Q/A Interviews With College Commits

We caught up with five North Dakota ballers who are committed to taking their talents to the next level. Four of them will continue their basketball careers in college, while one will trade the hardwood for the gridiron and play football next fall.   It was a lot of fun getting inside their heads, learning more about their journeys, seeing what makes them tick, and hearing what they're looking forward to as they take the next step in their athletic careers. Each one has a unique story, but they all share the same goal: continuing to compete and grow at the next level.   Get to know these five athletes through our Q&As, and be sure to wish them all the best as they begin this next chapter. Good luck to all five — we'll be cheering you on!   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/QA.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/QA.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-2511663" style="width:427px;height:auto" /></a></figure>   Interviews With College Commits    PHD: Walk me through your summer. What did your schedule look like between AAU, camps, and individual work?   "My schedule this summer was very busy with all the school stuff and AAU."   What's one specific part of your game you focused on improving this offseason, and where do you feel like you've made the most progress?   "This off-season I specifically worked on being more efficient, and I definitely feel like I've made a lot of progress."   PHD: Take us back to your commitment. What ultimately made UND the right fit for you?   "I chose UND because of the culture; it's just a culture. I wanna be a part of."   PHD: What are you most looking forward to about playing at the next level, on the court and off?   "I'm excited to play at the next level because I wanna be pushed hard and I want to make lifetime connections."   PHD: What does your fall look like right now?   "My fall is all basketball oriented."   PHD: What are your goals for the coming season, both individually and for your team?   "My goals for the upcoming season are to be the best version of myself, and for my team, we want to compete at the highest level."   PHD: Now that you're committed, does the pressure feel different heading into this season, or does it feel like a weight off your shoulders?   "I mean, I feel like having any sort of pressure is a privilege, so I'm ready for it."   PHD: Can you give some insight on an influential coach you have had? What made them memorable?   "Definitely my AAU coach this past summer, Cliff Warner really strived to make me the best version of myself."   PHD: What is the best part of your game?   "I feel like the best part of my game is when I get in transition."   PHD: Time to give a shout to a teammate…Who do we need to know about from your high school team?   "[player_tooltip player_id='2237722' first='Tanner' last='Kratcha'] he has some of the best vision for his size."   PHD: Who is your favorite player to watch in college or the NBA?   "I love to watch AJ Dybantsa."     PHD: Walk me through your summer. What did your schedule look like between AAU, camps, and individual work?   "My summer was very busy with basketball at 6 AM and lifts right after on weekdays with AAU tournaments throughout the summer."   PHD: What's one specific part of your game you focused on improving this offseason, and where do you feel like you've made the most progress?   "One part of my game I've been working on is handling the ball and being able to initiate more offense as well as getting lots of shots up."   PHD: Take us back to your commitment. What ultimately made Dickinson the right fit for you?   "The reason I committed to DSU to play football was that it was a good fit for me to stay close to home and to still be in this community and have a chance to make an impact right away."   PHD: What are you most looking forward to about playing at the next level, on the court and off?   "What I'm looking forward to is the new relationships I'm going to build at the next level while still doing what I love."   PHD: What are your goals for the coming season, both individually and for your team?   "My goals as an individual are to always put my team in a spot to succeed and play meaningful games in March, and our team goal is to build on the previous year's success and really keep the program going in the right way."   PHD: Now that you're committed, does the pressure feel different heading into this season, or does it feel like a weight off your shoulders?   "The pressure is for sure different now that I'm committed. I don't have to worry about individual performance or getting ‘my points'; instead, I can solely focus on winning."   PHD: Can you give some insight on an influential coach you have had? What made them memorable?   "Coach Glasser has been very influential in my life. The reason he is so influential to me is that I know he cares for us like his own kids, but that doesn't mean he won't chew us out for not crashing the weak side or shooting a one-pass jumper. He still holds us all accountable and I respect that he does."   PHD: Time to give a shout to a teammate…Who do we need to know about from your high school team?   "Our high school team this year will be younger for sure, especially after graduating an amazing senior class but [player_tooltip player_id='2237755' first='Paxton' last='Lyson'] is a guy who teams know is knockdown scorer and a good defender and rebounder for his size and is someone im excited to watch this year. As well as [player_tooltip player_id='2422052' first='Corbin' last='Wolf'] whose role is gonna be huge this year and is going to surprise a lot of people!"   PHD: Who is your favorite player to watch in college or the NBA, and why?   "I like watching Draymond Green, especially in that first run with the Warriors and how he always put winning before his own stats and I really took that to heart and tried to imitate him."     PHD: Walk me through your summer. What did your schedule look like between AAU, camps, and individual work?   "I played in tournaments for [program_tooltip program_id='2075741' first='ND' last='Phenom'] 2027 Symens, we played in 7 tournaments from May to July. As a team for Dunseith High School, we went to team camps all summer. I did a lot of work in the gym and weight room, working on my strength and shooting."   PHD: What's one specific part of your game you focused on improving this offseason, and where do you feel like you've made the most progress?   "I worked a lot on attacking and finishing at the rim and hitting off-the-dribble jump shots. The weight room has helped me become a better finisher."   PHD: Take us back to your commitment. What ultimately made Valley City the right fit for you?   "The coaches. They made me feel really comfortable."   PHD: What are you most looking forward to about playing at the next level, on the court and off?   "The physical style and fast pace. Off the court, working hard on a degree."   PHD: What does your fall look like right now?   "I'm playing football. I am a four winner letter in football. Lifting and continuing to define my craft."   PHD: Are you playing another sport, or is it all basketball focused?   "I play football and run and throw for track."   PHD: What are your goals for the coming season, both individually and for your team?   "To make State and improve on our team placing. Individually to do better than I did last season and improve on what I did."   