Dear Pat -

Just finished reading “Faith and the Freshman” – Sarah is reading it now.  Thank you so much for providing the “signed” copy.  A thoroughly delightful and inspirational read.  Plus a lot of nostalgia – I spent 6 years at Concordia, Milwaukee, sixth man on the basketball teams, arrived as a freshman, high school at 4’10″ and 95 lbs., homesick also since we could not go home until Christmas, and Oh so cold — shot hundreds of shots every night when home in the driveway — By the way, my grandmother’s maiden name was Neitzel — And in the 80′s I did seminars at Bob Zehnder’s church in Denver — was impressed with his flower bed in the church courtyard. — always connections in the LCMS. 

As you have a moment, a quick email on Andrew — and I too am diabetic.

God bless,

Mark and Sarah Behring

Here’s what Andrew Ferry has to look forward to this year—and potentially the three years that follow.  Long, grueling practices.  Endless weight-lifting sessions and diet restrictions.  Countless hours on a bus.  Curfews, a cramped social life, lost weekends.  And a $30,000 bill to pay.

‘It’s just kind of my dream,’ he said.

Ah, the life of a walk-on.  This is the path Ferry—a 6 foot, 155-pound guard out of Milwaukee—chose when he took Homer Drew up on his invitation to be a walk-on at Valparaiso.

Ferry, a 3-point specialist who set school records from beyond the arc and averaged more than 18 points per game as a senior, had offers from Division II and Division III schools—but he wanted to play Division I basketball.  Always has.  And his only option was to pay his own way, and hopefully earn his way into a scholarship.

‘I think I can do it,’ Ferry said.  ‘I wouldn’t have come if I didn’t think I could.  I think I’m a really hard-working person and I like challenges.  I’m up to it.’

But Ferry’s no dummy—you can’t get into a school such as VU if you are, especially when you’re just a regular run-of-the-mill student, not a high-profile student-athlete on scholarship.  He knows the odds are incredibly stacked against him.  Not everyone—in fact, hardly anyone—can pull off what Dwayne Toatley did eight years ago and earn a scholarship in the middle of his college career.

And Drew, while he didn’t outright puncture Ferry’s dream made sure the freshman realized this fact.  ‘He was more realistic about it,’ Ferry said.  ‘He told me it would be tough, and that he hasn’t had too many guys who had been successful with it.  He didn’t want to discourage me, but he kept it real….’

Maybe sometime down the road, Ferry will face the difficult decision (to transfer).  But for now, he’s ecstatic to be at VU—he first visited as a seventh-grader in a national Lutheran grade school tournament—and playing whatever role he’s asked.

And it is a big role.  An important role.  Just not a high-profile role.  And not a very cost-effective one either.  For now, though, Ferry’s fine with all that.  He knows his role.  ‘My job right now is to help every day and push people to get better,’ he said.  ‘This year’s not going to be my year, and maybe next year won’t, either.  But, my goal is to contribute.’

He will.  The only question is how.

by Anthony Witrado, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Originally published on January 28, 2008

Halftime is always a little different for Andrew Ferry.

When the Milwaukee Lutheran boys basketball players head to the locker room and take a seat, awaiting their mid-game speech, Ferry slips off to the side.

He takes out a hand-held machine and pushes a button.  A small needle shoots from the device and into Ferry’s finger and quickly retracts, drawing a tiny blood sample.  The machine then gives Ferry his blood-sugar level, and depending on the reading, he injects a certain amount of insulin into his body before returning to the team.

“When I play, I have adrenaline, which brings my level up,” Ferry said.  “The insulin brings it back down.”

Ferry is a senior guard for Lutheran and leads the team at 18.2 points per game after averaging fewer than 10 a season ago.  He is the team’s do-it-all player and leader.

Ferry is also a diabetic.

He was diagnosed with the disease Jan. 1, 2006.  He didn’t know how to react because he wasn’t sure exactly what diabetes was, but when he found out, his daily routine, diet, attention and purpose changed.

That small prick on his finger happens anywhere between 10 and 15 times a day, depending on how active he is.  The insulin shots follow if needed.  Ferry is always cognizant of his level, checking it before each time he eats, and sometimes adjusting his menu because of it.  He eats more vegetables now.

If blood sugar is too high or low, he can get dizzy, lethargic and light-headed.  “Sometimes it’s annoying,” he said.  “It’s not a big deal.  I just always have to be aware of it.”

