He returned the next fall at 215 pounds and capable of dunking on a drop step. The varsity coaches took notice and soon, too, did colleges — smaller ones like Stonehill and Massachusetts-Lowell at first, then bigger ones like Davidson, Drexel and UMass. Yale appealed to Sherrod because of its proximity to home and its reputation in political science, his major.

In high school, Sherrod could successfully meld his two interests, maintaining a role in a school choir or a musical while still playing ball. But at Yale, he found the challenge of juggling both to be too difficult. As a freshman, he joined an a cappella group, Living Water. But by December, once the basketball season started in earnest, he had to quit.

“I’d go from practice to start doing work and then I’d realize I had a cappella rehearsal,” Sherrod said. “It was almost impossible for me to do that and maintain decent grades.”

So he wrote music in his dorm room, ducked into practice rooms to jam on pianos and occasionally stepped onstage at a coffeehouse.

“I had heard through a friend that this sophomore basketball player sang at an open mike night and was really talented,” Blume said. “I YouTubed him and saw a video and said, Wow, he’s great.”

Blume and Sherrod collaborated on a music project over the summer, and toward the middle of Sherrod’s junior year, an email announced that Whiffenpoofs auditions were open for rising senior male students. On a campus flush with singing groups, this was one that commanded attention. It offered free travel to five continents, along with the opportunity to perform in some of the nicest venues in the country. In the past, the group had sung at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Rose Bowl and the White House.

Blume encouraged him to try out, but Sherrod had reservations. Was it worth it? Would his coach allow it? And what would his teammates think?