MVP Sports Magazine February 2014

stormont-vail & cotton-o’neil

After Hours Care Stormont-Vail HealthCare provides a variety of levels of care. If a medical need occurs when your primary care physician is not available, you have two options:

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Cotton-O’Neil ExpressCare Severe With three locations in Topeka and one in Osage City, these urgent care clinics, complete with lab and X-ray services, are available to patients of all ages who need treatment for a minor illness or injury.

At each ExpressCare clinic, a physician is available to treat adult and pediatric patients without an appointment. You do not need to be a Cotton-O’Neil patient to go to ExpressCare.

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ExpressCare – North: 1130 N. Kansas Ave. 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays

ExpressCare – Urish: 6725 S.W. 29th St. 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends

ExpressCare – Osage City: 131 W. Market 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday

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Stormont-Vail Emergency and Trauma Center Open 24 hours a day, every day, and designed for sudden, serious injury or illness. Located one block west of Eighth and Washburn in Topeka.

Call Stormont-Vail’s Health Connections at (785) 354-5225 evenings and weekends for help finding the most appropriate level of care.

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FEBRUARY 2014 | MVPSportsMagazine.com | 3

ON THE COVER JACOB HEAD

Junior, Hayden High School

JB BAUERSFELD

FEBRUARY 2014

Sports Director, WIBW-TV

CONTRIBUTORS

MANDY MADDEN

Publisher Tara Dimick

Senior, Topeka High School

Editor-in-Chief Tara Dimick Photographer Rachel Lock Designer David Vincent Contributing Writers JB Bauersfeld Melissa Brunner Mark Elliott Jake Lebahn Rachel Lock Adam Vlach Bridget Walter

MVP Sports Magazine welcomes the fifth grade class at Jay Shideler Elementary School in the Washburn Rural School District to the Future MVP Club. Learn more about the Future MVP Club at mvpsportsmagazine.com.

MVP Insider Alex King Chosen to the U.S. National Football Team

6’2”, 210-pound Washburn Rural High School Freshman Alex King was selected to the U.S. National Football Team to compete in the International Bowl Series in Arlington, Texas on February 7-8.

Alex is one of 40 top athletes selected in his age group after competing alongside hundreds of the nation’s best young football players in several USA Football regional trials and national team development camps.

“This is a huge honor for me to represent my country and an opportunity to get in front of big time college scouts to show people that we play football in Kansas too.” Alex said.

6 Perfect Games

Seaman High School Senior Ashton Bigger has bowled six perfect games: November 19th, 2011, November 10th, 2012 (844 series), October 6, 2013*, October 19, 2013, November 16, 2013, December 21, 2013. * Game bowled at Lawrence Royal Crest Lanes in Lawrence, KS. All other games were bowled at West Ridge Lanes in Topeka, KS.

Thank you!

Special thanks to Virgil Miller for his help with audio for the Ken Darting article. Thanks to Seaman Wrestling Coach Patrick Kelly for hosting the wrestling photoshoot in their gym

MVP Sports Magazine is published by E2 Communications, Inc. Reproduction or use of this publication in any manner without written permission of the publisher is prohibited.

Every effort was made to ensure the accuracy of the information in the publication as of press time. The publisher assumes no responsibility of any part for the content of any advertisement in this publication, including any errors and omissions there in. E2 Communications, Inc. makes no endorsement, representation or warranty regarding any goods or services advertised or listed in this publication. Listings and advertisers are provided by the subject companies. E2 Communications, Inc. shall not be responsible or liable innaccuracy, omission or infringement of any third party’s right therein, or for personal injury or any other damage or injury whatsoever. By placing an order for an advertisement, the advertiser agrees to indemnify the publisher against any claims relating to the advertisement.

4 | MVPSportsMagazine.com | FEBRUARY 2014

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o

ne was the senior quarterback, leading a scoring juggernaut with his arm as much as his instinctive legs. He tweaked his knee during the second game of the season and didn't think much of it, only to hobble off the field in severe pain two weeks later.

