News Story - Idaho State Journal

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POCATELLO - Logan Kinghorn had two months to mull over his future once basketball season ended, but his prospects still looked as fuzzy as ever.

Should he pursue a professional basketball career overseas? Look for a job that requires him to suit up in a shirt and tie instead? Maybe he should just go back to school for a graduate degree?

Kinghorn wrestled with the decision until early May, when he accepted a Presidential Scholarship to continue his studies at Idaho State.

''The hardest decisions are the ones with multiple right answers,'' Kinghorn said.

Similarly, there is no simple way to describe how life shapes up for Idaho State's athletes once their playing careers end. Some, like football star George Yarno, have their career aspirations all mapped out. But many others face an uncertain future, having devoted their time at Idaho State to zipping from practices to classes to road trips in an endless blur.

Only one thing holds true for all the former Bengals: They leave with sweet memories of their time as an intercollegiate athlete, a distinction that nobody can ever take away from them.

''Looking back on it, I wouldn't trade it in for anything else,'' Kinghorn said. ''I'm very glad that I did it and completed my career as a basketball player. Just to be a part of it and to go through with all of it is a very fulfilling feeling.''

LIFE AFTER SPORTS

Yarno still itches to put on shoulder pads and slam someone to the turf every so often.

His father and uncle both played in the NFL, and Yarno grew up dreaming of following in their footsteps. For a while after the season ended, the former Bengals center found it hard to accept that he would no longer play competitive football.

It didn't help that punter Dan Zeidman was working out for pro scouts and eventually signed a free-agent deal with the Carolina Panthers. But gradually, Yarno came to accept the fact that he had played his last snap. Looking back on a career that included team captain and preseason All-America honors, he realized he had squeezed every ounce of energy he had to give on the football field. If that wasn't good enough for the NFL, then so be it.

''That's something I struggled with for a while,'' Yarno said. ''I accomplished a lot, I think, in my life, and I'm OK with that. I'm OK that it's over now.''

Yarno will dive into the next phase of his life, which will include studying for a master's degree in microbiology at Idaho State in the fall. He hopes to eventually teach high school biology and coach football.

Kaylynn Fager also is moving full-steam toward her career ambitions, now that her basketball days are over. With Idaho State picking up the tab, the former backup guard will complete her degree and get her teaching certificate after one more semester in the fall. She then hopes to teach history and coach basketball at the high school level.

''I love the game so much, and I know that come November, I'm going to be missing it a lot,'' Fager said. ''But right now, I want to start coaching. I want to start a family. I'm ready to start moving on to the next phase of my life.''

NOT SO CERTAIN

Kinghorn wasn't quite as ready to give up basketball.

The former Bengals forward had seen Bengals alumni like Jim Potter make the leap from the Big Sky to a lucrative career in Europe. Kinghorn sent DVDs of his play to teams in the Netherlands after his Bengals career ended and continued to work out five times a week while awaiting their response.

But when he found out he had been selected as a Presidential Scholar, he found the award impossible to turn down. Kinghorn will complete the undergraduate courses he needs to prepare for medical school, while helping the Bengal Foundation raise funds for the athletic program.

''It's a great opportunity,'' Kinghorn said. ''I think you have to take advantage of it when it presents itself.''

It's not the first time Kinghorn had to decide between basketball and academics. He first enrolled at Idaho State majoring in zoology and aspiring to make it to medical school. But Kinghorn struggled to balance the workload with his basketball commitments and dropped the major in the fall semester of his freshman year.

Still, Kinghorn has no regrets about the sacrifices he made for basketball. The hours spent on the road, the daily practices, the fourth-quarter lunges for rebounds with every muscle in his 6-foot-5 frame screaming for mercy - all that has made him the man he is today. No matter what life throws at him in the future, Kinghorn knows he is prepared.

''There were hard moments, when you're running the mile and you're trying to make it in 5 minutes and you're ready to pass out,'' Kinghorn said. ''You think, man this is tough. How am I going to make it through all of this?

''It will definitely be a help in my life. Just the things that I go through and the challenges that I meet, I think I will have one more bullet in my gun.''

MISSING IT

Yarno couldn't resist the pull of Holt Arena once spring football rolled around in March.

He couldn't stand being cooped up at home doing his homework while the rest of his friends were making their way to the mini-dome and getting ready for practice. But as it turned out, wandering into Holt Arena to watch the team scrimmage was even more heart-wrenching for Yarno than staying away.

''It almost brought me to tears because I miss it so much,'' Yarno said. ''It's been such a big part of my life. I miss sitting in the locker room joking with the guys and messing around. I think that's the biggest part of football that I'm going to miss - the camaraderie, the relationships that I had with my teammates.''

Former linebacker Sterling Mennear has had a somewhat easier time adjusting to life without football. As much as the Poky High graduate missed the sport, he also didn't miss waking up and not being able to get off his bed. He didn't miss setting his alarm clock at 4 a.m. to make it to practices, or worse still, heading straight to practice after pulling an all-nighter on his architecture projects.

By Kelvin Ang

This document was originally published online on Saturday, May 10, 2008

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