Andre Vanterpool was hungry. Not on the basketball court, like the old clich says. No, this Stony Brook forward was hungry for food, for sustenance.

Growing up in Manhasset, N.Y., Vanterpool never had much money to begin with. But things became even worse his sophomore year of high school. His father died of a heart attack, his mother was recovering from a kidney transplant and finances were even scarcer than usual.

Eating hadn’t been a problem before because of the meal plan his Stony Brook scholarship provided, but that was gone. His GPA was so low he was released from the basketball team, put on academic probation and was about to be dismissed from the university altogether.

That left Vanterpool with no money and nowhere to live for almost two semesters. The basketball season was an afterthought. All he had was his dismissal letter from Stony Brook. So he did the only thing he could think of – sit down in his coach’s office and start talking.

‘I just started telling him my life story about my family background and my mom’s surgery,’ Vanterpool said. ‘He told me that he understood my situation, but not everyone was sympathetic to my situation. Either you’re going to graduate college or you’re not. That’s when I realized I was really at the bottom.’

Vanterpool played in only five games in 2004-05, his first year with the Seawolves, before he was declared academically ineligible. Missing the season was not enough to push him.

It took losing everything to motivate Vanterpool. His GPA was already too low to play in 2005-06, but the prospect of being expelled from school woke him up. Before his father’s fatal heart attack, Vanterpool promised he would grow up to finish college.

In a few months, he’ll wear his gown. It seemed impossible two years ago, but Vanterpool is just weeks away from finishing his senior basketball season and months away from graduating. He earned a 3.34 GPA in the spring 2006 semester and was reinstated on Stony Brook this season. His numbers are modest – 4.4 points per game in more than 15 minutes – but just getting back to the team is an accomplishment. It’s a culmination of Vanterpool’s struggle – some of it out of his control, most of it his own fault.

‘I was letting my father down, my mom who’s always so proud of me,’ Vanterpool said. ‘They weren’t going to see me walk across the stage to get my degree.’

Life was supposed to be laid out for Vanterpool. After four years of varsity basketball at Manhasset and two All-County selections, he was expected to continue his success at the Division I level and maybe beyond. He never thought twice about academics.

By the time he realized he couldn’t reach a D-I school, it was too late to raise his grades. Guidance counselors and coaches warned Vanterpool throughout high school about the difficulties of earning a scholarship with his GPA, but he never listened.

‘There were all these people around Andre telling him how wonderful he was, how he was the next Michael Jordan, and here I am telling he needs to get some B’s and A’s,’ said Bruce Minerley, Vanterpool’s high school coach. ‘When you’re a 16-year-old kid, who do you want to believe?’

Division II and III programs were interested in Vanterpool, but he was determined to play D-I. The only other option was junior college, so he went to Monroe (N.Y.) Community College hoping to eventually transfer.

Academics were just slightly more important to him at Monroe than they were at Manhasset. No question he had the talent to play at the next level, but his high school experience was not enough to motivate Vanterpool.

He never thought anything was his fault – Vanterpool had an excuse for everything Monroe coach Jerry Burns said. He played poorly one game because he was up late consoling a teammate or he couldn’t practice for a few days because he needed to tend to his mother. There was always a reason why he failed a test. It was never his responsibility.

‘It was the same on the court as it was in the classroom: he never lived up to his potential,’ Burns said. ‘He would always use his excuses as crutches, but I’d always tell him, ‘You still gotta get up and go to work, man.”

Burns helped Vanterpool keep his grades afloat at Monroe. Assumption (Mass.) College offered him a full D-II scholarship, but Vanterpool was not ready to give up his dream of playing at the highest level. His grades stayed steady, he continued to succeed at Monroe and Stony Brook took a chance.

But the grades he managed to keep afloat at Monroe plummeted again at Stony Brook. He was academically ineligible by NCAA standards for the 2005-06 season. He needed a 3.3 GPA in the spring semester to stay in school at all, a number Vanterpool called ‘impossible.’

Vanterpool spent the season living on his teammates’ couches, mooching off anyone he could for meals. He held clipboards at practice and wished the team good luck as it boarded the team bus before games.

‘I wasn’t growing up to be the man I want to be, and I had no one to blame but myself’ Vanterpool said. ‘I had to stop the excuses.’

While professional basketball is now out of the question for Vanterpool, he has a new goal upon graduation. He’s working to start a not-for-profit organization to help troubled youth. He currently speaks to incoming freshmen about what and what not to do in college, hoping others learn from his plight.

‘Sometimes you need to spend two minutes in hell to enjoy a minute in heaven,’ Burns said. ‘He’s finally become a man.’

Boston College at Virginia TechWednesday, 7 p.m., ESPN

Virginia Tech is coming off an embarrassing 25-point loss to North Carolina State five days after upsetting North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Boston College remains a half-game ahead of the Hokies in the ACC, and will want to bounce back after a tough loss to the Tar Heels on Saturday.

Boston College 74, Virginia Tech 69

No. 8 Texas A&M at Oklahoma StateWednesday, 9 p.m., ESPN2

Oklahoma State may be 19-7, but has been inconsistent. The Cowboys beat Texas on Jan. 16, then lost to the Longhorns by 29 on Feb. 12. The Aggies have the Big 12 title on the line, as they enter this one tied with Kansas at 10-2.

Texas A&M 80, Oklahoma State 69

No. 9 Washington State at No. 23 OregonThursday, 9 p.m.

The Pac-10 boasts five ranked teams and seven teams over .500. Thanks to a five-game winning streak, Washington State is only a game behind UCLA for the conference lead. Oregon has lost three-straight to unranked teams.

Washington State 81, Oregon 73

No. 10 Pittsburgh at No. 12 GeorgetownSaturday, 2 p.m., CBS

A few weeks ago, Pittsburgh had the Big East locked up. Then Georgetown won nine straight to draw even with the Panthers at 10-2. This game could decide the conference, and Pittsburgh star Aaron Gray’s status is still unknown after an ankle injury in Saturday’s win over Washington.

Georgetown 83, Pittsburgh 82

Syracuse at ProvidenceSaturday, noon, ESPN

Syracuse may be a bubble team, but Providence is in danger of losing even that status. The Friars enter tonight’s game against West Virginia at 6-6 and need another quality win or two on their resume. With three games left to play, this is one the Orange cannot afford to lose.

Syracuse 74, Providence 60

Published on February 18, 2007 at 12:00 pm