TEN QUESTIONS WITH...

This year, the team will certainly be a younger group than last year, with only five players on the squad who have seen significant action in MAC games. How important do you think the contributions of the freshmen and the redshirts will be as you go through this season?
It’s going to be very important. They’re going to have to step it up. We have five freshmen so they’re going to have to be the ones to push us in practice and step it up in games when we get in foul trouble. I think it’s going up to the veterans to lead the freshmen and do what they’re supposed to do at all times.

This year, the Bulls have obviously lost four major pieces from the 2004-05 team that went 23-10. What did the senior class last year, from MAC Player of the Year Turner Battle, MAC Sixth Man of the Year Mark Bortz to Danny Gilbert and Jason Bird, mean to the team as a whole as you went through last season?
They meant a great deal. They were a major part of our team last year. Unfortunately, they’re not here anymore so it’s just up to us now to get the job done and win.

Last season, you started the final 14 games of the season. What was it like being in the starting five as the team made its stretch run into the MAC finals and the NIT Tournament?
It was very exciting especially in the MAC finals. It wasn’t anything really different from practice. I was basically doing the same things only I would start, so it wasn’t really much of an adjustment for me.

Last season, UB had four crowds of 6,000 people fill Alumni Arena. How much fun was it to see the support that the team got last year at home?
It was very exciting. We felt the presence of the crowd whenever the other team made a mistake or whenever we did something good. It really gave us a big lift during the games so I think that’s a huge factor during the games.

Last year, you also got the chance to play on national television three times, including a game against Ball State which you won 67-58 on ESPN2, the first nationally-televised game in Alumni Arena. Was it a little more nerve-racking knowing that you were playing in front of cameras as well as the large crowd?
At the beginning of the game, it is a little bit, but once you get into the flow of the game, you realize it’s just a regular game. You see the cameras in the background but it’s really like they’re not there. It’s exciting but it doesn’t really drive the game that much.

You had a blocked shot in five of the last eight games last year. What is the key to getting a clean block and not getting charged with a foul?
I would say just getting all hand on the ball down, trying not to swat down as much and make it look like I’m fouling. I think that’s the big key.

At Pike High School as a senior, your team finished 29-0 and was ranked second in the nation in the USA Today Super 25 Boys’ Basketball rankings. What was it like going through that season?
It was a really good season. We had seven Division I players on our team and it was just a fun year. We got a chance to travel more than I ever traveled in my high school career.

A couple other MAC schools, Ohio and Ball State, recruited you. What made UB the right place for you to play?
When I came on my visit, I felt comfortable with everybody that was around me. I felt like this was a good environment for me to grow, not only as a person, but as a basketball player. That was a big factor in me choosing UB.

During your freshman year, you were declared academically ineligible. Last spring, you were a UB Scholar Athlete, carrying a 3.13 GPA in the semester. Did not playing at the end of 2003-04 have a big impact on you?
A huge impact. It was real embarrassing for me and my family. I know I wouldn’t want to go through it again. I want to make sure that I just take care of business, do the things that I’m supposed to do and not slack off as much as possible.

What has been your favorite moment as a student-athlete at the University at Buffalo?
My favorite moment was definitely the MAC finals last year. Being around the whole environment in Cleveland and everything leading up to it, that whole ending part was my favorite moment.

- The “10 Questions With…” feature is compiled by Joe Guistina.