SVE and Cornell Grad Playing Big In Pro League
His story was straight out of a Disney movie.
Unrecruited by division 3 schools, he ended up at Cornell because his mom ran into coaches in the hospital.
Well Jeff Foote has gone from Spencer-Van Etten to pro ball in Europe and now back state side.
We catch up with the big man in this week's action sports spotlight.
" I knew coming out of high school I was a late bloomer"
Not many could have predicted this skinny kid from Lockport, New York would become a dominating professional basketball player, especially watching a gangly 6-foot-4 sophomore play for Spencer-Van Etten high school
" Between 10th and 11th grade I grew 6 inches, so I knew strength and speed and everything was going to come later. As far as not being recruited by D-3 schools, I got a great opportunity at St. Bonaventure and found a mentor in coach Jason G and then once I transferred to Cornell it all fell into place."
It came together for Foote as a player and the Big Red as a team.
That's his greatest memory from his college days.
A historic run to the sweet 16 captivated the nation, and galvanized his campus.
" We come into the gym, which normally in spring break is empty, and there are media trucks, there's ESPN trucks. Then we come up to our gym and it's just flooded, they have a whole section blocked off for the media and then once the students came back you couldn't go anywhere without somebody talking about it. At that time for Cornell it was a great uplift for the campus."
Once his college career was complete, Foote began the life of a basketball nomad.
He signed with one of the top pro teams in Israel, who then transferred him to Spain. He then signed on with a team in Poland before coming back to America to play in the NBA Developmental league in Springfield Massachusetts.
" It's just a different level at the next level. Things that work at college or the D-league, you have to adjust a little because the guys are bigger and stronger and faster. You have to learn how to play at that next level, and it was a good chance for me to see what that is."
He's joined the Armor late, but is already the top rebounder on the team and one of their top scoring options.
He calls himself a late bloomer, so there's still time for another move for Jeff for any NBA team in need of a 7-footer with an Ivy League degree.
Below, some news and notes for Wednesday...
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