In Baldwin’s basketball playoff game this year, senior James Wesling started the game with two three-pointers, putting him over 1,000 points in his high school career.

His thoughts going into the game were more focused on the game itself. But when he hit the milestone, he felt a weight lifted off his shoulders.

“It felt awesome and sort of a relief after making the first two shots,” Wesling said. “I was able to just play the rest of the game just trying to win.”

He would end up scoring 42 points in a tough playoff loss to Central Catholic. And he put up other stellar numbers throughout the season, leading him to be named the Purbalite Male Athlete of the Year for the second straight year..

Wesling’s excitement over reaching 1,000 points was short-lived, as that playoff game was his last one in a Highlanders jersey. Losing such a close game didn’t sit well with him.

“I felt terrible after the loss,” he said. “It all hit me at once – the feeling of hate after losing and the realization that I would never play for Baldwin again.”

“I would do anything to play one more game for this school.”

Wesling said some of his other favorite memories from his senior season were the senior rec game and all of the time he spent with teammates before practice.

He said he was thankful for those teammates.

“There were some games where I was not playing like myself, but my teammates were there to carry some of the load both offensively and defensively,” he said. “I never would have been the player I was without the help of my teammates.”

“They would trust me even through my tough times to take big shots in big moments,” he said. “It really would help me get my confidence back.”

Sophomore Matt Schenk said Wesling was a great role model and helped start a big change for Baldwin basketball.

“Without James I wouldn’t be the player I am today, and without him our team wouldn’t have even been close to as good as we were,” Schenk said.

Teammate and fellow senior Christian Forgacs saw how Wesling’s leadership affected those around him on the court.

“His leadership qualities set him apart from many other athletes,” he said.

Wesling hopes that his efforts at Baldwin laid down a foundation to put Baldwin basketball back on the map. The Highlanders have never won a WPIAL championship and have not won the section since 1986.

“I hope that I helped get the team started on a run for the history books,” he said. “I hope that I turned the tide for Baldwin and hopefully they can do what I was never able to achieve.”

Forgacs said Wesling deserves all the recognition he has received.

“It was amazing to see all of the hours of work he put in come through for him,” Forgacs said. “He is a great guy on and off the court.”

Schenk agreed.

“You wouldn’t want to see this award go to anyone else,” Schenk said.

Forgacs has been playing baseball and basketball with Wesling for 10 years and their relationship on and off the court runs deep. Throughout the recruitment process, both athletes helped each other on the tough decisions.

“We have a connection because we are some of the only players going to college for our sports,” he said. “We can relate to each other and we had each other’s back during the recruiting process.”

James’ brother, sophomore Nate Wesling, also plays basketball. James said he hopes his younger brother continues the family legacy at Baldwin.

“I hope that my brother is a better player than me,” he said. “I want to watch him surpass me in every aspect of the game because I want him to succeed in the game we both love.”

“I feel that I did my job as an older brother, to set a good example for him and hope that he strives to surpass the goals that I achieved.”