As the basketball season heats up, the players are taking a low-intensity approach to preparing for the conference tournament. One player in particular is ready for the playoffs, but has his mind on other things. 

“I am pretty big into music. I play the guitar and I play the piano, so I just like making music and stuff,” said senior forward, David Salach. “I also play a lot of video games.”

The rest of the team is in the same relaxed boat.

“A lot of my teammates also play video games, so we share some interest with that. We have a lot of fun playing that off the court,” Salach said. “It fluctuates a lot. I like FIFA a lot and I like Fortnite a lot, it just depends.” 

Salach has accomplished some things most people will never achieve in their life, such as winning a basketball state title in high school. However, that is not the thing that he would say is his greatest basketball accomplishment. 

“My state championships in high school were a lot of fun. Those were probably some of my biggest points in basketball,” Salach said. “Just getting a scholarship to come to Washburn to play basketball here and get an education, that’s probably been my greatest achievement so far.” 

Salach grew up in Kansas City and went to high school at Blue Valley Northwest, one of the top basketball schools in the state. His time at Blue Valley is one of his favorite parts of his life. He also knows a couple guys that made it to the Final Four last year.

“I have a sister and my mom, and my dad, lived in the same house since I was five. I had a great, great experience there, played in two state championships. We had a 94-6 record while I was there,” Salach said. “Recently, a few of my teammates made it to the final four with Loyola. It’s been pretty fun to watch them do that.” 

For Salach, playing basketball is not about the wins and losses, it is more about the people he shares the court with.

“I like the camaraderie of it all. I love being out here with my friends, my teammates. I like being coached,” Salach said. “I like it when the coaches push me to be at my best. I just like the competitive spirit of it all.” 

One of Salach’s biggest fears is one he hopes to overcome someday. 

“Even though I’m afraid of heights, I kind of want to go skydiving, that’s one of my fears,” Salach said.

Right now, Salach is focused on playing basketball but one day he knows his interests will shift. When they do, he will be ready.

“After college I will see if I can go play overseas just for a little bit. I’m looking to get a job, and I’m majoring in finance and business management. Whenever I’m done with basketball, I want to start a career and start a family,” Salach said.

As a coach, Brett Ballard is going to miss Salach as more than just a player.

“I will definitely miss being around Dave. He is a great teammate, works hard, has given us incredible leadership and he has played at a very high level on the court,” Ballard said. “He has most definitely had a huge impact on our program, and he will be missed by everyone next year.”

In his last go-around, Salach looks to help lead the Ichabods into the MIAA conference and the NCAA tournaments.