MENOMONIE (February 18, 2012) - Growing up in London, England, exchange student
Angel Videyra's road to becoming a member of UW-Stout's basketball team was different than most of his Blue Devil teammates.
He didn't grow up shooting hoops on the playground or playing rec league ball from a really young age. In fact, when his mother insisted that he get involved in a sport at age 11, Videyra didn't even want to play basketball.
“I was quite tall and skinny and my mom wanted me to do some sports,” Videyra said. “I didn't want to do anything and she said I have to do something.”
His mother suggested basketball right away.
“I had watched boxing on the TV and I liked that,” said Videyra. “I wanted to do boxing and learn how to fight, to protect myself.”
Nothing ever came of his interest in boxing, but his mother wasn't about to give up on him trying out basketball.
“She woke me up one Saturday and said 'C'mon, we are going somewhere' and didn't tell me where we were going,” he said. “We turned up at a basketball club.”
To get him into the basketball club, Videyra's mother told the coach he had a lot of experience and was younger than he actually was. When the coach discovered the truth, he was not pleased, but decided to let Videyra play anyway.
“At first he was angry as it was a quite serious team,” Videyra said. “My mom told him that I had played basketball for my school and I had a lot of experience.”
“He allowed me to play and taught me a lot of things and I really liked it a lot,” he added. “So I continued with it from then on.”
Videyra has played for a number of different teams and his basketball career has taken him all over Europe. The coach of one his first teams, Richmond College, had contacts all over Europe and used them to set up games in countries including Poland, Spain France, and Lithuania.
“My coach used to be a national coach for the Polish Under-16 team and while he was doing that he made friends with other coaches and set up games to play against teams across Europe,” said Videyra. “I had a really good time with that. It helped my game seeing how basketball was played in different countries.”
In England, basketball takes a back seat to sports such as soccer, rugby, and even cricket.
“Basketball is really underdeveloped in England,” Videyra said. “No one really cares about basketball, which is quite sad.”
The level of competition also isn't as high and though there is a professional league (BBL or British Basketball League), not many people follow the sport and it is nowhere near the same level as the NBA.
Coming to the United States was always something that Videyra wanted to do, to see what it was like and to experience American basketball culture first hand.
““I always wanted to come here [to America] and see what it was like. I knew basketball was taken more seriously,” he said. “That was one thing I really liked about America.”
In England, Videyra attends the University of Westminster and is working toward a degree in Business Management and Economics.
Through the university's exchange program, Videyra was given a list of different schools that he could attend around the world.
“Basically the only option in America was Stout,” he said. “I looked at the website and looked at the basketball team and it seemed like a good school.”
With the knowledge that the American game is played at a faster pace and the players are bigger, Videyra did everything he could to prepare for playing ball in the U.S.
“I knew the play was much faster and the players were bigger,” said Videyra. “I watched a lot of college games and tried to play faster myself.”
His next step in coming here was finding out if he would be able to play on the basketball team. Videyra emailed head basketball coach
Eddie Andrist about the possibility of playing on the team.
“The basketball team was the first thing I looked up,” Videyra said. “I emailed coach about my background to see if I could play.”
“We exchanged several emails and I invited him to give it a shot,” said Andrist.
Joining the team mid-season meant that Videyra had to learn the American college game on the fly.
“Angel is a great guy and our players have taken him under their wings, showing him the ropes of college basketball,” said Andrist. “He has a great work ethic and attitude. Every practice he gets a little more “flow” to his game and makes a better pass, takes a better shot, or defends a little better.”
Videyra logged his first game time against UW-Eau Claire on Feb. 9, less than a month after arriving at Stout.
“It went by so quick,” said Videyra. “I understand the situation [about not getting as much playing time]. I am new to the team and still learning the American game. I'm happy to be on the team and like that I get to train everyday and get better.”
Standing 6-foot, 6-inches, Videyra was often one of the tallest players on the court in England and plays under the basket a lot. For the Blue Devils, he has been had to learn how to play farther away from the hoop.
“I'm still getting used to it,” he said. “I've been working on my defense and my shooting.”
Another big adjustment that Videyra has had to make is the way he approaches his class work. In England, daily assignments and quizzes are not a core part of the curriculum. Attendance is also usually not mandatory and doesn't count toward grades.
“In England, you don't have be consistent with your classes,” said Videyra. “Week one will be very busy and week 12 will be very busy, but between that people don't need to turn up for classes.”
To stay on top of his schoolwork, Videyra has made it a point to attend every class so far and make use of the resources that he has.
“I'm still adjusting because I can't really do what I am used to doing,” he said. “I do think it is a better system for studying because you learn more and things stay in your head better.”
Living on his own is also a relatively new experience for Videyra, since he lives at home while he attends university in England.
“I always wanted to try out living on campus,” Videyra said. “In London I live with my mom and there isn't as much freedom. Here I have more time to do what I like.”
When the school year ends, Videyra plans on staying in the United States for the summer before going back to England and finishing up his studies.
“I plan on staying in Menomonie for about a month after school ends, then go to Milwaukee and stay with Chris [teammate
Chris Hortman] for awhile and then go visit another friend in Michigan,” said Videyra.
He would also like to find the time to travel around the country, with New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Miami being the main places he wants to go.
Videyra will return to England at the end of the summer and resume attending classes at the University of Westminster as he works on finishing his business degree.
Fluent in Russian and English and in the process of learning German, Videyra says that he is open to the possibility of living outside of England after graduation.
“I really liked Germany and I like it here in America,” he said. “I wouldn't mind working and living in either country.”
