Jim Crowley, a 1993 Keuka College graduate, has revived the women's basketball program at St. Bonaventure. His Bonnies earned the school's first spot in the NCAA Division I tournament field after posting a 29-3 regular-season record and claiming the Atlantic-10 regular-season title (photo courtesy of St. Bonaventure Sports Information Department).

By John Boccacino/Sports Information Director
Updated 3/22/12 to include quotes from Jim Crowley

The small town of Olean, N.Y. is alive with basketball fever as both the St. Bonaventure men’s and women’s teams earned spots in the NCAA Division I tournament.

The success of the Bonaventure women (31-3 overall), who went undefeated in the Atlantic 10 conference and won the most games in a season in school history, can largely be credited to longtime head coach Jim Crowley, a 1993 Keuka College graduate who played for the Storm’s men’s basketball team and also coached the Storm’s women’s basketball team.

Crowley, who has spent the last 16 years with the Bonnies, including the last 12 as the women’s head coach, was named the 2011-12 ESPN.com National Coach of the Year after leading Bonaventure into the Big Dance for the first time in school history.

Bonaventure earned an at-large bid and the No. 5 seed in the Raleigh Region and rallied from an 11-point second-half deficit to knock off No. 12 seeded Florida Gulf Coast University in the first round.

Facing No. 13 Marist College in the second round, the Bonnies advanced into the Sweet 16 with a 66-63 victory that snapped the Red Foxes’ 11-game win streak.

The Bonnies are preparing to face top seed Notre Dame (32-3) at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday for a spot in the Elite Eight, but while his team is gearing up for the biggest game in school history, Crowley took some time to chat about his past.

“The best thing I could say about Keuka is I knew I made the right choice because I don’t ever recall having a bad day at Keuka,” Crowley said by phone from Olean on Thursday.

“When you’re dealing with 18- to 22-year-old students, they’re looking for every reason to have angst, but even as I was going through my four-year career as a student-athlete, I was able to enjoy every day. Certainly there were rough times, and I would have loved to win more games, but there were great people and if I had to do it all over again, I’d pick Keuka every day of the week and twice on Sunday.”

In claiming the school’s first NCAA appearance, Bonaventure sported an 18-game winning streak until suffering a 56-53 setback to Dayton in the A-10 title game. It was the school’s first appearance in the conference championship game, and it came after Crowley’s Bonnies won the school’s first-ever A-10 regular-season title.

It is a remarkable turnaround for Bonaventure, which posted five seasons with single-digit win totals during Crowley’s first eight years, but has won 20-plus games in each of the last four years. Crowley’s career record at Bonaventure stands at 185-177, and he’s the second-longest tenured women’s basketball coach in school history.

Dave Sweet, the current Keuka College Athletic Director and women’s basketball coach, remembered recruiting Crowley out of Windsor, N.Y. as a potential point or shooting guard for the Storm’s men’s basketball team.

Crowley was a four-year letterman for the Storm, including serving as one of the team’s captains for his final three seasons. His leadership potential as a student-athlete was evident to Sweet almost immediately, and Sweet made sure to offer Crowley a coaching position when it became available.

“While he wasn’t the most gifted athlete, Jim always had a good head for the game, and with his knowledge and understanding of the game, those skills helped him become a good Division III ball player for us,” Sweet said recently.

“Jim had a certain leadership ability, and we had an opening to coach the women’s basketball team and we offered it to him, knowing Jim had a good work ethic and he would work hard to make our team’s successful. From that first coaching job here at Keuka he’s blossomed into a tremendous coach.”

In Crowley’s three-year stint leading the women’s basketball team, the Storm posted a 39-37 overall record. Following a 14-11 record in his inaugural campaign, Crowley’s best season at Keuka came during his second year, when the Storm recorded an 18-10 record and qualified for the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Upstate New York tournament.

Under Crowley’s watch that year, Keuka advanced into the championship game before suffering a loss to Elmira College, the first of three consecutive ECAC titles for Elmira.

But Crowley was more than just a women’s basketball coach during his time in Keuka Park; he also served as the head men’s and women’s cross country coach during both the 1994 and 1995 seasons.

Jim Crowley, a 1996 Keuka alum and former Keuka women's basketball coach, has guided St. Bonaventure into the Sweet 16 of the 2012 NCAA tournament (photo courtesy of St. Bonaventure Sports Information Department).

Crowley, who graduated from Keuka with a bachelor’s degree in secondary English education, also served as a student-assistant coach with the Keuka men’s basketball team before taking over the reins of the women’s program.

