PINE RIDGE, S.C. — A middle school in Lexington County is honoring a beloved basketball coach who died last year.
A big basketball court for a man with a big heart.
Family members tell News 19 Coach Richard Gibson passed away around Thanksgiving of last year because of a blot clot that burst. It's left a big hole in the hearts of students, staff and family at Pine Ridge Middle School.
Today, the school is working to fundraise for upgrades to the outdoor basketball court in his honor.
"He did have a love for basketball and he had a love for children and for this community, so when he did pass we wanted to find something that would reflect his personality and that would honor him," said Karen Holloman, principal at Pine Ridge Middle School.
Holloman explains that the school is halfway to their $4,000 goal, thanks to a student and staff kickball tournament last month.
She tells News19 they'll host another fundraiser in the fall and hopefully get the industrial-strength goals installed and court repaved by spring of next school year.
People like Tonya Martin, who worked with Coach Rich, remember him well.
"Some of the kids would go through hard times. They would have a bad day and Coach Rich would go get them and he'd walk them to the cafeteria," Martin said. "The kids were very very crazy about, they loved Coach Rich."
His assistant coach and best friend Travis Barnes explains Coach Rich really cared about the kids.
"There's kids that we coached that 15,16 years ago that Rich would still ride through their neighborhoods and he'd say I talked to them and he'd tell me I saw so and so the other day and they asked about ya. I mean it was really what he loved," Barnes said.
Now, Coach Rich's son Deandrei has stepped into his father's role as head coach at Pine Ridge Middle School.
"It means a lot … It feels good to know that his legacy will live on through this court. Everyone who passes through here, students to the staff, they come out here, they'll think about Coach Rich," Carson said.
If you'd like to donate before or after the fall fundraiser, you can contact Pine Ridge Middle School or the Lexington School District Two office.