Game cancelled after basketball player’s sudden death
Senior Mark Lewis was a star basketball player at Hickory Grove Christian Basketball coach Titus Ivory: School is ‘shocked’ over athlete’s death
BY LANGSTON WERTZ JR. lwertz@charlotteobserver.com
Friday’s scheduled high school football game between Lake Norman Charter and Hickory Grove Chrisitian was canceled after the sudden death of a popular Hickory Grove student-athlete.
Hickory Grove senior basketball player Mark Lewis died Thursday.
Hickory Grove boys’ basketball coach Titus Ivory said Lewis lifted weights and followed that with a run Thursday. During the run, he collapsed. Attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful.
Ivory said funeral arrangements are incomplete.
“Everybody was shocked at school,” Ivory said of Lewis, a former football player who was receiving college basketball recruiting interest from Johnson C. Smith.
“Mark was the stereotypical student-athlete. He had a great personality and he was a very humble and good kid. ... To have someone who has such a strong presence at the school to take this drastic a turn was tough.”
Lake Norman Charter and Hickory Grove were scheduled to play at 7 p.m. Friday at Hickory Grove. Lake Norman Charter interim principal Craig Smith said the game would not be rescheduled.
Senior Mark Lewis was a star basketball player at Hickory Grove Christian Basketball coach Titus Ivory: School is ‘shocked’ over athlete’s death
BY LANGSTON WERTZ JR. lwertz@charlotteobserver.com
Friday’s scheduled high school football game between Lake Norman Charter and Hickory Grove Chrisitian was canceled after the sudden death of a popular Hickory Grove student-athlete.
Hickory Grove senior basketball player Mark Lewis died Thursday.
Hickory Grove boys’ basketball coach Titus Ivory said Lewis lifted weights and followed that with a run Thursday. During the run, he collapsed. Attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful.
Ivory said funeral arrangements are incomplete.
“Everybody was shocked at school,” Ivory said of Lewis, a former football player who was receiving college basketball recruiting interest from Johnson C. Smith.
“Mark was the stereotypical student-athlete. He had a great personality and he was a very humble and good kid. ... To have someone who has such a strong presence at the school to take this drastic a turn was tough.”
Lake Norman Charter and Hickory Grove were scheduled to play at 7 p.m. Friday at Hickory Grove. Lake Norman Charter interim principal Craig Smith said the game would not be rescheduled.
