By Dylan Edwards, SMUMustangs.com

It's a story referenced by Tim Jankovich a number of times because of how rare it is for such remarkable character to be showcased by anyone.
 
Last season, being unable to choose five starters from his six extremely skilled players, the SMU head coach informed his team that the six would rotate in the lineup so they could all claim to be starters. Current senior Ben Emelogu II returned to his head coach with a different plan that displayed his remarkable maturity.
 
"I just wanted to win. I wanted to be a part of a winning team," Emelogu said. "Making that sacrifice paid off for us in the long run. Jarrey (Foster) was more in a rhythm than I was. I was coming off an injury and rehab. I felt like it was going to take me longer to get into a rhythm. I wanted the team to be moving in the right direction as quickly as possible. That decision (to come off the bench) had to be made. Being in college for a while, I was mature enough to make that decision, and it worked out."
 
Obviously, that team clicked and Emelogu's decision was rewarded with his second conference championship at SMU as well as the conference's Sixth Man of the Year award.
 
"I don't forget things like that," Jankovich said. "How many people would voluntarily give like that. I wouldn't have when I was in college. I get touched when somebody shows something in them that was better than what I had at their age, and maybe even now. He's an outstanding young man, and I'll never forget that. If anyone deserved the (Sixth Man of the Year award), it was him to do it for that reason."
 
Emelogu, along with fellow senior Akoy Agau, are winding down a senior season that has been filled with about as much adversity as can be experienced on a basketball court. Both have had to battle through frustrating injuries, to both themselves and to teammates, that sent the season off course.
 
Healthiness throughout the offseason was a new concept for Emelogu, as his offseasons to this point had been used to either transition to a new place or rehab an injury.
 
"It was a blessing," Emelogu said. "It was my first year where I had the offseason to work and not thinking about rehab. I think it paid off tremendously for my game and for the team. I allowed me to step up offensively as a leader and have the confidence to come in and play at a high level."
 
Emelogu's work had turned him into the most accurate 3-point shooter in the nation, shooting over 50 percent from range through the first two months of the season. The team, led by Emelogu, Shake Milton, and Jarrey Foster picked up wins against heavyweight teams like Arizona, USC, and Boise State.
 
However, the team began to be derailed by injuries. Foster was lost for the season against Wichita State (Jan. 17). Then, Shake Milton is forced out of the lineup. In less than two weeks, Emelogu went from one of three returning players firing on a high level to the only one available on the team.
 
On top of that, an injury popped up again for Emelogu. Emelogu hasn't missed a game and has fought from tip to buzzer despite playing with a wrist injury that at one point made it impossible to shoot with an effectiveness because he couldn't flick his wrist.
 
"Think if you're Ben Emelogu. Coming off a great year, things are going great," Jankovich said. "You've done a great job with such odds against you. All of a sudden, you look up and the only two guys you've played with before are gone. Then, you can't snap your wrist and you can't shoot the ball, but you're still trying to lead a basketball team. Can you imagine the frustration? He's a great young man. Of everybody who I feel so deeply hurt for, he's number one. He is a senior and his senior year was going better than you could hope, and then all of a sudden, the bottom fell out."
 
For Agau, all preparation he put in for his senior season was derailed on the very first day of practice.
 
"It happened right on the first day of official practice," Agau said. "Practice that day, everything was fine. I woke up the next day and my knee was the size of a watermelon. I could barely walk."
 
SMU, a team entering the year with such little experience and depth, was counting on Agau to provide both of those along with much needed size inside. However, for two months, Agau was unable to really move, let alone work on basketball.
 
"I had put so much into this year," Agau said. "I had four years and a bumpy road. Thinking this was my fifth year, things have to turn the corner somewhere. I was hoping this would be the year. Up until that point, everything was pretty good."
 
Fortunately, Agau's senior season wasn't completely derailed. However, it's impossible to play basketball out of shape, and it's hard to get in shape with a picc line in.
 
"I went from having a picc line to playing a basketball game," Agau said. "The biggest part was I was able to practice more. At first I wasn't practicing at all. I was just playing, and that wasn't helping at all. I needed the reps. When I was able to get in there and start practicing, it started to come together."

The team as a whole, but especially Emelogu and Agau being seniors, have had an adversity-filled season. The team relies heavily on three freshmen with the lack of numbers. However, it's difficult to imagine any freshman in the country get a better display of how to deal with adversity and move forward as shown by Emelogu and Agau.
 
"There are highs and there are lows," Emelogu said. "I'm trying to soak it all up and have fun. It's my last year and it's winding down. You can't harp on what's gone wrong. You have to harp on the positives. The positive is getting (the freshmen) ready to carry on the torch and the culture. It's going to pay off in the long run (for SMU)."