It's 2026, winter quarter and basketball season is in full swing. With a few tournaments under their belt and the season picking up pace, Western Washington University men's basketball captains Garrett Levesque, Trevor White and Aidan Rice sat down to reflect on their growth as players and the team culture that defines the Vikings. From early basketball inspirations to the behind-the-scenes work that goes into preparing for game day, the captains shared insights on leadership, resilience and what they hope to accomplish together this season. 

Q: Major and year? 

Garrett: Multidisciplinary and I'm a senior. 

Trevor: Business and I'm a sophomore. 

Aidan: Business. Sophomore. 

Q: What originally drew you to Western and why did it feel like the right fit for you as a student athlete? 

Garrett: What originally drew me to Western was just a beautiful campus, the awesome people and the coaching staff, and also the players. Those are the main reasons. 

Trevor: I always said what originally drew me to Western was mainly the coaching staff and the interactions I had with the players when I first got here. 

Aidan: I would say the coaching staff and them believing in me when talking to them. Also, the players and the community that I experienced on my visit. It was really unique. 

Q: Earliest basketball inspiration or favorite player? 

Garrett: My biggest inspiration is Mr. Blake Griffin out of the Los Angeles Clippers, Lob City. He's a very inspirational player for me. I draft my game like his on the court. 

Trevor: Early inspiration for me, favorite player, I'd probably just say Kevin Durant. I feel like everybody loves Kevin Durant, but growing up young, I used to read a bunch of books about him and do a lot of school projects on him and whatnot. So, I say Kevin Durant. 

Aidan: For me, I would say Damian Lillard just growing up in Portland. That was my guy. And then also Steph Curry, I think he's super good. 

Q: Favorite NBA team? 

Garrett: Mine, I was born in California, so my favorite team is the Clippers. Also, Blake Griffin tribute, DeAndre Jordan, Chris Paul tribute. 

Trevor: Growing up, I was a Celtics fan, but then once I started to like Kevin Durant, I was an OKC fan. I have a bunch of posters of them. But now I'm kind of just a player guy, so I have to say the Celtics, that's where I'm from. 

Aidan: I definitely say the Blazers, just being from Portland. 

Q: Favorite jerseys to wear at Western? 

Garrett: Definitely the baby blues, especially this year. Last year they had some bad voodoo around them, but this year, it's cleansed, so the powder blues. 

Trevor: I'll probably say the white ones, just because we wear them the most at home and home games are the best ones. We get a lot of fans here, so it's great to see that. 

Aidan: I love them all, to be honest. All really great colorways, but if I had to choose, I would say the black ones. I like the black ones. 

Q: What is one thing you feel like you've improved upon since coming to Western? 

Garrett: For me, one thing I've improved on, I think, is mental toughness. Tony teaches that being a leader requires mental toughness, and that's one trait that I had to improve on while I come in here, so he's instilled that in me. 

Trevor: One trait that I think that I've improved upon here is probably my confidence for the game. I know I'm not doing super well this year but I'm still super confident in what I do and what I need to do. And the coaches help a lot with that, especially watching film and working me out and whatnot. 

Aidan:I was saying in general just my leadership has definitely improved, and it's had to for sure. This year being a captain, and then also just being able to handle the ball definitely has improved. 

Q: What does being a captain this year mean for you? 

Garrett: For me, it means a lot. This is my last year in college basketball, so being a leader, I only have a singular year actually being a captain of college basketball. So it means a lot for me being able to teach these young guys how to play the game the right way, lead on and off the court is something that means a lot to me. 

Trevor: Being captain means a lot as well, like Garrett said. Especially this season, we've had a few bumps in the road, a few ups and downs, and it's hard to stay on the right track. So just making sure we have good vibes in the locker room, and that we stay connected as a team. I think that's very important. 

Aidan: Definitely means a ton. It was a goal of mine coming to this year wanting to be the captain and whatnot, so definitely means a ton. And then being able to lead our players with these guys is just a lot of fun, and somebody that the other players on the team can lean on and look to for how to do stuff and whatnot. 

