URBANA, OH. (THECOUNT) — Troy Byrd has been identified as the 11-year-old “basketball prodigy” who died suddenly after collapsing on a Champaign County, Ohio, YMCA basketball court on Saturday.
Standing at 5’8″, Byrd, a dominant force on his elementary school basketball team and a YMCA regular, was pronounced dead just hours before his 12th birthday.
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School staff member frantically attempted to perform resuscitative measures when the lad suddenly fell ill on the court, but sadly first responders could not revive him after what’s being called a “sudden medical incident,” reports abc6onyourside.
On Monday, Byrd’s uncle Tylynn Montrose spoke for the entire family, most of whom are still too shaken to talk with reporters right now.
“He was always cheerful. There was never an ounce of anything less than happiness in his life,” Montrose said of his nephew. “He grew up to be what he is today — and tragically, his life ended before it got started.”
Byrd was scheduled to begin practices with an AAU basketball team in late February after wowing coaches at his tryout.
“We were looking forward to that experience of having him on the team,” says AAU coach Matt Vactor. “We’re just thankful we got to know Troy, to be a part of his life and have him be a part of ours.”
Doctors have still not determined an exact cause of death, but are hoping an autopsy will provide some answers, reports abc6onyourside.
His uncle said Troy dealt with minor epileptic seizures as a small child, but had since grown out of the problem.
“Just make sure you examine your kids,” Montrose warned. “(Troy) affected so many people’s hearts like I couldn’t believe a person could. You always hear about it, but I’d never seen it firsthand. He was really loved.”
Funeral arrangements are currently underway.
Urbana is a city in and the county seat of Champaign County, Ohio, United States, 47 miles west of Columbus. Urbana was laid out in 1805, and for a time in 1812 was the headquarters of the Northwestern army during the War of 1812. It is the burial place of the explorer and Indian fighter Simon Kenton – Wikipedia.