TOWSON, Md. – As Towson University's head men's basketball coach,
Pat Skerry deals with numbers all the time. There's points per game, defensive efficiency, Basketball Percentage Index (BPI) and grade point averages.
However, there's one number that fills Skerry with tremendous pride: 100.
That's Skerry's graduation rate for his program since he became the head coach in 2011. Four Towson men's basketball student-athletes earned their degrees during last week's annual commencement ceremonies:
Arnaud William Adala Moto,
A.J. Astroth,
Josh Ivory and
Timajh Parker-Rivera.
That makes it 18-for-18 in men's basketball graduates since Skerry has been in charge at Towson. He beamed with pride as he posed for photos and cracked jokes with Ivory and Parker-Rivera last week. Adala-Moto, Astroth, Ivory and Parker-Rivera were among 65 Towson student-athletes who received their diplomas last week.
"This is the proudest day for our staff when you talk about student-athletes," Skerry said. "You feel good about a guy like TJ, who graduated above a 3.0 and was a great player. Josh, a psychology major, really worked hard and earned his degree. He's thinking about getting involved with teaching and coaching and working with kids. You know Towson has prepared them well for the next chapters of their lives. They really symbolize what we hope a program stands for as good people, good students and good players."
The student-athletes are part of the three-day commencement ceremonies that will send 3,401 TU students into the world as alumni, starting a new chapter in their lives as the university wraps up its 150th anniversary year.
*Denotes Masters degree earned
