AFCA recently sat down with Seattle native and Garfield High alum Marcelus Kemp. Check out what the former University of Nevada Wolfpack superstar had to say!
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Marcelus you've been player of the week 2 of the 3 weeks of the season, how does that feel in such a tough league?
Playing in the Turkish league so far has been great...Its one of the top league's in europe, and so far we haven't lost a game.
As most people know by now you play alongside Deron Williams. How is it to have an NBA all-star on your team?
Playing with D-will an NBA all-star, I can really see the difference of basketball IQ between him and other european point guards I've played with, and there is no comparison. He's a big reason why we haven't lost a game in the league.
Do you ever feel slighted or like you should be in the NBA?
Now that I have been playing in Europe for sometime, I really don't think about the NBA or that I should be playing in the NBA. I'm happy playing in Europe.
What do you feel are the biggest differences from European Basketball and U.S. Basketball?
One of the biggest differences between Euro and U.S. basketball is the rules. One rule that sticks out in Europe thats not allowed in the U.S. Is when you try and score in Europe , and the ball hits the rim the defender can knock the ball of the rim before it goes thru the net. Thats a rule that stands out the most to me.
What do you plan to do with your life once your career is over?
When my Basketball Career is over i plan on being a basketball coach maybe an AAU coach.
Could you describe what it is like to be in Turkey, living in Istanbul?
Living in Istanbul, Turkey it's different . One thing is the traffic...Theres so many people living here that there almost always bumper to bumper traffic. But other then the traffic its a very americanized place, nice malls, restaurants, clubs, zoo, aquarium a lot things to do here and mostly everyone speaks english .
If you could choose to play in the NBA or anywhere of your choice in Europe without money being a factor which would you choose and why?
If i could choose anywhere to play, I would choose the NBA only because I would feel more comfortable then Europe
What player did you grow up idolizing or who do you model your game after?
Well, when I was younger I really didn't watch a lot of basketball until I got to be a little older. I became a huge fan of Kobe Bryant but I really don't try and model my game after anyone.
What advice would you give kids that grow up wanting to play in the NBA or Europe?
My biggest advice for the younger kids is first get your education ...get a degree cause basketball is not forever...And if you want to play professional in the NBA or in Europe you got to work hard and get better everyday .
Lastly you played against one of AFCA's trainers Virgil Matthews in the NCAA tournament while you were at Nevada any recollection of that game?
I remember i had 34 pts that game and i believe Virgil played really well that game too..But the biggest thing they won and we lost.
Special thanks to Marcelus for taking the time to sit down with AFCA! Be sure to check out www.marcelus-kemp.com and follow him on his journey!
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