‘Bold, brave and kind’: Family and friends remember the life of Liam Zoghby

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Liam Zoghby’s family celebrated with the rest of the JMA Wireless Dome as Quadir Copeland shot a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to beat University of Miami on Saturday. After the game, some people close to Liam told his family that Copeland wasn’t the only one responsible for the game-winning shot.

“One of the assistant coaches walked up to my dad and was like, ‘that was Liam doing that,’ like that wasn’t all Copeland,” said Miriam Zoghby, Liam’s sister.

Liam, a sophomore in the School of Education’s InclusiveU program and devoted student manager of SU’s men’s basketball team, died on Jan. 12 at age 22 as a result of complications from an aneurysm. Liam was born and raised a dedicated Syracuse Orange fan by his parents, Eileen and Jalal Zoghby, just 10 minutes from SU’s campus, said Miriam, a sophomore studying health sciences at The Ohio State University.

“Those special things kind of have an underlying meaning to them. Even if it was just nothing and it was a buzzer beater, to our family, it was just so special because it just felt like he was there and everything was kind of going to be OK,” Miriam said.

Liam and Miriam, along with their siblings Sophia and Nolan Zoghby, attended many basketball games with their parents, who Miriam said are season ticket holders. Miriam said Liam developed an affinity for watching sports games as his medical conditions excluded him from participation in sports.

Liam developed DiGeorge Syndrome after being born without a small part of a chromosome, which can cause heart abnormalities and developmental delays. Liam’s medical resilience, which included open heart surgeries and infections, was a testament to his strength and bravery, Miriam said.

“I think that when he couldn’t play those sports, he got really, really attached to watching them,” she said. “He was a huge basketball fan, and a huge football fan, a huge baseball fan, so I think that he automatically loved Syracuse basketball.”

After graduating from Jamesville-DeWitt High School, Liam found his “perfect fit” in the InclusiveU program at SU, Miriam said. She remembers the excitement he had knowing he was a college student who was able to attend classes on SU’s campus, which he always loved.

“I think that was something really special that kind of made him feel like he was … just like any other kid,” she said.

InclusiveU Director Brianna Shults said Liam was always a very friendly student with a positive outlook. She said he always wanted to build relationships and know the people who were supporting him in the program.

“He was always interested in getting to know the person he was talking to, whether it was me (or) another staff member,” Shults said. “​​He was just one of those really engaging people who always had something to share or an opinion to give, but was also a really good listener and really just wanted to build relationships with people.”

Shults said she and Liam often bonded talking about his involvement in the community, whether it was his Marshall Street restaurant of choice or the concerts or sporting events he would be attending.

InclusiveU students and Strauss attend Saturday’s game against Miami.

Courtesy of Julianne Strauss

Liam attended various Peer2Peer events, which pair InclusiveU students with a matriculated student to support their participation in the campus community. Through these events, Liam developed a very close relationship with Peer2Peer Coordinator Julianne Strauss.

Strauss and Liam would frequently chat during her office hours where they would discuss “normal” college student topics, such as the New York Yankees or various weekend events. Strauss said she always admired his constant desire to learn more about people in order to form closer relationships with them.

“He (was) a good friend,” Strauss said. “He (would) maintain that relationship and be willing to put in the steps to any friendship, any good friendship, and that’s all you can ask (for) in a friend.”

Liam’s work with the SU men’s basketball team did not come out of InclusiveU, but came out of the Zoghby family’s involvement with the Jamesville DeWitt basketball program. Through the team, the Zoghby family formed a connection with Jim and Juli Boeheim, who gave Liam the opportunity to become a student manager.

InclusiveU team members supported Liam’s role on the team, and Schults said they also loved to hear about his experiences.

“I think that’s what makes it so wonderful for Liam — this is something he wanted to do. It was something he individually pursued, and he made it happen,” Shults said.

Jake Palczak, a men’s basketball student manager, said Liam was the “definition of commitment” to the team.

“He was definitely one of the most dedicated managers we’ve had, and it was really sad to lose him from a manager standpoint but also from a friend standpoint because he was everyone’s friend,” said Palczak, a senior studying sports management.

Langston Taylor, another men’s basketball student manager, said Liam showed up to practices multiple times over winter break, which he said was rare for underclassmen. He said Liam was constantly working but was always checking in with others about their personal lives.

“Everything you were looking for in a manager, Liam really brought,” said Taylor, a junior marketing major.

Liam would return home and share his excitement about how he made connections with the people he used to watch and adore on TV, Miriam said. She originally assumed Liam was starstruck by the players, but later found out the depth of the connections he made through a friend.

Liam developed friendships with several of the players, including sophomore forward Justin Taylor, whom he had a class with. Taylor said Liam always had a smile on his face and was constantly checking in on others.

“Liam was my guy,” Taylor said. “He’s one of the kindest, so we definitely miss him dearly but he’s in a better place.”

After the Miami game, SU’s coaches invited the Zoghby family to the locker room and presented the game ball to them in honor of Liam. As she looked around the locker room, Miriam said she realized the extent of her brother’s importance to the players and coaches on the team.

“For us, these people made such a difference in Liam’s life, but now I can see that Liam made just as much, maybe even more of a difference, in their lives,” Miriam said. “I think that’s something that just speaks to Liam and who he was, and his character and the power that he had on people.”

The men’s basketball team attended Liam’s funeral service on Friday, which was held at the Holy Cross Church in DeWitt and followed by a celebration of life at Drumlins Country Club.

At the service, Strauss saw how well Liam was loved by the community he built. Strauss attended both services and the Miami game, where she and InclusiveU students wore the jerseys of Liam’s favorite teams such as the Boston Celtics, Minnesota Vikings and New York Yankees.

“He’s truly going to be missed by the community, and all of the events that have happened in the past week just show his impact,” Strauss said.

When Miriam returned to school in Ohio, she gave a speech to her sorority about her brother. She realized that the sorority’s three pillars of “brave, bold and kind” were the words that truly resonated with her to describe Liam.

“You can have all these awards, all these accomplishments in life, but at the end of the day it’s who you are that really matters and sticks with people,” Miriam said. “I really don’t think you’ll ever find another Liam, and I just think that he had such a light in the world that will never be lost.”

Senior Staff Writer Tyler Schiff contributed reporting to this article.