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''One of the reasons I decided to come here was to keep my family tradition going,'' Jordan said. ''It definitely is special for me to be going here. I'm enjoying being close to home. I have the comfort of knowing if I needed anything, I'm right down the street from my mother, my sister and most of family.''Ê
Beard tore his ACL playing pickup basketball the summer after graduating from Oberlin High School, where he was named Lorain County Mr. Basketball in 2004. He had surgery to repair the ACL tear and was able to return and play 15 games, where he averaged 10.3 points and started 10 games.
He took a medical redshirt his sophomore season after he got injured in the first game of the year. A stress fracture in his right leg sidelined him for the second straight season, which had Beard feeling frustrated. He spent six months wearing a boot-cast and used crutches because he couldn't put pressure on it while it was healing.
''It was a crushing blow,'' he said of the second injury. ''I had put in so much work and I really wanted to help the team. It didn't have me feeling too up about things. I lost interest in a lot of the stuff I liked to do and even my grades suffered because of it. I wasn't as motivated. It was the worst thing that has happened in my career, but I got through it. I'm happy to be playing basketball again.''
He returned last season and averaged 13.1 points per game and played in all 25 games, starting seven of them.
This season he has not only returned to the starting lineup, but he is now a team captain and playing a new position at point guard -- a spot he hasnÔt played much in the past.
''I've improved my knowledge of the game, by playing point guard,'' Beard said. ''I try to control the tempo of the game, knowing what's a good shot and a bad shot and know who needs the ball at what time. I'm working on being a lot more vocal at the point.''
He is currently second on the team in scoring, averaging 12.6 points per game, while also leading the team in assists with 36.
''I want to be a good teammate,'' Beard said. ''It's not about my scoring, it's about me trying to help turn this program around. We're not doing as well as we would have liked to be doing, but we're moving in the right direction. I look forward to coming back next year.''
Beard will return next year as a fifth-year senior and has a dream of continuing his basketball career after college, whether its semi-pro or overseas. He also says he is grateful that he'll have completed a sociology degree, of which he is two classes shy of obtaining.
Campus Visits
- David Essi (Amherst) claimed wins in both the 1-meter diving and 3-meter diving for John Carroll's swim team over the weekend. John Carroll lost to Hiram, 120-96.
- Rachel Widman (St. Mary) captured the 300-meter dash in a time of 45.62 for John Carroll's indoor track and field team at the Kenyon Kick Off Meet in Gambier, Ohio on Saturday afternoon. JCU finished with 59 points to finish fifth out of the seven schools that competed.
- Molly Baker (Avon Lake) and Kate Verhoff (Elyria) have remained hot for the Notre Dame of Ohio Falcons' basketball team. Baker scored her college career-high with 27 points in a 95-84 win over Northwestern Ohio. Verhoff scored her college-high of 15 in a 94-64 win over Carlow. Notre Dame has won seven games in a row and improved to 16-3 overall.
- Robbie Michaels (Clyde), a freshman wrestler at Cleveland State, Michaels leads the Vikings in wins with 23. A sudden illness sidelined him for the last couple weeks and CSU has gone 1-4 in his absence.
- Jeff Mayer (Vermilion) was given the Cleveland Clinic Courage Award at the Greater Cleveland Sports Awards last Thursday. Mayer was nominated for his remarkable determination to overcome several sports-related injuries and a near-fatal hit-and-run accident that almost took his life.
Mayer scored his first college touchdown in Case Western Reserve's first-ever playoff game, a game-winner as time expired to lead Case to a 21-20 win over Widener University.
