Former Coaches Say North Tulsa Shooting Victim Had 'A Will To Win'

Tulsa police are searching for a killer after 21-year-old LJ Myers was gunned down Monday night outside a restaurant on North Peoria.

02/06/2012 Related Story: Police Identify H&R Block Employee Shot, Killed In North Tulsa

The H&R Block employee was a graduate of Memorial High School where he was a star basketball player.

His former coach says Myers was respected by his teammates helped lead the team to a state championship title.

"He was real energetic. He loved basketball. He loved to play. He loved to practice," said Eric Savage, Memorial's Boys Head Basketball Coach.

"He was the point guard. Ran the show. Little guy but he was one of the most competitive kids I've ever seen or been around," said Memorial Athletic Director Robert Sprague.

Myers basketball coaches say he was only 5'6". But what he lacked in basketball height, he made up for with a tall desire to win.

"He set the school record his junior year in a playoff game for 18 assists in one game. That personifies his demeanor. He was definitely a team first player," Savage said.

"He had such a will to win. I think that he willed winning to the rest of the team," Sprague said.

A promising life for the point guard who graduated from Memorial High School in 2009. But Myers' life was tragically cut short. The 21-year-old was killed in a shooting.

News that devastated his former coaches.

"My heart just dropped. Unbelievable at first," Coach Savage said.

"It's been hard on us. He was close to us," Sprague said.

The coaches say they'll never forget how Myers helped lead the team, the underdogs, to a state championship in 2008.

His name is on a metal plate in his old locker. His team picture hangs on the wall of the locker room, an inspiration to current players.

"It comes back to that competitive greatness he had. He was a heck of a competitor. Almost to the point that he had a little bit of a chip on his shoulder. He wanted to win and do so well," Sprague said.

An athlete whose life was taken too soon.

Myers did, however, run in to some trouble off the basketball court. He was arrested for drug possession and served time in jail.

Tulsa police say they are still looking for witnesses to the shooting.

If you know anything that can help police, as always, call Crime Stoppers. 918-596-COPS.