The youth sports community in Miami Lakes is mourning the loss of volunteer basketball coach Roy J. Hallak, who died Aug. 3.
Manuel Perez knew Hallak, 44, for more than a decade.
“He was very selfless,” Perez said. “He basically would go out of his way to help you out any way he could.”
Hallak coached basketball for over five years at the Miami Lakes Athletic Club and was known affectionately as “Coach Roy.”
“He would take his time to ensure that the kids got better, and it wasn’t just to go and play,” Perez said. “He would actually guide them and help them and made sure they understood the game.”
Perez created a GoFundMe account for Hallak’s family that raised $196,766 as of Aug. 28.
“He would light up a room if the room was down and quiet … that was just his personality,” Perez said. “He was just that type of fun loving, huggable, caring type of guy.”
Marisol Salguero, youth programs director at the athletic club, said of Hallak, “He went the extra mile to get the kids loving the game of basketball and making sure they were like a tight unit as well,” Salguero said.
Hallak had a career in banking and recently started his own mobile car wash business, according to the GoFundMe page.
He was always willing to help the program and other coaches by stepping in if they couldn’t get to a practice, Salguero said.
Hallak is survived by his wife Amabert Villar-Hallak and their boys Jayden, 14, and Logan, 6.
The athletic club honored Hallak during a basketball game on Aug. 7 when his team held a moment of silence.
Jayden and Logan took the first shots to honor their father.
Hallak was buried Aug. 12 at Vista Memorial Gardens in Miami Lakes.