In the game program at men’s basketball home games this season, you can find a question and answer session with members of the team. These interviews will be posted following the game on this page. Most recent additions appear at the top. Get the inside scoop on your favorite player at every home basketball game in Kentucky Tip-Off Magazine, the official gameday program for University of Kentucky Basketball.
MARK COURY – Feb. 23 – UK vs. Arkansas
Q. How does it feel to be named Academic All-District?
A. It?s really cool to get an honor like that and I?ve worked hard for it.
Q. A lot of times players will walk on at schools close to home. Being that you’re from Michigan, how did you choose to walk on here?
A. I visited the campus and I loved the atmosphere. I had the opportunity to play some other places but thought Kentucky would be the best fit for my future.
Q. What’s your favorite pro sports team?
A. Probably the Detroit Pistons. They had Grant Hill when I was growing up and then also the new Pistons with Chauncey Billups and Ben Wallace.
Q. Which one of UK’s opponents do you get most geared up to play?
A. This is kind of my first year of playing and my first time experiencing everything so I don?t really have a No. 1 opponent yet.
Q. The UK basketball team gets the opportunity to play in a lot of different cities and arenas. What’s been your favorite place where the team has played since you’re been here?
A. I would say the SEC Tournament last year in Atlanta.
Q. Which one of your teammates do you feel will make it big in something other than basketball? What will he be doing?
A. Ramel might make it in the music business someday. My roommate?s (Mark Krebs) pretty good, but I don?t know what he wants to do. He?s also a business major. I?m sure he?ll do pretty well.
Q. You find out you have to leave your house immediately and can only take one thing with you. What would you take?
A. Probably my UK letterman jacket.
Q. What’s the significance of your jersey number?
A. I was my high school number.
Q. Who did you idolize as a child (could be an athlete, family member, anyone) and why?
A. My dad. He played college basketball (at Wayne State). He taught me a lot of stuff and he was my coach for a while when I was younger.
Q. Last year you played in nine games, and now this year you’ve started nearly every game. What was it like for you to be able to hear your name announced as a starter for UK?
A. It was a great feeling. Obviously over the summer with a new coach, I worked really hard to try to fit in. All my hard worked paid off at the start of the season. I finally got more playing time than I had the previous year.
Q. After seeing minimal action last year, did you think you’d get to the point where you were starting?
A. I don?t know if I ever thought it or not. I didn?t know if I would start or not. I was just going to keep working hard.
Q. How exciting was the process during the summer and seeing your role unfold into eventually being a starter?
A. As practice was going on and on, I was getting more reps and more plays, getting the respect of my teammates and being part of the group and fitting in. As the games came, I got to thinking ?This is actually a possibility now,? and I was kind of surprised, but kept trying and trying and then in the weeks leading up the game I tried as hard as I could. Then it finally happened. I was trying my hardest in the games to prove that I could do that and that I deserved to.
Q. Finish this sentence. Five years from now, I’m …
A. Playing professional basketball overseas or starting out in a law career.
JODIE MEEKS – Feb. 19 – UK vs. Georgia
Q. What were the deciding factors for you choosing to come to the University of Kentucky?
A. Basically the excitement that this program has, the great fans and the history they have. I just wanted to come in and add to it.
Q. How do you handle the high expectations that come with playing at UK?
A. I try not to think about it. There are high expectations, but you kind of like that because you know the fans are going to be great and bring great energy and great passion to this university and its basketball team.
Q. What is your favorite part of Lexington?
A. I like to go to the movies and the mall a lot. I?m sort of like a movie guru. I try to go see all the new movies that I can when I have time. And I like to just go to the mall and hang out.
Q. You have recently been recognized for the work you do in the Lexington community — speaking to school children, visiting the UK Children’s Hospital, etc. Why is that important to you?
A. It is important for me to expand my horizons and not be just about basketball. I try to do well in the classroom and make good grades. I try to get out and see younger kids and try to be a role model to them.
Q. Do you think the children you encounter respond to you in a positive way?
A. I hope so. I think Kentucky basketball players are looked at as role models so I try to keep my nose clean and do the right things around the community as well as basketball.
Q. Is there any significance your jersey number, 23?
A. Well, I don?t try to compare myself to Michael Jordan, but he was sort of my role model growing up. Lebron James wears 23 now, so it is just one of my favorite numbers.
