Daily Dad News
After Losing Father, Alabama Teen Excels In Late Dad’s Favorite Sport
January 4, 2012
When he was just three years of age, Tyrone Roscoe Jr. watched his dad Tyrone Sr. as he played a pickup basketball game at a Birmingham playground. Suddenly, the elder Roscoe collapsed on the court after suffering a heart attack. He was pronounced dead at 27. Although misfortune struck for young Tyrone early, he has found success as a basketball player – motivated by the memory of his father.
Standing at just 5-foot-8, Tyrone Jr. is a standout point guard for the sixth-ranked Woodlawn Colonels in Birmingham. Averaging an impressive 10 points and five assists, Tyrone’s coach showered his player with praise. “He’s turned into one of the better point guards in the city, if not the state,” Woodlawn coach Demetrius Turner offered. “I don’t think he gets the credit he deserves.”
Tyrone’s mother, Lakischia Craig, had to endure tragedy once again when her brother Darius was robbed and murdered; Darius served as a mentor to Tyrone Jr. and his older brother Michael Craig. “I knew I had to find some activity or outlet for them,” Lakischia Craig said. “As soon as I could, I enrolled them in some type of sport so they had that male figure in their life.”
After a stint playing football, Tyrone gravitated almost naturally towards basketball at the age of 10. During some YMCA league games, he even faced up against fellow Birmingham native and current NBA point guard Eric Bledsoe. Tyrone never let his small size deter him from playing, however. “They used to post me up all the time,” Roscoe said. “I was so little they’d say, ‘Oh, just put him in the post.’ “I had to learn to fight.”
Tyrone’s memories of his dad’s last day playing still linger, and he uses those images to keep his energy up while he’s out on the court. ““I just think about it when I’m getting tired,” Roscoe said. “When I get tired I make sure I come out strong..”
In the story, Lakischia Craig highlighted the importance of children and teens having a male role model. With 24 million children without fathers in their lives, dads could assist greatly in the life of a fatherless child by becoming a Double Duty Dad. Click here to learn more about becoming a Double Duty Dad.
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