Has basketball always been in your life?
Izzy: Yeah, I’ve been playing for around 13 years … like 70 per cent of my life so far. Basketball and my life go hand in hand.
How did you start playing the sport?
Izzy: I was really tall when I was young so I started playing as a goalkeeper in soccer, and my parents were like, ‘This is not your sport, we’re going to put you in basketball’ [laughs].
Would you say that basketball chose you or that you chose basketball?
Izzy: That’s a good question … I would say 50/50. I looked for it, and then the sport made me stay, right?
What do you like most about the game?
Izzy: Probably making new friends and visiting new places … There are a lot of nice people around this country, and that’s one of the reasons why I stayed here. I love the people here; they’re like family to me now.
Do you enjoy playing Trinity? Is there some rivalry there?
Izzy: Yeah. I feel like the whole team has the same belief against Trinity that … Can I swear in this? Well, [that] we have to beat these [redacted]. We hate them. In pre-season [Matt Chapdelaine] was telling us a story that we gave ‘the cave’ [to] Trinity as a locker room [when] they were playing the men’s volleyball [team]. [When] they won they drew the Trinity logo on the whiteboard. That stayed there till we played [Trinity] next time. It was like, ‘Hey, this is what they did, they didn’t respect you, and you guys gotta beat the shit out of them — be quiet, and — how do you say it? ‘Beat them, but no dejar rastro (leave no trace).
What is it like dating another basketball player?
Izzy:It’s cool; we spend pretty much 98.9 per cent of our time together. It’s really nice having someone with whom you can share every day and all your thoughts. Good and bad things … It’s really, really sick that she also plays the same sport, and we have beefs sometimes playing against each other … She’s part of why I’ve been putting up big numbers this season — my career highs and stuff — because she pushed me to go shoot with her in the mornings and be a better version of me.
Speed round time! Favourite fish?
Izzy: I’ll have to go with the shark because that’s also Charley [Arnold] — my girlfriend’s — favourite fish. It’s cool seeing how powerful it looks in the ocean and how every other fish moves out of the way when it’s coming.
Grandmother’s dish that you miss?
Izzy: Oh, my God, like all the food she makes is so, so yummy … but there’s one dessert she makes called tiramisu. Every time I go back, she asks me if I need some desserts. It’s lovely. She also makes Croquetas.
Stars or the moon?
Izzy: Moon.
Do you miss the language? Is Spanish something you can share with your team?
Izzy: Having Dario [Lopez] on the team makes me feel more like I’m back home … He’s from Madrid and we talk Spanish on a daily basis. We have some of our teammates speaking Spanish [too].
Are you teaching them how to insult the other players?
Izzy: Oh, yeah, they do know that. They know all that [laughs].
How would you describe Izzy outside of basketball?
Izzy: I’m just a normal guy who likes having fun doing what he does. And that if anybody needs help or is struggling with anything, they can come to me … I really [enjoy] helping people … that’s something I’m pretty good at. I wouldn’t say I give the best advice, but I’m a good listener.
Q&A has been edited for length and readability.
