Giving props to my buddies

I played four years of soccer at Cal State Bakersfield. At the time, we were a Division II school (we went D-I my senior year) and we were one of the best teams in the nation my sophomore and senior years. Just because we were D-II didn't mean we had D-II quality players. As the national champions in 1997, CSUB was able to recruit the best players from California as well as players in Europe. In my four years there, I had the honor of playing with some really talented players.

The most talented player I have ever played with is Josh Wicks. He was a goalie. And he was an absolute freak. He was like 6'3", which is perfect goalie height. He was fearless, which is the most important trait for a goalie. And he was gifted. In practice, he would play without gloves on. He claimed it made his hands stronger.

He wasn't the best looking guy (I called him Seabiscuit) and he wasn't the smartest guy (he got a red card for punching a kid after he got scored on), but he was an absolute freak in goal. Where is he now?

Playing for the LA Galaxy. After spending 3 years playing in the A-League, he was signed a month ago to MLS's Los Angeles Galaxy. RIght now he is the backup, but trust me, it won't be long until we see him between the posts.

Another player I had the pleasure of playing alongside for four years was Lyle Martin. Lyle and I both came in as freshman in 2003. By 2007, he was the best forward in Division II. He scored something like 17 goals in 20 games. On our senior day, he scored 2 goals in front of the home crowd.

Lyle was the most skilled player, but he is the greatest athlete I've ever known. He was on the track team as well (400 meters in 47 seconds...), he was our best player on our intramural basketball team, and he was deceivingly good at poker. Oh, and I didnt mention that he is freaking ripped?



This is a pic of Lyle and I after he scored a goal on our senior day. He ripped off his shirt in jubilation, and I, not wanting to be outdone, ripped off mine and hugged him. We both got yellow cards. Best yellow card I ever received.

Lyle got drafted by Chivas USA of the MLS, but decided to go play in Vancouver to develop. He won Newcomer of the Year last year for the Whitecaps, and I guarantee he will be in the MLS in the next 2 years.

Anyways, on the Cal State Bakersfield Wikipedia page, there is a "Notable Alumni" section. Lyle was listed there, but there was no link to his Wikipedia page. So I added Lyle's wiki page to the page,
and I added Josh Wicks as well.


Before and after.

Oh and I also got rid of Kebu Stewart from the "Notable Alumni" section. Stewart averaged 20 points and 13 rebounds in his 2-year career at CSUB on the basketball team. He ended up getting drafted in 1997 by the Philadelphia 76ers, He played in 15 games for the 76ers in his rookie season, averaging 2.7 points. After his rookie season, he ended up playing overseas for a few teams, but he never played another game in the NBA.

In the scheme of things, perhaps I shouldn't have deleted Kebu from the list. While he isn't really "notable," he certainly is as deserving as Martin or Wicks to be on the list. I mean, playing in the NBA is a pretty big deal, even if it is for just 15 games.

Oh well. His mom can put him back up on the list later.

**EDIT**

After some serious soul-searching, I realized that I really had no right to take down Kebu Stewart. After some investigating, I found out that Stewart was a really great collegiate player. He was rated as one of the best rebounders in the country out of college, and many scouts predicted he would have a promising career.

While his NBA career might not have planned out, he was pretty successful in foreign leagues.



So I put Kebu back on the page.

I even linked him to his Wikipedia page. In the end, my conscience, and inability to fall asleep, got the best of me.


He's like my own personal Moonlight Graham!! I feel like Kevin Costner. Only I'm not a terrible actor.