Jamar Small, 24, was on his way to a promising career, those close to him say, but he never forgot where he came from.
Jamar Small, 24, of Asbury Park, was a standout athlete in high school and later at Texas Southern University in Houston where he played quarterback. (Photo courtesy of Texas Southern University).ASBURY PARK -- Jamar Small had defied the odds that were stacked against him -- until he was gunned down Sunday on a city street in broad daylight.
The 24-year-old from Asbury Park had just earned a degree in business administration from Texas Southern University where he also played on the football team.
Small was on his way to a promising career, those close to him say, but he never forgot where he came from. In every step of his short-lived success, Small returned to Asbury Park to show the youth that hard work and dedication could lead to a fruitful life outside the crime-ridden neighborhood so many succumb to.
On Sunday, Small was shot and killed shortly before noon on the 1000 block of Summerfield Avenue. No arrests have been made.
A former standout athlete at Asbury Park High School, community members, friends and former coaches are reeling from the loss of a man they thought was immune to the mayhem that surrounds them.
"He was just a good person," said Teko Hammary, who coached Small since youth football and trained him at The Sportz Farm Foundation, a program aimed to prepare young athletes for competition at the next level. "That's why the community is in mourning. If you walk through there right now, they would say, "Na, not Small.' He's not that type. He's not in gangs, he's not in drugs, he's not that person. He graduated college. He was on his way to a promising career."
That promising career started at a young age, when he played Pop Warner football, but began to really take shape in high school. A 2010 graduate from Asbury Park High School, Small was a multi-sport athlete.
"I knew he was a special person," Hammary said. "Every year, we as coaches in the community ... we try to develop young men that can be the living examples to their peers. ... Jamar was our shining star."
He added: "He defied all odds of Asbury Park. He graduated, then graduated college, he played on national TV, and he always came back."
A former third team All-State selection by The Star-Ledger in 2009, Small anchored a football team that won sectional titles in three straight seasons. He also earned a spot on the North-South All-Star game as a defensive back. Small was also a gifted basketball and baseball player for the Bishops.
Former Asbury Park High School head football coach Donald Sofilkanich talks with Jamar Small during the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group 1 football final played against Highland Park on Dec. 5, 2009. (Robert Sciarrino |The Star-Ledger).As quarterback, Small would often connect with another former standout who went on to play football at Monmouth University, Lamar Davenport.
Davenport, who is now an assistant football coach at Asbury Park High School, told NJ Advance Media that he and Small stayed in touch after high school.
"He was a great person, a great role model," Davenport said. "He had all the qualities and traits that a lot of kids can look at around here and strive to be. ... This is a big loss for our community."
The current head coach of Asbury Park, Tim Fosque, was an assistant when Small played in high school. Fosque said when he got the head coach position, Small was one of the people he wanted on his staff.
"He was a very, very intelligent, motivated, charismatic, dedicated and reliable individual," Fosque said. "During every break (in college), he would always come back to support the kids, help the kids and share with the kids what they need to do to get to the next level.
"And he showed them that it was attainable if they stayed on the right course," Fosque added.
After high school, Small went on to play football at Dean College in Franklin, Mass. He then transferred to Texas Southern University in Houston where, as a senior in 2014, he led the Tigers to their best start in five years.
"... Jamar was admired and highly respected by school administrators, his fellow peers and his teammates," said Charles McClelland, vice president of intercollegiate athletics at TSU. "This is an extremely tragic loss for the entire TSU community, and the positive impact he made at this institution and within our football program as a student-athlete will never be forgotten."
The circumstances surrounding Small's death are still under investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office.
Police received several 911 calls shortly before noon from residents who reported hearing gunshots. When police arrived, they found Small and another 25-year-old city man with gunshot wounds, said Charles Webster, a spokesman for the prosecutor's office.
Small was taken to a local hospital where he later died. The other victim was released from the hospital on Monday, Webster said.
"We are saddened to hear that the life of Jamar Smalls, a well-known, 2010 graduate of APHS and standout student-athlete who just recently graduated college has been taken," Asbury Park School District Superintendent Lamont Repollet said in a statement. "We extend our condolences and support to his family during their time of grief."
Nicolle Harris, an Asbury Park school board member and a minister, echoed that sentiment.
"We stand in support with his family at this time," Harris said. "It's sad because he was a productive young man who just got his degree and was giving back to the community, and he was an asset to the community."
Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.