TEN QUESTIONS WITH...

Despite losing both games, what did the recent Big Ten road trip mean to your team as Mid-American Conference play approaches?
We’re a young team – and that trip was about growth and learning about our own abilities. We gained confidence and found out where we stand. Coming away from the trip, we know we can contend with teams like Northwestern and Penn State. We just couldn’t pull the games out in the end – that’s the only thing holding us back right now. But we know that we can win.

As someone who grew up in Michigan, talk about the way you looked at the MAC as compared to the Big Ten. Has that perspective changed now that you’re at UB?
The main difference was exposure. On television, I always heard about Michigan’s ‘Fab Five,’ as well as the rivalry between Michigan and Michigan State. In the area I was in, you really didn’t hear too much about the MAC. When I got older and started reading the papers, that’s when I became more aware about the MAC. The main difference really is just exposure and TV time. Now that I’m here, I realize how competitive and strong the MAC really is.

Expand on the difficulties of MAC play – especially away from home.
It’s extremely hard to win on the road in the MAC. It’s a testament to the home teams – every arena we go to has a great home crowd. It’s makes every single place that we play at a difficult arena to come away victorious.

You spoke about some of the positives that came out of the Big Ten road trip. What are some of the things you feel that your team needs to improve upon?
We need to improve upon our ability to execute during crunch time. We’re having trouble executing on offense at the end of games and coming up with stops on defense. We know we are a good defensive team, but we need to play with intensity and consistency throughout the whole game. We have to play with heart at the end of games to come up with wins.

What type of leadership role have you taken with the freshmen class, even though you’re only a sophomore?
A lot of it comes during practice. I try to help them out and ease their minds. A lot of those guys are going through some of the same things I have. Every opportunity I get – whether it’s on offense or defense – I do what I can to help out. I just try to stay positive with them and let them know that if you play hard, it will all work out.

Talk about the recruiting process from the perspective of an athlete.
Coaches start off by calling you and making contact with letters. They send you information sheets; you fill them out and send them back. If they are interested, they’ll give you a call or come watch a practice. From there, you get one call a week from each coach as they stay in contact with you.

How did the process work for you on a personal level?
For me, the recruiting process was a little different. I hurt my knee during my junior year and I didn’t play. So, I missed the major recruiting year for a Division I basketball player. Then, I had a lot of schools come at me at once. It was difficult, but I kept all of my options open until the very end of my senior year. I talked to my parents, took a lot of things into account – where I’d fit in with the team, the styles of play, what conference, distance from home.

I really hadn’t heard much of Buffalo; they’d only been in the MAC for a short time. But my athletic director said they were coming out to see me practice – then UB offered me a scholarship on the spot. That’s how it began with UB, they let me know how badly they wanted me and it went from there. I narrowed it down to four schools – Buffalo, Oakland, Central Michigan and Detroit. From there, I went on my official visits. I loved everything at UB, so now I’m here.

On an individual level, what aspect of your game do you feel has improved the most since your career started at UB?
Strength. In high school, I was not a very strong player. I was more of a finesse player and used my size. Now, I’ve worked in the weight room for two years. This summer, I worked extremely hard to put on some weight. So that’s probably what has improved the most. I want to continue to increase my strength because the MAC is a tough, physical league. You can never be strong enough.

Compare the practices at this time of year with what goes on when you first got together as a team.
In the preseason, we aren’t allowed to have any basketballs in the gym. So, we did a lot of conditioning. We’d be up at 5:30 in the morning and go lift. Then we would go to the track and run. Sometimes, we’d run sprints in the gym. That’s what the preseason is all about.

At this point in the season, we really concentrate on breaking down our offense and defense. At the beginning of practice, we start off with one-on-one and two-on-two drills. From there, we build up to the end of practice where it’s five-on-five. It’s about bringing it all together by the end of practice.

How often is film used?
It’s used quite often. We always watch film on the way to other schools on road trips. A lot of times, we will watch film after the game on the way home. So, we definitely use it a lot on the bus. As players, we always have the opportunity to go up to the basketball office and ask to sit down with a coach and watch film.

-The ’10 Questions with…’ feature is compiled by Geoff Nason.