Rochester’s Anthony Iglesia continues to excel on the basketball court. The McQuaid grad is averaging 16 points a game during his freshman season at Skagit Valley College, a two-year school in Mount Vernon, Washington.
What You Need To Know
- The McQuaid grad is averaging 16 points a game during his freshman season at Skagit Valley College
- Iglesia is transferring to the University of Washington this fall
- He will major in Digital Video Broadcasting, but his career path also focused on coaching
“Oh my gosh, I had a blast. The coach there, he had beliefs that I believe in, he loved the game with a passion and that meant a lot to me because you could tell that he cared about his players and he cared about winning and I wanted to be part of that culture. So, I felt that I fit in there perfectly and I was able to adapt to it well,” Iglesia says.
Despite his limited size, the 5’7’’ guard always gets the most of his talents on the court.
“I have people reach out to me through either Instagram or social media about how they can improve if they’re undersized. I tell them, ‘Listen, this game is a big man’s game, so you have to be able to figure out how you can separate yourself with your height because you’re already at a disadvantage.’ 10 times out of 10, you’re already at a disadvantage being smaller than everybody, so you have to adjust,” he states.
Iglesia is transferring to the University of Washington this fall where he’ll walk-on and play for Coach Mike Hopkins, a longtime Syracuse assistant who is now the head coach of the Huskies. Iglesia will major in Digital Video Broadcasting, but his career path also focused on coaching.
“There’s a coaching program usually after your fourth year. After you graduate, you then go in as a grad assistant where you learn from Coach Hopkins and learn how to be a coach,” Iglesia says.
The son of longtime coach Gerard Iglesia, Anthony has been helping out at his dad’s basketball camp the past several summers. That’s also helped him realize how a coach’s communication skills can impact players.
“That’s something that l learned from him, just making sure how I could get to players…it’s not easy to get to every player. Every player is different, so he taught me that and making sure that I care for players, too that comes with communication,” Iglesia says.
The Iglesias are still planning to hold their free basketball camp this summer if they’re able to do so.
— SPECTRUM NEWS ROCHESTER