UConn won the NCAA tourney in April and Boston 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 Butler/Cincinnati/Dayton/Houston/Lexington/Louisville/Pitt/Wichita. 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 commence our coverage with Darius Washington Jr., who will be playing for Team DRC after spending almost 2 decades playing pro basketball.
In the 2004 McDonald’s All-American Game you scored 9 PTS for the East in a win over the West: which of your fellow honorees impressed you the most (LaMarcus Aldridge/Rudy Gay/Dwight Howard/other)? All of those guys were special so nobody stands out. It is hard to say who was the best because they all had their great moments. Al Jefferson/Shaun Livingston/Jordan Farmar: I could keep going for days! I think it will go down as 1 of the best classes ever.
You had scholarship offers from several great schools including Arizona/Florida/UConn: what made you choose Memphis? Their style of play. I had been watching them since Dajuan Wagner was there and I just loved the way they played. The chance to learn from Coach John Calipari was also great.
What makes Calipari such a great coach, and how do you think he will do this fall in Arkansas? I think it will be better than Kentucky because he can get back to the up-and-down style he used to have. At Kentucky you are under a microscope and the fans you expect you to win from your very 1st year. Prestigious programs like Duke/UNC hold you to such a high standard but now he can let his guard down a bit.
In 2005 you were named C-USA ROY: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? Coming out of high school you are entering an unknown world at the bottom of a totem pole, so it was a great accomplishment for both me and the program. The year before Sean Banks won it so it was nice to keep the trophy in Memphis. When you go from being the big man on campus to a freshman in college you need to reinvent yourself.
You led the nation that year with 1334 minutes played: how exhausted were you by the end of the season?! There were a couple of things that happened that led to me getting those minutes but you just have to step up and do whatever the team needs.
In the 2005 C-USA tourney title game you scored a game-high 23 PTS but missed 2 of 3 FTs with no time on the clock in a 1-PT loss to Louisville: did you learn any life lessons from that heartbreaking moment? The trial-and-error we went through that year outside the view of the cameras was tough. We sacrificed a lot to get to that moment and I just felt that I let my team down. I certainly did not know it was going to happen that way but we had to win that game to get an automatic bid to the NCAA tourney. I was nervous about the 1st 1 but I made it…and then I could not finish the job. I would not change anything: it is part of the game. If I had just walked off the court with a nonchalant reaction then people would have said I did not love the game. My reaction was what I felt in that moment. Basketball involves ups and downs: it could have broken me and ended my career, but I used it as motivation and was able to eventually play pro basketball for 17 years. It is part of my story and I tell the new generation that they must finish the job. If things do not go your way you cannot get too low and if things do go your way you cannot get a big head: you need to stay in the middle. I made several game-winners after that so it was just a temporary feeling: it is not permanent.
During your college career you went 12-3 in postseason play: what is the key to winning games in March? Once you get into the postseason everyone is 0-0 regardless of their seed. Everyone is equal and the name on the front of the jersey does not matter. You see Cinderella teams win games all the time…but every team works hard so if you are a #1 seed then you need to come out and play like a #1 seed. If I was a coach I would tell my players that we are looking forward rather than backward. You can go undefeated in the regular season and then get knocked out in the 1st round so you must play every postseason game like it is your last game.
In 2007 you played 18 games for San Antonio: what is your favorite memory from your time in the NBA? Just being around a championship team with Hall of Fame players like Tim Duncan/Manu Ginobili/Tony Parker. As a young guy I got to learn from a veteran team and see how they carried themselves at a high level under a Hall of Fame coach in Gregg Popovich. Just learning the little things from them all was fun: what to wear, how to interview, etc. Every day was a fun day, especially after not getting drafted out of college.
You also spent more than a decade playing pro basketball overseas: what is the biggest difference between basketball in the US vs. basketball in other countries? The fundamentals: overseas players are more fundamentally sound/team-oriented. American players go at a faster pace and are more athletic, but foreign players will work the shot clock to get a better shot. You see it now with guys like Nikola Jokic: he is not dunking but he can do it all. Luka Doncic: he can get his shot off and has a very high IQ. There are overseas practices where we only worked on shooting. The Gasol brothers knew how to pass/run the floor and used their IQ as well.
You are playing for Team DRC in the TBT: how is the team looking, and what will you do with your share of the $1 million prize money if you win it all? We are looking solid and have some good pieces that we are putting together. We will get into the gym after the 4th of July. We have no egos, which is the biggest thing in a money tournament. Some games we might need different people more than others so you have to sacrifice at times. We have some veteran guys who have played pro ball so they know how to handle tough situations. I think we can make a nice little run but every game counts. I would use the money to host some events for my foundation and give back to the youth. It is not about me any more but I have a platform and will try to help the kids. There is more life outside our community and there is more life outside of basketball. Not everyone can play pro basketball, but if you go to the right school and meet the right person then you might be able to be your own boss someday.