'He's our heart': Combs basketball team grieves death of teammate Preston Lord

During every game, when a Combs High School basketball player checks in to take the court, he touches the No. 5 jersey laid out on a chair next to head coach Hosea Graham.

That would have been the jersey worn by Preston Lord this season.

But days before tryouts started, the San Tan Valley school and its surrounding community were shaken by the death of the popular 16-year-old junior, who in late October was severely beaten by a group of people in Queen Creek during a Halloween party. He died two days later, Oct. 30, from his injuries.

Queen Creek police are seeking criminal charges against seven "adults and juveniles" in the beating death of 16-year-old Preston Lord.

Players were reeling from the news. Some weren't able to finish a practice, emotions welling up so deep as they wondered how such an act of violence could occur. Early in the season, during timeouts, players would start crying when thinking of something Lord had told them.

"There was a game in particular that I had some pretty high emotions," said junior forward Jaxon Jones, one of Preston's closest friends. "Something he said, and it was kind of triggering."

Everybody has been searching for answers, seeking justice, trying to play a game that doesn't feel the same without Lord on the court in the aftermath of his death.

Combs started basketball tryouts later than usual after Lord's death.

"It was really difficult," said assistant coach Garron Brown, who played on Combs' 2015 3A state championship team and coached Lord during the summer before his sophomore year. "We told kids if you need to walk out and go into the locker room. ... There were a couple of kids who just couldn't get through the practice. There were so many breakdowns."

Lord's death has brought an outpouring of support in the community and calls for justice. Marchers have walked through the streets in his memory.

An Arizona Republic investigation into Lord's death has led to a series of stories, which have included interviews with parents of students from Gilbert, Queen Creek and San Tan Valley, saying Lord was the latest victim in a string of brutal attacks by a group of affluent teenagers known as the "Gilbert Goons."

"We have a few kids who are still angry," Graham said. "I have kids who are depressed and want to blame somebody and want justice. It's just going through their young minds.

"We try to make sure we control their emotions positively. We don't want them to make bad decisions because of that."

Winning through the pain

Somehow, this undersized team, with its biggest player at 6-foot-3, is 12-5 midway through a season of grieving, as they try to make sense of their own purpose. They ordered black Boston Celtics t-shirts (Lord's favorite NBA team) with P Lord on the back of them, which they wear in his memory.

Sophomore guard Jaimin Amador wrote on the back of his shoes, "PL5" with hearts next to it.

On a wall in the Combs gym is a picture of Lord in last year's uniform, when he starred on the JV team and wore No. 20, with these words underneath: "One heart. One team. One goal."

Graham designed a play called "PL5," a backdoor play in which the guard at the top of the key winds up with the ball and can either take a 3-point shot or pass inside for a layup. Graham said that Lord would have been a vital part of this team and that he could light up the scoreboard with his 3-point shooting.

"He was our heart," Graham said. "He was so inspiring to everybody. And very respectful.

"Right now, they're all grieving. Everybody goes through the grieving process differently. Some days, I got kids who are angry. I got kids who are depressed. Some days, we get in the gym and the energy is so good, so positive. We have such an excellent practice. Then there are days when I have a few kids who are still angry."

Graham can relate to loss

Graham said this season has been more about counseling than coaching. He learned 35 years ago what a devastating loss can do. It happened in his own home. His 16-year-old son Rocky, a rising star at Seton Catholic, where Graham was the coach, took his life.

"From that point on, I was determined to make my coaching a ministry," Graham said. "It was more than teaching basketball. My ministry is to make sure kids feel like they have value. The heart behind the jersey is what I stand by.

"This year I'm definitely coaching that way."

The gym has become a refuge for the players.

Junior guard Logan Tuckfield, Lord's best friend, is leading the team with 14.8 points a game, after struggling with his emotions. Tuckfield used to give Lord rides home from school. He said Lord always cared about his friends.

"Before tryouts, you're getting ready and mentally prepared," Tuckfield said. "That just threw everybody off. The vibe wasn't even there without Preston. It was so hard to play."

Shock turned into depression and anger.

It helps to touch Lord's jersey when they go onto the floor to play in games.

"He's here," Tuckfield said. "I know he's here."

Amador said he'll always remember Lord's sense of humor, and how he would get him to laugh.

"He was a pretty simple guy," Amador said. "He would go the gym, hang out with friends, or hang out with his sister. We would go out and watch movies or eat at a restaurant."

Jones said touching Lord's jersey helps some, but he can't help but feel frustrated and lost at times, knowing his friend should be on the court with them.

"It's been rough," Jones said. "I miss him. But I know he's here. It sucks. But it's just the truth of the world."

Graham said it's been too hard for Lord's mother to come to a game.

He said the players who come out before games don't just shake his hand, but they "grasp and embrace me."

"They're enjoying the season to a certain extent," Graham said. "They're all together and that's what makes it important. We're all sticking together."

To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert atrichard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obert

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Combs players grieving through season after Preston Lord's death