The Brockville, ON native was recruited by then-head coach Steve Baur to play for the basketball Axemen and arrived at Acadia in the fall of 2011. After experiencing the normal freshman growing pains, Larry appeared primed to take his game to the next level in 2012-2013, only to break a wrist – an injury that ended up costing him most of the season.
He then missed the first half of the 2013-2014 season after suffering a pre-season ankle injury. On his return, he finally started to become the force Baur anticipated when he recruited him - and that has continued into this season.
“I ended up being out of the lineup for about a year and a half. I got credit for a year back because I hadn’t played enough games (in 2012-2013), so I’m still in my third year of eligibility,” Larry said.
“It’s been nice to have a real healthy stretch. I feel I’m contributing a lot more.”
Passion for sports
Growing up in Brockville Larry played just about everything.
“I played hockey, football (as an outside receiver) and basketball until Grade 8. I stopped playing hockey in Grade 9, but I played football and basketball, but mostly basketball, for the rest of my high school career.”
He found he was “more serious about basketball,” and decided in Grade 11 that he wanted to pursue playing basketball at the next level.
Fortunately for his basketball prospects, he “took a growth spurt during the summer before Grade 11,” sprouting four inches. He wasn’t done growing there - he eventually added another two inches or so and now stands between six-foot-eight and six-foot-nine, depending on who is doing the measuring.
When Larry arrived at Acadia, his older sister Charlotte was already an Axewomen basketball player. She went on to run cross-country for two years at Acadia. While having a sister already at Acadia “probably didn’t influence my decision to come here that much, it was certainly nice to have her here my first year to help with the transition.”
Close team
When Larry arrived at Acadia, he found a mentor in team leader Owen Klassen. Then in his third year, Klassen was the starter at his position and well on his way to becoming a perennial all-Canadian.
“I learned a lot playing behind Owen,” Larry said. The two knew each other prior to coming to Acadia from playing in club leagues in the Kingston area.
“He was great in practice, and on occasion, we’d get to be on the floor at the same time. (He) was quite a resource. Watching him, and learning from him, made me a better player.”
Larry joined a relatively young, but established Axemen team.
“We were a pretty tight group, and we still are. It was a good atmosphere for a rookie to step into,” he says.
Flirting with a double-double
This season - the first for the Axemen without Klassen since 2009 - Larry was expected to step up his game, and he has done so.
Entering play Feb. 20, he was averaging 10.4 points per game on 50.7 per cent shooting, was tied for second in the AUBC with 9.3 rebounds per game, and led the conference with 177 total rebounds – 74 of them offensive, also tops in the AUBC.
“I’m flirting with a double-double (points and rebounds) per game,” he said. “I knew there would be more of an expectation to both rebound and put the ball in the basket. I’m not really one for numbers, but I knew more would be expected of me.”
The 2014-2015 Axemen, he says, “are better than our record (5-14 entering their regular season finale Feb. 20). We’re playing hard, and just about every game we’ve played has been close. We’ve shown we can play with anyone.”
If the Axemen were to win their final regular season game, a four-pointer against UPEI, and Memorial lost twice at UNB, Acadia would squeak into the playoffs.
Larry said he was happy with his season, and the injuries aside, with his career at Acadia.
“I feel I’ve improved every year, and there’s still a lot to do. It’s been a great ride. We won the conference championship my rookie year, and I’ve been part of some nationally ranked teams. It’s been a great experience.”
Looking ahead
Larry’s hoops experience at Acadia is not over yet. He confirmed he will be back for 2015-2016 – his fifth year at Acadia and fourth year of basketball eligibility – and will graduate in May 2016.
He is studying kinesiology. Acadia, he said, “is a great school for that. It gives you a degree that means something.” Right now, he is looking at something in the field of sport management, which he calls “a growing field with career opportunities.”
He would also “like to stay in the game as long as I can.” He hasn’t thought about coaching, but added, “my dad coached me when I was younger. I’d definitely consider the opportunity to give back in the same way, if it presented itself.”
Now that his health has stabilized, Larry is enjoying himself, and is looking forward to the rest of this season and the rest of his career.
“It’s up to me to make the best of the opportunity I’ve been given, and to help the team in the ways I can,” he said.
