Pat -

I hope the weekend went well and that the start of school is energizing and rewarding!

I finished your book this weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it!  I was amazed to read and learn how God has so effectively used you since we met in 2004.  He is masterful!!! As soon as I got to the end, I went to my computer to “google” where Andrew is today.  Wow! Cornell!!  Very good for him!  I am sure God will use him effectively there to His purpose.  And hopefully that includes continued success on the basketball court!!  He sure excelled last year at Palm Beach State.  105 3-pointers makes my arm tired just reading about them. (I so love basketball!)

My youngest is at Valparaiso.  Chelsea has just begun her sophomore year there.  Andrew is ahead of her and a year behind my son (senior at Belmont University in Nashville, TN).  At parents weekend last year, I attended the introduction of the men’s basketball team.  I thought to myself as I read your book, I didn’t remember him on the team.  As I read on, I understood why.

Thanks for writing your story!  I could relate in so many ways!  You caused me to reflect many times on how we need to let God be in control and not us.  Then on Sunday our sermon was about Moses’ mother letting God be in complete control as she put him in a basket in the Nile.  And we know the rest of that story.

God is definitely speaking to me!!

Thanks for being a conduit!
Doug

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.

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