Nov. 26, 2001

Columbia, Mo. - Q: If you weren't playing basketball, what sport would you be playing? WS: I'd probably be playing football. I was going to play quarterback my senior year in high school. The coach wanted me to come try out, but my brother didn't want me to. He didn't want me to get hurt my senior year and jeopardize my basketball career, so I decided not to.

Q: Aside from basketball, people probably know you most for your hair. Does that bother you at all? WS: It's not a big deal, but it does get kind of old when people just say 'That's the guy with the hair.' It's nice to know that people notice me, but I don't really worry about it too much.

Q: How long have you worn your hair that way? It's natural, right? WS: It's natural. I started growing it out about three years ago. I cut it when I was in high school, but ever since then I just grew it out.

Q: What's in your CD player right now? WS: Tupac. I've always got to have some Tupac with me. Before the games I listen to Tupac, after the games, before I get on the plane, while I'm on the plane, I just love his music. I think he's still alive, don't be surprised if he pops up somewhere!

Q: Should Michael Jordan have come back? WS: I think so, it's something he just loves doing. He's not really getting paid to play right now, he's just back to play, and I think that's good. The people he's playing with, he gets a chance to help them get better. I feel he's trying to do a lot for his team right now.

Q: It seems that you're often a popular target of enemy fans when you're on the road, do you hear much of that, and does it motivate you at all? WS: It motivates me. I heard a little bit of it when we played Xavier. They were telling me I need to cut my hair and telling me I shouldn't go back in the game because my hair was too long. It motivates me when I hear people talking about me like that, it just gives me a little more energy.

Q: When was the first time you heard about Mizzou? WS: The first time was when Coach Snyder got the job here. I really wasn't into college sports much when I was in high school, but now that I'm here, I love it.

Q: When did you start playing basketball? WS: I started playing basketball at the age of six. I used to live around the corner from the park, and my cousins were always there. I used to be there from the crack of dawn right when it opened until it closed late at night. I grew up around basketball my whole life.

Q: What's your favorite class? WS: My favorite class would have to be microeconomics, Ag econ. It has to do with the economy, ways to make money, ways to keep your money.

Q: What's the last movie you saw? WS: The Wash. It's a new movie with Snoop and Dr. Dre. It was a good movie. It relates a lot to the streets. It's kind of like Friday. I encourage everyone to see it. Two thumbs up!

Q: What's the hardest thing about being a student-athlete? WS: Time management. You have to balance out your time to do your work, and you definitely can't miss any practices. You have to be there and be prepared to go all out every time we practice. Just balancing the two is kind of hard. But once you get adjusted to it, you find an everyday routine, and you just have to stick by it.

Q: You talk a lot with the media. What question do you get tired of answering the most? WS: When we lose, the one that kills me is 'What happened out there today?' It seems like every reporter comes up with that one, and I feel like saying 'You know what happened, we lost! What do you think happened, we didn't put up enough points on the board!'

Q: What's it like going away to school far away from home like you are? WS: It's hard at first, because right when you first get here, you don't know anybody and you tend to want to go home because you're bored or you just miss home. But after you get used to it, when you start getting to know people, it makes it a lot easier. It's a good learning experience to get away from home, you get to be out on your own, and grow up a little faster.

Q: Do you have any superstitions or routines that you go through before games? WS: Before games, I always pray and I kind of talk to my cousin who died before I came here. I kind of think about him and talk to him in my head and tell him to watch the game. That helps get me ready.

Q: If you were interviewing Wesley Stokes, what question would you ask him? WS: What about the hair, man? No, I'd ask how easy is it playing with the team you're on, everyone is capable of doing a lot of things. How do you deal with that as a point guard how do you get the right people the ball?

Q: How do you answer that? WS: You just have to give them the ball in the spots where they can do things with it. You can give Kareem Rush the ball anywhere on the floor, he's capable of doing anything. Him and Clarence and Rickey can do that. Some of the big men, you have to give it to them around the basket where they can go straight up and dunk or make their inside moves, because that's what they're capable of doing.

Q: How about that play against Xavier when you went into the lane dribbled behind your back, between your legs in traffic and dished it to Rickey on the wing for a three? WS: At first, I was looking to drive, but then I saw Rickey's man coming my way. I had moved the ball a little behind me, and his man started to reach for it. I think my motion just carried the ball between my legs, and I saw it come out, and I just got it out to Rickey and he hit the shot. It's a move that I think I'm capable of making again, but you just have to make sure it's the right situation. He went for the ball, and I had to move it away from him to protect it, and that was the end outcome.

Q: Did you hear the crowd ooh and aah after that play? WS: Yah, I heard it. I like it when crowds do that, it motivates you, you know you've done something that no one expected. It's good to do things that no one expects.

Q: Why do you think that people enjoy watching you play so much? WS: I think because I tend to make things happen. Even if it's a mistake, the crowd can see what I was trying to do, and they know that I was performing and trying to go out there and win.

Q: What do you like to do in your downtime, when you don't have school or basketball pressing you? WS: I just like to hang out with my friends, watch TV and get off my feet.

