Junior guard Kevin Lisch said that the competitive nature he acquired at a young age has fueled his play on the basketball court here at Saint Louis University.
“I was on my first team when I was in first grade, so I probably started playing basketball when I was about 5 or 6 years old,” Lisch said. “It was a way to let my competitiveness out. I played with my dad in the driveway; it was a family thing.”
Lisch said that he is anticipating how the team will develop with Men’s Basketball Coach Rick Majerus and the new offense in the upcoming games.
“I think it will be a lot of fun with the new staff and the new system,” Lisch said. “It will take a while to learn it, but we get the idea of the offense. I’m looking forward to the constant motion on offense and the whole learning process.”
In order for Lisch to improve, Majerus said that he has to learn to move better without the ball and learn to govern his speed and dribble.
“He’s going to be critical for our offense to get open and feed others,” Majerus said. “He’s a scorer who can shoot, but he needs to be more efficient with his game. Kevin is an excellent student and man, but he plays too fast; [he] gets sped up. In order for him to improve, he needs to be more cognizant of angles and situations on the court.”
Lisch said he thinks the new system matches his quick style of play.
“With the constant motion, there are a lot of picks and drives to the basket. It fits not only my game, but anyone’s game because of the many variables involved.”
Because Majerus has a history of excellence, Lisch said he thinks the new coach can take the team to new levels of success that have eluded it in previous years.
“I love playing for [Majerus], and I think the guys on the team do, too,” Lisch said. “He is very demanding of us, but that’s how you get the best our of yourself. I know he will improve each of us individually and the team as a whole.”
While Lisch has high hopes for the offense this year, he said he is focused on the team’s success more than personal recognition.
“Honestly, I don’t set personal goals-there is no set amount of points I want to score,” Lisch said. “I just want to everyday improve and to understand the game mentally. If I do that, the points and stuff will take care of itself.”
The family aspect of the game was a big part of the decision process for Lisch when he decided to come to SLU to play Billiken basketball.
“[SLU] was close to home and close to my family, so they could see me play and it was also a good fit program-wise,” Lisch said. “I knew I would get a great education. It just felt right for me.
For Lisch, part of his family is even closer right now as his little sister, Theresa, is on the women’s basketball team here at SLU.
“I love having my sister here. Not just for basketball, but we can be here for each other. It’s great being able to call each other up,” Lisch said. “Being able to lean on each other for support is the biggest thing.” Lisch said he looks at this season as a chance to take to the team to the next level of play.
“For the most part, the last two seasons went pretty well, but I still have always felt that there is a lot more that we can get out of ourselves,” Lisch explained.
Lisch hopes that his love of the game of basketball will open more doors for him within the game in the future.
“I love to play basketball, and I would love to play it for a living,” Lisch said. “But that’s still a couple years away, and right now, I have not even thought about it. I would love to play for as long as I could, though.”
