Donnie Kirksey was known as one of the most influential figures in the Chicago basketball community.
Which is how Michigan basketball assistant Phil Martelli came to know him — and why it has been a difficult time for Martelli, and others across college basketball, as they grapple with Kirksey's unexpected death on Monday.
“It’s really hard," Martelli said Tuesday. "I sat in the office today, and I expected him to walk down the hallway with his booming voice and his laugh. And to realize that’s not going to be part of what I’ve grown to understand the Michigan program.