Jason Rivera-Torres talks freshman season and summer

Word out of Vanderbilt has been positive regarding Jason Rivera-Torres’ summer session, in the freshman forward’s mind that should be far from shocking.

The Vanderbilt freshman feels underrated and under the radar, but embraces that position.

Rivera-Torres attributes that underrated nature to the COVID pandemic but also his acting career, which prevented him from playing in the spring and summer before his senior season.

“I more so think it was a mix of COVID and acting but I like being underrated, I like being under the radar,” Rivera-Torres said. “Obviously people like their recognition but I think I can surprise a lot of people that aren’t familiar with my game and leave the rest up to GOD.”

Where Rivera-Torres did get attention from was the Vanderbilt coaching staff, who extended the class of 2023 forward an offer on January 4th. The offer came late in the cycle but came in enough time for a strong relationship to be built and enough time for the Vanderbilt staff to make their pitch.

The John Marshall (Va.) forward was convinced and made his commitment on April 14th.

“Vanderbilt I felt like was the place where I could improve the most, it’s in the SEC and I wanted to play SEC ball.” said the Vanderbilt freshman. “The academics are amazing, I think with these prestigious academics the balance between athletics and academics is definitely gonna help after basketball because basketball is only temporary.”

“My relationship with the coaching staff was great, I feel like coach (Jerry) Stack(house) and his experience with playing basketball and coaching basketball is really gonna help me improve my game,” added Rivera-Torres.

After some time on campus in Vanderbilt’s summer program, it has lived up to the hype for Rivera-Torres.

“It’s been amazing, I love it here at Vanderbilt I love the team, I love the coaching staff, it’s what I imagined and I think just continuing to get better each and every day in the weight room, on the court, our chemistry and our bond has grown a lot faster than I thought it would because we’re all just a great group of guys and we all want to be pros so we just push each other each and every day.”

Rivera-Torres has connected particularly well with his fellow freshmen, a group that he is particularly high on.

“We each provide something different, we have Isaiah (West) who’s the playmaker, point guard we got Malik (Presley) the slasher and we got JQ (Roberts) who’s a mix and can do it all and then Carter (Lang) our big and then myself who’s also pretty versatile, I think we all bring something different to the table and it’s gonna be awesome to see in two or three years how we’ve grown,” said Rivera-Torres.

The freshman forward also has a surprising connection to Lehigh transfer Evan Taylor.

“I actually knew Evan (Taylor) from Lehigh when I went on my Lehigh visit, Evan’s just a really good guy. Everybody talks about how Evan’s just a really nice guy. He wants to be a pro as well and he works hard as well, his experience is definitely gonna help the team.”

Playing against veterans like Taylor has quickly shown Rivera-Torres, who has a clear development plan in mind, how the college game differs from the high school level.

“The pace, the physicality. I think adjusting to that is gonna come with time, I think remembering all the plays too, it’s a new system. Just adjusting in time, it’s gonna be a long journey but I’m here for it and I’m looking to improve,” Rivera-Torres said.

That development plan largely involves adding muscle to adjust to that physicality.

“Something I have to improve on is just my strength and conditioning, I think the IQ is there and the skill is there, I think now just translating it and taking those initial bumps and adjusting to the physicality is where I need to improve,” Rivera-Torres said. “I sat down and talked with the strength and conditioning coach and our dietician and I’m looking to add 10-15 pounds throughout the season and I think that’ll skyrocket my game.”

Outside of the obvious areas that Rivera-Torres wants to improve in, he feels good about his summer.

“Everything’s going well. I think I’m on the right trajectory, I’m studying film, I’m studying plays, I’m studying the new system.”

The freshman isn’t looking to rush things but feels as if he can make an immediate impact as a Commodore.

“I think I’m just looking to improve and get 1% better each day, I think everybody is on their own path and their own journey and if I just continue to improve each and every day and really lock in on our system I think I have a chance to be one of the top freshmen in the SEC.”

Rivera-Torres is in a spot that Stackhouse has wanted to create for awhile, one where he won’t have to rely on the freshman but one where they’ll have a chance to contribute. That may be more true for Rivera-Torres than any other Vanderbilt freshman and he wants to prove worthy of those minutes. A solid season from the freshman forward can help to take Vanderbilt to a place it hasn’t been in Stackhouse’s tenure, the NCAA Tournament.