Former basketball guard on a new court
By Joanne Fox, Journal staff writer | Posted: Monday, March 31, 2008
Morningside Coach Larry Mason gives Troy Weber some feedback on his tennis game during a practice at Four Seasons Health Club. (Staff photo by Jim Lee)
Morningside College sophomore Troy Weber is still playing on a court. It's just that the dimensions are a bit different.
Weber, who excelled as a guard in high school, discovered playing basketball at the college level was dramatically different. He recently made the difficult choice of leaving the Mustangs' basketball team.
"My goal in high school was to play college sports at any level," he said. "The reason I came to Morningside was that they were willing to offer me scholarships to play."
The 6-foot-2 Weber averaged a team high of 16 points a game while at Council Bluffs Lewis Central High School. The last time he played with that level of prestige was a March 2006 game against East High in an Iowa Boys State Tournament at the Tyson Events Center.
When he came to Morningside, the first thing Weber noticed was a substantial change in pace.
"It was so much faster," he acknowledged. "And there were all these standouts from high school with a lot of talent."
With a wry grin, he added: "I thought I'd come in and be a standout. But with the level of talent I was seeing, I knew I was not up to the game."
But Weber stuck it out his freshman year and for almost four months this school year before throwing in the towel. He played some junior varsity games, but no varsity ones.
"My fundamentals were low and I knew I needed more muscle," he said. "I probably didn't put in the work last summer that I needed to be competitive on the court."
Weber shared his frustration with his roommates, Nick McGraw, Derek Nolan and Brady Helmink, who plays on the squad.
"I encouraged him to stay. I told him, 'Buddy, you're a hard worker and you shoot well. Next year, you'll play more,'" Helmink said. "But it was clear he was not having fun, and you've got to have fun because it's like a job. You have to enjoy it because you work so hard at it."
Weber called his parents, Kenny and Mary Ann Weber of Council Bluffs, with his concerns and his decision.
"We may have tried to talk him out of it if it had been his first year playing college basketball," Mary Ann said. "But since he played all of last year, he knew what kind of time commitment it would take."
Weber's mom characterized her son as a goal-oriented individual, someone who doesn't like to do things "halfway."
"However, sometimes goals change, and that's OK, too," she said. "It's also important to be flexible and realistic. Troy knows better than we do what he can handle and still keep up with his studies. We felt that he had put a lot of thought into it."
"They knew for a while I wasn't happy, and I tried to hang on as long as I could," Troy added. "I used to love the game and the love was gone for me."
Both Troy and his mom used the words "supportive" in describing how son and parents approached the decision.
But making Weber somewhat more nervous than his friends or folks was approaching head boys basketball coach Jim Sykes.
"I was hesitant but felt I was close enough to Coach that I could talk to him," Weber said.
"I asked him to go into detail with why he didn't want to play to make sure he put some thought into his decision," Sykes said. "I asked if he had talked with his parents about it as well just to make sure he got input from all angles.
Sykes said he questioned Weber about whether there were problems with the program itself.
"I asked Troy if there were issues with the coaching staff that factored into his decision, like not getting a fair shot," the coach said. "He indicated that was not the case."
Sykes said he had some concerns about Weber's decision in general.
"During the recruiting process we tell our recruits that it is very important to make a lot of college visits and to be as informed as possible when making a decision, because college will be the best time of their life and we want them to be happy," he said. "I went back to that question with Troy: Are you happy at Morningside? He indicated that he really liked it here but he lost some of his passion for basketball and thought the time he would need to spend on basketball could be better spent elsewhere."
The loss of love of the game is more common than most think, Sykes said.
"This seems to happen more as kids are playing basketball year-round at younger ages," he said. "With all the AAU tournaments and travel teams that exist today, I think there is potential for an early burnout."
He continued, "To be successful you have to dedicate yourself to getting better each day, and if a person is not passionate about it and willing to put in the time and effort necessary, the experience will not be a good one for anyone involved."
But Weber felt the parting was a positive one.
"I think I left on good terms," Weber said. "I've seen players leave with a lot of attitude, and I think it's better to leave with respect."
Weber will continue to be a student athlete, not losing the benefits of a scholarship. He will be on the tennis team.
"I played tennis with my dad every day this summer, so I got to be pretty good," he said.
But "good" is a subjective term, Weber found out very quickly.
"Just because I played with Dad doesn't mean I know what I'm doing," he said. "Coach (Larry) Mason has me running drills and developing my fundamentals just like a younger player. I'm finding I'm hustling and using my athleticism way more than I thought I would."
"Troy and his dad have spent the last couple of summers playing tennis," Mary Ann Weber said. "Troy really enjoys playing, and we feel it's a great opportunity for him to be able to play on the Morningside team."
"When I think of tennis, I think of me and my dad on a hot summer day," Weber said with a smile.
"That doesn't mean I'm not competitive," he quickly added. "Although I'm certainly not John McEnroe."