It never really interferes with his basketball though.

“There are times when he might have to check his levels, but that’s it,” Lutheran coach Jason Moesch said.  “The kid is such a competitor, I think if he was feeling weird, he might not tell us because he’d have to come out.”

His teammates razz him occasionally, trash talk or call him names; one of the more memorable ones is “Sugar Boy.”  It is all playful and Ferry said it made dealing with things easier.  It is simple locker room high jinks, the same way a kid with a botched haircut might not hear the end of it until the hair grows out.

Except there is no waiting for diabetes to grow out.  It is with him forever.  There is no cure.

The disease has changed the way he attacks life and the game.  Ferry learned to better focus and pay attention in counting his carbohydrate or sugar intake daily.  It is a work ethic and discipline that translates to the gym.

“It helps with everything, basketball and school,” Ferry said.  “Everything I do now has to have a purpose, whether it is eating or making a move (on the court).”

Ferry stood 5 feet 2 inches and weighed 90 pounds as a freshman and was a three-point specialist.  But after last season, he had a ridiculous growth spurt, shooting up 4 inches to 5-11, although he likes to smile and call himself a 6-footer.

With body growth came skill development.  He improved his ball-handling, defense, and one-on-one game.

Now Ferry is an all-around player and earning college interest.  But, those around him say he is an all-around person, not just a ballplayer.

“If I had a son,” Moesch said, “he’d be the kind of son I’d want.  That’s just the person he is.”

This article originally appeared in the Northwest Indiana Times.  View the original here.

PAUL JANKOWSKI
Times Correspondent | Posted: Saturday, February 14, 2009 12:00 am

VALPARAISO | After a three-week wait, Valparaiso finally came through Friday night to give coach Homer Drew his 600th career victory.

The Crusaders put together their most dominant performance of the season, drilling Loyola 71-47 before 3,196 at the Athletics-Recreation Center who chanted, “Homer, Homer,” as the final seconds ticked away.

“Six hundred is just a number,” Drew told the crowd after the game. “I’m just happy for these guys because we still have a chance to host a first-round conference tournament game.”

Valpo (7-18, 4-10 Horizon League) led from start to finish in ending a four-game losing streak. Sophomore Howard Little scored 17 points to lead the Crusaders, while Michael Rogers came through with a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Senior Jake Diebler, who started his school-record 92nd consecutive game, had eight points, four rebounds and three assists. His consecutive minutes streak ended at 278 when Drew was able to take Diebler out with 1:41 remaining.

But that didn’t concern him. Helping Drew hit No. 600 did.

“I’m tired,” Diebler said. “But if we could have this kind of outcome I will sit the last three or four minutes of every game the rest of the way out.

“I knew this was coming before the season, and it’s been bugging me for a long time. There’s not a more deserving person than Coach Drew.”

The Crusaders had not won since upsetting Milwaukee 63-51 on Jan. 22. But you’d never know the way they played against the Ramblers.

Loyola (12-15, 4-11) is the one Horizon team that may be struggling more at this point of the season than Valpo, and has now lost six in a row.

Leading scorer J.R. Blount was held to just eight points on 4-for-11 shooting.

But after the Crusaders jumped out to a 33-19 halftime lead, Loyola made just one serious run in the second half. The Ramblers got within 10 at 51-41 with 8:19 remaining, but Valpo put together a quick 8-2 run highlighted by an Erik Buggs 3-pointer to put the game away.

Valpo’s biggest lead was 25 late in the game. And even walk-on Andrew Ferry contributed, scoring a career-high seven points which included five in the first half.

“Now I’d like to see us get on a roll,” said Drew, who is in his 32nd year of coaching and had several of his former Bethel players in attendance. “I was really happy for our team. It’s nice to have it over and done with.”

This article originally appeared in the Northwest Indiana Times.  See it here.

PAUL JANKOWSKI
Times Correspondent | Posted: Sunday, February 15, 2009 12:00 am

VALPARAISO | After every home game, Valparaiso freshman walk-on Andrew Ferry is always the last to leave the gym.

Ferry is one of a handful of players who practice shooting on the Athletics-Recreation Center floor after the crowd has filed out. One could joke that it’s the only time Ferry sees the court on game night, but that wasn’t the case Friday.