The other was the senior defensive leader, tackling at will and keeping opponents from the end zone. He battled through two years of knee injuries before going down in this year's state quarterfinal game, wondering if he'd get back up.

Together, they staged gutsy, if not improbable, comebacks that carried the Silver Lake Eagles to another state football championship.

"They are both quiet individuals," says coach C.J. Hamilton, "but their actions were much louder than anything they could say."

6 | MVPSportsMagazine.com | FEBRUARY 2014

The Quarterback The stage was set for Dailin Kruger’s senior season in the midst of the celebration of Silver Lake's 2010 state title run his freshman year when his uncle told him that he'd better be sure to win again as a senior, since that's what his dad did.

"There's a lot of competitiveness in our family!" Kruger laughed.

But on the second series of the second game of the season, Kruger had a scare. He heard a "pop" and felt a burn in his knee. He walked around a bit and concluded it was just a stinger from hitting his knee wrong.

He practiced as usual and played the next game with no problems.

In week four versus Rock Creek, Kruger took the snap, ran 15 yards for a touchdown and it happened again.

Only this time, “it felt ten times worse than the first time.”

A doctor confirmed the worst a few days later–Kruger had torn his ACL.

The Defender Johnathan Dallman loves football and he loves his teammates. This group of friends were spurred by the sour taste left by falling just shy of a second ring as juniors.

“Taking second—you never want to take second,” Dallman said.

Achieving the goal wouldn’t come easy for Dallman. Knee injuries dated back to his sophomore season. In part to keep himself positive, he took on the role of team motivator.

“I was just trying to get everyone to play together,” he said. “If everyone does their role, there was nobody that would beat us.”

But it’s tough to carry out your role on one leg.

Late in Silver Lake’s quarterfinal game against St. Mary’s-Colgan, the Eagles defense was making a goal line stand. Colgan handed off. Dallman was in a tackle position off the ball and they moved to fill a hole.

“When my knee hit the ground, it twisted in a bad way and I heard a pop,” he recalls. “We held them though!”

The bad news, Dallman dislocated his kneecap and tore his meniscus, with archrival Rossville, who’d beaten them earlier in the year, looming in the state semifinal game just one week away.

Playing Through Both Dallman and Kruger knew they wanted to get back on the field, despite their injuries. Making it happen, though, was a bit more complicated.

Dallman downplays his decision.

“Anyone can play on a torn meniscus. It’s just how much do you want it?” he said. “There was definitely pain, but you do what you have to do.”

What Dallman did in the week after his injury was ice and elevate. He went straight home after school rather than hang out with friends. He slept with his leg in the air. He credits his parents with bringing him ice and anything else he needed so he wouldn’t have to get up. By Thursday, the day before the Rossville rematch, the swelling was reduced and he was deemed okay to play.

“There was no doubt in my mind I would be in the game,” he said.

Kruger’s outlook was even less optimistic. He says his doctor told him that, while people do attempt to continue playing with a torn ACL by wearing a special brace, they’re usually back at the doctor’s office in two to three weeks. Kruger says he discussed his options with his parents, but the deciding evidence came from

his older brother, Keenan. Keenan plays at Benedictine College, where the quarterback also tore his ACL but was successfully continuing his season wearing a brace. Knowing it was possible was all Dailin needed to hear.

“If I couldn’t play, I knew (junior backup) Ryan Matzke would have done a heck of a job, but I just felt like I needed to do it myself. I needed to do something for the team,” Kruger said.

"They are both quiet individuals, but their actions were much louder than anything they could say."

- Coach C.J. Hamilton Changing Game Plans That’s not to say Coach Hamilton and his staff took the teens at their word and let them on the field, full steam ahead. Trainers made recommendations and parents were consulted.

“We also tried as best we could to limit what they did in practice during the week,” Hamilton said, “but that was harder than you would think because they wanted to be involved in any way possible.”

Hamilton says both Dallman and Kruger set a positive example in embracing their new routines. While Dallman did play the week following his injury, Hamilton held him to mainly offensive line plays. So Dallman stepped up, coaching the underclassmen who were taking his place on the defensive side of the ball. Kruger would run the scout team versus the defense in practice as a way to stay involved.