PHD: Now that you're committed, does the pressure feel different heading into this season, or does it feel like a weight off your shoulders?   "No it doesn't, because you should always strive to be better. But my focus is getting back to that State Tournament and making it further than we did last year."   PHD: Can you give some insight on an influential coach you have had? What made them memorable?   "My Dad and Josh Poitra because that is where is all started. They helped me with little things on my game and showed me how to play the game, and how to focus on the little things."   PHD: What is the best part of your game?   "My footwork and my knowledge of the game."   PHD: Time to give a shout to a teammate…Who do we need to know about from your high school team?   "[player_tooltip player_id='2967709' first='Blaze' last='Davis'] and Kaylor Gladue."   PHD: Who is your favorite player to watch in college or the NBA, and why?   "LeBron James, he has been a favorite of mine since I was little."     PHD: Walk me through your summer. What did your schedule look like between AAU, camps, and individual work?   "Summer was packed only had 2 weekends at home. If I wasn't at a AAU tournament, I was at a camp and still trained, lifted, and had high school stuff on top of all that."   PHD: What's one specific part of your game you focused on improving this offseason, and where do you feel like you've made the most progress?   "I focused on the weight room the most I'd say, just getting stronger and putting on weight and that's where I made the most progress this off-season."   PHD: Take us back to your commitment. What ultimately made Northern the right fit for you?   "When I went on my visit, basically the second I stepped on campus, it just felt like where I wanted to be. I also really like the coaching staff and their style of play."   PHD: What are you most looking forward to about playing at the next level, on the court and off?   "I'm looking forward to putting in the work to be the best player I can become and off the court, probably just learning to live life by myself."   PHD: What does your fall look like right now? Are you playing another sport, or is it all basketball focused?   "I'm not in any other sport, so it's been all basketball with personal training, lifting, and stuff with high school."   PHD: What are your goals for the coming season, both individually and for your team?   "Individually, I'd say just being a great leader and having a better season than last season and hopefully help lead my team to a Championship. As a team, I think if you were to ask most of our guys, they would say they want to win a State Championship."   PHD: Now that you're committed, does the pressure feel different heading into this season, or does it feel like a weight off your shoulders?   "Yes, definitely a relief, but I don't think it changes the pressure much because I know our potential as a team and there's quite a bit of pressure to live up to that."   PHD: Can you give some insight on an influential coach you have had? What made them memorable?   "I'd definitely say my AAU coach, Nate Symens he has always believed in me and pushed me no matter what. He has helped me in so many ways and he is a huge part of how I've gotten to where I'm at now."   PHD: What is the best part of your game?   "Best part of my game, I think, is just my ability to stretch the floor with my ability to shoot, get downhill, and play in the paint."   PHD: Time to give a shout to a teammate…Who do we need to know about from your high school team?   "I'd say [player_tooltip player_id='2525625' first='Patrick' last='Shanahan'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2132837' first='Drew' last='Jordan']. Pat and I have trained together almost every day this summer. He's improved a lot, but we also have [player_tooltip player_id='1657452' first='Jalen' last='Gunville'] who was good last year and a great defender, so you know he's gonna go out and do his thing again this year."   PHD: Who is your favorite player to watch in college or the NBA, and why?   "I'd have to say Kevin Durant. I just have always liked him; he's my favorite player. I just like how he plays."     PHD: Walk me through your summer. What did your schedule look like between AAU, camps, and individual work?   "It was a pretty busy summer with lots of tournaments and traveling. I didn't go to a whole lot of camps because of my commitment. I mostly focused on AAU and getting individual work in when I could."   PHD: What's one specific part of your game you focused on improving this offseason, and where do you feel like you've made the most progress?   "I would say getting in the weight room and getting stronger and more physical. I think I've made the most progress in the weight room and can tell I'm stronger than I was last year."   PHD: Take us back to your commitment. What ultimately made Jamestown the right fit for you?   "The coaches have all been extremely nice to me, and I think I fit well into the type of basketball they play there. I felt like it was a good fit for me on and off the court."   PHD: What are you most looking forward to about playing at the next level?   "I'm looking forward to building relationships with my teammates and getting to play against better competition."   PHD: What does your fall look like right now? Are you playing another sport, or is it all basketball-focused?   "Right now it's all basketball focused. I'm just getting shots up, going to open gyms, and staying consistent in the weight room."   PHD: What are your goals for the coming season, both individually and for your team?   "My goal individually is to be an All-State player. I think our team's goal should be to win a Championship this year. I think we have what it takes."   PHD: Now that you're committed, does the pressure feel different heading into this season, or does it feel like a weight off your shoulders?   "Yeah, it definitely feels like some weight is off my shoulders, but I still have to do well every night and keep improving."   PHD: Can you give some insight on an influential coach you have had? What made them memorable?   "My travel coach Scott Majkrzak was a great coach and taught me a lot about the game. He pushed me to get better and helped me understand the game more."   PHD: What is the best part of your game?   "I would say the best part of my game is either contesting shots at the rim or shooting."   PHD: Time to give a shout to a teammate…Who do we need to know about from your high school team?   "[player_tooltip player_id='1651918' first='Brett' last='Livingston'] is a beast on the boards and a super physical player. He brings a lot of toughness to our team."   PHD: Who is your favorite player to watch in college or the NBA, and why?   "Cam Carr. I feel like we have a very similar playing style, and he impressed me a lot when I was watching him."    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/NorthDakota.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/NorthDakota.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-1606306" /></a></figure>

We caught up with five North Dakota ballers who are committed to taking their talents to the next level. Four of them will continue their basketball careers in college, while one will trade the hardwood for the gridiron and play football next fall.