Masonville Cove's Marcus Harvell shot and killed
William Russell could barely contain his excitement when discussing his first-year varsity basketball program at Masonville Cove in an interview last October.
A major part of that preseason giddiness centered on Marcus Harvell, a 6-foot-5 forward who Russell first started coaching as an eighth-grader. Russell expected Harvell to be the Bayhawks’ “main guy,” and the junior largely lived up to his coach’s expectations, averaging a double-double for much of the season while leading a surprisingly competitive Masonville Cove team to a winning record in Baltimore City Division II play.
On Wednesday afternoon, Russell lost his star player. The Baltimore Sun’s Justin Fenton reported today that Harvell was shot and killed.
Investigators said the shooting occurred just before 3 p.m. Wednesday inside a building in the 900 block of Herndon Court in South Baltimore. Harvell was shot in the chest and was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where he was pronounced dead at 3:57 p.m., police said.
Fenton later reported that the shooting may have been accidental.
The story I wrote in October focused on Russell’s expectations for his Masonville Cove team. But the coach had plenty more to say about Harvell that didn’t make the article, including his thoughts on Harvell’s potential as a college player.
“Oh, I really believe he will” play in college, Russell said. “We’ve already talked to a few junior colleges. It’s amazing. We were playing in a league over at Oliver and [then-Maryland assistant coach] Keith Booth was there. Marcus had a really, really good game. [Booth] was kind of shaking his head at him, kind of giving him the OK, that he was doing a good job. But I think Marcus will be a really good college player.”
Russell, who adopted former Calvert Hall star and current Navy freshman Donya Jackson off those same South Baltimore streets, said he didn’t know if Harvell could qualify academically for a four-year university right after high school. But Russell said his star forward would definitely have junior college options.
“He works hard with what he can do,” Russell said. “He works out sometimes at Baltimore City Community College. Coach [Terry] Maczko really loves him. I don’t know how far he’ll be able to go. [Coach] Darnell Dantzler from Edmondson said he’s probably the most athletic big man in the city. He played in the league at Douglass and he just dunked on teams with ease. The potential is there.”
Russell, a former BCCC women's assistant who bypassed other college opportunities to work with kids in South Baltimore, said it was "a blessing" to coach Harvell and his teammates. Condolences go out to him, Harvell's family and the entire Masonville Cove Community for their loss.
Comments
for all you people who say guns don't kill people, people do. what now?
Posted by: will a | July 21, 2011 11:47 AM
Um, will a, since you asked. I believe someone (someone=person) has to pick up the gun and pull the trigger.
Posted by: jim | July 21, 2011 12:29 PM
Someone may have to pick it up, but if the shooter didn't have access to a gun there would have been nothing to pick up. You don't really hear that much about accidental knifings.
Posted by: Eli | July 22, 2011 7:50 AM
May he rest in peace.
Posted by: Charles | July 22, 2011 12:26 PM