2024.02.07

I have done these drills for what seems like a million times, I never thought I would have to follow the procedure in real time. Page 5

Men’s head basketball coach Marty Simmons fell in love with coaching because of the athletes. Page 7

By Gabe Newman Sports Reporter | @DEN_News

Tyler Conklin will be Eastern’s opening day starting pitcher against Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, manager Jason Anderson said before the team’s first outdoor intersquad scrimmage at O’Brien Field on Thursday.

Conklin, the junior right-handed pitcher from Maple Park, made 17 appearances on the mound for the Panthers last season with 15 of them as a starter.

One of the outings out of the bullpen was a three-inning scoreless effort in the Ohio Valley Conference Championship against Morehead State University.

(See Baseball PG 6)

EIU alum remembered for kindness

By Alexis-Moore Jones Feature Reporter | @DEN_News

Eastern mourns the loss of one of its be loved students, Lizbet Carbajal.

Carbajal died unexpectedly Jan. 6, 2024, at the age of 24.

According to Legacy, a visitation was held on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. at Wait Ross Allanson Funeral & Cremation Services in Elgin.

Carbajal was born Dec. 21, 1999, and grew up in Elgin.

Growing up in a family full of boys, until her sister came, Carbajal learned how to have thick skin from an early age.

Not only that but being the only girl in a family of boys fostered her passion for sports, especially soccer.

“We all kind of grew up together,” said her brother Danny Carbajal. “And we were always into sports, so I feel like she kind of gravitated to that growing up around us.”

Throughout middle school, high school and during her time at Eastern, Lizbet Carbajal coached little league soccer, said her brother.

(See Lizbet PG 3)

ELECTIONS APPROACH

Baseball names new pitcher Early voting dates for general primaries

As election season is right around the corner, Eastern stu dents have several methods to exer cise their constitutional right to vote.

Students have several options on where and when they can vote.

Early voting starts Feb. 8 at the Coles County Clerk’s Office from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and the United Christian Church from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The two locations will be closed on Feb. 12 and 19 and will have reduced hours on March 16 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

vote anywhere else.

Coles County Clerk Julie Coe also explained the importance of voting in elec -

“I think everyone should vote,” Coe said. “That is the only way for your voice

Students are also eligible to serve as election judges on Election Day and must: Be a U.S. citizen, registered as a voter in Coles County; Be able to speak, read and write in

• Have good reputation and character;

• Not be a candidate for any office in the election, and not a precinct com

There are informal trainings to prepare someone to be an election judge that covers the duties and responsibilities of being a judge. Judges who have gone through the train ing and completed the test will receive $150 if they serve on Election Day. Election judge training takes place Feb. 29 at the Lifespan Center in Charleston at the times 9:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

The News Staff can be reached at 581-2812 or dennewsdesk@gmail.com.

The Daily Eastern News

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Eastern Illinois University Charleston, IL 61920

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News Staff

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Rob Le Cates DENeic@gmail. com

News Editor Cam’ron Hardy dennewsdesk@ gmail.com

Assistant News Editor Audra Gullquist dennewsdesk@ gmail.com

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Design Editor Harper Hancock hahancock2@eiu. edu

Student senate set to revise bylaws

By Veronica Gipson Student Senate Reporter | @DEN_News

Sports Editor Zaria Flippin densportsdesk@ gmail.com

Assistant Sports Editor Luther Yoder densportsdesk@ gmail.com

Opinions Editor Ellen Dooley denop.eds@gmail. com

Copy Chief Alli Hausman athausman@eiu.edu

Faculty Advisers

Editorial Adviser Tim Drachlis

Photo Adviser Greg Cooper

About

Publisher Joe Gisondi

Business Manager Betsy Jewell

The Daily Eastern News is produced by the students of Eastern Illinois University. It is published weekly on Wednesday, in Virden, Ill., during fall and spring semesters and online during the summer term except during university vacations or examinations. One copy per week is free to students and faculty. Additional copies can be obtained for 50 cents each in the Student Publications Office in Buzzard Hall.