What stood out about Keuka for Crowley was its small student-body size, the intimate feel of the campus, the strong academic programs and the chance to play basketball for an improving program.

Following his time in Keuka, Crowley served as an assistant women’s basketball coach at Bonaventure for four years before being appointed the new women’s head coach in March of 2000.

Sweet said that when Bonaventure called about Crowley’s candidacy for the head coaching gig, he didn’t hesitate to highly recommend Crowley as the eighth women’s basketball coach in school history.

“I gave Jim a real good recommendation because of how much he accomplished here at Keuka,” said Sweet, who credited Crowley’s ability to go out and land talented student-athletes who fit into his basketball system.

“To have one of our own, one of our alumni receive this national honor is tremendous; it reflects highly on Jim and his coaching abilities, but also what Keuka provided for him, both in the classroom and in the gym.”

When Sweet arrived on the Keuka campus in 1984, Keuka was still a women’s college, and the women’s basketball team competed as a club team during the 1983-84 season. But through hard work and dedication, Sweet has overseen the Storm’s rise to a Division III power that has appeared in the NCAA tournament four times in six years.

It is a similar storyline to what Crowley is authoring with the women’s basketball program at Bonaventure.

Crowley said he learned a lot from both Sweet and then-president Dr. Arthur F. Kirk, Jr. about handling adversity and how to, when things weren’t going according to plan, not rely on making excuses but rather surround yourself with the right people, work hard and achieve the desired results.

“Coach Sweet taught me that the best thing you can learn from people is what you would do differently in a certain situation,” said Crowley, who keeps in touch with Sweet, head athletic trainer/assistant athletic director Jeff Bray and Kirk on a semi-regular basis.  

“The message is to be your own man, don’t be someone else, and that’s what I tell my players and assistant coaches. Keuka was such a great place to learn. Coach Sweet and President Kirk were willing to help me get my career going and I can never repay them for that. Keuka helped mold me into the man I am now; it will always hold a special place in my heart.”

Senior Brian Cunliffe handed out a season-best nine assists, but Keuka College's men's basketball team fell to Wells 91-78 Saturday on Senior Day.

BOXSCORE

Junior Teddy Tuggles (Rochester, NY/Gates Chili) scored 18 of his team-leading 21 points in the second half, and Keuka College placed four players in double-figures, but the Storm closed out the 2011-12 season with a 91-78 setback Saturday afternoon against Wells College inside the Weed Physical Arts Center.

Tuggles scored the first nine points of the second half to keep the Storm (5-18, 5-10 North Eastern Athletic Conference) close against the defending NEAC champions from Wells (14-11, 11-4 NEAC), but it wasn’t enough as the Storm dropped its sixth straight game.

Freshman Coty Paige (Rochester, NY/Gates Chili) added 20 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals while classmate Joe Tortolon (Dundee, NY/Dundee) added 11 points and junior Conor Boyer (East Rochester, NY/East Rochester) chipped in with 10 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals on Senior Day for the Storm.

The Storm honored senior guard Brian Cunliffe (Rochester, NY/Gates Chili) before the game, and Cunliffe responded with a season-high 9 assists to go with 4 points and 3 rebounds in his last game with Keuka.

Tortolon drilled a ‘3’ to get Keuka within 10-9, but Wells scored the next eight points to take an 18-9 lead. Tuggles buried a ‘3’ and freshman Tyler Hixson (Shortsville, NY/Red Jacket) added back-to-back baskets before classmate Jared Wagner (Pittsford, NY/McQuaid) hit a ‘3’ off a nice feed from Cunliffe to make the score 20-19 Wells.

A free throw from Boyer pulled the Storm even at 20-all, but Wells ended the half on a 20-5 run to take a 40-25 halftime lead.

Hixson and Boyer each scored six points in the half while Paige added four points and five rebounds for Keuka, which shot 10-for-27 (37 percent) in the half. Wells connected on 7 of 10 three-pointers in the half and 13 of 24 shots from the field.

The Storm attack heated up in the second half, as Keuka connected on 20 of 32 shots (62.5 percent), including 5 of 9 three-pointers. The Wells’ lead grew to as many as 18 in the second half before Boyer capped an 8-0 run with a layup that made the score 67-57 Wells with 6:20 to play, but that was as close as the Storm would get.

Keuka finished with 53 second-half points, the highest scoring half of the season

Dave Foltz scored a game-high 26 points on 7-for-15 shooting, including hitting all nine free throws, E.J. Taylor added 17 points while Andre Sawyers and Terry Harrison each scored 16 points for Wells, which finished as the second seed in the NEAC North division.

