Imagine Clint Eastwood in one of those old spaghetti westerns. You know the kind. It didn’t matter if Clint was a good guy or a bad guy — he was going to shoot something up. It wouldn’t be a Clint Eastwood movie without a considerable amount of lead being thrown by the star. Now imagine one of those movies (A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More or The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly) without any bullets. It just wouldn’t be the same, would it?

That’s what it must be like being Cain Doliboa right about now. Cain has persevered through two years of varying degrees of frustration over lack of playing time, quality play, and just plain fun. In his own words he was a “boy among men” his freshman year. After gaining some valuable experience his sophomore year, he had actually won the starting job. Then bang, it was all over. From starter in game seven to end-of-the-bench-in-street-clothes cheerleader. Not the dream that Cain had when he signed on the dotted line three years ago.

I saw Cain Doliboa play for the first time in his last game as a high school senior. Once again, Springboro blitzed through the regular season only to find a pothole during the playoffs. Cain ended his career sitting on the bench after receiving his fifth foul in the last few minutes of the game. He could only sit and watch his brother, Seth, and the rest of the team try to bring home the victory. It didn’t take me long to realize that Cain would be my personal favorite when he got to UD. As long as I can remember playing basketball, I was open as soon as I crossed the half court line. If I didn’t yell, “I’m open!” 10,000 times in my life, I would be surprised. The only problem was that my teammates knew I was open and because of past history knew better than to give me the ball. As a frustrated bomber, I knew that Cain was my own kind. The only difference was that Cain’s teammates would throw him the ball — and throw him the ball for good reason. There is nothing like watching one of your players stand 23 feet from the basket with a defender in his face and casually put up a shot that rips the twine.

It hasn’t always been easy for Doliboa at UD. He wasn’t handed a starting spot when he walked on campus. There was good reason for that and he would be the first to admit there were several holes in his game. He was a shooter and that was it.

“It’s tough sitting on the bench and getting in the last minute of the game after coming from high school and being the man”, he confided.

It wasn’t easy moving from being the center of attention, to a spot player with one purpose. He was put in to shoot threes and he knew it.

“It all started in high school because I always had to carry a good deal of the load,” he said. “I felt during my freshman year that the worst that could happen to me after a shot would be that I’d be back on the bench. I always felt that I couldn’t help the team if I was afraid to shoot.”

But he also realized that a one-dimensional player doesn’t play much for Oliver Purnell. So it was back to the drawing board for Cain after the season. The work paid off.

Says Cain, “I worked really hard during the summer after my freshman year because I didn’t want to be overmatched again.”

There was a distinct improvement in Doliboa’s game from the very beginning of his sophomore year and he was rewarded with additional playing time. Now up to 20 minutes/game, he was afforded the opportunity to show what he was capable of doing. It was easy to see that he was not afraid to be the “man” on this team.

Even though he was not starting, there he was at the end of games with the ball in his hands. He was always there to hit the shot that was needed to stop a streak by the opposing team or the shot that got us over the hump. The improvement at the beginning of this year was just as easily noticeable. Cain not only won a starting spot but beat out a highly recruited freshman, Brooks Hall, to do it.

“I was really ready to go this year. I really wanted to make a name for myself and help the team. I think I have gotten smarter. I tend to take better shots. It helps that Coach P. has confidence in me. I got my scholarship because I could shoot. If I am too selective, I’m going to be less effective.”

The Flyers were 7-0 and off to their best start in decades. Things were going well for Can as he was averaging 9.7 points and 2.7 rebounds in just 20 minutes of playing time. But his breakout season came crashing to a halt in the next few days. What started out as a dream season had quickly turned into a nightmare.

“I’ve had a lot of back problems the entire year, but I just tried to play through them,” Doliboa explains. “It began hurting during the pre-season and really started bothering me during the first exhibition game. I wanted to continue to play through it but it continued to get worse and then finally my leg went numb.”

At first it was just going to be a couple of weeks and he would be back, but the time got longer as the diagnosis kept changing through no fault of UD or Cain Doliboa.

“They originally told me that I had a virus but UD had a specialist from San Antonio look at it and he disagreed,” he says. It was soon clear that only rest would take care of the situation. It’s now to the point where the real problem is no longer where it started and hope has changed to reality.

“My back is really not keeping me from playing, it’s my leg. I had a nerve problem in my back from the two bulging disks and it caused my right leg to go numb in certain spots and I lost 40-50% of the strength in my reg. The strength is now starting to come back, but the chance of getting back on the court this year is slim to none. It would take some kind of miracle for that to happen. There is nothing that can be done surgically, but I shouldn’t have any permanent damage.” Because he has become more of a fan than a player, Cain has one of the best seats in the house for what has happened in his absence.

“I think that Coach P. really adjusted well to [the injury]. I think the big difference was that Brooks Hall really stepped up and picked up the slack,” he says. “We had a great system going and everybody was in a routine. I think he is a great defensive coach. His defensive concept is the reason we are where we are this year.”
Because it appears he won’t be able to help the team this year, it’s only natural that Cain has started thinking about what the next eight months will bring. Don’t be surprised when you see a different Cain Doliboa in 2000-2001. Yes, those rumors of transfer are just that, rumor. This may very well be his last chance to play college ball and he is going to do his best to make the most of it.

“I think that if I put in the right effort, I can really increase my strength and size. Last summer I spent a good deal of time on the golf course, but that won’t be the way that it is this year. I know what I have to do and I’m going to go hard this summer.” At this point, UD has not yet been able to ask for the red-shirt year for Doliboa. After the season ends, they will then approach the NCAA with the request for restoration of Cain’s junior year. The fact that he played in nine games verses the six that would be allowed doesn’t give him much hope. The fact that we are in the NCAA doghouse right now probably won’t help either. Should UD’s request not be granted, Cain might have another option.

“I really think that red shirting is remote, but I’ve talked to my parents and we might consider our own attorney if we need to. Because of the misdiagnosis, we may have a better opportunity.” Imagine a very different team next year. There is no guarantee that there will be a presence in the middle as there has been for the last four years. This will be a team that will be very strong at the wing positions and will have several threats from the perimeter. Just imagine a team that will feature David Morris, Tony Stanley, Sammy Smith, and Brooks Hall at the point and wing positions. Imagine a Cain Doliboa with an additional 20 pounds of muscle. He certainly has a body that could easily hold it without losing a step. Imagine a power forward with range from 23 feet. Cain Doliboa has a point to prove and will do whatever it takes to get that point made. He doesn’t want to stop playing competitive basketball at the age of 22. Don’t be surprised at what you see in eight months.