establish a scholarship fund in Oyedeji’s name. “Tobi will always be an Aggie.”
Many students sported Texas A&M’s maroon colors. Others donned freshly-printed T-shirts with Oyedeji’s likeness under the phrase, “In Loving Memory.” Seven hundred shirts were made; by the end of the first quarter, only 30 were left.
The exhibition created the first opportunity of the week for some students to break from the despondent mood on the Bellaire campus. Erica Perme, wearing face paint with Oyedeji’s number 35, said: “We wish he was here. Today was actually the first day I’ve smiled, because I knew this event was for him.”
Clutching Perme’s arm was her close friend, Alyssa Neilson, Oyedeji’s girlfriend and student at Dulles High School. Oyedeji dropped Neilson at her home shortly before the fatal accident.
“It’s really hard,” said Neilson. “I really wish I could talk to him.”
Every player in the exhibition wore number 35. Yates won the contest 100-93, as fans left Delmar wondering how the game would have fared if each team had a full complement of players, and if the entire game had been serious in nature. Still, the overriding talk surrounded the one player who wasn’t there.
“We want to help everybody remember him,” said Yates student Janay Hanks.
“It felt good for us to play, even though it was without Tobi,” said Bellaire senior Joe Okafor. “It’s real hard right now, but this is something we felt we had to do.”
Afterward, the two teams joined hands in prayer, chanting “Tobi” in unison. Sport provided a short respite in the midst of a life lessons taught way too early, too difficult for a high school community to come to grips with.
http://www.hcnonline.com/articles/2010/05/20/bellaire_examiner/news/be_tribute_game.txt