Pro basketball player and author proudly calls Monrovia his ‘hometown’

He might have settled down in Pittsburgh, but Pete Strobl still considers himself a Monrovia boy.
Strobl grew up here and played basketball at Monrovia High, graduating in 1995. He then went on to play NCAA Division I basketball at Niagara University in New York and eventually played professional basketball for nine years all over Europe.
It was because of these adventures Strobl decided to write a book about his experiences. The book is called “Backspin.”
“I wrote this book a couple years ago,” Strobl said. “The writing part was the easier part. The editing took longer than I had anticipated.”
Strobl said he played in several countries, including France, Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Iceland. He said the book is intended to equally engage basketball enthusiasts, travel connoisseurs and those looking to gain an intimate glimpse into the life of a Division 1 and professional athlete.

-Courtesy Photo

In addition, Strobl said several portions of the book refer to the many experiences of his time growing up in Southern California, and although he’s traveled the world he still proudly refers to Monrovia as his “hometown.”
Following his retirement from professional basketball, Strobl said settled in Pittsburgh where his wife Sheryl is originally from. They now have three boys and Sheryl just gave birth to their first daughter. He added since settling in Pittsburgh, he has founded a basketball training academy called “The Scoring Factory” and has had great success training youth all the way up to pros.
“Now I train players, from the pros all the way down to youth,” he said. “Through the process you start to realize your family unit, the mental side of things. The psychology is in helping the players reach their potential.”
He added he just wants to help young players in their journeys.
“My original purpose was to help the players understand the mental side of things that will inevitably happen along their journey,” he said. “I wanted to help them from the insights that I have and kind of find out to help those with what it was like behind the scenes for a Division I basketball player.”
And how about life as a basketball playerA!X Was it all it was cracked up to beA!X
“It was a wonderful opportunity,” Strobl said. “I loved it and I miss it.”
“Backspin” can be found online at Amazon.com.

By Shel Segal
(Shel Segal can be reached at ssegal@beaconmedianews.com. Follow him via Twitter @segallanded.)

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