A look back at one of Western's all-time leading scorers
On March 12, NCAA President Mark Emmert announced the cancellation of winter and spring sports due to COVID-19, putting an abrupt end to many senior athletes’ careers, including Western’s own Trevor Jasinsky.
After a successful men’s basketball season, Jasinsky, a native of Camas, Washington, helped lead the Vikings to a Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship, where he brought home tournament MVP. That game was his last in a Viking uniform.
“It was devastating, you know, for us it was the National Championship or bust before receiving the news,” Jasinsky said. “Being witness to the success of my teammates, especially in the end was great and I knew we were going to leave it all on the court.”
After traveling to La Jolla, California to compete in the West Regionals, the tournament was canceled. Jasinsky was noticeably upset after the news knowing he had played his last game and his team could no longer make a run in the playoffs.
Besides these unfortunate circumstances, a player as invaluable to Western as Jasinsky should be celebrated for his impacts on and off the court. Jasinsky played four years without missing a single game and is one of five Western players to rank in the top 10 in both scoring and rebounding in our school’s history.
Coming out of high school, Jasinsky was expected to make an immediate impact. Head coach Tony Dominguez said he began recruiting Jasinsky as early as the summer going into his senior year of high school.
“He brought a great deal of athleticism and was a well-rounded young man,” Dominguez said. “Trevor was a great ambassador for our program at all levels. He was obviously a very skilled basketball player, he’s very well spoken, respectful and a great community guy. He is someone we would consider to be an ultimate Viking.”
Beyond his extensive list of basketball awards, Jasinsky was also presented with three All-GNAC academic awards along with two District 8 Academic All-Region honors. This past winter Jasinsky graduated from Western with a Bachelor of Arts in marketing and international business.
“I think it will be a great thing to fall back on after basketball especially because it is something I am also passionate about,” Jasinsky said, in reference to his degree.
In terms of his future in basketball, he said he is currently in contact with agents about continuing his career. “Right now I am just weighing my options after speaking with different people and family about playing professionally whether it be overseas or in the NBA developmental league,” Jasinsky said.
Even though the freshly-graduated Jasinsky’s time at Western has come to an end, he has made a lasting impression on many people and has stapled himself into the men’s basketball record books for the time being. Jasinsky said he will always cherish the time he spent here and thanked Western for the countless memories he made as a Western student athlete.
“My favorite memories would probably be the relationships and bonds I made throughout my career,” Jasinsky said.
One of these strong friendships was with former teammate and Whatcom County native, Daulton “DC” Hommes. “DC was one of those guys I came in with as a freshman so we would always push each other to get better,” Jasinsky said.
Hommes played two years at Western before transferring to Point Loma Nazarene University to continue his basketball career. After playing one year and reaching the Division II National Championship, he decided to forego his final season of college eligibility to play professionally. He is currently a player on the Austin Spurs, which is the NBA’s official minor league team for the San Antonio Spurs organization.
“We were roommates, always had the same classes, went to the dining hall together and eventually moved into a place off-campus with each other,” Hommes said. “I learned a lot from Trevor, whether it was school or basketball we just pushed each other really hard to be great in all areas and wanted to make the most of our college experience. Which I think we did.”
There are some traits that come naturally, and in the case of Jasinsky, it's his maturity and influence on the court that is valued the most from his fellow teammates or coaches.
“If I had the chance to sum up Trevor’s career, I would say he is the most selfless teammate someone could ask for,” Hommes said. “I think that his college basketball career was really special because of the way he did it, putting on for Western.”
