Redpath's recipe for success

First-year guard Aaron Redpath has been a consistently strong contributor for the Marauders this season, and his efforts were rewarded with recognition as a member of the OUA West’s All-Rookie Team. Redpath’s ability to get into the paint paid its biggest dividends when the Maroon and Grey booked their ticket to the OUA Final Four, with the rookie dropping 21 points on the Windsor Lancers. This week, Sil Sports sits down with Redpath as we look to get to know the man behind the stats.

Scott Hastie (SH): What is your personal favourite basketball moment?

Aaron Redpath (AR): Winning against Windsor was huge. That game, where we actually went to the Final Four, I can honestly say that’s one of my proudest moments as a basketball player.

SH: What’s your ideal pre-game meal?

AR: I like salad with chicken and penne pasta, with some alfredo sauce on it.

SH: Where were you when you heard about the Nike sponsorship, and how do you feel about playing with the Jordan logo on your jersey next year?

AR: Oh, that’s going to be crazy. I was sitting in my residence room and somebody sent me an email saying, “I can’t believe you guys are sponsored by Jordan next year” and I said, “Whoa, what are you talking about?” They sent me a link to an article, and I thought, “That’s big time.”

SH: Outside of basketball, what are some of your hobbies?

AR: I go at it in NBA 2K12. I always go with Miami in 2K and in Madden I go with the Atlanta Falcons. I like hanging out with the guys on the team, there’s a lot of cool guys. It’s one thing to chill with them during basketball, but outside of that they are great guys.

SH:  Who is the funniest teammate?

AR: Calvin Turnbull. He’s funny, Victor Raso is funny. Joe Rocca’s a funny guy too.

SH: What is your favourite class you’ve had so far at McMaster?

AR: I’m enjoying anatomy. I’m in Kinesiology and I like it.

SH: If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

AR: That’s funny, because we actually talk about this amongst the team. I’d say my super power would be being invisible.

SH: On the same note, if you could one NBA guy’s talent, like Blake Griffin’s dunking ability, Steve Nash’s passing, Ray Allen’s shot, what would it be?

AR: Chris Paul’s court vision.

SH: Who is your greatest inspiration? It could be athlete, family member, or friend.

AR: My mom is my greatest inspiration and my dad is up there too. They always inspire and push me to do the best I can.

SH: What will you focus on this offseason?

AR: Making the transition from high school to first year was tough because we didn’t exactly know what the tempo difference was going to be like. Now, after my first year of experience, I know what the tempo is going to be like so it’s important for me to keep up my conditioning and maintain that level. But it’s also important to work on the intangible things as well.

SH: That was my next question, what was the biggest change between playing at the high school level and playing at the university level?

AR: Tempo and the speed of the game.

SH: What about the addition of the shot clock?

AR: We’ve definitely had possessions where we have to rush something because the shot clock is running slow, so there is a difference. But the way we like to play is getting up and down the court and put up a lot of shots so most times the shot clock does come into it.

SH: What is your favourite artist or song to warm up to?

AR: I’ll say Drake, ‘The Motto.’

SH: What’s your favourite TV show and favourite actor from that show?

AR: I like Criminal Minds and I also like Nikita. My favourite actor on Criminal Minds is Shemar Moore.