But even with Kruger still in the game, a torn ACL obviously made him

a different player. As it turned out, it became a bit of a secret weapon.

“I found, by accident, I ended up improving some skills,” Kruger said.

“It changed my mentality of how I played. My sophomore and junior year, whenever I felt pressure, I just took off running. This year, I stayed in the pocket more…so I had to improve a lot on throwing. That’s all I worked on in practice.”

The Results

The result was avenging their earlier loss to Rossville to get to the state title game. Both admit their injuries were in the back of their minds.

“I had my brace on and kept it as tight as could be,” Dallman said. “I was talking with friends when I wasn’t in, or anyone who was around, to keep my mind off it.”

“I was just hoping I would make it through the game,” Kruger said.

He did that—and more. Kruger passed for 317 yards and rushed for 92 more, leading the Eagles to a recordsetting 82-38 win over Beloit and the 3A title. Back in on defense, Dallman had a role in 13 tackles in the contest.

“What kept us going is knowing everyone on the team depended on us,” Dallman said.

In the weeks following the game, both Dallman and Kruger traded their shoulder pads for hospital gowns, undergoing surgery for their respective injuries. Their futures are undecided, with both weighing college options.

In addition, Kruger must assess his recovery to see if he will play his senior season of baseball, where he’s been an all-state talent.

More than anything, both say persevering through adversity has reinforced to never take what you love for granted. mvp

FEBRUARY 2014 | MVPSportsMagazine.com | 7

(L-R) Jessica Manderino, Payton Reynolds, Marissa Patterson, Valeria Rivera, Gabi Hunter, Lacey Henderson, Ashley Henderson

TOUGH GIRLS

GOALS

Wrestling is hard. Wrestling as a girl—even harder. Not only are the uniforms cut strictly for males, but they constantly face doubt in the eyes of their male counterparts. Seven local female wrestlers are working to beat the stereotype that “girls can’t wrestle,” and given their records and the fact that they mainly wrestle boys, they’ve just about got it pinned.

Regardless of their experience, all of the girls agree that the number one characteristic any wrestler must have to be successful is: dedication.

But a great wrestler can’t be defined by one quality, Payton believes it also takes confidence, “If you go out there doubting yourself, you’re not going to do as well.” she said.

The sacrifices for their careers are all being made with greater goals in mind. “My ultimate goal for wrestling is to inspire little girls to get into it to make it bigger,” said Jessica.

“I really want to make it to the Olympics. That’s the biggest goal I have. I want to wrestle through college, so I’m hoping to get a scholarship,” Valeria said.

“I want to make it to club state and take first at nationals,” said Marissa.

SACRIFICE Aside from what it takes on the inside, wrestling also requires a lot of sacrifice.

“I used to be in theater, but I gave that up to have more time to wrestle,” said Gabi, who has practice every day during the season, lifts weights during the off-season and does club wrestling over the summer.

8 | MVPSportsMagazine.com | FEBRUARY 2014

UNDERESTIMATED Although the girls have great family support systems in place to help them achieve their goals, their peers still underestimate them. Ranging from overhearing ‘you can beat her, she’s just a girl’ to winning their match via forfeit because their competitor refused to wrestle them, these girls have encountered it all. They don’t let the negative words get to them though, they use it as motivation to train even harder.

“That’s one of the reasons why I chose wrestling. Just hearing people say you can’t do it, makes you want to do it even more,” said Ashley. mvp

FEBRUARY 2014 | MVPSportsMagazine.com | 9

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"I'm not the easiest person to play for."

Boom & Fury "I'm not the easiest person to play for,” Coach Darting laughs, as he owns up to his trademark.

“The coach that was here before me, Coach Brinsko, was a great guy,” Darting said. “He did a great job, and he was pleasant and nice and didn't yell. And then, all of a sudden this crazy guy came in.”

