OPPONENT SPOTLIGHT: Air Force sergeant stars at center for Cornell

Eddie Samuel had no plans for college or basketball Saying Eddie Samuel's route to Ivy League basketball has been circuitous might be the understatement of the year. This 28-year old former Air Force sergeant spent plenty of time in the "real world" before living out his hoop dreams at Cornell. Samuel has always been a talented basketball player. Although he did not play high school varsity basketball in Pensacola, Fla., it was not for a lack of ability. Back then, he was a guard, going about 5-foot-11 and 145 pounds as a member of the freshman and sophomore team. But come junior year, Samuel had to prioritize. "I had an opportunity to work in a bank, which would be very helpful to my mother," said Samuel, who did not see any future for himself in basketball. After graduating from Woodham High in 1985, Samuel joined the Air Force, an institution with which he was already acquainted through a cousin. Although he does not regret his decision in the least, Samuel does call his thinking at the time "naive." "I felt that the only way to go to college was through sports, and that was out of the question," Samuel said. "I knew I didn't want to sit at home." First stop was the basic training program, where the 18-year old's guard body began to transform into that of a center. In just nine weeks, Samuel gained 40 pounds and grew several inches, a spurt that did not stop until Samuel was 6-foot-5. Samuel would spend six years in the military, a time that would take him to places as far-flung as North Dakota and Germany. Upon entering the Air Force, the kid nicknamed "Big Man" for his feats of growth, began to resuscitate his basketball career. At first, that only meant showing up for intramural games, but eventually it took Samuel to the highest levels of the Air Force's complicated basketball hierarchy, which involved spending long periods, up to six months per year, on a touring team. But the junior officer's military experience was not all games. During the Persian Gulf crisis, Samuel was shipped off to Ramstein in the former West Germany. "I remember a lot of 12-hour shifts," said Samuel, who was working in mobile support. "You could feel the tension. We were located where people were going in and out [of the Persian Gulf]." By the time the war had ended, the then-24-year-old was nearing six years since he had left home. In that time, he had given a lot of consideration to his future. "I basically had to make a decision between making the Air Force a career or pursuing other avenues," Samuel said. Finding it increasingly difficult to make rank, and wanting a college degree, Sgt. Samuel decided to trade in the military life for Pensacola Junior College, a national powerhouse in the junior college ranks. Playing down low, Samuel quickly made use of the skills he had gained in the intramural ranks, where he played with present boxing champion Roy Jones, Jr. As a member of the senior team during the 1993-4 season, the power forward chipped in 7.8 ppg and 5.0 rpg, as Pensacola rode a galaxy of stars -- including players now at Missouri, Saint Louis and Auburn -- to the national junior college championship. Once his two years at Pensacola were up, he had to pick a new school. Cornell had sent feelers to many junior colleges, looking for talented players with high GPAs. Pensacola coach Bob Marlin had responded on Samuel's behalf. When Cornell got wind of the strong post player with the 4.0 GPA, Samuel had an opportunity he never anticipated. "I knew that I wasn't trying to make a basketball career, so the only logical thing was to pick the best academic school," said Samuel, who rejected free rides to Southwest Texas State and Furman, among others. That decision certainly pleased Cornell head coach Al Walker. "He's a fantastic young man, who made a tremendous decision to come to the Ivy League," Walker said. But even in the Ancient Eight, a 6-5 player is rarely called upon to play center, but that is just what happened in Samuel's case. He rose to the challenge, averaging 11.5 ppg, while adding 6.0 boards per outing. Still, it was a frustrating season for a man who had been a national champion just one year earlier. The Big Red, composed mainly of young players, went 9-17, with a scant four Ivy League wins. This year has been much of the same, as co-captain Samuel continues to function as a veteran leader for the Big Red, who presently sport a 9-14 (5-9 in the conference) mark. Nonetheless, the year has had its thrills such as when Cornell went out Lawrence, Kan., to meet the then-No. 2 Kansas Jayhawks. "I wanted them to be No. 1 when we played them," Samuel said. "The coach [Roy Williams] came over and talked to us. He told us, 'It's going to be a good game' and apologized for the small crowd, because it was over break. It was packed -- I don't know what it's normally like." This weekend will be a special one for the Ivy League's oldest player, as he will play his final two college basketball games in front of the home crowd at Cornell's Newman Arena. It's been a long road to basketball glory for the Pensacola native, whose hopes of a college education and a basketball future once seemed dead when he took the job at the bank 12 years ago.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.