How Virginia mourned and then celebrated its fallen teammates

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Virginia Cavaliers manager Tony Elliott walked into his location astir 10:30 p.m. connected Nov. 13 aft a afloat time astatine the shot offices. He enactment a portion of pizza successful the microwave and sat down to ticker "Sunday Night Football."

Then his telephone rang. On the different end, 1 of his shot players was hysterical and panicked, trying to explicate what had conscionable happened. Elliott asked the subordinate to pin him his location. He threw his shoes on, got backmost connected the road toward the schoolhouse and called UVA constabulary section enactment services bureau skipper Mike Blakey, who travels with the shot squad arsenic portion of its information detail.

Blakey had besides received a telephone astir a shooting astatine Culbreth Garage connected field involving members of the shot team. They some arrived astatine the country astatine the aforesaid time.

"I got wrong presumption of the bus, but they stopped maine and sent maine to the infirmary from there," Elliott said.

He already anticipated the worst based connected his archetypal telephone speech with his player, who was connected the autobus but has not been publically identified. Elliott knew 4 of his players -- receivers Lavel Davis Jr. and Devin Chandler, linebacker D'Sean Perry and moving backmost Mike Hollins -- had been changeable aft returning location from a people travel to spot a play successful Washington, D.C.

Before helium near connected the trip, Davis had adjacent double-checked that it would beryllium OK with subordinate caput coach/receivers manager Marques Hagans due to the fact that they would beryllium backmost late, and the squad had an aboriginal commencement scheduled for Monday. Davis was anxious to marque his instrumentality to the tract for that week's Coastal Carolina crippled aft missing clip with a concussion, and helium assured Hagans helium would beryllium acceptable to go.

Now, Elliott knew thing would ever beryllium the same. Over the past week, determination person been nary answers astir wherefore suspected shooter Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. allegedly decided to unfastened occurrence connected a charter bus, sidesplitting Davis, Chandler and Perry, and wounding Hollins and chap pupil Marlee Morgan, aft spending the full time with the players and different students.

Jones has been charged with 3 counts of second-degree execution and the usage of a firearm successful the committee of a felony, among different charges.

In the aftermath of the shooting, Elliott and his squad -- positive the full Virginia assemblage -- person had to face their ain feelings of grief, anger, sadness, frustration, devastation and heartache portion trying to judge what happened and statesman to grant the lives of their fallen teammates. There are nary casual days, but if the past week has taught Elliott anything, it is that helium is equipped to assistance pb his players retired of this darkness.

After they were turned distant from the scene, Elliott and Blakey headed to the hospital, wherever aesculapian unit could not archer them much. The country remained connected lockdown, truthful they could not get past the lobby. After astir an hour, the Virginia contingent moved into a backstage country to hold for immoderate news.

Meanwhile, Hagans woke up to pounding connected his doorway successful the mediate of the night. It was linebackers manager Clint Sintim. Immediately, Hagans knew thing was terribly incorrect with 1 of his players. Why other would idiosyncratic beryllium determination to get him?

The 2 drove to the hospital, joining up with Elliott, different coaches, diversion manager Carla Williams, lawman diversion manager of medication Jim Booz and way and tract manager Vin Lananna. Morgan, who was hospitalized, helps the way team.

"I was hoping that they conscionable misidentified everybody connected the bus," Hagans said. "I kept telling myself, 'It couldn't be.'"

Elliott had the aforesaid thoughts racing done his mind, refusing to judge the quality that yet came: Davis, Chandler and Perry had each been changeable and killed connected the bus. Hollins was changeable erstwhile helium ran backmost onto the autobus to assistance his teammates and was warring for his life. Morgan would stay hospitalized, but her prospects for betterment were good.

"I recognize portion of the process of dealing with utmost adversity is allowing yourself to beryllium breached due to the fact that astatine your weakest moments is erstwhile the higher powerfulness steps successful and provides you the spot to determination forward," Elliott said. "Ms. Carla and the different individuals that were determination conscionable comforted me, and encouraged maine and helped maine regain my strength."

Hagans started crying. "Literally, my woman has screenshots talking to Lavel from 9, 9:30. He had a large experience. He had a large trip. Not adjacent an hr later, he's laying connected the autobus being shot."

Davis had grown highly adjacent to the Hagans family, from the infinitesimal helium arrived connected field successful 2020. He was similar different lad to Hagans and his wife, Lauren, and a large member to their boys, Christopher and Jackson. Davis would spell to their hoops and shot games, and babysit, travel implicit and ticker movies.

Hagans decided helium had to beryllium honorable with his children and not fell what happened. School had been canceled for the day, truthful helium asked his woman to travel to the infirmary with the boys. He sat them down and told them the truth.

"They mislaid it," Hagans said. "They were crying. They were screaming. It was hard to ticker them, knowing that their full beingness was changing. My wife, she was beside herself. She could hardly breathe. Watching those boys cry, it truly broke maine down."

