Jamaal Caterina is the man.
After watching his performance on Tuesday night against Rhode Island College I feel quite confident in saying that. Not only did he post a career high 18 points and snatch 12 rebounds, but he played with a passion and energy that truly made the game worth watching and kept the score close.
I must admit though, in the interest of full-disclosure, that I’ve been on the Caterina train for quite a while. Ever since I saw him and Nik Caner-Medley play as schoolboys at Deering High School, I’ve followed his progress as a basketball player and marveled at his physical abilities.
But the effort I saw on Tuesday night in front of just 285 people was far more impressive than the Mr. Basketball Award he won as a senior or the accolades he’s garnered throughout the years.
He put on a one man show of hustle, heart and determination.
Caterina is a basketball player in every sense of the word.
At 6’6 and 215 pounds he’s a formidable specimen with the agility of someone 5’9 and the strength of a 300-pounder.
But Caterina doesn’t just look the part. He has played the game pretty well, too.
He played in arguably the most memorable high school game in history (Deering’s last-second loss to Bangor in the State Championship in 2001), he’s banged with future NBA players like Josh Boone and now he’s making the most of his final semester of college eligibility here at USM.
But maybe more importantly than just being a hoopster, Caterina is a reminder of how we should conduct ourselves on a day-to-day basis.
After stints at American University in Washington, D.C. and the University of New Hampshire, both Division I schools, Caterina could easily waltz into Hill Gymnasium and pretend like someone owes him something. But he doesn’t.
In fact, he’s quite the opposite.
During the second half of Tuesday night’s game, when Rhode Island College’s fast-paced style was wearing out the defense, Caterina snatched seven of the Huskies’ ten rebounds for the period and guarded every conceivable player on the floor, showing just the type of competitor he is.
He lined up against shifty guards on one possession and then held his ground down low against RIC’s athletic big men, while never backing down from the unique challenges each opponent presented. He just played the game and played it hard.
Playing Division III basketball isn’t the most glamorous gig in town: lights go out, skimpy crowds show up to cheer you on and no one is paying for your education. But Caterina doesn’t care. He just wants to play.
After injuring himself at the beginning of last year and what was supposed to be his final campaign in college basketball, he petitioned for a medical redshirt exemption and was granted one final semester of playing eligibility. And now he’s making the Husky squad better and leading by example.
Whether he’s practicing free-throws in an empty Hill Gymnasium or running around the Back Bay to get into game shape-as Coach Karl Henrikson saw him doing on one balmy summer day-Caterina is a classic example of what being a college athlete is all about.
In an ESPN world it’s easy to think that college athletes should be entitled to lax academic standards and unrelenting media hype, but just ask Jamaal if he’s having a good time and I am sure he’ll say yes.