The tumultuous journey of fifth-year senior forward Quinn Slazinski has come to a head at WVU. After playing high school hoops at Huntington Prep before two years at Louisville and Iona, he's now back in West Virginia.
He followed former Iona head coach and hall of famer Rick Pitino immediately after leaving Iona, committing to Pitino at St. John's before he decommitted and moved on to the Mountaineers.
"If I didn't go to Huntington Prep, after my St. John’s transfer, would I have even thought about West Virginia? I'm so happy, this is the happiest I've been in five years," Slazinski said.
Slazinski also reminisces on the moments he had in the state of West Virginia during his high school days, including two seasons of suiting up for Huntington Prep and even watching the occasional WVU football action.
"In high school, I made the decision to attend Huntington Prep. They used to put 12 of us in the van and watch a football game when Will Grier was here," Slazinski said.
Now that he's back in what he considers home, Slazinski brings a lot of experience on the court and pulls his weight on the stat sheet. Across four collegiate seasons, he has career averages of 6.6 points, 3.0 rebounds but most importantly 75 career appearances.
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What Slazinski didn't know however, was what came next for his long journey and he's thankful for the opportunities that have been presented to him here after an injury at Iona made him anxious about his future.
"I was down for a couple months and if I knew I could end up in a situation like this, there was no reason to stress. It’s worked out so perfectly. I'm so happy to be here and I'm ready to play," Slazinski said.
Slazinski also questioned what was next for his career at Iona, especially after he made the decision to transfer from Louisville to the Gaels and play for Pitino.
"It was a lot coming in. Looking back, I'm not sure I was ready for it at the time. I started trying to forget reasons why it was good to go to Iona and reset and get coached like I was needed to, that tough love," Slazinski said. "My fifth year to come back around and now I'm focused on winning games and basketball."
The thing that might be the biggest change for Slazinski is the transition from a hall-of-fame leader like Pitino to first-year interim head coach Josh Eilert at WVU. Just like Pitino, Slazinski has moved to another school and he's excited for the opportunity to play with a different mentor on the bench.
"It's going to be a great opportunity to get a different look at coaching. I've been able to play free, relaxed and have been able to enjoy every second I have out here. It's been a great change of scenery and I'm excited to get going," Slazinski.
It's been a different mindset with the coaching staff and players alike, as Slazinski loves the dynamic with his teammates and the time they spend together on and off the court, as brothers. West Virginia so far, has been a family for the 6-foot-9 forward.
"Everybody treats you like family here, I love my teammates. I'm blessed to have such great people in the locker room," Slazinski said.
Entering this season, Slazinski has noticed a change in the West Virginia offensive game plan and he said that the coaching staff has adapted their playbook to fit every player's skill set.
"Our four-out offense is continuous movement. It fits our playing style. That’s just unbelievably smart. The game has changed and it’s even better when the coaches change with it. I think this offense fits us perfectly," Slazinski said.
After playing only seven games and his season being cut short by injury a year ago, Slazinski hopes he can receive a medical redshirt and play the next two seasons for the Mountaineers.
"That’s something I'm trying to work on. My plan is to be back next year and be back for West Virginia."
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