Highland Park boys basketball coach Ken Darting may be a crazy coach, but he is unequivocally supported by colleagues, coaches, past players and the parents of his players; however, many of the mothers choose to show their unending support from the other side of the gymnasium. Behind the bench is no seat for the faint of heart.

They give their boys to Ken knowing he will return them as men.

Legendary Today Ken stands as one of the most highly decorated high school coaches in the state: eight time city coach of the year,

eight time centennial league coach of the year, and four time K.S.H.A.A coach of the year.

On Jan. 10, in a ceremony to commemorate his 12-year career as boys’ basketball coach, Highland Park High School named both their gymnasium and their basketball court after Darting.

"This is a tribute to athletes, parents, assistant coaches and a community that appreciates,” Darting said. “I am very humbled, but I promise you that I'll understand when three years from now people will be saying, ‘What was the name of the fat little coach?’

I'll be ok with that!"

Ken lights up at his own joke, but the man who overstuffed the trophy case at Highland Park will not be soon forgotten.

Four state championships in seven years with 52 of an estimated 60 players offered college basketball scholarships is more than a mark—it's legendary.

However illustrious the stats, the wins and the

12 | MVPSportsMagazine.com | FEBRUARY 2014

On Jan. 10, Highland Park High School named both their gymnasium and their basketball court after Coach Ken Darting to commemorate his 12-year career. Senior Shaffee Carr, picture on right with Coach Darting, scored 16 points to help Highland Park beat Junction City 62-39.

trophies, the true measure of Ken's success shows long after the crowd has gone home. He hears it when he receives calls from past players with invitations to their weddings. He feels it when he's asked to be a godparent to a former player’s newborn. He sees it when his players rise above what past Highland Park principal Dale Cushinberry calls, "the creature" of the streets.

Ruled by Heart "No fouls, and no out of bounds.” These are Ken's

rules on the court. But off the court, Ken is ruled by his heart.

Only a heart like his could draw past players from South Carolina, Texas, and Colorado to come back and honor their former coach.

David Parham, one of the '04 championship team members, stood squarely in front of Ken's current team and said, "Listen to this man. He knows what he's talking about. He really loves and cares about you guys.”

"We learned everything from this man. Everything

you can take. Take it. It's going to make you a better man. That's what he's done for every single one of us.

He's made us a better man full circle, all around, from head to toe,” said Buster Miller.

Buster, who embodies many lessons for the classes that followed him added, "I'm here now representing coach as a man. I'm somebody who is still striving for success, still fighting through adversity, and because of him…that is why I still go on. That is why I am still here. Because

of what he told us.”

Jim Bauersfeld, assistant basketball coach at Highland Park, agreed, as he looked Ken in the eye. "In the end, you can hang up your whistle, but the influence you (Darting) have had on students and players will last a lifetime. I say well done, my friend.”

And with a grin across his face, Ken replied, "Funny thing is, I've never used a whistle in my career because I can't yell and scream with a whistle in my mouth.”

"I'm somebody who is still striving for success, still fighting through adversity, and because of (Coach Ken Darting)...that is why I still go on."

- Buster Miller, player from Darting's first HPHS team

No Whining Policy

Ken probably learned work ethic the year his brother, dad and he all dug a 1,400 sq. ft. basement by hand.

He may have grasped the power of rising above circumstances when he saw his big-hearted dad overcome his own childhood poverty.

But Ken learned the most tragic and impactful lesson of all at age 8, when his 10-year-old sister died suddenly. Her death forced him to reevaluate any situation where he might consider whining, and today that no whining policy is evident in his practice regimen.

FEBRUARY 2014 | MVPSportsMagazine.com | 13

The Team of Faith

Buster Miller remembers the first day at practice in 2003 started with the statement from Coach Darting, "I don't want to hear about the labor pains, SHOW ME THE BABY!!" His class wasn't sure initially what to think about their new coach.

Ken laughs now at how soft he's become, "If it rained, we ran. If it snowed, we ran. Not inside.

Outside."

But, Buster's class bought in to Ken's unorthodox ways wholeheartedly. Because of their commitment to their new coach, the underdog team barely lost the state championship to McPherson in double overtime.

