PASADENA, Texas – They came in song, they came in sorrow, they came wearing his team number.
Sunday night hundreds of devastated Pasadena High School students, teachers and coaches came to the school's outdoor track to pay tribute to 16-year-old Eric Medina, who died after running on that track Friday.
"He just did so many unbelievable things for people. Even if you were feeling down, he carried you up, because of his feeling, his heart," Eric's cousin, Jose Suarez, said.
Medina was a dedicated power forward on the Pasadena junior varsity basketball team. Coaches said he was universally loved by all of his teammates.
Pasadena head coach John Pillow called Eric the ideal team player, a boy that lived the game of basketball.
"Every conversation was about basketball, his favorite teams, his favorite players. He was the kind of kid every coach dreams of having," Pillow said.
Last Friday, with no prior warning at all, school officials said Eric suddenly collapsed while talking with friends, only minutes after running several laps at the track as part of a gym class workout.
Teachers tried CPR and even used an emergency AED, defibrillator machine to bring his heart back to normal, but when the machine indicated Medina's heart was beating, the machine automatically alerted teachers to stop using the machine.
Officials said CPR was continued until paramedics arrived.
Medina was rushed to Bayshore Hospital where he later died.
The exact cause of Medina's death is still unknown and will remain a mystery until the autopsy results are released.
The coach of the basketball team says the team is planning to hang Medina's picture and team jersey in the school's gym and are planning other ways to honor his memory during next year's basketball season.
Counselors will be available on campus Monday for students and staff and to provide support for those needing assistance.
