As a former student athlete, I know all too well that senior day is a day of celebration that you look forward to, but also dread a little. For most student athletes it signals the end of an era for them. While you may still have some games left in the season, you know in the back of your mind that playing the sport you’ve loved and invested so much time into is coming to an end soon. It is a bittersweet time that is filled with a lot of emotions and uncertainties, but also a time of pride and thankfulness for all that the sport has taught you.
The USI men’s basketball team celebrated senior day on Saturday, February 23rd, playing the University of Indianapolis. Prior to the game, USI honored their final senior team to play in the PAC, guard Alex Stein, guard/forward Nate Hansen and forward Jacob Norman. USI started off the game strong building a 13 point lead, however UIndy rebounded and closed the gap by half time 41-36 advantage for USI. The second half of the game had several lead changes. USI had a 6 point lead with 2:39 left in the game when UIndy came back to tie it 65-65 with 9.5 seconds left on the clock. Senior Alex Stein took the inbounds shot and drove the ball to hit a 15 footer to win the game 67-65. A true storybook ending to this senior’s career as he finished the night with a game high 26 points. The other seniors also had great days with Norman finishing with 6 points and 9 rebounds and Hansen with 3 points and 2 assists. With the win on senior day the Eagles move to 19-7 and 11-5 in the GLVC.
Congratulations Alex, Nate and Jacob on a great career at USI and best of luck in whatever is next for you!
Sports and social media blog, Trevor Salmon 