The loss eliminated the Storm from postseason play.

When Keuka College's basketball teams host Wells College on Saturday, fans can follow along using live stats, a free service that allows people to track the game as it happens.

Fans of Keuka College’s athletics teams can now follow the Storm, even when they’re not able to make it to campus for that day’s game.

Keuka College is proud to offer live stats of a majority of home Storm contests in baseball, basketball, lacrosse, soccer and softball to students, staff, alumni and members of the community.

Through live stats, fans can keep track of the game as it is being played by following along with detailed play-by-play from the contest. Fans can also check out individual and team stats as well as the overall statistical leaders from the game.

This service is being offered free of charge to Keuka College students, staff, alumni and members of the community.

The first Keuka live stats offering will be during Saturday’s Senior Day basketball doubleheader against Wells College. The Storm men (5-17, 5-9 North Eastern Athletic Conference) tip off at 1 p.m. followed by the Storm women (15-5, 13-3) vs. Wells at 3 p.m.

Seniors Brian Cunliffe (Rochester, NY/Gates Chili) and Morgan Engelbert (Elmira, NY/Thomas Edison) will be honored on Senior Day for their commitment to the Storm.

To follow Saturday’s basketball games live, click here on game day.

As for the basketball matchups, Wells’ men’s team enters the contest having won nine of 10, including a 65-60 win over the Storm back on Jan. 18. The last time these teams met, freshman Coty Paige (Rochester, NY/Greece Arcadia) set a then-career high with 23 points and junior Teddy Tuggles (Rochester, NY/Gates Chili) added 17, but the Express (13-11, 10-4 NEAC) used a 12-2 run to pull away.

Tuggles scored 13 of his 17 points in the first half while freshman Tyler Hixson (Shortsville, NY/Red Jacket) added 10 points and nine rebounds in Keuka’s 82-53 non-conference setback vs. Alfred University Tuesday night. It was Hixson’s third-straight double-digit scoring game, and seventh of the season. Over his last four games, Hixson is averaging 10 points and six rebounds per game.

The defending NEAC champions from Wells have three players averaging in double-figures, led by Terry Harrison (15.4 ppg.), Dave Foltz (13.3) and Mabior Mayen (13.1).

Paige (13.8 points per game) and Tuggles (13.4 ppg.) rank 10th and 13th, respectively, in scoring averages in the NEAC while Morrisville State’s Mickey Davis leads the NEAC with 17.8 ppg.  

The Storm women enter the regular-season finale on a hot streak in conference play. Keuka has won five straight and seven of eight in the NEAC, including a season-sweep of first-place SUNYIT. Junior Mariah Mouzon (Elmira, NY/Elmira Free Academy) scored 20 points, including hitting back-to-back three-pointers late in the first half, as the Storm held off SUNYIT 62-60 Saturday. They were the first-ever ‘3s’ of Mouzon’s Keuka career.

The last time these two teams met, Mouzon posted her first double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds, and sophomore Jessica Bandrowski (Center Moriches, NY/Center Moriches) added 20 points with seven rebounds as the Storm won 68-51 at Wells on Jan. 18. Sophomore Taylor Szwec (Candor, NY/Candor) added 14 points and seven boards for Keuka, which out-rebounded the Express (8-16, 6-10 NEAC) 48-37.

Sophomore Danielle Gravel (Sidney, NY/Sidney) is averaging 13.6 ppg. while Bandrowski is scoring 11.9 ppg., ranking 10th and 15th, respectively, in scoring averages in the NEAC. St. Elizabeth’s Sabrina Jarmolinski leads the conference with 21 ppg.

Ashley Roser, the NEAC’s second leading scorer, paces the Express with 18.6 ppg. and leads both Wells and the NEAC with 14.1 rpg. Roser has scored in double-figures in 18 of 19 games, and has collected 10-plus rebounds in 16 of 19 games.

Wells has split its last 10 games since falling at home to Keuka.

Keuka’s women have clinched at least the second spot in the North Division, with the top three teams in each division qualifying for the NEAC postseason tournament, which runs Feb. 21-26.

On the men’s side, Keuka sits in third place, one game up on both Cazenovia and SUNYIT in the North Division. The top two teams in each division, along with the third-place team with the best record, qualify for the NEAC tournament. While Keuka (5-9 NEAC) has a worse record than Penn State-Berks, the third-place team in the South, the Storm is currently the No. 5 seed in the tournament thanks to a 72-67 home win over Berks on Jan. 8.

