In the last year, basketball players at Marquette University have begun to show greater interest in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
They aren’t actually investigating the Church, but they are learning about it from their only returned missionary teammate, Brendan Bailey.
“They have to write about certain topics and sometimes they choose to write about (the Church),” Bailey said with a grin. “So I help them.”
It’s been over a year since Bailey, the 6-foot-8 son of former Utah Jazz player Thurl Bailey, returned from his two-year Latter-day Saint mission to Washington D.C. After a respectable freshman season, including a trip to the NCAA Tournament, the former American Fork High School star is expected to fill a major role for the Golden Eagles entering his sophomore year.
“Brendo,” as his friends call him, is pumped about the prospects and grateful for the road that has brought him to this point. From growing up as “Big T’s” son, to recovering from a disappointing injury and taking two years away from the game he loves, to finding a college home in Milwaukee, Bailey has no regrets.
Story by Trent Toone; lead image from Bailey family, retrieved from Church News