Q. Has it been difficult for you to sit out with injuries this year?
A. It has been tough. I worked really hard this summer to get ready for the season and I had a lot of expectations coming into the season for both myself and the team. And now I have had to sit and watch for most of the year, so it has been frustrating.
Q. Do you have any game-day rituals or superstitions?
A. Well when I was playing, which has been a while, I always tried to wear the same shoes each game. And I always try to go in and brush my teeth right before the game.
Q. What did it feel like to step into Rupp Arena for the first time?
A. I was kind of shocked and star-struck, but excited at the same time. Getting out in front of 23,000 to 24,000 people just gives you a rush of energy.
Q. Have we seen this Kentucky team play its best basketball yet?
A. I don?t think so. I think we still have a long way to go. We have definitely come a long way since the beginning, but we are practicing and playing well and listening to Coach, so I think there are still a lot of wins to come for us.
Q. Did you grow up following Kentucky basketball?
A. Yeah, I was in elementary school the last time they won a national championship, in 1998. I think I was about 10 or 11. I remember watching that. I was also a (North) Carolina fan. I was just a college basketball fan growing up.
Q. Other than Rupp Arena, which SEC arena is the toughest to play in?
A. Either Florida or Arkansas. Arkansas last year was pretty hard and Florida this year was tough.
Q. What was your first impression of Coach Gillispie?
A. Blue collar. He is in here before anyone gets here and after the game he keeps going, watching tapes, figuring out the game plan for practice the next day. As a team and as players we are amazed that he doesn?t get much sleep, but he comes to practice every day with a lot of energy. People just see him on TV and they don?t know how hard he works to make this team better.
PATRICK PATTERSON – Jan. 22 – UK vs. Tennessee
Q. What were the deciding factors for you choosing to come to the University of Kentucky?
A. The distance from home, and I believed in what coach (Billy) Gillispie was talking about. He talked about the programs he?s been at and turned around. He said he was going to finish where (former UK coach) Tubby (Smith) left off and keep taking Kentucky to the next level. And the location was only like an hour and a half from my family.
Q. Why do you think it was a surprise to some of the media and others that you chose Kentucky?
A. Even though Kentucky had been recruiting me for long time, Florida had won back-to-back championships and Duke?s a prestigious program with Coach K.
Q. Was the recruiting process overwhelming at times?
A. Yeah, like the last couple weeks. All the calls from reporters, friends and family, and all the messages on Facebook and Myspace were a lot to handle.
Q. Was the attention ever fun?
A. It was fun for a time, but when it got down to crunch time, I really didn?t enjoy it that much. I started locking myself in my room at times, and shutting myself away.
Q. What was your favorite thing about playing at Huntington High School in West Virginia?
A. Playing with O.J. (Mayo, a top freshman at Southern California), and all the publicity we had. We still talk every now and then.
Q. What brought you and your family to West Virginia?
A. My father was in the Navy and was transferred there. I was like 5- or 6-years-old at the time.
Q. Is there any significance to your jersey number of 54?
A. Originally I was No. 34, but then my freshman year I had my jersey stolen, and 54 was the only number they had in a big jersey.
Q. What was it like meeting your new teammates for the first time?
A. When I first got here I clicked with the other freshman and hit it off. It took some time to get to know everyone, though, and it?s a process to build those relationships.
Q. Any New Year?s resolutions?
A. To win the SEC and get all A?s in my classes. The first semester was all right, but I could have done a little better.
Q. What was your first impression of college practices?
A. When we first started with individuals, I threw up. I was dead tired. I thought if individuals are like this at only 30 minutes long, practice must be 10 times worse. And then when we first started practice my whole body would cramp up.
Q. What did it feel like to step into Rupp Arena for the first time?
A. It was breathtaking. Amazing. I?d been there as a fan and recruit sitting in the stands before, but coming out there and playing was great. All the noise and the crowd were overwhelming.
Q. How do you handle the high expectations?
A. It?s Kentucky basketball, and the fans expect you to make the (NCAA) tournament and Sweet 16 every year. I knew coming in that those were the expectations, and you just have to practice and play hard.