Ken felt that loss keenly back then and still feels it today. He said it is so much easier now for Highland Park kids to believe in the wins because they are tangible; the trophies are in the cases. But for the first class, none of that existed.

They believed in the win without proof that it could be a reality.

14 | MVPSportsMagazine.com | FEBRUARY 2014

Ken and Karen Darting celebrate their journey and time at Highland Park High School.

Photo Submitted: Coach Darting shows his enthusiasm and athleticism.

FEBRUARY 2014 | MVPSportsMagazine.com | 15

November 2013 MVPSportsMagazine.com

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MVPSportsMagazine.com December 2013

December 2013 MVPSportsMagazine.com

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9 Convenient Topeka Locations 785-228-0149 www.envistacu.com

FEBRUARY 2014 | MVPSportsMagazine.com | 21

Let us level with you.

Call us for a smoother, safer playing surface.

(785) 608-0195 midwestlaserleveling.com

FEBRUARY 2014 | MVPSportsMagazine.com | 23

Coach Talk With Mark Elliott

Mark Elliott WIBW 580 AM SportsTalk Silver Lake High School Graduate

Mark interviews Seaman Girls' Basketball Head Coach Steve Alexander.

STEVE ALEXANDER TIMELINE • Graduated from Baldwin High School • Graduate from Kansas State University with Accounting and Finance Degree • Worked at Kennedy & Co. • Graduated again from Kansas State University with Education Degree • Coached Football and Girls Basketball at Lucky High School

• Coached Boys’ Basketball, Junior High Football, Junior High Track, and Assistant High School Football at Blue Valley Randolph • Coach at Seaman High School (21 years) o Past Coaching: JV Football Assistant Coach, Assistant Softball Coach, Varsity Football Assistant o Current Varsity Girls Basketball Coach ELLIOTT: You’ve been at the small school setting and now at the 5A level, what’s the difference between the two?

ALEXANDER: One difference for small schools is that they expect you to help out with everything.

If I had 20 minutes in my day, I became the junior high athletic director, and if I couldn’t find someone to run the book, I

was going to be at the junior high basketball and volleyball games running the book. When I hear people complaining about only getting paid $8 an hour to do the extra stuff and I’m like “you get paid to do that stuff?”

Really there’s not as much difference as you would think.

ELLIOTT: You guys have been to the state tournament a lot, what’s the best finish for Seaman during your time?

ALEXANDER: In 2001, we got second to Bishop Miege. Coach Vinduska won a state championship in ’91, which was the year right before I came here.

ELLIOTT: Do you think this team has a chance to do some damage in class 5A? ALEXANDER: I think they have a chance. Our mental approach has gotten better.

We have to continue to work hard and get better at both ends of the court.

ELLIOTT: You’ve taken a lot of teams to the 5A state tournament. What would be the keys to the Seaman Lady Vikings winning a state title?

ALEXANDER: You have to have a team mentality. You have to have kids that don’t care who scores or who gets their name in the paper.

I’ve been lucky for 21 years.

The kids I have out here at Seaman play hard. You don’t have to get on them and yell at them, they have pride in their school and they know that they’re representing their school on Tuesday and Friday night. That’s a testament to the kids and the parents in the Seaman community.

ELLIOTT: You were a classroom teacher at Blue Valley Randolph as well as here for eight years, but now you’re going on your twelfth year as a counselor here. What’s the role of a counselor?

ALEXANDER: The biggest thing is helping kids to mature and be self-

advocates. That’s a life skill that they’re going to need forever.

ELLIOTT: To me, it’s much more difficult for a kid today. It seems like being a counselor would be a lot different than 20 years ago.

ALEXANDER: I think it probably is. There are a lot of stresses today that kids have that maybe you and I didn’t have.

There’s a big stress on how to pay for college. My first year at K-State in 1978-79 for a whole year I think $2,200 paid for everything.

I could work on a farm and almost make close to that in a summer. When the price tag is 16 to 18 thousand dollars to go to a state school, there’s no kid that’s going to make that or even make close to that in a summer to be able to go.

