City of Basketball Love

By David Comer
—

Trevor Wall had a decision to make. He could return to Ursinus for his final year of eligibility, or he could find a different school – perhaps at the Division I level – to play his last season of college basketball. Wall, a 6-foot-3 senior guard and St. Joseph’s Prep graduate, elected to return to the place that he has grown to love.

“It’s been awesome,” Wall said Wednesday night after scoring 27 points to help lead his team to a 90-85 non-conference win over Widener at Helfferich Hall on the Ursinus campus. “I get to have another year with my best friends. It’s been a lot of fun. I’m at a place that I feel wanted and I feel loved.”

Another reason Wall chose to return is his parents, Don and Susan, who live about 30 minutes away in North Wales where Wall grew up. He can hug them and chat with them after each game, just as he did following the Bears’ comeback win over the Pride.

“They never miss a game,” Wall said. “It’s been awesome.”

Wall, who is averaging 25.7 points per game for the 2-1 Bears this season and moved into 19th place Wednesday night on the program’s all-time scoring list with 1,237 career points, is confident with the basketball and has an impressive ability to finish with either hand in traffic around the hoop. 

In an era of guards – and seemingly everyone – hoisting three-pointers at will, Wall scored his 27 points the old-fashioned way by taking the ball to the basket and with his mid-range game. He did not make a three-pointer – he only took one – and was an efficient 10-of-18 from the field and 7-of-9 from the foul line.

“He is absolutely fearless,” Ursinus coach Kevin Small said.

Wall credits his ability to get to the rim to growing up playing against his two older brothers, Ryan and Evan, who both also played basketball at St. Joseph’s Prep.

“You had to be quick playing against them,” Wall said. “You had to be fearless.”

Wall, who is the reigning Centennial Conference men’s basketball player of the week after an opening weekend that included a 38-point performance, is pleased with his team’s start but also knows that there is room for improvement as a difficult league schedule awaits.

“We need to take better care of the basketball,” he said after Ursinus finished with 19 turnovers. “But you have to give Widener credit. They did some things that gave us trouble.”

The Pride, playing their season opener, led 48-44 at halftime. Ursinus, sparked by Wall, who scored 20 of his 27 points in the second half, built a 81-68 lead with 4:39 left. Widener, however, pulled within 88-85 with 7.7 seconds left. The game was not decided until Wall hit a pair of free throws with 5.9 seconds left to extend the Ursinus lead to 90-85.

Widener, who last season finished 23-4, was ranked as high as No. 13 in the country, and hosted – and won – an NCAA tournament game, lost much of its scoring from that team to graduation. Against Ursinus, the Pride’s top returning scorers led the way. Matt Daulerio, a 6-foot-8 redshirt senior from Chester Springs and a graduate of The Phelps School, scored 28 points and displayed his versatility by knocking down three three-pointers and also scoring from the post. Luke Mazur added 18 points, and Kevin Schenk scored 16 for Widner.

“That’s a good Widener team,” Small said. “They’re going to win a lot of games.”

Through three games, Wall is averaging 25.7 ppg, in the top 50 nationally. (Photo courtesy David Morgan/Stylish Images)

Ursinus struggled early against Widener’s man-to-man defense and fell behind, 15-6, before Small called a timeout. The Bears started chipping away, thanks in large part to the play of Mo Toure, a wiry 6-foot-6 junior from Washington D.C.  Toure, a returning starter who Small noted had multiple Division I offers coming out of high school, scored 18 points in the first half on his way to a career-high 29.

“We needed every one of them,” Small said. “He was terrific.”

As was Wall. On a team that returns its five starters and top seven scorers from last season’s squad that went 13-13 and lost in the first round of the Centennial Conference tournament, Wall is the leader. The Bears are playing without two of those returnees, Marlin Wise and Jaiden Jakubowski, who are both out with injuries. 

Ursinus has scored 90 or more points in all three of its games this year after reaching 90 points four times all last season.  Small, now in his 23rd year as the Bears’ head coach, knows scoring will become more difficult once the rugged conference schedule begins.

“Our league is truly special,” said Small, who has won over 300 games, four conference titles and reached one Division III final four at Ursinus. “It’s not just the top five teams in the league; every team is tough.”

Small knows that he will need Wall to be at his best for the Bears to compete for a conference title.

“We will go as far as Trevor takes us,” Small said. “He’s a remarkable kid. It’s cliched, but he’s a better person than player. He is so beloved by his teammates.”

Small, also a St. Joseph’s Prep grad, thinks back to Wall’s recruitment. His initial connection with Wall was through one of Wall’s youth coaches. While a few Division I and several Division II programs showed interest in Wall, a 1,000-point scorer and second-team all-Philadelphia Catholic League selection as a senior, he found a fit with the Bears.

He didn’t get to play basketball during his first year at Ursinus as COVID cancelled the 2020-21 season. He then proceeded to average 14.0 points per game and earn second-team all-conference honors in his first season and 13.8 points per game and receive all-conference honorable mention recognition the next. Last season, when he scored 19.4 points per game, he was a first-team all-conference selection. Wall then made the decision to return for one final year. Both he and his coach are glad he did.

For now, Wall is enjoying each game, each practice, each opportunity to be on the court with teammates he calls his best friends. The conference and postseason await. The individual honors will come. He will likely finish his career as one of the top five scorers in program history. If you listen to Small, though, it won’t necessarily be the points that Wall scored that he will remember most when the season and Wall’s college career are over. 

“I absolutely love him,” Small said. “He’s such a selfless kid. He is committed and competitive. If you would design a basketball player to be completely beloved by his teammates, it would be him. His echo will be felt when he leaves.”