Junior Teddy Tuggles scored 17 points and collected six rebounds, but Keuka College's men's basketball team lost to Alfred, 82-53 Tuesday night.

BOXSCORE

Junior Teddy Tuggles (Rochester, NY/Gates Chili) scored 13 of his 17 points in the first half, and freshman Tyler Hixson (Shortsville, NY/Red Jacket) added 10 points and nine rebounds, but the Keuka College men’s basketball team dropped an 82-53 non-conference game to Alfred University Tuesday night inside the Weed Physical Arts Center.

The Storm (5-17) struggled with its perimeter shot, shooting only 5-for-26 on three-pointers while Alfred (14-10) connected on 12-of-23 shots from three-point land (52.2 percent).

Tuggles connected on 3 of 4 three-point attempts in the first half while freshman Coty Paige (Rochester, NY/Greece Arcadia) added six first-half points and classmate Jared Wagner (Pittsford, NY/McQuaid) scored five first-half points, but the Storm still trailed 41-31 at halftime.

Alfred shot 16-for-34 (47.1 percent), including 5-for-10 (50 percent) on ‘3s’, in the half, and picked up where it left off in the second, using a 7-0 run to seize control, 48-31.

Leading 57-44 with 8:17 remaining, the Saxons went on a 14-2 run over the next three and a half minutes to finish off the Storm, which has now lost five straight contests.

After falling behind 2-0, Paige drilled a jumper and Tuggles swished a ‘3’ as Keuka took its only lead of the game, 5-2 just 70 seconds in. A 9-0 run gave Alfred an 11-5 lead, but Tuggles hit a pair of free throws, Wagner made a free throw and Hixson made a nifty layup to pull the Storm within one, 11-10 with 13 minutes left in the half.

Following a 6-0 run from Alfred, freshman Joe Tortolon (Dundee, NY/Dundee) drained a trey to get Keuka within four, 17-13. The Storm stayed within striking distance and trailed only 29-25 when Hixson hit another layup, but Alfred closed out the half on a 12-6 run to take a double-digit lead.

Josh Parker scored 19 points with seven rebounds while Derek Lewis added 14 points and seven rebounds for Alfred, which snapped a four-game losing streak.

The Storm returns to action with a 1 p.m. Senior Day contest Saturday afternoon against NEAC foe Wells College. Keuka fell 65-60 at Wells on Jan. 18.

For the latest stories, schedules and results from Keuka athletics, visit www.KeukaStorm.com or go to the Keuka Athletics Facebook page, www.Facebook.com/KeukaStorm.

Keuka College is once again doing its part to raise money and awareness of breast cancer through t-shirt sales during the remaining home basketball games. Additionally, Keuka's women's basketball team will don special pink jerseys for the remaining home games (photo by Hung Do Le, Keuka College Sports Information Department).

While October is the time when National Breast Cancer Awareness is celebrated across the country, each year members of Keuka College volunteer their time to organize Breast Cancer Awareness Week in an effort to raise money and awareness on the importance of this potentially deadly disease.  

From now through Saturday fans are invited to join in on the Keuka College fight against breast cancer.

During the remaining home basketball games, members of Keuka College’s athletics teams will sell specially-made black breast cancer awareness t-shirts for just $12, with all proceeds going to aid breast cancer research.

Additionally, during Tuesday night’s men’s basketball game versus Alfred University and Saturday’s basketball doubleheader versus Wells College, fans can register for a chance to win prizes during halftime contests, which include: relay races, a half-court shooting contest, raffles and other giveaways.

Check out the lobby inside the Weed Physical Arts Center to register for a contest or to purchase these black Breast Cancer Awareness t-shirts.

The project began on Saturday during Keuka’s basketball doubleheader against SUNYIT and continues through the end of the regular season.

This year, sophomore Adam Stephens (Palmyra, NY/Palmyra-Macedon), senior Gino Marcello (Rochester, NY/Churchville Chili) and sophomore Justin Strain (Hamburg, NY/Hamburg) orchestrated the Breast Cancer Awareness Week, securing sponsorship for the event, organizing the assorted halftime contests and selling specially-designed black t-shirts that stress the importance of continuing the fight against breast cancer.

Freshman Coty Paige scored a career-high 29 points and added 7 rebounds and 4 assists but Keuka College's men's basketball team fell to SUNYIT 66-63 Saturday afternoon.

BOXSCORE

Freshman Coty Paige (Rochester, NY/Greece Arcadia) scored a career-high 29 points with 7 rebounds and 4 assists, but the Keuka College men’s basketball team missed a buzzer-beater and fell to SUNYIT 66-63 Saturday afternoon inside the Weed Physical Arts Center.

