Marist basketball player dies after collapsing at senior event

Updated: April 29, 2011 7:18PM

The community at Marist is mourning the loss of a 17-year-old student who died early Friday after collapsing while playing basketball during a senior lock-in overnight function at the school on Chicago’s Southwest Side.

Paul Simmons, 17, was pronounced dead at Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn just after midnight this morning, Chicago police News Affairs Officer Daryl Baety said.

“The hearts of our seniors, our faculty and the entire Marist community are heavy as we come to terms with the painful sadness of Paul’s death. Paul was a dynamic, outgoing individual who beat tough odds to become a successful student athlete at Marist High School.

“Paul had a winning smile, a vibrant personality and a tremendous work ethic. The loss of Paul Simmons is an enormous loss for the Marist family and for Spring Hill College where Paul was to attend as a student athlete in the fall,” according to a statement released by the school Friday morning.

“The Marist community prays for Paul, his parents, Paul and Vera, his siblings and his extended family – including the Marist family – that God provides us with the strength to understand this heartbreaking loss.”

Simmons collapsed while playing basketball at Marist, 4200 W. 115th St.

The coed Catholic high school was hosting a senior lock-in with about 260 students starting about 9:30 p.m. Thursday and scheduled to conclude at 6 a.m. Friday, according to the school’s website.

Simmons was a member of Marist’s varsity basketball team.

Tom Schergen, Marist’s former athletic director, said Simmons “was an unbelievable kid” who had developed into a leader on and off the basketball court. Schergen said Simmons’ drive and determination made him a top player on this year’s basketball team.

Simmons was also well-known and well-liked around the school, Schergen said.

“He was always said the right things and did the right things,” Schergen said. “He was really a special kid. He always worked hard. He had a great personality.”

© 2012 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.