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The Daily Eastern News is committed to accuracy in its coverage of the news. Any factual error the staff finds or is made aware of by its readers will be corrected as promptly as possible. Please report any factual error you find to Editor-in-Chief Rob Le Cates at 581-2812.

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The Daily Eastern News

1802 Buzzard Hall Eastern Illinois University

Student body president, Nidhi Patel, a senior finance major, appointed a Student Government Constitution Revision Committee during Wednesday’s meeting in the Arcola/Tuscola room in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

The constitution is overdue for revision by a year and a half, as the senate bylaws state it is to be revised every five years in the fall semester. The last revision took place in 2018.

The committee will be composed of three senators, three executive officers and one student unaffiliated with the student government.

Patel is worried about the difficulty of finding someone unaffiliated with student government to serve on this committee.

Her timeline to appoint members to this group is tight, as the current constitution allows 15 days from the senate’s approval of the committee.

The current constitution refers to a judicial branch, though it has been inactive for more than four years. Patel intends for the constitution revision committee to address the inactivity, though it is undecided whether or not she intends to reinstate the judicial committee.

Senator Oliver Ehmann on the University Enhancement Committee shared intentions to renovate the botanical garden and shared a resolution endorsing recycling in Charleston. Both will be voted on in next week’s meeting.

The University Enhancement Committee and External Relations Committee have found the lack of recycling on campus and the surrounding Charleston area inade-

quate, and the student body has similar concerns.

Ehmann shared that Charleston’s Mayor Brandon Combs will sit in on next week’ meeting to make progress toward a resolution.

Patel has also been working on an artificial intelligence task force among university faculty.

The task force plans to review other universities’ policies regarding the use of AI to develop an ordinance so AI use can be dealt with uniformly.

Patel appointed a new member of the senate to the Bond Revenue Committee, which is composed of three student gov-

ernment members, three student members of the Resident Hall Association and Mark Hudson.

The committee discusses housing and dining costs as well as produces a budget proposal plan for the upcoming academic year.

Carlos Ramirez, vice president of academic affairs and a sophomore psychology major, said the distinguished faculty awards date will happen April 4 in the University Ballroom in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

Veronica Gipson can be reached at vmgipson@eiu.edu or 581-2812.

FRONT PAGE COVER BY HARPER HANCOCK

CONTINUED FROM PG 1 >>

Outside of sports, Carbajal was known for her love of nature and connection to the outdoors.

Whether she walked the trail at Lake Charleston, explored through caves in Ohio or went hiking in Colorado Springs, Carbajal was always outside, and her brother believed she picked the trait up from their childhood.

She planned to move to Colorado at some point because she absolutely loved the scenery out there, Danny Carbajal said.

One of her most notable traits was her character. Carbajal was known for being a kind-spirited person who always wore a smile and had a heart of gold.

She was described by her family as the type of person that made everyone’s day. She never wanted anyone to feel left out. She always wanted to go out and have a fun time, and she was there for anyone who needed her, no matter the time of day.

“She just really brought like a light to every room with her laugh and her smile,” said her little sister Ruby Carbajal. “She was very friendly, always happy and just a very nice person.”

“She had this energy; she always was really bright and always looked at the glass half full,” said Carbajal’s sorority sister Desdeny Jimenez. “She was always the middle. She never had a bad opinion about anybody.”

Carbajal became a panther at Eastern because of how small the classes were and the fact that she could work closely with her professors.

She enjoyed living on campus because of the multitude of opportunities the school offered and how easy it was to meet new people.

While at Eastern, she became a member of the Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority, also known as Tri Sigma.

During her time at Tri Sigma, she made a lasting impact on the sorority. Carbajal held several executive board and chair positions alongside being a key figure in recruitment.

Because of her friendly, open personality, Carbajal was able to help recruit new members and build up the sorority while creating new relationships with all the new sorority members.

