Bai Kabba never considered track as his first sport before signing a full scholarship to run at the University of Illinois.
Kabba had always favored football and now, after transferring from Illinois, the 2009 Batavia graduate hopes to re-establish that hierarchy at North Central College.
“Academically, I didn’t really like being at such a big school,” Kabba said. “I think it’s better with small classrooms. I [also] kind of just wanted to be closer to home and get back to playing football. I wasn’t able to play football at U of I.
“I was real interested and anxious to get back into football and I wanted to come back to where track was more of a second sport instead of a first sport. Now football will be my main focus and I will still do track to have fun, stay in shape and bond with the other guys on the team.”
During his senior season at Batavia, Kabba originally chose to run track at St. Ambrose University, a small school in Iowa. But then Kabba won the 3A state title in the 400 meters and Illinois offered an enticing full-ride scholarship that he couldn’t refuse.
But almost from the beginning, Kabba didn’t feel comfortable at Illinois. He had thoughts of transferring after his first semester, but elected to give it more time to see if he changed his mind.
A year passed and Kabba’s desire to transfer hadn’t wavered, so he thought, “You know, if I’m going to make a move, I want to make it now to get acclimated. So I decided to make a transfer.”
Kabba’s relocation to North Central has brought with it smaller class sizes, the opportunity to play football – Kabba ran for 997 yards in his senior season at Batavia – and more time with his family.
“It’s great because all of my immediate family is close,” Kabba said. “My sister lives in Aurora, my brother (Emund) is a senior in high school, so I’m able to stay involved with helping him out and seeing his track meets. And my little sister is a freshman in high school. I just kind of wanted to be closer to home and I like being in an area where I have the support of family, friends and the community.”
Kabba is currently working with the North Central football team’s coaching staff to learn the Cardinals’ high-powered spread offense, while also participating in the track program’s indoor season. The track season has been anything but smooth, however, as Kabba suffered a groin injury in November, and still is locked in a month-long battle with a sinus infection.
While he has yet to return to 100 percent during his time at North Central, Kabba feels he is in a place more conducive to achieving happiness and success, especially in track.
“I’m more excited now because, at the [Division I] level, track is more serious and more time-consuming,” Kabba said. “You go in there and it’s about business. You have to win championships and compete at the national level. It’s just more serious.
“Track has never been my first sport. It was always track after football. It was hard to make that transition where track is my No. 1 sport when it’s just not.”
• Eric Van Dril writes a weekly On Campus column about area athletes competing in college. If you have a column idea, e-mail him at ericvandril@gmail.com.