FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. — Days after Starr's Mill High School sophomore Russell Logan was hit and killed while walking home, his community continues to remember his impact.
This includes his coaches, who said Logan was a star on the football field, basketball court, and in the community.
Coach Chad Phillips said Russell Logan had a great spirit and made everyone around him laugh.
"He had everybody in stitches and he'd go give his best. And you know, that was the thing about him is he was always good to be around," Phillips said.
Phillips said he first spotted Logan during a weight training workout for middle school students.
"He got involved with that program and he played basketball for the middle school," the coach explained. Not long after, Phillips would be a valuable player on the Starr's Mill team.
Logan had athletic talent and played football and basketball at Starr's Mill High School.
The 16-year-old's athletic career was also cut short when he was killed by what police said was a suspected DUI driver. The incident happened less than a mile from his home, according to Logan's mother.
Phillips said he got the call telling him the news late at night. Before telling Logan's teammates, he said he took a moment for himself.
"Came up here and sat inside the stadium by myself. You have to collect your thoughts with something like that," he said.
The coach said he remembers Logan being passionate about the sport, a passion that basketball Coach Joshua Reeves said was also true on the court.
"He was the next-level basketball player because he played football," Reeves said.
Reeves said after processing the news of Logan's death, he wanted to comfort the teammates who knew the high school sophomore best.
"His teammates talked about him sending leadership," he said. "Like inspirational stuff pre-game -- and that's stuff we don't see because we're not in those group chats. But he was that leader. He was everybody's favorite teammate."
More than the game, Reeves said Logan loved his community.
"We did a camp from second graders to seventh graders last summer and he was always there," Reeves said.
Photos | Russell Logan
The coach said players were scheduled for one shift, but Logan did more than what he was asked.
"Russell came wrestling to be in the pictures," he said. "He liked, you know, being involved."
Along with the rest of the community, Reeves and Phillips are trying to heal and move forward. Both men say they'll never forget the kid who was more than a number on a jersey.