Boston College Athletics
Q&A With Sam Donahue
October 30, 2014 | Men's Basketball
What did you do this summer on and off the court?
"I went to Portugal with my brother. He did some tryouts over there with some pro teams so I went with him to watch those and see what he is doing. He played at Assumption in college. He graduated, had a year in between and now he is over in Denmark playing. It was fun. We were in Lisbon so it was very scenic."
"I was also here for six weeks. We worked out a lot this summer. It was good. It got us in shape. I felt like we improved on little things like ball handling that we might not have worked on a lot."
What are some things you worked on hard in the offseason?
"The biggest difference has been my defense because of how much we are focused on it. A lot of the drills that we do are defense, teaching defense and just little things technically. Our coaches emphasize how important technique is on defense."
What was the biggest adjustment going from high school to college basketball?
"The quickness of the game. Even though I was in a competitive league in high school, the quickness is just that much faster. The other thing is the size of every guy, too. You're always going up against bigger guys."
Was the Gun Club extra work for you or is that about how much shooting you do in the offseason?
"It was about the same, but there were times when you got a little bit short on your numbers and you had to put in extra shots. There were definitely some days when you thought your arm was about to fall off, but you push through it and get them up."
How have the additions of Aaron Brown and Dimitri Batten helped the guard play?
"The big thing is just this mentality that we're going to find a way to win. I've noticed that a lot with them."
What do you think this team needs to do to become more successful this year?
"The biggest thing is finding a way to win no matter what. Not worrying about anything but winning and not worrying about yourself - putting the team ahead of yourself. In doing that, you will be more successful individually as well. If we can also focus on improving where we lacked last year, we'll be better."
Why do you wear #15?
"I wore #15 at my public high school. My favorite number is #6 though, but you can't be #6. When the ref puts up the number for #15, he uses six fingers, so it's actually the #6."
What are you looking forward to the most in the next 15 days?
"Obviously just starting the season and getting back into it. I'm excited to see where we're at because we have put in a lot of work this preseason and over the summer. I'm excited to see how we've changed and how we'll do this year."
