A friend asked me recently why I was so attached to Miami University athletics. "They aren't going to be pros," he said (clearly he knows nothing of Miami's hockey talent). My response to him was shocking. I told him that the fact that many of the Miami athletes were not going to play beyond their senior years made me love them that much more.
As the calendar turns to spring, we will see our winter athletes play their last games. Senior nights for our Miami RedHawks are occurring in these weeks. But whereas other universities have senior nights that feature walk-ons and collegiate athletes that did not reach there potential (such as Kansas Jayhawk basketball), the vast majority of athletes that call Miami home spend their four or five years in Oxford.
So while my friends watch their University of Illinois football stars leave as soon as the National Football League will let them, we will watch Jarod Palmer skate in his 160th game against Ohio State University on Friday, and then we'll see him tie Ryan Jones, another four year Miami RedHawk star, for most games played as a RedHawk skater on Saturday in Columbus. In addition, we have seen Brandon Smith go from a healthy scratch to a consistent starter in his time in Oxford, Gary Steffes has had a major impact while on the ice and Dane Hetland, who has not skated much recently, continues to be a part of them team when other athletes may have transferred or quit.
In basketball it is the same. Schools like Texas, Kentucky and North Carolina see players spend their freshman year playing college hoops, only to become professional freshman instead of NCAA sophomores the next year. At Miami, we've gotten the pleasure of Adam Fletcher's hustle and enthusiasm on the court for four years. He may not be the most talented basketball player, but few give more of their heart to the game than Fletch. Both Ashleigh Brown and Courtney Reed — women's basketball seniors — have logged big minutes, providing an example for the young team on and off the court.
This is the reason I fell in love with Miami sports. The athletes have stayed as long as I have. It's hard to appreciate the mark a player has left on a program when they spend one or two years at their university. Kevin Durant was the best college basketball player in the nation. But his one-year at Texas is just a year. Every class has a great player they leave with. Ryan Jones, who left two seasons ago after four years at Miami is still legendary to those who watched him play. Kevin Roeder, who finished his four years at Miami last season, is the shutdown defenseman fans still wish delivered big blows on the ice. And for the class of 2010, Jarod Palmer is the RedHawk seniors have been proud to watch for the past four years.
Unlike my friend, who watches athletes that seem to be in a different world when they step foot on campus, athletes at Miami are just like you and me. We see them on the ice, court or field, and then we see them in the classroom or around campus. They take an active role in the university as so many of them stay at Miami until they have finished their senior years. While having one and done talent is something that would be near impossible to pass up, I think it's extremely special to have a bond with players that lasts more than one season. While some may say that other than the Miami hockey team, this university does not have much to brag about in its athletic department this season, I would say we're pretty lucky to have watched special athletes spend four years representing Miami in their sport.
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