HANOVER COUNTY, Va. — A promising young basketball star with a bright future ahead of him is being remembered by his family and community after his tragic and unexpected death. Jaylen Martinez, 13, had already made significant achievements in the sport and was set to play for Benedictine in the fall before his life was tragically cut short in an accident at a friend's home.
"I feel like Jaylen came out of the womb with a basketball in his hand. I've got videos of him in the gym with my dad. He couldn't even walk, and we've got him bouncing the ball, bouncing the ball, and when he could walk, we had, you know, the Little Tikes basketball hoop set up in the living room," Ciera Martinez said.
By age 13, Jaylen had already led his middle school team to a county championship and drawn interest from multiple AAU programs. Basketball had become a year-round passion for him.
"Jaylen was playing six, seven, eight games in a weekend. And you know, sometimes I would have to tell I would have to shut it down, like, 'Hey dude, we're done,' You know, I text his coaches, 'Hey, Jay's, gonna chill today,' But somehow I feel like we still ended up in the gym," his mother said.
The basketball community that once supported Jaylen's passion is now supporting his family after his unexpected death. The response has been overwhelming, including from the Benedictine team where he was set to play.
"Since we had started flirting with the idea of Benedictine back early in the fall, those have been his boys from then. So I'm not surprised, but I'm also surprised, because it's way more than what I could have expected," Ciera said. "But Jaylen's boys, these were his brothers, and like I said, he was the baby of the team. So their support and the support from the Benedictine community has been, I think what's keeping me the most grounded."
Ciera spoke to Jaylen minutes before his passing, which has given her some peace amid the tragedy.
"It was literally the time stamp was 12:32 to about 12:35, 12:38 got off the phone. All right, love you. I'm gonna text you in a minute. And he did. So it gives me so much peace," she said.
Despite this, she still has questions about how and why this happened, and offers advice to other parents.
"I keep questioning myself like I should have made them come home. We don't own guns. There's not one gun in my household. My advice to parents, it's ask more questions about where your kids are going," Ciera said.
Jaylen's memorial service is being called a celebration of his life, which is exactly how his mom would like him to be remembered.
"He just was so loved, and we all still love him so much. And I'm actually very, very proud of the boy that I have. You know, he's still with me," she said.
The memorial service for Jaylen will be at the Henrico Sports and Events Center starting at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. Jaylen's dad, Joey Rodriguez, and several of his teammates from VCU's Final Four team in 2011 are expected to attend to show their support for Ciera and Jaylen.
Email tributes or memories of Jaylen to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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