I caught up with student-athlete Trey Waller (SO) of the basketball team to get his perspective on his time here at Saint Xavier and the future of basketball.
Of the large population of successful student-athletes on campus, we were able to get Trey Waller to take time out of his busy day to share his thoughts with The Xavierite.
Having been a student-athlete, I felt it was important to take this time with him in the middle of a grueling season. Waller is a sophomore guard on the men’s basketball team, which is 9-15 (6-8, CCAC) on the season. He shared that being apart of the basketball team has made his overall experience at Saint Xavier a smooth one.
The “camaraderie” has been beneficial to him, as the comfort he has with the team “carries over into classes”. It is important for students to find comfort in anything they can to make transitions into this new chapter of life as smooth as possible.
Waller shared a specific memory that has stuck with him – one of his teachers showed interest in him and his teammates. This instructor supported the basketball program by showing up to the next game, something many students and faculty could take a lesson from in knowing that a little support could go a long way.
As for the underwhelming and challenging year the Cougars are having, Waller points out positives that can be taken away from the season. He highlights the recent victory over Holy Cross as something that gives the team hope while moving forward in its attempts to earn a spot in the conference tournament.
With their backs up against the wall now, the previous loss to Saint Ambrose University could have been especially devastating to the team, but a close win against Holy Cross has the team feeling really positive about things at the moment. The next game coming up for the team is Wednesday, January 30 at the Shannon Center. The Cougars will face the Bearcats of Calumet College of St. Joseph.
Noticing that this year’s team is much younger than last year’s group, Waller gave insight on the effects this will have for the future of Cougars basketball. He says that in this transitional year, mentorship and leadership will be key for this team becoming much better next year.
Simply put, Waller says “whenever you go from high school to college, there’s a big difference” in how the lifestyle translates. The main thing he highlighted about the biggest surprise/change going from high school to college was the physicality of the sport. He noted that the length of the season could take a toll on one’s body if they are not prepared for it.
“In high school, you get breaks; in college, you don’t,” Waller says. He also offers advice for those whom may be experiencing some difficulties in balancing school and sport.
Waller’s key for being successful is to be very organized and detailed in whatever you have to do, not waste time on things that do not matter much, and limit rushing due to procrastination.
Something really profound that Waller said was that using your weekends to handle business instead of going out to parties and other fun activities would be beneficial to plenty. Our time “off” has to be used more wisely if we want to be the best at what we do.
This translates well to the character in Waller’s favorite sports moment, which occurred on Christmas Day 2011. The Los Angeles Lakers hosted the Chicago Bulls, and in a hard fought matchup, former Bull Derrick Rose sunk the go-ahead floater to give Chicago a thrilling victory.
Rose’s injury history is very well documented, so the example Waller gives fits perfectly when you look at it from the player’s perspective. Having to endlessly prepare for any challenges that happen throughout your day is really important, because without preparation, the risk of failure is raised.
Let’s support our fellow Cougars as this men’s and women’s basketball season comes to a close. Check the SXU Athletics website for upcoming games and give encouraging words to all of our athletes as they work to balance a “double shift” with school and sport.
Dallas Haywood
Sports Reporter