“She was always there for everybody even though she wasn’t in Sigma anymore ‘cause she had graduated. She always made sure that I was okay in it,” said Jimenez. “She always made sure to ask the girls how they felt about it. She was always caring.”

Having recently graduated from Eastern in the spring of 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in exercise science, Carbajal planned to become an athletic and recreational therapist and a fitness trainer. She was able to get a start in her dream field by interning at Athletico Physical Therapy.

Carbajal left an imprint on the lives of everyone she touched.

Her mother, Marina Carbajal, will always remember the time they spent together over winter break.

“So, my mom is saying just this past winter break, when [Lizbet Carbajal] came home, she was more affectionate with my mom, more like close to her,” said Danny Carbajal. “Like, she confided in my mom more and showed her love for my mom a little more than usual.”

Her brother said he will remember the love Lizbet Carbajal had for his son and the time she spent with him.

“Every time she came back home, she always wanted to see him or come and play with him,” he said. “Like I said, she loved him and loved being with him. We saw how much she cared for him, and he was excited to be with be his aunt.”

Her sorority sisters said they will nev-

PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY FAMILY | THE DAILY EASTERN NEWS

Lizbet Carbajal at her graduation party last year. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in exercise science.

er forget the fun they had going out and the tipsy talk that would happen after.

“It was that fun time that we were both vulnerable; we’re both a little tipsy,” Jiminez said. “We’ve had a couple of drinks, and we could still be with each other. We could still sit down with each other and just laugh. Just laugh about everything.”

“I remember one of the funniest memories I have is that for Halloween, me and her dressed up as Luigi and Mario, and she was short, so anytime we would be at a bar or at a party, I’d be like ‘Has anybody seen my Mario?’” she said.

Although Lizbet Carbajal may be gone

physically, her spirit lives on in the hearts and minds of people she knew.

“I think what you can take from everyone is that she was just this bubbly, inclusive, outgoing, driven, hardworking woman who wanted the best for everybody and herself and just wanted to just rise up to the top of everything and just have everyone be healthy and happy around her,” said Ruby Carbajal. “She just was the light of everybody’s life, and she’s gonna be everybody’s angel forever.”

Alexis Moore-Jones can be reached at 581-2812 or at amjones@eiu.edu.

Opinions

Should you trust the mystical, weatherpredicting rodent?

Groundhog Day is a celebration celebrated on Feb. 2 every year. The celebration’s main focus is on a wise, ancient groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil.

Every year, they drag Phil out a of deep winter’s slumber to predict the coming weather.

If the he sees his shadow, there are six more weeks of winter. If he does not see his shadow, spring is around the corner.

This year at Gobbler’s Knob, Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow. According to legend, this means we should expect an early spring.

We asked our editorial staff about what they thought of Phil’s 2024 prediction.

Our Editor-in-Chief Rob Le Cates found it to be preposterous to believe a silly groundhog has the knowledge and foresight to determine if we will have a few more weeks of colder or warmer air.

I highly doubt Phil is pulling the largest con of all time and is actually a meteorological scholar, if he is I will eat my shorts.

Until I see some numbers and scientific data, I won’t believe it.

Our News Editor Cam’ron did some research and is not impressed.

After reading an article that said that the entire groundhog family has only been about 40% correct, I would say that the groundhog is incorrect, once again.

That entire family are unreliable little freaks who have disappointed this country on numerous occasions. It’s cool to see a guy with a top hat pick him up each year though.

Our Assistant News Editor Audra was the first of three on our Editorial Board to agree with Phil.

I agree with Punxsutawney Phil’s prediction of early spring. Although the last month or so have felt brutally cold, winter in the Midwest was overall pretty mild.

We’ve had relatively little snow this year and the temperature has been consistently rising within the past few weeks. I believe temperature’s will continue to rise, as Phil predicted.

Our Photo Editor Sia loves the thought of early spring but does not find Phil to be trustworthy.

Though spring is an amazing time, when flowers pop up and bright colors are in the air, trusting a groundhog on whether spring comes early is not trustworthy.

