Feb. 11, 2001

GAbe Skypala participated in this question and answer session during Jan term 2001

Q: So what have you been doing with your free time during Jan. term?

GS: I'm building a bike. I bought a bike last Spring and rode and loved it. So now I'll probably drain a couple of thousand dollars into a couple of bikes and keep riding.

Q: So you bought one and you liked it, and now you're building one like it?

GS: Well I bought it, but it was a pretty low-end bike. I rode it all summer long and trashed everything...bent the rims, bent the cranks, did all sorts of good stuff, but kept the frame because the frame is fine. I just bought all new components for it.

Q: This is intriguing. Where do you find a bike big enough for someone who is 6-9?

GS: GT makes pretty big bikes, ones that are extra large frames.

Q: Is there anything else you do for fun, like as a hobby?

GS: I like to run.

Q: Running and biking. So are you pretty much a health/fitness nut?

GS: Yeah, you know, sports medicine is my major, so I'm taking nutrition classes, sports nutrition, things like that. I guess it carries over into things that I do.

Q: What brought you to Samford?

GS: I wanted to go to a smaller school, and one that was a Christian School I felt like would be great. Then they offered me a scholarship. The University of San Diego, which is a small Catholic school in San Diego and the University of Portland were a couple of other places I was interested in, but both of those fell through and Samford offered me the chance to play here.

Q: Did you know anything about Samford before then?

GS: I knew that the College of Charleston had made it to the NCAA Tournament and they were in the same conference at the time, but that was it. I didn't know anything about Coach Tillette and heard some stories about Brady after I got here because he had just left, but nothing else.

Q: You had a chance to redshirt your freshman season, but that didn't develop. What happened?

GS: I was supposed to redshirt, but then a senior left the team and they didn't redshirt me. Unfortunately after that I was diagnosed with stress fractures in my shins the day before the first game, so I had to sit out the first month of the season. That was when he was putting in the new offense that we have now, and I went to practice but haad to sit on the sideline and fell asleep most of the time (laughter).

Q: Was that a setback for you?

GS: I really wasn't frustrated, it was alright for me. I was having fun with the whole new experience of college and with meeting new people.

Q: You mentioned the system that Tillette was putting in. What kind of system were you used to in high school?

GS: My junior year I was at a private school that had about 60 students, so it was pretty much do whatever you want to, YMCA-type, no real offense. My senior year I went to a pretty big 5A public school in Amarillo, and we ran motion, flex offense and that was pretty tough. That year, too, my coach was very defense-minded, so I probably had a pretty solid defense base when I got here.

Q: How difficult is this "Princeton" style of offense to learn, especially for a freshman?

GS: I probably shouldn't say this, but it's not that hard. You've just got to think about it. When I first got here I was like, `it's basketball, how hard can it be?' If you sit down and pay attention you'll get it. Most of the freshmen have it, but it is hard to grasp at first. There are so many things that look the same. I still make mistakes because so many things look the same.

Q: Has your career at Samford gone the way you thought it would?

GS: I really didn't have any expectations at all. I was just here to have fun and play basketball, and that's what I've done. There were times I would have liked to play more, but situations arose where I put myself in a hole not knowing the offense and not having the confidence I needed to have in myself. Other than that I have had fun playing basketball, going to the NCAA Tournament and enjoying being part of the team.

Q: Was going to the NCAA Tournament something you thought was a possibility?

GS: I really didn't think so at all. I was thinking `Samford, playing division I, this is cool, if we win the tournament we get an automatic bid to the NCAA, but I really didn't think about it that much.

Q: Did you know anything about the TAAC?

GS: (laughs) No way. I was one of those people that said, `Stanford? Oh, Samford.'

Q: How was going to the NCAA Tournament?

GS: The first year it was really cool. Everybody who plays college basketball wants to go, and I really enjoyed it. Of course I wanted to advance and for the results to be different, but that was that. After that is was just old hat.

Q: The NCAA Tournament is "old hat?"

GS: It's really no big deal, just another game in front of more people.

Q: How is this team shaping up with all of the new guys?

GS: Right now we're definitely getting better, and we have nine games left in conference. We started off rough, with the freshmen new to the team and new to the whole offense, but right now I think we're starting to hit our peak. Hopefully by the time the middle of February comes around we'll be running at full speed and working fine.

Q: How is this team different than last year's team?

GS: We don't have Will, Reed, and Mario. If they were on this team I don't think we would have much challenge. We could rely on Reed to score, Will to score, and Mario was a true point guard. Marc is solid in scoring and usually Derrick is right there, but after that it is anyone's game. Now we have to rely on us as a team instead of two or three individuals.

Q: What do you have to bring to the game for Samford to be successful?

GS: I have to come out and defend, rebound and hustle, that's pretty much all I can do. I'm not looked upon to score substantial points, but I try to bring some energy to the game why I'm out there. I've never had the confidence in my offense that I should, but I feel comfortable playing defense. I like playing defense...sometimes you can make people look stupid when you play good defense. I just want to go out there and I feel like I've made a difference in the game.

Q: Do you ever feel like you should play more minutes?

GS: Last year I would have said yes, but now I know that coach knows what he's doing so I'm just here doing what I can for the team. If that's in practice making Marc better, that's what I do. I guess you'd call me a role player.

Q: Who is someone you thought would surprise people this season?

GS: Seb (Sebastian Sachse). He redshirted last year and sometimes it doesn't seem like he knows what's going on, but then he gets in a game like at Campbell and hit big shots and makes plays. He's older than I am and he's only a freshman! He is strong and once he learns to use his strength in the post, he's going to be a powerhouse on this team next year and for the next few years. I think he can surprise us in these last few games.

Q: Do you wish you had another year?

GS: No, I'm really glad about the way it's working out right now. My sports medicine classes are getting hard, and it will be nice to have a year to just focus on school without having to put in the time for basketball.

Q: What will life be like after basketball?

GS: Finish school, think about the MCAT, and I want to apply for chiropractic school and see if I can get in there. If not, I'd like to be a physician's assistant or surgeon's assistant, something like that.