Jack Bids Farewell

First of all, I would like to start out by thanking my teammates here for the last couple of years. I have no doubt made some life-long friends. When I first transferred to Saint Mary’s, I was unsure of what it would be like to come into a new program in the middle of my career. It was not long after I arrived that I knew it would not be an issue. All of you guys made my transition here very easy to say the least. It has been a great experience to be a part of this team for the past two years. Being the old guy on the team I have been able to watch a lot of you guys develop as not only players but people. I can not wait to see how the rest of this year turns out. Let’s continue to change Saint Mary’s basketball and make history!!!! Next, I would like to thank my teammates and coach from Black Hawk East Community College. Coming out of high school I did not know what it took to be a student-athlete at the college level and my coach there did a great job of teaching me what it took to become successful, on and off the court. As soon as I arrived on campus my freshman year he told the entire team what he wanted from us. The first and most important thing that he expected out of us was that we leave the program and the school in better shape than when we arrived. I did not know exactly what he meant at the time, but over my two years there I figured it out. It is there that I really learned a lot about myself and who I am as a person. Third, I would like to thank my coaches here at Saint Mary’s. You have taught me more about the game of basketball than I ever thought I could possible know. I have always wanted to get into coaching, ever since I was in high school and after my time here, my desire to do so has never been stronger. I have valued this last year of my career because I feel that I have been given a unique opportunity to almost get a coaches view of the game while I am still a player. I look forward to watching Saint Mary’s in the future, hopefully while they have become a dominant team in the MIAC and being able to think that I was a part of the teams that started the great tradition. Last, but not least, I would like to thank my parents and my family. As anyone that has been around athletes knows, we are not always the easiest bunch to get along with. It seems like there is always something, whether it is that I need new shoes, or money for a camp, or a ride to practice or maybe that I am just in a horrible mood after a bad practice or a tough loss. For always being there and putting up with me no matter what mood I am in, I just want to say thank you and let you know how much it has meant to me over the years.