Oklahoma State forward had just begun to blossom before his death
Not content to merely challenge himself against some of the nation’s top players his own age, Tyrek Coger sought a step up in competition.
The high school junior goaded budding NBA star John Wall into a game of 1-on-1 at the 2012 Reebok Breakout Challenge in Philadelphia.
In front of a few dozen onlookers, several of whom were filming with cell phone cameras, Coger showed no fear, promising to “show John how to play ball.” The 6-foot-8 forward actually knocked down a couple jumpers and even swatted away one of Wall’s shots before the Washington Wizards guard got serious, punctuating his victory by blowing by Coger off the dribble and drawing gasps with a ferocious left-handed dunk.
Video of the game hit YouTube within hours and spread quickly on social media, generating more than 12 million views. The title of the YouTube clips were “John Wall shuts up high school kid” and “John Wall teaches high school kid a lesson,” but Coger painted a slightly different picture when he described the 1-on-1 showdown to friends.
“He named it the ‘I gave John Wall buckets’ video,” said Tony Edwards, Coger’s former AAU coach with the CP3 All-Stars.
“That was Tyrek. Cameras are here? John is here? Crowd is here? It’s go time. The bigger the crowd, the more entertainment you got. He wouldn’t shy away from opportunities.”
The irrepressible confidence and ever-present smile that Coger displayed in that video are how friends and family will remember him. The 21-year-old Oklahoma State forward died Thursday evening after collapsing following a team workout inside Boone Pickens Stadium.
Oklahoma State officials said Friday that Coger showed no signs of struggle while running stadium steps in 99-degree heat, but he began to experience medical issues when he sat down at the top of the steps at the end of the workout. At 5:04 p.m., 911 was called. At 5:48 p.m., Coger arrived at Stillwater Medical Center. At 6:23 p.m., he was pronounced dead.
On Friday afternoon, the Oklahoma State Medical Examiner’s Office announced that Coger died from cardiomegaly, which is more commonly referred to as an enlarged heart. Learning the cause of death was little consolation to Oklahoma State coach Brad Underwood, who had already built a strong bond with Coger even though they’d only known each other for less than two months.
“This is the hardest couple days I’ve ever experienced in my coaching life,” Underwood told reporters in Stillwater on Friday as he choked back tears. “You say goodbye to players when they graduate. That’s one thing. Making that phone call to a mother is … there are no words. It’s a tragic day, it’s a sad sad day. A 21-year-old man had his whole world in front of him.”
The future indeed appeared bright for Coger when he arrived at Oklahoma State 18 days ago after transferring from Cape Fear Community College. Coger had reinvigorated a basketball career that appeared to stall a few years earlier.
Hailed as one of the top players in the state of North Carolina early in his high school career, Coger received interest from the likes of Georgetown, Missouri NC State and VCU. Coger eventually signed with Middle Tennessee after backing out of a previous commitment to Missouri, however, the NCAA ruled him ineligible to play for the Blue Raiders because of clearinghouse issues stemming from his high school.
Not being able to fulfill his Division I aspirations right away was difficult for Coger. High school teammate and close friend Rodney Purvis was at NC State, peers P.J. Hairston and Reggie Bullock were at North Carolina, and he was bound for East Florida State Community College.
“It was tough for him,” Edwards said. “But when it came to basketball, you just couldn’t tell him no. He was going to keep going no matter what the obstacle was. He always said that for the rest of his life, he was going to play basketball.”
Frustrated to be falling behind his friends in basketball and reeling from the abrupt death of his beloved grandfather, Coger had a rough first year of junior college. He averaged just four points per game at East Florida State and then returned home to Cape Fear Community College with zero transferable credit hours, essentially square one in his quest to secure a long-awaited Division I opportunity.
Cape Fear coach Ryan Mantlo urged Coger to take a year away from basketball to focus on academics and shed the excess pounds he had put on since high school. The results exceeded Mantlo’s expectations: Coger dropped 30 pounds, became an honor-roll student and brought constant energy and a positive attitude as a member of the scout team.
“He could brighten anyone’s day,” Mantlo said. “It didn’t matter if you were having the worst day in the world. If you ran into him, you were going to leave smiling.”
Mantlo’s smiles only got wider the following year when Coger was able to play in games. He reemerged as a Division I prospect by averaging 12.2 points and 7.0 rebounds and shooting 52.6 percent from the floor.
Coger intended to go to Ole Miss until this past June when an obscure SEC transfer rule prevented him from joining the Rebels. It was a massive blow to a kid who had worked so hard, but Coger soon discovered that the Rebels were not the only program interested in him.
“As soon as we got that word, it was wildfire,” Mantlo said. “He had so many coaches calling him that we ended up having to shut his phone off. When we boiled it down to his final five, Oklahoma State was one of them. They ended up getting his first visit, and he fell in love once he got out there.”
Among the most tragic aspects of Coger’s death is the timing of it. He had rededicated himself academically. He had rekindled his basketball career. And now he was poised to get to play on the stage where he always felt he belonged.
With the size to defend and rebound in the paint and the skill to knock down a mid-range jump shot, Coger projected as an instant contributor for Oklahoma State. His new teammates and coaches didn’t know him long, yet the outpouring of emotion on social media suggests he was already well-liked in Stillwater.
Among those who grieved publicly was Wall, a fellow North Carolina native who had kept in touch with Coger sporadically the past few years. Wall posted a screen shot from their infamous 1-on-1 game on Instagram with a heartfelt caption.
“Rest In Peace to the lil homie who always had the competitive spirit,” Wall wrote. “You will be missed Tyrek.”
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
