The boy needed a nudge from his mother. Southern University. Former Carolina Panthers receiver Rae Carruth was charged with killing his girlfriend in November and could be sentenced to die if convicted of murder and conspiracy charges. And I didnt [do anything wrong]. Phills attended Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and was a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. His book, Boys Among Men: How the Prep-to-Pro Generation Redefined the NBA and Sparked a Basketball Revolution, is due out in March. I would give scholarships to kids sometimes and I knew they werent going to play, Jobe, now 82, explained. Silas joined Charlotte in 1997 as an assistant under Dave Cowens. Coleman was arrested on a drunken driving charge. If it hadnt been for Donnie, I wouldnt be doing what Im doing now, Jobe said. It always seems like something happens to those types of guys, said Chucky Brown, who had played with Phills on the Hornets. Phills lost control of his Porsche on a hilly curve where the This gave Silas some hope, and he approached the car. He was our guy, and he was going to a better place.. His wife. So many people pointed the finger at David, but Bobby made the choice to drive at a high rate of speed, Kendall said. Phills, a 6-foot-5 defensive stopper and a team leader, was one of the Hornets top reserves. Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Steve Chiasson died in May when his pickup truck crashed outside Raleigh. country," he said. Rob was in an accident, she said. It just wasnt right Even [now], when I drive down the way that Bobby passed away, it just stays with me. Medical personnel removed Woolard from the car and sent him to Presbyterian Hospital. Stunned and tearful teammates and Hornets officials gathered at [5], Phills was survived by his parents, his wife Kendall, and three children; a daughter Brittany Dickson, a son Bobby Ray Phills III, known as Trey and a daughter Kerstie. Jackson. Phills and his wife have two children -- Bobby Ray III, 3, and Kerstie, 1. He joined the team in 1997 after six years with Cleveland. For a long time, I couldnt think of a time when I wasnt thinking about him, Wesley said. He meant a lot to the community. I wanted him to be as idealistic as I thought I was.. I do for having met someone like him so early in my career.. Has the other guy moved?, No, Woolard said. had been practicing for Wednesday night's game with the Chicago NBA Player Killed | WIRED But Bobby Phills was driving too fast, and so was David Wesley, and Phills' car crashed, and he died instantly. Woolard and Agbegbon were listed in stable condition at Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte. Gerald Henderson was drafted by Charlotte in 2009, and over his fiveNBA seasons, hed grown close to the Phills family. But him and David Wesley, they were driving at each other, just zooming, Silas said. Aside from basketball, Phills also bicycled and played golf. Its shocking.. Wesley had twice been charged with speeding in Mecklenburg County, which includes Charlotte. Bobby Ray Phills II was born on Dec. 20, 1969, in Baton Rouge, La. The NBAs board of governors unanimously approved the request, giving the new Hornets an occasion to once again honor Phills by hanging his jersey in Charlotte, which they did duringhalftime of a game last November. Woolard laid his head down before hearing a voice. I knew that he had passed away, Silas said. owner George Shinn said in a statement. The 30-year-old guard had just left a shootaround at Charlotte Coliseum at about 11 a.m. when the three-vehicle accident happened, club spokesman Jonathan Supranowitz said. David Wesley Convicted of Reckless Driving - ABC News It is so sad to hear of Bobby Phills' accident. A SAD DAY IN CHARLOTTE - Chicago Tribune Phills agreed, and a couple weeks later, he approached the coach. [5] The drivers of the other two vehicles recovered, while Phills was pronounced dead at the scene. That thing with Bobby Phills, Im telling you, it almost made me lose my faith. He was going 107 m.p.h. Wesley remained with the franchise when the Hornets moved from Charlotte to New Orleans in 2002. As an assistant, Silas had often run Phills through drills during training sessions. all-defensive team after the 1995-96 season, the same season in which Jordan paid him the ultimate compliment by calling him the toughest defender he had faced. [They discussed a] lot of little things that when youre a youngster coming into the league, you dont think about, Miller said. It wasnt going to be here. Some were pushy, and I didnt talk with them. No charges have been filed against Wesley, who was driving a Leave him alone. Phills graduated with a 3.2 GPA and a degree in animal science. Trey, a 6-foot-1 guard, recently finished his high school career at Charlotte Christian, the same school that produced Steph and Seth Curry. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. You need to let me coach him, Brewer said. Sometimes people dont believe that type of person exists. Bobby and Kendall Phills had two children, both of whom went on to play college basketball. Three. Daddy is in heaven with the angels, Bobby Phills III told several hundred mourners at Charlottes Central Church of God before returning to the crowd and embracing his year-old sister, Kerstie. He was a three-and-D wing more than a decade before that became a regular part of the NBA vernacular; he finished as a 39 percent shooter from three-point range and was named to the 1995-96 All-Defensive second team. He had a way of making you feel like you were one of his best friends, when maybe you were just a friend, Wesley said. "That morning, I didn't get to tell Bobby goodbye,"Kendall Phills, Bobby'swife, said. "He had extreme high character. Youve got a great wife. