They thought they'd make it through the year without any more bad news. Their friend and teammate was on the rebound. He'd undergone a second open-heart surgical procedure and only eight days later was back writing an exam and looking forward to the next semester, maybe even playing again.
It all seemed so encouraging.
And then one by one, the early-morning calls went out to the members of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men's basketball squad - their friend, their teammate, was gone. Brennan Jarrett, the guy they called Beej (because of his initials), had died at the age of 19 after playing a game of basketball with his family on a court inside a church.
Greg Jockims, the Huskies' head basketball coach, had to make those calls and hear every player's stunned and anguished reaction. It was three days before Christmas. On the team's website, Jarrett's parents, Rita and Pat, wrote the most heartfelt note: "Please know that Beej will be watching from above, be with you in spirit and has now turned from player to your greatest fan."
"It hasn't been easy," Jockims said between preparations for a two-game showdown with the University of Calgary Dinos that began last night. "Losing a young fellow with such potential is devastating. We'll never get over it, but we have to find a way to get through by keeping his spirit alive. That's important."
Brennan Jarrett, by all accounts, was the kind of guy you wanted to know. At 6 foot 4 and gregarious, he was a natural leader, a strong second-year engineering student and a caring individual who would sit on the bench and cheer for his teammates when he was dealing with testicular cancer and later his first round of open-heart surgery to remove a blood clot.
Jarrett was diagnosed with cancer in the fall of 2007. During his treatment and recovery, doctors discovered and removed traces of a tumour-like substance in his heart and lungs. That was little more than two months ago, and Jockims and the Huskies' players happily figured Beej was going to make it through a troubled year.
"Everything appeared to be progressing well. His scans were all clear," Jockims said. "At that point, he was given the green light to enhance his training."
During the Christmas break, Jarrett was with his family. They had rented a church gym in Regina and were playing a fun game when Jarrett started to feel sick. He went into a seizure and was rushed to the closest hospital. Once again, doctors cut into Jarrett's chest and found more of the tumour. He died of cardiac arrest.
After informing his players of Jarrett's death, Jockims made another call, to a PhD and sports psychologist named Ralph Schoenfeld, who spoke to the players at their first meeting on Dec. 26. Talking about Jarrett, telling stories and remembering his best and funniest moments were balm for the soul, a way to get through.
A week later, prayers for Jarrett were held at the Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Saskatoon along with a funeral mass. Jarrett's memory was honoured at the Huskies' first game after his death. The team, with a below-average 4-6 record, was facing Lethbridge and in need of two wins to maintain its playoff chances in Canada West.
The Huskies won both games.
"He was one of those special kids," Jockims said. "He was very mature for his years. He had strong faith and personal values. He had a way about him; he was able to influence people in a positive way. It's a tragedy on so many levels."
As it was with Mickey Renaud (dead at 19), Alexei Cherepanov (dead at 19) and Don Sanderson (dead at 21), Jarrett's death robbed friends and family of a loved one while stealing hope from the rest of us. The death of someone so young, so brimming with possibilities, is the knife that cuts deepest. It leaves us all aching for what might have been.
Dan Brudehl, one of Jarrett's teammates at Saskatchewan and in high school, addressed that ache, but also spoke of how much he had learned from Jarrett's short life.
"Brennan showed strength and determination with everything he did and accomplished," Brudehl was quoted as saying. "Beej, you will always be loved and remembered. Thanks for being a driving force when we needed it most."
According to his parents, he will always be there, in spirit.
Jockims said: "He understood the important things in life, and taking care of them. Maybe that will be his legacy for us."