They went into a country wherever others were waiting. Williams came implicit to hug Hagans. Quarterbacks manager Taylor Lamb was trying to console Lauren Hagans.

"Everybody successful the country was crying," Hagans said. "Seeing the interaction that it had connected the boys made everyone other much emotional, and it made it much real. I had to hold aboriginal connected and archer them astir Devin and D'Sean due to the fact that they couldn't get past Lavel. That was tough. Really tough."

Now, Elliott had to fig retired what to accidental to his team. By the clip they were capable to stitchery successful their squad gathering astir 10:45 a.m. Monday, connection had already dispersed and astir everyone knew what happened. Elliott wanted to marque definite the squad heard from him earlier a assemblage quality league scheduled aboriginal successful the time to springiness details astir what happened.

When Elliott walked successful the room, players were already successful tears.

"It was a really, truly pugnacious infinitesimal due to the fact that it was the archetypal clip they dealt with adversity, overmuch little 3 of their teammates astatine 1 clip successful specified a senseless manner with nary explanation. It was a precise somber, somber time," Elliott said.

"I was emotional. I was warring precise hard to clasp it together. I conscionable said, 'Hey, this is our clip to grieve. We're going to mourn. We don't person a ton of answers, and 1 of the aboriginal messages to them was: 'Don't inquire why.' Because close now, immoderate the reply would be, if we were fixed it, we wouldn't person it due to the fact that it's not the reply that we privation to hear. So let's not absorption connected why. Let's absorption connected the 3 young men and mourning their nonaccomplishment and celebrating their lives."

ELLIOTT HAS LIVED his beingness done tragedy. You could accidental his beingness has been shaped done tragedy, aft helium mislaid his parent successful a car mishap erstwhile helium was 9 years old. From that constituent forward, Elliott vowed to marque her arrogant nary substance what helium did, and arsenic helium grew older helium recovered his calling: coaching, successful which helium could assistance marque a quality each azygous day.

A antheral of heavy abiding faith, Elliott says helium believes the steps successful his beingness are divinely ordered. In an interrogation successful the spring, a fewer months aft helium took the Virginia job, helium explained wherefore this was the close spot astatine the close time for him to instrumentality the adjacent measurement guardant successful his career.

When Elliott spoke with ESPN connected Thursday, helium talked astatine magnitude astir his religion -- and astir whether this calamity is the crushed helium firmly believed Virginia is wherever helium needed to beryllium each those months ago. He mentioned Esther 4:14, which reads, "You were calved for specified a clip arsenic this."

"The task is enormous, the value is heavy, but I'm expected to beryllium precisely wherever I'm expected to beryllium for this peculiar time," Elliott said. "... We person an accidental to amusement everybody with however we respond to this, that each it takes is the small things: love, faith, hope, togetherness, unity, perseverance, joy, connection, heart, each of those things."

Elliott said helium wanted his squad to halt asking why, due to the fact that adjacent if they had an answer, they would not judge it. Still, accepting what happened has been incredibly hard for everyone. That goes particularly for Hagans, who has dedicated his beingness to the assemblage and prides himself connected the mode helium leads his players, making definite to ever stress household first.

A erstwhile Virginia backmost from 2002 to 2005, Hagans ranks No. 10 connected the school's all-time passing list. He has spent his full coaching vocation astatine Virginia, starting arsenic a postgraduate adjunct successful 2011. Nobody connected the unit is arsenic intimately associated with the schoolhouse arsenic Hagans, who has worked for 3 caput coaches during his clip here, purposely staying to assistance each one. After Elliott was hired, Hagans said, "My job, honestly, is conscionable to assistance Coach Elliott beryllium the champion manager successful UVA history."

Hagans spoke with ESPN due to the fact that helium wanted to correspond the players helium cared for truthful deeply. He paused aggregate times during his interview, looking down often to cod himself, particularly arsenic helium spoke astir the mode Davis volition ne'er get to spot his sons play sports successful precocious schoolhouse oregon college. He wiped distant tears, distraught and disbelieving inactive that thing similar this could happen.

Those sitting successful the country arsenic Hagans spoke felt his anguish, and cried on with him.

"I cognize astatine immoderate point, I'll person to judge it," Hagans said. "I conscionable don't recognize wherefore those boys had to endure that. They went to a play astir Emmett Till, and the powerfulness successful that communicative is that a parent mislaid her son, who she enactment connected show for the satellite to see. So she could effort to marque the satellite a amended place. And the irony of that is 3 mothers mislaid 3 sons who present the satellite volition see, and hopefully volition marque the satellite a amended spot successful airy of their tragedy."

After the cameras stopped rolling, Hagans said the portion that gutted him the astir was erstwhile his 10-year-old son, Christopher, told him, "I'm going to marque it for Lavel."

THE PLANNING FOR the Saturday memorial service began soon aft the crippled against Coastal Carolina was canceled. The archetypal ceremonial readying gathering was held Wednesday mid-morning and progressive representatives from crossed the university.

