Normally interviews on the AAU circuit are joyous occasions. Teenagers are in the midst of living out their dreams and are more than happy to discuss their successes and which colleges are recruiting them.

Saturday afternoon couldn't have been more different. Two days after the tragic and sudden death of Terrence Clarke, Todd Quarles reflected back on what Clarke meant to him and the Expressions Elite EYBL program.

Quarles is the director and 17U head coach. Clarke starred for the program, but to Quarles he was much more than just a player who played basketball. Clarke was family. That was evident as one watched the team struggle through the weekend of playing while balancing their grief.

Before each Expressions game there was a moment of silence in which both teams lined up along the foul line and raised five fingers to the sky. Clarke's name was also included on their lineup sheet for every game.

The interview was gut wrenching for everyone involved, but the world needs to understand who Terrence Clarke was. Here is what Quarles wanted Big Blue Nation and the world to know.

Quarles: "I pretty much just can't believe this is happening. We get a phone call that he got into a car accident, they said he didn't make it. We were scheduled to leave for a 15 hour bus ride, supposed to leave in an hour and a half when we got the call. We had 60 people in the parking lot, all you saw was the tears because of Terrence. It was so emotional because Terrence touched so many people in our program and beyond the program.

He always had time for the young kids. No matter how much time he had, he always had that big smile on his face. He was just a charismatic guy, destined for his stardom. To hear that that happened, our hearts dropped. It was a very emotional bus ride. I feel for his family, his mother, his father, his brother and sister. I just can't believe it happened. We're going to miss him.

He was our hero. The city of Boston's hero. We expected great things to happen to him. Unfortunately, this was a tragic accident that happened. We're so up and down and emotional. We're feeling for him, his family, but especially his mother."

Q: Do you have a story about Terrence that might describe him in a nutshell?

Quarles: "Terrence was very, very smart. I think some people looked at him just as a basketball player, but he did so many things and was so gifted, it wasn't just on the side of basketball. We've had him since the seventh grade. So many good stories. Just a charismatic guy that was oozing potential, we just wanted the best for him."

Q: What went into the touching tribute, and what was the reaction of your team and the teams you have been playing?

Quarles: "I think he deserved it. Terrence was one of a kind, just a special person and a special player. That was our way of giving back to him while he's looking down upon us. He's never, ever going to be forgotten. We want to make sure his spirit lives on, it's a testament to who he is and what he meant to our program."

Q: There was a video where he came back and talked to the team recently. What was his message to the team? How much did he lean on the players and how much did they lean on him as a role model?

Quarles: "I would say a lot of the players leaned on him. He was the iconic figure in our program. Terrence walked on water. When he spoke, all these kids were like sponges. They all wanted to hear what he had to say. I could give that same message ten times, he could say it one time. He talked about how hard it was in college, the urgency, the intensity, the effort has to be there every single day, the things you have to do outside the court people don't see to prepare yourself for that next level. I could tell these guys that, but when he says it, it's coming from Kentucky. You should see their eyes, their ears. They're all eyes and all ears, just soaking everything up. Terrence is like the pied piper. When we'd go to the Nike camps, NBA camps, things like that, he had everyone's attention. That's because of his charismatic personality, his big smile. He had a style about him. You know how Michael Jordan had a style? Terrence had a style and a swag about him. When he walked into a gym, all eyes were on him."

Q: I'm sure you've had to play grief counselor to the players as well. It's hard to imagine how you've been able to help them get through it.

Quarles: "The kids are an emotional wreck, just like I have been. That long bus ride, they're coming in the gym yesterday just to warm up and loosen up. When you see these kids, you sit down and talk about it, try to explain, "Don't hold it inside." We have a lot of coaches here, each staff has four coaches, come in and talk to us. I'm available our staff is available, come talk to us. Get these emotions out. Everyone grieves in their own way at their own time. It's important to let your inner feelings out out. He was that important to the kids in our program, he was a special individual."

Q: This year was tough for Kentucky, and he had the injury as well. Something his teammates kept saying last night at the candlelight vigil was that he went through so much. The team went through so much. He had all of these injuries but he had that smile. He was always lighting up a room no matter how tough the circumstances. Is that who Terrence Clarke is?

Quarles: "Terrence Clarke has always faced adversity head on. I don't think people understand, at 15 years old, the type of followers he had and the demands on him. Every day he had to come in and play well because all eyes were on him. The scouts, everyone was trying to pick holes in his game. Who he was or his tendencies, so every time he had to bring it and always be at his best. There was always someone finding a way to criticize because of maybe they had a different agenda or maybe they wanted to poke holes in him. But one thing Terrence always did, he always had that big smile. He always came to play. He met adversity head on. To be at that age, 14, 15 years old, to come in the gym and everyone wants his autograph and this and that, it's hard to live a normal life. People don't know that whenever he's in the dorm room at school or whatever the case, all these people are hitting him up and people with different agendas. If you're in those shoes most people wouldn't know how to act. Terrence always handled it with a kind smile that brightened up the room. He was just a fun-loving person. He loved to have fun, but he was more than just a basketball player. Terrence was like a celebrity."