The last two seasons, Trinity Basketball has graduated a great deal of players (6 in 2009, 5 in 2010); each class leaving large holes to fill numbers-wise and talent-wise. This year's senior class is only comprised of two student-athletes, but will leave just as big of shoes to fill. Saturday's contest against the University of Dallas will be our annual "Senior Day," honoring the Tigers' Class of 2011. Now would be a good time to talk about these student-athletes.
#33 Sam Dworkin - 6'4 Forward - Portland, OR
Sam is definitely one of the most enjoyable personalities to come through Trinity Basketball. His light-heartedness and geniune ability to connect with his teammates through humor will never be matched, but don't let his smile fool you, Sam is also one of the hardest working players to wear the maroon and white. Seeing limited in-game minutes in his first three seasons, Sam came to work every day in AND out of practice. While others would sulk and lose motivation to better themselves as players, he jumped at every opportunity to develop his skills and athletic ability - some would call him a gym rat or workout junkie. Whatever you call him, Sam worked hard to become one of the conference's major three-point threats. This season, as a key contributor for the Tigers, Sam has kept defenses honest by being able to spread the floor and shoot with range. He is also a vocal leader on the floor - encouraging his teammates and generating enthusiasm every game. Off the court, Sam is a member of the Phi Sigma Chi fraternity and a double major in Business Marketing and Spanish.
#40 Luke Caldarera - 6'4 Forward - Houston, TX
Luke came into Trinity his freshmen year as a typical "Division III Tweener." Considered too short to play post, but not quick enough to play on the perimeter at the Division I level. Often high school players are passed up on athletic scholarships because of this "tweener" tag. The word "tweener" couldn't have sounded better to Trinity Basketball. Over Luke's career, he has been a key contributor to the success of the program through his ability to score and rebound the basketball. Having arguably the best midrange shot in all of Division III didn't come naturally to Luke though. He put in the hours (whether it was just him and a ball, on the shooting machine, or with coaches during the season outside of practice) and worked to become one of the most dangerous offensive threats the SCAC has seen the last four years (2-time First Team All-SCAC and 2-time NABC Second Team All-South Region). After Luke graduates, Trinity won't just miss a top 10 scorer in the history of the program,; we will be missing an energetic, passionate, and tremendous teammate. Off the court, Luke is a double major in Business Marketing and Finance.
Again, while it may appear that we are ony losing two players from this year's roster, what the Class of 2011 brings is so much more - work ethic, enthusiasm, dedication, passion (and always a great sense of humor, hence the above picture!). It will be exciting to see how they finish their already successful careers here in the next few weeks!
