Detroit Consortium Coach, St. Clair Shores Resident Al Anderson Dies

Students, parents and coaches who knew Detroit Consortium basketball coach and St. Clair Shores resident Al Anderson took to the internet Sunday to leave their condolences and share memories.

Anderson, 40, died Saturday after his team defeated Dayton Dunbar, according to the Detroit Free Press and other news outlets.

"Al was as good of a coach as you will ever find anywhere," wrote David Greenwood in the comments section of the Detroit Free Press article. "He was a God fearing man, a family man, a team player and simply an all around great person. I was blessed to have known him and will forever miss him. We lost a great role model for young men everywhere."

Consortium has a 12-4 record this season, according to the Michigan High School Athletic Association, and Anderson had been coaching the team since 2007.

"He obviously took Consortium from an average program to one of the top programs in the state," Romulus basketball coach Nate Oats told MLive.com. "You could tell the guys liked playing for him. Shoot, he is only a couple of years older than me. It makes you think about what is really important in life. I was even thinking about that in church this morning."

According to the Free Press, Anderson collapsed after the game and died later that night at Henry Ford Hospital. He used a pacemaker and had been diagnosed with congestive heart failure and cardiac sarcoidosis.

In addition to coaching the basketball team, Anderson was the main office staff person in charge of student services at Consortium, according to the charter school's website.

"I graduated from Consortium last year," wrote Shamiah Nashay on the Free Press article. "He wasn't just Coach Al, it was uncle Al, Pops, dad. We didn't just see him as the 'one to go to when we got in trouble' but he encouraged us, motivated us, allowed us to see the potential in ourselves, that we didn't know was there."

Anderson is survived by his wife Kimberley and his daughter Autumn, a freshman at Lakeview High School.

The team's next game is at home against Dearborn Heights Robichaud on Tuesday at 7 p.m.