Q. Some media and fans have called you the savior of Kentucky basketball. How do you deal with those expectations?
A. It doesn?t really get to me. People talk about how good I am or can be, and how I can help turn around Kentucky. But there is nothing to save; Kentucky still has a strong program. But coming in, some of the players on the team saw the article that said, ?Patrick is coming to Kentucky ? the savior,? and they kid around with me some times like calling me ?Save,? or when they may be hurting and ask me to bless them.
Q. What is your favorite part of Lexington?
A. Keeneland
MORAKINYO WILLIAMS – Jan. 12 – UK vs. Vanderbilt
Q. Where are you originally from?
A. I am from Solihull, England. From London, it is about a two-hour drive northwest.
Q. How did you get into basketball?
A. My brother had a ball laying around. He used to play some and I would play with him. When you got to 13 you could play with your school team.
Q. What brought you to the states?
A. I felt the opportunities coming over were good. I was told that if I work hard, I would get to go to college after high school.
Q. What do you miss about England?
A. I miss my friends and family and the area I lived in.
Q. How big is your hometown?
A. My hometown wasn?t that big, but we were seven miles from the Birmingham city-center. Which is the second-largest city in England.
Q. What do you enjoy the most about being in the states?
A. It is definitely better suited for me, being big, as it is easier and cheaper to live here and buy clothes and shoes.
Q. What about being in Kentucky attracted you here?
A. The fan base, and how every game is sold out and the tradition of championships.
Q. If you could have one dish from home, What would it be?
A. My mom’s english sausage, baked beans and chips (french fries).
Q. What was your first impression of Coach Gillispie?
A. I was excited. I heard from my high school coach that he works his players hard, and that is something I needed.
Q. How many years have you been playing basketball?
A. I have been playing organized basketball about four years.
Q. What kind of music do you listen to?
A. Hip hop. I listen to a lot of British hip hop. I like to listen to alternative like Coldplay and the Gorillaz.
Q. What?s your favorite movie?
A. ?Ali G in Da House.? I also like the Austin Powers series.
Q. What?s the last book you read?
A. The Great Gatsby. It wasn?t bad.
Q. What is one of your guilty pleasures?
A. I like soda too much. I will go without for a while, and then I will get some and drink only soda for a week.
Q. What is your favorite thing on TV?
A. Probably Family Guy.
Q. Who is your favorite character on the show?
A. Stewie is my guy. He is just ridiculous in the way he acts.
Q. What is the last movie you saw?
A. I saw ?I Am Legend.? It was pretty good.
Q. What is something you would like to do in the future?
A. I would like to send money home to my parents to help repay them for their help in high school.
Q. What do you want to do when your basketball career is over?
A. My dream is to open up a nightclub in Spain.
RAMEL BRADLEY – Jan. 5 – UK vs. Louisville
Q. As the grandson of a pastor and son of a single mom, were things strict for you growing up?
A. Yeah, I guess you could say that, but I wasn?t really a bad kid and getting into trouble.
Q. You?ve said that your life priorities in order are God, family and basketball. What role does religion play in your approach to basketball?
A. I feel like it?s my reason for playing basketball. God?s the one who blessed me with this talent. God has a plan for everyone, and this is part of my plan.
Q. What can you say about your mom and raising you alone?
A. The respect I have for my mother is endless. To raise a son and be both parents is tough to do, especially growing up in Brooklyn and New York. She is my role model and a great woman.
Q. Where did you get the nickname ?Smooth,? and what does it mean?
A. I got the name in the seventh grade at a basketball tournament. It was the championship game and I scored like 30 points and the guy on the mic kept saying, ?This guy is smooth,? and it?s stuck ever since. And as I got older a lot of other aspects of my life started to fit the name like with the ladies, the way I dress and just the overall way I conduct myself.
Q. After watching you help host the Big Blue Madness in the preseason, would you say that you?re a class clown of the team?
A. I wouldn?t say that I?m the class clown, but just that I?m outgoing and it?s my personality to talk to people and be a funny guy.
Q. Do you have any game-day rituals or superstitions?
A. I pray three times and call my grandmother before every game. We pray together and she gives me some words of encouragement.
