A Silent Sensei

by Casey Jacobsen When I committed to play college basketball at Stanford in 1999, I did so because I thought it was the perfect fit for me. Not only was it an amazing academic institution, their basketball program had been transformed into a respected contender for a national championship, year in and year out. Stanford also had a promising group of underclassmen to help live up to the new expectations. All-American forward Mark Madsen was one of only two returning seniors on the team, but with talented twin centers Jason and Jarron Collins, the foundation of the team was rock solid. At the wing positions, Stanford was good but lost both starters to graduation. There were starting jobs to be won, and I felt that I was up to the task. The prospect of getting playing time right away for a good team was one of the biggest factors in committing to play for the Cardinal. Other factors including the quality of education that Stanford offered as well as remaining in my home state of Calif...