Over winter break that first year the team had a chance to vote on whether they wanted an ineligible player from the first semester, Allec Hasbeen, to join the team for the spring semester. Allec was a former Div. I player at the University of Oregon, played his high school ball in New Orleans, and played on the offensive juggernaut UD team the first semester when Big B. and Big Swan and I had just arrived on the scene. Allec had to apply for an extra year of eligibility which he had lost when going down to an injury when still playing for the Oregon Ducks. The NCAA granted him the extra year but Allec couldn't get his academic standing in line with NCAA regulations for the first semester of my first full year on the team, and when we as a team took the vote nobody knew yet if he was going to be eligible for the second semester. The team vote came back as a majority "no". I had voted "yes" to let him on the team. The fact we were even voting was messed up. It should have been coaches decision. Coach had Allec come in and talk to the team and we had a re-vote. I had encouraged others to vote yes because I thought it would make our team better and that it would have made me better. Allec worked out on his own all year, lifting weights, going through shooting drills, running etc... It was just like I had always done growing up, and I respected him for his commitment and passion for the game. Of course some would argue that if he had that much passion then he should have studied harder so as to be eligible to play. The second team vote came back as a majority "no" again, but it didn't matter anyway because the kid didn't make the grades. I talked to Allec about it one time while in the weight room after the season and told him how I wished he could have played with us and that I voted "yes" to having him on the team both times, and that I tried to persuade others to do the same, but he didn't believe me. I then talked about how I had admired him for his work outs and that I did the same thing and that I almost asked him if he wanted to work out together. By then I may have convinced him that I was sincere in wanting him on the team even though we may have been competing for playing time against each other. He would have been the best player on the team and it would have been great to go up against him every day in practice. I ended our conversation by saying that it was disappointing that he didn't get himself academically eligible and that consequently the whole voting thing didn't even matter. It was a whole lot to do about nothing in the end. My very first semester when Big B. and Big Swan and I would make it to the UD games wearing our turtle necks and gold chains I used to like to watch Allec race down the floor and one hand thunder dunk on the opposition. He could get hot and nail a barrage of three pointers in a flash in the Loyola Marimount high scoring offensive system they were running. Yep, it was a shame I didn't get the chance to play and practice with and against a thoroughbred like Allec Hasbeen.

The first year in review: Basketball wise it was a great learning experience. I honed my game and had a lot of fun playing JV, and even though I blew some wide open inside shots in varsity games, I made some shots too. My first official NCAA points came in a varsity game at home during my freshman year on an assist from Darby Allen. Darby was a guard from Gary Indiana who had a lot of game and also a lot of athleticism. He was fun to watch play and fun to play with. He could jump off the stride or off of two feet and in practice or pick up games he cleanly and legally blocked my shot many times way above the rim. He played a lot at the point, but also got some time at the three position. In the game where I made my first field goal Darby penetrated into the defense coming from the top of the key while I had made a cut and clogged the lane a little, so I popped out and next thing you know Darby through me a pass and without thinking I made a quick side step move and launched a short jumper. Swoosh straight through it went. The crowd erupted. I couldn't feel a thing as I raced back on defense. Darby gave me a shout of encouragement and I thanked him for the pass. I scored on a three pointer later in the game and that was it, ending the game with 5 points. It feels good thinking back about it, and it took me a while to remember it. For years it was readily accessible in my mind, but I guess the waves of time washed it back into the vaults of long ago memories. There was a point in that season that I thought I might break the starting line up. There was a second year player ahead of me at the 4 spot from Morton Illinois, and in practice I was gaining on him fast. I remember coming to practice on some days hung over and or feeling the strain from an evening spent with a lady friend and I would just be throwing down dunks left and right. One of the seniors on the team, a guard from Maquokita Iowa, said to me before a game, "Its your time to shine." I think he liked my warm up routine, but I felt a bit stupid because I wanted to show my stuff in the game and not in warm ups. The team ended the season around the .500 mark, so we won some and we loss some that year. Life in the dorms the first semester was memorable and I only have good feelings when thinking back about the experience. Moving into the Wilson Street crib was an adventure which was only beginning by the end of that school year. I was completing my courses on the way to an Environmental Science degree (I had hoped), but I had to spend more time in the class room than any one else on the team because of the many science labs I was required to take, and the labs were interfering with practice time. This would prove to be costly for my basketball career at UD in the upcoming season. All in all it was one of the most exciting years of my life.