By Noah Love
When Bill Crowdis and TOm Cory walked off the court after the men’s basketball team’s playoff loss to York on March 1, the two long-time teammates and friends wondered whether their careers with each other were ending or beginning a new chapter.
The two players, who helped Oshawa’s Durham College to a Canadian Colleges Athletic Association championship in 1997 are pursuing pro careers in Europe for next season.
I have dual citizenship in Portugal, so that’s where I’ll play,” said Cory, a guard and first-year public administration student.
“I’ll probably go to England,” Crowdis said. “But I may go to Portugal.”
In each of the past two years, Crowdis was offered a contract with a professional team in England. But both times he opted to attend Ryerson and take public administration classes. Now that he’s played a combined five years with Durham and Ryerson, his CIAU eligibility has run out.
Cory, who played three years at Durham before playing Sault College in Sault Ste. Marie last season, came to Ryerson to play out his final year of eligibility.
It’s a good thing they came.
Crowdis was the team’s leading scorer in 1999-2000, helping the Rams to a 17-3 regular-season record and amassing 17-game winning streak. Although he missed the team’s first four regular-season games because of academic problems and started his season out of shape, he averaged 16 points-per-game. His rebound rate of 12.1 a game was second in the CIAU. The stats earned him a second consecutive spot on the OUA East first all-star team, and should make him a contender for Ryerson’s male athlete of the year award, which he won last year.
Cory was reliable when coming off the bench. He average 6.32 points per game and finished the season fourth in Canada in three point shot percentage, with an average of 48.5.
Both players said their experience with the Rams was the most positive of their career.
“This is the closest group of players I have ever been with,” Crowdis said. “I’ve always done what this team has needed me to do and I’ll always have that experience with me.”
Cory said the maturity of the players on the team eased his transition into the CIAU.
“When I found out the rookies were 18 or 19, I was like, there’s no way, because they all knew what they were doing,” the 24-year-old said. “Bill and I agreed that this year was the most fun we’ve had on a team.”
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