On reflection, Weber -- who has since lost the close-cropped hair for a more disheveled look -- thought tennis was more his style. He even confessed he had no regrets about leaving the basketball team, despite the Mustangs having one of their best basketball seasons in decades.
"I'm happy for the team, especially because Brady's there," he said. "I tried. I was just basketballed out."
Other 'choices'
Although Weber made a visible decision to not continue as a basketball player with the Morningside Mustangs, he's not the only one faced with choices during a college career.
Derek Nolan consciously chose to be a member of Residence Life Staff, a position with a lot of responsibility for a young man.
"When I made the decision, I knew there would be times where I would have to sacrifice going out on a weekend or having to wake up in the middle of the night to deal with fire alarms," he said. "I knew also that I would have to play the 'bad guy' sometimes and as a result, I knew some people weren't going to like me. No one likes the person who has to be the 'party pooper,' but there has to be someone."
Nolan felt that the reason he chose to be a Lags Hall Apartment Manager focused more on the two-way relationship of what he could offer Residence Life and what Residence Life can offer him.
"I bring a 110 percent effort, a positive attitude, approachability and consistency to the team," he said. "I am gaining many life experiences that will serve me for the rest of my life. Dealing with confrontation, programming, time management and organization are just a few things I have learned while being on staff."
For Nick McGraw, one of the biggest choices he has made is becoming involved in politics.
"In high school I never really cared or paid attention to politics because I couldn't vote," he said. "However, coming to college and being 18, I registered to vote at the Activities Fair at the beginning of my freshman year.
McGraw characterized himself initially as an independent.
"Then, at the end of my freshmen year, Barack Obama came to Morningside and had a Town Hall Meeting in Allee Gym and I attended," he said. "Ever since that day I have been hooked on politics."
McGraw was so impressed with the senator that he caucused for him in January.
"Ever since then, all I watch -- when I have the time -- is MSNBC, and I am constantly checking www.politics.msnbc.com," he said. "And now after paying attention to politics, I still feel pretty moderate but I definitely lean 'slightly' toward the Democratic side."
And Weber isn't the only one who has struggled with a sports-related decision. Roommate Brady Helmink had to decide whether he could juggle the demands of basketball with being a member of the college choir.
"I came to Morningside my freshman year wanting to be in choir, but my main reason for going to Morningside in the first place was to play basketball," he said. "I knew it would be a challenge to do both, but I did it the first semester of my freshman year.
However, when the second semester began, conflicts arouse repeatedly with basketball practices and choir rehearsals, Helmink said.
"It came to a point that I just couldn't do both anymore and needed and wanted more time to do school work and other activities for myself," he explained. "But I stayed on good terms with the choir instructor, and next year, I am going to get involved again."
Weber, who excelled as a guard in high school, discovered playing basketball at the college level was dramatically different. He recently made the difficult choice of leaving the Mustangs' basketball team.
"My goal in high school was to play college sports at any level," he said. "The reason I came to Morningside was that they were willing to offer me scholarships to play."
The 6-foot-2 Weber averaged a team high of 16 points a game while at Council Bluffs Lewis Central High School. The last time he played with that level of prestige was a March 2006 game against East High in an Iowa Boys State Tournament at the Tyson Events Center.
When he came to Morningside, the first thing Weber noticed was a substantial change in pace.
"It was so much faster," he acknowledged. "And there were all these standouts from high school with a lot of talent."
With a wry grin, he added: "I thought I'd come in and be a standout. But with the level of talent I was seeing, I knew I was not up to the game."
But Weber stuck it out his freshman year and for almost four months this school year before throwing in the towel. He played some junior varsity games, but no varsity ones.
"My fundamentals were low and I knew I needed more muscle," he said. "I probably didn't put in the work last summer that I needed to be competitive on the court."
Weber shared his frustration with his roommates, Nick McGraw, Derek Nolan and Brady Helmink, who plays on the squad.
"I encouraged him to stay. I told him, 'Buddy, you're a hard worker and you shoot well. Next year, you'll play more,'" Helmink said. "But it was clear he was not having fun, and you've got to have fun because it's like a job. You have to enjoy it because you work so hard at it."
Weber called his parents, Kenny and Mary Ann Weber of Council Bluffs, with his concerns and his decision.
"We may have tried to talk him out of it if it had been his first year playing college basketball," Mary Ann said. "But since he played all of last year, he knew what kind of time commitment it would take."
Weber's mom characterized her son as a goal-oriented individual, someone who doesn't like to do things "halfway."
"However, sometimes goals change, and that's OK, too," she said. "It's also important to be flexible and realistic. Troy knows better than we do what he can handle and still keep up with his studies. We felt that he had put a lot of thought into it."
"They knew for a while I wasn't happy, and I tried to hang on as long as I could," Troy added. "I used to love the game and the love was gone for me."
Both Troy and his mom used the words "supportive" in describing how son and parents approached the decision.
But making Weber somewhat more nervous than his friends or folks was approaching head boys basketball coach Jim Sykes.
"I was hesitant but felt I was close enough to Coach that I could talk to him," Weber said.
