(Ryan Algier is a Data Science and Business major from Fairport, NY. He was named to two All-America teams last year (NABC and DIIINews) and is a pre-season All-America choice by Basketball Times.)

Sophomore year, you were a key player up front appearing in all 27 games, including two in the NCAA playoffs. What did you work on in the off-season following sophomore year to get ready for your junior season?
I of course worked a lot on my strength, agility, shooting and everything else, but truly the biggest difference was my mentality. We graduated 6 seniors after my sophomore year and all of those guys were key contributors for us. All the returners knew we were going to have to step up to fill the holes the seniors left. It was a big mentality shift to become much more aggressive and take on more of a leadership role for all of us, but we did a great job of taking on the challenge.
 
You broke out early last season – 54 points and 22 rebounds in two wins in the Mark's Pizzeria Tournament. What got you going?
Those games are really special for me and that tournament is amazing. Being a local of Rochester and growing up playing with and against a lot of the players in that tournament specifically always adds a little something. It always great to see how everyone is doing and progressing in their game too.
 
At 6-10, you usually have a height advantage over opponents. What do they try to do to prevent you from dominating inside?
Everything they can think of. Luckily, a lot of guys aren't as tall as me but almost all of them are stronger and they certainly use that to their advantage. I'm getting a lot more comfortable banging with those guys inside, but I can tell you I'm often feeling it the next day. Once the adrenaline from the game wears off, you can find me in bed trying to recuperate for the next day.
 
You hit eight threes last season. Will this be a part of the arsenal?
Hopefully haha. I've been working on it a lot and it helps open up the floor for me and my teammates. As long as it's the right shot for the team, I'll definitely throw some up this year.
 
In the past two years, you have 80 total blocks (86 for your career). What's the key to successfully block a shot?
Being 6'10" and having really long arms is a great starting point. But it's definitely more important to stay straight up and contest; only block the shot if you can do it cleanly. Staying out of foul trouble keeps you on the floor longer which naturally adds up to more blocks. My dad would be disappointed if I didn't mention I learned a lot of it from him and that he is the all-time leading shot blocker at Geneseo, but it really comes down to the height thing.
 
You have a double major in Data Science and Business. Where do you hope Data Science will take you?
I haven't nailed down where I really want to go yet, but there are several things that excite me. I think combining my passion of basketball and working on analytics for sports teams would be incredible, but I also would enjoy working with a team of data scientists in a more traditional office setting. I think there is still so much to learn about all the information available to us in the world and I want to be a part of that learning process.
 
And how does business fit into that?
I picked up business to learn some more applications of data science and how companies work to use the information. I felt like knowing how to crunch numbers was valuable but understanding some more of the applications of it and understanding the underlying principles of why companies need the information can really take me to that next level.
 
What plans do you have for VSAAC this year?
We are really just getting started back up and trying to lock down our ideas. Many of our annual plans like blood drives and community fundraising events might not be possible this year so we are trying to get creative. We are still going to have league wide SAAC conferences virtually and I think I will be participating in the UAA one with a few other members soon. As a whole, we would like to possibly bring in some speakers and discuss the current social justice issues we are facing as both a nation and Rochester community. I also think this could be a big year for VSAAC to just bring athletes together since so many of us are facing similar difficulties with sports restrictions due to COVID.
 
Has the St. Sebastian Society drawn up its community service programs for this year?
We had some good plans coming into the year, but a lot of our stuff has been postponed indefinitely. Unfortunately, our jail mentoring programs and work with the Boys and Girls Clubs has been deemed a no-go as of right now. We hope to put together at least one in-person event this year but we are still working out what we can do safely. There are a lot of creative thinkers in the group and I know we will end up with some good ideas.
 
You are a member of the UR Late Night Committee. What does the committee do?
The committee provides funding and support for groups putting on events during the "late night" hours. All of the events we sponsor take place on Friday and Saturday nights from around 10pm-1am. These are always pretty cool events that give students an opportunity to hang out with friends and meet new people in ways that don't revolve around traditional college parties. My personal favorite that we have done in the past is grocery bingo where you actually win like a Wegmans bag full of groceries.
 
Which courses have you taken previously that you've really enjoyed?
Looking back, I enjoyed a lot of the coding classes I have taken for data science. While I was taking them I don't think I would've told you that, but being done with them, I can appreciate the work I put in and have some neat projects that I've made. My cluster courses in English classes, particularly with Professor Memmott, were fantastic too. I met some great people in those classes and improved significantly as a writer.
 
What are you taking this semester that is interesting?
I am a TA for the first time this year for a data mining class, which has been something I've always wanted to try but has been difficult to fit into my schedule. Everything going online has really opened up some flexibility in everything which is a nice silver-lining I guess.
 
What are your goals following graduation?
At this point I honestly have no idea. So much is uncertain and I'm trying to keep all my options open. I'm thinking about doing a take5 or e5 program, applying to grad school, looking for a job or continuing my playing career perhaps overseas if that's an option. My real goal is to figure out what I am going to and commit to doing whatever it may be as well as I possibly can.