In My Words | Rudy Stradnieks
02/14/2019 | 9:15:00 | Men's Basketball
Growing up in Latvia, I played both basketball and volleyball. I actually thought I would be a beach volleyball player. Just being around my dad, I was a fan of basketball. He played professionally, actually for the team that Anthony Beane, Jr., plays right now. My godfather is an assistant coach on the team.Â
I was a fan of the players that came from the United States. I would talk to them and interact with them, and that inspired me to play basketball.Â
I always wanted to come over to the U.S. I was listening to American music and saw the colleges and the lifestyle. I got into rap music and the rivalries between Tupac and Notorious B.I.G. When I was 16, I went to the Czech Republic for a camp, and it happened to be that a couple coaches from the United States were there, and they asked me if I would be interested in playing there. I told them that was my dream.Â
In Latvia, it's big to make it here. It's not something easy. A lot of people dream about it, and I still feel fortunate to be here.
We kept in touch for two years, while I was playing for my national team back home. There were a few prep schools—a couple in Florida, a couple in California. I couldn't decide whether I wanted to go professional or go to America. By the time I decided, it was too late for the warm schools, and the only school left was in Maine. It was a six-month winter, which was rough.
I took the chance and went there. That's where i graduated high school. Igor, my head coach there, played with Coach Beane at Kansas State. They coached together, too. Coach Hinson came to see me twice, in Maine. That meant something to me, for him to come all the way there. I came to campus, and I loved everything about it.Â
For those who have watched any European games, you can see it's less physical. It's not all based on how fast you are and how high you can jump. It's more composed and slowed down. I don't want to say smarter basketball—that's not the word—it's just different. It's more about the tactics; here, there's more of an emphasis on athleticism.Â
That really hit me in Carbondale. In Maine, I was still bigger than everyone. We actually played a really tough schedule. I played against Donovan Mitchell six times. We had an amazing schedule, but the teams were still smaller, so I was dominating. In Carbondale, I was playing against Bola Olaniyan, and that's when it hit me how physical the game was. Deng Leek actually knocked out my front tooth in my third week on campus.Â
Ever since then, it shaped my game a little bit. I wasn't conscious of it, but I was shying away from that physical contact.Â
I always had such an incredible love for basketball; my goal was that if there was any way for us to win, I'll be happy to do it. That's always how I played. That bond between players, that brotherhood, it wins games. I just love that feeling. My expectations were to establish that and do some great things.Â
I'm majoring in economics. I was first in business, and it was tough. For some reason, economics is more natural to me. I'm looking for that feeling I get from basketball—when you really love it, it's not work.Â
I want to thank all the people that have supported me. Every time I hear the fans shout my name on the court, I might not show the emotion, but it means so much. At the end of my career, that's the one thing I want to tell everyone: Thank You.Â
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