"I asked him to go into detail with why he didn't want to play to make sure he put some thought into his decision," Sykes said. "I asked if he had talked with his parents about it as well just to make sure he got input from all angles.
Sykes said he questioned Weber about whether there were problems with the program itself.
"I asked Troy if there were issues with the coaching staff that factored into his decision, like not getting a fair shot," the coach said. "He indicated that was not the case."
Sykes said he had some concerns about Weber's decision in general.
"During the recruiting process we tell our recruits that it is very important to make a lot of college visits and to be as informed as possible when making a decision, because college will be the best time of their life and we want them to be happy," he said. "I went back to that question with Troy: Are you happy at Morningside? He indicated that he really liked it here but he lost some of his passion for basketball and thought the time he would need to spend on basketball could be better spent elsewhere."
The loss of love of the game is more common than most think, Sykes said.
"This seems to happen more as kids are playing basketball year-round at younger ages," he said. "With all the AAU tournaments and travel teams that exist today, I think there is potential for an early burnout."
He continued, "To be successful you have to dedicate yourself to getting better each day, and if a person is not passionate about it and willing to put in the time and effort necessary, the experience will not be a good one for anyone involved."
But Weber felt the parting was a positive one.
"I think I left on good terms," Weber said. "I've seen players leave with a lot of attitude, and I think it's better to leave with respect."
Weber will continue to be a student athlete, not losing the benefits of a scholarship. He will be on the tennis team.
"I played tennis with my dad every day this summer, so I got to be pretty good," he said.
But "good" is a subjective term, Weber found out very quickly.
"Just because I played with Dad doesn't mean I know what I'm doing," he said. "Coach (Larry) Mason has me running drills and developing my fundamentals just like a younger player. I'm finding I'm hustling and using my athleticism way more than I thought I would."
"Troy and his dad have spent the last couple of summers playing tennis," Mary Ann Weber said. "Troy really enjoys playing, and we feel it's a great opportunity for him to be able to play on the Morningside team."
"When I think of tennis, I think of me and my dad on a hot summer day," Weber said with a smile.
"That doesn't mean I'm not competitive," he quickly added. "Although I'm certainly not John McEnroe."
On reflection, Weber -- who has since lost the close-cropped hair for a more disheveled look -- thought tennis was more his style. He even confessed he had no regrets about leaving the basketball team, despite the Mustangs having one of their best basketball seasons in decades.
"I'm happy for the team, especially because Brady's there," he said. "I tried. I was just basketballed out."
Other 'choices'
Although Weber made a visible decision to not continue as a basketball player with the Morningside Mustangs, he's not the only one faced with choices during a college career.
Derek Nolan consciously chose to be a member of Residence Life Staff, a position with a lot of responsibility for a young man.
"When I made the decision, I knew there would be times where I would have to sacrifice going out on a weekend or having to wake up in the middle of the night to deal with fire alarms," he said. "I knew also that I would have to play the 'bad guy' sometimes and as a result, I knew some people weren't going to like me. No one likes the person who has to be the 'party pooper,' but there has to be someone."
Nolan felt that the reason he chose to be a Lags Hall Apartment Manager focused more on the two-way relationship of what he could offer Residence Life and what Residence Life can offer him.
"I bring a 110 percent effort, a positive attitude, approachability and consistency to the team," he said. "I am gaining many life experiences that will serve me for the rest of my life. Dealing with confrontation, programming, time management and organization are just a few things I have learned while being on staff."
For Nick McGraw, one of the biggest choices he has made is becoming involved in politics.
"In high school I never really cared or paid attention to politics because I couldn't vote," he said. "However, coming to college and being 18, I registered to vote at the Activities Fair at the beginning of my freshman year.
McGraw characterized himself initially as an independent.
"Then, at the end of my freshmen year, Barack Obama came to Morningside and had a Town Hall Meeting in Allee Gym and I attended," he said. "Ever since that day I have been hooked on politics."
McGraw was so impressed with the senator that he caucused for him in January.
"Ever since then, all I watch -- when I have the time -- is MSNBC, and I am constantly checking www.politics.msnbc.com," he said. "And now after paying attention to politics, I still feel pretty moderate but I definitely lean 'slightly' toward the Democratic side."
And Weber isn't the only one who has struggled with a sports-related decision. Roommate Brady Helmink had to decide whether he could juggle the demands of basketball with being a member of the college choir.
"I came to Morningside my freshman year wanting to be in choir, but my main reason for going to Morningside in the first place was to play basketball," he said. "I knew it would be a challenge to do both, but I did it the first semester of my freshman year.
However, when the second semester began, conflicts arouse repeatedly with basketball practices and choir rehearsals, Helmink said.
"It came to a point that I just couldn't do both anymore and needed and wanted more time to do school work and other activities for myself," he explained. "But I stayed on good terms with the choir instructor, and next year, I am going to get involved again."
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Walt Whitecotton wrote on Apr 1, 2008 6:04 PM:
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