Q&A with Owls' freshman forward Jarelle Reischel

Posted: October 30, 2011 - 12:03pm CDT.

HRR chat w/ Rice Owls' Jarelle Reischel

Jarelle Reischel, is one of six freshman on the 2011-'12 Rice Owls basketball team. Reischel, 6'6", 212 pounds, was born in Germany; however, he played his high school ball in New Jersey.

Reischel averaged 22.1 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 3.9 steals and 1.5 blocks in his senior year at Point Pleasant Beach high school.

HRR: I see you were born in Germany. What's the story behind that?

Jarelle: My dad is a military guy. My mom is German. I always wanted to play high school ball in America. My dad had a friend in New Jersey who told me to go to Jersey and play high school basketball and get an education; so, I came over to the States.

HRR: So, you've been in America since high school?

Jarelle: I came over my sophomore year of high school.

HRR: What do you well on the basketball court?

Jarelle: On the court, I think I'm just a very competitive guy. I like to play hard; and, I put my team before myself. If I play, I play for the win. I don't care how many points I score or how many rebounds I have. As long as the final stat is a 'w', I'm happy.

HRR: How did you hear about Rice?

Jarelle: I heard about Rice from Coach (Marco) Morcos because he's one of the first people to start recruiting me. We had a great relationship. Then, I came on an official visit; and, I really enjoyed it because it reminded me of my high school because it's a small school with great academics.
I thought I'd fit in really well (at Rice); and, that's why I ended up here.

HRR: Had you heard about Rice before?

Jarelle: No, not really because, coming from Germany, I really didn't have a lot of ideas about many colleges in America in the beginning. Rice was something new to me that I had to look into; and, when I made my visit, I really enjoyed it and I committed to Rice.

HRR: How long have you been in Houston?

Jarelle: I came over this summer. I graduated high school in June; and, I arrived at Rice soon after that.

HRR: Have you adjusted to college life? How's everything going?

Jarelle: Everything is going well. The hardest thing for me about Houston to adjust to was probably the heat. I wasn't used to it at all because New Jersey is kind of hot; but, Germany is very cold. So, adjusting to the heat was the hardest thing for me.

HRR: How's practice gone for you?

Jarelle: Practice has gone very well. Everybody is working hard; and, everybody is on the same page. I think we're really focused this season, especially with the upperclassmen doing a great job leading us and helping us out in every way possible. I think practice is going very well right now.

HRR: Have the coaches told you what they expect from you this season?

Jarelle: Just to play hard and give it my all. Push the upperclassmen and do the little things and be consistent everyday.

HRR: Who's going against Arsalan in practice?

Jarelle: Different guys. I go against him. Everybody gets their turn against him. We just try to push him and not take it easy. Push him and make him work for his points, rebounds, and stuff like that.

HRR: Give me your thoughts on Arsalan?

Jarelle: Great player. Great competitor. A competitive guy. He loves to rebound. He plays hard every time. He leads by example. He's not really vocal; but, he leads by example. He's an easy guy to be around. He's a great teammate overall.