 |
| Photo via Twitter; @ThalerMade |
WATERLOO — He is one of the hardest working players in Waterloo Region, a vocal leader who pushes his teammates to be the best they can be.
But when Grand River Renegades head coach Tolly Henderson is asked about Chuder Teny's greatest on-court strength, it's his single-handed ability to take over a game that impresses him most.
"He's just an explosive scorer. When he gets on a roll, I don't want to say he's unstoppable, but he can put up big numbers very quickly, and that frees up space for the rest of the team," said Henderson.
"I still don't think he gets the recognition he deserves, but that's changing."
Teny's recognition level received a significant boost on Wednesday night when he was named this year's winner of the Mike Moser Memorial Award as the most valuable player in the Waterloo County senior boys basketball league. The announcement was made during halftime of the WCSSAA boys-girls all-star doubleheader at Waterloo Collegiate Institute.
The Moser award caps a memorable season for Teny, a fifth-year guard who led the Renegades to a berth in the WCSSAA final and a strong showing at the Central Western Ontario championship. He scored a season-high 37 points against the Galt Ghosts in January and scored 20-plus points in nine of 12 WCSSAA regular-season games.
"It's a great honour. I didn't expect to get this but I did put in a lot of work this year, so it's a great feeling," Teny said while clutching his Moser plaque. "It's a great achievement, obviously. Only one player wins it every year and to do it in my final high school game is special."
In addition to being a standout basketball player, Teny is one of the most popular students at Grand River because of his upbeat demeanour and ever-present smile.
"He's just so happy-go-lucky and I've never heard anyone say anything negative about the guy in the five years I've known him. He popular with both teachers and students," said Henderson.
Teny, who came to Canada from Sudan in 2001, is also something of a star in the classroom.
After spending his first-year at Grand River in the fast-forward program that helps students make the transition from the classroom to the workplace, he is now taking university level courses and posting impressive grades.
Several Canadian university basketball programs have expressed an interest in Teny, who hopes to continue his studies and playing career at a post-secondary school.
Teny's award comes just a week after his cousin, Tesloth Simon of the St. Mary's Eagles, captured his second consecutive MVP award in the District 8 league.