Freshman Tyler Hixson (Shortsville, NY/Red Jacket) added a career-high 12 points with four rebounds and junior Conor Boyer (East Rochester, NY/East Rochester) added seven points and eight rebounds for the Storm (5-16, 5-9 North Eastern Athletic Conference).

SUNYIT (5-17, 4-8 NEAC) started strong and led 5-0 before the Storm battled back. Paige finished a three-point play to put Keuka up 11-with 14:39 remaining in the half. Junior Teddy Tuggles (Rochester, NY/Gates Chili) and Hixson made layups to cap a 6-0 run and put Keuka up 15-9 before the Wildcats scored the next five points to pull within 15-14.

Wagner’s ‘3’ sparked a 13-4 run as Keuka took a 28-18 lead after Paige’s layup with 6:50 remaining in the half.

Paige scored 17 first-half points while freshman Jared Wagner (Pittsford, NY/McQuaid) added all nine of his points in the first as Keuka took a 40-35 lead into halftime.

The schools traded baskets early in the second half, but Keuka still led 48-45 before the Wildcats went on a 9-0 run to take a 54-48 lead with 10:50 remaining. A ‘3’ from Paige pulled Keuka within 58-55 with 7:16 remaining, Hixson scored two baskets and Tuggles swished a pair of free throws to put the Storm up 61-58, but Ryan James drained a ‘3’ on the ensuing possession to tie the score.

Paige sunk a pair of free throws to get Keuka within 64-63, but Sejad Gromilic made a jumper to push the lead to 66-63, and neither team scored over the final 2:01 of the game.

Keuka had a three-point attempt at the buzzer to tie the game, but the shot missed its mark.

Gromilic scored 25 points with seven rebounds, James added 16 points and T’Andre Richardson had 14 points for the Wildcats, who swept the season-series from the Storm. SUNYIT handed Keuka a 73-71 setback on Jan. 28.

The Storm returns to action with a 7 p.m. non-conference clash against Alfred University Tuesday night inside the Weed.

Freshman Tyler Hixson scored 10 points, but Keuka College's men's basketball team suffered a 77-52 loss to Cazenovia College Wednesday night.

BOXSCORE

Freshman Tyler Hixson (Shortsville, NY/Red Jacket) scored 10 points and junior Conor Boyer (East Rochester, NY/East Rochester) snared 10 rebounds, but the Keuka College men’s basketball team dropped a 77-52 decision at Cazenovia College Wednesday night.

Keuka (5-15, 5-8 North Eastern Athletic Conference) only trailed 29-23 at halftime, but Cazenovia (6-15, 3-9 NEAC) exploded for 48 second-half points to pull away and complete the season-sweep of the Storm.

Fellow freshman Trevor Healey (Wethersfield, CT/Wethersfield) added eight rebounds and seven points while senior Brian Cunliffe (Rochester, NY/Gates Chili) scored nine points for Keuka, which connected on 19 of 58 shots (32.8 percent).

Six different players made ‘3s’ for Keuka, which shot 6-for-7 (35.3 percent) from beyond the arc.

Bryant Winans made six ‘3s’ en route to a game-high 24 points while Matt Perry added 13 points and six rebounds for the Wildcats.

Keuka returns to action with a 1 p.m. home game Saturday afternoon against SUNYIT.

Jeff Bray, right, Keuka College's head athletic trainer/assistant athletic director, has worked as an athletic trainer for dozens of auto races, including an open wheel race when he met Helio Castroneves, an IndyCar driver and three-time Indy 500 champion.

By John Boccacino/Sports Information Director

Growing up on his parents’ gas station in Sterling, Kansas, Jeff Bray was surrounded by automobiles at an early age, so it should come as no surprise that the longtime Keuka College head athletic trainer/assistant athletic director considers himself an avid “Gear Head,” an affectionate term used to describe diehard motorsports fans.

Bray was bitten by the auto racing bug and has been going to the local and national speedways for as long as he can remember.

“I got into cars and into racing because I grew up on a gas station, and my wife [Kristen] says if you cut me I’ll probably bleed motor oil, and she believes that,” Bray recalled with a laugh and a smile.

“My parents had a friend who raced cars, and my dad provided tires for him, so I grew up thinking [that driver] was Zeus-like, he was awesome behind the wheel. Watching the Indy 500 was always the best day of the year, better than Christmas for me, and I lived for Memorial Day.”

For the last 18 years, Bray has carved time into his busy Keuka College schedule to work as an athletic trainer at dozens of races each year, including NASCAR, Indy Car and the American Le Mans Series. His efforts have taken him across the world assisting on race days.

