I had the chance to speak with sophomore Antonio Depina (Polytech, DE) yesterday about some of his goals for his sophomore season, why he decided to transfer to Polytech and what he did this summer to improve his game. Antonio is excited for the upcoming season and is ready to prove all of his haters that they are wrong about his game.
PHR: What schools are you hearing from right now?
AD: Florida State, Oregon State, Delaware State and Towson.
PHR: Do you have a school list yet?
AD: No
PHR: What are you looking for in a program and university?
AD: I’m looking for a school that can help me make an immediate impact and grow to my full potential as a person.
PHR: What were the main factors in your transfer to Polytech?
AD: Polytech HS has an outstanding Dental program. I’ve always wanted to be a dentist since I was age 6. Going to a Vo-tech school will help me prepare for college.
PHR: Did you have a dream school or conference growing up?
AD: Yes Kentucky was my dream school, because they have the best college basketball coach in the southern conference, John Calipari.
PHR: How did your summer go on the AAU circuit? Who did you play AAU ball for this summer?
AD: I started the spring playing with DC assault blue team, and then I went to a few tournaments with Team Helping Hands and DE Nike Team Takeover. My summer went extremely well I got the exposure I needed.
PHR: What parts of your game did you work on improving this summer?
AD: I worked on my ball handling, my shooting, conditioning, court vision, left hand and my explosiveness.
PHR: Talk a little bit about how you feel your freshmen season went?
AD: I came into my freshman season with a lot of doubts and haters so that drove me to prove them wrong. I worked hard every day in preparation for it. I knew it was going be a good year when I dropped 28pts in my first varsity game. I even surprised myself and during that year I received my first letter from Oregon State. My coach Michael Fabber really got me noticed that year. Even though the Diamond state conference was weak it had a lot of young talented players who I had fun playing against.
PHR: What are some goals you have set for your upcoming sophomore season?
AD: Well we have a young team we have one of the best 2012 players (Eric Laster) and shooters (Justin Braddy) and one of the best 2013 PG in DE (James Mosley) and if we all play like a team we can make a run for the state title. We have a team filled with players ready to step up and that have heart. Coach Pierce has coached some of the best players in DE and I just want to learn all I can from him.
PHR: Do you feel any added pressure being one of the top players in Delaware?
AD: Yes because a lot of times the spotlight is on you and critics are always waiting for you to mess up so they can criticize you. But it gives me a lot of Motivation and makes me want to get better. I’m not settling for anything but that #1 spot.
