Jan. 30, 2001

By Mike Albright

In his early military training at West Point, Dax Pearson had grown accustomed to being in close quarters with weapons, but he'd never stared down the business end of a shotgun pointed at his face in true anger.

Yet the affable New Jersey native found himself in exactly that scenario in La Pintana, Chile, during his two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Now, six months after concluding his 22-month tour, centered in the southern quadrant of Chile's capital city of Santiago, Pearson mesmerizes listeners with his tales.

There was the time Pearson and one of his fellow missionaries found themselves in the middle of a riot between squatters in a housing project and the local police, where the tear gas was so thick the two had to duck into a nearby house to escape the smoke.

"I told my companion, 'This is just like when I got gassed at West Point as a plebe,'" Pearson recalls now with a chuckle.

There was Pearson's first day in Chile, when he awoke to learn he was helping build a house, despite knowing nothing about construction.

"I was lucky that I was in a poor part of Chile. The poorer the people, the more humble they are, and so it was easier to work with them and to talk to them about Jesus. That's why I was able to build the house. It wasn't a mansion, it was just a small, little house."

There was also the time when the 6-foot 6-inch "gringo" happened upon a group of Chileans playing basketball on the street, shooting at a rim nailed to a pole. "Shoot! Shoot!" the locals implored Pearson, who dutifully unleashed a hook shot "from the total other side of the street" that found nothing but net, instantly vaulting the foreigner into superstar status in a country where soccer is still king.

"Everyone was out of work. All day, they do nothing. They all knew I played basketball. Every day, I'd walk down the street and they'd ask me to play with them. Usually we'd walk by and not do anything," Pearson relates. "But, from that day on, they all thought I was the greatest basketball player in the world."

A two-year letterman on Army's basketball team, Pearson was just emerging as a rising star in the Patriot League when he left West Point in July 1998. Pearson had started 25 of Army's 27 games during his sophomore campaign (1997-98) and closed the year with averages of 9.1 ppg. and 4.1 rpg.

However, there was very little time for the budding star to ply his hardwood trade in South America, for he was there to answer a much higher calling.

Pearson's life as a missionary included 13-hour days-from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.-and featured community service, some door-to-door canvassing, working with existing church members and talking with citizens to spread the word of the church.

While stationed primarily in Santiago, Pearson's work took him from the city's run-down, poverty-stricken areas through the outlying suburbs to the desolate farmlands of Curico, some 70 miles south of the capital city.

"The mission is basically a time where you forget about yourself for two years and you try to help people, and learn more about Jesus and his role in the plan for salvation. And even then, it wasn't 100 percent where we were trying to convert people and convince them to become Mormons. It was more about trying to be positive for people and to be a good example of what the church could do for them in their life.

"Coming to West Point also got me prepared for the mission, because I had the opportunity (in Chile) to serve in a leadership role, and it was all a reflection of what I learned here."

Growing up, and even during his early tenure at West Point, Pearson was disinterested in going on a mission, agreeing only to appease his parents, Ron and Geneva, who are active leaders in their church in Freehold, N.J. However, during the rough times of Beast Barracks and his plebe academic year, Pearson realized he needed something stronger than his own resolve to pull him through.

"I always knew our church was true, but my faith wasn't that strong. I only went to church because my parents took me. Coming here made me see how the church could help me, and that strengthened my testimony. By my second year here, I had this feeling it was something I had to do, an overwhelming feeling that is was something that would be good for me, and my family, and that I would be able to help a lot of people."

Entering the season, head coach Pat Harris had hoped Pearson could help a young Black Knight squad turn the corner in 2000-01. Pearson started off strongly, registering his third career double-double (12 points, 10 rebounds) in Army's win over New Hampshire in the campaign's second game. After a sluggish stretch just after Christmas, Pearson revitalized his game once the Patriot League schedule opened, averaging 14.6 ppg. And 9.0 rpg. in the Black Knights' first five league outings. He also notched double-doubles against Lehigh (career-high 29 points and 12 rebounds) and Lafayette (14 points and a career-high 16 rebounds).

Since his return to the Academy, Pearson has balanced basketball with church activities. He is active in a Monday night cadet bible study group and serves as a primary church teacher, holding Sunday morning classes for three grade school-age West Point girls.

"They say missions are to make bad men good and good men better," Pearson explains. "The most important thing for me is thinking about how many people's lives I was able to make a difference in."

Equally as important is the difference those folks, and the church, made in Pearson's life.