Al Anderson, Detroit Consortium’s boys basketball coach, died following their victory over Dayton Dunbar.
The 40-year-old coach went to invite a school security guard to eat with the teams when he suddenly sat down and called out to assistant coach James “Cap” Mitchell, Jr., reports USA Today.
Anderson received a pacemaker in August 2011 and was diagnosed with congestive heart failure last March.
In his sixth year as head coach at Consortium, Anderson’s team is ranked No. 2 in their division and is a favorite to win a state championship.
Anderson leaves behind his wife Kimberly and 14-year-old daughter, Autumn.
“He was my best friend,” Kimberly said in a comment to USA Today. “He made me laugh. We were very close. I loved everything about him. He was just a great guy.”
Senior starter Vincent Hunter was upset when he heard the news. “He meant everything to me,” Hunter told USA Today. “He helped me a lot; he worked out with me a lot. He did a lot of things for me.”
Since Coach Anderson’s passing, the Consortium basketball team has lost one game and won one game.
Follow Carrie Healey on Twitter @CarrieHeals.