I received news today that I am still struggling to process. One of the best friends Ive ever had, or that anyone could ask for, passed away this past Tuesday of pneumonia. He was only 43 years old. I first met William Keys, affectionately known throughout Berkeley as Billy, in 1992, when I was coaching basketball at Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School in Berkeley, where I was blessed to coach the likes of Austin Nichols, Daviid Reed, Ron Curtis, Byron St. Jules, Cody Whitcomb and so many others who continue to show the legacy of discipline, goal-setting, teamwork and perseverance that were such a foundation of the kinds of lessons Coach Keys and I worked together to instill. Although he was just 21 at the time, he carried himself like a wisened old soul. He was a passionate BHS Yellowjacket - not just an alumni of the school, but an indefatigable booster of all things Berkeley High. He helped Coach Stelton Mitchell run the mens basketball program and was a behind the scenes force behind the successes of the BHS Athletic Dept. Like every human being, Billy had his faults and shortcomings - as close as we were as friends and colleagues, I remember vividly the two of us coming just short of getting into a full blown boxing match at a national basketball camp in Virginia because he was two hours late in returning the rental car he borrowed that was rented in my name! The kids had to be the mature ones in that case and get between the two of us. And of course there was the very public error in judgment he made a couple of years back that I truly hope does not dim the light of who he was and what he contributed to the community. Billy was old school. He was a gentleman when being gentlemanly was out of style. He was loyal to his friends and dedicated to his school and his students - often going out of his way to help make sure that a student-athlete had whatever paperwork they needed, or met whatever deadline was critical to insure they met eligibility criteria, admissions criteria or scholarship demands. Billy volunteered for whatever community event I was responsible for - whether it was the Berkeley Boosters PALs annual turkey basket distribution, our annual bike ride to gold country with the kids each year, or countless hours co-coaching traveling teams with me. I am going to miss Bill. His dry humor. His love for his alma mater and for the countless students he counted among his fellow Jackets. His old school ways and his passion for trying to get the young generation to embrace some traditional values. I am going to miss his friendship. He passes from us far too soon - I did not get a chance to say goodbye. I encourage all of you to take time tonight to make sure that you let those you love know it. Life is too short.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Dec 2014 05:42:53 +0000