Thursday, October 1, 2015

UK basketball preseason interviews


Last month I got the opportunity to interview Marcus Lee, EJ Floreal, and Tyler Ulis at UK basketball preseason media day. I also sat through and listened to all the other players that Larry Vaught (sports writer for the Advocate-Messenger and who I'm working under with my internship) interviewed as well. Today is the day I am allowed to finally post these interviews!

These one on one interviews were a ton of fun and an absolutely unbelievable opportunity for me, especially considering these were the first interviews I've done! Getting to know each of the players and their personalities was a lot of fun and something I will never forget! It's going to be an exciting year for UK basketball to say the least. Listed below are my interviews.

EJ Floreal's interview:


Olivia –
So last season was pretty memorable to say the least.  Other than winning it all this season, what’s your main objective going into it?

EJ -
“I mean, for me personally I’m just trying to work hard and do what I do best and hopefully make an impact on this team one way or another.”


Olivia –
You actually share the same birthday as my little brother, who’s 11 (March 23rd) he loves basketball too.  What advice can you give to younger kids who hope to one day be in your shoes and at the University of Kentucky?

EJ -
“1st off, always respect your parents and family, that’s number 1.
You just got to keep working hard, don’t discouraged about something that’s going bad or going wrong.  Everything is some type of test and you just need to be ready at all times.”


Olivia –
Can you talk a little bit about the challenges of balancing school work and being an athlete?

EJ -
“I mean it’s obviously not easy and we understood that when we all decided and wanted to come here but
It’s something that when Cal talked to us, we knew it.  It’s not something we complain about or talk about, we just have to power through it.  We may not have as many hours as say a regular student but it’s all worth it for our dreams.”


Olivia –
Your twitter bio shows that your faith is very important to you.  It says I’m not a Christian because I’m strong and have it all together I’m a Christian because I’m weak and I admit that I need a Savior.
What is something else you’d like the world to know that they may not already know about you?

Ej -
“I mean yeah, my faith is really important to me.  I’m a Christian and I’m a strong believer and all that.
I read devotions all the time, I try to go to Church as much as I can, so it’s really important to me.
Something people don’t know about me….  All I can think about is that I love to dance but people kinda figured that last year when I did all the dancing. 
I mean maybe , I don’t know, I think I’m pretty funny.  Marcus tries to say I’m not funny I think I’m hilarious.”


Olivia -
What’s your favorite song to dance to?

EJ -
“Favorite song to dance to is, it don’t really matter.  I just like to dance, if it’s got a nice beat and I can have a little rhythm to it, I’m dancing.”


Olivia –
As a returning player what can you do to improve the teamwork and attitude of each player?

EJ -
“I can let them know that #1, it goes by really fast.  So we need to make this time worthwhile, we’ve got to work together
We’re going to have to sacrifice, everyone’s going to have to sacrifice, that’s just something they’ve got to understand.”


Olivia –
Going into each game, what is your biggest objective?

EJ -
“My biggest objective is just to feel like I’ve been able to help the team and if that’s me playing on game day, preparing people in practice,
I just want to make an impact on this team.”


Olivia –
Personally, what are you doing to improve this season?

EJ -
“I’m working real hard, I’m in the  gym as much I can be.
When we play pick up I play as hard as I can to let these guys know that I want to play.
I mean, all of us want to play so I’m trying to compete with them, make them better and they’re doing the same.”


Olivia -
If you were stranded on a private island with any of your teammates, who would you want with you?

EJ -
“Marcus Lee, cause that’s my dawg.  If he doesn’t say me I’m never answering a question with him again.
When you ask him I want you to tell him what I said.  He better say me!”



Marcus Lee's Interview: 

Olivia –
Alright with my previous interview with EJ, I started to ask him if he was on a private island with any of his teammates who would he choose.
Marcus- “He chose me.”
Olivia- He did. 
Marcus- “And I choose him. “
Olivia – He said he hoped that you’d pick him.  Why would you pick him?
Marcus – “Because he’s my best friend!”


Olivia –
As a returning player and leader for the new freshmen, how do you plan on promoting positive energy for your team
Through both the good and bad situations that usually goes along with the season?

