Q&A with Neemias Queta

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Ahead of Utah State’s matchup in the NCAA Tournament, The Utah Statesman called former Aggie basketball player Neemias Queta who was in Brooklyn for the Sacramento Kings game against the Brooklyn Nets. The following is a Q&A with the two-way center. 

Queta was drafted by the Kings in 2021, he played for Utah State from 2018 to 2021. During his career, he was named the Mountain West Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year twice. 

Statesman: How’s your mentality been playing professionally this season? 

Queta: The mentality’s always the same. You go into every game with the intent of getting better and  just getting better in the context of winning… I feel like this year we’ve been playing at a very high level. 

Q: You played in the tournament for a couple of Aggie teams, could you reflect on that experience and what it was like?

A: The tournament pretty much set me up for what I am today. Being able to play big-time games like that, nationally televised games like that is kind of like a warmup for the NBA. But at the same time, the tournament is the pinnacle of all basketball at the college level. So this floor for us, to be able to play in that kind of environment, especially after fighting for the whole year to get there. It’s definitely an experience that the guys tried to take advantage of. We’re just trying to enjoy it as much as we can.”

Q: Unfortunately you weren’t able to win in any of those games. How big would it be for this year’s squad to be able to get over that hurdle? 

A: It could help in many different ways. I feel like it could just set the tone for the Mountain West in general.

Having the guys being able to go to the second round, maybe further, you never know. It would be just a great experience for them, and it would help Utah State in the future with recruiting, coaching, boosters, it’s just big.” 

Q: With you, Sam Merrill and Justin Bean playing professionally, do you feel like Utah State is getting more respect around the league? 

A: I definitely feel like that. It’s definitely a work in progress. Utah State has been growing for the past few years. We just want to keep building. We’re not worried about other people. We just want to keep on building so we can be one of the top programs in the country in the next few years so as long as we keep growing I feel like we can definitely be a household name in the country.

Q: Have you been able to talk to this year’s Utah State team? Could you share a moment like that? 

A: I went to the game in Vegas against LMU (Loyola Marymount)… I just told the guys to enjoy the ride as long as they can cause it’s always — when you’re in there you’re always thinking about the next step. You don’t want to be skipping steps. You want to be able to enjoy the ride as much as you can being there.

Q: Do you have a prediction for today’s game?

A: Go Aggies.

Featured image is a Statesman file photo.