When a young life is cut short, friends and neighbors often band together to create the legacy that the young person never got the chance to build.
The Byron Nelson High School community has done that for Josh Hernandez, who died in an auto accident last year coming home from a Lady Bobcats postseason soccer game. Now, Thomas Poling and the Trophy Club Parks and Recreation Department are starting another project to add to the Nelson boys basketball team member’s legacy.Poling, a former Boston-area boys basketball coach who also helped get Trophy Club basketball courts refurbished, is inviting the public to participate in his brainchild, the Live Like Josh 3-on-3 basketball tournament. Registration runs through March 12, and the tournament will be played on March 16.Registration and more information is at www.leaguelineup.com/live_like_josh.Poling plans for the tournament to become an annual event that will fund the Live Like Josh Scholarship, which will be awarded each year to a deserving student at Nelson.“My goal was to get the kids in Trophy Club to play more basketball,” said Poling, whose daughter attended BNHS with Josh and his brother Jesse. “I knew Josh had a love of basketball, so my vision was to start a 3-on-3 tournament in his name to keep his legacy alive.”Poling said he saw the benefits of neighborhood basketball in Boston, and that with the tournament, more kids will play. He also hopes the Trophy Club community never forgets Josh Hernandez, and said the tournament and scholarship will help.“My goal is to grow this every year and so we will never forget Josh and be able to award a scholarship for years to come,” he said.The tournament will cost $60 per three-player team and will be played at Independence Park West at 500 Parkview Drive in Trophy Club, just south of the high school. Play will run from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Players will receive tournament T-shirts, which will also be sold to the public for $10. Proceeds will go to the Live Like Josh Scholarship.There will also be a ceremony in which Hernandez’ name is put on a bench to remain at the basketball courts in the park.“My hope (is that) it is going to be a reunion every year to celebrate his life and love of basketball,” Poling said.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
