“And how do you know that you’re mad?”
“To begin with,” said the Cat, “a dog’s not mad. You grant that?”
“I suppose so,” said Alice.
“Well then,” the Cat went on, “you see, a dog growls when it’s angry, and wags its tale when it’s pleased. Now I growl when I’m pleased, and wag my tail when I’m angry. Therefore I’m mad.”
– Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
The Mad Hatter, Cheshire cat, and company have made an appearance this year during NCAA tournament time, and its pure madness. The growl signifies happiness, and the moving tail has spelled doom for some teams such as New Mexico, but the University of Louisville still stands as of the date of our publication. One player in particular is experiencing the topsy-turvy surprise of finding himself in an upside down reality. Logan Baumann only wanted to be a team manager, but found himself, ball in hand, attacking the Cardinal opponents this year…its madness, pure madness.
To those of us in Region 3 who follow high school basketball, the name Logan Baumann needs no explanation. I’ll explain for the new faces that might not have seen him play last year. Logan served as the dynamo for the 2011-2012 Ohio County Eagles team that went 29-2. His 17.3 PPG were tops on the Eagles squad, and his other numbers were just as impressive. He drilled 69 3-pointers throughout the season at 33.7% success rate. His 3.9 RPG was good for fifth on the team, but he was only 1.1 RPG off the leader who had 4.9 RPG.
Logan and his Eagles cohort suffered a 1st round loss last year that was inexplicable, unless you take into account just how crazy tournament play can get sometimes. That’s really what makes it interesting, isn’t it? The unexplained losses and the unsuspected wins really hold the national attention, doesn’t it? Louisville hopes to stay from the unexpected; if they can do that, Logan will walk away with a bigger prize than a state championship…he’ll be a national champion!
I caught up with Logan this week via phone conversations and email – he’s quite busy due to something called dedication, persistence, and practice – elements of necessity when you’re playing for such high stakes as his team is right now. He was kind enough to give, and you the reader, a glimpse into this year’s tournament. So read and enjoy!
[g-gallery gid=”155″ random=”0″ watermark=”0″]
[g-gallery gid=”155″ random=”0″ watermark=”0″]
Tell me about your most memorable basketball game.
My most memorable game was being part of the 5 overtime loss to Notre Dame. I hit a few game winners in high school, but they can’t compare to the emotion from the Notre Dame game.
What have you taken away from your high school basketball career that has continued to inspire you?
Just to never take anything for granted. We were 29-2, and on a 19 game win streak or something, and we drew a team that was barely .500 in the first round of region and got beat. Anything can happen.
What career path are you following after high school? What college studies are you taking?
I’m going into the business field; whether that career field is Economics, Finance, or both, that remains to be seen.
Tell me about how you chose Louisville for your college career.
I chose U of L because I had made a connection with one of the staff, and I knew I could be a manager here. To potentially get into coaching one day, I thought this was a better experience than playing collegiate at a lower level.
Tell me about what your role was before becoming a member of the team.
Before joining the team, I was a manager. Basically, you do everything to make practices and games go smoothly. My duties were assisting in practice and drills, rebounding, and getting all the equipment ready for use.
How did you go from team manager to valued bench member?
After Mike Marra went down with an ACL tear, we needed another player to practice. Coach called me in his office – we talked for a few minutes and he basically said, “Here is your jersey”. It’s pretty crazy how it all happened.
What is it like to have such a famous and talented coach call the shots for you?
I have a special opportunity to be engaged and learning every day from such a famous coach. I try to soak up anything that I can that will help me in my future in basketball or life.
What was the reaction of your team-mates after your switch to an on-court team member?
They were very supportive. Each one encourages me and helps me throughout the practice. The other managers were also very much behind me, just telling me to play my hardest and don’t worry about anything else.
Where is Louisville headed this year?
I think we have a great shot to win the National Title. We need to improve in a few smaller areas, but we will be right there with any other aspiring team.
What are your aspirations for the future?
I really want to get into coaching at the college level after I graduate. It is a dream of mine and I feel like I am learning and observing one of the best coaches of all time, so that certainly helps.
Anything can happen, he says, and he’s not wrong. One day you can be a star high school basketball just trying to get a top-notch education, and the next you could be sitting across from Rick Pitino handing you a jersey. Win or lose, you’ll never forget the day that the jersey first fell into your hand. It’s madness, pure madness!
