When this season ends, the Whitman Men’s Basketball team will lose one of the greatest assets the school has ever seen.

For the past four years, senior Chris Faidley has blessed Whitman basketball with record scoring, record three-pointers, leadership and charm.

Faidley’s enviable and impressive basketball career at Whitman will culminate at this Friday’s home game.

For Faidley, or “Faid” as he is also known, the idea of “the last game” is bizarre.

“It’s weird to me.   It’s weird to have it.   You always hear, ‘This is the last time seniors will be playing.’ And for me it’s the last time,” he said.

After his final game, Faidley will gracefully bow out as Whitman’s second all-time scorer with 1,705 points as of Feb. 19 and second all-time three point scorer.   With one game left in the season, he has made 288 three-point baskets.

During his sophomore season, Faidley made 91 three-point baskets, successfully snatching the single-season record at Whitman.

But his records reach beyond Whitman’s courts.   He led the NWC (Northwest Conference) in scoring as a junior.   And he currently leads the NWC with 21 points per game.

Though Faidley has made his mark as a Whitman basketball legend, he refuses to let the numbers go to his head.

“It’s weird because I look at the articles [in newspapers] and they say ‘Faidley has scored this many points.’ And I’m like, oh really?” he said.

Faidley’s mark on the men’s team extends past baskets to a personal influence on the court.

“He brings the intangibles that don’t show up on the stat sheet such as leadership and hustle plays…he has always been a guy that people look up to,” said sophomore Will Reese, a fellow teammate.

He attributes a lot of his success to a talented team and a supportive and challenging environment.

“In a situation like this, you got to have good coaching and good teammates to set any kinds of records…more than anything else, I just feel fortunate to be in the situation I’m in and to be at Whitman and have people push me, whether in academics or athletics…it’s not all me,” he said.

Though his final college game draws near, Faidley is considering the opportunity to continue his basketball career in Europe or South America.   Another post-graduation possibility for the athlete is to join the Marine Corps.   But he remains undecided.

All Faidley knows is that he will not settle down any time soon.

“I’m just not ready to do the 9-5 thing,” he said.