After death of parents, Racine teen finds purpose on court
RACINE, Wis. - Racine St. Catherine's Tyrese Hunter has talent, basketball acumen and a bright future. Life, however, has been anything but easy for the 17-year-old.
"I never question God because he does everything for a reason. I just kept believing in him," Hunter said.
Tyrese Hunter with his parents Ida (left) and Brian (right)
Hunter lost both his parents by the time he was in eighth grade. His father, Brian, passed away from sudden cardiac arrest when Hunter was just 6 years old. A few years later, his mother, Ida, died of kidney failure when he was just 13 years old.
"I mean she was like my best friend. She wanted to see me succeed, so I mean every day, I got an angel watching over me, so I keep thinking about that," said Hunter.
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Tough circumstances for any child, and Hunter had a few helping hands to pull him out of a dark place.
"My grandma, she was always there, basically played like a mom role so she was always there, and then my brother, he was a big brother. He played a father figure in my life," Hunter said.
Tyrese Hunter with his older brother, Brian
That would be his older brother, Brian Jr., who brought Tyrese to live with him and his family after his mother passed.
"It was a no brainer to me. That’s family and that’s just the way we were raised. We were all close," Brian said.
Tyrese Hunter
More than that, Brian introduced his little brother to the game of basketball.
"When I stepped on the court I felt free," said Tyrese.
That changed everything.
"A lot of kids could’ve went the opposite way and made poor decisions, but he just found something that he really loved in basketball and that drove him," Brian said.
Tyrese Hunter dunks for Racine St. Catherine's
Basketball gave Tyrese a purpose, and he blossomed on the court. The senior became Racine St. Catherine’s all-time leading scorer and one of Wisconsin’s premiere prep players.
The Angels are currently winners of 43 straight games and sitting atop the Division III boy's basketball standings.
"He’s taught all of us that through a really terrible circumstance, you can still live a great life," said Nick Bennett, Racine St. Catherine's head coach. "On top of all the records, all the wins he’s gotten for us, the most impressive thing is just how humble and hardworking and how much perseverance he’s endured throughout his life."
Tyrese Hunter
Next year, the guard will take his talents to Iowa State, committing to the Cyclones on his mother’s birthday, August 4 -- a chance to play for a top program that will hopefully lead him to the NBA.
"Just to announce it on her birthday, with knowing her being passed and being excited, I mean she never had a child to go to college, so that was a pretty special day for me," Tyrese said.
Tyrese Hunter
As he settles in for the final few months of his senior season with the Angels, he’ll have his own guardian angels watching over him as well.
"Before every game I pray, just to let them know I’m out here because of you guys. I mean, if it wasn’t for them, I don’t know where I’d be at right now. They just keep me going every day."
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