The RoundHouse | 12/4/2019 3:42:00 PM

Where are they now?
 
Brent Bass – men's basketball (1986-88)
 
Bass kept his three-ring binder with his notes from Wichita State basketball. The words, plays and philosophies from coach Eddie Fogler, he believed, deserved to be chronicled.
 
"Every day after practice, certainly every week, I would take notes," Bass said. "I was intentional about taking notes, knowing that I was learning from a master, one who coached under (former North Carolina coach) Dean Smith."
 
Bass played two seasons at Wichita State before transferring to NCAA Division II Wingate (N.C.) University. While the move was a disappointment at the time, Bass regards it as an important part of his story and a piece of the lessons he passes on in his book "BasSketball Lessons: 22 Winning Principles for Youth Who Play Sports."
 
"It's me retelling stories that I've learned from all the various coaches, mentors and people who have been involved in my life," Bass said. "I learned a lot of lessons about working hard, being on time, keeping my word. Being coachable."
 
One of the chapters is "If you're on time, you are late!" Fans who remember Fogler will remember that saying, his way of setting clocks ahead for arrival for practice, road trips and meals. 
 
"It's about 22 different topics that I've encountered with a brief story about my existence and how it impacted me and how I navigated through and learned from what happened," Bass said. "There's some funny stories and there's some serious stories." 
 
Status update – Bass is in his sixth year as director of athletics at E.L. Haynes Public Charter School in Washington, D.C. 
 
"I manage all aspects of the athletics department from game operations to ticket operations," he said. "I'm a one-man show. I tell everybody they're going to have to drag me out of here in a box. They treat me well."
 
Bass is the school's first athletic director. He also taught in high school and worked in college athletic departments and parks and recreation departments. He holds master's degrees from Iona College (Education) and Manhattanville College (Health and Physical Education/Fitness).
 
"What's so rewarding is to see how kids enjoy playing sports, being active, having an active lifestyle," he said. "We talk to them about how it's going to help them, about how not quitting is an important value. There's so many values and things that they learn – respect, how to work with others, be enthusiastic about the success of people they're playing with."
 
Big brother – Much of the inspiration for the book comes from older brother Kevin Bass, a star basketball player at Iona College.
 
Kevin Bass scored 1,729 points in his career to top the school's list after his senior season in 1977. He now ranks seventh. He averaged 17.6 points a game for his four-year career, two of which came under coach Jim Valvano.
 
"He taught me so much about how to be focused, how to dream, how to be intentional about my actions on and off the court," Brent Bass said.
 
Kevin Bass died in 2008. He was inducted into Iona's athletic hall of fame in 1993.
 
New to Wichita – Bass, from New York City, was one of the first recruits when Fogler came to Wichita State from North Carolina in 1986. Bass remembers considering Bowling Green and Duquesne before choosing to leave the East Coast.
 
"His coaching style – it was cool," Bass said. "I was originally recruited by him at North Carolina. He decided to take the job at Wichita State. That spring, he said 'We offered to somebody at North Carolina, but would you will be willing to come to Wichita?' I jumped at the chance."
 
Bass. a guard, played in 26 games as a freshman and 10 games as a sophomore. He transferred after the 1988 season.
 
"I decided to dream big and took a risk," Bass said. "I have a lot of life experiences now that I can show for what I did for trying to do my very best. Had I not tried Wichita State, I probably would be kicking myself right now."
 
In the book, he uses his experiences at Wichita State and Wingate to demonstrate that it is important to rebound from missteps and come up with new goals.
 
"I didn't necessarily make it at Wichita State, but we should all remain flexible," he said. "We have to dream new dreams. I tried. I gave it my best for two years. Then I had to get back up, dust myself off. I moved on to a Division II school where I lived out all my dreams."
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.