Bloom Gets Shot At IPFW
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Anthony [email protected]
As a sophomore on the Warsaw boys varsity basketball team, Bloom averaged 4.0 points per game, then 9.8 as a junior, followed by this year’s 17.7, helping the Tigers claim the Class 4A Sectional 4 championship.
The ascension of his game has helped him land at a Division I school, although he’s not getting a free ride.
Accepted as a preferred walk-on at IPFW, Bloom is happy, but knows he can’t ease up.
“I can earn (a scholarship) in the future, but there’s no guarantees about anything,” he said during Thursday’s event, officially announcing his decision at Warsaw Community High School.
“It will cause me to work a little harder, because I’ve got more to earn right now,” he added. “I’ve got to prove myself.”
The 6-foot guard closed out his prep career by scoring his 17.7 points per game on 48.8 percent shooting from the field and 40.3 percent from behind the three-point line.
Along with averaging 3.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 0.9 steals per game, he also showed a knack for hitting the big shot.
On back-to-back nights, he hit the game-winning shots against Northridge (Jan. 4) and Fort Wayne Snider (Jan. 5), while also making a game-winning free throw against South Bend Clay (Feb. 12) and another game-winning free throw in the opening round of the sectional against Elkhart Central (Feb. 26).
Despite all his stats and composure, his collegiate options were limited.
“I had places that wanted me to come play NAIA and Division III, but I didn’t really have any offers,” he said. “I had one offer early in the year, before December, from Judson University, but they’re just NAIA out of Illinois. So I didn’t really have anything major on my plate.”
Dead set on playing hoops in college, he finally got his opportunity when he visited the IPFW campus on May 7.
“I did an individual workout for them, they showed me around campus, then (IPFW head coach Tony Jasick) pulled me into his office and told me the spot was mine if I wanted it,” Bloom said.
While he had been accepted to other schools, he jumped at the opportunity to not only attend class, but also play basketball.
“I had several schools that I was accepted to, but I wanted to play basketball so finding the right school for me was a long process,” he said. “It was tedious, to say the least, but I went down to IPFW and it just felt right.”
At IPFW, the student who carries a 10.52 GPA at Warsaw while taking honors and advanced courses, plans to major in Electrical Engineering Technology.
That major will take plenty of concentration, but like he did in high school, he plans to also work hard on the court, improving all the time.
“I’m just going to work my hardest and try to come in and give them the best I can give,” he said.[[In-content Ad]]
As a sophomore on the Warsaw boys varsity basketball team, Bloom averaged 4.0 points per game, then 9.8 as a junior, followed by this year’s 17.7, helping the Tigers claim the Class 4A Sectional 4 championship.
The ascension of his game has helped him land at a Division I school, although he’s not getting a free ride.
Accepted as a preferred walk-on at IPFW, Bloom is happy, but knows he can’t ease up.
“I can earn (a scholarship) in the future, but there’s no guarantees about anything,” he said during Thursday’s event, officially announcing his decision at Warsaw Community High School.
“It will cause me to work a little harder, because I’ve got more to earn right now,” he added. “I’ve got to prove myself.”
The 6-foot guard closed out his prep career by scoring his 17.7 points per game on 48.8 percent shooting from the field and 40.3 percent from behind the three-point line.
Along with averaging 3.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 0.9 steals per game, he also showed a knack for hitting the big shot.
On back-to-back nights, he hit the game-winning shots against Northridge (Jan. 4) and Fort Wayne Snider (Jan. 5), while also making a game-winning free throw against South Bend Clay (Feb. 12) and another game-winning free throw in the opening round of the sectional against Elkhart Central (Feb. 26).
Despite all his stats and composure, his collegiate options were limited.
“I had places that wanted me to come play NAIA and Division III, but I didn’t really have any offers,” he said. “I had one offer early in the year, before December, from Judson University, but they’re just NAIA out of Illinois. So I didn’t really have anything major on my plate.”
Dead set on playing hoops in college, he finally got his opportunity when he visited the IPFW campus on May 7.
“I did an individual workout for them, they showed me around campus, then (IPFW head coach Tony Jasick) pulled me into his office and told me the spot was mine if I wanted it,” Bloom said.
While he had been accepted to other schools, he jumped at the opportunity to not only attend class, but also play basketball.
“I had several schools that I was accepted to, but I wanted to play basketball so finding the right school for me was a long process,” he said. “It was tedious, to say the least, but I went down to IPFW and it just felt right.”
At IPFW, the student who carries a 10.52 GPA at Warsaw while taking honors and advanced courses, plans to major in Electrical Engineering Technology.
That major will take plenty of concentration, but like he did in high school, he plans to also work hard on the court, improving all the time.
“I’m just going to work my hardest and try to come in and give them the best I can give,” he said.[[In-content Ad]]
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