Q: Do you have a favorite TV show? WS: My favorite show would be the X-Files. There's a lot of stuff happening in the world right now, and we're not the only ones out there, I don't think. It's a good show, that stuff's interesting to me.

Q: So you believe in aliens? WS: I do, I don't think the stars are out there for nothing. There's something on those other planets, I know there is!

Q: Give us a scouting report on Wesley Stokes. WS: A very energetic player who likes to pressure the ball handler. Very good in transition. Tends to get the ball to open players in the right spots. Also a floor leader who knows how to lead his team to victories.

Q: How do you think other teams approach trying to stop you? WS: I think they want to slow me down and get me playing at a different tempo than what I want to do. They don't want to get too close to me, because then I'll go by them.

Q: What's your favorite play to make? WS: That would have to be a three-on-one or two-on-one when I just lose somebody and I throw a lob up there for Rickey and just let him go get it. That makes the crowd go crazy.

Q: Who's been an important figure in your life? WS: My brother Hubert. I look up to him a lot. He's been through a lot. He's got a child, he's taking care of his child and his family. He's working, he's still going to school, he's balancing all those things out. He's still taking care of me in certain aspects, so he's doing a lot for his age.

Q: What basketball player do you most admire? WS: That would have to be Magic Johnson. I know he doesn't play anymore, but that's one of the people I used to always watch when I was little. He always made things happen, whether finishing it off at the basket or just dishing it off to his players and making it look good while he was doing it.

Q: Did you ever have a chance to meet him? WS: Actually I met him on an elevator. I was at a Dodger game with my Godparents. When I realized he was behind me, I asked him for his autograph, but he said there were too many people there, and he'd be signing them all day. So I respected him for that, I was just happy to meet him.

Q: What's one thing you want to do that you haven't done yet? WS: I want to go parachuting. I want to have about three parachutes on when I do it, though, in case the first one doesn't work!

Q: What other schools did you seriously consider other than Missouri? WS: I was looking at Florida, Texas, UMass, maybe San Diego State, but I figured that was too close to home. I thought about Cincinnati, too. But this was my first visit, and I made a verbal commitment when I came here, so I canceled plans for the other places right away.

Q: What's one thing people don't know about you that might surprise them? WS: I'm a very quiet person. Everyone around me thinks I talk a lot and that I'm very loud, but that's just because I'm around them all the time. If I'm out around a lot of people I don't know, I tend to just sit back and listen and see what other people are thinking about.

Q: Describe yourself in three words. WS: Young, black and talented!

Q: Do people come up to you in public when you're out on the town or at a restaurant? WS: Oh yes. The first thing most people ask is if they can touch my hair. I let them do it, I don't have any hard feelings about that. They ask me for my autograph, and they basically tell me good luck and ask me how things are going. Everybody here is really nice.

Q: What's your favorite moment at MU individually? WS: That has to be the Indiana game last year where hit a big shot on the baseline, a runner over their big guy.

Q: How about a favorite team moment? WS: I think this three-game stretch we just played. Coming out with three big wins, there was a lot of emotion, a lot of adversity, there were a lot of things happening. I think we found out a lot about ourselves this week.

Q: Do you like the jump ball, or the alternating possession? WS: Alternating possession, because I don't think I'm going to win too many jump balls!

Q: You say that, but you actually are 1-0 in jump balls this year. WS: That's right, I got in one against Iowa. I didn't actually tip it, but Clarence jumped in front of it. Their guy held me down, right before he jumped, he grabbed my shoulder so I couldn't get up. But we got the tip, so I'm 100%, right?

Q: What's the best place to play aside from the Hearnes Center? WS: Really anywhere on the road. I just like playing on the road because you go into an atmosphere where people don't really know you and don't really like you. To go in there and to be able to come out with a win is one of the best feelings. I think people tend to play their best games on the road because they're not worrying about who's in the stands or who's watching them, they just go out there and play.

Q: Do you get nervous before games? WS: Yah, before every game, my stomach starts bubbling and doing circles. I just put on my headphones and try to get loose. They say that when you get nervous before games that you're ready, so I try to keep that in mind.

Q: Every so often, you'll try to dunk a ball after practice. Have you every got a dunk down? WS: I got one in high school. It wasn't an official dunk though. I got thrown up by Travon in an all-star game, so they took it away from me. But it was a dunk.

Q: When your basketball playing days are done, what do you see yourself doing? WS: I see myself managing a business or if I can't do that, I'd be interested in being a narcotics cop to try and help get some stuff off the streets.

Q: Who's the most famous person you've ever met? WS: I know Snoop. He had a back to school special because he went to my high school. I had a chance to play two-on-two with him. It was me and a girl against him and a friend that he brought with. He's a good guy, he's really funny. He's really good with people, he always talks to everyone who comes up to him.

Q: Did you enjoy the recruiting process? WS: I kind of got tired of the phone calls, because there was so many of them and I still was in school. If I was busy and they called, it wasn't like I could ask them to call back, because they're only allowed to call so many times. It kind of made things a little difficult. Other than the phone calls, I pretty much like it. Attention is always good, you can't get tired of too much attention.

Q: Anything you'd like to add? WS: Just that I love my family. That's what we're here for.