Jaden DeJesus-Eves, a standout freshman Christian Brothers High School basketball player, dies
By Daniel Macht
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KCRA) — The Christian Brothers High School community is mourning the loss of a student-athlete who died, KCRA 3 has learned.
Jaden DeJesus-Eves was a star player as a 6-foot-8-inch freshman on the Sacramento Catholic school’s varsity basketball team, according to athlete profiles.
“We learned yesterday that our beloved student, Jaden Eves, had passed away,” Christian Brothers spokesperson Kristen McCarthy said. “We are heartbroken as we hold Jaden and his family in prayer.”
Jaden’s mother described him as pure light and a very joyful kid.
“He was my one and only. Honestly, he was my world,” she said. “He gives me a hug in the middle of the games and people have given him a hard time about it. And he’s like, I’m still going to give my mom a hug.”
Jaden was known as a gentle giant and a force on the basketball court. She said basketball was his passion.
“He had big dreams, he had goals, and he knew what it was going to take to get there,” his mother said. “We raised him to have strong faith, true love of family and community, passion for basketball all day, every day. Basketball.”
His coach, Jermaine Brown, told KCRA 3 he’s the kind of kid who kept his teammates smiling.
“If you had a bad day, Jaden was coming in and walking in and just smiling and we just loved it so much,” Brown said. “He loved everybody.”
Jaden played his final basketball game on Tuesday night, but before he did, he led his team in prayer as he had done for the last five games.
“We went in the locker room all together and Jaden led us all in prayer. And he was ready for the moment,” his coach said.
When asked how they want people to remember Jaden, this is how his mother and coach responded.
“His love for the game, his love for his brothers and his love for his mom. That’s all he talked about. That was his world. Every day. He talked about it. The things he wanted to accomplish for his mom,” Brown said.
“Jaden was a light, I might be a little biased, but he just he had a good heart and it and it was visible,” his mother said.
She also described him as a “bright light, a true gentle giant. He was a wonderful young man and a beloved student, teammate, classmate, and friend.”
KCRA 3 spoke to a player on Thursday from Natomas High School who played both with and against Eves.
Marcus Harris described him as a friend and a rival.
“He was a great basketball player. You know he was very tall for his age, a 6’8″ freshman so it was very hard to guard him,” Harris said. “A very gentle, a very compassionate young man. You know, he’s a gentle giant. He just cared for everyone, very goofy guy.”
Details on his cause of death have not yet been confirmed.
A prayer service was held on Thursday morning at Christian Brothers.
The basketball team lost a playoff game on Tuesday night.
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