WOPPERER LEADS CENTRAL TO BRONZE

AT EMPIRE STATE GAMES

Jul. 31:  Rising senior Tom Wopperer found himself playing with and against some of the best Division I and Division II basketball players in New York State last weekend at the 31st Empire State Games in Binghamton, NY, but that didn’t stop him from showing his teammates and competitors how strong of an asset he is to any team he plays for, as he led the Central squad to a bronze medal and was one of the team’s top scorers throughout the weekend.

 

Overall, the guard and Saints’ co-captain, who is a native of Manlius, NY, had 62 points in four games for Central, the second most points of any of his ten teammates, while also making a team-high 12 three-pointers.

 

The week began with a loss to Hudson Valley, the silver medalist in 2007 and the 2006 champion, 97-84, but Central rebounded and defeated the Adirondacks team 91-89.  The squad then faced a tough opponent in New York City, but Wopperer rose to the challenge as he led a comeback with a team-high 19 points that almost got the squad into the gold medal game, but fell in the final minutes, 107-99.  Central then faced Hudson Valley once again to contend for the bronze medal, where Wopperer scored a game-high 22 points to lead his team to a 78-76 victory.

 

Central’s bronze medal was unexpected, as the region had not even won a Men’s Open basketball game since the 2004 Empire State Games and had only medaled twice since 1993.  In years past, Hudson Valley, Long Island and New York City are usually deemed the top contenders as they have several Division I players on their rosters.

 

As for the Central team, Wopperer was one of two Division III athletes competing for Central, while two of his teammates are Division I athletes and four of them compete at the Division II level.  The other two were from Onondaga Community College, a member of the NJCAA.

 

In his junior campaign, Wopperer led the Saints in total points for the second straight season, scoring 323 in 26 games, averaging 12.4 per contest, leading St. Lawrence to their first Liberty League regular season title since 2003-2004. A consistent starter for the Scarlet and Brown, Wopperer tallied the most points of any Saint in nine contests, including four conference games. He was named conference Co-Guard of the Week in January for guiding St. Lawrence to two wins against Oswego and Elmira and was also named to the Babson All-Tournament Team after leading St. Lawrence to a 72-63 win over Bates College with 25 points, a season-high. Wopperer was rewarded for his efforts by being named a conference honorable mention this season. His guidance extended off the court as well, as he was the only Saint to be named to the conference All-Academic Team in 2008.