A’Darius Pegues, music technology junior, said he plans on being the last piece of the puzzle for IU Southeast men’s basketball team this year in their drive to win a national championship.
Pegues is in his first year at IU Southeast after transferring from Western Kentucky University.
After his freshman year at Western Kentucky University, his head coach left for another school, leaving Pegues looking for another school to attend.
After looking for a school that best fit his preference in studies and basketball, Pegues said he decided IU Southeast was where he wanted to be.
“My high school teammate Brandon Anderson came here on a visit and brought me with him,” Pegues said. “I saw their style of play, I like it, they can play with anybody and they need a skill player.”
Pegues said he was pleased to find out on his visit that Wiley Brown was the head basketball coach here at IU Southeast.
“He is one of a kind — love Coach Brown,” Pegues said. “He and all the coaches push and is a motivator.”
Brown also said he has been just as pleased so far with what Pegues has brought to his team.
Even though Pegues left the division I at the top level of college basketball at Western Kentucky University, he said the expectations are the same at IU Southeast.
“The practices are same intensity, go just as hard,” Pegues said. “It all just comes with the territory.”
Pegues said he tries to stay focused on his school work and basketball because there isn’t much time for anything else.
The men’s Grenadiers basketball team is looking to improve on last year’s Sweet 16 appearance.
Pegues said he looks to improve the big man play underneath the basket for the Grenadiers.
“I want to win the National Championship,” Pegues said. “I set my goals high for myself.”
With such high goals set for his self, Pegues said he knows he has certain tasks to be able to reach his goals for this season. Pegues said he has to work very hard on his defense and be a team motivator, like his favorite basketball player, Kevin Garnett, is for the Boston Celtics.
“I know I could accomplish some things and for the future I strive for more,” Pegues said.
Pegues didn’t start off playing basketball at an early age. He first started to try out for basketball teams in the eighth grade when he was living in North Carolina.
Pegues moved to Louisville at the time of his freshman year of high school, but didn’t go out for the basketball team until his junior at Western High School.
He was approached by one of the player’s parents on Western’s men’s basketball team about coming out for the team.
Pegues said he then decided to go out for the team. Pegues said he credits Western’s head coach, Paul Handley, as the person who taught him everything he knows about playing basketball.
When Pegues finds some free time outside of keeping up with his studies and playing basketball, he said he enjoys music and hunting.
His joy for hunting was a trait he learned from Arnold Pegues, who was a sniper in the U.S. military Pegues had known.
After graduating from IU Southeast, Pegues said he would like to pursue a career in professional basketball at any level.
If basketball doesn’t work out, Pegues said he has an eye on owning his own studio and record label.
“My whole life I just want to be determined to be where I need to be,” Pegues said.
“I want to be remembered here as someone that was a good kid, great player and was good on the court,” Pegues said.
By JUSTIN RAY
Staff Writer
jusray@ius.edu