Q. Is there any meaning behind your tattoos?
A. There?s a lot of meaning behind them. On my chest I have one that says, ?Destined for greatness, and led by love.? On my forearm I have one that says, ?Made in Brooklyn,? and ?Live, laugh, love,? on my neck as well as a music symbol.
Q. What do you think your and Joe Crawford?s senior legacy will be?
A. It?s still a little early to tell right now, but when it?s said and done, hopefully people with say those were two of our favorite players and we?ll always remember them.
Q. Speaking of Joe Crawford, what did you think of him shaving his head for the first time before the Houston game?
A. I think I was the last one to see it. I walked on the bus and everyone was looking at me. I was like, ?What?? and they said to look at Joe. I?m like, ?What are you doing?? and he said it was a spur of the moment thing. Not too many people can pull off the bald-headed look, but he can.
Q. As a music lover, what kinds of music do you listen to, and do you play any instruments?
A. I like all music pretty much. I like R&B, rap and rock. And I can play the drums a little bit.
Q. Do you remember giving your first autograph and what that felt like?
A. It was in New York at a big tournament in high school. After the game we all got rushed by the fans. It was a great feeling. Every time somebody asks me, I?m a little surprised like thinking, ?You really want my autograph?,? but I love it.
Q. Other than UK fans, which SEC fans are the craziest?
A. I?d probably say Florida fans. Every time we go there they try to give us a hard time.
Q. In your four years here, what would you say has been the biggest challenge?
A. I think understanding and grasping my leadership role this season, and all that comes with that. It?s a constant learning process with a lot of responsibility.
Q. How will this team get better now as the season continues?
A. We just need to be more tough and come together as one.
A.J. STEWART – Dec. 31 – UK vs. Florida International
Q. How have you adjusted to living in Kentucky after coming here from Florida?
A. I?m still adjusting. I?ve got on three jackets right now just to walk across the street. It?s cold, and that?s the biggest adjustment.
Q. Anything else that has taken adjustment besides the weather?
A. The fans here are pretty intense, stuff like that. But I knew that coming in.
Q. What?s the significance of your jersey number?
A. I?ve just always had it since I was little; I?ve had it my whole life.
Q. Do you have any gameday superstitions?
A. Yeah, I?m very superstitious. I have to have two socks (on each foot). It?s just something I?ve always had to do. I have to listen to this one song before every game. ?Touching Everything? by Lil? Scrappy. That?s pretty much it, and maybe have a candy bar.
Q. Who?s your favorite pro athlete?
A. Carmelo Anthony ? because his game is so smooth.
Q. What?s been the thing you?ve missed most about home since coming to Kentucky?
A. Everything. I miss home a lot. The beaches. I can?t really just pick one thing, but if I had to it would be just going to the beach. Here?s so different. Of course I miss my family, friends, a lot of friends back home I left. I left a lot, I miss it.
Q. What did your friends think of you coming to Kentucky?
A. I mean, they were happy for me, all of them were just, ?Man that?s crazy you?re going to Kentucky. They?re so good.? And I?m just like, ?Yeah, I?m lucky.?
Q. Have you ever surfed?
A. Yeah, in Hawaii, and I almost killed myself.
Q. What one athlete ? living or dead ? would you most like to see compete in person?
A. Muhammad Ali ? because he?s one of the greatest athletes ever.
Q. As a freshman, how easy or difficult has it been fitting in with the returning players on the team?
A. As far as just getting along with my teammates, that wasn?t hard at all. But on the court, just trying to figure out which position I could play and where I could contribute, what I can do to help and where I can get the most playing time. I had a lot of questions coming in, especially with the coaching change. I wasn?t really sure what my role was going to be coming in. But now I?m starting to get a better feel for it.
Q. Were you intimidated at all coming to UK, knowing the history?
A. I was more excited than anything. I just wanted to be a part of it.
Q. Say you get a flat tire on the highway and you need a teammate to pick you up. who would you call?
A. Perry Stevenson, because he will drop whatever?s he?s doing to help anybody out. Perry?s the nicest guy in the world. Anytime I need anything I call Perry … he?s the best.
