Well Done, Sager. Well done.

Announcing luminary and longtime TNT sideline reporter extraordinaire Craig Sager passed away Thursday night. He had been battling leukemia for quite some time and had displayed a courageous face the entire time, continuing to work the sidelines at NBA games all over the country while receiving treatment.

Sager was the epitome of strength during his fight and passion during his long career. The one thing I was equally as impressed by was the job Sager did with his son, Craig Sager Jr. There’s no better compliment to a man than to tell him how good of a father he was to his kids.

Craig Jr. is currently the managing editor at Score Atlanta, but when I met him all those years ago, he was the fresh faced kid sitting at the front desk at their north Atlanta office. Jr. was the first face I saw when I showed up to take over their Georgia Tech coverage. We didn’t get a chance to talk often, but when we did, it was about sports and it was always fun.

I saw him most recently in the press box at Mercer University back in August. We were both there to cover the Houston County High School/Mary Persons High School football season opener. We hadn’t seen one another in a couple of years, as I had bounced from newspapers in Eatonton, Greensboro, Newnan and LaFayette (Alabama) and he, like his father was with TNT despite what I can only assume was thousands of other offers, stayed loyal and moved up the ranks at Score Atlanta. He recognized me or I recognized him, either or, and we began talking football, smiling and laughing. We didn’t talk long, we never did, but despite the very public fight his father was going through, Craig Jr. always had a kind word and a smile for people he came across. The young man could have been bitter, walked around with a glacier of “Why me, why my dad?” on his shoulders, but by the looks of things, he didn’t. I have a feeling he still doesn’t.

The well-wishes are going to be coming in by phone, text, email, Twitter, Facebook and wherever he goes for the next few months. With Christmas on the horizon, the loss won’t get any easier, trust me. My mother passed away on Dec. 8, 2008, and I still haven’t gotten over it. I can’t. Craig Jr. shouldn’t either. He should hold on to how beloved his father is to basketball players and fans alike. That is going to keep him going, keep him smiling like the Craig Sager Jr. I know. Well done, Craig Sager, you did a great job with your son. He’s the perfect representation of his dad, as it should be. Well done, Craig Sager, you’ve done well. Rest in peace.

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