Once upon a time, I hated Thomas Walkup

November 9, 2012: A young man from Ohio entered William R. Johnson Coliseum for the first time, lost and afraid. He was wearing cargo shorts and a lanyard around his neck.

He made his way to a seat high up in the stands, next to a tall redhead kid that he befriended just a few weeks before. Together, they sat and cheered for players whose names they didn't know while they played a team they had never heard of.

That young man was me; and little did I know that this game would be the beginning of the greatest four-year stretch in our school's history.

And I would have a front row ticket for the ride.

This game, as all season openers have been, was forgettable; the Jacks dominated Howard Payne 84-30. It meant little at the time and has certainly been lost in the dominance of the past few years. Only now do I appreciate what I watched that day; the first points of a legendary career.

Over the next four years, I watched SFA evolve from Taylor Smith to TJ Holyfield; from Desmond Haymon to Ty Charles; from the fantastic mustache of Danny Kasper to the bare upper lip of Brad Underwood. But one constant on all these teams was this #0.

He patiently waited his turn to be the lead man of the SFA program, playing Robin to the superheros that were Taylor Smith and Jacob Parker. Now in 2016, Thomas Walkup, the undisputed leader and likely two-time Southland Player of the Year, will play his final game in Nacogdoches. He has been so great these last three of years of his career, there is little left to be accomplished.

So, now seems like my final chance to apologize for hating him.

Yes, I hated Thomas Walkup. You probably did too, even if you don't remember now. Let's take a quick trip down memory lane - a trip to a much darker time.

Back before the days of 18-0, years before The Sawmill would be created, and before the SFA bandwagon would swell to what it is today, the Jacks were just a good team in a poor conference.

There was no national media coverage, no ESPN3 deal, and the only real recognition SFA had was a 2009 NCAA Tournament appearance. So naturally, when SFA reached the 2013 Southland title game, Nacogdoches was buzzing. The Jacks were the #1 seed after a dominating season led by Taylor Smith and Antonio Bostic. After coasting into the final over SELA, everyone assumed that this would be the year SFA returned to the big dance.

The championship game against Northwestern State was back and forth ordeal, coming down to the final 6 seconds. With SFA down by two, Walkup, a freshman, got the ball at half court, took a few dribbles, threw a pass, and...stolen.

Game over. Tournament over. A fantastic 27 win season, crashing down, and at the hands of a redshirt freshmen.

For the next 6 months I would think about that game and how much I hated him. I refused to clap for him during introductions - or any other play for that matter.

But today, as I will watch Thomas Walkup for the final time in Nacogdoches tonight, it's finally time to say the words few have ever heard from me: I’m sorry.

I said horrible things about you, most of which I cannot type - but for all you have done since, that game is now just a distant memory. You have given more to this team and to this school than any player in SFA history.

These last four years have certainly been a ride that I, and thousands of other Jacks fans, will never forget.

So thank you, number zero. I will be clapping during the introductions tonight.