Marcus –
“I feel that the first thing you got to do is just like enjoy the moment.  Once they see you having fun and not really stressing about things they kinda feel like they can relax and start getting things done.”


Olivia –
Tell us a little bit about what you’ve done in the off-season to help prepare for this season?

Marcus –
“I’ve tried to get this team together, we’re kinda young, we don’t have that many returning players so being able to be together at once in such a fast way is
something we have to stress.”




Olivia –
Going in as a young team what are you expecting?

Marcus -
“We expect the same thing as every other year, which is to do great things and nothing less.”



Olivia –
I’d say it’s been an adjustment for you coming from California to the Bluegrass.  Is there anything that you’ve done or got to experience in Kentucky that you never thought you’d do or try?

Marcus  –
“I’ve definitely seen a lot of things that I’m not used to seeing.  I think one thing that I’ve started to love is going to the Derby and stuff like that because we don’t have anything like that in California. 
And also just being in college in general you get to enjoy things that you don’t really understand at first, so it’s really a good experience.”

Olivia –
Have you been horseback riding since you’ve been in Kentucky?

Marcus –
“No, I don’t think I ever will. 
It kinda freaks me about about being on a horse.”




Olivia –
Can you describe your typical pre-game routine?

Marcus –
“We usually have a pre-game meal and then I head to the gym maybe an hour earlier than the rest of my team just to kinda relax and not be in a rush.  And then I have a specific schedule of how I put my clothes on, how I get things done in the locker room and then I go on the court to do my specific routine and that’s how I get myself ready for that game.”

Olivia –

What about halftime?

Marcus –
“At halftime I’m in game mode so there’s no real routine.   it just depends on how we’re playing.”




Olivia –
Can you talk a little bit about the relationship that you have with your teammates and  how that’s played a role in the success of the past seasons?

Marcus –

“Our relationship together in previous years is what got us there, us being so tight-knit as a family has bonded us to get where we wanted to go.
There were times when we could have fell apart and just abandoned each other but we’ve gotten closer and worked through it and
that’s what family does, they work through things and that’s what makes people great.”


Olivia –
What do you consider your biggest struggle on the court to be and how are you improving this?

Marcus –
“I think our greatest struggle so far, just being at Kentucky, is us trying to come together and that’s just something that you have to stress this year.
That’s something we need to stress every year because we have so many people from different parts of the world so it’s a little bit harder this year because we don’t know how everybody is or how people are going to react to things so being able to bond with each other is something that really helps us out.”


Olivia –
I’ve noticed your involvement with Kickin It for Kelly.  When did you first meet him and talk a little bit about your role off the court with him.

Marcus –
“I met Kelly my freshman year, middle of my freshman year, and the craziest thing is that when I met him, when you think about you’re going to see a kid in the hospital you think of somebody just sitting around as a sad thing but I walked in the first time and there was water guns squirted at me, this kid didn’t know who I was but he was chasing me with a water gun, with nerf-guns, so at this point it’s not so much me trying to help him out, but it’s him trying to help me out and that’s what I see and I walk in there and I could have a bad day and he makes me smile so it’s more of me having a friend instead of me trying to help somebody out.”


Olivia –
I know you’re 21st birthday is coming up pretty soon.  Do you have any big plans for this year?

Marcus –
“21st birthday, I will be….  I really don’t know what I want to do but most likely we’ll have a workout or something here, so I would do that first and then… I don’t know what I’m going to do for my 21st birthday.”

Olivia –

No trips to Vegas?

Marcus –
“Noooo…  If I could I would but I can’t….”


Tyler Ulis' interview: (disclaimer I accidentally recorded over the first part of his interview.. dang-it. That is why his is so much shorter than the others)



Olivia –
A lot of people refer to you as the best point guard in college basketball right now.
How do you react to that?

Tyler –
“Of course it makes me smile that people think about that but I try not to feed into it because one of the point guards on our team could end up being the best so I’m not trying to live up to anyone’s expectations, just come out to win and try to play.”


Olivia -
How did you spend your summer?

Tyler –
“I went home to Chicago and Lima and spent it with family.
Played in a pro-am back at home and you know we had to be here for summer school.”

Thank you all for reading! Hope you enjoyed, this was so much fun for me!

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