Biography
By Jim Hague
The author Thomas Wolfe once famously wrote that “you can’t come home again.”
Well, Tyler Ofray is proving the prestigious author wrong these days, even if he did have to take a major detour to make it back to his roots in Newark.
You see, Ofray left his native Newark four years ago to attend the Church Farm School, an all-boys college preparatory school in Exton, Pa. that has been molding young men since 1918.
“Back then, my mother thought it would be a good idea for me to leave the city, so we applied to boarding schools,” Ofray said.
Ofray’s mother, Arnau Ward, had experience with sending a son off to a prep school, as Tyler’s older brother, Sage, went to Episcopal in Virginia. So she thought it would be a good idea to send Tyler to a boarding school as well.
“It worked for Sage, because he now runs track at Dickinson University in Pennsylvania,” Tyler Ofray said.
Church Farm School, located near Philadelphia, also has a good basketball program, so that was appealing to young Tyler.
“It was a wild ride, but I liked it there,” Ofray said.
Ofray thought he might get a chance to secure an NCAA Division I scholarship.
“But that opportunity never came up,” Ofray said. “I was actually recruited by some schools, but I really wanted to come home.”
Ofray’s coach at Church Farm School, Marc Turner, made a few phone calls on behalf of Ofray, a standout guard. One was to Rutgers-Newark, a place that Ofray was very familiar with.
“I was a Rutgers-Newark camp kid,” Ofray said.
Ofray attended the summer camp headed by Rutgers-Newark head coach Joe Loughran.
“I knew of him, but didn’t really know him,” Ofray said.
“His coach called me and told me that he had a kid who wanted to come back to Newark,” Loughran said. “He’s also good friends with (Scarlet Raider guard) John Snow, so that helped. When I knew he was a former camper, that’s how it all got rolling.”
Assistant coach Hakeem Williams traveled to Exton to see Ofray play on more than one occasion. Loughran then made the sojourn south to take a look as well as Church Farm competed in the Pennsylvania state playoffs.
“He was a skilled kid who could shoot,” Loughran said. “He could play. He could play either guard position. He could play the point well.”
Ofray said that there were some Pennsylvania schools interested, as well as Ramapo, but the idea of coming back home to Newark was the main seller.
“Coach Loughran was the most honest coach to me,” Ofray said. “That meant a lot to me. I could tell he cared about me and my future. He was the only one who didn’t promise me anything. He was willing to take a chance what I could possibly bring.”
When Ofray arrived at R-N, Loughran was impressed with everything about his new recruit.
“I’m very comfortable with him playing both guard positions,” Loughran said. “He can be really good. He works hard and wants to get better. He has a good basketball IQ. He sees a lot of things on the floor. He just needs to work a little harder in the classroom. He’s learning that he’s not in high school anymore. But he sees something, then he gets it.”
Ofray has seen action in all 11 games thus far, averaging 3.5 points per game. He tallied 12 points in his debut against Curry College in the opening round of the John K. Adams Tip-Off Classic last month.
“He’s just a young kid who is eager to learn,” Loughran said. “He’s also able to go left although he’s right-handed. He’s very good with his left hand.”
Ofray is so good with his offhand that he gives the appearance that he’s totally ambidextrous.
“I am right-handed, but I do a lot of things with my left,” Ofray said. “But I write right-handed and shoot right-handed. But when I get closer to the basket, I change hands. It’s helpful to shoot with both hands.”
Ofray said that his ability to go to the basket comes from being from Newark.
“If you play in the city, you have to be strong,” Ofray said. “You have to be strong to be from Newark. You have to be fearless. You play a lot against guys who are bigger and stronger. I guess I just I have sneaky athleticism.”
Ofray has not declared a major yet, but he plans to major in criminal justice at R-N.
“Right now, I’m not sure what I want to do yet,” said Ofray, who will have all of the next three years to decide his course of study.
As long as he stays on course with Loughran and the Scarlet Raiders.
“He’s a tough, good player,” Loughran said. “He has confidence in his game. He goes hard to the rim. He is beginning to understand the speed of the game. He’s a kid who is going to have a major impact on this program, no question. He’s going to be a good player for us.”
Needless to say, Thomas Wolfe was way wrong with this one. You can go home again. Tyler Ofray is proof of that.
“I’m very happy,” Ofray said. “Coming here is one of the best decisions I’ve made in a very long time. I’m sure it’s all going to work out for the best for me.”
