By Cody Shook, Sports Editor
Three weeks ago, shocking news was announced on the West Liberty basketball Twitter account that senior point guard Brady Arnold had been diagnosed with an illness that will sideline him for the entire 2017-18 season.
On Oct. 13, Arnold went to the emergency room after not feeling well for about two months. He had a X-ray and CT scan done, which located a mass on the right side of his chest. Arnold was then transferred to The James Cancer Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. After testing, on Oct. 18, Arnold was diagnosed with Diffused Large B Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. He is currently going through chemotherapy treatments.
Arnold is from Millersburg, Ohio, where he attended West Holmes High School. He was a 2,000-point scorer and finalist for the 2014 Ohio “Mr. Basketball” Award, and he earned 1st-team All-Ohio Division II and averaged 26.2 points per game as a senior.
Arnold is a fan favorite on the West Liberty campus, on and off of the court, due to his high spirits and enormous amount of heart. When he steps onto the court, everybody knows that something special is about to happen, whether it’s with a hustle steal or a big shot to turn the momentum around for the Hilltoppers.
Arnold has played in over 30 games in each of his first three seasons on the hilltop. In the 2016-17 season, he earned his most minutes per game of his career with 17.9. He scored 229 points with 69 rebounds and 64 assists. He also recorded 10 double-figure scoring games, and had a career high 19 points against Urbana.
The men’s basketball team took a trip to visit Arnold in the hospital and head coach Ben Howlett said that the trip was really good for Brady and his team and that the mood was very upbeat and “Brady was being Brady,” with his positivity and his outlook on life.
Arnold has repeated to multiple people that he is going to beat this illness and return to the court with his teammates for the 2018-19 season.
Since Arnold played as a freshman, he still has a redshirt that he plans on taking which would allow him to come back to school and finish his playing career on the Hilltop.
“This illness picked the wrong person to mess with,” said Howlett. For anybody that knows Arnold, they know how true that is because of his heart and determination.
T-shirts were made to help Brady and his family, with all of the proceeds helping them get through this tough time. On the shirts, it says, “#BradysArmy” and “Isaiah 41:10.” The verse is, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Wristbands are also being sold with “#BradysArmy” on them. The next home game is Monday, Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m.
Photo credit: WLU Hoops Twitter
