Jan. 10, 2005

LOGAN, Utah - Utah State basketball player Ian McVey is a tall man at 6-9, but he takes many of the things in his life to an even higher level.

In junior college he excelled reaching higher to average 2.5 blocks shots per game. In high school, McVey went out for the track team and set a school record in the high jump. In addition, McVey goes even higher when he is spending time as a pilot flying his family's plane.

The senior from Princeton, Minn. is an easy-going, well-liked third-year member of the Aggie basketball team. And while he may not see a lot of action on the court, he has been a valuable member of the team both on and off the floor.

"Ian is a really important player in our program," said USU assistant coach Dave Rice. "His role changes for each game, yet he is always ready. Some games he plays a lot of minutes and some games he doesn't play as many. He gives us a great lift in practice and everytime he goes into the game he is ready to play. You win basketball games at the collegiate level with quality student-athletes like Ian McVey."

So far this season, McVey has appeared in all 13 USU games, while playing nearly six minutes per game. In his brief appearances he has played very solidly, shooting 50 percent from the field, pulling down nine rebounds and scoring 16 points.

He has also made his mark in the middle blocking seven shots. Despite playing just 70 minutes all year, his seven rejections are tied for second on the team, just one behind Spencer Nelson, who has played 381 minutes.

McVey's best statistical efforts this season were a pair of four point games against UC Davis and Loyola Marymount. His career scoring high is seven points at Long Beach State last season, while his best game overall was against Fort Lewis last year when he played 18 minutes and responded with five points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots.

Despite his limited time, McVey is extremely happy to be a member of the USU basketball program. Growing up in Princeton, Minn., about 52 miles north of Minneapolis, McVey attended a number of smaller school college games. When his high school career was through, McVey went to play at Fergus Falls (Minn.) Junior College.

"I came from a junior college where you get 1,500 fans to where you get 9,000 strong here every night," McVey said. "It has been great here. I have been to a lot of Division II games because there are a lot of Division II schools around my house and they draw maybe 2,000 fans. This is just a great atmosphere."

While he enjoys the rowdy Spectrum crowds, McVey also loves to spend time with his teammates.

"Everyone gets along," he explained. "We all hang out together and are always having fun. They are good teammates."

McVey could have gone on to a college track career after going out for track in high school and setting a school record in the high jump. Without any training, McVey leaped 6-8 and drew the attention of track programs from all over the country.

He decided to pursue basketball instead after finding out that an All-American high jumper he knew was receiving only a 40 percent scholarship. He then worked on improving his basketball game enough to warrant a full basketball scholarship.

In junior college he averaged 17 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game. He was then noticed by former Aggie assistant coach Randy Rahe at a big man camp in Tulsa, Okla. and felt a college career in the mountains would be good for him.

He likes the outdoors, especially deer hunting and water skiing and enjoys being in Utah.

"I like going to Bear Lake, water skiing, whatever," he said. "We don't have any mountains in Minnesota, so this is great."

And when he is back home in Minnesota, he spends a little bit of time flying his family's plane. His father, who is a pilot and works for the FAA, owns a small four-seater and McVey needs just about 20 more hours to be able to fly solo.

"It is fun, but it is not something I plan on going on to do professionally," he said. Instead, McVey will put his marketing degree to work after he graduates this spring, hopefully flying high in whatever his chosen profession will be.