Hoops HD

The NBA Finals have not even begun but it is already time for most of the league to start preparing for next season. The lottery will be held on May 12th, the final deadline for early entry withdrawal is June 16th, and the draft will take place on June 26th/27th. We will spend the next several weeks interviewing as many members of this year’s draft class as possible. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage by chatting with Iowa State F Tre King about winning the Big 12 tourney and what it would mean to him to get drafted.

You were born/raised in Kentucky: why did you begin your college career at Eastern Kentucky? My head coach at Hargrave Military Academy was AW Hamilton. After he was named coach at Eastern Kentucky, I realized that the chance to play for him was a no-brainer.

You started 18 games as a freshman: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? I tried to be a sponge because we had a lot of older guys on the roster: I got to do a lot of observing about what I needed to do for the team to win. When my # was called I just went in and made the most of that opportunity, and before I knew it I was starting the back-half of that season.

You were a 2-time all-OVC player: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? It felt good, but in the moment I was just focused on winning. It is 1 of the smallest leagues in the country and we had been having a bit of a dry spell, so my goal was to make the OVC tourney and then win it. It was nice to see all my hard work during the summer pay off: I was very grateful.

You decided to transfer after your junior year: what made you choose Iowa State? I felt that I had accomplished everything I possibly could, but also felt that I was capable of a lot more. I wanted to see how I measured up against the top talent in the country and the Big 12 is the best conference in the nation. Iowa State has a lot of history/tradition, and Hilton Coliseum is without a doubt the best arena in the country! I built a great relationship with Coach TJ. During my career at Eastern Kentucky I had to play a lot down low since I was 1 of the tallest guys on the team, and I felt that I was “put in a box”. Coach TJ saw that I was capable of a lot more and I am glad that he fully believed in me. I am very family-oriented as well and pride myself on the people I am around.

Last year you shot 51 FG%/81 FT%: what is the secret to being a great shooter? Basketball is about rhythm, and not just on offense. You just have to put the work in so that you can shoot with confidence. If you do not believe that you can make the shot, then you probably will not make it.

Take me through the 2024 postseason:
In the Big 12 tourney you won 3 games in 3 days to clinch the title: where does that magical run rank among the highlights of your career? It is up there: probably #2. Due to the way that the bracket was organized, we got the chance to face everybody that we had previously lost to in back-to-back-to-back games: Coach TJ called it the revenge tour! Iowa State is only 2½ hours from Kansas City, so the title game featured a sea of red and gold in the crowd: it felt like a home game.

You won a pair of games before a 3-PT loss to Illinois: what is the key to winning games in March? Just putting it all together. You never want to peak too early but rather hit your stride in March. There is a lot of adversity by the end of the season: injuries, people mentally checked out if they did not get enough playing time during the season, etc. The only group of people that matters is your teammates so you need to have camaraderie. It is called “March Madness” for a reason, where anything can happen, so you want to avoid going down in infamy.

Your father played basketball at Drake: who is the best athlete in the family? I think me! It is cool to hear stories about him: I remember seeing his jersey around the house when I was growing up. We almost ended up playing Drake in the 2nd round…but they lost to Washington State by 5 PTS.

You played at the 4-spot in college: do you think that you can make the adjustment to playing at the 3-spot in the pros? I was a physical guy/finisher at EKU in the low-post. At Iowa State we had a lot of great perimeter players, but you cannot just always take jump shots: Coach told me to take the role of finisher. Given my height/weight I know that I can play on the perimeter, but there are a lot of differences from playing down low so I need to move a lot more, practice my ballhandling, etc. I am definitely capable of doing it so I am focusing on my perimeter play and am excited for the challenge of changing positions. I pride myself on having a high basketball IQ so I am not worried about it at all.

What would it mean to you to get drafted, and what is the plan if you do not get drafted? It would mean everything! Every kid growing up has the dream of hearing their name called, putting on the team’s hat, shaking the Commissioner’s hand, etc. It would mean a lot to me and my family, but if I do not get drafted then I will just keep working. If I get the opportunity to play in the NBA, then I will be there for a while.