The West Genesee School district community is mourning the loss of a beloved coach who recently succumbed to brain cancer.

Joseph Adams, a long-time head coach for West Genesee, died Monday. Adams coached junior varsity boys basketball and boys modified lacrosse. He worked at the same high school that he graduated from, and went on to earn his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at SUNY Cortland, where he also earned All-American honors in lacrosse. 

Adams had been on leave from his job for a year fighting cancer, but his presence never left the school.

"So what we have today is that anyone that needs any counseling here, they are available in these types of situations, and we are all just trying to wrap our heads around losing a great person far too young," said West Genesee Superintendent Chris Brown.

The boys basketball teams remembered Adams ahead of their games Tuesday night, wearing black bands on their jerseys in his honor.

Adams passed at his home in Camillus. He was 46. A funeral mass will be held for him on Thursday in Syracuse.