Shooting victim remembered as ‘a coach’s dream’

Jatonne Sterling impressed his youth baseball coach from the first time they met years ago.

Sterling was not even a teenager when he ran up to Ernest Radcliffe and greeted the Chicago coach with “the firmest handshake you can ever imagine.”

“He was excellent. Everybody loved him. He was a coach’s dream, a coach would want to have 25 Jatonne Sterlings,” said Radcliffe.

But there could be just one Jatonne Sterling.

Now loved ones back in his hometown of Chicago and at Clark Atlanta University, where he was a sophomore and played baseball, are grieving his loss. The 20-year-old student was fatally shot Tuesday afternoon near campus on Beckwith Street.

Atlanta police have not released details about a suspect as of Wednesday afternoon.

The Atlanta University Center Consortium, which includes Clark Atlanta and other nearby historically Black colleges, said the combined campus security agencies “continue to be vigilant” in securing the area.

“We will continue to work with the leading agency in this investigation, Atlanta Police Department and continue to engage in our relationship with surrounding law enforcement agencies as this investigation continues to ensure the safety of the campuses we serve,” the AUC statement said.

Campuses, including Clark Atlanta, and the AUC-Student Health and Wellness Center, are providing counseling services.

A spokeswoman for Clark Atlanta on Wednesday declined to respond to questions about campus safety. The surrounding area has been the scene of several shootings in recent years in which students were injured.

The university also declined requests to interview officials, citing the ongoing investigation.In an email, Kentaus “K.C.” Carter, Clark Atlanta’s head baseball coach, said he would not speak at this time “at the request of the family.”

The school’s spokeswoman referred comment to a statement issued late Tuesday, in which the school urged anyone with information about the shooting to contact Atlanta police.

“Our condolences go out to his family and friends,” the statement said.

By Wednesday morning, Radcliffe had already heard from baseball players around the country who knew and played with Sterling, who was also a member of Clark Atlanta’s team.

Sterling played on several baseball and football teams for Radcliff, including travel teams and the Morgan Park High School baseball team that captured the Chicago Public High Schools Athletic Association city championship in 2021, the year Sterling graduated.

Sterling chose to play at the private school in Atlanta, along with several of his high school teammates, after a campus visit and being recruited, said Radcliffe. The coach keeps in frequent touch with his former players and last spoke to Sterling about a week and a half ago.

“I call all the time because I have to make sure they’re on top of their grades (and) they’re playing at a high level on their teams,” he said.

Sterling was doing well at Clark Atlanta, he said.

In high school, Sterling was one of the players interviewed for TV sports stories and quoted by reporters about the parade celebrating the team’s championship win. Sterling talked about how he’d improved during his high school career. He credited that to hard work and the help of his teammates and coach.

“I think that not only my athletic ability has grown, but also my character,” he said, in a blog post for Chicago Public Schools.

Sterling was also a “sensational young man” off the field, his coach said. He was respectful — responding with “yes, sir” and “no, sir,” Radcliffe said. He also was a good student, excellent teammate and he stepped up to help his family after his father died unexpectedly a few years ago.

“He was everything to his mom,” Radcliffe said. “He (was) man of the house.”

Tuesday’s shooting took place in the parking lot of the Lyke House Catholic Center at the Atlanta University Center. The Clark Atlanta community has dealt with shooting violence before.

In 2019, as the school year was about to begin, two Clark Atlanta and two Spelman College students were injured in a shooting outside the Atlanta University Center library.

Last fall, four people, including two Clark Atlanta students and an Atlanta University Center student, were injured in a drive-by shooting near the library.

Clark Atlanta’s athletics department posted a brief message about him on social media Wednesday.

“Gone too soon. Please keep Jatonne’s family in your prayers.”