University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Quarantine Q&A with Alex Olesinski
April 22, 2020 | Men's Basketball
Catch up with men's basketball senior Alex Olesinski as he embarks on his first full quarter of online learning. Olesinski, who earned his undergraduate degree in political science last June, is currently enrolled in graduate school at UCLA and looks toward the future in this first installment of Quarantine Q&A.
Q: When did you know you wanted to come to UCLA?
A: I knew that I wanted to attend UCLA after I took my official visit. Growing up an avid sports fan, I knew a little bit about UCLA basketball, but not nearly as much as I should have or obviously have learned since I've attended the university. Visiting campus, meeting with the coaches, learning more about the rich tradition and the legends that came before me really inspired me. The prestige of UCLA and its worldwide brand is something that also drew me to UCLA. Everywhere you go on the planet, people know about UCLA, and I wanted to be a part of that brand as well. It's definitely something I'm proud of and will cherish my whole life.
Q: Who first got you into the sport of basketball?
A: Growing up in an athletic family, we were always around sports. While both my parents had a tremendous influence on my sports career, I would say my mom was the reason I first got into basketball because she played professionally in Poland.
Q: Do you have any routines you do before a game?
A: In the locker room before the games, I try to visualize what I am going to do. Whether it be going over the scouting report again in my head, our game plan, how I'm going to guard my man, how I'm going to get open, things like that. Another one of my routines is getting extra stretching in since I'm not the most flexible person and it allows me to feel more mobile. The last part of my routine that I am consistent with is I typically say a quick little prayer at some point before the game.
Q: Which of your coaches do you think could play your sport today and why?
A: I would pick Coach (Michael) Lewis. He is the youngest coach on our staff, and he also played at a high level at Indiana University, where he held the record for most career assists while there (second all-time now after Yogi Ferrell passed him). Another reason I would pick Coach Lewis is that he continues to work out and stay in shape. There were times during the season where he would play in drills, and he still has it.
Q: If you could be a dual-sport athlete at UCLA, what other sport would you want to try?
A: Well, I used to be a pretty good swimmer when I was young, and it was actually a difficult decision for me to decide between swimming and basketball. So, if UCLA had a men's swim team that is the sport I would do. But since there is no men's swim team, I would want to TRY out soccer. I've always enjoyed watching soccer, I just didn't play much growing up due to my focus on the other two sports.
Q: If you could pick any other UCLA athlete to try out your sport, who would it be and why?
A: If I had to choose another UCLA athlete to try basketball, I would probably pick someone that does an aquatic sport, just because I would want to see how they translate from the water to land. So I would pick my guy Nicolas Saveljic from the men's water polo team. I think he would do well, though, because he's overall athletic and tall.
Q: What do you miss most about being away from campus?
A: I just miss being around all the people. UCLA is such a special place and all of the students and faculty help make it so special. I miss having in-person interactions and conversations with all of the students and staff. Seeing how motivated many of the people around UCLA are definitely helps motivate me to be the best version of myself. I also miss just walking around campus and seeing all of the activity and feeling the liveliness. There's always something interesting and exciting going on around campus, and I just miss being around the energy.
Q: Do you want to pursue basketball beyond UCLA? If so, can you discuss your interests in possibly playing overseas and potentially in Poland where your parents are from?
A: Yes, I plan on pursuing a basketball career after playing here at UCLA. I was actually getting close to going overseas this summer, but once the lockdowns happened both nationally and in Europe, I decided to delay it until at least next spring because we don't know how this whole situation will play out and how the leagues overseas will handle this pandemic. The European leagues are high-level and very competitive. They are filled with many former and future NBA players, along with many players who played high-level college basketball here in the States. While ideally I would like to play in Spain or Italy, I have thought about potentially playing in Poland. My parents both have a lot of friends that are still involved in athletics in Poland and they know a lot about the clubs. So they can definitely provide some insight for me, not only about the clubs, but also about the cities and just general things to know about the way of life in Poland, if that's where I do end up.
