Fisk University’s men’s basketball team is pausing its basketball season after sophomore forward Andre Bell was fatally shot on Jan. 11.
Bell was 20 years old.
As the team and HBCU community grapple with this loss, the athletics department opted to postpone Thursday’s game against Voorhees University to give its community time to grieve, reports TMZ Sports.
The Fisk Athletics Department also posted Bell’s final minutes as a Bulldog as it said goodbye to the promising player.
Bell left a gymnastics event to return to the Fisk campus. As he got on I-65, a Black sedan pulled up on the side of his vehicle and opened fire. Bell later died at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
The team’s next home game remains scheduled for Jan. 24. There, the school will pay tribute to Bell and the basketball team will wear a special badge with his jersey number, #1.
Bell’s parents called him a “perfect kid” who fell in love in basketball when he was 4 years old.
“It’s his heart,” his mother, Amber Lewis, told WKRN. “It’s not actually a skill; you can’t teach heart. And when Andre is on the court, it’s all heart. He’s giving 110% even if it’s for two minutes.”
Added Lewis, “We knew he was special to us, but I don’t think we knew the magnitude of how special he was to so many other people. I mean, we knew he was special to everyone he came in contact [with], but I don’t think we realized how far the reach was.”
As the investigation continues, Bell’s parents have urged the Nashville community to come forward with any information regarding their son’s death.
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