Scholar Stories: Upbringing Guides Tschetter to U-M, Environmental Science
2/1/2023 2:35:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Features
Continuing the series that began in 2016-17, each Wednesday MGoBlue.com will highlight a Michigan student-athlete and their academic pursuits. These are our Scholar-Athlete Stories, presented by Absopure.
By Morgan Wagner
Stewartville, Minn. is a small town of about three square miles that is approximately 90 minutes south of Minneapolis. To many people, Stewartville is another town in the middle of nowhere, but to men's basketball redshirt freshman Will Tschetter, Stewartville is home.
Tschetter credits his current interests and personal development to his unique experience and uncommon upbringing in Minnesota growing up on a farm.
"I feel like it's really shaped me into who I am as a person today, being passionate about the outdoors, passionate about animals and everything like that," he said.
Not only did living on a farm structure his passions but it also taught Tschetter a lot of fundamental life lessons. He recalls developing a strong work ethic, learning what it takes to be successful and working hard each and every day, which has undoubtedly translated to his mindset as an athlete.
Tschetter started shooting hoops nonchalantly in third grade, but he did not start playing in an organized league until sixth grade. Just two years later, Tschetter wrote down a lofty goal -- play Division I basketball.
"It was such a long shot at that point. I was on the B team in eighth grade for our traveling team and I wasn't even the best player in my high school," said Tschetter, now a 6-foot-8-inch forward. "That was a big thing for me, just dreaming big and constantly having that in the back of my head as I'm working every day. Obviously, you're not going to see results right away, but I stayed true to it and worked as hard as I could, knowing that I left it all out there."
The goal that he had set as a 14-year-old started to come to fruition as he played throughout high school. In ninth grade, he averaged 11 points per game and nearly tripled that by the time he was a senior with a 30 points-per-game average. In his four years as a varsity player, he scored 2,467 career points.
It is safe to say by the time Tschetter graduated from high school, he certainly was not on the B team. He received a number of accolades in 2021, including being a finalist for Minnesota's Mr. Basketball, earning AP All-State first team honors and was the No. 2-rated player in the State of Minnesota.
Today, he is just getting started living out the dream that he wrote down as a 14-year-old. He has appeared in 16 games so far, but playing at this level still does not seem real to Tschetter.
"Not a lot of kids from my area get this opportunity, so to be in this position, it's kind of surreal, it still really hasn't sunk in. Whenever I go to check into the game, I still get a 'pinch me, is this real' feeling," he said.
Another "pinch me" feeling for Tschetter was Michigan's 11-day trip abroad this summer. The tour started in Paris and ended in Athens and Mykonos, Greece.
"That's not an opportunity that a lot of people get in their lifetime," he said, "so to be able to do that with some of my best friends and then play basketball along the way was a ton of fun and a great learning experience. We got to eat some great food and see some great places. I'm super fortunate to have been able to go on that."
Committing to the University of Michigan was a no-brainer for Tschetter due to the "high standard of basketball as well as the high standard of academics."
"Academics was definitely a deciding factor in a school that I was going to pick, and obviously, I was very fortunate enough to have the opportunity to come to a prestigious institution like this," said Tschetter.
Growing up on a farm and spending a lot of time outdoors has made his extremely passionate about preserving and protecting the environment. Naturally, this sparked his interest in the earth and environmental science major.
"I spent almost all my time and my summers growing up either playing basketball or fishing, being outside, hiking, and doing stuff like that," said Tschetter. He felt that choosing a major he is passionate about will allow him to make an impact on the future of our environment.
As far as a career path goes, he has some ideas floating around, but nothing is set in stone. He expressed that he is interested in environmental consulting or even potentially going to law school for environmental law. But for now, Tschetter is soaking up being a student-athlete and has seen each skillset translate nicely.
"My experience in basketball has led me to be a leader in the classroom, whether it's in labs or being able to ask questions," Tschetter said. "Being able to speak up and ask questions, or say that you don't understand something is just huge."
Tschetter also views his classmates as his teammates when working on big projects and labs. He mentioned that he really enjoys helping other people and working with his classmates to put their brains together to better understand the material.
"What you do on the court really does have a translation to what you do off and how you live your life every day."
It just so happens that the Stewartville motto is "the future is bright," and that is certainly the case for Tschetter as he has a lot to accomplish in his next few years at Michigan.
Tschetter's next goal? Win a national championship.
