ASST. COPY EDITOR
NICOLE RUSSO

Some of the adjustments have been easier than others.

“The thing that is killing me the most here is there are no good places for Mexican food,” freshman Brandon Rosenthal, a guard on the St. John Fisher basketball team, said. “I lived off of Mexican food my entire life. My roommates and a few friends took me to a Mexican restaurant downtown and it was awful. A place like that in Arizona wouldn't stay open longer then 20 minutes.”

Rosenthal, along with forward Matt Haley, is one of two freshmen on the roster who have taken a unique journey. Both came to Fisher from Arizona, over 2,000 miles away. Rosenthal, a native of Tucson, graduated from Catalina High School. Haley attended Desert Mountain High School in Scottsdale.

“Going so far away from home was one of the easiest and most difficult decisions of my life,” Rosenthal said. “It was difficult knowing you are making a four year commitment away from your family, friends, and the lifestyle you had back home. But when you find a place that offers everything you’re looking for it’s a pretty easy decision.”

Rosenthal researched several different schools, mainly on the West coast, before contacting Fisher to express an interest.

“Fisher was where I could have the best coaches, teammates, and a place to win a national title,” he said. “I also decided I wanted to leave home and grow up, figure out who I was as a person and athlete.”

“I was looking at the Arizona universities as well a number of Division II and III schools scattered around the U.S.,” Haley said of his decision making process. He said that it was not a difficult decision to finally choose to attend Fisher. “I looked at the team here, and their history along with the campus was a perfect fit for me.”

“Matt filled out the [recruiting] questionnaire and sent it back to us,” head coach Rob Kornaker said. “We got to know him a bit over the phone, and then when he came out here and visited, he liked the school.”

Haley and Rosenthal both entered Fisher as Sport Management majors.

“I love sports and I would like to stay in the field as long as I can,” Haley said.

“Nothing sounds better then talking about sports in school,” Rosenthal said. “I’ve waited my entire life to have a debate over who's the better role model, Terrell Owens or JJ Reddick.” He also added that his career goal is to coach basketball at a Division I college.

Nearly three months into their college careers, both are still adjusting. For example, Rosenthal and Haley have been coping with the change in climate.

“I’m freezing,” Rosenthal said. “I had a bet going with a few people that I could go till Thanksgiving just wearing shorts, but that quickly ended about a month into school.”

Haley put it simply. “It’s really cold here, and I’m not a big fan of it.”

After watching the Cardinals reach the Elite Eight last season, both Rosenthal and Haley hope to be a part of taking the team to another run on the national stage.

“Our team goal is to win every half we play and win a national championship,” Rosenthal said. “My personal goal is to do the best that I can no matter how big or small that role is to make sure we meet that goal.”

Email address:nmr08083@sjfc.edu