Rajeen "Ray" Williams, 21, of Burleson is being remembered by his friends for the influence he had on others.
"He always had a smile on his face," said Curtis Amos, who played basketball with Williams at Centennial High School. "He was the most positive person I ever met. He could walk into a room and it would be just dull and boring, and he would bring so much excitement into the room."
Williams was among three Stephen F. Austin University students killed early Monday in a car crash in Nacogdoches. Williams was a 2013 graduate of Centennial High School.
Chace Scruggs, 20, of Seabrook was driving a 2007 Dodge Charger with three other SFA student passengers on Starr Avenue at about 1:30 a.m. when the vehicle left the road and struck several trees, according to police.
Scruggs, Williams and Geena Zarick, 18, of Flower Mound were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, according to a KXXV-TV report. A fourth occupant of the vehicle, Trent Haynes, 21, of Red Oak was transported to a hospital in critical condition.
Williams had planned to return Monday to Burleson for a pick-up basketball game.
"I had just talked to him the day before it happened," Amos said. "We talked about a bunch of all the old guys getting together and playing. We ended up playing in remembrance of him."
The Charger caught fire after leaving the roadway, police say. Speed may have been a factor in the crash. It remained under investigation late Monday.
"He was a positive guy that you could always turn to," Amos said. "His smile was very contagious. It's weird just thinking about him not being here anymore."
Ricky Moore contributed to this report.