Hundreds gathered at Whole Life Ministries on Wednesday to celebrate the life of Eric Marshall.

A celebration it was.

Those in attendance sang and raised their arms to upbeat praise songs, and speakers told stories of Marshall's life after he became a Christian as a freshman at Wofford College.

Marshall, a former Greenbrier High School and Wofford basketball standout, died April 22 after he collapsed during a pickup basketball game. He was 24.

"We've not lost someone," said Sandra Kennedy, pastor at Whole Life Ministries. "We know where he is."

Among those who offered remarks were mentor Mohandas Martin, Wofford coach Michael Young and friend and former Greenbrier teammate Brandon Dotson.

Marshall's father, Patrick Marshall, also spoke, as did the Rev. James Smith, who performed Eric Marshall's wedding ceremony.

Martin recounted the story of when Marshall asked Martin to be his mentor. Martin told the congregation he wanted to leave them with three things he knew about Marshall: Marshall loved God, he loved his wife and he loved his sons.

"We talked every other day about spiritual things, about life," Martin said.

Young told of how Marshall went only full speed, whether it was in a game or just practice. The coach illustrated his point by using an example of the Terriers' pregame walk-throughs.

"E-Marsh, as he was affectionately known, never got the hang of the walk-through part," Young said. "A coach would explain something and, boom, there would be a violent collision on the floor. And without looking up, we all knew who it was."

Young said the Terriers will honor Marshall during the 2009-10 season by wearing an "E-Marsh" patch on their jerseys.

After graduating in 2007, Marshall organized a board of directors and was working to form a nonprofit that would minister to Augusta's youth through basketball. The Marshall family has established the Eric Marshall Memorial Fund to help further Marshall's goal.

"He loved this community," Patrick Marshall said.

Dotson said a lot had been discussed about the way Marshall died. He wanted to talk about how his friend had lived his life.

"If you learn anything from Eric's death, learn how to live," Dotson said. "And life only comes through Jesus Christ."