Q&A: Cats Illustrated's Clint Jackson goes 1-on-1 with Tyrese Maxey
The entire Kentucky basketball fan base, or so it seems, is familiar with Tyrese Maxey, the high scoring guard who has committed to the Wildcats. Cats Illustrated watched the 6-foot-4 blue chip in action over the weekend at the Nike EYBL in Hampton, Virginia. And after one of his games, we caught up with him for some light, more casual discussions.
Personally, tell me something about you that maybe Kentucky fans might not know. Doesn't even need to be basketball related.
"I mean, I think everybody knows it pretty much now, but I like to watch Marvel movie. My favorite is The Avengers. I like to watch all of them. I watch pretty much all of them so, I guess, something I do in my downtime."
What’s the best compliment somebody can pay to you as a basketball player?
"That I am really good defensively. I like to win my one on one matches defensively, especially if I’m matched up against a really good player. And that’s one think I take pride in."
Thinking back to your recruitment, what’s one thing that Coach Calipari or Barbee did or said that really stuck with you? One thing that really made an impact on you that you’ll never forget?
"One thing that made an impact on me is that they showed (real) interest. Like, they made multiple home visits to my house and I feel like that showed my family and I that they really wanted me, so that’s one thing that really played a big factor in going to Kentucky."
Situational question. The ball’s in your hands with five seconds left and you’re down a bucket, what’s your go-to move?
"Down a bucket? I have to reach in my bag and find something. I mean, it doesn’t really matter sometimes. Got to go off instinct. I don’t know. I just go in come up with something off the top of my dome."
Paint the picture of your perfect career at Kentucky. What does it look like for you?
"It looks like playing one good year, trying to go to the championship. Win the national championship. That’s really one of my goals at Kentucky. You know, I think they won nine. They have eight right now, so hopefully if they get one next year and then my year, we can come in and get the tenth."
A lot of Kentucky fans are passionate. It's a rabid fan base. They love talking about basketball recruiting. They ask a lot about you. What’s one thing that you would tell them? What do you want your message to those fans to be?
"I’m just ready. I can’t wait to play in front of them at Rupp and have a good time."
What’s maybe one or two things you want to focus on getting better before you get to Lexington?
"Leadership skills. I feel like I come in pretty young. Always Coach Scott's team is pretty young. They’re gonna need somebody to step up and be a big leader and that’s one of my jobs on this team coming up right now. I think there’s three of us that play on the EYBL circuit and I’m the most experienced, so I just try to lead these guys to EYBL championships."
My last question for you. Who do you love to match up against out here in the EYBL? Who brings out the best in you? Who excites you to defend?
"Pretty much, really anybody I consider a top player. One that I really like playing against is Cole(Anthony). Cole is probably one of the best guys out here and it’s really cool playing against him because he’s going to bring the best out of me and I’m going to bring the best out of him."
What’s so tough about him? Defending him?
"He works a lot. He works on everything, so he’s pretty good at shooting, getting to the rack, passing to his teammates. He’s really good, so that’s always a good match up.
I appreciate it, man. That was a fun interview. You've got a lot of charisma. You look like your just happy to just be alive. Very full of life.
"Yeah, I am happy to be alive."