12 TRI-C TIMES SUMMER 2018 13

Quintin Dove, Devon Robinson, Larenz Thurman and twin brothers Waheem and Wade Lowman. Cuyahoga Community College’s graduating class of sophomore men’s basketball players. Five young men about to go their separate ways. They’re together for one last time as teammates, for a professional photo shoot.

They’ve learned so much in their two years at Tri-C. They’ve learned about teamwork and responsibility, accountability and sacrifice. They’ve learned lessons that will serve them well in the adult world.

But for a moment, they don’t have to concern themselves with any of that. They can stand in the Metropolitan Campus gym, where they compiled much of their incredible 60-5 record over the past two years, wear their white uniforms under their teal graduation gowns and bask in the glow of their achievements — both athletic and academic.

Assistant coach Thomas Coleman watched as this quintet, who grew so much over the past two years, gathered in front of the camera one final time — arms around each other, laughing and smiling — before they depart Tri-C to continue their basketball careers and education at four-year schools.

“Kind of makes you feel a little something, doesn’t it?” a bystander asked Coleman.

“Oh, I cry all the time,” Coleman joked.

Time will march on. A new season will commence this fall, with a new cast of returning sophomores and incoming freshmen. The pictures from this day will be used in College literature, but — like all aging pictures — will eventually end up in the depths of filing cabinets, servers and hard drives.

Someday, though, someone will find them again. And someone will remember that this was no ordinary class of graduating sophomores.

To understand why, you have to go back to the beginning of head coach Michael Duncan’s tenure in 2013. The team was coming off a 13-16 season, players weren’t graduating and the team’s collective GPA hovered around 1.8.

“Guys were coming here to play basketball, not necessarily to be students,” Duncan said. “As a result, we weren’t winning, we weren’t graduating students — it wasn’t working on any level. So when I came in, my biggest thing was to turn that around.”

Duncan saw to it that his players attended study sessions, working with tutors three to four days a week. Good grades and

class attendance went a long way toward determining who saw playing time.

“Playing basketball is a reward, not a right,” Duncan said. “You have to make it a consequence. You do your schoolwork, you have a chance to play. And if you do really well in class, maybe you get some extra privileges and freedom while we’re on the road. But nothing happens if you’re not focusing on your classes.”

Five years later, Duncan’s methods are delivering results. The team’s collective GPA now sits over 2.5.

Duncan sees this year’s graduating sophomores as a powerful symbol of what is possible for a junior college athletic program. He wants to make the story of this year’s sophomore class a yearly occurrence at Tri-C.

That should be the goal for any junior college athletic program, he said.

“I’m just amazed by them, what they’ve been able to accomplish on and off the court in just two years. They’ve set the standard for the program, and now it’s up to future classes to live up to that.”

Dove, the 2017-2018 Ohio Community College Athletic Conference Player of the Year, has committed to the University of Tennessee at Martin. Robinson will move on to California University of Pennsylvania. Thurman will stay local, attending Notre Dame College in South Euclid. Waheem Lowman will return home to the Philadelphia area and attend Neumann University, while his brother Wade will head south to the University of Montevallo in Alabama.

They will scatter to destinations across the map, but they’ve left an indelible mark on Tri-C — an OCCAC title, a share of a second title and an appearance in the NJCAA Division II National Championship Tournament.

They brought title banners home. They graduated. They redefined what it means to be a Tri-C basketball player. Someday, we’ll pull out those old photos from the spring of 2018 and remember.

THESE FIVE SOPHOMORES COMPRISE ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL CLASSES IN THE HISTORY OF THE TRI-C MEN’S BASKETBALL PROGRAM — BOTH ON THE COURT AND IN THE CLASSROOM.

HOOP DREAMS COME TRUE

IT WAS A MOMENT TO CHERISH. SOMETHING TO TAKE OUT, DUST OFF AND RELIVE YEARS FROM NOW.

“YOU CAN WIN GAMES, BUT THE REAL TEST IS, DO YOUR PLAYERS MOVE ON? DO THEY GO TO A FOUR-YEAR SCHOOL AND GET THEIR BACHELOR’S DEGREES? THESE GUYS DID IT.”

STORY BY Erik CassanoPHOTOS BY Cody York

14 TRI-C TIMES SUMMER 2018 15

5FLIGHT PLANS

LAR

ENZ

THU

RM

AN

#11 GUARD

2017-2018 SEASON STATS:11.0 PTS 3.6 REB 4.7 AST

After missing the 2016-2017 season due to a torn ACL, Larenz Thurman returned this season to start 30 games and lead the team in assists. He graduated from Tri-C with an Associate of Arts degree and will attend Notre Dame College in South Euclid next school year, where he plans to continue his basketball career and major in business.

“Playing basketball at Tri-C taught me about teamwork and brotherhood, but what I learned here academically is what is going to prepare me for the real world. It takes hard work to be a good player, and it also takes hard work to be a good student.”

QU

INTI

N D

OVE

#22 FORWARD

2017-2018 SEASON STATS:

18.9 PTS 8.4 REB 0.6 AST

After a stellar two-year career at Tri-C,

Quintin Dove accepted an offer to play

for the University of Tennessee at Martin

next season. The reigning OCCAC Player

of the Year graduated from Tri-C with an

Associate of Arts degree and plans to

major in engineering at UTM.

“It’s a tough task to be a student-athlete,

but my teachers and coaches at Tri-C

helped me find a balance. You have to

have a great work ethic both on the court

and in your studies, and that’s what I

learned in my time here. It’s a valuable

lesson I’ll carry with me wherever I go.”

DEV

ON

RO

BIN

SON

#0 GUARD

2017-2018 SEASON STATS:11.3 PTS 10.5 REB 2.7 AST

Devon Robinson, the Challengers’ double-double machine, graduated from Tri-C with an Associate of Arts degree. He will continue his education and playing career at California University of Pennsylvania, where he plans to major in social work.

“I’d tell new student-athletes to take school seriously. That’s the lesson I learned here. Go to class, and when tests come, take them seriously. Don’t let your popularity go to your head just because you play a sport.”

WA

DE

LOW

MA

N

#23 CENTER

2017-2018 SEASON STATS:13.4 PTS 7.3 REB 1.1 AST

Wade Lowman, the Challengers’ big man, graduated from Tri-C with an Associate of Arts degree. He plans to major in accounting at the University of Montevallo in Alabama.

“Everyone at Tri-C worked their hardest to put me in the right situation to succeed. I feel like they actually cared about me as a person and wanted me to do well. The people here are a big reason why I’ve become the person and the player I am.”

FAB

2017-2018 SEASON STATS:

7.1 PTS 3 REB 1.9 AST

Waheem Lowman graduated from Tri-C

with an Associate of Arts degree. He plans

to major in physical therapy at Neumann

University in Aston Township, Pennsylvania,

near his hometown of Philadelphia.

“The teachers at Tri-C really look out for you.

They’re willing to answer questions and go

the extra mile to help you do well. If you’re

willing to put in the work, they’re willing to

help you.”

WA

HEE

M L

OW

MA

N

#3 GUARD