For Brian Molis, climbing a mountain of personal problems and painful injuries has made this season a difficult yet gratifying one.

Within a span of a year (1989-90), Molis, a 6-4 guard/forward on the NIU men’s basketball team, lost his grandfather, his mother to cancer, and suffered through arthroscopic surgery on his right knee and a left ankle bone chip. Molis also did not play for an 11-month span that threw off his timing and set back his progress as a basketball player.

“I started playing in the summer (1990) and I had problems dealing with the day-to-day routine—like the nagging injuries and the soreness,” Molis said. “It’s taken the whole season to get back to where I want to be, but I’m not even close to where I want to be.”

NIU head coach Jim Molinari knows that Molis has gone through a great number of difficulties in the past year.

“Brian lost his mother to cancer, his grandfather, and has had multiple injuries to deal with,” Molinari said. “I think this has forced him to grow up really fast.”

When Molis was finally able to start playing again, he faced more problems than just trying to get his timing down. He had a new system to adjust to under his new coach, Jim Molinari. Molis had played his first two seasons of college ball at the University of Colorado before transferring to NIU and sitting out the 1989-90 season.

“I had to adjust to the system here,” said Molis. “I saw the system somewhat last year, but it’s not like being out there practicing and getting my timing down and knowing where to be on the court.”

Molinari was quick to add that another problem that Molis has been experiencing is one which Molinari had difficulty with when he was in college.

“Brian doesn’t concentrate on what he has to do,” Molinari said. “Brian has been my whipping boy this season. I believe that as a coach, I react most to a player that has the same weakness that I had, and that’s concentration.

“It is hard for Brian to concentrate because he has gone through a great deal and I think that this whole experience has made basketball less important to him.

“Of course, basketball isn’t the most important thing in his life or in my life. But, at the time it’s taking place, it has to be the priority. Brian still has to work on concentrating on basketball, when it comes time to play.”

Flashes of Molis’ potential were shown in a mid-January contest against DePaul, a game which seems to have been the spark plug to NIU’s 20 win season.

Molis scored 13 points, including three 3-pointers in the first half.

“Brian has brought a spark to the team off the bench,” said Molinari. “He gave us a lift against DePaul and Akron.”

Molis’ comeback story won’t be complete until he lifts his own performance to where he feels it should be.

“Brian will need to work on self-discipline, but he will succeed in anything because he knows how to compete,” said Molinari. “He’s a fighter.”