What's Up with the Wildcats Patrick O'Connor
Full Name: Patrick Ryan O'Connor
Sport: In high school I played baseball and I also played one year of football and I ran cross country. In college, I played two years of soccer, but basketball is my main sport. What position did you play in baseball and football? I was a pitcher and I played the outfield in baseball. I only played football my freshman year of high school, but I was a safety and wide receiver.
Birthday: April 27, 1989
Hometown: Spencer, MA, right outside Worcester.
High School: David Prouty
Year: Senior
Major: I major in Math and my professional major in Elementary Education and minor in Sports-based Youth Development. What's your career intention? Part of me wants to go to grad school and maybe go into secondary education. I know I'd be a high school math teacher or middle school math teacher or if that doesn't work out, maybe a fifth of sixth grade regular school teacher. I also would like to be a high school basketball coach somewhere, so that would be my afterschool type thing. So, right now, this is perfect with you playing basketball and majoring in education. Yeah, something to put on my resume.
Nickname: Some people call me Oco. It was more popular my
first couple years at Wheelock, but it's kind of dying down, but if
I had to pick a nickname, I guess that's what I'd say.
What do you like most about Wheelock? I love the people and the relationships you build. I've met so many good people. Wheelock has really changed my life. Socially, I've met so many good people. There's so many good opportunities here. The relationships you build are life-long. I'm not one of those people that loves my high school and says "I always want to go back there". I know Wheelock will be that place for me. I'll always have a huge place for Wheelock.
Where is your favorite place on campus? Probably my room in CCSR. I live in 604. I live in a suite with Max Kaim, Jordan Pina and Oginga Walters.
What is your favorite sports team? I'd have to say the New England Patriots. I have three big-time sports teams that I love. I love New England Patriots, Notre Dame Fighting Irish and North Carolina Tarheels. So, how are you recovering? It's been a tough week for you. Yeah, a really bad week and the Celtics lost by one last night, they're not in the same category as the other three teams, but it's been a pretty bad week for me, emotionally with my sports teams. I watch sports a lot. I'm one of those crazy fans.
Who is your favorite athlete? Right now, I'd have to say Harrison Barnes. He's my favorite player. Most players in college basketball go there for a year and they leave, but Harrison Barnes has a very good reputation. He's a good person and cares about his school work as well as his phenomenal basketball ability I just think he's a good person to look up to. He's going to be a good pro some day.
Editor's Note: The first part of this interview was conducted the week after the Super Bowl, the rest was completed a week later.
What is something that most people don’t know
about you? I went to see Mariah Carey in concert, which is
the only concert I've ever been to. When did you see
her? I saw her the night we finally beat Elms. Yeah, I saw
her down near Emerson in the theater district. It was a date with a
girlfriend I'm no longer dating. I didn't want to go, but I had
to.
Where is your favorite vacation spot? Cape Cod. I have a house in Eastham, Massachusetts. I go there like at the very least once a month, I think. In the Summer, we're there all the time. How long have you been doing that? I've gone to the Cape at least once a year my whole life. My family just really likes the Cape. We just got the house in 2009, so we've gone more frequently since we bought the vacation house.
What accomplishment are you most proud of in your sport? I'm not actually sure. I have multiple feelings on that, because being the best player on my high school team, just being a known player around where I lived and I was pretty successfully, personally in high school, but then the fact that I was just able to extend my career to the end and play four years in college. It's not an easy thing to do every day. It's a big time commitment and Coach Levangie always reminds us that less than three percent of kids who play high school basketball even play at the Division III level, so the fact that I played 15 years means something. I love basketball and I know I don't get a lot of playing time, but I'm so passionate about basketball. I just think the longevity of my career and the fact that I was able to continue playing every day. You know, in the Summers, work hard every day, get better, no matter what. Just for me to get better. I just love playing the game. Part of me wants to say in high school, because that was really when I had my best accolades. I was an All-Star twice and plus I played on some very good AAU teams. I have kind of mixed feelings I guess. I had 29 points in a big rivalry game my sophomore year. It was shown on local cable access in the opposite town. It was Leicester, Massachusetts where Becker is. I went to David Prouty in Spencer, so it was called the Battle of Breezy Bend, because there's this area in Breezy Bend. We got the tape of their local access broadcast and my cousin actually played for Leicester. Not at the time, though. I eventually played against him, but it was only my sophomore year. They called me the MVP of the Battle of Breezy Bend, so that was pretty cool.