“I’ve never had a bad day at the racetrack in 18 years,” said Bray, who is celebrating his 20th year at Keuka College and who resides in Penn Yan with wife, Kristen, son Tyler, 15, and daughter Kelly, 13.

“Even when things haven’t gone right, I’m still at the racetrack and that’s what keeps me going, I am fortunate to ply my trade into something I’m passionate about.”

As a teenager, Bray had some insight into his future professional career and knew how he wanted to spend his working days.  

Bray’s mother, Nettie, suffered a stroke when Bray was just 15 years old, leaving her without use of her right arm and right leg. Despite the stroke, Bray’s mom, “never complains about anything,” and after watching her dedicated efforts to rehab from her injuries, Bray decided to enroll at a pre-physical therapy program at Kansas State University, located roughly 140 miles away from Sterling.

“I went to my mother’s physical therapy sessions and I thought it was pretty neat how these people were so passionate about helping my mom recover from her injury,” Bray said.

“I’d never been around physical therapists before, so I thought how they helped people recover from their injuries was pretty cool.”

When Bray was still in high school, his government teacher approached him with an interesting question. As a sophomore at Sterling High School, this government teacher asked Bray: “Do you think you have a better chance to play football at Kansas State, or be a student-athletic trainer. I didn’t know what that field was, so I attended a Cramer Sports Medicine summer workshop.”

There, Bray met Bud Epps, the assistant trainer at Missouri who eventually became an assistant athletic trainer for the Kansas City Chiefs. Epps took Bray under his wing, and after enrolling at Kansas State, Bray worked as a student athletic trainer and worked the Wildcats’ home and away football games.

While on a road trip to Iowa State with the Wildcats’ football team, Bray was out to dinner with Jim Rudd and Hank Fijalkowski, Bray’s bosses at Kansas State, and the topic of landing a summer internship with the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles popped up. While Bray was skeptical he could ever land a gig in the NFL, he applied for the position anyways and was selected as one of roughly 10-12 summer interns in the athletic training department.

In-between his sophomore and junior years at Kansas State, Bray began his first of three seasons as a summer intern, and he did such a commendable job he was asked back for one year as a paid trainer following his graduation from Kansas State.

While with the Eagles, Bray taped Reggie White, the Eagles’ fierce pass rusher and eventual Hall-of-Famer. During the 1987 NFL Players Strike, Bray recalls working the Eagles’ home opener at the old Veterans Stadium as Philadelphia hosted the Chicago Bears before 4,000 fans.

“The first person I met, as far as players go, was [quarterback] Ron Jaworski. He brought us [athletic trainers] a couple of large pizzas and some beverages, and he was as common Joe as they come,” said Bray, whose office inside the Weed Physical Arts Center has plenty of mementos from his stint with the Eagles.

“Mike Golic was there and he was a great guy, Reggie White was a lot of fun to be around, I’ll never forget his personality and the passion he brought, not only to football but later on to his ministry career. There were just a lot of great guys to be around: Cris Carter, Keith Byars, Seth Joyner, Clyde Simmons, Jerome Brown, Terry Hoage. We also had Jeff Fisher as the defensive backs coach, Wade Phillips was linebackers coach, Tom Coughlin was a defensive coach and of course, Buddy Ryan was the head coach for my second year. A majority of those coaches went onto become head coaches in the NFL, and it’s amazing they all came from that one team.”

While it might seem glamorous working with an NFL team, Bray said the job definitely had its challenges, including grueling work days with few days off, especially in-season. But there were plenty of benefits to the position, Bray said, including working with professional athletes at the highest level and having an apartment in Veterans Stadium that allowed him to wander into the stadium’s bullpen and dugouts on quiet nights.

One day, the Eagles and baseball’s Philadelphia Phillies were holding a charity bowling tournament, and the Eagles’ front office assembled a team that included Bray.

“This guy comes and sits down next to me, we’re putting our bowling shoes on, and he’s wearing slacks and a golf shirt and he asks if I worked for the Eagles, and I said yes,” Bray recalled. “I asked who he worked for and he said the Phillies, and we’re just talking while putting our bowling shoes on when this little kid comes in and says, ‘Mr. Schmidt, can I have your autograph?’ and I look over and see that I’ve been talking to Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt this whole time! I start undoing my shoes, went to the sporting goods store down the street, bought a National League baseball and asked Mike to sign it for me. He said, ‘You didn’t know who I was, did you?’ and we laughed about it. Charles Barkley was bowling a few lanes down from us, and what struck me was they were just guys out bowling, no one made a big deal about it.”

