After tearing his ACL and MCL prior to the start of the 2009-2010 basketball season, Paul Eckerle played an active role in supporting his team off the court. In addition to his successes on the court, Eckerle has achieved the lofty goal of a 3.89 GPA studying Biology and taking Pre-Med classes. But what matters to Eckerle is basketball, where his goal is “to contribute in the most complete way possible to helping our team achieve its ultimate goal.”
Following the injury and taking a medical redshirt for his junior year, Eckerle underwent a month of preoperative rehab before undergoing surgery last August. After surgery, Eckerle participated in daily rehab and started to resume upper body weight training a month after surgery.
While Eckerle participated in rehab, he played an active role on the team off the court. “I felt like I was still active and helping the guys out as much as I could,” Eckerle said. Present at preseason practices, Eckerle eventually dedicated himself to knowing each of his teammates’ tendencies on the court believing that “the true value of a teammate is not seen on the court during the game, but rather it’s the value that you can contribute every day at practice,” Eckerle said.
“Even with his injury, Paul was one of the most positive guys to be around last year,” teammate Christian Salecich said. “We had a tough stretch, and he kept us positive the whole way.”
“Paul’s been around forever; he’s like the old wise man. He knows anything and everything from the game itself to keeping us focused,” Salecich said.
“When the games started coming, it was a lot harder to manage being on the sideline,”Eckerle said.
During the season, he studied the opposing teams’ plays in order to call them out from the bench and remained focused on his rehab. This summer, Eckerle returned to the court for the first time in a controlled scrimmage.
Because of his injury, Eckerle is currently a junior in terms of athletic eligibility but a senior in terms of academic eligibility with over 150 credit hours. In fact, he had the opportunity to graduate after three years with a degree in Biology but decided to try to play one more year.
In order to stretch out his time at Saint Louis University, Eckerle also earned a certificate in business.
He is considering remaining for another year in order to play basketball, but “there’s not much left to do academically without being totally unproductive,” Eckerle said.
While still undecided about what lies in store for him in the upcoming academic year, Eckerle has already applied to SLU, the University of Missouri at Columbia, and Washington University in St. Louis for medical school.
“If I get into medical school, that would be a very difficult thing to turn down since it’s so difficult to get in,” Eckerle said.
While at SLU, Eckerle has established an impressive academic record, which he credits to his time management skills. “People always ask how I find the time, and the thing I have to say is that the time is there; you just have to know how to use it efficiently,” Eckerle said.
“There may be some things that you have to sacrifice, but the things that I gave up far outweigh the opportunity cost. It’s so worth it in terms of being able to achieve the things I have academically and athletically,” Eckerle said.
While Eckerle has thought about the 2011-2012 year, his focus remains on this year and in particularly, on basketball. Eckerle hopes to contribute to his team, “whether it means I play for 30 minutes, 10 minutes or not at all, if it’s necessary to achieve our team goal. That’s what I’m here for, and that’s why I wanted to come back for this one year,” Eckerle said.
Eckerle hopes for a very successful season that includes SLU winning the Atlantic 10. “It’s a lofty but realistic goal, so I think it’s appropriate to strive for something like that,” Eckerle said.
Lofty goals are nothing news; as a junior at Saint Francis Borgia High School in Washington, Missouri, he and his teammates won the 2006 Class-4 Missouri State Basketball Championship.
Reflecting on his former team’s achievement, Eckerle hopes for the same sort of experience this year by winning the A-10. “That was a special experience; it’s something that you never forget,” Eckerle said.
Off the court, Eckerle focused on his studies, becoming the valedictorian of his graduating class in 2007.
In addition to his successful high school basketball career, Eckerle also found success on the golf course. “Golf is my biggest hobby, and I still love playing every chance I get,” Eckerle said. Among his other hobbies, Eckerle enjoys playing the piano.
“I had to give it up when I came to college because I don’t have time for it or access to a piano, but I do still enjoy it and play a little bit when I go home,” Eckerle said.
In the meantime, Eckerle is all about basketball and his team. “The guys here are special, and we have a really good bond that causes me to want to win not only for myself, but also for them,” Eckerle said.
