Even in his final moments, Myron Mingo was not thinking of himself.

When the bullet was fired that would eventually end his life early Sunday morning at a nightclub in his hometown of Marksville, La., Mingo, a sophomore basketball player at McCook Community College, reacted quickly and shoved another person out of the way.

"Javoun Martin (a teammate of Mingo's at MCC) said he got this from a cousin who was at the nightclub," said MCC men's coach Brandon Lenhart, who gave an interview from Iowa where he was visiting family during the Christmas break. "Myron pushed him (another person) out of the way and saved his life."

For Lenhart, that selfless act was who and what Myron Mingo was about.

Mingo, just 25, was a young man trying to get his life back on the right track and came to McCook Community College to begin that process.

He had a 7-year-old son to raise and wanted to play basketball and was a good student.

Unfortunately Mingo's life was cut short.

In the early morning hours, Mingo was an innocent bystander when a single 9 mm pistol shot ricocheted off a floor and went through Mingo's chest and neck. A convicted felon and another man were struggling with the gun during an argument and it went off.

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The police rushed Mingo to the hospital but it was in vain. Mingo was dead.

The shooter first fled the scene but later turned himself in to police. Giles McGhee, 24, was charged with second degree murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm on the premises where alcoholic beverages are served.

Mingo, a 6-foot-2, 180-pound sophomore guard, was part of MCC's "Louisiana Pipeline."

Other Louisianans on the MCC men's squad are Martin, Jonathan Estis, Justin Patton, Marcus Landry and Keenan Gaskin.

Mingo was a former star player at Marksville High School, where he was honored as Most Valuable Player in District 3-4A in 2001-02.

Mingo played one year at Jacksonville Junior College in Texas before returning home to take care of his son.

Mingo's senseless death has shocked McCook and McCook Community College.

Lenhart tried to put together his feelings about the tragedy and discussed Mingo, the father, student, friend and MCC basketball player.

Mingo majored in athletic training and was on track to graduate in the spring.

"I recruited him through Javoun Martin and a connection with Jeff Moore, a coach at NCAA Division I Northwestern State," Lenhart said. "He walked on (at MCC) and paid his own way. He was a great teammate. He bought into our system.

"He was very quiet, very caring. he was pretty vocal on the court. They (his teammates) really looked up to him on the court."

Mingo was a full-time starter from Day 1. He averaged 10 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals a game for the Indians. He had 47 steals in 15 games.

Mingo played a big role in the biggest upset win in recent MCC history. He hit a contested fadeaway 3-pointer with 2:48 left in the game to give the Indians a 68-67 lead against the Hutchinson (Kan.) Blue Dragons Nov. 15 at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.

MCC defeated the No. 20-ranked Blue Dragons 70-68. Mingo hit four 3-pointers and scored 12 points.

It marked the first time that MCC had ever beaten the Blue Dragons.

Mingo also had 12 points and 7 assists in a win over Colby and had a career-high 6 steals in a game against the Hastings College junior varsity.

The MCC men's basketball team finished the pre-Christmas break schedule with an 8-7 record.

"It's an unfortunate event what happened to Myron," Lenhart said. "Everyone knows that life is really short and unfortunately Myron's life ended much too soon. He had a very promising future ahead of him.

"Myron was a great kid. He didn't drink, he didn't do drugs, he was a family man. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Our season and lives have changed forever, but we will get through this event together.

"Our thoughts, prayers and deepest sympathy go out to the Mingo family."

Services for Mingo are scheduled for Saturday, but Lenhart said he did not know the full details.