By Sarah Finney
The 2021-22 Seattle U men's basketball season was one for the ages as the Redhawks earned their first ever Western Athletic Conference regular season title and a 23-9 overall record. The run through the banner year included a 9-4 non-conference record, 17-2 home record and a nine-game win streak that included an 8-0 start to WAC play for the first time in 10 years competing in the league.
The Redhawks took just 26 games to reach 20 wins, marking the 15th 20-win season in program history. The 23-win marker was last achieved in 1957-58 and is fifth most for a season in program history.
Away from the court, six members of the team who are Albers students shared their thoughts on why they chose business for their major, a person or experience at Albers that inspired them, and their ultimate dream.
Aaron Nettles, GuardCertificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation
The dream: Owning my own business, knowing this is not just a dream but a reality that will happen.
Having a good understanding of business and all the subcategories that fall under it is important to succeed. Professor Joe Barnes was probably the most influential when it came to professors. He not only taught me the ins and outs of business but showed examples and held a certain standard. He showed the mindset you must have in the business world.
Brandton Chatfield, ForwardFinance ‘23
The dream: To help businesses of any size grow or become financially better in any area that they need.
I chose business as my major because I have always been interested in how different economies work all across the world. There are also many different jobs available for business majors. This past Winter quarter I took Intermediate Corporate Finance and before this class began, I was rethinking my major. Yet after classes got back in person from being online, my professor, Peter Brous, really helped show me why I got into finance. He helped me re-appreciate the subject.
Brody Nunn, GuardPre-Business ‘25
The dream: Probably to own a business and be the accountant for that business.
I chose a business major because in high school I really enjoyed the business classes such as accounting and management. When I committed to Seattle U the reputation of the business school at the university drew me towards choosing business as my major. This quarter is my first quarter of taking business classes and I’m very excited to see how they go.
Jaren Nafarrete, GuardManagement ‘23
The dream: Ideally, I’d like to be a sports manager, coach, or agent. I don’t have an ultimate ‘dream’ but those are hopefully the jobs I would obtain.
Coming out of high school, I didn’t know what career/major I wanted to pursue so I chose business because I felt that it would give me various routes to choose from. There isn’t one specific class/teacher/experience that has truly inspired me or made me think differently. However, the Albers experience has never really made me think about switching my major -- it’s kept me encouraged to pursue a degree in business.
Joe Wall, ForwardMarketing ‘22
The dream: To head up the marketing department at a major company. My team and I would make decisions on how we can push our products to greater heights.
I chose to be a marketing major because I have always had a fascination with advertainment and how businesses are able to attract customers. One professor who inspired me at Albers is Professor April Atwood. I took two of her classes and she always made time outside of class to help me with concepts I was struggling with. Professor Atwood and all the professors at Albers have always been there for me when I needed the extra help.
Vasja Pandza, GuardPre-Business ‘24
The dream: Get a degree that would help me pursue a career that helps combine both my love for business and sports. With that being said, I would love to work in the NBA.
I’m very entrepreneurial and wanted to get involved in new initiatives, hence I’m interested in business. I’m also very interested in the business side of sports which ultimately led to my decision. I learned a lot from my Economics class which helped show me the fundamentals of business on a macro and micro level, as well as what makes a company successful.
