September 2019 BOTM – Cory Nasiadka

After leading his team to a good showing in their first tournament of the year and securing their first win, we have awarded West Virginia’s (picture-less) Cory Nasiadka Baller of the Month for September. I interviewed him about his reaction to the award, the current state of WVU, and their tendency to burn couches.

Zane Durbin: First off congrats on winning Baller of the Month and being West Virginia’s first ever! How does it feel?

Cory Nasiadka: It feels pretty good to get some attention for this team. We have put a lot of work into building this team from the ground up for the past 3 years and we’re looking forward to what the rest of the season brings.

ZD: How does it feel getting win #1 so early in the season?

CN: Getting win #1 at the first tournament feels great. Although it was an exciting win, we know that we need to do better. We learned a lot from our first tournament this year and we’ve been constantly working at practice to get better.

ZD: What were some of WVU’s biggest obstacles over the last few years, transitioning from a new team to a legitimate threat?

CN: The biggest obstacle by far has been recruiting. Freshman year was especially difficult because it was our first year as a club sport and we mostly had all freshman on the roster. Without the talent and experience it’s impossible to succeed in this league. This has been getting easier with time as we get older and gain a reputation at WVU.

ZD: What are some of y’all’s team goals for the season? Any personal goals?

CN: Our main goal for the team is to have fun. The best way to have fun in the NCDA is to win. Driving home after a successful tournament is a great feeling.

ZD: How does the current freshman class look? What is the breakdown of freshman/sophomores/juniors/seniors on your current team?

CN: The freshman class is looking pretty good. Two of them ended up starting at out first tournament. We see a lot of leadership potential in a number of the freshman which is vital to success in the future. Right now we have 3 seniors, 8 juniors, 4 sophomores and the rest are freshman.

ZD: How much did having an older brother in the NCDA help?

CN: Jake has really helped me out a lot over the past 2 years. Any time I ever had a question I always went straight to him and he had an answer for me every time. Without him always there willing to help, this team would surely not be where it has come to today.

ZD: Who’s better, you or Jake?

CN: I think I have the physical edge over Jake. However, he has much more experience and knowledge than I do which is a huge part of being successful. Therefore, I would say that we’re about equal.

ZD: Who is your favorite team to play against?

CN: CSU. The first time we played them they beat us like 6-0 or something like that. Ever since then our games have been back and forth battles ending very close every game. Both of our teams get a long very well off the court which makes is to fun and competitive.

ZD: Who is one team you want to play?

CN: I’d like to play one of the top caliber teams this year. We have never really played anyone in the top 5 aside from JMU last year. I want to see what all the hype is about and try to learn from their success.

ZD: If you could have one current NCDA player on your team, who would it be? Former player?

CN: I’m going to take Joe Walsh from CSU. He has a cannon for an arm and is an all-around great leader. Him and I have gotten pretty close over the past year and I think we would work great together leading a team.

I don’t know of many great former players but from what I have seen in my 2 years in the league I would probably take Doug Schilling. He’s very intimidating and a good leader.

ZD: Now onto some more personal questions, what’s your major?

CN: Civil Engineering

ZD: How many couches have you burned at your time at WVU?

CN: I have not burned any couches at WVU. That is not to say that I haven’t burned anything…

ZD: Who wins in a football game, WVU or UVA?

CN: Lol WVU

ZD: And to wrap everything up, tell the whole league why they shouldn’t sleep on WVU this year. I know I won’t…

CN: We have some serious talent this year. It’s just about putting it all together for us. Andrew Ziegler is in my opinion one of the best players in the league. He’s impossible to miss with his all around athleticism. We also have some great leadership in Ryan Marcus and Issac Avery. These two really have stepped up this year. Also we have a handful of upcoming stars that just joined us this year and have added a lot of depth to our roster. We’re really excited to get out and show the league what we have this year.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.