ERIC KNOPSNYDER | Shubik, even better » College » The Tribune Democrat, Johnstown, PA

College

Discussion

January 26, 2008

ERIC KNOPSNYDER | Shubik, even better

BY ERIC KNOPSNYDER The Tribune-Democrat Sat Jan 26, 2008, 12:18 AM EST

FAIRFIELD, Conn. — Drew Shubik is hardly the same player that he was when he left North Star High School four years ago to play basketball at Sacred Heart University.

He looks different. He acts different. And he certainly plays different.

“I was just a shy little kid,” Shubik said Thursday night after his team beat Long Island University to improve to 7-2 in the Northeast Conference. “I remember Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, I’d be in the gym instead of being out with friends.”

A team captain who is on the cover of the team’s media guide, Shubik still puts in plenty of time at the gym, but he’s also become a bit of a celebrity in Fairfield. It’s evident as friends and acquaintances call out to him at the William H. Pitt recreation center or while he’s stopping for a quick bite to eat at a local diner or while he’s just strolling around campus.

There were other transformations as well. He has grown 11⁄2 inches to his current height of 6-foot-41⁄2. He added about 25 pounds to what was a thin frame when he was dominating the Somerset County League.

And he picked up plenty of confidence. Along the way, coach Dave Bike’s program, which was trying to transition from a Division II powerhouse into a legitimate Division I team, started picking up more and more victories.

The Pioneeers went 5-22 in Shubik’s freshman year. That was tough for Shubik, who did not lose 22 times in his four-year career at North Star. But he stuck with the program, helping his teammates go 12-16 when he was a sophomore. Last year, they went 18-14 and advanced to the NEC championship game, falling a win short of the NCAA tournament.

This year, after a slow start in the non-conference slate, Sacred Heart has come on strong in the league, and the Pioneers (10-10, 7-2) control their own destiny in the NEC.

“We’ve got nine games left. We play the first-place team twice, second-place team once,” Shubik said. “We’re making big strides in winning close games. That’s the sign of a mature team.”

Shubik, who was named the team’s top defensive player after each of the past two seasons and won Sacred Heart’s Mr. Hustle Award in addition to the NEC Scholar-Athlete award for men’s basketball last season, is leaving his mark on the program in other ways as well. He is the school’s all-time leader in steals with 178 and he needs to average about a dozen points per game for the rest of the regular season to hit the 1,000-point milestone.

While he still has plenty left to play for in college, like most seniors, Shubik’s already thinking about his future. He’s hoping to continue his basketball career overseas.

Bike certainly thinks he’s capable of doing it.

“There is an opportunity to play overseas for a lot of people, but there is a difference between making $100 a month (or much more),” said Bike, who has seen about a half-dozen of his former players make it to the pros. “I think he’ll be able to play in a very competitive league, make money and have a good career.”

Said Shubik: “I’m going to try to make a living out of it. As long as I can get enough to eat – wherever I’m sleeping, I don’t care – but as long as I can live off it, then I’m going to play until I can’t play any more.”

Eric Knopsnyder is the sports editor of The Tribune-Democrat.

Text Only | Photo Reprints

College

College basketball in brief
A closer look at Thursday night's men's and women's college basketball games:

February 9, 2012
Penn State men absorb fifth straight loss
Penn State refused to be routed the first time No. 11 Michigan State had a chance to pull away for an easy victory.
The Nittany Lions, though, couldn’t stay consistent enough to keep their comeback hopes alive.

February 8, 2012 1 Photo
South Florida rebounds with win over Pitt
South Florida’s Hugh Robertson combined a perfect night offensively with a stellar defensive performance that helped the Bulls rebound from their worst-ever Big East loss.
Robertson had a season-high 18 points and helped USF
(14-10, 7-4) hold Pittsburgh star Ashton Gibbs to a season-low four points in a 63-51 victory over the Panthers on Wednesday night. Augustus Gilchrist added 10 points for the Bulls, who lost by 30 points at Georgetown last weekend.

February 8, 2012 1 Photo
Local sports in brief 2-9-2012
February 8, 2012
Michigan board gives go-ahead on Winter Classic
The University of Michigan Board of Regents on Wednesday authorized athletic director Dave Brandon to seek a contract with the NHL that would allow the league to hold next year’s Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium.

February 8, 2012
Pitt-Johnstown wrestlers dominate Seton Hill
Pat Pecora picked up his NCAA Division II record 498th career victory on Tuesday night, but just like almost every other one, he saw some things that his Pitt-Johnstown wrestling team could improve upon.

February 7, 2012
Happy Valley readies itself for a new brand of football under Bill O’Brien
White placards with a set of rules were affixed to the glass doors of the players’ entrance at the Penn State football building about the time Bill O’Brien agreed to become the school’s next football coach.

February 6, 2012 1 Photo
Panthers win fourth consecutive game
Pittsburgh senior Ashton Gibbs is a happy man now that his backcourt mate, junior Tray Woodall, is back and healthy in the starting lineup. He’s almost as happy as Woodall, who recovered from a groin/abdominal strain to turn in one of his best performances of the season.

February 5, 2012 1 Photo
Panthers looking to extend winning streak
Even as the losses piled up, Pitt’s men’s basketball coach Jamie Dixon said his players never abandoned hope. That can be tough in the face of an eight-game losing streak stretching from December into January.

February 4, 2012
Nittany Lions drop 4th in a row
Bryce Cartwright has been in and out of Iowa’s starting lineup all season. Now the senior looks like he’s there to stay.
Cartwright, bothered with concussion-like symptoms earlier this season, scored 17 points to lead the Hawkeyes to a 77-64 victory over Penn State on Saturday.

February 4, 2012
More College Headlines

College

Search Results

Discussion

ERIC KNOPSNYDER | Shubik, even better

Do you support Gov. Tom Corbett’s proposed state budget for fiscal year 2012-13?

Contact Us