There’s more pressure to do better on grades and the ACT. There are also a lot of kids that work a lot of hours—as many as 30

Steve Bordewick instructs Senior Delaney Hiegert and Junior Brooke McMillin

hours a week—while they go to school.

ELLIOTT: Looking back, what’s the biggest thing you get to take away from being a coach and teacher?

ALEXANDER: You get to be young all the time.

There’s always a new group, there’s always kids you bond with.

ELLIOTT: Have kids changed?

ALEXANDER: I really don’t think that kids have changed that much.

Someone sent me a cartoon the other day and it said, “I wish these people would communicate.” It was a commuter train from 1950 and every person had their newspaper out reading it and not talking to a soul on the train. I don’t know that that’s any different—using a newspaper than using a phone.

I think kids today know how to find out information probably a lot better than we did back in our day.

ELLIOTT: Coach, thanks for the time. Have a great season and we expect to see you at the Expocenter in March.

ALEXANDER: (laughs) Oh we hope so. Thanks.

Also available at 900 N. Ks Ave

FEBRUARY 2014 | MVPSportsMagazine.com | 25

Kellen Wittman, Mariah Trupp, & Ryan Finnegan

It is indisputable that playing sports takes commitment, but moving half way across the nation and traveling to other countries to compete, all while in school, takes “commitment” to a whole new level. Three teenagers from Topeka, Kansas have done just that.

KELLEN WITTMAN Kellen Wittman is finishing her high school career at Heights while traveling to play hockey with the St. Louis Lady Blues. Kellen began playing the sport when she was five years old. After graduating this spring, she has received a scholarship to attend Stevenson University in Maryland to continue her hockey career.

MARIAH TRUPP Mariah Trupp began playing hockey for the Topeka Scarecrows Youth Program when she was merely four years old. She continued playing | MVPSportsMagazine.com university| of tulsa 2014 26Freshman, FEBRUARY

through her junior year of high school at Hayden High School. She then crossed the country to attend the National Sports Academy in Lake Placid, New York. She plays goaltender and enjoys the challenge of defending slap shots from some of the best players in North America.

Mariah has received a scholarship to play hockey next year for Plymouth State University in Plymouth, New Hampshire while pursuing a degree in business.

RYAN FINNEGAN Ryan Finnegan left Shawnee Heights High School his sophomore year to pursue his dream. Ryan has played hockey since the age of five and persists in honing his skills in Maryland where he continues his schooling and plays competitive hockey. Ryan loves the camaraderie and the constant knowledge that friends have his back.

Ryan has received a scholarship to play for Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut, a Division I school, in 2016.

BALANCING There are many ups and downs when it comes to being a hockey player in Kansas. Traveling the country, and even into Canada, is one of the benefits. Like any sport, they make friends, both on the team and from around the continent.

Of course, being far from family and friends is always hard, and having to make up or balance school with this lifestyle is difficult, but the experience of playing hockey now, and soon at the collegiate level, is a once in a lifetime opportunity—and Mariah, Ryan, and Kellen are taking it. mvp

Jake Lebahn of WIBW 580 AM Sports Talk gets the scoop from former Topeka High standout Marcus Fillyaw on his journey to play Divison 1 basketball at Southern Illinois University.

LEBAHN: Has basketball always been your love?

FILLYAW: Yeah, my dad got me into basketball. I used to like football a lot too, but I stopped once I got to high school so I could focus on basketball more.

LEBAHN: How did your dad impact you in the game?

FILLYAW: He was a point guard himself, and played semi-professionally for a little bit before he went to the military. He’s knowledgeable about the game and passed it down to me. He’s always been the one to push me.

LEBAHN: How much advice has your dad given you when it comes to playing the point guard position? What are the things that he really wanted you to focus on?

FILLYAW: When I was younger it was always defense first. He told me that (defense) turned into offense. On the offensive end: stay attack-minded, get my own shots and set up my teammates.

