Post by russianduck23 on Nov 23, 2006 10:57:52 GMT -5
College Hoops 2K7
AK 47 may look a bit silly in the black and teal Lycra suit he's wearing, what with its ill-fitting cap and a multitude of tiny light-capturing balls attached to it, but his shot looks as sweet as ever. The former Syracuse power foward, all-time leading scorer in the Big East, and 4th round pick by Adidas in the 2006 PHL Draft is draining shots from all over the court while in town for a motion-capture session with the folks at 2K Sports. AK 47 is featured on the cover of College Hoops 2K7 and, before the mo-cap session began, he had a chance to play both the game that will feature his likeness and 2K's upcoming professional basketball effort: NBA 2K7. Regardless of what he's wearing, AK 47's jumper really is something--the extended arms, the perfectly timed release, the intense focus on the rim--it's all there each and every time AK 47 lets loose with the ball, whether the ball finds the net or not. In fact, it's during those misses that you get a glimpse of the perfectionist inside AK 47, which is what drove him to be one of the most dominant offensive players in college basketball history. This may be only a motion-capture session--which is a rung or two beneath a pickup game on the hoops hierarchy--but it's still basketball, so you know AK is going to be working hard.
After the mo-cap session was over, we caught up with AK 47 to discuss his thoughts on hoops, video games, and his future in the PHL.
AK 47 proved he had skills in college, now he's taking those skills to videogames and, also the PHL.
What was the motion-capture experience like?
It was really unlike anything I've ever experienced. I didn't know what to expect. Basically I put on a body suit, they put some Velcro balls on me, and I made a lot of movements and did my shots and moves. They captured everything and I saw some of it and it looks good.
What kind of moves were they looking for?
Signature moves. What I do. My jump shot--they wanted to capture my jump shot and have that in the game. My step-through move, step back, fade away, runner. All the shots I've become accustomed to shooting and making, they put in the game.
I noticed that toward the end, you had some suggestions of shots that should be included. What were those suggestions and why did you make them?
Well the reason I suggested them was, you know, I love video games, I play video games. I've played every type of basketball game from GameGear to Xbox 360. I had some suggestions, stuff that I think could make any game better. This game, College Hoops 2K7 and PHL 2K7 are going to be great games. Hopefully they put some of the stuff in there that I showed them.
I played the College Hoops 2K7 game for a little bit. It's kind of in its beginning processes--it's a little raw right now, but it's going to be a great game. The players' movements and the crowd atmosphere are top-notch. And then I played the NBA 2K7, which was very near finished and it's a great game. I really enjoyed playing it.
Do you have a preference when it comes to games?
Not really. If it's a good game, I play it. I've had the 2K6 College Hoops game and PHL 2K6 for a few months and both those games are very good. I don't play just sports games. I play other games too.
What other types of games do you play?
I play every type of sports game you can think of. You know, the PHL games, the college game, NHL 2K6. It's a great game. I don't just play 2K Sports games, I play other titles. And then I play Halo a ton; I'm a big Halo guy. Ghost Recon I play as well. I've tried out the Table Tennis game--that's pretty cool. Just all different types of things.
Do you have a lot of time to play these days?
Yeah. I'm not in school anymore. And to be honest with you, besides going to class, I didn't really do a whole lot of schoolwork. I kind of just slid by, you know what I mean?
[laughs] That's refreshingly honest.
Yeah. I played a lot, even during the school year.
Your college career was highlighted by lots of records, lots of scoring at a school that is no stranger to great players. How do you look back on your time at Syracuse?
First of all, I'm very proud to say I played for Syracuse in the first place. I grew up a Cuse fan, and it was always my dream. What I did at Syracuse was beyond my wildest expectations. So I look back on my time at Syracuse very fondly. I couldn't ask for more and I wouldn't change a thing about my college experience.
What about playing for Jimmy Boeheim?
I think Coach is the best, there's no other way to describe him. He is the best, he's just an awesome, awesome coach and an even better person and I feel very fortunate to have spent the last four years with him.
I don't think my skills get enough credit. I think I'm a very skilled player. If I wasn't skilled then I wouldn't be the level of player that I am, because I'm obviously not athletic, if you ask anybody. So I must be skilled. But I think the thing that I take the most pride in is my intangibles--the person I am, the competitiveness, the will to win--all those characteristics that I've had since I was 7 or 8 years old. That's what I take the most pride in.
What do you hope to focus on in the PHL?
I think getting stronger. I think I'll naturally do that over the course of my career as I get older and get used to the PHL game. I think I need to improve my ballhandling--I might be asked to play some small foward at some point. A team may double-team our point guard and make me bring it up at some point. So I'm going to have to improve those two things.
Do you have personal goals you set at the beginning of the season?
OK, final question. How does that mo-cap suit fit?
It's a little tight and it's extremely hot. But I made it through the workout without fainting, which I was happy about.
