80 in 80: Texas A&M

As part of our efforts to preview all 80 teams competing in USQ World Cup 8, the Quidditch Post is chatting with representatives from each team. Today we spoke with

Keegan Adlis, coach and captain of Texas A&M Quidditch.

Quidditch Post: A year ago, A&M was undefeated and the undisputed World Cup favorites. However, it couldn't quite get it done at World Cup, falling to the University of Texas at Austin in the Final Four. What impact did that experience have on the team?

Keegan: It was devastating. We all thought that A&M was finally going to have its World Cup title. For a while, it brought us closer as a team because it was a shared experience.

QP: The current team has lost a number of players from last year’s team to graduation and defections. Has that affected the team?

Keegan: Of course. The team is completely different, player-wise. But we've had such a turnover of players that the events from last year don't even affect the group. We've forged an altogether new team.

QP: What are the team's goals for World Cup?

Keegan: To prove that Texas A&M is still one of the top programs in the nation.

QP: How will you do that?

Keegan: By playing as a team and giving the best performance we physically can while maintaining the highest level of sportsmanship.

QP: Who would you say are some of the team’s key players?

Keegan: Myself at chaser, Clay Enderlin at keeper, and Rosemary Ross at beater make up our coaching staff and some of our key players. Aron Gebremicael is our primary seeker and a fantastic beater. Most of our team is new, so it's hard to just pick some of them.

QP: Can you talk a bit about what you, Clay, Rosemary, and Aron bring to the team?

Keegan: Experience is our greatest asset as a whole. Clay brings an iron defense with his interceptions and hard hits from a football background he is also able to make plays on offense even after everyone else has been taken out. Rosemary has a great ability to command the beaters on defense. She'll take and give hard hits as often as we need; catching her bludger doesn't save you. Aron has an extremely quick and efficient beating defense and the ability to clear the opposing beaters on offense with a fast tackle. Then at the end, he goes in at seeker and will always catch it. As for myself, I bring a little of everything as a chaser in addition to going in as seeker when needed.

QP: Would you say A&M has a particular style of play?

Keegan: Historically, A&M has been a pass-driven team. Currently, we're overall pretty balanced, covering all aspects of the game pretty evenly. We have some players in particular who are excellent at driving, and some are amazing shooters. So really, I'd say we're a versatile team.

QP: Any teams in particular you hope to face?

Keegan: We'd like to play top-tier teams from the West or East Coast. We love getting a chance to experience new play styles and meet new people.

QP: What do you hope the team takes away from the experience?

Keegan: More insight into the game of quidditch. Much of our team only knows quidditch in the Southwest. It'd be good to change it up a bit, get some variety. Also, it's just fun to get to play teams you only get the chance to play once a year.

QP: Thanks for your time, Keegan. We appreciate it.

Keegan: Happy to help.