Profiles in Courage: Keith Waleskowski

Today we begin our Profiles in Courage series. The offseason is the perfect time to reflect on the the Randy Rhoads guitar solo level of awesome that has walked through the tunnel at University of Dayton Arena. We begin with the man, the myth, the legend. It's the mother flippin' Keith Waleskowski.

FF: You have cemented yourself as a Flyers legend, at least amongst men now aged 24 and above. Creepy or not, that has to feel moderately good, right?

KW: I guess that it is pretty cool when I sit back and think about it. To tell you the truth, I really never do/did think about that part of it. I just liked the fact that I got to play basketball at a pretty high level. Being in an atmosphere like that, and the whole lifestyle surrounding college basketball was cool enough in and of itself. Great school, great teammates, and great support from everyone that watched us was an awesome experience. I never really got caught up in stats and trying to fit myself in with the Flyer greats, but it is pretty cool when people mention my name with some of them. And I don't think I should feel creepy about that, right?

FF: What was your favorite game as a Flyer? What made that game different from other Flyers games?

KW: Can I list a couple? I guess, because this is an email response and you can't cut me off, and if you change my quote I will sue you. Just kidding.

My favorite games were when we had a chance to play for a championship. In no particular order, the Maui Invitational final my senior was pretty sweet. To win such a big-time tourney, and personally be named MVP was nice. It was an intense game, and I was excited afterwards to hear that Raftery gave me a "Send it in, big fella!" after my dunk (which rarely happened). Any time we played in the NCAA tourney was pretty sweet, too. The atmosphere was amazing, and just knowing how big those games were was something that everyone could get pumped about. And the A-10 championship game my junior year at home was awesome, too. I mean, league champions, at home, in front of a packed house of 13,500 crazies. I still reminisce about that game with friends and teammates. That was good times, and so was the celebration afterwards.

I guess the difference between those games and "regular" games was the fact that they were for championships and everyone involved was more pumped up for them. The fans were that much louder and more involved, players for both teams played that much harder, and afterwards you felt like you accomplished that much more. Like an end to the road because it took more work to get there and reached the goal set for them.

FF: Who was your least favorite player to play against?

KW: Probably have to say David West. He was freakin' good, and always tough to defend. Not to mention they designed their whole offense around him so they would just clear out to an entire side of the court and give him the ball so no one could help out on defense. I guess it is more of a respect thing than anything. I have nothing against him personally, just the fact that he killed us all the time.

FF: The BWs on the corner of Brown and Lowes recently took down your signed jersey. How bullshit is that?

That is bullshit. They barely even gave me free drinks for giving that to them, too. I mean, my friends would always try to cop some drinks out of the deal, too. No problem with that. And not to toot my own horn, but everyone I have talked to said it was the centerpiece of the whole bar, and that the whole aura of the place was that much more heavenly with my jersey hanging so close to them.

Just kidding, but tell them if they aren't going to use it, I would like it back (that's right, I am de-gifting) and will give it to a place that will.

FF: Which Flyer teammate did you enjoy playing with the most?

KW: Probably Finn because he was/is a close friend of mine and we joked around a lot together. I am a jokester, and he and myself were always on the same wavelength. We were always saying crazy stuff to each other on the court and off. We had a little competition to see who could get worse stuff printed about the other in the newspaper, and we were always instigating things off the court. Plus I think he helped take pressure off me because if anyone came to double me, I could just toss it up to him for a dunk. Other teams couldn't just focus on one of us or the other, and I think we complemented each other pretty well on the court.

FF: How did you feel taking on a brand new coach as a senior?

KW: At first I guess I was kind of pissed. I found out when I saw Purnell's mug next to a Clemson logo on Sportscenter on the TV in Tim's. (Should I be saying that? Everyone knew we went there anyways.) Someone leaked the story before he got to tell us, but whatever, it was better for him and we wished him luck. Then the first day BG was here and they introduced him to the media as the new coach he had a meeting with us as a team. It was pretty intense and even though the season just ended, I think we all were ready to get back out on the court and get to work with him. He got us pretty excited for the next season, and he kept his word. He put a lot of trust in me, and all the seniors, and we were able to work together to accomplish some pretty big goals. And all the while he taught us lessons about ball, about life, and we had a good time doing it all. After it was all said and done, I really wish I could have played for him longer. I know it is so cliche, but it is the truth. I still talk to him, and he still welcomes me back when I come to play with the guys in the summer to keep in shape.

FF: What do you think about the current squad, and about the job Brian Gregory has done thus far?

KW: It is interesting being on the outside watching them now. They have so much more athleticism as a team than we did when I was there, and this year they finally go that to translate into some more wins. The younger guys know more about the game of basketball, and not just being an athlete, and I think they will continue to elevate their respective games as time goes on. I think BG has done a good job so far. I guess I am biased, but I think he had a pretty good group to start with when he first go here, but after that there was not a whole lot left. So his first year rebuilding project was actually set back because of this. After that, he had a couple of years with a really young team, and had to deal with some transfers that hurt. This past year they had a good team, but a small margin for error, and those injuries made the window even smaller. I trust that as he moves forward with the program, they will be extremely happy with him. I think he is a great coach, and will continue to show that in the years to come.