Touring U.S. Tennis Pros Involved in Religious Incident Return Home

Four American tennis players on tour in Nigeria returned home after one jumped through a window screaming he could see Jesus and two others destroyed their possessions following a day of praying, the fourth player said Monday.

Jimmy Gurfein of New York received cuts and bruises when he crashed through his hotel window in Lagos, Nigeria, onto the roof of an adjoining building, then jumped to the ground.

Morris (Skip) Strode of El Cajon, Calif., and Bud Cox of Atlanta destroyed passports, travelers checks, cash and other possessions, said Bobby Banck, the other player.

Banck, 22, said the four players spent most of Thursday praying. Early Friday, he said, a hotel porter woke him up.

“He said (Gurfein) is screaming and breaking things in the room,” Banck said. “I ran down and heard noise and I knocked on the door. Then I didn’t hear anything.

“Then I heard ‘Jesus,’ real loud, like he was calling Jesus,” Banck said. “Then I heard glass break.”

Banck said a short time later, Strode and Cox, who were sharing a room in the hotel, began tossing their belongings out the window.

Strode “threw everything he owned out of the window, his luggage, all of his clothes, his rackets,” Banck said.