In Episode 79 of the Hoopsfix Podcast, we sit down with one of the most highly regarded UK prospects, 2003 born and Class of 2021's Jeremy Sochan.
00:00 Intro
02:29 Beginning of interview
03:02 How he first picked up a ball
05:10 His parents basketball background
06:01 Memories of watching his dad play for Bristol Flyers
06:40 Whether his parents - both former players - encouraged him to play
07:14 The point he realised he was pretty decent as a player
07:40 His first appearance on Hoopsfix
08:28 When his growth spurt happened
08:50 Playing in conference national league in Milton Keynes
09:19 Being coached by his mum
10:00 Making the decision to leave Milton Keynes to go to Southampton in Year 11 and play for Solent
11:38 The European clubs that came recruiting him from a young age in the UK
12:17 Why he chose Solent instead of another program
13:14 What the initial plan was when he went back to Southampton
13:15 Whether his eyes were always on going overseas
14:16 Going from playing in conference competitions to NBL D1 Men's and EABL
15:11 Why he wanted to overseas and leave the UK
15:47 Why he ended up representing Poland and not Great Britain at the European Championships
18:05 The conversations with GB about choosing Poland
19:03 GB will regret not sorting Sochan's passport
19:14 Playing against GB in the Europeans
19:50 Not playing with his friends for Poland in the same way as it would have been for GB
20:20 His first summer at the Europeans in 2018 with Poland
21:16 Learning his role with Poland and getting used to fluctuating minutes
22:26 What the year in Southampton did with Solent did for his development
23:38 Single biggest thing he took from his time with Solent
24:26 Whether he's a player who rises to the occasion
24:52 His 31 point, 15 rebound performance in the EABL as a 15 year old vs Barking Abbey
26:44 His dunk and trash talking
27:53 Whether he felt other teams were zoning in on him
28:25 Whether British basketball has a lot of haters
29:35 Whether a lot of younger players message him
30:11 The decision to go to La Lumiere High School
31:48 Whether he made the decision before the Europeans
32:17 Winning the MVP and leading Poland to Division A promotion at the 2019 Europeans
33:17 Whether he can speak Polish
33:45 The point at which colleges started recruiting him
34:53 Was it a big deal to start getting college offers
35:56 What has kept him grounded
37:02 Being well travelled
37:40 Why he wanted to go to La Lumiere
38:21 How the American High School system works
40:16 Players that he played against
41:04 The transition from the UK to the US
42:19 The level of athleticism in the US
43:27 The level of high school basketball in the US
44:01 Whether La Lumiere lived up to his expectations
45:00 Whether High School basketball increased his confidence
45:55 How he felt about the level of attention he started getting
46:53 Whether colleges recruiting him became overwhelming
48:02 How he feels about individual player rankings in the US
50:39 Whether he used rankings as a motivating factor
51:40 How high his ceiling is and how good he thinks he could be
52:26 Never getting to compete in the Geico Nationals due to COVID-19
53:08 COVID-19 taking away a bunch of opportunities in the summer for his exposure
54:50 Why he committed to Baylor so early
55:53 Having to play out of position at La Lumiere
58:29 Whether he's been on any physical visits to schools because of COVID-19
59:31 Zoom tours and COVID-19 proof recruitment techniques
1:00:10 The best thing that happened whilst being recruited
1:01:31 What it was about Baylor that made him want to go there
1:03:04 What he is most looking forward to about going to Baylor
1:03:53 How much he is contact with Baylor now
1:04:34 COVID-19 hitting and when he got back to the UK
1:06:06 How he decided to sign in Europe this season and return from the US
1:08:55 What ratiopharm ulm said to make him sign with them
1:11:03 His typical daily schedule in Germany
1:11:57 What he's doing for education
1:13:07 How far into the season he is so far
1:14:09 His living arrangements in Germany
1:14:22 His schedule for season
1:15:21 His plans for next summer
1:17:22 Other top players of his generation
1:18:31 Whether he follows British basketball when he is overseas
1:19:06 Whether he thinks it could be an option to leave college early and declare for the NBA