Lower Merion ‘lost its heartbeat’
Bryant’s alma mater reacts to former star’s sudden death in helicopter crash
“Obviously his influence is here and from a physical standpoint, with his shoes and things like that. But it was more the way he thought. He was a thought leader.”
– Former Lower Merion and Villanova basketball player Darryl Reynolds on the legacy Kobe Bryant left at Lower Merion.
LOWER MERION >> Darryl Reynolds couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing.
Not when his agent texted him with what he hoped was a hoax. Not when the Villanova basketball team, for which Reynolds won a national title in 2016 and is the director of basketball operations, went their separate ways on an off day Sunday. Not as he and his family descended with dozens of mourners on Lower Merion High School to pay their respects to the player for whom the gymnasium is named.
“It’s the last thing we thought that we would be here for today,” Reynolds said. “… It doesn’t feel real.”
Though Reynolds was closer than most to the epicenter of the legend of Kobe Bryant, he felt the same shock as was reverberating throughout the sports world Sunday at news of the basketball player’s death, along with his 13-yearold daughter Gianna and seven others in a helicopter crash in
Southern California.
Bryant was in many ways a colossal figure, his one-named moniker often invoked far from its fleshand-blood context. The last tweet he sent Saturday night congratulating LeBron James for passing him for third on the all-time NBA scoring list, in Philadelphia no less with James wearing “Mamba 4 Life” on his sneakers, spoke to the idea of Kobe, the 17-time All-Star and five-time NBA champion.
But to players who have followed Bryant’s footsteps at Lower Merion — who’ve played for the same coach (Gregg Downer) that helped Kobe be part of the early wave of high school players jumping straight to the NBA in 1996, who’ve practiced at the Kobe Bryant Gymnasium beneath posters of him that are literally larger than life — he was also a person who remained close to the community. There’s a reason why, in 2015, when Kobe decided that his 20th NBA season would be his last, he timed the announcement for just before his final game against the 76ers at Wells Fargo Center, one that Downer, former teachers and some 200 LM fans attended.
Reminders of Bryant abound in the gym, from artwork he’s inspired to his actual shoes (though no longer the No. 33 Aces jersey, which was stolen in 2017 and returned two years later in an international caper). A reminder of his achievements, from his point total of 2,883 to the 1996 PIAA title he fueled, hang on banners. “Aces Nation has lost its heartbeat,” Downer said in a school district statement.
Lower Merion’s basketball Instagram account, aces basketball, posted a lengthy message that read in part: “Kobe was our teammate, our brother, our friend, our advocate, our inspiration, our heartbeat. And Gigi was the keeper of his iridescent, irrepressible flame. Our love and prayers are with Vanessa and the entire family, for now and always. Kobe brought the world to Lower Merion. He meant the world to Aces Nation. It is impossible to express his impact on our basketball family and our community. His love, generosity and support never wavered. He was us and we were him. And he made us proud. So damn proud.”
The eeriness of a lanky, adolescent Bryant, jubilant in his baggy jersey, contrasted a somber scene outside, as several dozen mourners paid their respects, leaving flowers and basketballs.
“Obviously his influence is here and from a physical standpoint, with his shoes and things like that,” Reynolds said. “But it was more the way he thought.
He was a thought leader. We heard a million stories from Downer and things like that, for inspiration in times like that, about the way he approached it, not just this game. That really left an impression on people here.”
Lower Merion has long been defined as Bryant’s alma mater, and the success has filtered down through the years under Downer. The 1996 title was the school’s first since 1943; it’s been followed by two more, 2006 and 2013, and state finals losses to Chester in 2005 and 2012.
Bryant’s influence charted that new course and has impacted dozens of players that have followed him.
“It’s hard for me to speak on this, my heart hurts,” said Garrett Williamson, a 2006 LM grad who played at Saint Joseph’s University and plays professionally in Canada, via text. “I pray for his family, the loss of Kobe, his daughter Gigi as well as the rest of the people lost in the crash is tragic.
“Kobe set the standard of excellence. He gave me hope as a kid that anything is possible, growing up playing on the same playgrounds as he did in the same gyms as he did. He was always in the back of my mind, when I was training or when I got tired. Kobe wouldn’t let up. Do as Kobe did and anything is possible.”
Bryant’s peerless work ethic translated well beyond the basketball court, and the outpouring of mourning has transcended merely basketball.
“The truth is, I never understood your greatness until I became a professional athlete,” posted Olympic shot putter Darrell Hill, a Penn Wood grad, to his Instagram page. “I never understood the passion you displayed that forced the weak away from you until I dove deeper into my own self. In 2018 I began to model my work ethic after you. You’ll live here forever. Relentless. Mamba. Thank you #24””
“My heart can’t take this,” wrote former Union player Fafa Picault, who connected with the love that Bryant, born in Italy, had for soccer. “I looked up to you in so many ways, I wanted to be like you. You inspired me to overcome every hurdle and obstacle in my career and life. You blessed earth with your dedication, grit, class, and passion. RIP to one of my greatest heroes #BlackMamba.”
“Admired you before I even knew what this sport was,” captioned former Villanova guard Adrianna Hahn on a picture she took with Kobe. “Knew who I wanted to be because of you. I have no words. I am broken.”
Bryant’s presence at Lower Merion was as more than just a name on the building or an unseen benefactor. He remained close to Downer and members of the 1996 coaching staff as well as former teammates. To Reynolds, he was more than just a distant character in a story, but rather a living embodiment of the goal he was chasing.
And he was the one that showed it was possible.
“He made you believe,” Reynolds said. “Kobe was a guy that in so many ways, he had a lot of things going against him, but he believed and he made you believe. You walked in that gym and you hear about his story and you hear about his approach to life. He didn’t believe; he knew what he was and what he wanted out of this life, and he went and got it. I think that’s the biggest part. It’s one thing to see. It’s another thing to go and get it.”
“I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for him,” Williamson added. “It was an honor to play for Lower Merion because of him. To be in the same conversation as Kobe was and will always be an honor. The hardest worker, the fiercest competitor. He is the GOAT.”