WINTHROP — Even at 6-foot-4, Winthrop senior forward Garrett Tsouprake can be an easy young man to overlook in most settings.
Quiet and unassuming, Tsouprake does most of his talking on the basketball court, and not just with his flourishing low-post repertoire and relentless rebounding.
“This is where he shows his vocal side. He comes out of his shell,” Winthrop coach Todd MacArthur said. “That’s important for us. We need that. And it’s good for him as a person, because people get to know who he really is.”
The rest of the Mountain Valley Conference is starting to recognize him as one of the better big men in the conference and a big reason the Ramblers are unbeaten this season.
Tsouprake is the inside scorer that keeps opposing defenses from widening out to try to contain senior guard Jacob Hickey and Winthrop’s other shooters. He’s also an adept passer capable of recognizing when defenses are sagging to protect the paint and then finding the open man.
“He’s probably the most under-appreciated kid I’ve coached, from the outside,” MacArthur said. “I know what he does for this program. I know the work that he’s put in and any success that he has, I’m happy for him and happy for the program.”
Anyone paying close attention would have started noticing Tsouprake toward the end of last year, when he became an inside force for the Ramblers as they marched to the Class C South final.
“He took his game to another level,” MacArthur said. “His play in the tournament was huge for us. That’s one of the reasons we made a run.”
Having all but one starter back from last year raised expectations for an even deeper run this year, and the Ramblers have responded with a 9-0 record.
Winthrop enjoyed success last year with a similar approach to being one of the league’s top contenders. But this year, with convincing wins over teams such as Hall-Dale and Madison, they’ve started to separate themselves from the rest.
“We try to bring the intensity every game, every practice, so in that respect it’s pretty much the same,” Tsouprake said. “We’re definitely more senior-oriented than we were last year. We only had two seniors last year. So, that gives us a lot more experience.”
“We know that we’ve got a big target on our chests right now,” he added. “We know teams are going to throw everything they’ve got at us and give us their best shot.”
Tsouprake wanted to give his senior year his best shot, so he lifted weights to improve his strength, and worked on his footwork to improve his post moves and defense.
With 6-8 sophomore Cam Wood taking over at center for the graduated Anthony Owens, MacArthur wanted to take advantage of Tsouprake’s length outside the paint, provided he put in the work to become a better perimeter defender.
“In order for us to be successful with our height, he has to be able to guard the perimeter,” MacArthur said. “That was one of the things that we talked about this summer in terms of his foot speed, his lateral movement and being able to contest shots while being disciplined and not trying to block shots from the perimeter.”
In addition to learning how to defend outside, Tsouprake had to continue to develop his offense inside while also learning to work more closely with Wood. The duo has done well mastering a high-low game that can be tough to stop with their size.
“Not every team is fortunate to have a 6-7, 6-8 sophomore on the court,” Tsouprake said. “I think we’ve been building chemistry since last year, and we’re still building chemistry.”
“The continuity of those two together is a process, and they’re still figuring each other out,” MacArthur said. “Their chemistry is getting better, and what it is today from a month ago is ten-fold. I can’t wait to see what it is a month from now when the tournament comes because they’re really feeding off each other.”
Much like Owens did with him, Tsouprake has taken Wood and a talented core of underclassmen under his wing.
“Being a senior puts me in a position where I have to lead some of the younger kids,” he said. “I think we’re a team full of leaders. We’re looking to make each other better.”
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