Joel Neri followed his math teacher to SUNY-Purchase. How often have you read that? SUNY-Purchase photo by Imani Humphries

Before head coach Jeff Charney taught Joel Neri the X’s and O’s of SUNY-Purchase basketball, he taught him how to solve for X.

Neri, a sophomore at Purchase, attended Port Chester High School and had Mr. Charney as his math teacher for his junior and senior year.

Naturally, when Charney saw a 7-1 male with a willingness to learn, he talked his ear off.

Despite his height, Neri was not heavily recruited out of high school. Partly because Neri broke his wrist during his senior season, and partly because his team didn’t feed him enough down low.

So, with no Division I options, Neri decided to sign up for four more years of Charney’s tutelage, and attend Purchase, just a few blocks away from Port Chester. In addition to basketball, one of the main factors was Purchase’s new media major.

But that October, two months into classes and just before his freshman season, doctors detected a tumor on Neri’s optic nerve.

“Eventually it would have popped, and I could have gone blind,” Neri said. The tumor had to be removed as soon as possible. Neri didn’t know if he would play basketball again.

It was a bad break, but in a sense, Neri was blessed.

Since he was in junior high, Neri was aware of a small tumor located in his left ear. This tumor was benign, and did not warrant surgery. However, Neri went to the doctors regularly to check it out, and make sure it was not growing in size.

That tumor had always affected Neri’s hearing. He is half deaf in his left ear. But before that October checkup he was experiencing severe headaches. He didn’t know why.

While reviewing Neri’s regularly scheduled CAT scan, the doctors found the second tumor, the cause for the auras he had been experiencing.

“I was upset but I knew that it was going to be fine. I didn’t think it was the end of the world, but I just more upset that I couldn’t play basketball,” Neri said.

Neri spent the next two weeks in the hospital, recuperating from the surgery in which both tumors were removed.

“We went down with the coaches, his mother was there, Joel was in bed,” associate head coach Chad Charney said. “Joel was in good spirits. His first question when we saw him was ‘how is the team looking?' It wasn’t anything about him. He is always a team guy. It was a great visit.”

Neri spent a lot of time with his family during that time, but the visit from his coaches meant a lot. “It just shows that they were there for me. That they were going to be there no matter what.”

After three months of bed rest, Neri was able to return for a portion of last season.

“He was able to play in January and February but obviously limited minutes because he was on bed rest for three months. So it took the whole time to recondition and get to where he is now,” Charney said.

This summer Neri dedicated to get back into full shape. “A lot of running. A lot of cardio, a lot of pushups and stuff. That’s what I was doing to get myself in the shape I am in right now so that I could perform at my best.”

In 27 games this season, Neri averaged 10.3 points, and shot 51% from the field. “Some of his numbers maybe aren’t as good as they would be, but you need to understand he is getting double- and triple-teamed. Down low there is never one-on-one coverage,” Charney said.

“He has worked extremely hard and is a crucial player for our team. He has carried us with the inside presence all season.”

Although only a sophomore, Neri is already thinking about life after graduation. And while he enjoys graphic design, he’s got his sights set on playing basketball professionally either in the NBA or overseas.

“I think the sky is the limit for him. He works his tail off. You never have to question him working hard. He just keeps on getting better and better,” Charney said.

Why D-III?

In a column like this, it’s all too easy to lose sight of the big picture: why DIII?

In the recent months, talking with NCAA representatives, college presidents, athletic directors, sports information directors, coaches, players, family, and friends to try and tell their stories to you, the reader, I’ve discovered a couple things.

First, people are nice. Too often we get caught up in the idea that life is too busy these days, everybody is grumpy, and worried only about themselves. The D-III family looks out for each other. That much was palpable from the beginning.

Reporters share stories, photographers share photos, we all work together to make the D-III experience the best it can be for those who can’t make it to the games, but utilize the internet to see how their son or daughter, niece or nephew played, and if their alma mater won or lost.

Second, in a land of opportunity, the Division III basketball spirit represents why we love second chances.

Whether it’s Kavon Baker developing into Brooklyn College’s leading scorer three years after being cut from the team; Chris Shovlin returning to Wilkes after he settled down with a family; or Ashley Montecchio leading the nation in scoring, three years after having an agnostic attitude about basketball, these players were given the chance to succeed after they failed.

This kind of access and opportunity isn’t present in Division I or pro hoops. To me, that’s #whyD3.

Thank you

Thank you to everyone who sent in story tips, you all informed me of things I never would have come across otherwise.

Thank you to everyone who gave me their time, and allowed me to pester them with annoying, detailed and sometimes unnecessary follow up questions.

Thank you to Pat Coleman for giving me the opportunity to share all of these stories.

Thank you to Brian Falzarano and Andrew Lovell for their mentorship.

Thank you to Gordon Mann, Jason Galleske, and Brian Lester for all that you do for the site.

And finally, thank you, for reading and sharing.