GREEN COUNTRY, Okla. — Families across Green Country are mourning after a devastating crash took the lives of several students and coaches.
Eight people died in a Kansas wreck, including students from Union High School and Booker T Washington High School.
Local News
Green Country basketball players, coach killed in Kansas crash
Basketball coach Wayne Walls was also killed in the wreck.
His friends say he loved the game of basketball and loved kids.
“It hurts because Wayne Walls was a dear friend of mine,” said Chivas Miller.
Just hours after learning of his friend’s death, Chivas Miller is remembering him. The two bonded over basketball and had been friends for years.
“He was a good friend,” said Miller. “He would call me for advice. I would call him for advice. Not just basketball stuff but life stuff.”
He was devastated to learn about the wreck that took Walls’ life and killed 7 other people as well.
“It was all about putting the kids first, and I feel like that’s why everybody loved him more than anything, because he not only cared about the kids, he cared about people in general,” said Miller.
Walls loved the game of basketball. He was a coach across the area for more than a decade. Most recently, he was a paraprofessional and coach at Bartlesville High School.
The district had Grand Mental Health counselors at the high school on May 5 to support students and staff members who are grieving.
Before coaching at Bartlesville, he coached 6th and 7th grade basketball at Sapulpa.
Athletic Director Michael Rose said he was well-loved.
“He was a great man,” said Rose. “He was a great person to be around. Kid magnet. The kids loved him.”
Rose says that while Walls’ time at Sapulpa was short, he built a bond with the kids. It’s something he did everywhere he went.
“Wayne was very good at evaluating kids and building those relationships with them so he could coach them all differently and get the most out of them,” said Rose.
Miller says Walls was always putting others first, and his death stings.
“It’s a void that I’m going to have to fill,” said Miller. “I would challenge people to just continue to try and stay strong and continue to try and carry their spirit on and putting the kids first.”
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