‘Everyone stopped’: Shock, silence at Kobe’s academy
Ventura County (Calif.) Star
NEWBURY PARK, Calif. – Five basketball games were in full flow the morning of Jan. 26 at Mamba Sports Academy.
In the facility that bears Kobe Bryant’s nickname, parents and players suddenly became preoccupied with their phones.
Newbury Park High junior Nick Pasquini saw one assistant coach hand his phone to his head coach, who said something to a referee.
“And then everyone stopped,” Pasquini said.
The five games stopped simultaneously as the hundreds of people inside the facility learned that Bryant and others had been killed in a helicopter crash about 15 miles east in Calabasas.
“All of a sudden, it was silent,” said Sherri Rosenthal of Newbury Park. “Then there was screaming and crying. … Someone said, ‘Gather here. Let’s do a moment of silence and prayer.’ ”
The five games transitioned into prayer circles.
“Everyone gathered at one court,” said Newbury Park sophomore Blake Rosenthal. “People spoke about how he inspired them. It happened so fast. I can’t believe it.”
By noon, players and parents
JOE CURLEY/VENTURA COUNTY STAR had filtered out of the sports academy. The tournament, for boys and girls from fourth-graders to eighth-graders, had been canceled.
Brady Smigiel, 12, of Newbury Park was among a group of friends who had snapped photos of the Lakers’ legend the day before at the sports academy. Bryant had promised a posed photo if they returned the next day.
“He was always much more relaxed than the other (parents),” Smigiel said. “He’s one of the most relaxed adults in the room. You could always tell he knew what he was doing.
“It was just really special watching the way he coached. He was a smart coach.”