GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Student athletes of City High/Middle School are remembering the legacy of coach Bathian Mason, the man that loved nothing more than being a positive influence on some of Grand Rapids' youth.
Mason died on Dec. 7, according to a GoFundMe account. It said that the coach battled epilepsy his whole life, and that "due to his medical condition, he was unable to obtain employment, but it didn't stop him from doing what he loved most, coaching the youth of tomorrow."
Mason coached boys and girls basketball, volleyball and track for the middle school.
"If you had a really hard day and you went to practice, it would make you feel better because you could talk to coach and he would tell you something really funny," said Avery Sper.
"He made sports much more fun than you'd think they were," said Addison Lammer.
Christian Mcbride thought of the coach as a mentor, and recounts the time when he first heard the news of his passing.
"There wasn't really any emotion at the time, or at all really, I couldn't believe it, still kind of can't," said Mcbride.
Bianca Pharms who played volleyball and basketball for Coach Mason said it was a lot to take in.
"I kind of just broke down because he meant so much to everyone, and kind of to just know that he was gone, was just heartbreaking," said Pharms.
For Avery Sper, she said with their basketball season coming up, they'll be playing for coach.
"All the tears, and sweat, everything we put on the court, we did it for him and we're going to do it again in memory of him," said Sper.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.