Two La Verne Players Injured in Crash

Two men’s basketball players from the University of La Verne were seriously injured, one critically, in an auto accident on the Pomona Freeway Sunday morning in Ontario.

Jeff Schroeder, a junior, and Andre Purry, a senior, were injured when Purry apparently lost control of his car on a rain-soaked portion of the highway. It skidded into the center divider and careened into an embankment.

Schroeder, a passenger in the car, was taken to San Antonio Community Hospital in Upland, where a spokesman said he is in critical condition with head injuries. Purry was listed in serious but stable condition at Ontario Community Hospital.

Roland Ortmayer, athletic director at La Verne, said Schroeder suffered massive head injuries. He said Purry apparently has a spinal injury, although “they don’t think there’s any paralysis.”

The players had been returning from a basketball tournament at UC San Diego in La Jolla, where La Verne had competed Saturday night.

Ortmayer said the shock of the accident was starting to settle on the school.

“It’s just a very, very tough situation,” he said. “We’re dealing with our psychologists to help the coaches and team members as much as possible. We can’t do anything about the tragedy, but we’re trying to deal with the psychological aspects as best as we can.”

Both players are transfers from NCAA Division I schools. Purry, a 6-foot-6 forward who has been among La Verne’s leading scorers, played at Cal State Long Beach and was an All-CIF Southern Section selection at Long Beach Poly High. Schroeder, a 6-3 guard, transferred from the University of Minnesota.