This week, I sat down with forward John Golden ’15 of the men’s basketball team — which went 5-4 over the break — to talk about the team’s success during the interim and what it’s like to be an athlete at the College. The team’s break included trips to Indiana and Illinois, as well as a four game win streak that helped keep them above .500 and propel them to the fourth-best record in the Ivy League entering play in the Ancient Eight.
What do you think accounted for the team’s success during the interim?
JG: I think we really started to gel over break. We play well together as a team. I think one of the things that has helped us win so far is our ability to share the ball. Any guy on our team could be the leading scorer any night.
What enabled you personally to improve in these interim games, including your perfect six-for-six shooting performance against Lesley University?
JG: During the interim it was great to be able to only focus on basketball. I think I was able to stay focused and work on my game, as did all of my teammates, in order to play better.
What do you think was the best moment for the team during interim?
JG: I think our win at New Hampshire University [62-48] was a big turning point for us as a team. It’s always difficult to win away games, and to be able to go up there and get a solid win was a huge confidence booster.
What was your personal highlight over the break?
JG: My personal highlight was probably the three straight games we won before the break. I don’t think we had won three in a row since I have been here, so to be able to do that early in the season is a great feeling.
What was it like to be on campus when most students were away?
JG: It was definitely tough. Some of the other winter sports had a longer break than us, so for a little while it was basically only the basketball team on campus. It was tough, but we get along well as a team, and we took a trip to Illinois and Indiana for about a week to break up the time on campus.
How was the trip?
JG: The trip to Illinois was fun, although we definitely wanted to pick up a few wins out there [the team fell to Northern Illinois University, Indiana University—Purdue University Fort Wayne and Illinois University]. It was also an awesome experience to play in front of a huge and enthusiastic crowd at Illinois.
If you could choose one professional basketball player to meet, who would it be and why?
JG: Michael Jordan. I know he isn’t a current player in the NBA, but he is the reason I fell in love with basketball growing up and is one of the greatest athletes of all time.
Do you see basketball in your future?
JG: I could see myself playing basketball after college. If I am given a chance to play overseas for a pretty good team, I think it would be a great experience.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
