Q&A With Jeffrey Ferguson
1/15/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 15, 2002
Q: Why did you decide to come to MU? JF: I wanted a school that would be a good fit for me and have good academics.
Q: What were some other schools that recruited you? JF: Michigan and Syracuse.
Q: What's the hardest part about playing for coach Snyder? JF: There's no one really hard part. You just have to go by what he says. I know at times I don't always do what he says, that's his job as coach to make sure that I do well as a player, so I just go by what Coach says.
Q: What are your strengths as a basketball player? JF: I never give up and come back hard, no matter what mistakes happen.
Q: What are your weaknesses? JF: I have to concentrate a little bit better, but everything is going well now. I'm just trying to fit in and work on my mental game. You can always improve your skills, but I feel that the biggest area to improve on is getting smarter as a player.
Q: How do you compete for playing time? JF: By having good practices.
Q: Whose style do you emulate? JF: Kevin Garnett. He's very agile. He plays a lot of different positions even though he's almost 7 feet. That's something I'd like to do.
Q: Who do you look up to outside of basketball? JF: Louis Harvey. He was the man I stayed with in Michigan. He's like a dad to me. He taught me a lot of things and to be a man.
Q: What do you do in your spare time? JF: I like to have fun, hang out with friends, get to know other people.
Q: What's the hardest part of being a student athlete? JF: Priorities. You have to get rest when you need it, you have to know when you can hang around your friends. To tell you the truth, this has been sometimes difficult for me, but I'm getting better at it.
Q: What's in your CD player right now? JF: Nas. I like him because he talks about aspects of life.
Q: Why do you wear number 32? JF: It's just a number I like. It's a number that I want to be known for. I've been wearing 32 since I was in high school.
Q: Do you have a favorite basketball memory? JF: One of my favorite basketball memories was when I was playing in Benton Harbor, Mich., and I set a record-21 blocks in one game and had maybe 10 points.
Q: What question do you get tired of answering? JF: 'How is it being a freshman?'
Q: If you couldn't play basketball and had to play another sport, what would it be? JF: Baseball. I liked pitching and hitting, but my real love is basketball, so I lost interest when I started playing basketball.
Q: Describe yourself in a couple of words. JF: Hard-working and a team player.
Q: Do you get nervous before games? JF: A little bit. There's some games where I'm excited though, so I don't feel nervous.
Q: Where's the coolest place you've ever traveled to? JF: Grenada. I went there about six years ago to meet some of my family.
Q: What's the biggest difference between Canada and America? JF: I guess, the money exchange. I mean, the same things going over there are going over here.
Q: What was hardest about being away from your family when you lived in Michigan? JF: It was hard getting used to the way people do things. It was about seven hours away from home. Not playing was really frustrating, sitting back watching them play game after game, wishing I was out there helping them get to the state championship (after Ferguson helped lead his team to the title as a junior). They still looked at me as part of the team, because I was still playing in practice and helping them get better.
Q: Talk about the recruiting process. JF: It's tough because you want to go somewhere where you know everything will go well for you.
Q: What kind of expectations do you have for the season? JF: I want to help my team out in any way I can, that's why I like rebounding, and getting our shooters open. I feel that the team will make it far as soon as we get that strong bond. We have a bond right now, but it's not as strong as it needs to be eventually. We're working on things to help us get better.
