Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Rudy Stradnieks reflects on Latvian Junior National experience
09/19/2016 | 2:11:00 | Men's Basketball
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois sophomore Rudy Stradnieks spent his summer playing hoops with his friends on one of Europe's biggest basketball stages.
The 6-foot-9 center played on the Latvian Junior National Team that took sixth place in the FIBA Under-20 European Championship in Helsinki, Finland. Stradnieks has played with the junior national team since he was 15.
"The team has been pretty much the same ever since I was playing in Under-16," Stradnieks said. "Maybe one or two players are different, but it's the same team. They're my friends."
He accepted an invitation from coach Arnis Vecvagars to try out for the 2016 team, joining a group of 20 hopefuls in the first training camp. After each 12-15 day camp, two players were eliminated until the final 12-man roster was determined. Stradnieks said his spot on the team was never in doubt.
"The first camp was conditioning — all running," the Riga native said. "We almost never touched the ball. The next camp is all about individual skills. The last camps were as a team. When we started with 20 players we had to see who could handle it, then you see what kind of skills you have. The rest is team-building for the coaches to see who fits and who doesn't."
The team finished with a 3-4 record, and Stradnieks appeared in six of those games. He totaled eight points, including a high of four points versus Estonia. Stradnieks noted the difference in playing style by different countries, calling Spanish players more aggressive and labeling Serbian tactics as over-aggressive. He said Latvia had "a little of everything," able to push the tempo or return physical play when needed.
Despite the rigorous conditioning program of the Latvian junior national team, Stradnieks came back to Carbondale weighing 240 pounds, about 15 pounds above what he considers his ideal playing weight.
"I think the hardest part is eating correctly and resting enough," he said.
The weight gain has not prevented Stradnieks from getting on the floor with some of his teammates in recent weeks. While he said it was too early to tell how the Saluki frontcourt will look after the departure of graduate transfer Bola Olaniyan, he has noticed a change in the style with which the team has been playing.
"We haven't really gotten everybody together yet, but so far, it looks like we're moving the ball more than last year," Stradnieks said. "More players are getting involved in plays. It's more dynamic, it's faster, and we have more shooters. We can run faster plays, and we can shoot the ball better than last year."