Q. What?s the best Christmas gift you?ve ever received?
A. It felt like the best at the time because I was so young. I was five, I think, and that was the best one ever. I got a new video game system and a bunch of games to go with it, a bike and everything. Christmas was the bomb that year and I was at my grandmother?s house that year. Everyone was opening their gifts, and I had all the best gifts. My uncle didn?t get me a Christmas present, but he played professional football, so he reaches in his wallet and pulls out two $100 bills. And I remember I?d never seen a $100 bill before. My mom took it, because I probably would have done something stupid with it.
Q. Describe yourself in one word.
A. Enthusiastic.
DERRICK JASPER – Dec. 29 – UK vs. San Diego
Q. How hard has it been to be sidelined with an injury?
A. It has been tough since I am a competitor and I want to be out on the floor. But this injury takes a long time to heal so I am trying to be patient.
Q. What was it like the first time you walked into rupp arena?
A. It was amazing. The crowd and the fans are amazing, definitely one-of-a-kind. Being in there with all the banners above me was kind of overwhelming.
Q. What is the most surprising thing about living in Kentucky?
A. Probably Keeneland and the horse tracks. I had never been to a horse track or a horse race before, so that was a new thing for me.
Q. What Have you missed most about California?
A. I miss living close to the beach and being able to go to the beach any time I want.
Q. What will you do after your basketball career is over?
A. I would like to go into coaching or do something that keeps me involved in sports.
Q. What was the last movie you saw?
A. The Departed.
Q. What?s the most recent book you have read?
A. ?See the Greatness.? I had to read it recently for a class and it gave you tips on how to be a better leader and things like that.
Q. What is your favorite class you have taken at uk so far?
A. Communications 101 with Dr. DeSantis.
Q. Who is your favorite artist on your MP3 player right now?
A. Kanye West.
Q. You get to be on Survivor or American Idol. Which one would you pick?
A. I would definitely want to be on American Idol because I couldn?t survive very long out in the wilderness.
Q. What is the significance of your jersey number?
A. My favorite player is Jason Kidd. He is also from California and I grew up watching him.
Q. You get a flat on the highway and need a teammate to pick you up: who do you call?
A. Jodie Meeks.
Q. What three people ? living or dead ? would you most like to have dinner with?
A. I would definitely have dinner with Jason Kidd so he could give me some pointers on my game. I would want to have dinner with my mom, since I don?t get to have dinner with her very often. And I would want to have dinner with my sister since I don?t get to see her too much.
Q. What one word would you use to describe yourself?
A. Fun.
Q. What one word would your teammates use to Describe you?
A. Funny.
JARED CARTER – Dec. 22 – UK vs. Tennessee Tech
Q. What?s your favorite pro sports team?
A. Detroit Pistons, I like the way they play ? Tayshaun Prince, I like to follow him.
Q. Which one of UK?s opponents Do you get most geared up to play against?
A. I like to play against Louisville because it?s a rivalry … It takes two of the top teams in the state playing against each other. (Growing up) I always cheered for UK.
Q. A lot of your teammates come from far away states and don?t get the opportunity to see their families a lot. How nice is it for you to have your family so close by?
A. It?s real nice. I?m only 15-20 minutes away. Just them being there is always a plus.
Q. The UK basketball team gets the opportunity to play in a lot of different cities and arenas. What?s been your favorite place the team has played in since you?ve been here? Why?
A. The Atlanta Hawks? facility (Philips Arena) my freshman year, that was really tight. It?s pretty exciting to play in.
Q. Which one of your teammates do you feel will make it big in something other than basketball? What will he be doing?
A. Ramel (Bradley) he wants to go into the rap business. I?ve heard some songs and they weren?t too bad, but I?m a country guy so I?m not sure how good a judge I?d be of that.
Q. What?s the significance of your jersey number?
A. I chose it because it?s unique and not many people have it.
Q. What was the last movie you saw?
A. Forrest Gump on TV.
Q. What do you do in your spare time?
A. We don?t have much off time but when we do, I like video games. Call of Duty 4.
Q. Complete this sentence: ?Five years from now, I?m ??
A. Hopefully playing professional basketball somewhere.
Q. Whose poster was on your bedroom wall when you were a kid?
A. Shaquille O?Neal. He was big and dominating at that time.
Q. I hear you listen to country music. What bands or artists are you into right now?
A. George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Toby Keith.
Q. Your roommate Perry Stevenson said that you boot scoot in the bathroom with your shirt off? And he?s taught you the Soulja Boy? What dance moves have you taught him?
