Consortium to take the court for first time after coach's death

Detroit Consortium College Preparatory High School's varsity boy's basketball team will play their first game Tuesday night without their leader.  Al Anderson collapsed and died after a game on Saturday from heart failure.  He was just 40 years old.

"It's going to be emotional first game back without him," said senior captain Vincent Hunter.

"It will be a ton of emotion, a ton of emotion, and it will be therapy for us all.  It will be nothing hidden as to what is going on.  We have a person that was the core of one of our key programs, and he was not just a basketball coach here," said principal Rod Atkins.

Coach's chair will be empty for the game.  There will be a shirt draped over the back and flowers to signify a man who made an impact to so many.

"He [taught] me how to be a man and work hard every day and just control myself and be responsible off the court... as well as on the court," Hunter said.

Suffice to say, this has been a very trying, but also a very uplifting week.

"It's had a lot of sadness, but also a lot of joy because we're not just dwelling on his death, but we are celebrating his life," Atkins said.

Consortium is 13-3 this season and the Cougars are one of the favorites to win the state championship and that dream is still alive.

"It might be a little harder, but I think we're going to get it done," said Hunter.