Friends and former Cougar teammates who united to play in a match to remember Daljang Wol

A BASKETBALL match was held in memory of a former Westminster City School pupil who died in a car crash.

Daljang Wol, 22, also known as “DJ”, was killed along with three other Essex university students in the collision in Colchester on February 1.

On Saturday, in Camden, where DJ used to train, players turned out for a game to remember him, something the group hopes to do every year.

The teams wore specially made jerseys in black and red for the match, with “DJ” on the front and a number five on the back, the number he used to play in.

Daljang’s brother Wol Manuer was wearing the jersey Daljang wore 11 years ago, a top he said that looked massive on his little brother when he was 10.

“Wearing Daljang’s old shirt was an honour and it was a relief to see that shirt again,” he said.

“It’s something I’m going to cherish for the rest of my life.

“We could have had the match anywhere but it was important to have it at Talacre because that’s where Daljang first started, that’s where he first developed his love for basketball, and there was no one better than coaches Ruth [Eytle] and Kieran [Matthews] to help us out with it because they were his first ever coaches.

“We all said we should do this memorial match once a year.

Daljang Wol

“It shouldn’t just be now, this is something we should do to honour him. It’s also not a coincidence in my eyes that Ben, who used to set up the nets and basketball courts for us when we were younger, was working on Saturday, the first Saturday he had worked in over two years, so it felt like Daljang was there in spirit too as it’s such a big coincidence.”

He added: “I hope the younger kids try to take Daljang’s story and put it toward their own hustle in life. No matter how small or young you are you can always be something, you just have to have the right people around you.”

Coaches Ruth Eytle and Kieran Matthews, who trained DJ from a young age, ran the memorial session.

Ms Eytle said: “Basketball coaches use the word coachable but DJ was beyond coachable. I called him ‘little Deng’ as he was the youngest and smallest on the team, but one of the most hard-working and resilient players.

“The session could be hard or even difficult but he had the biggest smile and always found a way to learn the skill. The older players looked after him, even doing extra sessions.

“DJ grew as a player and I knew at that point it was time to tell him to find a new team where he could play at a higher level. But there would always be a place at Camden Cougars as DJ and his siblings were its foundation.”

She added: “The memorial session was for us to make DJ proud and to bring the Camden Cougars back together.

“Basketball past and present will always be family and we will always be here to continue the legacy of DJ.”