DRIVE Basketball :: Retro MVP

.: Drivebasketball.com Related Content:

.: Aaron Christensen played for renowed B.C. Coaching legend Rich Goulet at Pitt Meadows. Check out Coaches Corner with Coach Goulet here.

"Guys like Aaron Christensen (SFU) and Bryson Kool (UBC) were great people to coach. They were excellent students in school and they were leaders by example as well as by their play on the floor. They were coachable and yet kept a measure of their creativity. They were good team members and sought out the good in everyone on their team."

Coach Rich Goulet on the importance of past Pitt Meadow stars Aaron Christensen and Bryson Kool.

"The advice I would give is to take care of your academics first. Ensure that you put enough effort into your studies to allow yourself the opportunity to move on to the next level."

Aaron Christensen on the overlying importance of academics.

"Another piece of advice would be to care more about your character than your reputation. One of the biggest problems of basketball players is that they are all concerned with what other people think of them."

Aaron Christensen on the importance of improving on a daily basis.

(Pictured: Aaron Christensen was a 1st Team All-Canada West Selection this past season at SFU where he finished in the top 10 in Scoring and Rebounding. Here he guards All-American Wayne Simean in exhibition action vs University of Kansas.)

AARON CHRISTENSEN 2000 AAA MVP - PITT MEADOWS

Our 5th installment of DRIVE Retro MVP features the 2000 AAA BC MVP Aaron Christensen. Aaron led his Pitt Meadow squad to the 2000 AAA BC Provincial title by beating Terry Fox in a highly contested battle in front of a sold out crowd at the PNE Agrodome. For the tournament, Aaron did a little bit of everything on the court as he captained Pitt Meadow to the championship. He is known as one of the most versatile and dependable players in BC AAA Tournament history for his ability to make his teammates better and provide an interior presence defensively. After high school, Aaron has taken his game to Simon Fraser University where he has had a stellar University career, leading SFU to a Divisional title in 2000-2001. Aaron just completed a remarkable third season at SFU where he was named a First Team Canada West All-Star. Aaron finished seventh in the conference in scoring and third in rebounding. He averaged 17.3-points and 7.9 rebounds while shooting .574 percent from the field (7th in Canada West).

DRIVE would like to thank Aaron for taking the time to reflect on his high school career and share some wonderful advice for young up and coming basketball players.

1. What is your greatest memory from High School?

My grestest memory from high school was on the day of graduation. I can remember getting all dressed up for the ceremony, and being excited with all my friends. As it turns out I was to give a valedictory address to my fellow classmates in front of thousands of people. As I made my way to the podium with my fellow valedictorian, I was rather nervous. Finally upon arriving there, I realized that I had left my speech underneath my chair. That is my greatest memory becasue for the next 20 seconds I made a dash for my speech and I heard the audience roar with laughter. That is my most memorable moment.

2. What was your daily practice routine in High School? How much time did you spend working on specific skills?

I happened to have one of the most qualified coaches in high school basketball, Rich Goulet. We practised every day usually from about 7:00 until 9:00 or 9:30 PM. Practises always started with 4 laps arround the gym, followed by sets of lines. We ran the lines in 26 seconds, 28 seconds, 30 seconds... until all the guys could make it. Sometimes it would go on forever. Then was the fast break drills. We would go through a series of 2 on 1, 3 on 2, 4 on 3... until everyone was tired and could no longer move. Then practise would start.

3. You went straight from High School to CIS Simon Fraser, what were the biggest difference you noticed between B.C. High School basketball and CIS?

The biggest difference is the skill level of those playing around you. In high school, perhaps there are 2 good players on each team. Only 2 guys can guard, shoot, and the rest. In university everybody can shoot, and play, so it took some adjustment to be ready to defend more threats. Also in university everyone was stronger, so I had to adjust my game to be able to be a factor, despite the fact that I was the weakest.

4. Who are some of the best player's you have faced and why?

The best player I played against was Steve Nash. He is a fierce competator, and will do whatever it takes to win. He outworks everyone else, and demands that everyone picks up the level of their game. Another great player I faced was Wayne Simien from Kansas. He is such a talented athlete that I could do nothing to stop him. I tried everything. I pushed, scratched, tried talking trash, everything, but to no avail. He dropped at least 30 points on my head. He is a great player becasue he is very composed, and routine in his play. He is not flashy or special, but he just gets the job done every time.

5. What advice would you give young player's growing up in B.C, how can they take their game to the next level, both academically and in regards to basketball?

The advice I would give is to take care of your academics first. Ensure that you put enough effort into your studies to allow yourself the opportunity to move on to the next level. Another piece of advice would be to care more about your character than your reputation. One of the biggest problems of basketball players is that they are all concerned with what other people think of them. The are worried about having the nicest shoes, the sickest moves, the best dunks, when in fact those things have very little to do with the game of basketball. If you spend all your time learning the tricks of the trade, you may never learn the trade. Therefore, do your best to improve on a daily basis. Always be looking for things to add to your game. Be a proactive player, meaning try to do things to make others around you look better. Do not worry about making mistakes. The only ones not making mistakes are the ones not doing ! anything.

6. You are known as an extremely versatile big-man who can play inside or outside, how important is it for big guys to be able to play facing the basket?

I think that it is important for all players, not just the big men, but the wings, and guards to try and develop all aspects of their game. Whether that means learning to finish with your left hand, or developing a pull up jumper, or knocking in the three. For me it is important to know to play both with my back to the basket, as well as facing up so I can play against the defense. For example if I have a strong, slow, big man guarding me, I will take him outside, and then go by him, but if I have a smaller guy on me, I will demand the ball down low, and then go to work. It is all a question of the defense. I think that it is very important for the big men to have an outside game so they can add a bit of versatility to frustrate their opponents.

DRIVE would like to wish Aaron the best of luck as he continues his stellar career at Simon Fraser University in 2005-2006.