Where’s The Beef?

The Mid-American Conference, like any mid-major college basketball conference, is like your hometown. You know everybody who could play, when they were around and how they fit in your city’s history. Eastern Michigan had George Gervin and Earl Boykins. Miami had Ron Harper and Wally Szczerbiak. At Ohio, we had Gary Trent. When I covered my first basketball game in 2008, I found that Gary’s number was not in the Convocation Center rafters. I didn’t think much of it. After browsing through a media guide, though, I was much more intrigued. Trent, the 11th pick of the ’95 Draft, is far-and-away the best player in Bobcat history. Even the Ohio team that upended Georgetown in the NCAA Tournament last March didn’t have a player anywhere near Gary’s caliber. Now comes the strange part. When I started to ask why Trent was M.I.A. from the Convo, no one had a straight answer to give me. Many in the Ohio Athletic Department had no more idea than I did as to why their predecessor...