Before Christmas break, McDonogh 35 was riding a three-game win streak.
A much-needed boost for the Roneagles before their well-deserved time off for the holidays, but a phone call the day after Christmas brought their high to an instant low.
“We just didn’t see it coming. It’s not like there were some indicators that he was sick. It’s not like it was some indicators that something was going to happen so that you can be prepared”, says 35 head coach Shaun Dumas.
McDonogh 35 assistant coach Eric Winans had passed away from what is believed to be a heart attack.
“I mean, he just sent the most wonderful message to the group chat. He just spent some time with the family, dancing and having fun, so it was a beautiful thing, man. Once we got that phone call, it’s almost like, man, am I stuck in a dream? Sometimes, I still find myself wanting to look at his number and send him a text message because it still doesn’t feel real.”
Dumas struggled with the reality of having to share the news with the team.
At their first practice since Winans’ passing, they spent the first 30 minutes of practice remembering “Coach E” and embracing one another.
“It was a bunch of silence”, says senior Jason Astorga. “Everybody had their own way of grieving. It were some cries here and there but Coach was just letting us know that he was here for us, for anything that we needed. I feel like we definitely needed that day, or that practice.”
“He was a father-figure, just as well as a friend”, says senior Rico Porter. “Somebody I could talk to. We had some stubborn moments but you expect that, especially when he wanted you to get better.”
Winans’ passing has provided new purpose.
They immediately got the ball rolling on “E.W.” patches for the jerseys and warm-up shirts that read “Long Live Coach E”, a tribute for the remainder of the season.
“We wanted to make sure we commemorate just how important his impact around this building was. It wasn’t just the impact around the kids, but also the staff. When he saw or talked to people, he had real fruitful conversations with people.”
A big presence that was felt during his two-year run with the team.
Now it will be his eternal presence that’ll live forever in the Roneagles’ hearts.
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