UConn won the NCAA tourney in April and Denver won the NBA Finals in June but there is still 1 more basketball champion to be crowned this summer. The Basketball Tournament (aka the TBT) kicks off on July 19th with 8 regions of 8 teams playing in Dayton/Louisville/Lubbock/Syracuse/West Virginia/Wichita 1/Wichita 2/Xavier. Each region will send 1 team to the quarterfinals, with the championship game taking place during the 1st week of August, and the winning team walking away with $1 million in prize money. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel will spend the weeks ahead interviewing as many TBT participants as possible. We continue our coverage with Will Cherry, who will be playing for The Gutter Cats after winning a bunch of pro basketball titles overseas.
As a senior at McClymonds High School you had 19 PTS/14 REB in the state title game to become the 1st East Bay squad in 38 years to go undefeated: how was your team able to stay focused for 33 games in a row? Our coaching staff was great. There was also a lot of heartbreak after losing it the previous year so we knew that we could not have any letdown. The 1st year it was fun to be there…but the 2nd year was all about business.
You were born/raised in Oakland: what made you choose Montana for college? It just felt right. I signed with them really early because I did not have a lot of colleges calling me at the time. I took a trip and just fell in love with the players/coaches/atmosphere. It was the best decision for me and a great change of pace from Oakland.
In February of 2012 you had 30 PTS/8 STL in a 7-PT win at Northern Colorado: where does that rank among the best all-around games of your career? That is definitely up there. It was a hell of a game. I had forgotten about it but I remember it now: I wish that I would have had 2 more STL to break the conference record!
You were named 1st-team All-Big Sky 3 years in a row from 2011-2013: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? It meant a lot and showed that my hard work was being recognized/respected. It is always a great honor to make the 1st-team.
You were also a 2-time Big Sky DPOY: what is the secret to playing great defense? Effort! A lot of people think it involves a big skill set but I was taught about the importance of effort from a young age and I took it very personally. If you can stop your man from scoring or score more than him then you will win your matchup. I had a coach who was big on that and helped me improve even more.
You went 8-1 in 9 conference tourney games during your career: what is the key to winning games in March? Just lock in and focus. In any sport you want to up your play come tourney time. Your intensity level/attention of detail has to go way up because there is no margin for error. Our coaches challenged us even more when it came to the postseason.
You won 25 games as a senior before losing to Syracuse 81-34 in the NCAA tourney: what the heck happened?! We got a bad draw! At 1st I felt so bad because I am really competitive but they were a Final 4 team so I cannot feel that bad. We were down by 50 until my walk-on roommate Morgan Young made a 3 to cut the final deficit to 47 PTS. They were the superior team that night.
You played 8 games for the Cavaliers: what is your favorite memory from your short time in the NBA? I had some very good vets on my team in Toronto like Lou Williams/Patrick Patterson/Kyle Lowry who taught me how to be a pro. In Cleveland I played with LeBron James so he was my Michael Jordan: I was a bit star-struck to see how he and Kyrie Irving came into the gym to prepare every day. The 1st game they put me in I was not really prepared. I was so antsy vs. Denver that I remember getting a rebound and throwing the ball on the fast break to…Tristan Thompson. After the game Lebron told me that he understood my 1st-game jitters…but that I should never ever pass the ball to Thompson on the break again!
You have spent most of the past decade playing pro basketball in several countries: what is the biggest difference between basketball in the US vs. basketball overseas? The NBA is a players’ league but overseas it is more of a coaches’ show and they do not let the players do what they do. The 3-second call is another big difference.
You are playing for The Gutter Cats in the TBT: how is the team looking so far, and what will you do with your share of the $1 million prize money if you win it all? The team is looking great top to bottom! We had a great team last year but upgraded this year with some new pieces. We came close last year but gotta win it this year. I will fix up my backyard and put in some play equipment for my kids, as well as a fire pit where I can kick it with a glass of wine.