Q: Can you share your experience on the new Transformative Teaching and Coaching graduate program you are a part of?
A: So far I have really enjoyed my experience in the new Transformative Teaching and Coaching graduate program. Going in to the program I was unsure how the curriculum would look and what the classes would be like, but I have really learned a lot about education, teaching, and coaching from the courses. I have also gained a new perspective on coaching and the many tasks that are required to developing athletes into the most well-rounded individuals they can be. I have learned about the difficulty in creating a winning and positive culture within your program, but also how important this is to becoming successful. I think these are lessons that are very applicable to whatever profession it is that I pursue after my playing career.
Q: What do you plan on doing once you finish your masters and finish your basketball career?
A: Once I'm finished with the master's program and my playing career, I hope to utilize the tools and knowledge I've gained from both my education here at UCLA and my athletic career to enter the business and financial world. I have developed a passion for investing and hope to pursue it.
Q: Can you explain how you first became interested with economics?
A: I was actually first introduced to stocks when I was in an advanced placement class in fifth grade and we played "The Stock Market Game" as part of our curriculum. The purpose of this game was to provide the players with the knowledge to participate effectively in the American economic system by being able to make informed investment decisions. The rules of the game were there were teams of three with a hypothetical $100,000 to invest in a 10-week period. During this 10-week period, we were to research and analyze stocks in order to make decisions on which stocks we were to invest in. After the 10-week period was over, we saw how high the value of each teams' stock portfolio was. My team was the top team in elementary schools and one of the top teams in elementary, middle, and high schools in New Mexico. I then began discussing the stock market with my dad every so often, and it eventually developed into me following the stock market regularly since high school. I began to read more about economics and investing. Once I got to UCLA, I met more and more people that were either in the field or interested like me. I still continue to talk to my dad about the market regularly.
Q: With general athletics running in your family; your father Jan competing for the Polish Pentathlon team, your mother Maria playing on the Polish National Basketball team, your older brother Marek playing basketball at Air Force, and your older sister Anna competing in Track and Field at Air Force, who do you think is the most athletic member of your family and why?
A: Well, being the competitive person that I am, of course I'm going to say myself. I don't even have an explanation, like you said my family is athletic, but I'm the most athletic. It's me. (haha)
Q: Can you share how you have been able to stay in shape and cope with the current events of COVID-19?
A: During the lockdown, I stay in shape by going for runs multiple times a week in order to just get out of my apartment. I do some in-home workouts online, such as rumble workouts. If I don't know an online workout, then I try to create my own where I do circuits including upper body, lower body, and core work. I have also been working on my flexibility and mobility by stretching and doing different mobility exercises. I definitely think trying to exercise, if possible, can help alleviate some of the anxieties and stresses that are a result of COVID-19. Even if exercising is not possible, I think just finding some time to yourself where you can do yoga or meditation can help.
Q: With having so much more spare time as of late due to COVID-19, what hobbies do you have outside of basketball and school?
A: I wouldn't necessarily call this a hobby, but having so much time at the apartment has allowed me to reach out and reconnect with a lot of people, which is good. As for hobbies, I have been reading much more than I have in a while. I've been playing some video games, specifically FIFA, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Fortnite.
Q: What is your best UCLA memory?
A: I've had so many good memories at UCLA that I can't define one "best" memory. Whether it be getting to experience new things, nights out with my friends, meeting new people, hanging around our team outside of games and some of the memories we've created, and winning big games, there have definitely been lots of laughs and good times. These are all memories that I will cherish for a lifetime.
Q: If you could redo your experience at UCLA over again, is there anything that you would do differently?
A: I just wouldn't limit myself. I would go in with an open mindset to many different situations. One thing I would definitely do differently is try to do more internships and connect with different types of people in a work environment. Another thing I would do is try to learn more skills that result from being a part of different clubs, whether it be a musical club, theater, or even computer programming.