LEBAHN: Your senior year at Topeka High, you knew you were going to play somewhere—whether it’s going to be junior college, Division II, or Division I. At what point did you start trying to figure out where you were going to play college ball?

FILLYAW: I really started the summer going into my senior year. Coach Eshbaugh (Cloud County Community College) started recruiting me when I was a sophomore and was always there. I knew if I was going to go JUCO it was either going to be Cloud or Coffeyville. Going into my senior year, I didn’t have very many Division

Photos by Ann Williamson & Paul Newton

I offers, and I knew I wanted to go Division I, so JUCO ended up being the route.

LEBAHN: Tell me the biggest difference between playing at Topeka High and Coach Denney, and going that one step above and playing at the junior college ranks for Coach Eshbaugh.

FILLYAW: The college game is completely different from high school.

It’s so much faster paced, so much more physical. Playing for Coach E was a shocker too, because he’s a very intense man, completely opposite from Coach Denney.

LEBAHN: Were you a little surprised of the style of the junior college game?

FILLYAW: I didn’t know it was going to be as fast as it was. At the Division I level it seems like a lot of teams are half-court and slow it down and run their sets, but at junior college it was just get the ball and go.

LEBAHN: What made you stay just one year at Cloud?

Photo by Stephen Lance Dennee 28 | MVPSportsMagazine.com | FEBRUARY 2014

FILLYAW: Going into the first year, Coach E told me I was going to be a one-year guy since I qualified out of high school. I was basically just going to Cloud to get offers. All through

Photo by SIU Athletics

my first year at Cloud, I didn’t get an offer that I really liked, so I had actually signed to go back. Southern Illinois came in late and I thought the Missouri Valley conference was good for me, and Coach E thought the same. He told me I’d be stupid if I didn’t take the offer. He was probably one of the biggest influences in my decision.

LEBAHN: So when you look back are you glad you went the junior college route?

FILLYAW: I have no regrets. The JUCO life is a whole lot different than anything else I’ve experienced and it helped shape who I am a lot. It all worked out perfectly for me.

LEBAHN: What do you like most about Coach Henson?

FILLYAW: He’s really passionate. He has a family concept of our team and I really like that a lot. That’s what sold me on coming to Southern Illinois.

LEBAHN: I gotta ask, the whole situation Coach Henson had with that press conference and everything, did people blow that a little too much out of proportion?

FILLYAW: I think it was. I think it was just for the entertainment factor.

LEBAHN: So, you really didn’t care that he ended up dropping your name?

something that isn’t true. It was true.

I played bad. I was terrible that game, so I couldn’t be mad at it.

LEBAHN: You’re playing a lot of minutes. How much different is it stamina-wise?

FILLYAW: There are different factors that affect your stamina. Everybody is so much stronger and that wears on me. There’s a lot of media timeouts.

I noticed that the very first game of Division I, all the media timeouts give you breaks.

LEBAHN: You guys had a crazy situation in early January—you guys ended up stuck on the road and sleeping in a church. How wild was that?

FILLYAW: It was pretty wild, looking back on it now. But then, we were all just so tired (laughs), we weren’t really thinking about it. It was a good little team bonding thing though, lot of laughs, nobody was really too upset.

The people at the church were really nice for letting us sleep down there. It was a long ride but it was fun at the same time.

LEBAHN: Well Marcus, best of luck to you. You’re just a sophomore, I know you’re going to be a fantastic point guard. Here’s some advice for you: it goes by fast, enjoy every minute of it.

FILLYAW: Yes sir. Thank you, I appreciate it. mvp

FILLYAW: The only reason I would have cared was if he was saying FEBRUARY 2014 | MVPSportsMagazine.com | 29

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EASY TIP

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WHEN IT COMES TO SPORTS MEDICINE, HE’S OUR MVP.

Dr. Messmer is Sports Medicine Fellowship trained and specializes in concussion and sports medicine.

Location: St. Francis Health Family Medicine Hunter’s Ridge 4646 NW Fielding Rd. Call 888-365-0440 to schedule an appointment.

Innovative Care with a Soul® www.stfrancistopeka.org