BUTLER TWP — During his high school playing days, Matt Lobaugh was no more than an afterthought on his basketball team.

He was the fourth option at Youngstown Chaney. Abit player, he was just another face in the crowd.

If there was a shot to take in crunch time, he wasn't the one to launch it.

"In high school, I wouldn't want to take that shot," Lobaugh said. "But here, I want the ball. I want to be the one who shoots the ball and do something good. If I miss, it's my fault and no one else's."

Lobaugh took plenty of shots in his two years as a member of the Butler County Community College men's basketball team.

Serving in Iraq for a year will change a person's views about everything, even basketball.

Lobaugh refueled vehicles as part of the Army Reserve unit based in Beaver Falls during his 12-month tour of duty in Iraq.

He was never on the front lines, but dealt with the uncertainty of life in a war zone on a daily basis.

"You'd hear gun shots and look around and wonder where they came from," Lobaugh said. "One of our trucks had bullet holes in the back of it."

It changed him. It made him want to take that pivotal shot on the basketball court instead of shying away from it.

"It made me realize if you can play, you might as well do it while you can," he said. "It opens your eyes and wakes you up and makes you realize it's the little things in life that count. Don't take them for granted. It can be all over just like that."

At BC3, Lobaugh was anything but an afterthought.

Lobaugh became only the second player to score more than 1,000 points as a Pioneer and finished his career with 1,124. That puts him behind only Bryant Lewandowski, who scored 1,311 points, on the school's all-time scoring leader list.

Lobaugh averaged 20.8 points and six rebounds per game in his two seasons with the Pioneers.

All this from a player who scored a mere 8.5 points per game in high school.

"It's definitely an honor," Lobaugh said. "It's something I never thought was possible. Coming here was like a gift. Once I got here, things started to turn for the better."

It took some persuasion from a friend and calls from BC3 coach Tony Grenek to get Lobaugh to join the Pioneers once his tour in Iraq was over.

His goals were very modest at first: He just wanted to play.

It didn't take long for Grenek to realize he had a sleeper star in Lobaugh.

"Basically, we knew he was going to be a diamond in the rough the first time he came to an open gym," Grenek said. "He came to us a year out of high school and Matt was a different person than he was in high school, probably because of his experience in Iraq. It made him appreciate the game more and work a little bit harder."

Now a 21-year-old, and with his junior college career over, Lobaugh is ready to take on his next challenge.

He is looking for a four-year school to continue his education toward a sports management degree and to continue his playing career.

Despite his gaudy numbers, which included a 21.4 scoring average this season, Lobaugh is finding few takers.

He has shown interest in West Liberty State College in West Virginia, Point Park College and SlipperyRock University, but has had little interest in return.

"It doesn't bother me," Lobaugh said. "It's more of a give-me-a-chance kind of thing."

Grenek said he believes someone will give Lobaugh an opportunity, but understands why some schools are leery of him.

At 6-foot-2, Lobaugh is a very undersized forward. He would have to adjust his game to the two guard position to have any shot at playing at schools like SRU.

"I think the one thing that hurts Matt is he's a three-man by heart," Grenek said. "He's a slasher, and — I'm not going to say ugly — but he has a funky game to him."

But Grenek said Lobaugh has the intangibles that will make some team very lucky to have him.

"There's guys who look good doing drills, there's guys who look good in the weight room, or guys who seem like they are pretty fast, but that all disappears when the ball is tipped up and there are referees and fans in the gym," Grenek said. "Lobaugh is a gamer. He knows how to play the game, and he's going to get the job done when the lights are on and the pressure is on."