1,000-point man

BRIDGEWATER -- Tom Cuddihy last week became the 23 d player in Bridgewater State College men's basketball history to score 1,000 points, knocking home a pair of free throws with 10 seconds remaining in the game.

With those shots he also sealed a 78-73 win for the Bears over the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams. He was a perfect 11 for 11 from the foul line.

Cuddihy knows about 1,000-point celebrations. The 6-foot junior guard reached the milestone in his junior season at Scituate High School four years ago.

The 1,000 points is nice, said Cuddihy, but he is has a more important goal: helping the team qualify for the NCAA tournament, which means Bridgewater State must successfully defend its Massachusetts College Athletic Conference post season championship Feb. 20-24.

"Right now that's our No. 1 priority," said Cuddihy.

Selfless is how his coach describes him. "He'd rather pass the ball than shoot," said Joe Farroba. "If he was a little more selfish, he would have reached 1,000 points long ago. He just wants to win. If he didn't score a point the rest of the season and we made the NCAA tournament, he would be happy."

Scoring ability is what got Cuddihy noticed in high school.

A Globe Super Team selection at Scituate High School, he finished his career with 1,876 points. Several Division 3 and Division 2 schools besides Bridgewater State were interested in his services.

BSC associate head coach Mike Donovan recruited Cuddihy, calling up an old family connection in the process. "When Coach Donovan called my family, he talked to my father and asked if he remembered him," said Cuddihy. "They played middle school basketball together in Scituate, but after middle school, Coach Donovan moved to the Cape and they lost track of each other."

It was a nice connection, but the Cuddihys had their own priorities.

Tom Cuddihy has a learning disability. To attend college and graduate, he would need help, and Bridgewater State was a place that could offer it.

"Most coaches talked about their great programs, their schedules and how nice their facilities were," said Cuddihy. "The first thing we asked about was their educational support system. Some coaches had no idea what their schools offered, or their school did not have much."

After visiting several campuses, the Cuddihys narrowed it to three schools: the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, Westfield State College, and Bridgewater State.

"I remember the day Tom came to our school for a visit," said John Harper, Bridgewater State's athletic director. "The whole family was in my office. I remember educational support was their No. 1 priority."

"They have a great academic center and you can get help with anything," said Cuddihy. "I was a terrible reader, and without their help I wouldn't succeed."

His education game plan has worked so far. "Right now I have a 2.7 grade point average and last semester it was 3.0," said Cuddihy. "It's a lot better than when I started here. I was just above 2.0 and barely eligible to play basketball."

His major problem is reading. "I need to read something a couple of times to understand it. It helps to outline what is really important," said Cuddihy, a criminal justice major.

"Bridgewater's done so much for me. It was a great decision to go here."

While he might need help in the classroom, he does not need any help on the basketball court.

After suffering some injuries in a game against Salem State ("I hurt my rib and screwed up my knee, but I'll be OK," he said), Cuddihy came back strong. Against Westfield State on Jan. 30, he made a three-point play with 6.8 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Bears their 13th win in 18 games.

Before scoring his 1,000th point, Cuddihy downplayed the milestone, saying, "We have more important things to do."

But the game ball will be stored at home with the ball he used to score his 1,000th point at Scituate High School four years ago. He remembers that game well.

It was a mid-season contest against Hanover, and Cuddihy needed 19 points, which made it a long and anxious night. It was doable but difficult, even for a player averaging 30 points per game. Early in the second half, Cuddihy closed in on the mark.

"I had 18 points and I got stuck. I could not buy a basket. I did not make anything on the next four or five possessions. Finally I hit a three-pointer," he said.

His coach, Matt Poirier, called a timeout and Scituate officials presented Cuddihy with the ball to commemorate the occasion. "I have it at home, but what I remember about the game is that we lost," he said, "and that wasn't so good."