Asked while home during Christmas break how his season was going, Waleskowski laughed and said: “I’m getting paid. That’s a plus. You hear so many stories over there, that’s a major part of it.”
The Alter High School graduate is a star for Tezenis Verona, which has a 3-9 record. He’s second on the team in scoring (12.9) and first in rebounding (8.6).
His stout board work shouldn’t surprise anyone. Making up for his lack of hops with intensity and a nose for the ball, the 6-foot-9 forward led the Flyers in rebounding four straight years from 2000-04 with a high of 9.9 per game as a senior.
Waleskowski and his wife (the former Chrissy Donovan, who played for the UD women’s team) watched the Flyers notch a win at UD Arena in late December. They were joined at the game by two of their three young children.
Asked to assess the current Flyers, he said: “They’re athletic, that’s for sure. I think they’re still looking to find an identity and finding their roles and getting a good feeling for each other. From what I understand, they’re pretty young ... and some new guys play a lot of minutes. It takes some time to get used to that, especially with the speed and intensity they play at. It’s different than they’ve ever played before.”
Although he played for coach Brian Gregory, reaching the NCAA tournament as a senior in Gregory’s first year, Waleskowski was taken aback by UD’s relentless pace. When he and teammate Sean Finn, a 7-footer who plays professionally in Switzerland, carried the load for the Flyers, they were much more of a half-court team.
“I think that’s the reason they play like they do — because they’ve got guys who are more athletic than when we were here,” said Waleskowski, who has spent five years in Spain and two in Italy. “I couldn’t play in the systems they have now.”
While Waleskowski’s humility is admirable, he may be underestimating himself. He’s sixth on the UD career rebounding list, and there always will be a spot on Gregory’s teams for anyone who can produce like that.
Contact this writer at (937) 225-2125 or dharris@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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