Quotes From Men’s Basketball Player Pasha Bains

Dec. 14, 1999

CLEMSON, S.C.-Clemson men’s basketball player Pasha Bains will be eligible for his first game as a Tiger on Thursday night against South Carolina.

Bains, a native of Richmond, British Columbia, transferred to Clemson from Wyoming in December of 1998. He is a 6-3, 200-pound guard. Bains was the top player in Canada in 1998 and was the leading scorer on Canada’s Junior National Team.

Below are some quotes from Bains heading into the contest against the Gamecocks scheduled for Thursday night at 9 p.m. in Clemson’s Littlejohn Coliseum.

On Playing For The First Time At Clemson “It is going to be exciting, it has been a while since I have played and been healthy without having to worry about any injuries. It has been a while since I have played with refs and whistles in a real game. It is going to be fun. I just have to come out loose and try to help the team win.”

The Last Time He Played In A Real Game “My last real game was probably the Junior World Championships during the summer of 1998.”

Thoughts On Sitting On The Sideline For A Year “It has been frustrating. Last year it really wasn’t that bad because I had just gotten here and I really didn’t feel like I was a part of the team. This year I am a part of the team and it has been tough seeing teams playing zone or seeing them just keying on some guys and just packing the paint. I just want to stretch out the defense a little bit. It has been tough, I wish I could have been there earlier, but now that is over. Now I just want to go out there and have fun.”

Expectations “The main thing for me is to just stay focused and just realize that I am a freshman and that I will have four years. I do think we have the best coaching staff in America. Honestly I wouldn’t have followed them so far if I didn’t trust them. Coach Shyatt is such a great guy, I think I just have to trust in him and just take it slowly. I need to realize that everything is not going to happen right away for me and just stay focused and concentrate and try to help out anyway that I can.”

Relationship With Coach Larry Shyatt “I had a lot of home visits in high school and I could have gone a lot of places, but the thing that really changed me was when I saw how personal Coach Shyatt was. I saw what a great relationship he has with his players and what a classy guy he is. There was something about him that was different and you could tell he was a special guy. I just trusted him. He is always telling me how good a four years I am going to have here and if I just trust in him and focus, I think it will be all right.”

The Last Few Weeks “It has been tough because he (Coach Shyatt) has been so frustrated these last few weeks about those tough losses. It has been really hard seeing him, but seeing the rage in his eyes makes you just want to go out there and give it your all.”

When Did You Start Playing Basketball? “I started playing basketball in the third grade. I was really big in elementary school, but I would still play the guard spot. I think basketball is the easiest game to practice, you don’t need hockey pads, you don’t need skates, you don’t need ice time, you don’t need football pads and you don’t need people to hit you. You just have a ball and a hoop. I spent a lot of time in the gym, I just love being in the gym.”