Jason Basile - Captain

Number: 2
Position: Defense
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 175
Birthday: 7-30-78
Hometown: West Bloomfield, MI
Last team: Detroit Freeze Juniors

Player Biography

Jason comes to the Des Moines Buccaneers from the Detroit Freeze of the North American Hockey League, where he had 10 goals and 16 assists last year. Jason says that he always puts his left skate on first before games, and it's a superstition he continues until he has a bad game.

Player Interview

1/21/98

Steve: Jason, tell me about your family, your brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, whoever you want to talk about in your family.

Jason: I have one brother, one sister. My brother is 13 years old, and my sister is 22. My sister just graduated from Michigan State. My brother is going to be an 8th grader next year.

Steve: Where are you from?

Jason: I am from West Bloomfield, Michigan; just outside of Detroit.

Steve: Do your parents get a chance to come down and see you play?

Jason: They have seen me play once this year and that was at the Buc Bowl. Other than that, they have not come out, but my dad is going to come out and see the All Star game.

Steve: What is your favorite food and dessert?

Jason: My favorite food would have to be fettucini alfredo. My favorite dessert, I would say, would be pumpkin pie.

Steve: Good one! What do you like to do when you’re not playing hockey?

Jason: When I am not playing hockey? Sleep!

Steve: Do you really?

Jason: I like to sleep a lot, but I also like to play all other sports. I like to play basketball and I played lacrosse in high school.

Steve: In the summers do you go back home? What do you do during the summers?

Jason: Yeah, in the summers I go back home, kind of relax and just hang out with my friends.

Steve: Do you work in the summer or do you work while you are here in Des Moines?

Jason: During the summer I work for my dad. He works at a construction company and I work in the yard down in Detroit. While I am here, I am working for Frank Fazono at New England Financial, which is an insurance company.

Steve: Tell me why and when you started playing hockey.

Jason: I actually started playing hockey because my best friend played. This was when I was about five years old. I went over to his house one day and he was going to practice. He said, “Do you want to come?” And I said, “Okay.” So I threw on the skates; he had an old pair of skates, all the old equipment. I threw it on and tried it out and I have been doing it ever since.

Steve: Did you know how to skate?

Jason: We used to live on a lake when I was little, and I had skated before but I never actually played.

Steve: Did your parents play hockey?

Jason: My dad played hockey until he was probably 17 or 18, then he stopped playing. And he played in some 30 and older leagues.

Steve: Tell me about the past teams that you’ve played for.

Jason: The previous two years, before I came to the Bucs, I played for the Detroit Freezer in the North American Hockey League. Before that I played for Compuware Ambassadors midget. This is a lot different from playing for the Freeze because the Freeze hardly get any fans and the support. Playing for the Bucs is just totally different, and it is amazing.

Steve: When you played for the Freeze, did any of the other teams that you traveled to, did they have any support?

Jason: Yeah, a couple teams in the North American League would draw. I think the most that anybody would draw was the Springfield Junior Blues, and they drew only about 2,000 and that was the most in the league. So it is a change, but I think it is a change for the better. I like it a lot.

Steve: Well, how did you end up playing for Des Moines?

Jason: Scott Owens contacted me halfway through the season last year while I was playing for the Freeze. I guess he saw me play. We just kept talking and at the beginning of the season before try outs, he asked me to come out and try out.

Steve: Did you know anything about Des Moines when he contacted you? Had you heard about it?

Jason: Yeah, I knew about the USHL and Des Moines. Actually, I knew a couple people that played for Des Moines in previous years.

Steve: Who were they?

Jason: Klage Kaebel. He used to play for the Freeze; he was on my team. And Matt Brush used to play here and I am good friends with his brother. His brother is one of my best friends. So yeah, I knew all about Des Moines.

Steve: Have you always played the position you are in now, or have you switched?

Jason: Up until I was about 11 or so. I played forward for about five or six years, then I started playing defense. I love it.

Steve: What do you like about it?

Jason: I think that not everybody can play defense. But then again, forwards will say not everybody can play forward. It is a disciplined position and you have to be good at your position. Also, if you like, you can mix it up and throw in some offense.

Steve: What is the best thing about being a Buc?

Jason: I have to say the fan support. Like I said, coming from the team that I played for last year, the support is just unreal - the fans and the Booster Club. The Booster Club is great and all the stuff that they have given us and supported us with.

Steve: I have heard a lot of Bucs say this about the support. What does it do for you? Does it encourage you? Does it make you play better? What do you think it does?

Jason: Off the ice it helps us, I think, just letting us know that we are wanted and they want us to be here and that we are part of an association; we are part of a team, part of a program. On the ice when we are playing at home, the fan support. You could go to a game and sometimes you don’t always feel up to playing. You get in the arena and all of a sudden there is 3,000 people screaming, and that will get you fired up any night of the week. The fan support helps a lot.

Steve: Are there any drawbacks to being a Buc?

Jason: I don’t think so.

Steve: Are all the girls mobbing you?

Jason: No, it is not that bad.

Steve: Have you ever been recognized around town as a Buc?

Jason: Yeah. Like Erik had said in his interview, you have all your Bucs warm ups and jackets and you wear it around. I was at the bank the other day and she said, “Oh, you play for the Bucs. What is your name?” I told her, “Jason Basile.” She said, “Oh, I saw you play the other night.” People recognize you from all over, so it is kind of neat.

Steve: What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you?

Jason: This was actually two years ago. We were at Springfield and I was playing for the Freeze. In the middle of the game I was skating down the ice, and the buckle on my pants had broken. My pants fell clear down to my ankles while I was skating up the ice. Of course, everybody could see what was underneath, so it was kind of embarrassing.

Steve: That would of been good!

Jason: It was not pretty.

Steve: What are your plans for the future?

Jason: Next year I am playing at Ferris State. After that, I do not know what I want to do yet.

Steve: Do you know anybody up at Ferris State, any players, or do you have any ties there?

Jason: Yeah, I know a couple players at Ferris.

Steve: Great! Well, we hate to lose you. Is there anything else you would like to tell the fans?

Jason: I guess just thanks for all the support and keep it up. Keep coming to the games, keep watching us because it really helps. Even if they don’t think that they’re helping, it really helps. I guess sometimes you come to the games and say, “I don’t want to play tonight.” The fans will get you pumped up.

Steve: One more question. Is there anything that the fans would be surprised to know about you?

Jason: Probably that I am one of the laziest kids they know! No, I guess I like to sleep a lot and I am not afraid to admit it, but I am kind of lazy.