The blow was felt all the more closely because Bias had never left the embrace of his friends and community and seemed to draw strength from them as his success and fame grew. His world could be described as a small circle on the map of metropolitan Washington, a circle only as wide as the few miles from his house to the University of Maryland, which he chose to attend so he could remain near his family.

On Columbia Avenue, a few blocks from the recreation center, Bias’ father James, an electrical repairman, and mother Lonise, a bank employee, stayed behind closed doors yesterday while young men in athletic shoes and jogging suits milled under a tree and a stream of friends delivered food and flowers.

Leaning against a fence in the front yard, one of Bias’ earliest coaches, Wharton Lee Madkins, director of the recreation center, tried to make sense of the loss, but could not.

Being picked by the Boston Celtics this week “was like a dream come true,” Madkins said. “When he was young, kids used to laugh at him when he played basketball. They never picked him on a team. Then he ended up with everyone wanting him on their team.

“I can’t see why we would lose someone like this,” Madkins said, “someone so important to us.”