Q: Who's had the biggest influence on you as a player at Western? It could be a coach, a teammate, a staff member, and what have they taught you? 

Trevor: I say my biggest influence, and this is not being corny or anything, it's definitely these two guys, because they always play super hard. That's something I struggled with first getting here, and I still struggle with it a little bit. I definitely need to have a better motor. They both play defense and they both can score. They both cut great off the ball and everything. So, I definitely say it's these two guys. 

Aidan: In general, I would just say a lot of my former teammates from last year, getting after it in practice, kind of beating up on me, and I really feel like that helped prepare me for this year. 

Garrett: For me, my biggest influence would be just the coaching staff, Tony and AJ. I'll especially say AJ because AJ's a player's coach, and he really helps develop your confidence on the court and your skills. So, I'm going to say AJ. 

Q: How would you describe the culture of this team in three words and why those words? 

Garrett: Trust. Energy. Passion. I think we have a bunch of guys this year that everyone can lean on. There's not one singular guy that you can't go to, or if you're by yourself in the locker room, you can go to and ask a serious question. That's on or off the court, and they'll give you a straight up answer. I think every guy I think that just kind of leans on each other like passion. If you can trust, they've got to be passionate about it, I think our circle, our group is just really passionate about basketball 

Trevor: Attitude. Brotherhood. Competitive. - I said brotherhood because we're really connected on the court and off the court. We're always hanging out, always laughing, being competitive. It feels like a family. 

Aidan: Joyful. Brotherhood. Intentional - I'm going into how I say joyful. As a whole team, we're having a good time, smiling, laughing. We know when to be serious on the court but also have fun on the court as well. 

Q: What's something people might not realize about the work that goes into preparing for a game? 

Garrett: I think one thing people might not realize is the amount of scout that we do. We go on court, practice our opponents' plays, watch film, and that takes up a lot of time that some people might overlook. 

Trevor: The other thing is the day of the game. Usually, we have a pregame practice to go over more scout, get some shots up, probably around 10 or 11 a.m. Then I get here three hours before the game to do my workout. After that, I'm stretching, doing rehab with Masa, our trainer, then we warm up about an hour and a half before tip-off. 

Aidan: I would talk about our scout. Most people probably don't realize that our coaching staff gives us a written or typed-out scout with every single player, their plays, and their tendencies. We work on those in practice so once we get into the game, we understand what they're going to do and how to attack it. The average fan probably doesn't realize not just the players but the coaches are doing all this to prepare. 

Q: What is one lesson basketball at Western has taught you that you'll carry with you beyond college? 

Garrett: Fight through adversity. Last year we had a 0–5 start and this year [we've struggled] too. Fighting through adversity when stuff gets hard, pushing through that and finding the green. 

Trevor: Making the best of your situation. There were guys at the end of the bench last year that didn't really get into games, but they always traveled, brought good energy, and brought the vibes on the bench, always smiling. Whether or not that was how they really felt, they didn't show it, and that helped the morale of the team ultimately. 

Aidan: Finding joy in the little things, whether it's traveling with your guys or playing the games. Even if you don't get in the game as much as you want, still being grateful and joyful for the opportunity. 

Q: Looking ahead, what are your personal goals for the rest of the season, and what do you hope this team will accomplish together? 

Garrett: Personally, I want to be the best teammate I can and the best mentor I can for these young guys. For the team, win GNAC, not lose any more conference games and win the national championship. 

Trevor: Personal goals for me, I just I want to be a great leader like Garrett said, on and off the court, I need to just be a good mentor for the younger players. I know I'm just a sophomore, but we still have a lot of young guys on this team that I think have a lot of potential. I feel like I could help them. I just want to play as hard as I can every game, which will be good or great. For the team, win GNAC, win regionals, win the national championship, and keep playing. 

Aidan: Personally, be the best leader I can on this team, hold myself accountable and hold everyone accountable as the season goes on. Team goals are to win GNAC, not lose any more conference games, not lose any more games at home, host the regional, win the regional and win the national championship.