Cassels, growing through adversity

For senior Christopher Cassels, the past season of Trailblazer's basketball was the payoff of years of hard-work and perseverance.

Recruited out of high school to come play basketball for MCLA, Cassels was witness to the 1-24 season that represented the nadir of the basketball program. In his time, he has watched the team regroup and rebuild eventually becoming a legitimate force in the conference, going 17-10 this past season.

"There's been a core of nine guys, since sophomore year and we've been playing together. We've had team leaders who kept at us, so we knew we could turn it around."

Describing his proudest moments, Cassels only very rarely refers to his own personal achievements. He singles out this past Senior Night, in which he came close to getting a triple-double as a major high point.

More often though, the talk turns to his esteem for his team and teammates and the heights that have reached together. Cassels excitedly recounts teammate Jon Greenberg getting his 1,000th career point. He expressed nothing but pride at the way his teammate and classmate had developed as an athlete and teammate.

His own growth can best be chartered in personal growth. "I went from All-League in high school to just being one of the guys here. I definitely matured in my time here. I would sulk a lot because I wasn't playing as much, but then maturity really hit me. I wanted to be part of the team that turned it around."

He goes on, "I was a cocky kid. I was really humbled by my time here."

Seeing and sharing the way the Trailblazers rebounded from their atrocious beginnings to the formidable opponent they are today has clearly left a very deep impact on Cassels. It's an impact that can be witnessed in many different aspects of his character, from his attitude about the game towards how he would like to see his future go.

Cassels expresses a desire to one day become a basketball coach, preferably at the college level. He is already well on his way towards earning a coaching minor. Cassels explains that when speaking towards his team, he will use his time at MCLA as an example of how to keep up a strong attitude and how every situation can be reversed and improved.

Cassels repeatedly returns to the strong bond between himself and his teammates, particularly other seniors as something that he will carry with him long after he leaves MCLA behind. The experience of being on such a losing team forced them to bond and to put aside all of their hang-ups.

Now, four years after being recruited, Cassels has seen his perseverance rewarded even more so than he could have imagined. Cassels was blindsided at the awards ceremony when the coaches named an award after him and teammate, Marvin Thompson: The Cassels-Thompson Dedication Award.

Even now, there is awe in his voice as he describes the moment. "I had no idea."

The award was so-named in recognition of Cassels loyalty to the program and his unwavering work ethic.

"You have to put the team first and play hard regardless. Even if we lost, we always came really hard."

He goes on, "The coaches really appreciated the guys that stuck around."

And what was it that made him stick around? Why shed blood, sweat and tears for a program that could not have been at a lower starting point?

He answers simply, "I love basketball. I wouldn't know what to do without basketball in my life."

The effect wasn't limited to the court. "It kept me good in school, because otherwise I  couldn't play.

Coach Morrison added "Chris deserves a lot of praise. The award was about being dedicated to the team, but also his passion for the sport, he loves everything about the game. He has really worked hard turning it around in the classroom as well. I know it was tough for him at times, but I couldn't be happier about the way things are finishing up for him on the court and in the classroom."

Cassels looks to the future and imparts some words to the incoming freshmen to better help them manage the pressures and temptations of college with servicing the game. The words echo his longstanding dedication to the school, to the team and to the game of basketball itself.

"If you love it enough, you'll put games before partying."

(by Brendan Foley/MCLA Beacon)