Q & A: Chase Husted on His Time With the DIII US National Team in Brazil

HUNTINGDON, Pa.- Juniata men's basketball standout Chase Husted (DuBois, Pa. / DuBois Area) had the opportunity to play for the USA D-3 Men's Select Basketball team over the summer. Below is a brief Q and A on his time with the team. 

1. What was your favorite part of your 10 days as a member of the USA D-3 Men's Select Basketball team?

            My favorite part of my ten days as a member of the USA D-3 Men's basketball team was getting to meet and become good friends with players like me, who play in different places all over the country. The friendships we made over those ten days are going to last a long time. Some of us have already had conversations about getting back together sometime soon. Another favorite part of the trip for me was just getting to play and represent the USA in such a cool place. The places we played and the people we played with were so cool, and it was really interesting to do so.

2. What did you and the rest of the team do over your ten days in Rio de Janeiro beyond playing the four games? 

            Beyond playing games in Rio de Janeiro, the rest of the team and I went and visited many popular sites known to Rio. Some sites we visited were the Statue of Christ, also known as Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf Mountain, and the Lapa steps. Our hotel was also on Copacabana Beach, so we got to spend some time on the beach and swimming in the ocean.

3. What was the biggest adjustment for you playing with international rules? 

            The biggest adjustment for me and my teammates while playing with international rules was that when inbounding the ball on the sideline, you couldn't inbound the ball to the backcourt. You could only inbound the ball in the frontcourt. That was tough because we didn't have as much room as we usually would to get the ball in. You couldn't run back and get it in case you needed to inbound it safely. 

4. What surprised you the most while you were there?

            The thing that surprised me the most while in Rio was the way the people accepted us and treated us with nothing but kindness. There was obviously a huge language barrier between our team and all the locals, but that didn't affect the way we were treated, and they still made us feel so welcomed. Even people on the street were very kind and helped us out in any way we needed. 

5. What was the most impactful part of the trip for you? 

            The most impactful part of the trip for me happened on the first day we were in Rio. We worked at a youth basketball camp for young kids in the city who had an interest in playing basketball. They all lit up when they saw us, and you could tell how much it meant to them for us to work with them. I think we as Americans don't realize how good we have it, and we can take what we have for granted because some of these kids didn't even have the right size shoes to wear. The court we had the camp at was also the only court these kids had to play on, and I think we even take having courts around for granted. We also got the opportunity to give the kids lightly worn basketball shirts that no longer fit us, and you could tell how much getting a shirt meant to them. This experience was very impactful, as it showed to me that we should be grateful for everything we have because we have it so much better than a lot of people.

6. How do you think this trip enhanced your collegiate experience overall but also specifically your basketball experience? 

            This trip enhanced my collegiate experience by showing me how lucky I am to be able to play at such a great school like Juniata College. It has made me see how good we have it, and I am very grateful for what Juniata College has given me with both academics and athletics. This trip specifically has enhanced my basketball experience by giving me a chance to see how different the game is for different people all over the world. That being said, this trip has also shown me more of the love for the game of basketball people share, and it has shown me how strong it is and how it can bring people together from all over. 

7. What made you want to take up this opportunity when you were informed about it and did it live up to what you were expecting? 

            When I was informed that I was invited to be a part of this opportunity, I honestly didn't think it was real. When I found out it was real, there was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to go. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I wasn't going to miss out on this. Not a lot of people will ever be able to say they've been to Rio de Janeiro, let alone played basketball in Rio, so I knew I had to take advantage of this opportunity. The trip was more than I ever expected it to be. Everything was much greater than I thought it could be, and I am so grateful to have been blessed with this opportunity.

8. Of the four opponents you played against: Clube Regattas Fluminense, Botafogo Clube under 21, Celso Lisboa University, and Jacarepagua, which game did you feel you played the best, and what enabled that success? 

            Of the four opponents I played against, I think I had my best overall performance against Botafogo Clube. I came out and scored our first basket of that game and continued to score throughout the game, but we were down in the first quarter. I was going up against a six-foot, nine-inch player from France, and he was very good and probably their best player, and I played him very well. We all played very well together as a team in that game too. I think what enabled this success was that I was a little nervous while playing in the first game against Fluminese, so in the second game against Botafogo, I just played with more confidence and told myself to enjoy it and have fun.

9. What was your favorite thing you ate while on the trip?

            It wasn't that I had a favorite food that I ate while on the trip, but I did have a favorite restaurant that we went to while we were on the trip. On one of our last nights, we ate dinner at a Brazilian steakhouse called Fogo de Chāo. The waiters would bring out any type of meat you could think of. They would have the meat on long, silver rods, and they would cut the meat off for you right in front of you if you wanted some. It was very cool to have eaten at a real Brazilian steakhouse.

10. What can you transfer from playing during the Brazil trip to the 2022-23 Juniata basketball campaign?  

            One thing I can transfer from playing during the Brazil trip to my season at Juniata College this year is the level of physicality that I experience while playing in Rio. The referees didn't make many calls, and they let us play. I will take back this level of physicality to Juniata this year and allow it to help me play better through contact and to be more physical offensively and defensively. 

11. What did you learn during the trip that you may bring back and teach your teammates?

            One thing I got a better feel for while playing in Rio that I can bring back to teach my teammates at Juniata College is the importance of trusting your teammates. My team in Brazil had never played together because we were from all over the United States, so we had to learn how to trust each other and know that our teammates would make the right plays to help the team. 

12. Would you recommend this experience to your teammates?

            I would definitely recommend this experience to any of my teammates. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and everything about the trip was awesome. I have nothing bad to say about the whole trip. I would love to see one of my teammates get the chance to have the same experience.