Pioneers’ Shields continues to impact people on and off the court

Platteville, Wis.- University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's basketball senior point guard Quentin Shields – or "Q" as he is known to many – was nearing the end of his senior season at Brooks College Prep Academy in Chicago, Illinois. UW-Platteville's men's basketball Assistant Coach Rob Stallion and former Assistant Coach Mark Darnall were in town to watch one of Shields' teammates. Little did they know at the time, Shields would be the difference maker for the Pioneer basketball program.

"It was my last game of my senior year, and they weren't even there to watch me. They were recruiting a teammate," Shields said. "I played pretty well that game. We lost though, which ended our season. I was emotional after the game." 

Shields, a biology and pre-dentistry major, played well enough that Stallion invited Shields to campus for a visit. Shields was being recruited by Chicago State University and Alabama A&M, but wanted to go somewhere he felt he could do something special. 

"I took the visit to campus and met Coach (Jeff) Gard for the first time. The first time I ever spoke with coach was on my visit," Shields said. "I saw what they had coming back and felt we could do something special here."

On the visit, Shields had the opportunity to meet advisors and professors from the biology department. It created a strong impression on what to expect from the staff and faculty at UW-Platteville.

"It felt like a genuine place," Shields said. "I got to meet advisors and professors that I would have, and they wanted to see me succeed, and they didn't even know who I was at the time. It was something I wanted to be a part of, and the program had a really strong tradition. I wanted to be a part of something special, and I wanted to contribute to winning."

Since Shields' arrival to campus in 2017, the Pioneers have won three regular season WIAC titles, two WIAC tournament titles and returned to the NCAA Division III National Tournament for the first time since 2010. In fact, the Pioneers qualified for three straight NCAA tournaments, the first time since the late 90s.

The farthest the Pioneers and Shields have made was the Sweet Sixteen in 2019. Like after his last high school game, Shields was emotional, but grew after each NCAA loss.

"Every single loss we had in the NCAA Tournament, those were the biggest moments for me as far as growth. It ended our season and everything we worked so hard for," Shields said. "There is always something to learn when you lose a game of that magnitude. I tried to pick up what teams were doing – how their players were communicating and how they approached the game. I take certain things from them and apply it here and hopefully get over that hump."

Shields isn't the first Pioneer to make the trek from Chicago to Platteville, and he wasn't the only one to show up in 2017. Justin Stovall arrived along with Shields in the 2017 class. How does a young 18-year-old student-athlete from a large city adjust to the rural setting of Southwest Wisconsin? 

"It was a cultural shock," Shields said. "I've never seen a tractor. I've never seen the Amish. I've never been on a farm until I came here. Coming from a large city to here, I embraced it. Two cities on opposite sides of the spectrum. It is so different, but it allowed me to get outside my comfort zone. Since coming here, I've met people I never would have met. I have done things I would have never done if I stayed in Chicago. It was huge in my development as a person to come to an entirely different place. To experience that culture shock. To experience the things Platteville can offer that Chicago couldn't; it allowed me to blossom into the man I am today."

Anybody who has been around Shields can see the man he is today – a fierce competitor on the basketball court, successful in the classroom and a leader on campus.

Shields went through UW-Platteville's SUCCEED Summer Bridge Program as a freshman. The Program starts three weeks before classes and allows incoming students to take three courses, attend workshops, and participate in other opportunities to help them prepare and adjust to college life. 

The following two years, Shields was a mentor in the SUCCEED Program. 

"That was big for me. It gave me an opportunity to take a leadership position outside of athletics, to impact people's lives outside athletics," Shields said. "It's something that I haven't been able to do my entire life. It was impactful for me and it wasn't even about me, it was about getting the new students coming to campus acclimated, established and comfortable in this setting, by allowing them to understand the type of things UW-Platteville has to offer. It was huge for me to have an impact on somebody's life outside of athletics."

Following his playing career at UW-Platteville, Shields is planning on making an impact on people's lives. First though, Shields is working for an opportunity to play professional basketball. 

"Basketball has been a passion of mine since I was a little kid," Shields said. "I have been giving it everything I could possibly give. If I could continue to play and see the world, I would love to do that."

Shields realizes that the possibility of a professional career may not materialize. If it isn't in the cards, he will turn to his other passion – oral health.

Shields will graduate in May with a degree in biology and will have finished the pre-dentistry requirements for admission into a dental school. His plan isn't to go directly into dental school after his playing career is over; first he would like to get some experience in the health care system. 

"I tore a ligament in my wrist and I was exposed to a lot of occupations in the health care system," Shields said. "It was a horrible time for me physically, but figuring out where I want to be in health care, it was nice to sit down and have conversations with people in positions I want to be in."

Shields' end goal is to be a dentist and to make an impact on people's lives through oral health. Anybody that has seen his dedication and focus on the court and in the classroom won't doubt for a second he will be called Dr. Q someday.