Only 40% of the time is the groundhog correct in

his findings so what about the other 60%. Weather is more accurate than a groundhog, going day by day is better than trusting a furry animal.

Our Sports Editor Zaria was the second one to agree with Phil.

I agree with Punxsutawney Phil’s prediction of early spring. Although the last month or so have felt brutally cold, winter in the Midwest was overall pretty mild.

We’ve had relatively little snow this year and the temperature has been consistently rising within the past few weeks. I believe temperature’s will continue to rise, as Phil predicted.

Our Opinions Editor Ellen did not trust the large rodent who predicts the change of the seasons.

As much as I would really enjoy an early spring, I do not see Phil’s prediction becoming true. It is the Midwest. The weather changes on the hour.

As I write this, it is a nice sunny 50 degree day, but I have a sinking feeling that this lying rodent

will jinx us and we will have a blizzard mid-March. If someone drug me out of my tree stump in the middle of hibernation, I would say anything for them to be happy and put me down so I could go back to sleep.

Our Design Editor Harper was skeptical about whether Phil is giving us fact or a reason to party. I do not believe a random groundhog can predict when spring will come for an entire count

After over one hundred years, Groundhog Day is just a tradition celebrated each year in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, and it seems to be more of an excuse to party rather than a way to give us scientific facts.

Our Copy Chief Alli was the third Phil believer. Stats aside, I love that little man, and I want to see him succeed. Team Punxsutawney forever.

The Editorial Board can be reached at 581-2812 or deneic@gmail.com

ELLEN DOOLEY | THE DAILY EASTERN NEWS

Editorial Board

Ellen Dooley

Audra Gullquist Cam’ron Hardy

Zaria Flippin

COLUMN

The reality we live in is an age with school shootings

By Ellen Dooley Columnist

It is not an uncommon occurrence to see schoolwide active shooter or intruder drills take place.

While it is not seen often at the collegiate level, we see it in our elementary, middle and high schools.

Unfortunately, today it is a necessity that we teach students and even school staff how to properly protect and keep themselves safe.

School personnel are often taught the ALICE strategy or method.

This is the acronym and meaning provided by the company Navigate 360 who are the makers of the ALICE strategy. This information comes directly from their website.

“A - Alert. Alert is your first notification of danger. Alert is when you first become aware of a threat. The sooner you understand that you’re in danger, the sooner you can save yourself. A speedy response is critical. Seconds count.

“L - Lockdown. Barricade the room. Prepare to evacuate or counter if needed. If evacuation is not a safe option, barricade entry points into your room in an effort to create a semi-secure starting point.

“I - Inform. Communicate the violent intruder’s location and direction in real time. The purpose of inform is to continue to communicate information in as real time as possible, if it is safe to do so. Armed intruder situations are unpredictable and evolve quickly, which means that ongoing, real time information is key to making effective survival decisions.

“C - Counter. Create noise, movement, distance and distraction with the intent of reducing the shooter’s ability to shoot accurately. Counter is not fighting. ALICE training does not believe that actively confronting a violent intruder is the best method for ensuring the safety of those involved. Counter is a strategy of last resort.

“E - Evacuate. When safe to do so, remove yourself from the danger zone. ALICE provides techniques for safer and more strategic evacuations. Evacuating to a safe area takes people out of harm’s way and hopefully prevents civilians from having to come into any contact with the shooter.”

I have done ALICE drills as a student and I have done them as a staff member.

I have gone through the motions of helping my fellow students or co-workers shove desks into doors and windows and rig door handles.

Is it sad that I know how to rig a door handle three different ways to prevent someone from opening it?

Although I have done these drills for what seems like a million times, I never thought I would have to follow the procedure in real time.

Well, that is where things change.

This past month, I was put in a situation where I needed to follow the ALICE method, and it was not a drill or planned at all.

I looked at the other adults in the room, and my heart sank. I wanted to cry along with some of the kids, but I knew that would cause chaos.

