Sitting down with 5th year forward Hermon Tesfaghebriel of the Bishop’s Gaiters men’s basketball team. The BC native enjoyed his strongest season ever as a Gaiter in 2009/10, capping off his career as the ninth leading scorer in the QUBL at 11.7PPG, ninth leading rebounder with 5.6 per game, fourth in field goal percentage at 50.8%, seventh in steals with 1.4 per game, and third in blocked shots at 0.7 per game. Hermon was named to the QUBL All-Rookie team in 2005-06, while also being named Bishop’s University Basketball’s Newcomer of the Year. Big Herm has experienced a lot at BU, on and off the court, and will be graduating this spring with a major in economics.
Question: Where are you from and what got you started in basketball?
Hermon: I’m from New Westminster, BC. I started playing basketball when I was eleven when I moved from Winnipeg, MB. I only started playing basketball because everyone else was playing it. I just wanted to fit in.
Q: Why did you choose BU?
H: I chose BU because of the different experience it brought to my life. I lived the first ten years of my life in Winnipeg, and then I moved to New Westminster and lived another eight years there, so I wanted to start a new chapter of my life on the east coast.
Q: As your career came to a close two weeks ago can you reflect on your five years here at BU?
H: It’s been fun. I still remember the first week I was here. I remember walking around campus and people knowing my name, where I was from etc. before I ever had the chance to formally introduce myself. Going through the adversity of some tough seasons and a coaching change will allow me to adapt to any adversities that I may encounter during my life.
Q: What were the biggest adjustments for you from first year to fifth on and off the court?
H: I had to learn both the mental and physical game. Before I came here, I was a big time scorer who just thought that scoring was the most important thing. But after my first year I learned that if I wanted to play I needed to do other things such as rebound and block shots to find my way into the rotation. Next, was definitely getting stronger. I found my body getting sore because I wasn’t taking care of it. Proper nutrition and getting in the weight room really helped me during those times in our marathon season and more importantly kept me from sustaining any major injuries.
Q: Can you talk about the coaching change and how it affected you as a player?
H: Having a new coach is always tough, because they want to put their stamp on the program and bring in their own players, but since Rod [Gilpin] was the women’s coach, he knew the way the veterans played. My mentality throughout the process was “you just need to go out there and do you.” The rest will take care of itself. It’s like playing in a playoff game, if you start trying to add more things to your game than what your good at it will only hurt you. The coaching staff knows what your strengths are and that’s what you need to show them.
Q: What was it like to reach the playoffs this year after not getting there since your first year?
H: It was definitely a relief. It wasn’t a major goal of mine but something I still wanted to achieve. My friends back home used to heckle me about not making the playoffs but at least for once I won’t have to hear them.
Q: Talk about the positive direction of the program and the hands you’re leaving it in.
H: Rod definitely did a good job bringing in players, but it’s a matter of the team gelling. Our team once again had a bunch of new players in training camp this September that had never played together, so it took us a while to get accustomed to one another. The biggest thing for the team is to address their weaknesses and move forward. The team is young now and they learned a lot this year and they need to take another step forward next year.
Q: What was your favorite moment or thing about being a part of the BU basketball program?
H: Probably meeting the different characters. There are so many guys from different parts of Canada so you have different personalities and experiences. What is normal for a guy, let’s say, from Toronto is totally different than a French guy from Quebec. But it’s like society, people have to morph their norms and make new ones that are beneficial for the team.
Q: Future goals in basketball after BU?
H: Uh, right now, I really don’t see anything other than maybe men’s league or something like that. I still want to play basketball but I’m not sure at what capacity.
Q: Future goals outside of basketball after BU?
H: Either something in a sporting capacity or a place where I can help kids reach their dreams. But who knows, I’m still young.
