Damien Thomas Lennon had no idea how far basketball would take him when he began to play in the seventh grade. Lennon grew up in Tamworth, New South Wales located in Australia. He began to play for a semi-pro team while in high school. While on this team, he met Jacque Cormier, a teammate from Frenso, Calif. and a graduate of Sacramento University.

During the summer of 1996, Cormier came back to the United States and took Lennon along with him for a vacation in California. It was then that Lennon fell in love with the golden state and decided to move from Australia to finish high school in California.

Lennon graduated from Bullard High School in Frenso in 1999, leaving behind a legacy in basketball. He enrolled at Porterville College (a junior college in Frenso) where he averaged 15 points, eight rebounds and three assists as a sophomore and was named Most Improved Player in the Central Valley Conference. He started the last 11 games of his senior season in which the Pirates finished the 2000-2001 season as the number one ranked team in California.

“It was a great experience,” Lennon said. “We were state champs, conference champs and ranked nationally in the top ten teams.”

After being on the Dean’s List at Porterville and earning a degree in liberal arts, Lennon was asked to come to Louisiana by Sheldon Jones, assistant coach of the Colonels basketball team at Nicholls, who was the assistant coach at Portervilleat the time when he received notice of his new job at Nicholls.

Lennon, a junior general studies major, is in his second semester at Nicholls. Lennon says that adjusting to the new school and the new team was an easy one for him.

“I have to say that there are a great bunch of guys on the team,” Lennon said. “They made it easy for me to adjust to everything, along with the coaching staff.”

Lennon has made a name for himself at Nicholls. During the 2001-2002 season he has recorded 199 points and 71 rebounds. Lennon says a highlight of his season has been playing in the Southland Conference.

“It has been really interesting just to play against so many really good teams and getting to play against so many of the best players in the nation,” Lennon said.

The Colonels basketball team now stands with an upsetting record of 1-25 for the season. Dealing with this has been tough for Lennon.

“It has been so tough trying to keep confidence throughout the season,” Lennon said. “Losing day in and day out affects the way you compete and trying to stay positive has been a challenge”

Lennon has also seen how the effects of this season have changed the team. He says that this will be a learning experience for all of the players.

“We were all expecting a lot out of this season, but we just couldn’t get over the hump that’s been in front of us,” Lennon said. “But, we will take this year as a learning experience to make us better for next season. We can only get better from here.”

Lennon stated that it was tough dealing with school and basketball at the same time. With a large class load and excessive practicing, he has had to manage his time wisely.

“I wake up, go to class, go to practice, try to find a little time to eat in between that and then spend most of my evenings in the library,” Lennon said. “Through all this, Coach Jones has been a big help and my teammate Sean Hugely has been there for me, helping me to stay motivated.”

Lennon plans to practice even more during the off season. He says he wants to be bigger and better for next season.

“I plan on working hard to get better,” he said. “I plan on working out everyday and just trying to get in the best possible shape that I can be in.”

Lennon hopes to graduate within the next year. He has been taking more than 20 hours a semester to make sure of this. With so much going on, he still has made time to map out his future.

“My first goal is just to get my degree from Nicholls,” he said. “Of course I want a good career, but I have already established connections that will help me to get into the professional basketball leagues back in Australia. I want to play basketball after college. Who knows, I could end up playing in Europe someday.”