Following a stint at Illinois State, Bray was offered the head athletic trainer job at Keuka July 1, 1992. After his first year with the Storm Bray was working with Mobile Sports Medicine Director Don Andrews at the First Frontier Circuit Rodeo finals in Albany in 1993, when Bray casually asked Andrews about his recent trip to Phoenix, Ariz.

Andrews, who has been a driving force in increasing safety in the sports of bull riding, auto racing, skiing and equestrian, mentioned he had met with Rusty Wallace and Darrell Waltrip about beginning a sports medicine program in the Winston Cup circuit. Bray expressed an interest in assisting at various races, and Andrews welcomed him to the team for 8 to 10 races a year.

After his team lost its sponsorship in 1998, Bray switched to open wheel racing and the CART Series, which has evolved into the Champ Car World Series, and worked races across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, England and Japan.

While working alongside legendary actor/race car driver Paul Newman and the drivers of his Newman/Haas Racing Team in the Champ Car Racing Series, Bray recalls the time he observed Newman hunched over a sink in the medical center.

“Paul was one of the most outstanding people I ever spent a minute talking to. He had the cream of the crop in open wheel racing, so if a driver was injured, Paul would accompany them to the medical center,” Bray said. “So I turn around one night and see Paul over the sink, and he’d cut the tip of his finger making a salad for some guests, so we took care of his finger and got a surgeon to suture Paul up. Paul hung around afterwards and entertained us with his stories, and I’ll never forget him coming over and introducing himself to me, saying, ‘I’m Paul Newman, what’s your name?’ And I’m thinking to myself ‘I know who you are!’ They’re looked upon as bigger than life, but they’re just good, hard-working people and that’s really the neatest thing.”

While working a race in Mexico City, Mexico in 2007, Bray had the opportunity to ride in the back seat of an F1 car driven by Champ Car World Series driver Zsolt Baumgartner. After donning the fire-proof gear, Bray experienced the sensation of flying through the road at speeds of 175 miles-per-hour.

“Outside of the birth of my kids and my wedding day, that is the single coolest day I’ve ever had,” said Bray, who one day hopes to drive a Sprint car on a dirt track.

“It’s fast riding in a car at those speeds, but the speed is not as cool as the car’s breaking power. Going from 175 MPH to literally zero in a very short distance and not squealing the tires, then turning right and do it again, there’s no way to describe the rush; it’s like the best roller coaster at Darien Lake on steroids. … My career in auto racing all started with me asking a question, and to this day I’m still doing something I’m passionate about, and that’s pretty cool.”

If Bray had his way and could work any sporting event in the world as athletic trainer, what would he chose?

“It would probably have to be something in auto racing, but if I was going as a team athletic trainer, it would probably be Game 7 of the World Series,” said Bray, who added he would never go to the Super Bowl as a fan, only if he was working the event down on the field.

Keuka College's basketball teams hit the road Wednesday night for a big doubleheader against Cazenovia College. The men play at 6 p.m. followed by the women's tip-off at 8 p.m.

Keuka College’s basketball teams hit the road Wednesday night looking to improve their playoff positioning against rival Cazenovia College as the regular season winds down.

The Storm men (5-14, 5-7 North Eastern Athletic Conference) tip-off against Cazenovia (5-15, 2-9 NEAC) at 6 p.m., followed by the Keuka women (13-5, 11-3) taking on Cazenovia (4-9, 5-15) at 8 p.m.

The Keuka men are seeking redemption against the Wildcats after the Storm couldn’t hang onto a 19-point first-half lead and dropped a 69-64 decision to Cazenovia on Jan. 25.

Keuka is in third place in the NEAC North division, three games back of second-place Wells with three conference games remaining. The top two teams from each division plus the third-place squad with the best record advance into the NEAC’s postseason tournament, which runs Feb. 21-26.

After winning three straight conference games, the Storm have lost six of the last seven, but hope to get back in the win column tonight.

Junior Teddy Tuggles (Rochester, NY/Gates Chili) scored 24 points on 9-for-15 shooting (60 percent) and freshman Joe Tortolon (Dundee, NY/Dundee) added a career-high 15 points on four ‘3s’ during Sunday’s 95-78 setback to Penn State-Abington.

Tuggles leads Keuka in scoring (14.1 points per game) and has reached double-figures in 15 of Keuka’s 19 contests while Tortolon, who averages 5.4 ppg., is scoring 10 points per game over his last five contests.

