In my Dec. 6 blog, I responded to the poll on D3hoops and numerous message board posters debating how good Wash U would be with me sidelined. As most seemed to write us off after a loss to No. 5 Augustana and numerous close wins, I said that no one would truly be able to tell for another 3-4 weeks how good this team actually is and how good we can be come March. People needed to adjust to different roles and learn to do some different things before anyone could really evaluate. After this past weekend and the new No. 1 ranking- it’s pretty apparent that there doesn’t seem to be much of a debate of whether this WU Bears team is for real.

Maybe we lost 13 points and 7 assists a game, some intangibles and floor leadership among other things when I went down—but my injury didn’t take away what made this team so special last year and is still embedded in us this year: the never die attitude. I’ve been lucky enough to be on a ton of talented teams (including the 2005 Illinois State Championship team with Jon Scheyer and current teammate Zach Kelly) and I can honestly say that I’ve never been around a team that has had something so indescribable that believes no matter the situation we will win the game. I don’t know if it’s that we have such a high level of competitiveness but there comes a point that teams could throw the towel in, give themselves a pat on the back for competing and pack it up, but this team just doesn’t do that.

Trailing 69-62 with 1:37 left at Brandeis and reeling off the last nine points in a flurry to win 71-69 may seem completely ridiculous, insane and unheard of at first glance… but in retrospect, over the past two years we’ve had some eerily close games like that:

In Salem in the Final Four last year we trailed Virginia Wesleyan by nine points with just under five minutes left … in kicks the never die attitude … we went on a run to take a two- point lead with 2:45 left on the clock eventually falling.

Earlier in the year we were down 14 at Calvin with three minutes left, a point at which many teams throw the towel in… in kicks the never die attitude… we cut the lead to four with 59 seconds left before eventually falling.

After I got hurt we were down 11 with 3:58 to play against Augustana … in kicks the never die attitude … we cut close the gap to just two points with 40 seconds left before losing.

The difference was at Brandeis we actually came all the way back to win so everyone noticed! I think the moral of my story is that while yes, me being hurt may have taken away a lot of things our team did at the beginning of the year, we didn’t lose the never die attitude. Add that to the fact that we have people (Ross Kelley, Danny O’Boyle and Moss Schermerhorn) playing their roles to perfection and our stifling team defense and we have a tough squad with or without me.

Are we the most talented team in the country right now? Probably not. Will we be ranked first in the country at the end of the year? Maybe. Will we be ranked first after we go on the road to #3 Rochester and Carnegie Mellon this weekend? I don’t know. But is this team going to listen to people telling them they’re not talented enough to win games when it counts on the road in the UAA and in March? I wouldn’t bet against us and our never die attitude.

On a personal note, today was my first day walking without crutches—which is very exciting. I’d like to send a good luck out to Jamie McFarlin of our women’s basketball team who is having surgery on her ACL this weekend. Also, check back next week my roommate Tyler Nading is going to write an entry about the experience of a road trip in the UAA.

Peace, love, and jumpshot,

Sean Wallis