Torres: From hopeful nestling to high-flying Falcon
December 3, 2008
By Jennifer Toland, Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Brian Torres wasn't highly recruited coming out of high school, but he did have a pretty persistent pursuer in former Fitchburg State coach Shawn Conrad. Conrad saw something special in Torres, and after seeing him play as a freshman for the Falcons, he anticipated even better things were to come.
He was right.
After earning first-team All-MASCAC honors last season, Torres, now a senior, is averaging a team-leading 22 points for the 3-1 Falcons. He opened the season with a 30-point effort against Clark.
"Things are going pretty well," Torres said yesterday. "We have high expectations for the season."
The Falcons won 16 games last year and made the ECAC tournament. Under third-year coach Derek Shell, they hope to contend for the MASCAC title this year.
Torres is a 6-foot-4, 180-pound guard/forward who has a nice outside shot and, with some hard work in the weight room, has become stronger going to the rim. Torres averaged more than 17 points each of the last two seasons. He's among the team's leading rebounders this season as well, and he said he's continuing to work on his defense.
After a solid freshman year in which he averaged 9.8 points in 24 games, he took the 2005-06 season off from basketball. He attended FSC part-time, commuting from his home in North Dighton two days a week and working three days a week. He returned to the Falcons the next season and averaged 17.7 points.
Torres' mother passed away when he was 12. His father and grandfather make most of his games, and his cousin, Rob Fredericks, has been especially supportive and inspirational. Fredericks, a fixture at FSC's Recreation Center, played at Clark in the early '90s.
"He's been the biggest influence on me playing college basketball," Torres said. "He understands basketball so well. He helps me out, telling me what I need to improve on. He's been through it all. It's great having him."
Conrad said Fredericks was helpful to Torres during the recruiting process and helped him get some academics in order the summer before he arrived at FSC.
"Brian's as good as they come," said Conrad, now the coach at Anna Maria, "and he's got a wonderful family."
Torres has been a dean's list student at Fitchburg State and will graduate in May with a degree in history. He would have made his mother proud.
"I hope so," he said.
The Falcons have a big week ahead with games against nationally-ranked Elms tomorrow and Worcester Polytechnic Institute on Saturday. Torres is coming off a 24-point effort against UMass-Boston. He scored 17 points in FSC's come-from-behind win over Connecticut College earlier this season.