Andre Davidson, Jr., a former basketball star at John F. Kennedy High School, died Saturday doing what he loved.
Davidson, known to loved ones as “Pop,” collapsed during a basketball game at St. Mary’s Recreation Center in the Mott Haven section of the south Bronx. He was only 18 years old, and had graduated from Kennedy High only days earlier.
The cause of death is unknown at this time. Davidson’s family is in the process of planning funeral services, expected to take place later this week.
“He was a very free spirited young man who was always trying to help somebody,” said Davidson’s mother, Nicole Givens.
“Me and him was the best of friends,” said Brandon Givens, Davidson’s brother as he sat on the steps outside the Highbridge-area home where he and Davidson lived with their great grandmother, Rhoda Lewis. “We loved each other. We were close together, closer than anybody.”
Brandon, who just completed junior high school at IS 229 in Morris Heights, will attend Kennedy High School next fall. Like his brother, he plans to excel on the school’s basketball squad. And, also like his brother, he plans to wear number 23. —Tony Richards
Additional reporting by David Greene.
admin
Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.