Fennville High’s Wes Leonard Collapses and Dies After Making Game-Winning Shot

There was an absolute tragedy on Thursday night in Fenneville, Michigan when high school basketball player Wes Leonard collapsed and died after making the winning shot in his team’s game. Leonard had just made the layup that gave Fennville the lead in overtime and sealed their perfect 20-0 season. Fans rushed the floor and Leonard collapsed shortly after making the winning shot. He was taken to the hospital where the 16-year-old was pronounced dead.

Opposing coach Mike Miller of Bridgeman High said Leonard was “by far the best player on that basketball team – outstanding athlete.” In addition to scoring over 1,000 points in his career for Fennville, Leonard played quarterback on the football team, having thrown for seven touchdown passes in a game in October.

We’ve seen tragic stories before of athletes passing away during games, but this has to rank as one of the most sad and bizarre. Wes happens to be the second Fennville athlete to die recently as wrestler Nathaniel Hernandez died in January last year after suffering a seizure at home following his participation in a high school wrestling match.

Wes Leonard Dies

A Michigan high school's star basketball player collapsed on the court and later died after making a game-winning layup in overtime to cap his team's perfect season.

Wes Leonard of Fennville High died Thursday night, Holland Hospital spokeswoman Deb Patterson said. A cause of death has not yet been determined.

Paramedics performed CPR on the 16-year-old before he was pronounced dead at the hospital, Patterson said.

Leonard, a junior who also excelled as the quarterback of the Blackhawks football team, was "by far the best player on that basketball team – outstanding athlete," said coach Mike Miller, whose Bridgman team lost 57-55 to Fennville Thursday night.

"All of Bridgman's thoughts and prayers are going toward Fennville right now," Miller said.

Grief counselors were on hand at the high school on Friday, the Fennville School District said.

Leonard's mother, Jocelyn, is a choir teacher at the middle and high schools and is the director of Fennville High's production of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." A scheduled performance of the musical was canceled for Friday, and it's undecided whether there will be shows on Saturday and Sunday.

Chad VanHuis, a 21-year-old Fennville High graduate who once umpired Leonard's middle school baseball games and was his camp counselor, heard that Leonard had collapsed as he headed into work.

During his break around 1:30 a.m., VanHuis, an assembly line worker at an auto glass factory in nearby Holland, logged on to Facebook and learned of his friend's passing.