‘We Need Prayer’: Sudden Deaths of 14-Year-Old Ball Player & Young Ref Leave Communities Stunned

The sudden deaths of two young people during high school basketball events in separate states have left their communities in shock.

In Pennsylvania, one sports community is paying tribute to a 45-year-old referee after he collapsed and died during a high school basketball game last Friday. 

Michael Roebuck was remembered as a beloved coach and referee in Westmoreland County.

The veteran official was about to take the court after halftime between a junior varsity game between Yough Senior High School and Mt. Pleasant Area Senior High School, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported.

Michael Fleming, another referee at the game, said Roebuck collapsed as they were leaving the dressing room.

“The first thing I thought of was we have to get him help,” Fleming told the Tribune-Review. “I ran out to get a trainer. It was chaos. I just met the guy.”

Paramedics worked for nearly an hour to resuscitate Roebuck, but he died on the way to the hospital. 

The second half of the game was canceled and the subsequent varsity game was postponed. 

Roebuck had been refereeing since 2019, but took a break during the COVID-19 pandemic. He returned to the position in 2023. 

“I was actually there. I went to

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