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One of the key pieces on The College of Wooster’s 2007 NCAA Div. III national semifinal team almost didn’t come to the College. The persistence of longtime basketball coaches Steve Moore and Doug Cline eventually paid off after Tom Port decided to transfer from Miami University because he “really missed playing basketball.”
“Coach Moore and Coach Cline were two of the most aggressive Div. III coaches who recruited me in high school,” said Port. “After speaking at length with them, and my family, the decision was made to transfer to Wooster.”
The 6-5, 215-pound Port brought rare athleticism to Div. III and he shined from the moment he stepped onto the court at Wooster, as he led the Scots in scoring at 14.1 points per game in his first year, and helped Wooster to a 26-4 season that ended in the national quarterfinals. For his play, Port was voted as the North Coast Athletic Conference’s Newcomer of the Year, and earned second-team all-conference laurels.
“Tom had a tremendously positive impact on Wooster basketball as soon as he arrived for the 2003-04 season,” said Moore. “Tom was extremely versatile as a player at both ends of the court. Offensively, Tom had the unique ability to handle, pass, and shoot the ball for a player of his size. In addition to his offensive skills that allowed him to be effective on the perimeter and around the basket, Tom could defend guards, forwards, and post players.”
Port’s play really started to gather steam as a junior when the Avon, Ohio, native picked up his first All-American certificate from D3hoops.com and was voted first-team all-Great Lakes Region by the popular website. That year, Port averaged 15.4 points and 5.9 rebounds as the Scots again went 26-4.
As a senior, Port elevated his play to another level with 16.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per night as the Scots went 29-5 and advanced to the NCAA Div. III national semifinals for the second time in program history. There, Wooster dropped a heartbreaker to Amherst College 67-60.
“If there was one thing I could change, it would clearly have been for us to have won a national championship for Coach Moore,” summed up Port. “We definitely had the talent and the players to get him that championship, but we unfortunately fell short of that goal. I’m sure that every single teammate I had over my four years wishes the same thing.”
After another successful season on the hardwood, the honors soared in for Port starting with the NCAC’s Player of the Year honor. Then, Port was tabbed as the consensus Great Lakes Region Player of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and D3hoops.com before garnering All-American honors from both organizations.
“What truly made Tom an All-American and allowed him to lead his teams to championship seasons were the intangible qualities, such as his tremendous competiveness and his team-first attitude,” stated Moore. “Tom had a great desire to win and inspired his teammates to follow his lead.”
An all-around student-athlete, Port ranked third upon graduation with 1,784 points. In fact, Port’s the lone Scot great to currently rank in the program’s top 10 in scoring, rebounds, assists, and blocked shots, and no Wooster player since Port has surpassed 750 career rounds. Upon graduation, Port also ranked in the top 10 in program history in steals. Naturally, Port credits much of that success to Wooster’s coaching staff and teammates.
“I’m a pure product of the personnel Coach Moore and Coach Cline brought in and continue to bring in as student-athletes,” noted Port. “I would not be in the position I am with (my induction) to the hall of fame without the many teammates I had over the four years I played basketball.”
Port’s career on the hardwood continued internationally after graduation in Iceland and Ireland, and he was set to play in Luxembourg, but suffered a knee injury. That brought Port back to the College, where he assisted with the 2008-09 team that went 23-7 and won a fifth-straight NCAC title.
Port then attended law school at Capital University and graduated in 2012. He was sworn in as a lawyer later that year at Franklin County’s Public Defender’s Office in Columbus, Ohio, and has been a staff attorney in the municipal unit ever since.
Outside of serving as a public defender, Port still plays basketball as much as he can, oftentimes lacing it up with fellow Scot greats who live in and around Columbus.