Grief counselors were on hand at DeKalb County’s Redan High School Wednesday after the sudden death this week of boys varsity basketball Coach Dannie Love.
Love was in his first year at Redan after transferring from Stone Mountain High, where he coached the junior varsity basketball team, but made a big impression in his short time at Redan, according to Principal Mark Goodwin.
“He was passionate about students, about the kids,” Goodwin told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “In my short time knowing him, I knew that he was structured, organized and committed to these kids.”
Goodwin said Love, 40, died in his sleep early Tuesday of an unknown cause.
“He didn’t wake up,” Goodwin said. “He was at work Monday.”
Goodwin called Love a disciplinarian who “knew that discipline would help these kids, not just in basketball, but in life. He did a lot more than basketball, he taught life lessons.”
As part of that discipline, Love held basketball practice at 6 a.m., “and he’d have all of them there,” Goodwin said. “Coach has done morning practices for a while.”
Redan’s Tuesday basketball game was canceled, and a junior varsity game scheduled for Wednesday evening has also been called off.
A decision on Friday’s boys varsity game against Stone Mountain hasn’t been made, Goodwin said late Wednesday morning.
“We think we’re going to play Friday,” he said. “We’re going to practice today and see what kind of response we get.”
The school posted the following on its Facebook page Tuesday:
“To say Coach Love was a larger than life character would be an understatement. He will always be remembered here as a great teacher and coach. His on-the-court competitive style and skill were only surpassed by his incredible positive influence and zest for life off the court.”
Funeral arrangements for Love are pending.
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