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Endowed Scholarship Stories: Toureen Doesn't Take His Gift For Granted
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by John Wykoff ... http://goviks.com/news/2015/7/29/FB_0729150754.aspx
College has been a gift, said senior wide receiver Alex Toureen, who is one class away from his degree in finance.
And that gift has been made possible by the scholarships he received to play football for the Vikings, said the 2014-15 recipient of the Norm Daniels Endowed Athletic Scholarship.
"Without the scholarship, I wouldn't have gone to college. The finances weren't there. My dad and grandfather began working right out of high school and I was prepared to do that, just assumed that would be my future," said Toureen. "I'm so appreciative that I got this chance."
New wide receivers Coach Evan Mozzochi is glad he got the opportunity, too.
"Toureen is the kind of player who gives 100 percent. He's able to figure out to make a play. We have high expectations for him this coming season," said Mozzochi.
The Cottage Grove High School product entered last season without big expectations for himself.
"I really wasn't expecting to have a huge role last year," he said.
Then, now-graduated Kasey Closs had a huge season. Closs had a break-out year and defenses began concentrating on him.
"When defenses began concentrating on Kasey that gave a bunch of us other guys a chance to show Coach Barnum what we could do. Then Kasey got hurt and we got a chance to show the coaches that we had the talent and they wouldn't have to go out and find wide receivers this year," Toureen said.
It began early last season for Toureen. He had a 100-yard game against Washington State, including catching a pass for a touchdown. That was the season's highlight.
"I'd always wanted to play on a big stage. And Pac-12 football is about as big as it gets. To have a 100-yard game against Washington State was huge. My parents and grandparents were there. I'd talked with WSU. It was exciting to have a game like that on such a large stage," he recalled.
But it was up and down. "I'd have a 100-plus yards one week, then zero the next."
He and Mozzochi are looking for a more consistent effort this fall and Toureen has been working hard to provide that.
"We finish (workouts) at 10 a.m., but I'm almost never off the field before noon," he said. He spends that time catching lots of passes. Plus, he's spent considerable time in the weight room over the summer.
Besides that, Mozzochi wants leadership out of Toureen this fall. Toureen is ready.
The Vikings return a receiver corps which skews to the young side, although many come with a year's playing experience under their belts.
"This year, several of us have been working with the younger guys to make sure we're ready to make a run. We're not focused on individual performance. We're focused on being a team. The thing that was missing last year was a team feel, a family feel," he said.
He's excited about the Vikings' prospects despite coach and media polls predicting a lower part of the league finish.
"I was a little disappointed in the rankings. That can hurt a team. But, it's the opposite for us. It just makes us more determined. PSU used to be a powerhouse and the last five or so years, things haven't work out that well. We think as a group we can start that again. The low rankings really have us fired up," he said.
Off the field, Toureen also is fired up. He's carrying a 3.6 cumulative GPA, is an Academic All-Big Sky Conference honoree, and has been giving thought to a graduate degree.
"Thanks to my scholarship, I'm finishing with no debt. Maybe I can take on a little debt for graduate school. We'll see," he said.
Not bad for a kid from Cottage Grove who had few expectations of going to college. "I really like football, but it was the chance to get that degree that was my number one goal," he said.
[Blue Collar Work Ethic in Action]
_____________________________________________________________________
by John Wykoff ... http://goviks.com/news/2015/7/29/FB_0729150754.aspx
College has been a gift, said senior wide receiver Alex Toureen, who is one class away from his degree in finance.
And that gift has been made possible by the scholarships he received to play football for the Vikings, said the 2014-15 recipient of the Norm Daniels Endowed Athletic Scholarship.
"Without the scholarship, I wouldn't have gone to college. The finances weren't there. My dad and grandfather began working right out of high school and I was prepared to do that, just assumed that would be my future," said Toureen. "I'm so appreciative that I got this chance."
New wide receivers Coach Evan Mozzochi is glad he got the opportunity, too.
"Toureen is the kind of player who gives 100 percent. He's able to figure out to make a play. We have high expectations for him this coming season," said Mozzochi.
The Cottage Grove High School product entered last season without big expectations for himself.
"I really wasn't expecting to have a huge role last year," he said.
Then, now-graduated Kasey Closs had a huge season. Closs had a break-out year and defenses began concentrating on him.
"When defenses began concentrating on Kasey that gave a bunch of us other guys a chance to show Coach Barnum what we could do. Then Kasey got hurt and we got a chance to show the coaches that we had the talent and they wouldn't have to go out and find wide receivers this year," Toureen said.
It began early last season for Toureen. He had a 100-yard game against Washington State, including catching a pass for a touchdown. That was the season's highlight.
"I'd always wanted to play on a big stage. And Pac-12 football is about as big as it gets. To have a 100-yard game against Washington State was huge. My parents and grandparents were there. I'd talked with WSU. It was exciting to have a game like that on such a large stage," he recalled.
But it was up and down. "I'd have a 100-plus yards one week, then zero the next."
He and Mozzochi are looking for a more consistent effort this fall and Toureen has been working hard to provide that.
"We finish (workouts) at 10 a.m., but I'm almost never off the field before noon," he said. He spends that time catching lots of passes. Plus, he's spent considerable time in the weight room over the summer.
Besides that, Mozzochi wants leadership out of Toureen this fall. Toureen is ready.
The Vikings return a receiver corps which skews to the young side, although many come with a year's playing experience under their belts.
"This year, several of us have been working with the younger guys to make sure we're ready to make a run. We're not focused on individual performance. We're focused on being a team. The thing that was missing last year was a team feel, a family feel," he said.
He's excited about the Vikings' prospects despite coach and media polls predicting a lower part of the league finish.
"I was a little disappointed in the rankings. That can hurt a team. But, it's the opposite for us. It just makes us more determined. PSU used to be a powerhouse and the last five or so years, things haven't work out that well. We think as a group we can start that again. The low rankings really have us fired up," he said.
Off the field, Toureen also is fired up. He's carrying a 3.6 cumulative GPA, is an Academic All-Big Sky Conference honoree, and has been giving thought to a graduate degree.
"Thanks to my scholarship, I'm finishing with no debt. Maybe I can take on a little debt for graduate school. We'll see," he said.
Not bad for a kid from Cottage Grove who had few expectations of going to college. "I really like football, but it was the chance to get that degree that was my number one goal," he said.
[Blue Collar Work Ethic in Action]
