Beloved high school coach dies after medical emergency during game, SC district says
A beloved high school coach is dead after he had a medical emergency during a game in South Carolina, officials said.
The varsity basketball game was stopped in the third quarter as school nurses, athletic trainers and first responders rushed in to help on Monday, Jan. 24, according to Florence County School District Two and multiple news outlets.
The following day, the school district announced Coach Jonathan Timmons had died.
“He was a beloved member of our staff and community and will be greatly missed by all,” officials wrote in a Facebook post. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time.”
Timmons is remembered as a junior varsity boys’ basketball coach at Hannah Pamplico High School, roughly 50 miles northwest of Myrtle Beach. He had been in that role for five seasons, but his connection to the community started earlier, The Morning News reported.
“Everything he did was for the students here,” Jamie Johnson, the school’s athletics director, told the news outlet. “Any way he could help, he’d help. He’d help run Special Olympics every year between us and Johnsonville. The kids loved him. He was kind of a lovable Teddy bear.”
The district is mourning Timmons’ loss after he had an emergency on the court late Jan. 24, WBTW reported. Officials said it happened while the Hannah Pamplico High School boys’ varsity basketball team was playing Johnsonville High School.
The game was suspended after the third quarter, and Timmons’ school didn’t hold sporting events the next day, news outlets reported. Officials said counseling is available at both Hannah Pamplico and Johnsonville high schools.
“Coach Timmons made a significant impact on our entire school district and community,” Florence County School District Two said.
The district in its Facebook post didn’t share additional details about the medical emergency.
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