It is like that phenomena where a mom can lift a car off her baby with super strength due to all the adrenaline.

The next thing I knew, I was slinging tables and chairs and herding kids into a corner.

We sat there in silence just trying to hear and understand what was going on beyond the door for about 10 minutes.

We heard the intercom click on next.

It was person -

nel saying that the alarm had been triggered due to a technology glitch or error and there was no immediate threat.

We were told to stay in place until law enforcement checked the building and secured our area.

After a while, we were cleared, but there was still law enforcement around the building making sure everyone was okay.

As I was there for the rest of the day, some kids could not shake it and I could not even shake it.

I sometimes wonder if some people forgot about it a day later or even if they still think about it every day.

I mention this because these events can be traumatic.

Do we traumatize our schools every time we do an active shooter drill?

My opinion is complicated. I think a better word is desensitized.

When I become a teacher in the future, unfortunately, I need my class to know how to survive if an incident was to occur.

That is just the hard truth in my

opinion. The only reason I knew how to get up and act was because of the millions of times I had done it in schools growing up and for my jobs back home.

I do not wish this tragedy upon anyone, but it is important to know what to do. The more we prepare ourselves, the more we can do to ensure everyone goes home at the end of the day.

Frankly, that is just the reality we live with in this day of age.

Ellen Dooley can be reached at 217-581-2812 or denop.eds@gmail.com

He shoots, he scores

Conklin posted a 9-6 record with a 5.65 ERA across almost 80 innings.

Eastern won six of the last seven games Conklin pitched in, with the only loss being a 7-0 loss to Xavier University, which knocked them out of the NCAA Tournament.

“I think he’s earned it,” Anderson said. “He’s been here for a couple of years, so he’ll get us started.”

Conklin says that getting the opening day nod doesn’t change anything.

“I’m very excited,” Conklin said. “Coming off a year where we got a ring in the OVC Tournament, [we’re] super excited to get the start down in Flori -

da. Hopefully we win that series and get rolling.”

Conklin got a chance to pitch in a scrimmage game on Friday, throwing 60 pitches in multiple innings of work.

Conklin recorded three strikeouts, gave up two hits and gave up two earned runs in total.

Anderson said that beyond who touches the rubber first, everything else is still up in the air for opening day.

“We’re healthy right now, so we have depth. Everybody’s out here competing for opportunities, so I’m going to allow them to do that,” Anderson said.

The team is hoping to replicate their conference success from last season and get back to where they were: the NCAA Regional round playing teams like Vanderbilt University and Xavier.

Anderson said teams like Vanderbilt play the game on a different level but playing at that level makes the Panthers a better team.

“Everybody (Vanderbilt pitchers)

throws 97-98 [mph]; it’s really tough to duplicate that at the mid-major level,” Anderson said. “We’re not afraid of them, and we’re not afraid of obstacles, but any time you get an opportunity to do it, it’s beneficial in some way.”

The Panthers plan on continuing to prepare for the season with intersquad

scrimmages scheduled to take place throughout the weekend.

The Panther’s first game is scheduled for Feb. 16 in Tallahassee, Florida.

FILE PHOTO | THE DAILY EASTERN NEWS

EIU baseball will play Florida A&M on Feb. 16 in Tallahassee, Florida.

Tyler Conklin

BY SIA DEYKOONTZ | THE DAILY EASTERN NEWS

Senior guard Tiger Booker shoots a contested layup over University of Tennessee at Martin’s junior guard Jordan Sears and makes it. The Panthers lost to the Skyhawks 76-59 Thursday evening in Groniger Arena.

Meet the Coaches: Marty Simmons

By Payton Liggins Sports Reporter | @paytonannette27

Behind every team, there is a coach playing a crucial role in helping the players achieve their potential.

Meet Eastern’s men’s basketball head coach: Marty Simmons.

Originally from Clarksville, Simmons followed his brother’s footsteps in forming a love for basketball.

