He sits at the end of the bench for every game, without ever getting to share a word with the coaches during crunch time. He sits there with one of the best seats in the house, but you have to wonder what is going on inside of his head as all the other guys get their playing time, even the walk-ons. Most of the 13,000 fans in the Arena probably don’t know who he is or even care. He is the first one up to congratulate a player as he comes off the court. Many of those in the stands must think he is a manager or trainer or something.

He is none of those things. He is Keith Waleskowski, a red-shirt. Unlike the typical Top 25 team, the University of Dayton rarely red-shirts one of its recruits. It’s rare that UD can afford to have one of its scholarships sit idly by as we once again try to make it to the postseason. In the past, UD has used the developmental red-shirt as a tool to help players mature their bodies for future wars on the hardwood. Wes Coffee, Jeff Elder, Steve Lawrence, and David Bradds come to mind as tall skinny kids that just weren’t ready for Prime Time.

This kid at the end of the bench is a little bit different. Although tall and a little skinnier than needed, Keith came from a top-flight program that had just won another state tournament. Not only was he the team MVP during the season, but also was named as the Tournament MVP after hitting the shot in the last seconds to win the championship trophy. This is a kid that could have helped us this year. At times, one would have to wonder if the coaches made the right decision. Keith doesn’t waste his time wondering what might have been. The fact that he doesn’t get to play on a team that is on its way to the NCAA tournament doesn’t keep him up at night. He knows what is taking place right now will only help him in the future, “Coming in as a freshman I wouldn’t get to play that much anyway. I’m looking forward to playing next year. This year I’m becoming a better player, next year I’ll hopefully be playing more than I would have been playing this year. I’ll be able to be a bigger factor.”

This is not a young man that only lives to play basketball. Keith is a bright young man with talents on and off the court. There were several schools in the hunt for Keith as his father Pete related, “Coach Gaudio from Loyola in Maryland did a wonderful job and put a sincere effort in for Keith. He said that Keith was a better player than the league that they are in, but Keith would be a great fit there. We had several other opportunities in Akron, Virginia Tech, Morehead State, Ohio University, Loyola Maryland to name a few.” But to Keith, there was something special about UD. “Looking at all of the schools that were recruiting me, UD not only had the best facilities, but I really liked the coaches. I knew if I came to UD I would red-shirt. It would give me a year to bulk-up and get better. Obviously, all my family and friends would be able to see me play. Getting a degree from UD really means something, especially in the Dayton area. Coach Purnell was very honest with me. We would sit down and he would not hold anything back.”

Early on, Keith never dreamed that he would be much of a player. “All of this was beyond my belief, I wasn’t even thinking about college basketball.” His father began working with him at a young age and it not only helped his game but also helped cement a relationship that has only become closer as he matures. “The foundation of all of my basketball skills come from my dad. Because he believed I was going to move on and play at a higher level, he taught me more than just about the game of basketball. He took it farther, he taught me about the mental part of it. It helped us build a strong relationship. We could talk about anything, not just basketball.” As a freshman, Keith played little due to the strength of the Alter basketball program. As a sophomore, playing time increased and it was at that point he came to realize that he might be able to improve his game enough to play past high school. This was also a time in his life that he and Alter coach Joe Petrocelli became close. “Your relationship with your coach grows over the years. He is very much like Coach Purnell in that neither of them put up with any messing around. You are there to play basketball, its business. You get in there and get the job done. Do things right and you move on.”

Time is a funny thing when you are a red-shirt. You get no time on the court and time seems to pass slowly during basketball season, yet there isn’t a great deal of extra time. Keith describes a typical day as: get up, shower, eat breakfast, go to class, eat lunch, and go to class again. Then the real work begins. Players not only participate in warm-ups and the customary conditioning drills, they concentrate on game situations and what the next team will bring. After practice, Keith always stays to shoot at least 50 free throws. Throw in three to four one-hour lifting sessions each week and two games and you have a busy schedule. Most fans don’t realize that life for a red-shirt is not a great deal different from the players that gobble up all of the playing time. He participates in all of the same drills and conditioning requirements. When asked what he did with his spare time, Keith responded that most of it was spent just trying to catch up on his sleep.

All of the work that he has put into this year is not going to waste. Because of the injuries and the loss of Bamigbola, Keith is getting additional time on the court with the regulars during practice. He has gotten time at all three of the front court positions and has made some improvements on his outside shot by increasing the arch. The additional lifting that he has been doing this year has also increased his size and strength, “I’ve gotten a lot bigger since high school, I used to be really skinny, but I’ve pumped up my upper body and put on about 15 to 20 pounds.” Keith now stands at 6’9″ and 230 pounds. The daily battles with Mark Ashman and Matt Cooper have gotten a little easier and he doesn’t feel like they can just move him on the way to the basket like they did early in the year, “I think this year has helped me a lot. My post moves have gotten better, I’ve gotten stronger inside. I’m able to box people out and body people up. When practice first started, they would just throw me around like a rag doll, now I can make it tough on them.”

There have been some comparisons made between Keith and Mark Ashman. Although Keith may not be as big or possess all of the inside moves that Mark had at the same stage, the typical fan may be surprised at what Waleskowski will bring to the table next year. Although not polished with his back to the basket, he has a better outside shot than Ashman and has the ability to bring out the defense with a nice looking three point shot. He runs the court well and gathered his share of rebounds while in high school. As Keith related, “We can both bang if we need, but both of us play more of a finesse game. Both Mark and I have the ability to shoot from outside, although I tend to shoot more threes. He’s a lot stronger than I am and Mark has a lot better footwork.”

It is rare to hear someone talk about Keith and not mention his brother, Adam. Adam is similar in build to his brother and is just beginning to blossom as a basketball player. As is often the case, the younger brother with the advantages of competing with an older sibling for most of his life is considered the better athlete. Adam is the hot topic on many recruiting fronts, but has yet to make a decision. Keith, in his own subtle way has been doing his best to help Adam understand the advantages of matriculating at UD. “Adam comes occasionally, he sees what campus life is like and what it’s like living in the dorms. My time away from home has really brought us closer. He has also seen how my relationship with my parents has changed. It makes it a lot easier on him by seeing what it’s like.” As one might expect, they are quite close and spend as much time together as their busy schedules allow.

Keith is an intelligent student of the game and will bring a year’s worth of Purnell playbook knowledge with him to the court when he makes that first appearance in a UD uniform. I asked him what would be going through his mind the first time he stood out there in front of 13,000 hometown fans. “I know I’ll be very excited. It’s hard to tell. I’d like to think I’ll be out there all bouncing full of energy. I won’t be able to sleep the night before.”

It will be a fun and exciting year in 2000-2001 when we attempt to return to the NCAA tournament and many Flyer Fans will be surprised at what the young man from Kettering will bring with him.