HOUSTON – It’s been over six months since Houston Christian Huskies basketball standout Darius Lee was shot and killed in his hometown of Harlem, New York, but his former team and family are still grieving.
“We lost a really good player, one of the best players I ever coached. But more than that, we lost a guy who really meant a lot to a lot of people,” Houston Christian basketball coach Ron Cottrell said.
“He had such a beautiful soul and he had a purpose and I feel like it was way bigger than anyone would’ve known,” Darius’ sister, Tiara Weaver said
The 21-year old was coming off an impressive season where he was named second-team all-conference and even had a 52 point performance that made national headlines.
“50 in college is crazy. We knew every time he had the ball we were good. He was a calming presence. He’d go get a bucket. The whole team felt calm. He was a hooper,” his former teammate Brycen Long said.
“Team goals he wanted to win a championship and he was going for Player of the Year, which I thought he was going to get it easily. It was going to be his year,” said former teammate Sam Hoffman.
Over the off-season, Lee returned to Harlem to spend time with family. After a Father’s Day celebration, Lee attended a barbecue a few blocks away from his home with some friends. A gun fight ensued where Lee was an innocent bystander. Nine people were shot, Lee was the only one died.
“Coach didn’t even want him to come home for the summer,” Darius’ mother, Taren Weaver-Smith said.
“I had just seen him, so I gave him a pound. He said I’m going over here with my friends and that’s the last time I saw him,” step-father Makeo Smith said.
Since his death, his family, friends and university has found different ways to honor his life and legacy.
In addition to wearing a “D Lee” patch on their uniform, HCU’s men’s basketball team also keeps Lee’s jersey on the bench.
“We’re still mourning in a lot of ways. We don’t want people to ever forget what he meant to us as a program,” Cottrell said.
The most meaningful honor came in December when Lee’s family heard his name called during HCU’s winter graduation
“He knew that’s what I wanted, for him to get his degree,” Weaver-Smith said.
“You can just tell his character, they don’t have to do any of this. I know Darius meant a lot to a lot of people. Meant a lot to me,” Makeo Smith said.
Darius’ family also set up a foundation in his honor: https://www.dlee23foundation.com/
The foundation provides Harlem area youth with mentorship and scholarships along with tournaments of Darius’ favorite thing to do– play basketball.
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