Fort Worth, Texas - No matter what school you represent, assistant coach Brian Wanamaker is easy to root for. Now in his fifth year with the Texas Wesleyan Men's basketball program, Wanamaker continues to inspire those around him while battling cancer.
 
Wanamaker's journey started in Philadelphia, where he attended Roman Catholic High School. During his time there, he would grow close to mentor Rasool Hajj, someone who helped improve his life.
 
"He helped a ton of kids in my community get the opportunity to attend good high schools, such as Roman Catholic, and helped them get opportunities to attend college," said Wanamaker. "He inspired me to do the same, and he's why I wanted to get into coaching."
 
Brian would go on to attend Central Connecticut State University and Morris College before making his way to Wesleyan, where he would finish his last two years. It was here the former Ram was named Conference Player of the Year and a First Team All-American. Following his collegiate career in 2011, he would play professionally overseas in Germany and Lithuania for the next six years.
 
In 2019, an opportunity was presented to Wanamaker that would put him down a career path he was destined for. His former coach, Brennen Shingleton, invited him to join the staff as his assistant, and this is where Wanamaker began his coaching career.
 
With the words of Rasool Hajj guiding him, Brian's new goal in life was to help coach young men grow and understand how to be disciplined basketball players the way he did when he was growing up.
 
But in September of 2022, Brian's life was impacted by a diagnosis that would redefine his life. Doctors informed Wanamaker that they had discovered a cancerous tumor, something that no one is ever ready to hear.
 
"It changed my life in the sense of valuing time even more so than before," he said. "I understand that I can't control when the cancer comes back, I can't control that there's no cure, I can't control the days I don't feel well, but I can control what I do with my time."
 
Brian's family helped keep him resilient and motivated during a time when he faced so much adversity, while the need to be there for his players kept him grounded.
 
"I wanted to be strong for my wife, daughter, and family," he said. "At the time, my daughter was turning one, and I wanted to be there for her as she went through her beginning stages. No matter what's going on or how I feel, I will always have the strength and motivation to be there for them."
 
"I also wanted to be there for the players and the team," he said. "It is almost a guilty feeling being away and not being there to help them during their hard times. I know those guys leaned on me for support, advice, and encouragement. I didn't want to let them down."
 
The team and University responded by rallying around their coach's cancer battle, ensuring he felt the full weight of their support.
 
"They made me posters and always sent me encouraging messages that they were thinking of me," he said. "The University gave me the flexibility I needed to go to my treatments and still coach. Coach Shingleton kept me in the loop and made me feel like I was still a part of the team."
 
After his diagnosis, Brian would go through rounds of chemotherapy and treatment, giving the team whatever strength he had left. He continued to coach on days when he should have been in bed, never questioning his willpower.
 
"In May, I had my transplant and spent three weeks hospitalized – I felt worse than I have ever felt, and I lost my hair," said Wanamaker. "Fast forward to today, I'm now mentally stronger than ever, valuing things I've never valued before. The life I have is my new normal, and I'm okay with it."
 
"My life now is a daily fight. I'm taking 4-5 pills daily, something I never imagined," he said." I am continuing chemo once a month, all to fight the cancer from returning for as long as possible."
 
Brian wants anyone dealing with adversity to know you can't control when it will come or go, but you can influence how you respond and handle it.
"It's easy to allow adversity to take over because it's hard," he said. "My advice would be to fight through it and take ownership of your own life. Use it as preparation because you will face more challenges, making you mentally tougher for when the next adverse situation occurs."
 
With basketball season approaching, Brian looks forward to being healthy and giving his team everything.
 
"I couldn't travel much last season and did not have much energy," he said. "I'm looking forward to being more active on the sideline, getting our new guys out there, and competing for a conference championship."