Thanks for the show, fifty-five

The month of March has provided Baylor Scheierman with some of his fondest memories in sports. It’s also been where he’s had some of his biggest heartache. 
The latest and possibly most painful came Friday night in Detroit as the curtain fell on Scheierman’s college basketball career, an 82-75 loss to Tennessee in the Sweet 16. 
It was quite the closing scene for Scheierman, though, dropping 25 points and six rebounds while limiting Tennessee’s best player, Dalton Knecht. The former Husky also earned All-Midwest region honors with a truly insane stat line.
Because of Creighton’s double-overtime win over Oregon, Scheierman averaged just shy of 43 minutes per game. Yes, a regulation game is just 40 minutes. 
Aside from the final minutes of the Akron win, the only time Scheierman came out of any tournament game was in the final seconds against Tennessee, when coach Greg McDermott gave his senior a proper exit. He also averaged 19 points, nine rebounds and three assists during the tournament run.
The emotions were mixed watching Scheierman come out of the game, embracing McDermott as his college career ended right in front of us.
There’s no way to not be over-the-top happy for our hometown hero. He showed the entire country what it looks like to play hard, play the right way while winning and losing with class.
My heart absolutely snapped in half at the same time, too, seeing a video posted on social media after the loss of McDermott waiting for Scheierman in the hallway just outside the locker room, full of emotion. 
Just a gut punch. 
Scheierman came back to Creighton one more year to become a better basketball player and to take one more swing at a championship. 
He won’t have the opportunity to play for a title, but no one can say that dude didn’t get better at the game of basketball, which even seems absurd to admit.
Sure, purists will put an asterisk by it because he was granted an extra year, but this is the career of Baylor Scheierman.
Totals of 2,233 points, 1,257 rebounds, 580 assists and 356 made three-pointers. No one in the history of college basketball has anything like those totals. 
Scheierman played in 162 games and totaled 5,117 minutes at both South Dakota State and Creighton. That’s just about 32 minutes per game.
In one of his most impressive stats, Scheierman only fouled out of three games during that 162-game career. He only committed 305 career fouls, that’s just shy of two fouls per game.
Scheierman was an 82 percent free throw shooter over his five-year college career and made his last 31 foul shots. He hasn’t missed a free throw since Feb. 13. He was a 39 percent three-point shooter and a 46 percent shooter from the field. 
He won a lot more games than he lost, too. In two years at Creighton, the Jays won 49 games and lost 23. 
In his three years at SDSU, the Jackrabbits had a record of 62-22. In all, Scheierman had a record of 117-45 during five years of college ball. 
That’s a winner, championship or not. 
His off-the-floor impact cannot be ignored, either. Scheierman remembered what it was like to be one of those young kids looking up to and having favorite players and became good enough to where he was that guy for many.
The No. 55 jerseys sprinkled around the CHI Health Center in Omaha told quite a story. They’re dotted around Aurora’s elementary school, too.
He always made time for those who cheered, and those who jeered as well. He signed autographs, took pictures and made time for his fans.
It was clear the first time I had the opportunity to watch Baylor play in person for the Jays. Someone left me a note on the ANR truck in the parking lot that simply read, “We love Baylor!”
My drives home were really behind schedule, especially those late-night games. The one thing I didn’t want to do was interfere with his interactions with fans. 
He always made time for me, whether it was a late-night phone call or a conversation on the way back to the parking lot. He has always had a special appreciation for his hometown and its newspaper. He wants to share his thoughts, feelings, triumphs and heartbreaks with those who have seen him go through it the most. Austin Allen was like that, too. Must be something in the water here.  
Scheierman is one of those once-in-a-blue-moon type athletes. They come around once in a generation and when they do, the lasting impact turns into local legend over time.
Tom Kropp was that guy for the previous generation. You hear the stories now and find them truly hard to believe given the seemingly outrageous numbers. 
One day, once Scheierman’s career is over, however long it lasts, will have a similar impact here at home and quite frankly, with a wider brush stroke.
“Do you remember that Scheierman kid who threw for 4,000 yards for the Huskies and 59 touchdowns in one season?”
“Well, he would have thrown for 5,000 yards and 75 touchdowns if coach would have let him play the entire game that year.”
“Hey, remember when Baylor tossed those ridiculous bounce passes and even those full-court in-bound football throws? What about that time he hit that game-winning three from the logo?”
“That Scheierman kid was an entertainer. You couldn’t stop him.”
“Remember when Scheierman made six threes against Nebraska in Pinnacle Bank Arena and went full-on villain?”
“There was that time Baylor was one assist short of a triple-double inside the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden.”
Every game I’ve ever seen Baylor Scheierman play, no one had the desire to win more than he did.
The off-balanced throws for a touchdown, the lightning-quick release on a three-pointer, the pass no one other than him can see, blowing kisses to the crowd that hates him and egging on those who rooted for him. 
No one has more fun playing sports than Baylor, either. He was never about his own stat line -- he enjoyed watching his teammates take the headlines.
But, he found himself there anyway through hard work and dedication that most of us didn’t get to see. We only saw the fruits of that labor. 
And no, this isn’t a goodbye to Scheierman. He’s going to have a great and promising professional career. 
He probably didn’t play at Creighton long enough to put his number into the rafters, but maybe we should throw it up there back at home?
Thanks for the show, 55.
RICHARD RHODEN can be reached at sports@hamilton.net.