A. I can do the Soulja Boy, but I don?t know about the boot scootin? with my shirt off. He can do it (the boot scoot), but he?s just embarrassed to tell everybody. He?s a fan of country music, that?s what people don?t know about him.
Q. Has Perry tried to convert you to anything?
A. He?s tried to convert me to Disney shows, but it hasn?t worked yet.
Q. Have you converted any of your teammates into being country music fans?
A. (Mark) Coury
Q. You find out you have to leave your house immediately and can only take one thing with you. What would you take?
A. I?d just get myself out ? everything can be replaced.
RAMON HARRIS – Dec. 15 – UK vs. UAB
Q. How have you adjusted to living in Kentucky, after coming here from Alaska?
A. ?I?ve adjusted very well. Lexington reminds me a lot of my hometown of Anchorage. The weather here where we have four seasons reminds me a lot of back home. I?ve also had my parents and my sister move out here with me, which has helped me.?
Q. Were you born in Alaska?
A. ?I was born and raised in Alaska. My mom moved up there when she was a sophomore in high school and my dad was stationed up there in the military.?
Q. You wore No. 22 last year when you joined the team. Why the switch to No. 34 this year?
A. ?I switched over to No. 34 this year because I wanted to honor my dad who went overseas this year. Thirty-four was his number when he played basketball in high school and junior college.?
Q. Do you have any gameday superstitions?
A. ?I like to take a shower before the game. A shower always relaxes me.?
Q. What is the one thing Kentucky fans might be surprised to know about you?
A. ?They might not know that I like to draw. Drawing is something I?ve enjoyed doing and my mother is an artist. I took art classes in high school for fun. I do my best work when I draw for the sake of drawing instead of focusing on a specific object or person, though I do like to draw sports figures.?
Q. Your game is most like what NBA player?s game?
A. ?My teammates say I play a little like Tracy McGrady. I think we have two different games. Tracy, Carmelo Anthony and Josh Howard are three players I like to watch play the most. I really would like to be more like Howard because he has a really complete game offensively and defensively.?
Q. You?re allowed to eat only one thing for the rest of your life. What would you pick?
A. ?My grandmother?s gumbo. She puts in sausage, crab legs, chicken and shrimp ? all cooked over rice.?
Q. What Have you missed most about home since coming to Kentucky?
A. ?The people I grew up with. I miss my high school teammates, coaches and my church family.?
Q. What one basketball player ? actively playing or retired ? would you most like to compete against?
A. ?Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan is known as the greatest of all-time and you always want to play against the best player. With him having that title, you just want to play against him and see where you stand.?
Q. You get a flat on the highway and need a teammate to pick you up: who do you call?
A. ?I can call a bunch of different people. Ramel Bradley, Joe Crawford, Jodie Meeks, Matt Scherbenske and Dusty Mills all have cars and would respond. Depending on the time of day and people?s class schedules, I can call on any of them.?
Q. What three people ? living or dead ? would you most like to have dinner with? What would be served?
A. ?I would love to have dinner with my uncle who passed away when I was in the eighth grade, my grandmother who passed away when I was in seventh grade and my nephew who passed away a few weeks ago. Those are the people I?d love to sit down with and eat my grandmother?s gumbo with.?
Q. What one word would you use to Describe yourself?
A. ?Goofy. I?ve always been known as goofy growing up. I like to joke around and pick spur-of-the-moment times to make people laugh.?
Q. What?s the best Christmas gift you?ve ever received?
A. ?When I was in elementary school there were these pair of basketball shoes I wanted so bad that I got. At first, I didn?t think I got them because when we went to open presents I didn?t see the box. I was looking for the shape and didn?t see it. I was a little upset. What my parents ended up doing was putting the shoes in another box so I couldn?t tell the gift by the shape of it. I was so happy to get those shoes.?
JOE CRAWFORD – Dec. 1 – UK vs. North Carolina
Q. So you have a brother, Jordan, who plays basketball at Indiana. How does his game compare to yours?
A. He plays a lot like me, but passes a little better.
Q. Who is the better shooter, you or Jordan?
A. Me.
Q. What was the last movie you saw?
A. The last movie I saw was ?I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry.?
Q. Who is the teammate who will make it big in something other than basketball?
A. Probably Ramel (Bradley). He will have a great basketball career too, but he has a lot of passion for other things. He puts good effort into everything he does. He really loves music, and he really works hard at that. A lot of people like his music.
