Western Courier

Issue date: 3/9/05 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Joe Nichols Senior forward Eulis Baez averaged 15.5 points per game in his only season with the Leathernecks.

Media Credit: Joe Nichols Senior forward Will Lewis played three seasons for the Leathernecks after transferring from UIC.

As the final horn sounded in Tulsa, Okla., Friday night, it not only was a blaring reminder signaling the end of the Leathernecks' season, but also the careers of seniors Will Lewis and Eulis Baez.

Though each have traveled his own winding road through life's obstacles that led to Western Illinois University, the two Leatherneck standouts are now faced with a similar situation - preparing for life after college basketball.

I have had the pleasure of one-on-one conversations with both Lewis and Baez while covering Western for the past four months. Not many of the fans who enter Western Hall to cheer these Leathernecks while they give their all on the court know much about them off of it. While there's no shame in leaving the gym either elated or dejected about their performance that night, I hope each fan realizes that they are more than just basketball players.

Lewis and Baez both know that, and have accepted that. While they hope to continue playing the sport they love after leaving Western, each has plans beyond professional basketball careers.

Each year, the NBA calls 60 names on draft night. Factoring in there are 317 Division I college basketball programs, each carrying an average of 11 players, the number of dreams fulfilled that night seems relatively small to the amount being shattered.

Many athletes depend on continuing their playing days after leaving college, something less than 1 percent nationally get to realize. But the fact that Lewis and Baez, hopefully along with the rest of the seniors involved in Western athletics, see beyond the sport should be an inspiration to prospective student-athletes.

Unless someone has read my Jan. 19 article featuring Lewis, no one would know about his love of working with disabled children by merely watching him play basketball. It's common for students on campus to tell their friends and families that they were inspired by a class or a professor's comments. But when a sport consumes most of a person's time, though sad but true, the "athlete" in student-athlete can become dominant over anything else.

After talking with Lewis, I spoke with Cynthia Piletic, the professor who inspired Lewis with her class activities and confidence in him, who has since left Western for Ball State University. Her admiration for Lewis never once drifted to his life as a basketball player, but praised the person he is off the court.

Baez, a Second-Team All-Mid-Continent Conference selection, will be raising a family once his time at Western has passed. Though a large part of Baez's decision to play for the Leathernecks was basketball oriented, he kept his young son and love of his life in mind. Coming to Western meant being closer to Burlington, Iowa, where he met his girlfriend, Chandra, during his playing days at Southeastern Community College.

While Western coach Derek Thomas praises his star for his basketball abilities, I cannot count the number of times he said Baez was an amazing person off the court over the course of this season. By saying that, Thomas proved his basketball skills are not nearly as important as his attitude away from the game.

While many will wish the two well in their endeavors after leaving Western, I hope those well-wishers will be considering Lewis and Baez as more than just basketball players. Their success lies in their abilities off the court, not on it.

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