JCC’s Kelso pushes hard during comeback
Tom Kelso’s one-year stint on the Jefferson Community College men’s basketball team has been a resounding success, any way you look at it.
The 6-foot-10 center from Ogdensburg has helped the Cannoneers (13-13) secure a spot in next weekend’s Mid-State Athletic Conference tournament, and remain in the hunt for a Region 3 playoff berth on the eve of their regular-season finale.
Kelso, who said that his top priority at JCC is academics, made the President’s list last semester with a 3.25 grade-point average. He also works full-time and recently became engaged to Lisbon native Brittany Knable.
But two years ago, things weren’t running quite as smoothly for Kelso.
Kelso was dismissed from the SUNY Potsdam men’s basketball team in late 2009 due to an off-campus fight with another student.
“I just made some bad decisions,” Kelso said. “I had to pay for them legally, and you just, you learn from your decisions and move on from it. I’m getting my life back on track. I think things happen for a reason, and that happened for a reason.”
Kelso, who ranks in the top 10 in Region 3 with 15.4 points and 11.2 rebounds per game, was away from organized basketball for two seasons.
During his hiatus, Kelso played as much pickup ball as he could and said that he added close to 60 pounds in the weight room.
“The two years I was out, I was still working out pretty hard and focused on getting back to playing,” Kelso said. “I was unsure where I wanted to go. I had the option to go back to Potsdam and did some things with that, going through the hoops of being able to be re-admitted, but some things changed.”
The biggest change for Kelso was his engagement to Knable. She earned a job promotion that required her to re-locate to Watertown last summer. Kelso moved to the area with her, and got in touch with JCC men’s coach Charlie Bridge soon after.
Bridge, along with Kelso’s teammates, was happy to welcome the big man to the team.
“It was close enough to home but it was still away from home, where he was getting a fresh start,” Bridge said. “This is the first time in the six years that I’ve been here that we’ve had a true low-post presence. So it’s been kind of nice that we can slow it down and play a half-court game, throw it inside and get some buckets that way.”
Bridge said that Kelso’s contributions to the team have gone beyond controlling the paint.
“It’s helped some of our younger kids, seeing the struggles that he’s gone through and how hard he works at not only basketball but at school and life,” Bridge said. “It’s really been an eye opener and helped us kind of grow up and mature too.”
Kelso won’t be able to play for a junior college beyond this season, but has two years of eligibility left if he decides to transfer to a four-year school.
Bridge said that just about every Division III school in the state has expressed interest in Kelso. But he is undecided on whether to continue his collegiate career.
Kelso said that his new family, which includes Knable and her two-year-old son, Brody, will be the biggest factor in his decision. He also wants to earn his degree in criminal justice, which he is on track to get in December if he remains at JCC.
“After the incident I ran into two years ago, it kind of opened my eyes to what I wanted to do, to help people not go down the same path I went down,” Kelso said.
Regardless of how things play out in the future, Kelso said that he has enjoyed his time at JCC.
“It’s been a fun experience,” Kelso said. “All the guys on the team were very welcoming. I’ve become friends with all the guys and I love playing with them.”
“And I’m thankful for my fianceé, she’s really supportive,” Kelso added. “She put some things in her life on hold to be able to support me while playing basketball.”
BLUE CLOSING IN ON HOWARD
Sophomore guard Jabriel Blue has a chance to catch Watertown native Steve Howard for first place on the JCC men’s career scoring list.
Blue, whose 23.7 points per game leads the conference and region for the second straight year, is just shy of 1,400 career points. Howard’s record is 1,565 points.
Blue’s chances likely rest on how far the Cannoneers can advance in postseason play. They have one regular season game left and are guaranteed at least one game in the conference tournament.
MILESTONES FOR WOMEN’S PLAYERS
Sophomore Joelle Percy and freshman Morgan Kiernan of the JCC women’s basketball team each have a chance to do something historically significant in the team’s final game of the season on Saturday.
Percy, a 2010 Carthage graduate, needs seven 3-point field goals to move into second place on the school’s all-time list. Percy has 80 3-pointers in 26 games this season, and 115 for her career. She is 14 behind the school’s all-time leader, 1999 Carthage graduate Sara Astafan.
Saturday’s game is Percy’s last opportunity to move up the list as the team did not qualify for postseason play with a 6-20 record.
Kiernan already holds JCC single-season records with 168 free throws made and 229 free-throw attempts. With a season remaining, Kiernan is just 56 away from becoming the school’s all-time leader in made free throws.
Kiernan, a 2011 Copenhagen graduate, was also named the Mid-State Athletic Conference’s athlete of the week on Monday.
NORTH-COUNTRY CONNECTION TO LIN
By now, you’ve probably heard the hoopla surrounding New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin.
But “Linsanity” hasn’t swept through Hamilton College quite like it has in the big apple.
Lin’s brother, Joseph, is a freshman guard on the Hamilton men’s basketball team, coached by former Belleville Henderson star and Clarkson men’s coach, Adam Stockwell.
Lin has played in 22 games this season, starting just one. He averages 3.1 points and 2.7 assists in 16.5 minutes per game.
Sportswriter Josh St. Croix covers collegiate and high school sports at The Times. He can be reached at jstcroix@wdt.net