Q. What will you do after your basketball career is over?
A. I look forward to going back to the city of Detroit and helping out my community. Doing something for the youth. I want to be a coach. I think that is what young kids look up to. I want to be more than just a coach, I want to shape kids? lives.
Q. What is it like with all of the Michigan guys on the team?
A. I don?t know how that happened. I played with (Alex Legion and Mark Coury) growing up. I knew Alex when he was real young, when he was in sixth grade. Mark and I played on the same AAU team.
Q. Do you find that you?re closer with the Michigan guys?
A. The whole team is really close. As far as the connection with the Michigan kids, I understand where they are coming from. Especially Alex. We kind of chose the same path. He has gone through some of the same things I went through. I let him know it was going to be tough.
Q. What is the significance of your jersey number?
A. It equals five, and that is for my family. Plus Magic (Johnson) wore it, so it is a magic number.
Q. Is there a pro player you pattern yourself after?
A. Baron Davis.
Q. What was it like the first time you walked into the Craft Center?
A. It was crazy, like an NBA facility. I never thought it would be done during my time here. I was just happy to be a part of it.
Q. If there was something you could have added to the Craft Center, what would it be?
A. More pictures of Joe Crawford.
Q. What?s hot on your MP3 player right now?
A. Probably ?American Gangster,? Jay-Z?s new album.
Q. What is the most surprising thing about living in Kentucky?
A. How much support our fans give us and how much attention we get. I have been here for four years and it is still mind-blowing.
Q. What is your favorite dish?
A. Buffalo wings.
Q. Which one of UK?s opponents do you most look forward to playing?
A. I can?t really pick one of them. There is always something special about each game. Especially being a senior, I am just enjoying every single game.
Q. If you could give Coach Gillispie anything for Christmas, what would it be?
A. I know he likes horse racing, so if I had the money I would give him a championship horse.
MICHAEL PORTER – Nov. 27 – UK vs. Stony Brook
Q: What?s your favorite book all-time?
A: This is going to sound really funny, but it would have to be the Harry Potter books. I just started reading them in middle school when they first came out, and I kept with them.
Q: Have you seen all the movies as well?
A: Nope, haven?t seen any of those. I?ve just read the books.
Q: Who?s the most thoughtful guy on the team?
A: That?s a tough question. It would probably have to be Mark Krebs, just because every time I get hurt he?s always texting me or calling me to make sure I?m okay.
Q: What?s your favorite magazine?
A: Sports magazines?but not the swimsuit issues. My wife wouldn?t like that.
Q: What?s the most difficult thing about being married and being a student-athlete?
A: There?s nothing too difficult about being a student and being married, because my wife is always there to help me with my homework and everything. The hard part is being an athlete and being married, because I?m always away, and I have to spend time with my teammates. It?s hard to divide my time between the team and my wife.
Q: What was your favorite cartoon to watch as a kid?
A: I really like the Little Mermaid and Scooby Doo.
Q: Why the Little Mermaid?
A: I don?t know. I guess I really liked everything being under the ocean.
Q: What?s the most surprising thing to you about living in Kentucky?
A: Probably how fast the weather can change around here.
Q: What three people ? living or dead ? would you most like to have dinner with?
A: Jesus Christ, my wife and Michael Jordan.
Q: What would be served?
A: We would eat steak, pasta, broccoli and cake for dessert.
Q: You played football in high school. Why did you choose to continue with basketball?
A: For one, with basketball, I had the opportunity to play at Kentucky, which was very exciting. I always had more of a love for basketball, and football was more just fun. I could always go out when I was at home and just shoot on my own when we didn?t have practice. It was just having more of a love and a passion for basketball than I did football.
Q: Which do you prefer?Game-winning touchdown or game-saving, de-cleating tackle?
A: It would definitely have to be a game-winning touchdown. I had a few of those, but I never had a game-saving tackle.
Q: You?re wearing a different jersey number this year. Why the switch?
A: Well I really wanted 13 to begin with, but Bobby (Perry) had it last year. My favorite numbers are one and three, and one was my basketball number in high school and three was my football number. So, I just decided to put them together.