What is your favorite holiday? Thanksgiving, because I love to eat, I love to watch football and family is really important to me. I love my family.
Bacon bits or croutons? Bacon bits. Why bacon
bits? Croutons are too plain and I like bacon. I don't
even know if I've even had bacon bits, but I don't really like
croutons, but I would definitely like bacon bits
better.
Would you rather live in a log cabin or downtown? Downtown. I really like the city. I'm going to really miss it when I move home. Where's your favorite place in city? The Faneuil Hall area because I just like the atmosphere. The way a city works with different people around for so many reasons. I just really love it. I'm not used to that at home. It's so quiet. It's sooo quiet. I live in the woods. I can really appreciate the city and how the pace it moves at and just the whole area.
What does community service mean to you? Giving back. It's an important thing to do, because when you give something like community serice, you're making the World a better place. It's important for all of us to give back, especially for more fortunate people, because in my mind it's just the right thing to do, you know. Good people do that. The more community service we do, the more good deeds we do, the better it's going to be in the world today and in society. You get that feeling when you do something right. I think if more people get that feeling, they might act nicer or continue to do more things like that and it's something that can really be addicting I think. Especially at Wheelock College, a lot of people are very selfless and do a lot of community service. I've heard of so many stories of girls teaching in schools in other countries. That's just really a big thing to show that dedication to other people. Maybe not even less fortunate, but just those who might need it.
Do you have any pets? I have a dog named Bradley that is a puppy. I'm not sure, I think he's 10 months old. What kind of a dog is Bradley? A golden retriever. Have you always had dogs? I've always had dogs. I had a dog that died when I was very young. Then we got another dog, who I was fortunate to grow up with for 12 years. He was my best friend. I loved that dog more than anything. Still miss him. This dog now is nuts, so makes me appreciate that I had another dog that was such a good dog.
What is your favorite movie or movies? Favorite movie is
"Remember the Titans". Just love the message it sends. The way
people come together. It's sort of kind of like, in a different
light, it's like that community service aspect when like people
just figure out how to do the right thing and come together. The
thing that moves me isn't even the fact that they (*spoiler
alert*) win at the end. That football team affected that
society. That girl that was not open to accepting people who were
different, she saw the football team how they grew as people and
came together and she said that's the right thing to do. She went
up to Julius with bravery and said, "I was wrong". I think that's
one reason why I love the movie, because that's one thing we can do
in sports. Diana (Cutaia) when she emails us, she has this quote, I
forget what it is, but it's something along the lines of like
"sports and affect change" Don't quote me, I have no idea what the
quote is for sure, but it's something like that sends the same type
of message. That's one thing I love about sports is like when
things come together, it really can change people and give good
life lessons like that.
What is your favorite artist or band? Adele. I'm not a big music person. I usually just listen to like commercial music. My roommate Jordan Pina loves Lil' Wayne. He could tell you everything about Lil' Wayne. I have no idea, I'm not passionate about a music person like that, because my head is so geared towards sports. I could tell you so many things about sports. Definitely Adele. Me and my roommates will sit there and listen to Adele. Last night (February 16) we came back after a tough loss and listened to Adele. So, she just, I don't know, she just makes me feel better or sometimes when I'm upset. You stay upset, but it's something that helps you cope with the things.
Favorite pre-game song to get pumped up? I don't necessarily have a favorite pre-game song. "Work Out" is my favorite song. I can listen to it and it can affect me any way I listen to it. I listen to it on the way to practicum. I listen to it before my game. Work Out by J. Cole. That's just my favorite song. In high school, we came out as a team...our gym was sort of nicknamed "The Jungle", so we came out to "Welcome to the Jungle". In high school when I was not playing my highest level, but sort of getting the most accolades and I really was the guy on my team, "Crazy Train" really pumped me up before games. We would listen to "Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne. I had never heard it, but then I heard it my sophomore year and I started to listen to it. We put it on our tape for the first time, the rivalry game that I scored 29 points. I don't really listen to it anymore, for one reason or whatever, but in high school after that I just listened to it before every game.