Head coach Homer Drew called Ferry’s number early in the first half of a 71-47 victory over Loyola. Ferry entered the game at the 15:54 mark, replacing Erik Buggs in a spot of the rotation normally reserved for Logan Jones.

Less than two minutes later, Ferry found himself wide open for a 3-pointer. He nailed it, nothing but net.

“Andrew has really been playing well in practice, and he just deserved the opportunity to have that chance,” Drew said. “He played very well, and handled the ball well.”

Ferry added a jumper and two free throws for seven points while playing 11 minutes, both career highs. And most importantly, Ferry was on the floor when it counted and didn’t miss a shot attempt.

“It was a great feeling,” Ferry said while taking a break from his post-game shooting routine. “I just want to reward my coaches’ confidence and do what I can to help my team win.”

That’s nothing new for Ferry. At Milwaukee Lutheran High School, he was MVP three times on a team that won two regional titles. Ferry set school records for 3-pointers in a season (74) and game (eight) as a senior.

So Ferry’s a shooter, but at a generously-listed 6-foot-2 and 170 pounds, Division I scholarship offers didn’t pour in. Ferry played in the annual National Lutheran Basketball Tournament at Valpo as a youngster, and wanted to play for the Crusaders.

“I try to work hard every day so when my chance does come, I’m able to come through,” Ferry said. “You like to see the benefits of your work, and (against Loyola) I was able to see that. If the chance comes again, I’ll be ready.”

That could come today in a Horizon League matinee against UIC (11-14, 4-11).

Like Loyola, the Flames have struggled recently — even with local stars Josh Mayo (Merrillville) and Scott VanderMeer (Lake Central) — with losses in six of their last seven games.

“We have to continue to play strong defense,” Ferry said. “And we finally started converting on offense, which has been a struggle for us.”
Ferry Comes Thru

This story originally appeared in the Northwest Indiana Times. View original story here.

At first, Andrew Ferry thought it was just a cold. And then his tongue turned white, his muscles cramped up and his thirst became unquenchable.

As a walk-on freshman with the Valparaiso University men’s basketball team, Ferry isn’t just fighting for playing time. He’s constantly fighting a disease that affects 23.6 million Americans, or nearly 8 percent of the population.

Ferry was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at 16. The bad news came smack dab in the middle of basketball season — Jan. 1, 2006.

But Ferry, then a sophomore at Milwaukee Lutheran, didn’t fret. He didn’t pout. And he certainly didn’t quit. He suited up — a day after being diagnosed.

That season, Ferry led the Red Knights to within a game of state. His senior year, the 5-foot-10, 165-pound sharpshooter averaged 18.5 points per game and sunk a school-record 74 3-pointers.

And here he is at VU, after turning down several Division II offers, preparing to take the next step in a career that not even diabetes could derail.

“I don’t think I feel sorry for myself,” Ferry said. “I’ve tried to embrace it and tried to use it to my advantage. I think that’s all you can do, try to help other people with it, be kind of a role model for others. You can’t let it bring you down.”

Ferry never does. He and his new VU teammates and coaching staff participated in the Walk to Cure Diabetes last Sunday at Hidden Lake Park in Merrillville. The event helped raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

The walk was nothing new for Ferry, who was a youth ambassador for the American Diabetes Association in high school and even filmed a commercial with Milwaukee Brewers broadcaster Bill Schroeder to promote a fundraising event.

“When I first learned about it, I realized it was serious,” Ferry said of his diagnosis. “I realized how it was gonna shape the rest of my life.”

In high school, Ferry gave himself shots to control his blood sugar. Last March, he switched to a wireless pump, which is programmed to feed him insulin throughout the day.

In order to make the switch, Ferry had to chart what he ate and how much insulin he gave himself for two weeks. But the real burden was having to wake himself up every two hours to check his blood sugar.

“That was not a fun two weeks,” Ferry said.

Even with the wireless pump, which he wears on his stomach at all times — even while playing — Ferry still has to prick his finger 10-15 times daily to check his blood sugar, still has to count his carbohydrates every meal, still has to be more responsible than your average college freshman.

“I wouldn’t say it makes (basketball) more difficult,” Ferry said. “It just means you have to be more alert to what’s going on with your body and just more disciplined.”

And more determined.

This column solely represents the writer’s opinion. Reach him at david.robb@nwitimes.com.

View the original print column below:
Ferry the Crusader