21-year-old basketball player’s death rocks NC college. ‘The ultimate student-athlete’
Eric Henderson was a 21-year-old college basketball player known for his work ethic and “upbeat” attitude.
But the honors student was killed in a car crash the day after Christmas, rocking a small North Carolina school.
“He took pride in being a Blue Bear,” James Stinson, head coach for the men’s basketball team at Livingstone College, wrote in a Facebook post. “He was willing to sacrifice to make sure everyone else was OK. He was the ultimate student-athlete.”
Henderson reportedly died after he visited his family for Christmas. The college student was driving when his vehicle went across the center line on U.S. Highway 13 and ran into a pickup truck, injuring an off-duty Cumberland County deputy, the N.C. State Highway Patrol told WRAL.
In response to a request for information, Patrol Telecommunicator Billy Bryant told McClatchy News in a phone interview that a head-on crash was reported at about 6 p.m. on Dec. 26. Three people were injured in the wreck, which killed a 21-year-old named Eric Colin Henderson near the town of Eastover.
Henderson’s death sent shockwaves through Livingstone College, a faith-based school in Salisbury, roughly 40 miles northeast of Charlotte. The historically Black college had an enrollment of about 900 undergraduate students last fall.
“We send our love to Eric’s family as they deal with this tragedy during the holidays,” Livingstone College wrote, adding that its campus community also was reeling from the loss.
Henderson, a Virginia Beach native, was a small forward playing his first season with the school’s basketball team. He played 10 games and scored seven points twice this season, according to an online roster.
Off the court, Henderson made his mark as a sophomore honors student. He also was related to the president of Livingstone’s faculty assembly, officials said.
“I understand Eric was well-mannered, a hard worker and always smiling and upbeat,” school president Anthony J. Davis wrote in the Facebook post. “May the memory of who he was bring some comfort to those who loved and knew him.”
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