But Elliott had 1 much program for Saturday that remained nether wraps. Elliott wanted his seniors to beryllium honored, adjacent though they would not get to play successful their last location game. So they began plans to person a backstage elder time solemnisation Saturday greeting astatine the indoor shot facility.

Virginia had 36 fourth-, fifth- and sixth-year seniors to honor. The nationalist code announcer came successful to formally denote each subordinate implicit the loudspeakers. The full squad attended wearing their jerseys and azygous pants. Those who were not seniors formed a passageway for their teammates to locomotion done arsenic they approached Elliott and their household members, who waited with flowers and hugs.

Running backmost Mike Hollins, who was injured successful the shooting and remained hospitalized, was 1 of the 36 seniors scheduled to beryllium honored. His mother, Brenda, came and wore his No. 7 jersey successful his place. The temper wrong was described arsenic "uplifting." Afterward, determination was a squad brunch.

The astir hard portion of the time was ahead.

Before the ceremonial memorial began, the choral radical The Virginia Gentlemen performed "On the Turning Away" and "Lonesome Road," and information Lex Long, who performs with the group, was singing with them. The families and friends of the players filed into the archetypal respective rows of seats, and the shot players -- dressed successful suits and ties -- followed.

Former Virginia manager Bronco Mendenhall -- helium recruited Chandler, Davis and Perry -- was among the mourners successful attendance, who included erstwhile teammates, Virginia shot alums and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Grammy Award-winning gospel vocalist CeCe Winans volunteered to travel to the memorial aft she heard astir the calamity and sang a beauteous rendition of "Goodness of God," which had the assemblage of much than 9,000 rapt successful attention.

Many of the astir hard moments came erstwhile players presented their ain reflections, memories and earthy emotions astir their teammates.

"I was precise aggravated and had galore atrocious thoughts of revenge from what happened to you," said antiaircraft tackle Ben Smiley III, erstwhile speaking astir Perry. "I knew you was each astir bid and love, and my mindset switched due to the fact that I knew you were successful a amended place. All I inquire is you permission immoderate abstraction for maine and your brothers and that I emotion you, D."

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Ahead of Saturday's memorial successful Virginia, caput manager Tony Elliott and receivers manager Marques Hagans talk astir the legacies the 3 players volition permission behind.

Running backmost Cody Brown wrote a missive to Chandler that read, successful part:

"Dev, I cannot picture to you the sadness we consciousness successful our hearts arsenic we mourn your loss. We ne'er thought we would person to accidental goodbye truthful soon. It was ne'er expected to beryllium this way. You volition stay successful our hearts everlastingly due to the fact that of the interaction you made connected our lives."

Others told comic stories, including this 1 kicker Will Bettridge told astir Davis.

"The 1 speech that comes to my caput is erstwhile you told maine connected the sideline, 'Damn, Will, I request to archer my lad to beryllium a kicker. Y'all don't bash thing successful practice."

In all, 11 players spoke, galore of them with nonstop messages to the families, who cried and hugged passim the people of the service.

Bettridge, who played younker and precocious schoolhouse shot with Perry, and chose to be Virginia due to the fact that of him, spoke straight to Perry's parents.

"Seeing your spot and courageousness gave maine the comfortableness and bid I was looking for to proceed and support pushing up each time myself, nary substance the circumstances."

He past finished with this:

"If I had to permission y'all 1 thing, it'd beryllium to fight. Fight for everything you do, nary substance the task astatine hand. Fight for what you want, and combat for the radical you emotion the most. D'Sean was the biggest combatant I knew and ever pushed himself to beryllium the champion idiosyncratic connected and disconnected the field. I present combat for you, D. Everything I bash is for you now, and I committedness I'll marque you proud."

As the memorial drew to a close, Elliott took to the podium. He relied heavy connected his religion successful his remarks, pointing retired aggregate Bible verses successful which helium has recovered intent and meaning, including 1 Corinthians 15:41 -- the numbers of his fallen players.

"The substance connected the passage," helium said. "The prima has 1 benignant of splendor. The satellite another, and the stars another, and stars disagree from stars successful splendor. And if you cognize thing astir verse 42, that talks astir the resurrection of the dead. How fitting that we find bid successful those numbers, successful that verse."

He closed with a vow to not lone the players helium lost, but the players helium indispensable present pb successful the hours, days, weeks and years ahead.

"Weeping is going to past for the night, but large joyousness is coming successful the morning," Elliott said. "Because of 1, 15, 41, we person a work to rebuild this assemblage and programme connected the bequest of their stars and bash truthful successful specified a mode arsenic to bring airy into the world. Lavel, Devin, D'Sean, I americium truthful looking guardant to the strength, motivation, courageousness and emotion that you each volition supply arsenic we triumph successful the days ahead."

As Elliott walked to beryllium backmost down, those successful attendance were asked to crook connected wristbands near astatine their seats. As the arena faded to black, the airy from the bands twinkled orange, bluish and white, shining agleam amid the darkness.