Q: How many offers do you have? From Whom?

A: I’m not really sure what the number is. I think it’s something like 12 or 13, but I know there is UNLV, Duke, Arizona, Arizona State, USC, Oregon, Texas Tech, Texas, Kansas, Louisville, Cal, among others.

 

Q: Do you have a timetable for when you will make your decision?  

A: I will probably decide sometime next year like January or February, sometime like that, but as of now, I’m taking my time with it.  

 

Q: Do you have any visits planned?

A: Not as of now. I’ve already taken two unofficial visits to Cal and Arizona and so next year I plan on going on some more.  

 

Q: What kinds of things are you looking for when deciding where to play college basketball?

A: One thing for sure is academics. That’s one thing in my household that’s [important]. I want to go somewhere where I feel comfortable academically, where I know that I can get the best education. Then, I would say, just the environment, what’s best for me, just being able to be comfortable, play basketball with my style of play. The coaching staff, I would say, having a good relationship with the coach and what they can bring. I would just say development too. Just me developing as a player and seeing how much I can get better and what the program can bring to help me.

 

Q: How old were you when you started playing basketball and who was your main influence in starting to play?

A: I think I started playing basketball at the age of three or four. I would say my main influence is my father.

 

Q: How have you handled the pressure of being a top player in the class of 2017?

A: Well, one is having such a great family around me. They are always telling me, ‘It’s just basketball. No matter what, you’re still a person. We still care about you.’ and other things like that, so having that support system around me really helps. So, whenever I get down on myself or put too much pressure on myself, I know that my family is always there for me. The second thing is that I’m just a regular person like everybody else. Basketball isn’t the only thing I do. I’m not put on this earth just to play the game of basketball. I try not to take it as serious, but at the same time, I do have a passion about it.

 

Q: What are your hobbies aside from basketball?

A: I like to play video games. I’m into alot of music. I like to draw a little bit, so those are my hobbies outside of basketball.

 

Q: What are your goals for the rest of high school?

A: My first goal is always to win a state championship. Last year, we could have won a state championship, but we just didn’t do the things we needed to do. With this group, this year, I feel like it’s really possible. I also want to win Gatorade player of the year, so those are my two goals right now.

 

Q: What are your goals for the future, past high school?

A: Beyond high school, I would say that a big goal for me is to just go to college and have a successful basketball career, but also make some connections in the real world. I want to be a broadcaster so hopefully, I can make some connections with some guys at ESPN or something like that. I want to make the best of my abilities and use them wisely to help me in the long run.

 

Q: What do you feel is your greatest achievement so far?

A: My greatest achievement… I don’t really know. I can’t really narrow in one right now. I would have to say, coming in second place in AAU nationals my eighth grade year.

 

Q: What was that experience like?

A: It meant a lot to me because I have been playing AAU basketball for so long and I’ve been to nationals for about four or five years. We never made it to the championship until that year. We ended up playing SoCal basketball against Cody Riley and he was the number one player in the country. Just for me to be on that type of pedestal and to play on national television made the atmosphere really crazy for me, so I really tried to embrace the moment as much as I could.

 

Q: What do you feel is your greatest strength in your game?

A: My greatest strength in my game is my versatility. I can do everything on the court. I can play multiple positions, but I would say just being able to create for others and my passing ability on the court is my best asset.

 

Q: What part of your game do you most want to improve upon?

A: For the past couple years now, I’ve been working on the process of my jumpshot. My jumpshot is something I really want to get down.

 

Q: How do you plan to improve those skills?

A: Mostly, I’m just making sure that I’m putting up as many shots as possible, working on my technique, being in the gym a lot. Then, with the ball handling, I’ve been doing a lot of dribbling, a lot of cone drills, and stuff, so making sure I’m getting my handles right with a lot of repetition.

 

Q: Is there any player that you try to model your game after? What player are you most compared to?

A: I’m compared to a lot of people. Most people say that I play like Penny Hardaway because I’m a guard and i’m athletic. I would agree with that, but at the same time, I’m my own player. I like to watch a lot of Magic Johnson also, the way he passes the basketball and just changes the game, he really makes me in awe.

 

Q: Do you have any pregame routines?

A: Not really, no.

 

Q: What game are you most looking forward to this year?

A: Hopefully, I can say the state championship, but one game I know for sure that we have this season is our first game of the season, our season opener, against Desert Pines, who is one of the better teams in Vegas.

 

Q: Have you played any other sports besides basketball? If so, how has playing those sports helped you as a basketball player?

A: I stopped playing football a couple of years ago. Once I started in high school, I wanted to focus on basketball. Football helped a lot because it requires a lot of different training and the physicality of the game is a lot different, so you get used to the contact, so you just have to adjust, mentally and physically.

 

Q: How has playing with your AAU Team, the Las Vegas Prospects helped you improve as a basketball player?

A: We have a great coaching staff. Last year, we had coach, Michael Peck who came out and coached for us. He is an ex-D League coach, NBA coach, and college coach. He’s coached at every level. He’s taught me a lot. And then, the director, Anthony Brown. He’s a great director. He does everything. He’s also valuable from the coaching position. He’s been there ever since my eighth grade year, so I know what to expect out of him; hard work and nothing else, don’t ever be satisfied. Then, playing with guys like Markus Howard and Chuck(Charles) O’Bannon is just amazing. To be able to rely on those guys,  but when it all comes down we all have the same mentality to play.

 

Q: What obstacles have you had to overcome to get to where you are today?

A: I would say, I’ve come over a lot of adversity. Last year, I didn’t really have a good overall year in AAU or High school. I had a lot of distractions and didn’t really have my mind right. So, I would say that having a lot of adversity came my way, but this year, I’m doing a lot better. I feel like I’m working to get back to where I was before.

 

Q: And lastly, what motivates you to continue to pursue your goals as a basketball player?

A: My biggest motivation is just the fact that I feel like I’m the best and I feel like there is always something that I can work on, but just me as a player, I never settle. I don’t care what the rankings say or how many offers I have. I need to prove that I’m the best and in order to do that I have to have the best workouts I can.