He started playing at a young age and was taller than most of the kids his age, so basketball naturally fell into his hands.

As a child, he wanted to be in the NBA, but after getting a better understanding of what he wanted to do with the sport, his initial dream changed.

“There was a professional league for guys 6 foot 5 inches and under. I played in that for two years, and then I played in the Continental Basketball League,” Simmons said.

With such a supportive community growing up, Simmons wanted to play for legendary coach Ron Felling.

Simmons later went to play for Jim Crews at the University of Evansville, where Crews inspired him to coach.

After playing for a few years, Simmons wanted to settle down and coach. His college coach asked him to come back while still getting his degree and coach the men’s college team.

Slowly falling in love with coaching basketball, Simmons knew this was what he wanted to do.

“I coached for a year, and I fell in love with it,” Simmons said. “I really enjoyed being around the players and teaching it. I love the game and being around young people, not just the ability to coach basketball but to coach life.”

Simmons was fortunate to receive a graduate assistantship offer from his previous college coach, which allowed him to further his career in coaching.

“And I mean, the hardest parts are just getting in and having an opportunity, him giving me the opportunity,” Simmons said. “The rest is pretty easy; it’s to be able to work with young people.”

Taking in everything, Simmons enjoys the opportunity to work with people from different backgrounds and watch them grow on and off the court, academically and socially.

“[We make] lifelong relationships in four to five years and it’s awfully satisfying. I feel very fortunate to be able to do

BY

that for a living,” Simmons said.

Looking back on his career and the impact his players and coaches had on his life, Simmons gives them credit for how they have an effect on him.

“The things that I do as a father, a husband, a brother, I hope in some small way that myself and the coaches we have here can be good mentors and somewhat role models and play that kind of impact for our players,” Simmons said.

Observing his players develop and get better over time is one of the most satisfying parts of coaching for Simmons.

The growth of their team, both on and off the court, is something that Sim -

mons is quite proud of.

“It’s neat to see [them] grow and get married, have kids, get into the business world. A lot of guys go play professionally,” Simmons said. “We tell our guys all the time, as my college coach told me, it’s not a four- or five-year commitment. It’s a lifetime.”

College basketball coaches are often seen as confident and composed leaders, but behind the scenes, they can experience a range of emotions, including nervousness and anxiety, especially before a big game.

The morning before games, Simmons tries to ease his anxiety with shiatsu.

Simmons meets with his assistant

Panthers of the Week

The female Panther of the Week is going to

the

The junior forward from Chicago recorded her first double-double on Thursday evening against the University of Tennessee-Martin in Groniger Arena.

Thornton recorded 11 points and 11 rebounds against the Skyhawks. This was Thornton’s first career double-double.

Thornton recorded seven points, five rebounds and one assist against the Little Rock Trojans on Saturday afternoon.

coaches before practice to discuss what they need to work on and refine to be more prepared for the game.

Coaching never stops for Simmons. He said he is “making recruiting calls, talking to recruits, always recruiting 24/7, 365.”

Simmons continues to work his way up the scale and coach Eastern’s men’s basketball team. The team is hoping to secure a high seed in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament starting March 6 in Evansville, Indiana.

Payton Liggins can be reached at 581-2812 or at densportsdesk@ gmail.com

Stoddard finished the

with a time of 4:13.87, as he was within the top thirty in the event.

Stoddard is ranked fifth in the OVC from his time at the 2024 Meyo Invitational in Notre

Taris Thornton from

women’s basketball team.

TARIS THORNTON

The male Panther of the Week is going to Joe Stoddard from the track and field team.

The freshman distance runner from Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin, finished in first place in his heat for the Meyo Mile in Notre Dame, Indiana.

Meyo Mile

Dame.

JOE STODDARD

SIA DEYKOONTZ | THE DAILY EASTERN NEWS

Eastern men’s basketball head

coach Marty Simmons instructs his team against the University of Tennessee at Martin Skyhawks.

Q&A with Corey Sawyer Jr.

