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Norcross hoops player, family killed in wreck

Facebook photo provided by Norcross High School shows Darrian George in action.

A Gwinnett County high school basketball player was among four family members killed in a wreck that also injured four others early Saturday in Florida.
The family was headed to Miami for a relaxing weekend at the beach when the 17-year-old driver, Darrian George, lost control of the Chevrolet Tahoe on I-75, the Florida Highway Patrol said. The SUV traveled across several southbound lanes of the interstate, then overturned several times and landed on its roof in northbound lane emergency lane, according to the report.
Five of the eight people inside the SUV were ejected in the single-vehicle wreck, which happened just before 3 a.m. George, a member of the Norcross High School basketball team, and his stepmother, Tiffany Bradshaw, 30, both died at the scene.
A 7-year-old and a 3-year-old both died after being transported to Shands at the University of Florida hospital.
Jesse McMillan is George's basketball coach at Norcross. The senior transferred to the school about a month ago and McMillan said he had already bonded with his teammates. He recalled his first time meeting the 6'4" shooting guard.

ATLANTA,None — "(The meeting was)Just fantastic, he shook my hand, had a big smile, introduced himself," McMillan told Channel 2's Amy Napier Viteri. "And then, when I found out how good of a student he was, just the way he talked to adults, it was really impressive."

He said George was an honors student who was enrolled in advanced placement classes. McMillan said George had already received interest and scholarship offers from Division I and II basketball programs.

"Obviously he was a really good basketball player and a good student," McMillan added. "But he was very humble and very confident and very mature."
George's father, Kurt George, 39, and another family member, Jacquine Barow, suffered minor injuries and were listed in stable condition. Jaid Mandosa, 11, was also listed in stable condition. Erica Morris, 51, identified as Kurt George's mother-in-law, was in critical condition.

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Seven of the eight people in the SUV were not wearing seatbelts, according the police. Kurt George was listed as the only occupant wearing his seatbelt.
McMillan said coaches and around 55 students met Sunday morning to talk about what happened.
The Norcross High School basketball team released the following statement Saturday night on Facebook and Twitter: "We lost a wonderful young man last night. Even though he had only been with us for a few short weeks it seemed like he had been here forever. Rest in peace Darrian George. You were an unbelievably talented basketball player but an even better person. You will be greatly, greatly missed. Hold it down on Heaven's courts until we see you again."

WSBTV

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