HAZLE TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- The tragic death of former NBA star Kobe Bryant has shocked the country and has also been felt in our area.
Bryant is a native of the Philadelphia area and first showed off his skills in high school when he played for Lower Merion High School in 1995. His team lost in the state playoffs to Hazleton area
We spoke with two players and a coach who were on the sidelines for that game in 1995. They tell us even though Kobe Bryant was only part of their lives for a brief moment in time, he’ll have an everlasting impact.
Dozens of flowers, basketballs, and tributes have been placed outside Bryant Gymnasium at Lower Merion High School to honor former student and NBA star Kobe Bryant who was killed in a helicopter crash along with his 13-year-old daughter and seven others over the weekend.
It’s not just Bryant’s alma mater feeling the impact of his death -- high schools in our area are hurting, too.
“He definitely had an impact on a lot of people. He's done a lot of great work. And he was just he seemed like a great guy, not that I knew him personally or anything like that. I really like the way he carried himself was with his kids all the time. On the court, he never really showed great frustration. He always seemed like a classy player, and that's something I always admired about him," Jeff Rush said.
Jeff Rush played for Hazleton Area when the team played Kobe in the state playoffs in 1995, and the Cougars won a thrilling game. Video of that game in 1995 may be grainy, but the memories of the players are vivid.
“He scored 33 points against us," Rush recalled. “He probably could have scored a lot more, but he passed the ball. He gave the ball to his teammates. He gave them that opportunity, and we're thankful for that because we were able to win the game."
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“He just looked like he belonged in the NBA," said former Hazleton player Matt Scarcella. “He didn't look like any of us. Physically, he was just so much more dominant. He was bigger than everybody else. You could see he was going to have a huge and very, very bright future in the NBA, and that's the first thing I remember."
Former Hazleton Area Cougars who played on that team say that beating Kobe Bryant was special, but what happened after the game is what sticks with them.
“His dad brought Kobe into the locker room, into our locker room at Hazleton Area to our players and his dad and Kobe made sure to walk around and shake every one of our hands, so I remember shaking his dad's hand and shaking Kobe’s hand was exciting, but none of us had any idea how great he would become," said Rush.
“He was part of our lives for a moment but then became such an icon in professional sports and just seemed like he was ready to burst on and do other really great things for himself and his family. It's just a tragedy. It really is," said Michael Joseph, who was an assistant coach in 1995.
After the Cougars defeated Lower Merion, they lost their chance at a state title to Williamsport in the playoffs.