Feb. 10, 2010

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - With the USC Upstate men's basketball season beginning to wind down, three seniors will play their final home games of their career on Saturday against Belmont. Tip time is slated for 2:00 p.m. and is part of a men's and women's doubleheader.

Senior forward Pat Posey, along with Cedric Koffi and Nick Schneiders, are the three seniors that will depart from Spartanburg after this season.

Posey has spent the last two seasons in a Spartan uniform after transferring from Vincennes University after his sophomore campaign. As a senior, he is averaging 7.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game while averaging 5.6 ppg and 3.5 rpg for his career.

Posey recently sat down with Alex Edwards of upstatespartans.com to talk about his time in Spartanburg as well as plans for the future.

With the men's team playing its final home game of the season on Saturday, what do you think will be going through your mind when you step on the court for your final home game?
I am doing my best not to think about it. My main focus is to give it my all during the game. Hopefully my efforts will help put us in a position to win and that's all I'm really thinking about right now.

If things aren't going your way and your shots just aren't falling, how do you mentally and physically motivate yourself or pick yourself up?
If I am having an off night, I just try to focus on other aspects of my game. I feel that I am a pretty good all around player, so if I am not scoring I just have to give it my all in other areas to attempt to help us win.

As your collegiate career winds down, what are your plans after your time in Spartanburg is over?
I really want to get into coaching. I have had some conversations with my basketball coach from high school. We have talked about me possibly helping out with the junior varsity team while I am completing my internship. If I can do that, I feel it will give me a tremendous head start before I even finish my education.

What were the deciding factors that brought you to Upstate from Vincennes University?
Just having a chance to be part of a new program was really exciting. When I arrived they had just made the move to Division I and it was like a fresh start for me. It also allowed me to be closer to home and because of that, my family has been able to come to a lot of my games and watch me play.

What is something that people may not know about assistant coach Bill Burrows?
Coach Burrows is a really funny guy. If we are struggling and he sees that a lot of us are down on ourselves, he will usually throw out a joke or two in order to help lift our spirits. He loves to refer to me as P-Square and he calls Carter Cook C-Square so we will call him B-Square just to keep the humor going.

What has been your most memorable moment during your time as a student-athlete here at Upstate?
That's a tough one. I would probably have to say anytime that we played Jacksonville, whether it was here at the Hodge Center or down at their place. I always seemed to have a great game against them so that would have to me my most memorable moment.

Who were your heroes growing up? Why?
My mom was definitely my hero growing up. She was a single parent and with everything she had to deal with, it was just really incredible and I have always admired her for that. Also my two oldest brothers were a big influence on me. They helped me out tremendously growing up and I am thankful for everything they did to help me.

What do you find yourself doing when you aren't on the court or in the classroom?
Most likely, I am sleeping. Especially during basketball season, I try to get as much rest as possible. If I am not resting or relaxing, I am probably at the movies or the mall.

If you were able to spend the day with any athlete, who would you select and why?
I would like to spend the day with Kobe Bryant. I think it would be a great experience to see what a day is like in his shoes.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you like to go and why?
I have always wanted to travel to Hawaii. From what I hear the weather is great all year round and I would love to just be surrounded by beaches. Also with several different islands, there are numerous things to see and explore in that state.