Julian Wright: He Shakes, He Bakes, He Illuminates ~ BitterSweetLife

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Julian Wright: He Shakes, He Bakes, He Illuminates


Just read this SI.com interview with KU's Julian Wright. I've been impressed by Wright's Magic Johnson-esque hoops skills ever since he laced 'em up at Kansas last season (which gives me bragging rights over basketball fans across the nation who are just now getting acquainted with Julian on SportsCenter) - now I'm also impressed by his mad interview skills. Here are a couple slices:

Luke Winn: The whole impromptu, players-only clearing-of-the-air session you guys had in your hotel the night before the Florida game is becoming Kansas legend. Can you tell me exactly what you said that evening?

Julian Wright
: It'll need to be censored. Basically we all knew that coach [Self] was frustrated, and we were starting to get frustrated, too. He was on us all the time, and we needed him to be on us, but it got to the point where I could sense a lot of players starting to plant negative seeds, in terms of making small excuses or pointing fingers. And excuses are coach's pet peeve. I just started saying, 'What are we doing? This is not how we can play. How are we going to be good until we start playing the way coach wants us to? He's on us because he knows we can be better.'

I heard a lot of 'Shut-ups' from people, and I later apologized, because I was saying a lot of personal stuff, just to fire them up. It was basically the same stuff that coach says, but maybe in terms that a player could relate to a little more. I was frustrated. Not because people happened to have bad games, but because the way we were playing, there wasn't any zip to us, no passion or energy. I said we shouldn't be stressed out, we should be living for these moments...

LW: What's your taste in music like?...

JW: My iPod has a little bit of everything, over 1,500 songs now. I mostly listen to R&B, though. A little jazz, a little hip-hop. But I'm not a big hip-hop head like a lot of players are. There are just too many songs out there that talk about the same stuff. It gets repetitive. I'm more of a person who appreciates the actual substance of the music, not just the music itself.

I've always had a soft spot in my heart for Jayhawk great Paul Pierce, but "Ju-Ju" is inching closer to all-time favorite Jayhawk status. This was the best interview with a collegiate athlete I've ever read, bad none. Props to you, Julian Wright: If I was 6'8" and had a healthy back I'd try and emulate your game - both on the court and in front of the mic.



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Culture. Photos. Life's nagging questions. - BitterSweetLife