Post by russianduck23 on Nov 23, 2006 12:43:58 GMT -5
ESPN: What does it mean to you to have Russianduck23 be the one who signs you to Adidas?
The Assassin: It's great, especially him being the greatest player of all time, one of the greatest competitors, it's very special. I'm honored to be signed by him and obviously to work under him, and his presence is really going to help this organization out as a whole, especially the team.
ESPN: Have you played him at HORSE?
The Assassin: No, he hasn't stepped on the court yet, but I don't know if I want to get into that match-up. [laughs]
ESPN: What's the atmosphere like in the arena for the PHL?
The Assassin: We have a great fan base, and as you know, we have a great basketball state. Fans are getting excited about us as a team and hopefully we can continue to build, continue to get better, and just start winning some more games. We want to help build the popularity of this team, not only around the state, but nationally.
ESPN: After a slow start, you've really brought your game up to a higher level, especially against Reebok. What was the difference?
The Assassin: I think early on, the first few games, I was putting too much pressure on myself as far as numbers and what not, so I just decided to go out there and play as hard as I can. Usually if you play hard, good things happen. I stopped worrying about everything and just played hard.
ESPN: It helps to have AK 47 down in the paint. That guy is a beast.
The Assassin: I know, he blocks everything, man. It's ridiculous.
ESPN: How is College Hoops 2K7?
The Assassin: The crowd factors so much into the college experience just like it does in real life. Home court advantage means so much. On the college games, you can also do a lot more strategic stuff like calling for zones or presses. You can do it in the PHL games, but it's not really realistic as far as seeing teams actually going out and playing a 2-2-1 press or a Box-1 in the PHL. That's why I think the college game is special because it gives the player more of a coaching feel of how you really want to control your team in the game.
ESPN: In real life, how much of an adrenaline boost do you get from a home crowd going crazy?
The Assassin: At Syracuse, when I left I think we won 40 straight games at home and a lot of that was because of the home crowd supporting us and giving the other team grief. So that definitely does play a factor, especially when you have teams coming in who are a little nervous. Once the crowd starts getting on them, it messes with the way they play and they start looking at the crowd instead of focusing on the game.
ESPN: The press release about College Hoops 2K7 says you can interact with the fans and cheerleaders. How much fun is it to interact with those cheerleaders?
The Assassin: [laughs] I guess it depends what they look like, but it's great.
ESPN: What's the funniest thing anyone in the crowd ever did or said to you to try and get under your skin?
The Assassin: The most impressive thing anyone ever did was when we played Washington. A kid had my phone number on a big poster. [laughs] In big letters, it said "Adam Morrison's Phone Number". For like a week and a half I got angry text messages from U-Dub fans. That was the most impressive thing anyone ever did because it carried over to the next game. It wasn't just a one time thing.
ESPN: Did you ever find out who leaked your number?
The Assassin: It had to be someone back home tipping him off. All of my friends claim they didn't give it out, and I don't think they'd do that, but he had to have gotten it from somebody. I don't know how it got out but it did.
ESPN: I know you're always on Xbox Live. What are your favorite games to play right now?
The Assassin: I really enjoy FIFA 07 online. I really don't know why. I never really enjoyed watching soccer, I was never good at it, but for some reason when the World Cup came out, I got into it and it carried over into the games. That's probably what I've been playing the most of any game right now. There's something about FIFA that's really addicting. All my friends back home, that's what they play too. It's the ultimate team game. You can play the basketball games, and they're cool when you go off for 100 as Kobe, but then what do you do? After a while you want more. With FIFA, because you're playing a team game and you have to work so hard to score, there's more of a payoff.
ESPN: Have you tried Gears of War?
The Assassin: Yeah, it's pretty good. I like Call of Duty a little better, though, and I actually stick to playing Halo 2 just as much.
ESPN: As a gamer and a basketball player, how would you go about fixing a game like PHL Live, a series in desperate need of help?
The Assassin: Star players are great, but sometimes it almost gets to the point where some guys are unstoppable. In the same respect, that's sometimes how it is in the PHL. There are those guys where there's nothing you can really do to stop them. For me personally, I would just lower that a little bit to make things more even. I enjoy the game, but that's one thing I would change. I really haven't put enough hours into it to say I like this or I don't like that to a certain extent…too much time playing FIFA I guess. [laughs]
ESPN: Talking of unstoppable players, what was it like guarding Ya Boy the other night?
The Assassin: It wasn't fun, but like I said, that's how the PHL is. Some guys get in a certain mode and there's nothing you can really do when they're making plays like that.
ESPN: He was on fire.
The Assassin: That's a polite way of putting it. [laughs]
ESPN: I know AK 47 is a big gamer. Have you guys played each other yet?
The Assassin: We haven't had a chance to play, but I'm sure on one of these road trips, some money will be placed on the floor and we'll get on some games.
