GEORGETOWN, S.C. (WBTW)- The Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office continues the search for a missing Pawleys Island swimmer.
On Tuesday, Pawleys Island Police Chief Mike Fanning identified the teen as 16-year-old Courtney Dorsey of Maryville.
Dorsey just finished his sophomore year at Georgetown High School and was also a part of the Junior Varsity Basketball team with the school. His coach says he heard about the news in a group chat with the team’s players.
“It took me by storm, I mean I didn’t really know how to react because I just saw him a week ago. He was just at practice not too long ago. Just like that, I was just speechless. I mean I just couldn’t say nothing,” Coach Mike Ford said.
Battalion Chief Paramedic Carr Gilmore says Dorsey’s 15-year-old brother went under Sunday and he attempted to help, but disappeared beneath the water. Gilmore says the brother made it back safely with help from rescue crews, but they have not found Dorsey.
“Man, he did some things that some people wouldn’t do. He went out there and tried to rescue his brother. His brother made it and I mean we don’t know but that’s a hero to me. He was real, most people wouldn’t do that,” Teammate Darius McGirt said.
Courtney’s coach and teammates describe him as very quiet but a hard-worker. Coach Ford said if he could describe Courtney in one word it would be determination. He says it that’s determination that landed him a spot on the team after he was cut the first time he tried out.
“To see him jumping up and down the hallway with one of his teammates actually made me feel good. It showed me that his hard work paid off and that’s one of the things he was on this team, a hard-worker.”
That reputation of being a hard-worker is one that also resonated with his fellow teammates.
“His hustle on the court man, he would just always go get it, hustle. Every time I would get on the court with him that would inspire me to go harder because he would be going hard too,” teammate Darius McGirt said.
“I’m going to miss him, his hustle, his personality. I’m going to miss everything because what he brought to us was very valuable to us,” teammate Timothy Jordan said.
But the team says they will use the memories of Courtney to push them forward in this upcoming season.
“I think Courtney is going to be one of the people we play for every game this season,” Coach Ford said.
Police and beach patrols will continue to monitor and perform routine patrols of the area. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources will continue aerial searches throughout the week. Midway Fire and Pawleys Island Police will help by conducting searches from the shore.
