Post by Deleted on Nov 30, 2008 19:39:29 GMT -5
www.fiveborosports.com/ssp/news?news_id=756
LOS ANGELES – Vernon Teel has been waiting for his break, waiting to finally play Division I college basketball after a countless number of setbacks. But then, just four games into his career at Loyola Marymount University, the 6-foot-3 guard from South Jamaica, Queens had a break of another kind.
Jumping for a rebound, Teel landed on the foot of Notre Dame’s Luke Harangody. Just six minutes into a highly anticipated home opener against the eighth-ranked Fighting Irish in front of a sellout crowd of 4,534 at Gersten Pavilion last Friday, the former Flushing HS star was sidelined with a broken right foot.
Yet another obstacle.
“I was real excited to play,” said Teel, who will be sidelined for 4-6 weeks. “But unfortunately with the injury it’s just another setback I’m going to have to overcome.”
Teel started the season as a man possessed, indicative of a player who has been waiting forever to play Division I basketball. He led LMU in scoring (19.3), rebounds (9.3) and assists (2.7) per game as the Lions’ starting point guard.
In his LMU debut, the sophomore had 18 points and nine rebounds in a 75-51 loss to Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the World Vision Classic. The next night Teel had 17 points and 13 rebounds in a 67-55 loss to host Iowa State and then dropped 23 points in a 64-55 loss to UC Davis in the final game of the tournament.
“I was hungry to get back,” Teel said. “I’m a big-time competitor and I want to win so badly. I started off the first three games hot and I just ran our offense, scoring within our offense.”
He came off the bench for the first time this season against Notre Dame after being kicked out of practice the day before, but Teel didn’t miss a beat, going 2-for-4 from the field with two rebounds before finally limping off the court.
“Vernon is a big part of this team,” freshman guard Jarred DuBois told reporters after the game. “He does a lot. He rebounds, he passes, he can score, he gets everybody involved. He pretty much does everything from a point guard position. So losing him, that’s a big loss.”
LMU battled valiantly, held Staten Island native Kyle McAlarney scoreless, but finally succumbed, 65-54.
“We have a very young team, a very good team,” Teel said. “I think if I would have played tonight we would have had a better chance to win. With my ability to get people shots and my ability to score I think we could have probably pulled this one out.”
Teel, who was named IS 8 MVP and played in the ABCD Camp all-star game, graduated from Flushing as the school’s all-time leading scorer in 2005. He attended Laurinburg Institute in North Carolina in order to qualify for the NCAA Clearinghouse, but the prep school was deemed a “diploma mill” by the NCAA and Teel was academically ineligible for his first – and only – year at Long Island University.
From there Teel went to Globe Institute and then JUCO powerhouse Chipola Community College in Florida where he averaged eight points per game and helped lead his team to a No. 2 national ranking and a bid to the NJCAA national tournament.
He drew interest from Kentucky, Mississippi State and Oklahoma, but he chose LMU and its picturesque campus that overlooks Marina del Rey.
“The campus, the people, the coaches, the team,” Teel said when asked what drew him to Loyola-Marymount. “I saw a team that was 5-26 and I just wanted to help turn the program around.”
The next day LMU traveled cross-country to play at Wagner, where they fell to 0-5 following a 72-51 loss on Staten Island. It was supposed to be Teel’s triumphant return to New York. Instead, he was sidelined with crutches.
But Teel isn’t about to start to get frustrated. Not now, not after his journey took him 2,800 miles from South Jamaica with several stops along the way.
“I never get discouraged,” Teel said. “My mom always told me to keep my head up and look toward the future and be positive and that’s what I did in my journey, in my quest to get to LMU.”
LOS ANGELES – Vernon Teel has been waiting for his break, waiting to finally play Division I college basketball after a countless number of setbacks. But then, just four games into his career at Loyola Marymount University, the 6-foot-3 guard from South Jamaica, Queens had a break of another kind.
Jumping for a rebound, Teel landed on the foot of Notre Dame’s Luke Harangody. Just six minutes into a highly anticipated home opener against the eighth-ranked Fighting Irish in front of a sellout crowd of 4,534 at Gersten Pavilion last Friday, the former Flushing HS star was sidelined with a broken right foot.
Yet another obstacle.
“I was real excited to play,” said Teel, who will be sidelined for 4-6 weeks. “But unfortunately with the injury it’s just another setback I’m going to have to overcome.”
Teel started the season as a man possessed, indicative of a player who has been waiting forever to play Division I basketball. He led LMU in scoring (19.3), rebounds (9.3) and assists (2.7) per game as the Lions’ starting point guard.
In his LMU debut, the sophomore had 18 points and nine rebounds in a 75-51 loss to Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the World Vision Classic. The next night Teel had 17 points and 13 rebounds in a 67-55 loss to host Iowa State and then dropped 23 points in a 64-55 loss to UC Davis in the final game of the tournament.
“I was hungry to get back,” Teel said. “I’m a big-time competitor and I want to win so badly. I started off the first three games hot and I just ran our offense, scoring within our offense.”
He came off the bench for the first time this season against Notre Dame after being kicked out of practice the day before, but Teel didn’t miss a beat, going 2-for-4 from the field with two rebounds before finally limping off the court.
“Vernon is a big part of this team,” freshman guard Jarred DuBois told reporters after the game. “He does a lot. He rebounds, he passes, he can score, he gets everybody involved. He pretty much does everything from a point guard position. So losing him, that’s a big loss.”
LMU battled valiantly, held Staten Island native Kyle McAlarney scoreless, but finally succumbed, 65-54.
“We have a very young team, a very good team,” Teel said. “I think if I would have played tonight we would have had a better chance to win. With my ability to get people shots and my ability to score I think we could have probably pulled this one out.”
Teel, who was named IS 8 MVP and played in the ABCD Camp all-star game, graduated from Flushing as the school’s all-time leading scorer in 2005. He attended Laurinburg Institute in North Carolina in order to qualify for the NCAA Clearinghouse, but the prep school was deemed a “diploma mill” by the NCAA and Teel was academically ineligible for his first – and only – year at Long Island University.
From there Teel went to Globe Institute and then JUCO powerhouse Chipola Community College in Florida where he averaged eight points per game and helped lead his team to a No. 2 national ranking and a bid to the NJCAA national tournament.
He drew interest from Kentucky, Mississippi State and Oklahoma, but he chose LMU and its picturesque campus that overlooks Marina del Rey.
“The campus, the people, the coaches, the team,” Teel said when asked what drew him to Loyola-Marymount. “I saw a team that was 5-26 and I just wanted to help turn the program around.”
The next day LMU traveled cross-country to play at Wagner, where they fell to 0-5 following a 72-51 loss on Staten Island. It was supposed to be Teel’s triumphant return to New York. Instead, he was sidelined with crutches.
But Teel isn’t about to start to get frustrated. Not now, not after his journey took him 2,800 miles from South Jamaica with several stops along the way.
“I never get discouraged,” Teel said. “My mom always told me to keep my head up and look toward the future and be positive and that’s what I did in my journey, in my quest to get to LMU.”