At first glance, Jacob Doerksen and Trevor Klassen look like polar opposites.

Back in high school, Doersken was the typical big man on campus, excelling at whatever sport he chose, whether it be on the hardwood with a basketball in his hands, scoring at will, or on the gridiron, running down the seam catching passes from his quarterback while the defence had no answer.

Doerksen was a jock.

Klassen was another story.

Suffering from cerebral palsy, he has spent his life in a wheelchair.

But despite their differences, the pair turned out to be a lot more alike than one might think.

They shared a homeroom at Rick Hansen Secondary in Abbotsford but the friendship really blossomed during a fire drill one day at school.

鈥淗e was pretty scared and I was just there telling him it was going to be OK,鈥� Doerksen said. 鈥淔rom there, we ate lunch together every day and would just talk.鈥�

The pair became fast friends and were soon inseparable.

鈥淲e hung out all the time,鈥� Doerksen said. 鈥淲e never did anything extraordinary, we were just really good friends.鈥�

鈥淎fter school, he would come to my house,鈥� Klassen said.

鈥淛ust hanging out, the relationship grew.鈥�

One bond they shared was a love of sports.

鈥淭revor was a huge sports fan, so right away, there was that connection,鈥� Doerksen said. 鈥淲e had a lot of interests together.鈥�

Doerksen grew up playing sports, whether it was hockey, soccer, football or basketball, excelling at the latter two.

Basketball also provided an opportunity for the pair to join forces: Doerksen as the star player and Klassen as the team manager.

Like most high school friends, after graduation, they went their separate ways; Klassen remaining in Abbotsford, while Doerksen was off to Victoria, where he led the Vikes to the national championship game, which they lost.

He spent two seasons in the B.C. capital, and despite being separated by the Strait of Georgia, their friendship remained strong.

Twice a year, Klassen would visit Doerksen in Victoria, and they would also spend the summer times getting re-acquainted.

鈥淲hen he left, it was tough for me,鈥� Klassen said.

Eventually, Doerksen would transfer from Victoria, spending a year back in Abbotsford and sitting out a basketball season, before joining the Trinity Western Spartans program.

鈥淐oming back home brought Trevor and I back together and we are the closest we have ever been,鈥� Doerksen said.

鈥淚t was really moving when Jake came over and said 鈥業 am going to Trinity, would you like to join me?鈥欌�� he said.

The relationship is mutually beneficial.

For Klassen, it offers acceptance and a feeling of inclusion.

For Doerksen, it provides a sense of perspective.

鈥淭revor is not able-bodied, but the amount of heart he has, and the encouragement and positive attitude, it is huge for me,鈥� Doerksen said. 鈥淗e is always upbeat, always great to be around.鈥�

Their friendship is one to behold, says Trinity Western coach Scott Allen.

鈥淚t is a pretty unique relationship,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 am not sure who the big brother is in the relationship.鈥�

Allen said watching them together is inspiring and shows Doerksen鈥檚 leadership qualities.

鈥淵ou have a guy like Jacob, who has such great athletic accolades ... and all-around nice guy,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd who does he take as his best friend, he takes one of the weakest people.

鈥淭hat is one of the things that drew me to Jacob; it is leadership by example. He doesn鈥檛 talk about leadership, he just goes about doing what he thinks is the right thing.

鈥淭hat is just the way he is, that his his character.鈥�

Doerksen respects the fact that Klassen will be blunt in his assessment of his friend鈥檚 game, and is most often correct in his observations.

鈥淚 think we feed off each other: I make Trevor laugh and then he comes back with something else,鈥� Doerksen said.

鈥淲e are both goof balls, but when it comes time for our games on the weekend, we are serious, we want to win,鈥� Klassen added.

Doerksen鈥檚 university career came to an end over the weekend, after he led the Spartans to a silver medal at the CIS national championships, the best-ever finish in the program鈥檚 history.

His trophy case now includes the 2006 Canada West and CIS rookie of the year, and the 2009 Canada West and CIS player of the year awards.

He is also a five-time Canada West all-star and a two-time CIS first team all-star.

Doerksen leaves the Spartans as the second leading scorer in program history, scoring 1,852 points in 88 games. He finished 17 points behind Adam Friesen (1,869), despite playing 11 fewer games.

But while his playing days may be over at this level, both Doerksen and Klassen know the friendship they share stretches beyond the basketball court.