A: I would say I thrive more under pressure, but at the same time, I try not to put a lot of pressure on myself. ... I like it. I embrace it. But at the same time, I don't worry too much about it.
Q: What do you see your role being this season?
A: I think I'll be able to bring some leadership. I think I'll be able to make my teammates better, whether that's scoring, passing, playing great defense, getting a big stop, just being a leader by picking someone up — whatever the team needs.
Q: How have you meshed with your new teammates?
A: I would say it's a great group of guys to be around. Everyone is funny. We get along. There's no arguments. But at the same time, we know how to be serious when it's time to be serious. Everyone knows how to push each other, and everyone knows how to compete.
Q: If you didn't play basketball, what sport would you play?
A: I would say football. Last year at Oak Hill (Academy), we had a lot of off time. There was nothing to do, so we played flag football. Playing flag football just came natural, and using my speed and quickness just came natural. I was a running back. I played peewee football. The last time I played was probably fifth grade. That's when I started getting serious with AAU and realizing basketball is an all-year sport.
Q: What do you do to just chill?
A: I like to go to movies. And I love to sleep. Sleeping is probably first on my list. I'm always sleeping. But I love to go to the movies, hang out with friends and play video games. Even though I'm terrible at video games, I still like to play. And they always get a kick out of watching me play because I'm always bad. It makes me real mad. If I'm playing a game, and one of my teammates leaves the room, I'll change the game from "Hall of Fame" and put it on "Rookie" and when they come back, I'm still losing. I still can't play.
Q: What's your all-time favorite movie?
A: I think I have two: "Superbad" and "Hangover."
Q: What's the scariest movie you've ever seen?
A: The scariest movie might have to be "The Grudge." When I saw it, I wasn't that young, but stuff was popping out at you all the time. In "The Grudge," you know when you hit the TV and it's a channel that just has fuzz? That happens a lot (in the movie). Every time that happens now, I think of "The Grudge."
Q: What roles do your parents play in your life?
A: My mom tends to stay back and lets me do my thing. She says, "I'm not going to be on campus, I'm not going to be in your business. I'm not going to be in your room all the time." That's why I love my mom because she gives me space to grow up. ... But when I come to her, she'll tell me what I need to know.
My dad is kind of hands on. He loves basketball, so of course he’s at some practices and open gyms giving me feedback. That’s why I love my parents. They’re opposites, but it levels out.
Q: What are the advantages of playing close to home, free laundry service?
A: Yeah, and cooking. I went home (recently) for a good meal. I only live about eight minutes away. I can go home and get a good meal.
Q: What are you looking forward to about the year?
A: Winning. I feel like we can have a real good team. I feel we can do good things and go far in the (NCAA) tournament.