Entering his senior year in high school, Nick Arthur was simply looking for a college that was close to home and would prolong his basketball career a tad longer. Unbeknownst to Arthur at the time, the State University of New York at New Paltz would act as a bridge to an opportunity that was very different from his criteria for selecting a university.
 
Arthur starred for the Hawks men's basketball team for four seasons, finishing his senior campaign with career-high's in rebounds (74) and blocked shots (32) in 16 starts. He has the utmost respect from SUNY New Paltz head coach, Keith Kenney.
 
"He went after this goal and we're so happy for him," Kenney said. "Nick did everything that was asked of him over his four years here. He is a team guy who cares about the big picture more than himself. He is intelligent, hard-working and a positive person and we were lucky to have him.  We can't wait to keep following him."
 
Although he hung up his orange and blue, Arthur wasn't ready to end his competitive playing career just yet. 
 
 
It was undoubtedly a leap of faith for the 6-foot, 7-inch center to enter his name into the Student Athlete Network last year. The network is akin to a student exchange program. However, instead of granting students a purely academic experience, it gives them the chance to continue pursing athletics while earning a master's degree. This program checked all the boxes for Arthur. The only catch was he would be forced to take on a unique challenge; living in the United Kingdom.
 
During his collegiate career for the Hawks, the 211-pound shot blocking force found himself in a variety of roles on coach Keith Kenney's squad. Whether he was in the starting lineup or playing minutes off the bench, Arthur was consistently a defensive anchor when on the floor. He swatted away an astounding 78 total shots throughout his career with the Hawks.
 
This malleable quality will bode well for Arthur in England. While many New Paltz men's basketball alumni call it quits after their time playing in the Hawk Center, he was willing to adapt to any living situation in order to prolong his career. 
 
Arthur found himself as a highly valued recruit in the Student Athlete Network portal. However, he felt the University of West Scotland in Paisley was the best fit for him.
 
"Being part of a winning culture was first and foremost for me," he said. "The coach and I really get along well, and I just felt like they were going to let me be the most free compared to some other schools [who have] more strict rules."
 
The Phoenixes have been dominant over the course of the past several decades, having most recently won the British Colleges and Universities Scottish Conference Cup last winter.
 
In his first week in Scotland, Arthur noticed that Europe is very different from what was commonplace in New Paltz.
 
"It's been a big culture shock to me," said the Washingtonville native. "The postal codes have certainly taken some getting used to. They also call apartments flats. Just little things like that are things I have to get used to." 
 
Arthur is due for multitude of other adjustments once he is allowed to explore area, as he finds himself in the midst of a mandatory, two-week quarantine following his arrival overseas in early September.
 
Being a member of the Hawk family for four years was an experience Arthur carried with him across the pond. He said, "I am really going to miss the people at New Paltz. It's just a lot of good people and good vibes on that campus. Meeting and interacting with a variety of people that I did in college definitely helped me mature enough to be ready for this new experience."
 
SUNY New Paltz has made a profound academic impact on the big man. The coursework and faculty in the college's Psychology department has inspired Arthur to pursue a master's degree in the study of the mind at West Scotland. When his graduate coursework is completed next September, he will certainly be armed with the tools to pursue a myriad of career paths relating to his major.
 
Most pertinently, the Hawks' basketball team personnel developed Arthur on and off the court.
 
"They instilled this hard-working mentality in me," Arthur said of his coaches and teammates back in upstate New York. "Especially last year, I played like every game was going to be my last competitively because it really could've been."
 
With the help of his alma mater, Arthur follows in the footsteps of other SUNY New Paltz alumni to continue playing basketball after graduation. Most notably, Hawks 2013 graduate Matt Devine was able to reach the professional level in Sweden and Germany in 2014 and 2015 respectively. 
Arthur knows that he still has a ways to go before reaching Devine's level. However, if you ask him, there is little doubt in his mind that his work ethic will lead to a professional league promotion following graduation from the University of West Scotland. "I definitely plan to play professional after this year," he remarked. Arthur suggested that he enjoys the United Kingdom thus far, perhaps setting the stage for a career there long term. 
 
Whether he is able to represent SUNY New Paltz in a professional league overseas or excel in America after his time playing for West Scotland, Arthur notes that he currently feels extremely prepared for life's next challenge. Equipped with a future master's degree and a once in a lifetime basketball experience, the SUNY New Paltz alumnus is destined to do right by his alma mater.


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