This week, I had the honor of sitting down with the one and only Rusty Reigel. A true gentleman, he found a few minutes to spare inside of his jampacked schedule to answer some random and often absurd questions about himself for our reading pleasure. Yes, he’s easy on the eyes, but he’s also a great conversationalist and an overall fun guy to be around. He may wear #32 on the basketball court, but he’s #1 in our hearts!
Name: Rusty Reigel
Year: 2018
Major: Probably Economics, with a minor in Philosophy
PCC Affiliation: Phi Delta Theta
Campus Activities: Basketballing
Relationship status: Single
Do you have any nicknames? “I have a couple. One of them’s Big Tex. When I was younger, in middle school, we used to go and play basketball at the church in my neighborhood, and I was really fat when I was younger, and I would eat a Big Texas Cinnamon Bun and drink a Yoohoo between every game, and so everybody at the gym called me Big Tex, and it’s stuck with me ever since. On the team they call me fat or chunk sometimes, that’s kind of funny. Me and Gibby have the chubby nicknames.”
What’s your pregame routine? “During the day I nap, and I have a coffee before every game, and then when I get to the gym I get in the hot tub with Nathan Ekwu.”
How many tries would it take you to make the $10,000 challenge, where you have to make a layup, free throw, three pointer, and half court shot in 25 seconds? “If you gave me five tries I bet I could do it. Wait, is it timed? [You have 25 seconds.] Oooh. I don’t know. I grew up a Davidson fan coming to the games, and I got the [chance] one time but I wasn’t allowed to do it because I was in high school, so I’ve actually thought about it, but timed, maybe like 10 tries.”
Would you rather be feared or loved? “Definitely loved.”
What’s your favorite part about the Davidson student section? “I really liked the swimmers last year with the speedos, but I feel like everybody says that. I like how hype everybody gets when they play Sandstorm before tipoff. And then obviously D Block just because I know all of those guys.”
What’s your biggest pet peeve? “Losing to Gibby in FIFA.”
Would you change anything about Davidson? “Not really. I love it here. My brother, my dad, and my mom went here, so I was pretty much destined to go here from day one.”
What’s the hardest part about away games? “The travel itself. Sometimes we get back at like 1:00 a.m. and then we have an 8:00 a.m. lift or a 9:00 a.m. class. Or just getting all your stuff together before you leave. You’ll have class and then practice, and before practice you’ve gotta pack. I always end up forgetting something.”
How does Coach McKillop keep his hair in such prime condition? “I don’t know. I want to know how he does it. I look at it sometimes and I’m like how does it sit like that? He’s got it at the perfect length every day, never one hair out of place. It’s a mystery.”
Did you have any weird childhood hobbies? “I was obsessed with airsoft guns. I was obsessed with Vikings. I would dress up with my friends and play around. That was weird.”
What’s your perfect date? “That’s tough. I’m a pretty laidback guy so I’m more just like, get a good dinner, go out to a good movie and just kind of relax. I’m not really extravagant.”
How do you feel about Sunday’s game at UNC? “For me, growing up in North Carolina and being a Davidson fan, I was always stuck in the middle of Duke and UNC, and it was like ‘aw, Davidson sucks,’ at least that’s what everybody would say. Hopefully we can prove ourselves this weekend. If we could pull that one out, that would be insane.”