‘A very sad Christmas’: Southwest High mourns loss of girls’ basketball coach

Students, faculty and parents are mourning the death of Southwest High School girls’ basketball coach Reginald Seastrunk, who died Sunday just weeks after being diagnosed with cancer, according to the Fort Worth school district.

“Coach Seastrunk has left a lasting impact on the entire Southwest community,” Principal John Engel said in a news release. “He was a great educator and a wonderful coach.”

Seastrunk, who was from Denton, was hired at Southwest in 2013. He was 50.

“What made him special was the love he had for his athletes and his determination to teach them life skills that would serve them beyond the court,” said Robert Goebel, head football coach and boys athletic coordinator at Southwest. “He was my friend and someone I could count on if I ever needed anything.”

Counselors were on campus and available to staff and students.

Trustee Ann Sutherland, whose District 6 includes Southwest High School, offered her condolences in a Facebook message: “It’s a very sad Christmas for the Southwest HS community. You can feel it in the halls and on the faces students and staff.”

“We are all deeply saddened and give our deepest condolences to the family,” said Lisa Langston, director of athletics for Fort Worth schools.

Langston said Seastrunk was an eager coach who worked to improve the girls basketball performance. She said she saw him at one his last games in late November when Southwest played against Arlington Sam Houston High School.

“You could see the improvement from last year to this year,” she said.

This story was originally published December 19, 2017 at 12:30 PM with the headline "‘A very sad Christmas’: Southwest High mourns loss of girls’ basketball coach."