The Brockville, ON native was recruited by then-head coach Steve Baur to play for the basketball Axemen and arrived at Acadia in the fall of 2011. After experiencing the normal freshman growing pains, Larry appeared primed to take his game to the next level in 2012-2013, only to break a wrist – an injury that ended up costing him most of the season.
He then missed the first half of the 2013-2014 season after suffering a pre-season ankle injury. On his return, he finally started to become the force Baur anticipated when he recruited him - and that has continued into this season.
“I ended up being out of the lineup for about a year and a half. I got credit for a year back because I hadn’t played enough games (in 2012-2013), so I’m still in my third year of eligibility,” Larry said.
“It’s been nice to have a real healthy stretch. I feel I’m contributing a lot more.”
Passion for sports
Growing up in Brockville Larry played just about everything.
“I played hockey, football (as an outside receiver) and basketball until Grade 8. I stopped playing hockey in Grade 9, but I played football and basketball, but mostly basketball, for the rest of my high school career.”
He found he was “more serious about basketball,” and decided in Grade 11 that he wanted to pursue playing basketball at the next level.
Fortunately for his basketball prospects, he “took a growth spurt during the summer before Grade 11,” sprouting four inches. He wasn’t done growing there - he eventually added another two inches or so and now stands between six-foot-eight and six-foot-nine, depending on who is doing the measuring.
When Larry arrived at Acadia, his older sister Charlotte was already an Axewomen basketball player. She went on to run cross-country for two years at Acadia. While having a sister already at Acadia “probably didn’t influence my decision to come here that much, it was certainly nice to have her here my first year to help with the transition.”
Close team
When Larry arrived at Acadia, he found a mentor in team leader Owen Klassen. Then in his third year, Klassen was the starter at his position and well on his way to becoming a perennial all-Canadian.
“I learned a lot playing behind Owen,” Larry said. The two knew each other prior to coming to Acadia from playing in club leagues in the Kingston area.
“He was great in practice, and on occasion, we’d get to be on the floor at the same time. (He) was quite a resource. Watching him, and learning from him, made me a better player.”
Larry joined a relatively young, but established Axemen team.
“We were a pretty tight group, and we still are. It was a good atmosphere for a rookie to step into,” he says.
Flirting with a double-double
This season - the first for the Axemen without Klassen since 2009 - Larry was expected to step up his game, and he has done so.
Entering play Feb. 20, he was averaging 10.4 points per game on 50.7 per cent shooting, was tied for second in the AUBC with 9.3 rebounds per game, and led the conference with 177 total rebounds – 74 of them offensive, also tops in the AUBC.
“I’m flirting with a double-double (points and rebounds) per game,” he said. “I knew there would be more of an expectation to both rebound and put the ball in the basket. I’m not really one for numbers, but I knew more would be expected of me.”
The 2014-2015 Axemen, he says, “are better than our record (5-14 entering their regular season finale Feb. 20). We’re playing hard, and just about every game we’ve played has been close. We’ve shown we can play with anyone.”
If the Axemen were to win their final regular season game, a four-pointer against UPEI, and Memorial lost twice at UNB, Acadia would squeak into the playoffs.
Larry said he was happy with his season, and the injuries aside, with his career at Acadia.
“I feel I’ve improved every year, and there’s still a lot to do. It’s been a great ride. We won the conference championship my rookie year, and I’ve been part of some nationally ranked teams. It’s been a great experience.”
Looking ahead
Larry’s hoops experience at Acadia is not over yet. He confirmed he will be back for 2015-2016 – his fifth year at Acadia and fourth year of basketball eligibility – and will graduate in May 2016.
He is studying kinesiology. Acadia, he said, “is a great school for that. It gives you a degree that means something.” Right now, he is looking at something in the field of sport management, which he calls “a growing field with career opportunities.”
He would also “like to stay in the game as long as I can.” He hasn’t thought about coaching, but added, “my dad coached me when I was younger. I’d definitely consider the opportunity to give back in the same way, if it presented itself.”
Now that his health has stabilized, Larry is enjoying himself, and is looking forward to the rest of this season and the rest of his career.
“It’s up to me to make the best of the opportunity I’ve been given, and to help the team in the ways I can,” he said.
