Posted 12/18/07
UW-Platteville's Mike Shaw is a sophomore guard on the basketball team. He hails from Madison Edgewood High School.
Why did you come to UW-Platteville?
Coach (Paul) Combs recruited me very hard, and I appreciated that. He gave me the opportunity to come to a lot of on-campus events, and he gave me the opportunity to come to a lot of games to see what it was like from the locker room and from the sidelines. I really enjoyed that. Chris Zwettler my high school coach at Edgewood went here, and told me to come to Platteville. He wasn’t biased, but now that I’m here, and have been here for two years, I appreciate him telling to do that because I have enjoyed every second of it.
How did it feel scoring your career high of 25 points, during the 67-66 win over UW-River Falls on Dec. 8?
We played so poor during the first half that somebody had to step up. I didn’t expect it to be me, at this age but (fellow sophomore) Curt Hanson and I stepped up at the right time, and we got the win, so it was an unbelievable feeling for me to score in the 20’s for the first time in my career here. Hopefully I can build from it.
What are your strengths as a player and is there anything you think you need to work on?
During the off-season I tried to work on my quickness. Obviously it doesn’t show as much because I’m not the quickest guy out there, but I feel like I am confident on my shot right now. Sometimes I get down, and sometimes I lose confidence, but the best part of my game is perimeter shooting, and I’ve been working on getting to the basket. There was at our tournament at Wash U, in Saint Louis, where the coach from Wash U said I was all drive and couldn’t shoot, so I kind of took that as a compliment and said if they think I can only drive then I can use that to my advantage.
You started every game as a freshman last year, and now this year you have seemed to embrace your role as the top reserve. How has this changed your game?
It hasn’t changed my game; it has changed my mentality, I don’t have to be ready right away for the game. Starting is a different mentality than the bench. When you come off the bench, you have to bring energy right away, and that is what I am thriving on. When coach puts me in, I have energy going on to the floor. When I started it was tough for me. I needed to come ready to play as a 19-year-old, and now I’m more mature and coming off the bench, and coach really gives me a chance to settle down before I go in there and try to do some damage.
What is it like being a student athlete here at UW-Platteville?
I love being a student athlete here and I just love the atmosphere, the games, off the floor, and the booster club is amazing. I love going to school here; it is so organized and I am enjoying every second. <
Interview by Sports Information Student Assistant Renee Gratz