Former Coliseum League MVP basketball player, Lafayette Dorsey, passed away at 23 years old on Thursday. The cause of death has not been made public.
He leaves behind his father Pastor Lafayette Dorsey Sr, his mother, Chelsea and sister Adoriah.
“My son was a class act, my son was a phenomenal athlete, my son was an amazing person,” Dorsey Sr. said on a video he published on Facebook. “I don’t believe nothing happens to a child of God that God doesn’t permit, I preach it, I teach it.”
Dorsey Sr. also played for the Dorsey Dons in 1986, becoming an All-City guard. Dorsey Sr. is currently a pastor at Love and Live Again Ministries.
During his high school years, Dorsey played for both Serra and Dorsey High Schools. At Dorsey, he helped the boys’ basketball team win a Coliseum League title. That season, the Dons had a 24-9 overall record and a 12-0 Coliseum League record. Dorsey reached the second round of the CIF City Section Open Division Playoffs with the help of Dorsey.
With the Serra Cavaliers, he was under the tutelage of the late and legendary boys’ basketball coach Dwan Hurt.
Current boys basketball head coach Bernard McCrumby sends is condolences to the family on behalf of Serra High School. He noted that Dorsey had “a smile that lights up the room.”
“He had a very charismatic personality, people just normally draw to him,” McCrumby said. “He had a very competitive spirit and he came from a great family.”
On the court, Dorsey was ready to try new plays regardless of consequences and was a trash talker with a strong ability to shoot.
“His years at Serra, we watched him grow immensely,” McCrumby said. “Playing with coach Hurt, I think he developed a level of discipline that he hadn’t had and [his] decision making improved tremendously.”
After high school, Dorsey attended the OnPoint Hoops Academy in Oklahoma where his 22 points per game made him the second-leading scorer of the team. He spent two years at the University of the Pacific; as a sophomore, he earned 10.7 points per game and 2.8 rebounds per game.
In 2019, Dorsey transferred to Nicholls State University and was redshirted on the men’s basketball team for the 2019-2020 season.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Dorsey family at this time, as former Nicholls men’s basketball student-athlete Lafayette Dorsey Jr. has passed away,” The basketball program said in a statement on Twitter. “We mourn the loss of our valued teammate and friend.”
Dorsey played for the non-profit sports organization California Supreme growing up. The organization was run by Gary Franklin Sr. who was a high school teammate of Dorsey Sr.
Many of the players in California Supreme knew Dorsey; when they traveled, players would gravitate to his room to hang out with him. When he was a member of their 16U team, he played alongside with former USC player Jonah Matthews and Pheonix Suns center Deandre Ayton.
“He had a good, outgoing personality, just light the room up. Everybody knew him … just a great kid, full of energy,” Franklin Sr. said. “His energy was always welcoming, it’s infectious throughout. He had a million-dollar smile.”
Many took to Social Media to share their condolences, including former NBA players Baron Davis and Marques Johnson.
“This hurts!!! my prayers goes out to a mentor a father a pastor,” Davis stated on Twitter. “Lafayette Dorsey who lost his Son … A great kid.”
