TEN QUESTIONS WITH...

What has it meant for your individual development to move into the starting lineup and play twice the minutes that you saw last season?
Extra minutes are always beneficial to a player. They allow you to improve and to build additional confidence. With those additional minutes, I do whatever I can to help the team. I hope the extra playing time not only makes me a better player, but that it helps my team to have me on the floor, as well.

Is there any special link between you and the sophomore class you entered UB with – Turner Battle, Jason Bird and Mark Bortz?
Actually, they were all here the summer before me. So maybe they developed the bond a little sooner, but now I really feel like I am a part of that group. Our bond is extremely tight both on and off the court.

What do you currently view your role as on this team?
Right now, my job is to work hard and play excellent defense. I just let the offense come to me – that’s not to say that I am not focused on my offensive game. I view it this way – my offensive abilities can come from the defensive end of the floor. My defensive can spark all of the other aspects of my play.

What do you think are some of the reasons for your team’s recent struggles?
I think a lot of that comes from the fact that we are a very young team. I truly believe that once we break this losing streak, the winning will continue for us. That is the attitude we all need to have.

Games away from home have been extremely unfriendly to your team. Why is that the case and what types of things can be done to improve your team’s play on the road?
Again, I don’t want to excuse it, but I think part of the problem stems from our youth. It’s not that we can’t handle a given atmosphere; it is just the way we’ve played on the road. We are in most of the games, but we have not been able to earn that road victory, yet. Just like I said before, I feel if we when we get that road victory that we will definitely be able to build off of that.

Towards the end of the season, many of your contests are against teams you have already faced this season. How does that alter your approach to the game?
Well, right after a game we will have post-game meetings. At that point, we learn and see what we could have done differently. Obviously, we apply what we take from the film onto the court the next time we face that team. It definitely is easier facing a team for the second time during a season, because you have an idea of what to expect.

How important is it to post some victories prior to the Mid-American Conference Tournament in March?
We absolutely need to string together some wins and develop a positive mindset. It is essential to enter that tournament playing solid basketball as a team.

What would it mean to advance to the quarterfinals of the MAC Tournament in Cleveland’s Gund Arena this year?
One way that I choose to look at it is that if we can get there this year, it will serve as an excellent experience for us in the coming years for the program. That needs to be something that we accomplish each and every season.

Recently, you went on a group community outing along with your teammates. Discuss what that event was about.
We went to the Roswell Park Cancer Institution. It was the second time that we went there this year. We do a lot of community events, mostly over the summer when we have more time. Another thing that we do a lot of is speaking at schools. It’s a great experience for us, too.

Expand more upon what you get out of serving the community at events like that.
When I was growing up, I always looked forward to hearing from incoming speakers at school. So now I really enjoy being on the other end of that and going to schools and speak. As far as events like the Roswell visit, the reward is in the children’s faces.

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