High School Basketball Player Jo-Jo Wright Dies at Age 15 After Car Crash

Uniondale High School standout point guard Jo-Jo Wright, one of the top players in New York City, died in a car crash Wednesday. He was 15.

Knights head coach Tom Diana confirmed the news to Roger Rubin of Newsday.

"I am devastated," Diana said. "He was the best. A different kind of kid. He was funny and playful and full of life. ... And he might have been one of the most talented players to ever walk the halls at our school. He had a great future."

Wright was traveling to a local gym for a workout with senior teammate Moses Styles and two other people when their car collided with one driven by an 87-year-old man and then struck a pole, per Rubin. The other three people in the car were transported to local hospitals for treatment.

The rising star averaged 19 points, nine assists, six rebounds and three steals per game during his freshman season at Uniondale and helped lead the Knights to the Nassau County championship game.

Diana called him a "big-time player" with the work ethic to match, but he also discussed the type of person Wright was away from the basketball court.

"I know this gets lost because of what a great basketball player he was, but he was an even better person," Diana told Rubin. "He had goals but he was always a good person."

The team met in the school's gym Wednesday night to remember Wright.

"Knowing I won't be able to [play] basketball with him really hurts," teammate Jordan Evelyn told Cory James of CBS2. "He was always such a team player."

The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the Nassau County Police.