Ode to Juwann

Okay, so this really isn't an 'ode' or even a poem. I think we just need to take a little bit of time to thank JJ for all that he's done. Juwann has always, at least in my mind, been the foundation of this team. He has always given 110% and does literally everything he can for this team. When he became a senior, this generally reserved individual did not push away the responsibility, but took it upon himself to become the leader and soul of this team. Juwann and Terrance Carter ('08) were always my favorite players because they had more heart than everyone else put together. He has also worked hard to improve his shot over his career. His freshman year, he had a field goal percentage of 48.6 and a free throw percentage of 45.9. So far this year, he has been hitting 57.9% of his field goals and 60% of his free throws, which is a huge improvement. Interesting note: he is also (percentage-wise) our team's top 3pt shooter going 1-1 on the year. Juwann is a quality player and a quality guy that after playing through 3 years of terrible teams, deserves to be healthy to play for a winning team. This is what Andrey Semenov had to say about Juwann: "Being in the game with Juwann is like standing behind a stone wall. You feel very safe. He's reliable. You feel like things are going to come together. Wins are going to come together. Once he's out, the stone wall becomes a glass wall. You're just not as strong as you used to be." All reports so far are that Juwann is okay after what happened on Wednesday night. He was released from RMH that night and seems to be doing fine, though they are still doing tests trying to find out what caused it. This writer is a little worried about the whole situtation and doesn't want Juwann to risk his life trying to get back on the court too soon. But it's his choice and considering he spent 5 minutes trying to push away the gurney Wednesday night after dropping to the floor gasping for air, I'm sure he'll be back as soon as he's cleared to play.