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and Safety Information/Your California Privacy Rights/Children's Online Privacy Policy are applicable to you. It was a chaotic few weeks. ESPN.com - NBA - Hornets' Phills, 30, killed in car crash In one game, Phills hounded Jordan into 9-for-27 shooting. We spent some long, long days, and I got some dirty looks [from Trey] sometimes, but we got it fixed, Silas said. Hes in his Porsche, Im in my Porsche, Wesley said. After learning that his wife was pregnant, hed bought the new car in preparation for the arrival of their child. You sitting down? Phills Sr. knew something had to be wrong. The speed limit where Phills The Milwaukee Bucks had pummeled Charlotte by 50 points two days earlier. He played shooting guard and small forward for the National Basketball Association's Cleveland Cavaliers and Charlotte Hornets. I had some real jocks they werent interested in anything but playing ball. Phills, a 6-foot-5 defensive stopper, started often at shooting He said any charges must await completion of the Wesley testified that Phills, 30, was behind him when in hisrearview mirror he saw his car swerve and collide with anothervehicle. Some of the coaches tried to restrain her. In December 1998, Wesley was charged with driving 79 mph in a . Wesley looked at Trey that night and almost seemed surprised that he had to look up to meet his friends sons gaze. 13 was where it belonged. He should be upset right now. I'd throw away all this, I just want my dad back. A minute passed. Ive got some bad news, Dwayne told his father. CHARLOTTE, Jan. 12Charlotte Hornets guard Bobby Phills was speeding in his Porsche after practice today when he lost control, crashed into a car and died instantly. The basketball was our way of connecting, and thats how Trey and I have been., A few other factors played into Treys budding confidence. Do you know why you were able to do that without even seeing your feet and shoes? Jobe asked. He was 30 years old. Friday, Trey. Phills played in the Continental Basketball Association before joining the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1992. Through Sunday, every N.B.A. He was perfect. Phills said he had about six. Trey and Silas put in hard hours working to improve Treys shot. Took the sheet off his body, Kendall said. Its one thing for me to tell him, Oh, Trey, youre good. But to hear you have a father that was an NBA player some of [Bobbys former teammates] were still in the NBA, and although theyd check on my family, no one had the time to pour into my son., It was no surprise that both Trey and his sister, Kerstie, gravitated to basketball. We had some great talks and some great times. Phills had arrived at Southerns laboratory high school after his father became dean of the universitys school of agriculture andconsumer sciences. Trey Phills said. She exited her car to see Bobbys teammates Elden Campbell and Anthony Mason, both in tears. Phills died while traveling on Tyvola Road in Charlotte, North Carolina,after driving at a high rate of speed with then-teammate David Wesley. I said, Bobby, I dont understand this. But he was proud.. Yeah, Bobby was perfect. Keith Bridges, a spokesman for the police, said, ''Charges are to be determined, but racing is definitely illegal.''. Once I opened that floodgate, Wesley said, I had to say it to that person and to the next person and the next person., Wesleys performance suffered. The other kids are crying. The other driver was slumped, unmoving, blood trickling from his nose. The new coach was close with Phills, whom Charlotte had signed to a seven-year, $33 million contract in 1997. "Bobby Phills was all that you would want in a human being," Embry said. [5] A police report said Phills and Wesley were driving "in an erratic, reckless, careless, negligent or aggressive manner. More than 15 years had passed since his last go-round as head coach, with the dysfunctional San Diego Clippers in 1983. Phills earned a bachelor's degree in animal science from It was also the second serious traffic accident this season involving Hornets players. The investigation is expected to take at least a week. "The firemen wouldn't let me go near his body. successfully completed the National Safety Council's Associated Press Stunned teammates and Hornets officials gathered at the accident scene less than a mile from Charlotte Coliseum, where minutes earlier Phills and the other players had been practicing for tonight's game with the Chicago Bulls. It got so bad, I blamed God. Shinn was sued by a woman who claimed he sexually assaulted her. She noticed his demeanor on the court pick up shortly thereafter. Because I have to be strong for my children. as spontaneous speed competition," Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Even as he made the short trek to the scene, Shinn kept thinking, Maybe I heard him wrong. The Hornets' game scheduled for last night against the Chicago Bulls was postponed as shock was felt around the N.B.A. Absolutely not, Wesley responded. Rabalais: Bobby Phills' jersey returns to the rafters in Charlotte Bobby Phills - Biography - IMDb Yeah, I concentrate better, Phills said, because I dont want to chase a rebound up in the bleachers.. It hit another car, which in turn was struck in the rear by a minivan. He advised Phills to pursue professional basketball for a couple of years, and if it didnt work out, to return to school. I just remember guys crying, said Stephen Silas, who worked as a scout on his fathers staff. To be the family man he was; to be active with the community the way he was; to be recognized by your .