South Elgin graduate Vincent Miszkiewicz didn’t expect his college journey to be this long of a road, but he feels like he has finally found the right spot.
After playing a season at NCAA Division I Incarnate Word and another at Division II Purdue Northwest, Miszkiewicz made the decision to transfer back to the Division I level and play at Milwaukee.
Miszkiewicz will have three years of eligibility remaining for the Panthers. He’s scheduled to sit out the upcoming season, pending a waiver request he has sent to the NCAA. He has been on campus for three weeks.
“I wanted to expand my game more, so I went to Purdue Northwest,” Miszkiewicz said. “And after that, I wanted to play at the highest level. I want to use the skills I learned at those schools and help a team make a run in the NCAA Tournament.
“With the core we have back, the transfers and the freshmen, I feel like we can really go far. Depending on what happens (with the waiver), I’m always ready to go.”
Miszkiewicz saw plenty of time as a freshman at Incarnate Word, mostly as a post presence. He transferred to Purdue Northwest hoping to expand his game on the perimeter.
He averaged 12.3 points and 11.5 rebounds last season, earning first team all-conference honors.
“My plan was to stay at Purdue Northwest, but I felt I could improve myself even more here,” Miszkiewicz said of Milwaukee. “I felt I did a great job over there, but I feel like I can be more consistent playing better competition.”
Miszkiewicz is steadfast in his goal of playing professional basketball one day. He feels this will take him one step closer to that goal.
“Everybody’s route is different, but the goal is the same,” Miszkiewicz said. “When I got out of high school, I wanted to go to one school and play better. You learn a lot of things about what you want and it takes time.
“Sometimes, it won’t happen at one school and you have to go to another. That’s what happened with me. I feel like this is going to be my last stop.”
Throughout his journey, Miszkiewicz has grown more comfortable as a player.
“I have been getting more confident, stronger,” Miszkiewicz said. “The college game has slowed down for me. It was a rough transition that summer at Incarnate Word. The pace of play is such a high level from high school.
“Once I picked that up, it’s good.”
Milwaukee made waves in the recruiting world by inking the son of Panthers coach Pat Baldwin.
Patrick Baldwin Jr. was one of the top recruits in the country, a five-star small forward who was recruited by such Division I powers Duke and Florida.
“Everybody is trying to find their role now so we can be the most successful team,” Miszkiewicz said. “Spending more time with them and playing together, we’re going to be a dominant force in Milwaukee.”
In his short time in Milwaukee, he knows how passionate the city is about basketball. Miszkiewicz and his teammates recently took in a Milwaukee Bucks playoff game.
Miszkiewicz hopes the Panthers can spark that kind of support.
“The fans are into it,” Miszkiewicz said. “I didn’t know about their fans. They love their basketball up here. When you have support like that, it gets me pumped up and ready to go.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
