Staab makes splash after long hiatus

It’s unusual that a basketball player who has never started in a collegiate game gets the opportunity to be the starting forward against the defending NCAA champions. It’s even more unusual that the player earns a double-double.

But that is exactly what Columbia senior Blaise Staab did last Friday when the Lions took on the Connecticut Huskies in their season opener.

“It was really exciting going into UConn—getting your name called out in the beginning—but I just approached it like any other game,” Staab said.

Staab’s approach may have been the same as usual, but his results were not. In his 31 minutes on the court, he tallied 11 points and a team-high 12 rebounds for his first career double-double, against a Huskies backcourt that had an average four-inch height advantage on him.

Originally, junior forward John Daniels was supposed to start against the Huskies on Friday. But an ankle injury suffered by Daniels in the week leading up to the game left head coach Kyle Smith with few other options for the number-four spot.

“Blaise isn’t huge, but he’s really a presence on the boards and just gets you loose balls,” Smith said. “12 rebounds and 11 points—no, I wasn’t expecting that, but I knew he’d compete.”
Staab’s performance was surprising not just because it was his first start, but also because Friday was his first appearance for the Lions in nearly a year and a half.

The last time he took the court for Columbia was at the end of the 2009-2010 season against Brown, a match in which he posted his previous career highs of six points and eight rebounds.

As a junior, Staab did not play any games because he was forced to leave the team for a period of time due to a scheduling conflict between his engineering classes and the team’s practices.

This wasn’t the first—or last—time that Staab’s classes interfered with basketball. A similar conflict occured during the spring semester of his sophomore year, and even this year Staab has been unable to make every practice.

“I’ve been lucky enough that the coaches are working with me this time,” Staab said. “I still have a couple conflicts, but they’re definitely working with me and being really accommodating.”

When he is unable to attend practice, Staab will often make up the missed workout by coming in at a different time to work individually with the coaches.

“He’s been good that way as far as having a good attitude about that and making it work,” Smith said.

Even during the summer, other commitments drew Staab away from the court. Though he stayed in New York City to work a summer job, his hours at the office made it difficult to attend all the workouts and shoot-arounds with his teammates.

Over the last four years, Staab has learned to accept the conflicts that exist between basketball and the other parts of his life.

“That shouldn’t take away from anything else, that’s just how it is,” he said. “It just hasn’t always been cookie-cutter perfect.”

The chemistry between Staab and his teammates has not been lessened by his imperfect schedule. Junior center Mark Cisco does not think Staab’s absence last year had any significant effect.

“First of all, even though he missed a little bit because of his classes, he made up for it by coming to the spring workouts and spending time over summer,” Cisco said. “And secondly, he’s one of our best friends.”

Despite juggling his engineering classes with his practice schedule, the SEAS senior’s current playing form is the best it has been in his four years with the Light Blue. In the team’s second game against Furman on Monday, Staab put up another eight points and led the Lions again with eight boards.

“He’s a fantastic rebounder,” Cisco said. “Especially with us missing John in the first two games, he’s done great to fill that number four spot.”

Though only 6-foot-5, the forward is accustomed to being a force on the glass. In his senior year at Memorial High School in Oklahoma, he averaged 17 points and 11 boards per game, earning him recognition as conference player of the year.

Now in his final year as a Lion, Staab is looking to continue his success. Although Daniels is expected to be healthy and back on the court in the near future, Staab will likely continue to play an integral role in the front court.

“Whether he plays 31 minutes or 10 minutes, you’re getting the same effort out of him,” Smith said. “If Blaise keeps doing well, I’m not one to upset the apple cart.”

For Staab, the main concern is just to perform to the best of his abilities.

“I’d just like to get as many double-doubles as I can.”