This past week we sat down with Skagit Valley College alumni and current Washington State University basketball player Steve Shpreyregin for a question and answer session. We got an inside peek at his transition from junior college to the PAC 12 and everything in between.
Q: What was the first thing you noticed that was different transition to WSU from Skagit Valley College?
A: "The campus and athletic facilities as a whole were just much bigger. The SVC campus was a great size for what I needed from a junior college but WSU is just bigger. Whether it be the education buildings to the dorms or Beasley Coliseum, I am walking a lot more to get from one end of campus to the other."
Q: How do the class sizes compare form WSU from Skagit Valley College?
A: "WSU definitely had a few prerequisite classes that had 300 students in it which was not the norm at SVC, but my upper division classes in the business program here at WSU are very similar to the class size I experienced at Skagit."
Q: How is academic success stressed in the basketball program there?
A: "We have many of the same systems in place here at WSU that we had at Skagit, such as study table, tutors, and regular progress reports however here at WSU they have an entire staff designated to making sure we are doing our part academically. We have designated academic advisor who helps with class selections, study table monitors 5 days a week for one to three hours a day depending on the day, additional evening tutors if needed and none of these people are the coaches. It is very impressive. We all understand that without solid grades, basketball will not be an option for us here at WSU."
Q: What are you majoring in?
A: "I am majoring in Sports Management with a minor in marketing. I want to be a sports agent or a work in sports marketing once I graduate from WSU."
Q: What is the biggest difference in the basketball from the junior college level to the PAC 12?
A: "The biggest difference in basketball from junior college to here is the fast pace of the game. The speed of everything is much higher. The guys are much bigger and stronger than junior college. Everyone here is very athletic. I needed to make adjustments in my game to both guard players and to get my shot off." "It was the same moving from high school to SVC. The guys my first two years were faster then what I was used to at the high school level. I had to make some adjustments early on to have success. Now the same thing has happened here. I had to adjust early on to find my comfort zone, and once that happened the game leveled out for me"
Q: How is it playing for Coach Kent?
A: "I love playing for Coach Kent he is old school. He is a great teacher and connects with players really well. It is truly a blessing playing for him."
Q: How is the travel different?
A: "Travel is a lot different. We have to fly to all of our road games. This means that we miss a decent amount of class. We are constantly needing to work hard to stay on top of academic load while we are on the road. Traveling with the team is fun but it really is a business trip. We are out there to get road wins, while staying on top of our academic work."
Q: besides the Cougars of course…who had the best fans in the Pac 12?
A: "Our fans were unbelievable, especially when we played the Huskies. The weeks of the Husky games were both unreal. You could feel it on campus and in the community that this was a much bigger game than normal. Everyone from the students to members of the Pullman community wanted to really win those game. They always do their part."
"Aside from our fans, the fans at both Utah and Colorado were nuts! They were on us the entire time. Both places had a great college atmosphere."
Q: What is your favorite memory from this past season?
A: "My favorite memory from the year was playing at UW on new year's day. Being from Seattle, a lot of my friends and family were able to attend the game and cheer the cougars. Having my family there was a special moment. Then beating the Huskies made it awesome."
Q: What advice would you give to a current SVC freshman?
A: "One piece of advice I would give the freshman guys would be to go hard in every practice and every drill, I know coach Veltri already preaches this, but It really will prepare you for practice at the next level. You can't take one 1 second off at the next level, if you do you will be replaced. There are 15 guys in our program and every one of them is talented and every one of them is hungry to get on the court. If you don't want to work hard here the next guy is ready too, and he will take your spot, so build good habits while you are there, it will make the transition to the four year level that much easier"