Matt Perry leads the Wildcats with 12.8 ppg. and 6.6 rpg., followed by Dieter Clauess, who is averaging 10.4 ppg. Cazenovia has lost three straight, and five of six, since the win over the Storm.

Keuka’s women sit in second place in the NEAC North with three games remaining before the postseason tournament. Keuka trails SUNYIT (10-1, 16-3) for first-place, with the two squads squaring off at 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon inside the Weed Physical Arts Center.

Sophomore Casey Chamberlain (Perry, NY/Perry) nabbed Keuka’s Female Athlete of the Week honors after scoring 40 points with 28 rebounds as the Storm went 3-0 on the week.  

Chamberlain recorded her first career double-double during Saturday’s 70-39 win at Wilson College, setting career-bests in points (16) and rebounds (16) while making 7 of 10 shots (70 percent) in just 22 minutes.

Facing Abington, Chamberlain scored a career-high 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds as the Storm won 65-51 Sunday afternoon in Abington, PA. Chamberlain shot 8-for-12 (75 percent) from the floor as the Storm picked up its fifth NEAC win in its last six games. Chamberlain’s 75-percent shooting performance was also a career-best.

Chamberlain’s not the only red-hot member of the Storm. Over her last six games, sophomore Danielle Gravel (Sidney, NY/Sidney) is averaging 15.7 ppg. She leads the Storm with a scoring average of 13.6 ppg., followed by classmate Jessica Bandrowski (Center Moriches, NY/Center Moriches), with an average of 12.2 ppg.

Getting off to a fast start has been a factor in Keuka’s success. The Storm is outscoring the opposition by 133 points (616 to 483) in the first half, an average of 7.4 points per game.

Keuka is looking to complete the season-sweep vs. Cazenovia; the Storm handled the Wildcats 75-53 back on Jan. 25.

Cazenovia has dropped eight straight since a 64-56 win over Penn State-Abington on Jan. 14. Megan McDermott leads the Wildcats in both scoring (13.6 ppg.) and rebounding (8.6 rpg.), followed by Erin O’Malley (10.8 ppg., 7.8 rpg.).

For the latest stories, schedules and results from Keuka athletics, visit www.KeukaStorm.com or go to the Keuka Athletics Facebook page, www.Facebook.com/KeukaStorm.

Freshman Joe Tortolon scored a career-high 15 points, but Keuka College's men's basketball team suffered a 95-78 loss to Penn State-Abington Sunday afternoon.

BOXSCORE

Junior Teddy Tuggles (Rochester, NY/Gates Chili) scored 24 points and freshman Joe Tortolon (Dundee, NY/Dundee) added a career-high 15 points, but Keuka College’s men’s basketball team suffered a 95-78 setback at Penn State-Abington Sunday afternoon.

Keuka (5-14, 5-7 North Eastern Athletic Conference) placed three players in double-figures, as Tuggles and Tortolon were joined by freshman Coty Paige (Rochester, NY/Greece Arcadia), who scored 10 points and grabbed five rebounds.

Tuggles shot 9-for-15 (60 percent) and grabbed six rebounds with two steals while junior Conor Boyer (East Rochester, NY/East Rochester) added eight points and nine rebounds. Freshman Tyler Hixson (Shortsville, NY/Red Jacket) added eight points and seven boards for the Storm, which outrebounded Abington (8-11, 5-5 NEAC) 42-37.

The Storm shot 29-for-71 (40.8 percent) compared to Abington, which connected on 35 of 63 shots (55.6 percent). Tuggles scored Keuka’s first four points and Boyer, Tortolon and senior Brian Cunliffe (Rochester, NY/Gates Chili) each made layups to give Keuka a 10-8 lead five minutes in. Cunliffe then buried a ‘3’ with 13:20 to go before halftime to put the Storm up 13-12, but that was Keuka’s last lead.

Abington used a 25-10 run over the next eight minutes to take a 37-23 lead, and never led by less than 11 points over the remainder of the half. The Nittany Lions took a 49-35 halftime lead.

The Abington lead grew to 56-35, but the Storm hung around, and when Tortolon buried a ‘3’ Keuka pulled within 10, 81-71 with five minutes remaining. Abington sunk 8 of its final 9 free throws to snap a four-game conference losing streak. Five players scored in double-figures for Abington, led by Will Alton (22 points), Max Alton (17), Mike Marvin (13 points, 13 rebounds), Josh Howard (11) and Mike Colacci (10).

The Storm returns to action with a 6 p.m. road clash against Cazenovia College on Wednesday night. Keuka fell to Cazenovia 69-64 at home on Jan. 25.