By Zaria Flippin & Chloe Proffitt Sports Staff | @DEN_News

The Daily Eastern News sat down with Eastern’s junior guard Corey Sawyer Jr., who puts hot sauce in his ramen, and asked him questions ranging from basketball to food to his car.

Q: How has your season been going so far?

A: “It’s going pretty well. We had high expectations, but we’re just trying to do the best we can to get in a good position for the playoffs and compete for a championship.”

Q: Favorite postgame meal?

A: “Probably Dirty’s.”

Q: What do you get at Dirty’s?

A: “The sweet chili wings with some french fries.”

Q: Who was your biggest inspiration growing up?

A: “Definitely my parents. My dad, he played at the highest level, but he played football. So he played in the NFL, and my mom has just always been my support system. So he supported me and [made] sure I’m happy and I’m doing the best that I can to be the best version of myself.”

Q: Being a student athlete is very hard. How do you balance the two?

A: “At a young age, my dad always taught me to take care of my school first and then take care of my basketball so it’s easy. I’d say I like to take care of my schoolwork, get it out the way so I don’t have to worry about it, and then basketball is just an everyday thing.”

Q: What’s the hardest part of being a student athlete?

A: “I would say for most athletes, just the balance, like being able to balance your schoolwork and time on the court and then also like if you want to be great, you got to put on extra work. So [finding] a time to put the extra work in and outside of practice and your schoolwork.”

Q: What is currently your favorite thing to snack on?

A: “That’s a good question. I mean, our locker room is filled with ramen noodle cups.”

Q: Beef or chicken ramen?

A: “Chicken, you know, with a little bit of hot sauce in there.”

Q: What is their most rewarding part of basketball for you?

A: “Just like making your fans happy, making people around me happy. We have a lot of kids that come up to us after the game and just to see that they show nothing but love for the sport just makes you want to keep going.”

Q: What’s your favorite thing to cook?

A: “Chicken and rice.”

Q: What is your ideal outfit?

A: “I kind of change it up all the time.”

Q: Do you ever thrift?

A: “Yes, sometimes in Orlando. I love clothes and shoes. I’ve always loved shoes when I was a kid, but now [I] like clothes and seeing people express themselves to make clothes and seeing different looks. I like looking into it.”

Q: What is your favorite season?

A: “Probably summer.”

Q: What is your biggest fear?

A: “Losing a loved one. I’m super big on family.”

Q: Waffles or pancakes?

A: “Waffles.”

Q: What are your top pet peeves?

A: “One is when someone asked me a question that I already answered. I don’t like repeating myself.”

Q: If you had to do any other sport, what sport would you do?

A: “I would definitely be a football player. I mean, my dad played football. I played football when I was younger, so I would have some talents in football.”

Q: What position would you have been if you were to play football?

A: “Probably a safety or corner[back].”

SEASON ASSISTS POINTS

Q: What type of car do you drive?

A: “A black Mercedes Benz.”

Q: Does your car have a name?

A: “Black Panther because it is all black. When I got it, ‘Black Panther’ was like coming out. I didn’t want the Batmobile.”

Q: What would you tell 10-yearold you?

A: “Your journey is going to be different than everyone else’s. Don’t worry about anyone else’s journey because I’ve had a tough journey to get here and it’s always been a dream to play Division I.

Out of high school, I had wished I was one of those guys that had a DI shot straight out of high school. Like growing up in Orlando, playing against all these guys, there [were] a lot of guys that I played against that had that traditional journey to the Division I level, but that just wasn’t mine.

And so I caught myself like worrying about other people who had this offer or that offer and I guess that’s them. So I feel like because of how hard my journey was, like this just gives me another reason to not stop; to keep going because like I didn’t go through all of this for no reason.”

BY SIA DEYKOONTZ | THE DAILY EASTERN NEWS

Corey Sawyer Jr. transfered from Cloud County Community College in Concordia, Kansas, an d during his first season at Eastern he has averaged 8.6 points and 1.8 assists per game.