That’s when senior guard Jeff Espino (Mission, TX/Mission) (photo) scored his first points since learning 15 months ago that he had a brain tumor. Espino was diagnosed with the tumor in September of 2001, forcing him to miss the 2001-2002 school year and basketball season. After going through treatments in Houston, Texas, near his hometown of Mission, he returned for his senior season this year. He received the news from the doctors last February that the treatments were successful and the tumor, diagnosed as malignant, was gone. He is still battling vision problems from the tumor and treatments, but he saw his 12-foot jumper go through the net on Wednesday for his first basket of the season.
“When we heard the news about Jeff last year, it was devastating,” said head coach Mac Petty. “He had worked so hard to get ready for the season, but more than that it was news that made us realize that basketball is so unimportant in the big picture. I’ve never had a player go though something like that during the season. Jeff’s strength through all of the treatments was a boost to our team. He would call us and wish us luck in our games, and the players would call him to tell Jeff how much we were all thinking about him. Jeff has accepted his role as a leader in practice and on the bench this season.”
That leadership was rewarded when he hit that shot against Earlham in traffic.
The contest itself was a complete turnaround for the Little Giants after Saturday’s loss at Wooster. After the Quakers opened the game with a basket, Wabash went on a 13-0 scoring run led by Brady Claxton (Shelbyville, IN/Shelbyville)and Joe DesJean (Indianapolis, IN/Perry Meridian). Claxton scored three of his game-high 19 points on the first basket for the Little Giants after DesJean hit two free throws to tie the game in the early going. A three-pointer by David Wagner (Belleville, IL/Belleville), who finished with a career-high 14 points, and another three by DesJean gave Wabash a lead that would not fall below double-digits again in the contest. The Little Giants jumped out to a 19-point lead midway through the first half and never looked back.
Sophomore Nate Bell (Ft. Wayne, IN/Concordia Lutheran) scored a career-best 14 points in 14 minutes of second-half play as the Little Giants increased a 27-point halftime lead to 30 for most of the second half. Five Wabash players reached double figures in scoring, in addition to Claxton, Wagner, and Bell. DesJean scored 14 points before leaving the contest after having a tooth knocked out when he went hard to the floor while grabbing a rebound. Senior Ryan Short (Indianapolis, IN/Perry Meridian) came off the bench to add 10 points to the Wabash effort.
The Little Giants forced 20 turnovers and once again held an opponent to less than 30-percent shooting from the three-point arc. Wabash leads the North Coast Athletic Conference in three-point field goal defense, and Wednesday night the Little Giants held Earlham to 6-of-30 from behind the arc.
Wabash moves to 10-3 with the win, 4-1 in the NCAC. Earlham, led by the 11-point efforts of Brandon Miller and Tyler Stewart, falls to 7-7 and 1-3 in conference play.
Wabash will continue its homestand on Saturday afternoon as the Little Giants play host to Oberlin College at 2 p.m. at Chadwick Court.