Ronald Hanaki
Sports Editor
Senior basketball standout Wes Cherry recently completed his final season as a forward on ESU’s basketball team.
Cherry came to East Stroudsburg from Linden, N.J.
Cherry is listed as being six feet and six inches tall and 205 pounds.
“My first dunk came when I was a sophomore in high school. They were my first varsity points, so it felt kind of good,” said Cherry.
Cherry was recruited by a number of schools, but ESU made a strong impression on him.
“I visited ESU in my junior year [of high school], and it was my favorite campus,” said Cherry.
“The coaching staff was very impressionable. I got to play and hang out with the team,” said Cherry.
It also helped that ESU had a winning basketball program.
“They won the PSACs the year before I came in,” said Cherry.
The high point for Cherry came during the 2013-2014 basketball season when the Warriors had an amazing 20-game winning streak.
“It was incredible. We didn’t think anybody could beat us, and the other teams knew they couldn’t beat us. Teams still remember that year, so they play a lot harder against us,” said Cherry.
Lock Haven edged ESU 82-80 on Feb. 6, 2014 to end ESU’s 20-game winning streak.
“Lock Haven was hungry,” said Cherry.
“That game was supposed to happen. We needed to taste that [loss] before the start of the [PSAC] tournament to understand what we really needed to do,” said Cherry.
Off the court, Cherry is a communications major with a concentration in public relations.
“It [public relations] comes naturally to me, and I like finding ways to reach a bigger audience,” he said.
“But balancing school and sports is really hard. You got to have a planner,” said Cherry.
In his spare time, Cherry confesses to being a big movie buff.
“I like ‘Departed.’ I am also a [Quentin] Tarantino guy,” said Cherry.
After ESU, Cherry is planning to become a state trooper. “It’s a very intense six-month training process,” said Cherry.
Cherry is also interested in becoming a basketball coach at some point.
“I’d like to coach an AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) team in-state and stay with them as they grow older into high school,” said Cherry.
Feb. 20 was basketball’s Senior Day, and Cherry was among the graduating seniors recognized before the start of the game.
“It was very emotional. My family was there – my Mom, sister, brother, Dad – the whole gang,” said Cherry.
Cherry was appreciative of those who helped him develop as a person and a basketball player.
“I thank my Dad. He’s a little annoying, but he stayed on me to play basketball,” said Cherry.
“Coach [Jeff] Wilson was great. [Former Assistant] Coach [Justin] Potts was a maniac, but he definitely inspired me to be way better than I could be,” said Cherry.
“The Koehler Krazies are great. They’re always coming to our games and supporting us,” said Cherry.
“President Welsh is a huge fan. We appreciate all the love that she gives us. We [the basketball team] might be her favorite team on campus,” said Cherry.
“I made a lot of friends at ESU. It’s a good campus. I am glad I came here, and I am definitely going to miss it,” said Cherry.
Cherry will graduate in May.
Email Ronald at:
rhanaki@live.esu.edu