Young basketball talent Stefan Vaaks spoke to ERR about his hopes of getting solid playing time in his first NCAA season and his reason for joining the Providence Friars.
The 19-year-old guard told ETV: “The decision came quite easily. Compared with other universities, they stood out by having followed me more closely and knowing better how I play.”
“You always have to earn your [playing] minutes, but maybe going to a top university isn’t worth it in the first year — Henri Veesaar got less playing time in his first two years at Arizona. I chose a weaker school and hopefully will get on the court right away,” Vaaks went on.
Vaaks added his decision was also influenced by Providence allowing him to attend the Adidas NBA camp in early June and, if selected, join the FIBA Europe Cup.
Before heading across the Atlantic to join the Rhode Island team, a founding member of the original Big East Conference (1979-2013) and now a member of the current Big East Conference, Vaaks still has to finish the domestic season in the Korvpalli Meistriliiga (KML).
He said he can stay focused on the KML, where his team, the defending champions, is through to the playoffs.
“I’m more of a calm type—maybe I seem emotional on the court sometimes, but I’m generally a quiet person. I like to win, and I want to become Estonian champion with Kalev/Cramo, before heading abroad,” he said.
This comes despite a tough loss to Riga’s VEF in the Estonian-Latvian league semifinal last Tuesday, which left his team with bronze in that competition.
“I couldn’t really sleep that night. That game was partly on me too—I missed my shots—but there’s no point in dwelling on it. I’ll be smarter in those situations next time,” he said of that defeat
