Final Respects Paid To La Roche Coach Scott Lang
ALLISON PARK (KDKA) - Family, friends and the La Roche College community paid their final respects to head basketball coach Scott Lang Saturday afternoon.
Lang collapsed and died of a heart attack during practice last Friday at the age of 41.
Earlier this week, a memorial service was held on campus.
However, Saturday's funeral was a chance for family and friends to say their final goodbyes and let those who didn't know the coach learn a little about why they considered him such a special person.
As family members brought Lang's casket into the church, his basketball players bowed their heads in prayer. A friend spoke of the man who had helped his family through hard times.
"A Godly man, a leader. So vibrant, so thoughtful, so thoughtful. Seven years ago when I was away from my mom and she had cancer, he drove into Oakland and took her to therapy every morning," Samba Johnson said.
The congregation sang of turning sorrow to praise. Lang was a religious man, a faith he rediscovered with his sister.
"We had that special bond beyond the blood of a brother and sister bond, as a brother and sister of the Lord. And I'll always, always treasure that in my heart," Karen Ault said.
Lang had coached La Roche basketball since 1997, when at 27-years-old, he became the youngest head coach in the nation.
He's said to have touched the lives of countless players, students and fans.
"His legacy will live forever and ever and ever. The reason why? He touched and loved everybody he came in contact with," Johnson said.
The La Roche basketball team, made up of non-scholarship players, played their first game in 13 years without Lang on the bench on Thursday.
They defeated Carnegie Mellon 75-60.