Pepsi or Coke? Coke. I don't know. I just like Coke
better.
Favorite Cereal? Frosted Flakes. Whenever it's in the cafe, I love Frosted Flakes. I know that Jordan, he's my roommate, he talks to Dee in the cafe and he always gets the Frosted Flakes from her. Whenever she gives it, we just love Frosted Flakes. We go wild for it.
What is your favorite city or town? Definitely, Boston. Like I said, most of my favorite sports teams are here. Except, I don't like Boston College athletics. I love Wheelock so much that it's here. I love the atmosphere. It's got the city-like atmosphere and it's just the place that I really like.
What is your favorite ice cream? Mint Chocolate Chip. Do you have a favorite place that you get that from? Yeah, it's called Dresser Hill and it is in Dudley, Massachusetts. I played and coached in a JV summer league. When I was in middle school I played in the league and after every game I got the ice cream. Then when I was in high school, I coached in the JV summer league when I was on the high school team and I always used to get that after every game.
How many foreign countries have you been to? Zero. I never left the country. Do you have a place that you want to go to? I want to go to Ireland. I don't even know if I could trace back my roots. I don't even know if it's because I'm Irish. I think Ireland just looks like and interesting place. I've seen pictures of different things, not even like specific things, just the scenery sort of. If I had to pick, I've never really put a lot of thought into going to a foreign country, but I think Ireland would be the place I would want to go if I had to pick.
If it could rain something other than rain, what would it
rain? Uh, Starburst Gummiburst. I love them! It's in a
blue package in the school store and I absolutely love them! I
think other students love them too, because whenever the school
store gets new shipments, I go in there, and I have prac, so I
don't get there right away, like whenever they get the shipments
and there's only like two packages left, so I get very frustrated
with that.
Who is your favorite Sesame Street character? Cookie Monster, because I like cookies. I love my grandmother's cookies.
Hats or no hats? Definitely not in the hat club. I really don't like wearing hats. They're very uncomfortable to me, but if it's really cold out, I'll wear a hat. It has to be really cold out for me to wear a hat, though, because it's like you don't want to get sick. Fortunately, I haven't had to wear a hat this year. I don't even think I've had to wear a hat since I've been at Wheelock. I just hate hats, I don't know why. The thing is in high school, I was definitely a hat guy, like I wore hats all the time. My friends like can't believe it. If they hear about me wearing a hat or something like that, they're like, "What the heck, you wear a hat?" They know me as the guy that doesn't wear hats. I think somebody called me "No Hat Pat". I don't know.
Morning or night? Probably night. Why night? Just I enjoy the dark. I don't know. One thing about the city I like, it goes back to that, is I really like the lights of the city. I think when places are lit up at night, I really enjoy that. Just nice to look at, I guess. I don't know.
Peanut Butter: Crunchy or creamy? Crunchy. Why crunchy? I just like to chew on the crunchy. I don't know, I like the feeling of crunchy peanut butter.
Favorite Season? Fall. I love the Fall. The Fall for a lot of reasons. I love the way the leaves are. I love the scenery. I'm going to miss this a lot, but one thing about Fall I miss is like the energy of coming back to Wheelock. Just the new "We're Back" kind of beginning of the year. It's just such a great thing to enjoy. In Fall, two great things happen. Football season begins and I am the biggest Patriots fan and also October 15th, college basketball starts. So, two things that definitely begin. Also, Fall is kind of like, "Okay, it's time to go to work" I'm going to be a teacher someday, so it's kind of the start of, this is what you're going to do.
Who's your favorite Family Guy character? Brian. Why Brian? First of all, he's an intelligent dog. It's very interesting. He's just so sarcastically funny. I'm not a big Family Guy fan. I don't dislike it, I just don't really watch much television. If the television is on, I'm watching college basketball, a football game or the Red Sox or something on the history of sports. I mean, I've watched Family Guy before. I've watched five straight episodes on TBS. It's a funny show. I know how much some people we know love Family Guy.
