On October 25, I had the chance to swing by the London Lightning's practice. With their regular season home opener on November 3 at the John Labatt Centre just a week away, I was fortunate enough to snag Fanshawe alum Pat Sewell for a quick Q&A.

Standing at 6'5," 26-year-old Sewell is one of two Canadian players on the National Basketball League team. The Short Forward has been called a "beast" by Coach Michael Ray Richardson, and given Sewell's career, it's easy to see why.

Can you tell me a little bit about how you got into playing basketball and describe your career so far?
"I pretty much got into it as soon as I could start walking. My dad was on the back-to-back national championship team at Fanshawe back in '80 and '81, and so as soon as I could pick up a ball, he had me shooting. I played a couple years OBA (Ontario Basketball Association). I went to South (Secondary School), and my last year at South we won the championship at the cities and WOSSAA.

"Then I came to Fanshawe from high school and played there for three years. My last year was my most successful; we went undefeated, won provincials and won our first game at nationals. I blew my ankle in the last quarter of the first game, and that was all she wrote for a bit. I had a year off and then I went to the University of Toronto to finish off my basketball career — didn't do too well there actually, but what can you do? And then I took another year off; I thought my playing days at the competitive level were over. I played in the city league, nothing too crazy, and then (London Lightning) started up and here we are."

Which of your coaches has influenced you the most?
"Well, probably at Fanshawe, Glenn Johnston. He took me from a scrawny little 19-year-old to a 22-year-old superstar — at the time."

What does being on the London Lightning team mean to you?
"It's a dream come true. What else can I ask for, I'm playing at home professionally."

What would you be doing if you weren't playing basketball?
"Well, I graduated from Construction at Fanshawe, so that's what I was doing prior to this. I was currently trying to become a police officer, so that's kind of on hold right now."

What are your hobbies?
"Sports! I've also played volleyball, badminton, bowling, pool everything and anything athletic. That's what I enjoy doing."

Which basketball player do you admire most, whether they're in the NBA or any other league?
"I've never really had a favourite player or team or anything like that as I was growing up, just because I was always on the go myself. I played OVA (Ontario Volleyball Association) volleyball, I played volleyball in high school, stuff like that, so I never really attached myself to any player or team. I guess I just mostly looked up to my parents."

What are your future goals on the court?
"Well, it's hard to say really. I didn't think I'd get to this point and here I am, so I'm just taking it in."

Lastly, do you have any advice for young basketball players and current Fanshawe Falcons?
"Train hard; off season is huge. You can accomplish anything. When I was at Fanshawe, my first two years I never really trained. It was after my second year I was like, 'Alright, I want a championship, I know what I need to do,' and I trained every single day, always in the gym working out, getting shots up and it paid off. We went undefeated, I got named player of the year; it couldn't have been any better."

Tickets for the November 3 London Lightning regular season home opener against the Halifax Rainmen are available at lightningbasketball.ca and johnlabattcentre.com.