Q: You get to be on Survivor or American Idol. Which one do you pick?
A: It definitely wouldn?t be American Idol. I wouldn?t get very far. I?d be the guy on the outtakes. I would probably be on Survivor.
Q: How would you do?
A: I think I?d win, because I could manipulate everybody on the show and win all those challenges.
Q: You find out you have to leave your home immediately and can only take one item. What do you grab?
A: I would take my wife. It would be hard to live without her, and plus she?d be mad.
PERRY STEVENSON – Nov. 24 – UK vs. Texas Southern
Q: What?s your favorite movie?
A: Hoosiers, the story is great. The underdogs getting on top. My favorite character is Ollie. That is what we call our walk-on Dusty (Mills). He is 5-6 on a good day. Even coach calls him that. Coach is funny.
Q: What?s your favorite food?
A: Chicken fettuccini, my mom makes it. She is the best. I am from Lafayette, Louisiana, and I like gumbo a lot, but it is better tasting in the winter. I can eat chicken fettuccini year around. As far as crawfish goes, I don?t take part in sucking on the head, I just eat the tail and throw the rest of it out. Those things are to much work for such little food.
Q: Who would you say is your favorite cartoon?
A: Batman. He is not really super strong, but smart about everything. He thinks things through and he knows what he is doing. If he has too, he can kick somebody?s butt. My favorite Batman movie is the one with Mr. Freeze with Arnold Schwarzenegger. I wasn?t a huge fan of all the movies, more of a fan of the cartoons. It would probably be a tie between Mr. Freeze and the one with Jim Carrey. He makes everything funny.
Q: So you?re a cartoon fan. What?s you?re favorite?
A: I like Fairly Odd Parents. It is kind of weird. Silly. But kind of written for older audiences because there is stuff that six or seven-year olds would not pick up on. It is on Nick in the afternoon. My favorite classic cartoon is Bugs Bunny. He always outsmarts everyone.
Q: Beets ? Are they a fruit? Vegetable? Or item best left on the shelf?
A: Item best left on the shelf. My grandma eats pickled beets, she can keep that.
Q: I understand you listen to country music.
A: When I got here, I would hear it all year long and I adapted to it; especially from my roommate Jared (Carter). Every time I walk into the room and he is in there already the country music is blasting.
Q: Have you picked up on any boot scooting?
A: I can?t boot scoot; I haven?t learned any dances yet. I have seen Jared do it a couple times with his shirt off in the bathroom. I just haven?t told anyone I saw him doing it yet. I showed Jared how to do the Soulja Boy so he knows how to do that now. Maybe after our next win I can get Jared to do the Soulja Boy. My favorite dance is the Soulja Boy; it is the latest one that I tried to learn. A.J. Stewart is probably the best at it.
Q: Talk about your trip to Europe last summer.
A: It was very different; playing with the non-goaltending rule. If you?re not dunking, you?re not getting a lay-up. It took me a couple of games to get used to that. Besides all of that, the basketball wasn?t that different. We played basketball for seven days, and traveled for two, and did some sight seeing in Amsterdam. The food was awful. I had to eat fast food everyday. We had some catered for us, but I don?t know anyone in their right mind from the U.S. that would eat that.
Q: Who would you list as your favorite basketball players?
A: Michael Jordan would definitely be one of them. He just made everybody better. He would probably lead the game with 40 points and never look like he took a shot. Also, Karl Malone, he was such a strong post player. Not really Shaq, but he had a huge impact on the game.
Q: Rumor has it that you?re the team comedian. What is your old standby for making people laugh?
A: Probably just general sarcasm or funny looks when they say an obvious statement. Like ?Duh.? I give Jared (Carter) a lot of those looks.
Q: If you could only have songs from one artist or group on your MP3 player, who would it be?
A: Chris Brown. I get tired of always hearing rap music and he is something a little different.
Q: Who?s the first person that will call you on your birthday?
A: My mom will call me first.
Q: Tell us something surprising about Coach Gillispie.
A: Probably how he is so calm all the time. We have seen him yell, but usually it is in the game. I have never met a coach that is as calm as he is. There are times he has to yell to get his point across but that?s all coaches.
