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Home My WebLink AboutThe Huron Expositor, 1987-02-18, Page 9• . • Vercruyssen a bio guy, who likes .00sketbot,.:.... • • by Ron Wassink Ron Vercruyssen is a big guy, and he's , • good at what he does best -play basketball. A senior student at Seaforth District High School (SDHS), at 6' 10” he's one Of the star orttheschee4basketball team It's ' because of his height arid ability to play the, . game the way it's supposed to be played that •• •. Being tall hasS. itadvantages and disadvantages -the is he stands out in a•crowd, and he can Auplaivo basket-, balls at one. His hands are so big he can, • hold onto a basketball like it were a hOehall. The disadvantages prohubly outnumber • the goodpoints of being talliFor instance -he in the has to duck under most doosways. The stan- • 1 , Canada .Winter Games next week. •The Ontario team has been practising 1410 WI the Winter GaMeskviths Mei last' ' Practice held in Kitchener on the weekendin preparation for the satnes to .be held in'. Syd.ney, Nova. Scotia, "Cruz" as he's • • known.to fellow players, will be leaving for • Nova Scotia on February_ 22. When he • returns March 1, he hopes to bring a gold medal with him. • - ; Vercruyssen is the tallest member of the SDHS senior basketball • team. He's 'also • • about the tallest on the provincial team. And his height is intimidating. • He stands head and shoulders above his teammates, making the next tallest player, • at 6', 3" seem short. Paul Menary is the it shortest at 5'6" and the average height of the SDHS team is about 6'1'. • The lanky centre has never talked up to • • anyone in his life, at least since he passed the 6' 5" harrier. He has an incredible reach . • ef nine feet, wears size 14 shoes, has a 40 • inch inseam and shops at a tall men's store in London, George Richards, "I've always been the tallest in my class," he says, recalling public school days when . he .was tall, but not unusually so. • "I waa just a couple of inches taller than • everyone and I was always the one in the ' back row, centre, in class photos." Vercruyssen joined an organized basket- ball team when he entered high school. Before that, he used to play "ghetto ball" in public school. Though he's modest,. he says .he's the best player on his high school team, • sharing the honors with John McCowan. • , . • .. „ , T11;.; HURONE)<P0,81'.1"00, 17E13HUARV 18, •188'7' —: dard• opening for a dooria 0?0". When' he's Air - a store, he has a problem with, sigOS-OPY'5P ti• hung alb hfSo 065 toe'df s't40 And •the usual questions about air, weather ,and . • "Sometimes when people bug me it bothers me, but it's something people don't . see everyday. But I believe in good posture and that I should be proud'of my height. It makesme stand out4 like how tall I mil."' • Anyone who Makes fur i oi'his height, Or is jealous because. they're short, should know Vercruyssen Will probably get a free univer- • sity education 'because he's tall and plays basketball. He has one scholarship offer • from an American university, and he ex,. pects- to, get more after thiWinter Gatries St. JosePh's UniversitY in Philadelphia has offered him a five year scholarship. • Only one ,Canadian university, in British, Collimbia, offers a basketball scholarship. • Vercruyssen says bell probably be going to the VS. to complete his education. He's hop- ing to obtain a. degree .ii business ad- ministration or marketing. r• . • A son of Rene Vercruyssen of RR 2, Blyth, and Pat Vercruyssen, he says he has no, plans of taking over his fatner's cash crop , farm, west. of Walton. -•• •• As for a professional basketball career, VertruysSeri says there are pnly two things he needs -"to improve my game drastically and grow two inches." He's sure his game will improve, but he's not Mo sure about the growing part. As he is only 18, and because a person doesn't stop growing until they reach 21, he has hopes. HES TALL, but Ron ,Vercruyssen also has the biggest hands person would hold a baseball. around. He can hold (into a basketball with one hand, just like a . , • ...randisfirtt offered Scholarship (Wassink photo) • by Ron Wassink • Terry Johnston, coach of the Seaforth District High School senior boy's basket- ball team. has never had a 6' 10" player, not until Ron-Vercruyssen signed up. His star player is also the first. in the 17 years Johnston has coached the game, to be of- fered a basketball•scholarship. Vercruyssen is tall, and used to tire easi- ly. But in the five years he's played high school basketball, Johnston says Ver- cruyssen, has learned to pace himself. "And, he's in excellent condition." All the height didn't help when SDHS played Stratford Northwestern in the last quarterfinal game Thursday. Seaforth lost by 12 points, 9341. The loss eliminated SDHS from, further play in the Huron - Perth series. Instead, the team will play in the Western Ontario Secondary School Athletic Association 1WOSSAA) single "A" championships March 6 and 7. Johnston says his teams have won the Huron -Perth division three times in the last eight years, "but sveve had good suc- cess at the WOSSAA tournament. • Referring to Thursday's loss, Johnston says Stratfordoutscored SIMS 10 points from the foul -line. And the team never seemed to get back on track after Paul Menary suffered a severe sprain to his -Hell be on crutches for a week, but we hope to have him for WOSSAA." With only one tournament left to play, Johnston can now look back to the years he has coached a superb basketball team, one that included the likes Ron Vercruyagen. "Cruz" was coached by Mary Thompson and Ron Godkin, two Grade 13 quanta, when he was a midget player. He joined the seniors in Grade 10 and was coached by Johnston. "He's a good ball player -he has a lot of potential to -go a long way in basketball if he wants to." .Johnston says he's pleased that one of players is one of the first ih the league to be offered a university baskeball •.Vtholarship. In addition to the offer from a -Philadelphia university, Johnston says he has also received enquiries from three more schdols wanting Vercruyssen. "I'm pleased he has indicated to go on to post secondary education when he really hadn't indicated that- before. If basketball will get him interested in academics, and if he gets a degree because ot it, I'm pleas- ed with that." Johnston says he's also pleased Ver- cruyssen "has the chance to advance in his sport." As for making the pro ranks. he says Vercruyssen "will have to get stronger and put on weight." Though he's only Wand two inches shy of seven feet, ••I•rn rep not sure if hes stopped growing." Even if he has, .Johnston says Vercruyssen may have the opportunity to play pro ball because of league expansion. "The door's open to him. What he dogs when he walks through that door is up him." Ub�1ESF,RLIFE— Ron Vercruys'sen, 6' 10”, end Rata Menary, 5' e", dee; tidod anti betketbali players. Rod ShoWSwhat an extra 14 inches means Ortitrirati'et,bdide itton can alto dunk tWo.basketballe at erica ontraedfn th photos to the left. (Wattifik Pribtet)