After trailing archrival Miami for most of the game, the Bobcats took the game away from the RedHawks.
But regardless of the outcome, no one could take the moment away from the recently immortalized basketball great, Gary Trent.
A banner with Trent’s No. 20 jersey on it was unfurled at halftime after former teammates and former coach Larry Hunter greeted the “Shaq of the MAC” in video tributes. Trent became only the fourth Ohio player to have his number honored at The Convo.
“I got so many butterflies in my stomach, and I’m not shy in front of people,” Trent said. “Usually when I’m in front of that many people, I’m performing. It was just beautiful and I can’t thank Ohio University enough. It just means so much.”
Trent was quick to give credit to his teammates, coaches and his family for putting him in this position.
“My jersey is going up there as Gary Trent, but there are a lot of people that had a hand in that,” he said during the halftime ceremony. “I have to thank my family, my mom, my wife Natalia, who helps me keep it together in times when I couldn’t keep it together. I thank everyone for their support. You guys don’t know what this is to me.”
After the game, Miami head coach Charlie Coles reiterated his pregame comments about the kind of player Trent was during his time as a Bobcat.
“Two guys that came out early … that were great players in the MAC were Chris Kaman and Gary Trent. How good would these two players have been had they played another year?” Coles said. “How good would Trent have been? He would have averaged 30 points and 20 rebounds a game. He was just that mature compared to other players in the league.”
If Trent had not declared for the NBA draft at the end of his junior season and his scoring and rebound average had remained relatively the same, he would be the all-time leader in many statistical categories, including points and rebounds.
Ohio coach John Groce spoke about Trent as more than just a player.
“Any player that comes back, I try to get them in our locker room, especially with Gary’s story,” Groce said. “The thing I’ve enjoyed the most is getting to know him as a person, how much he’s changed and grown.”
Trent accomplished much throughout his college and professional career. He is the conference’s only three-time player of the year, a 1995 first-round draft pick, and a member of the 2003 Minnesota Timberwolves who were a series away from the NBA finals.
Trent said he would reminisce about where this moment ranks all-time in his basketball career and among other life experiences.
“One of the greatest. It took so much to build up to this moment,” he said. “ This is almost more of a lifetime achievement award because 100 years from now, I’m going to be dead and gone, but that number will still be there and people will still be talking about me, wondering who I was and recognizing me. It’s just beautiful.”
nr225008@ohiou.edu
