Rob Base and DJ Easy Rock once sang, “It takes two to make a thing go right…”

Maybe they had NIU men’s basketball stars Donnell Thomas and Donald Whiteside in mind when they wrote that song.

Thomas a 6’4″ forward and Whiteside a 5’10” guard, both senior co-captains, have been nothing but spectacular in their first three years at NIU.

Thomas enters the new season regarded by many as the nation’s best 6-4 post-up player. “He’s one of the better players to ever play at NIU,” said head coach Jim Molinari. “I’ve said it before: nobody works harder.”

Thomas knows that his work ethic is a key to his success.

“It’s my will to be a winner in life and that makes me work harder,” Thomas said. “I make the sacrifice because I know what’s needed for the season to be successful.”

The work ethic that Thomas partakes of lasts the entire year. In the off-season, Thomas plays basketball twice a day, does push-ups every day, jumps rope and does aerobics.

“It’s important that I play ball twice a day in the off-season,” said Thomas. “It helps a lot because it gets me ready to run up and down the court during the season.”

Thomas has set high goals for himself this year.

“I think I’ve matured quite a bit since last year and I’m ready to lead the team,” Thomas said.

“It’s a big responsibility being a captain. I want to be a leader by example by giving 110 percent on the court, but if things start to go wrong, I’m going to speak up.”

As for the 1990-91 season: “I won’t make any predictions,” Thomas said, “but I’ll tell you that we will play hard and give it all we got.”

For the past three years it seems as if Donald Whiteside has played hard on every play, whether it was in a game or in practice.

Whiteside has been described as energy in motion, the type of player who doesn’t get tired, no matter how much he plays.

“Many people have certain God-given talents and I think that being able to play without really resting is my God-given talent,” Whiteside said.

“I love the game and I get so emotionally high for a game that my adrenalin begins to flow and I feel like I can keep playing all night.

Whiteside, who is co-captain along with Thomas, also feels a responsiblity to his team similar to that of Thomas’.

“I have to be a leader by example, which I’ve done in the past, but I also have to be a vocal leader.Coach (Molinari) has asked me to be a more vocal leader so that the team can focus in on what we have to do to succeed. Everyone understands that the team goals come first.”

Like Thomas, Whiteside feels that being captain of the team means that he must set an example off the court as well.

“Good citizenship and doing well in the classroom are very important in setting an example,” said Whiteside. “It also rubs off onto the basketball court.”

Both Thomas and Whiteside enter the new season with a sound game; the sound that says “It takes two…”