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All-star was quiet, humble say peers The Merlin crash victim died before learning he had been accepted to the USA Junior National basketball team By DON HUNT Mail Tribune MERLIN - Gail Gronholm received a letter in the mail Monday morning announcing that her son, Sean, had been chosen to play on a USA Junior National basketball team this summer. It's a great opportunity and a huge honor for any high school player. And it was a bit of a surprise. Sean, after all, was just a sophomore who had yet to reach his 16th birthday. But Sean Gronholm won't be joining the all-star squad that features many of the top prep players in the state. The North Valley High School student died Sunday at Providence Medford Medical Center following a car wreck last Wednesday about one mile from his home near Merlin. The younger Gronholm, who was a passenger in a Toyota pickup driven by classmate Travis Hurst, suffered severe head and brain injuries and had been on life support since the time of the accident. Hurst, 16, was treated for cuts and bruises at Three Rivers Hospital in Grants Pass. He was released Thursday. "He was the best kid you could ever imagine," Gail Gronholm said from her home on Monday. "I know everyone always says that about their own kid, but Sean never got into trouble his entire life. "I told him, 'Sean, it's OK to get mad at the bus driver once in a while, or whatever, but that wasn't Sean. He was Mr. Rule Follower.' " Hurst had been visiting the Gronholms last week during spring vacation and had planned to spend the night Wednesday. The two were on their way back from Hurst's home, where they had picked up some of his homework, when the accident occurred, Gail Gronholm said. Gail Gronholm said Hurst had yet to reach the six-month restriction period that prohibits passengers other than family members to ride along with new drivers. "I told Sean that he didn't need to go, that he (Hurst) wasn't quite up to that (taking a passenger) and that he could go on his own and be back in a jiffy," Gail Gronholm said. "But Sean said, 'Oh, Mom, you're so overprotective,' and out the door they went." Although the accident report isn't expected to be released for another week or so, Gail Gronholm believes the pickup drifted off Galice Road onto the gravel shoulder, skidded and then rolled when Hurst overcorrected. Both boys were wearing their seat belts. A candlelight vigil will be held tonight at 7 o'clock in the commons at North Valley High. The funeral is set for 2 p.m. Wednesday at St. Anne's Catholic Church, 1131 N.E. 10th St., in Grants Pass, followed by a reception at North Valley. A private burial ceremony will be held at Hillcrest Memorial Park in Grants Pass. Gronholm's selection to the USA Junior National all-star squad was the latest evidence that the 6-foot-5 post player was rapidly blossoming into one of the top prep hoopers in the state. He averaged 16.7 points and 11 rebounds per game in leading North Valley to an 11-13 record and a fourth-place finish in the Skyline Conference last season. "These last couple of years, he really came into his own, both as a basketball player and as a person," said Andrew Saeman, who played sports with Gronholm since the sixth grade. "He was a real quiet guy, but lately he was coming out of his shell." Even so, Sean Gronholm was known for his humility. He never bragged to anyone about how many points he scored, how many rebounds he collected or how many shots he blocked. "He's the most humble person I ever met," Saeman said. "He's one of the best players you'll ever see for a sophomore, but you'd never know it by the way he acted. "He was also my favorite player to go against in practice. He played hard but clean. He never cheap-shotted anyone and he never got mad on the court." Added classmate Shaun Ash, who first met Gronholm in kindergarten at Manzanita Elementary School in Merlin: "You could joke around with him at any time. He was never in a bad mood." The mood was somber at North Valley High on Monday, front office receptionist Bev Archer said. "The one thing that's helped is that we've had a lot of support from other schools," said Archer, noting that Phoenix High sent a bouquet of flowers. "But it's hard. He was a nice young man who touched so many people." And he'll touch a few more in the future. Sean Gronholm decided a few years ago to donate his organs following his death, his mother said. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.