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The William Floyd schools community will honor Darrell Sumpter today at the boys’ varsity home basketball game, the team’s first contest since their beloved assistant coach died in a car wreck on Friday.
There will be a moment of silence and a reading of his bio prior to the Colonials’ 4 p.m. tip-off against Longwood. William Floyd enters the game having won four of its first five games this season.
Sumpter, 51, a coach with the William Floyd boys’ varsity squad since 2015, died in a car accident on Friday afternoon on Sunrise Highway in Shirley. The crash occurred about one-and-a-half miles east of Horseblock Road, when Sumpter, driving a 2002 Cadillac, collided with a 2021 Ford utility truck, resulting in both vehicles leaving the roadway and overturning, police said.
Sumpter ‘s wife, Susan, 48, a passenger in the car, and the truck’s driver, 52-year-old Jason Troccoli of Lake Ronkonkoma, were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
The William Floyd School District, where Sumpter had been an integral part of the basketball program dating back years before he became an assistant coach with the varsity team, has expressed profound sorrow over his sudden passing.
In an Instagram post today, the district noted the transformative impact that “Coach D” has had on the community and said that the high school will dedicate the 2024-25 basketball season to him.
“Coach D’s passion, guidance, and unwavering belief in each of us have shaped our team in incredible ways,” the district’s post says. “As we take the court, we will carry his spirit with us, playing with the heart and determination he instilled in us. Let’s come together to honor Coach D by giving our best in every game and supporting one another, just as he always encouraged us to do.
“Thank you, Coach D, for everything,” it continues. “You will be deeply missed but never forgotten.”
Sumpter’s role in shaping the future of William Floyd’s basketball program and his commitment to the development of young athletes has been widely recognized.
Outpouring of support
A GoFundMe was established in his honor to help offset the costs of his funeral services and to assist with living expenses for his family. The effort has raised nearly $62,000.
