LEHIGH ACRES, FLA -
About 50 high school basketball players took to the court Wednesday night, but it wasn't just the number and names on the back of the jerseys they were playing for.
They also played for one of the Club Blu shooting victims, Stef'An Strawder.
"He was an inspiration to a lot of kids," said Sergeant Sylvester Smalls, one of Strawder's mentors. "He was small in stature but he had a big heart," he added.
The inaugural Stef'An Strawder Memorial Classic tipped off inside Lehigh Senior High's gym with the goal of remembering the former basketball star and to score some scholarships for the players in action.
"Because of his legacy, some of these kids are going to go to college," said Sgt. Smalls. "We are just trying to build on that," he added.
Event organizers are shooting to make the showcase an annual tradition. People who knew and played with Stef'An say he's still helping others.
"He went to the S.T.A.R.S. Complex and helped kids fix their games," said Malik Martin, one of Strawder's teammates. "Everyone looked up to him," he added.
The Strawder family sitting court side for the games and watching basketball in Stef'An's home gym.
"It brings some awareness to his cause," said Sgt. Smalls. "It is still an unsolved homicide, we are still trying to solve it," he added.
