Meet Birgir Irving '24

I was born here in New Brunswick, but I lived in Iceland for the last eight years. In Iceland, the sports system is very different. There are no high school sports. Instead, each age group plays together. In Iceland, and in Europe as a whole, basketball is way more about skills development. I saw a lot more handles and less physical stuff in the post compared to here, where even the guards are aggressively going right at you. It’s just a big physicality difference. Playing in Iceland definitely helped my skills, because it is more skills, especially with me being a big guy. I’d say that my basketball IQ, my ability to read, and my post game are some of my biggest strengths on the court, and all of those were just made stronger from my time in Iceland.

Being able to play at RNS is a great opportunity. I can improve basketball skills, which I’m hoping will result in a scholarship somewhere after Grade 12. But it is also a great academic opportunity to attend RNS. My academic goal is to get a scholarship to study law or business. I’ve got academic and athletic goals, so I’m taking the opportunity here seriously.

Right now, is a good time for the young guys like myself to show what we’ve got. With Anthony (Sears ’22) and Ben (Power ’23) out for a while, we get more minutes and get to prove ourselves while getting a feel for the competition. We young guys have a lot to prove, and I’m ready to step up to that challenge.

My schedule here is packed. I get a lot of homework, and when you pair that with practice and lifting sessions, I don’t have as much free time as I did for the last couple years. Usually I get about an hour to myself once I finish my homework each day, so I just relax and get my body right if I’m hurting, and then I’ll watch Netflix or even lift a little.

When the pandemic first hit and all the tournaments got cancelled, it was really a shock how much I relied on basketball for my happiness. The basketball court was a place I could go and do what I loved to do. I never knew that basketball was such a big part of my life until it was cancelled. But now that it’s back and I’m able to play, I’m in a very happy place.