Kobe Bryant’s death has had a far-reaching impact on the world, particularly on the basketball world, and Liberty basketball is no different.
“He’s been a hero to many,” Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay said in a Tuesday press conference. “It’s not really my generation, I grew up more fans of some of the older players, but I’m not naive to the impact that it has on our guys. It’s real. I talked to over half our team on Sunday, that’s usually our day off, and it was hard for them. It was hard for my daughter and my boys.”
The news of his death Sunday afternoon started spreading through the team via a group text message.
“It was heartbreaking,” Liberty senior Caleb Homesley said. “I woke up from a nap and I got a text from the guys. They said it had happened. I didn’t believe it at first, so I went to twitter and saw it happened. It was heartbreaking for me.”
“I took it pretty hard,” senior forward Scottie James said. “Knowing his legacy and mainly his family, just knowing that you can’t take life for granted. It’s a really sad time for all the families involved. It really puts your life in perspective.”
“After the (Stetson) loss, everyone was down in their feelings,” said sophomore guard Darius McGhee. “Then, less than 24 hours later, to have who was a hero to me pass away, it lets you know there’s way more to life than just basketball. It allowed us to recenter, refocus, and have more joy in what we do, and not take for granted what we have already.”
In the tragedy, Kobe’s daughter Gianna was also tragically killed. Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay was moved when thinking of his own children, his daughter Ellie specifically.
“My daughter actually broke the news,” McKay said. “She was in L.A. with her job covering the Grammy’s. She sent me a text saying he had passed. When I heard his daughter was on the (helicopter) and also the coach and his wife and their daughter, I have a very close relationship with Ellie, my daughter. I can’t imagine. I don’t have words to tell you how I was feeling or how I would feel if that scenario was true in my life.”
