-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mark Thomas MDVarsity.com Magazine Staff April 15, 2004 MDVarsity traveled to Spalding last week and went one on one with superstar Rudy Gay. Parts of the interview will be seen on Sunday's Washington Post High School Sports Show as we make Rudy our Featured Student Athlete. We covered a wide variety of topics with Rudy. Here's Part 1: MDV: How’s life? Rudy: Life’s been good. There’s a lot of people who couldn’t do some of the things that I’ve accomplished. I’m just happy to be one of those people. If I had a chance to retrace my steps, I would do it again. MDV: What’s the best thing about playing basketball? Rudy: I think its meeting new people. Getting to go against new people and then after that, meeting them. MDV: You’re a people person? Rudy: Yes. MDV: Your mom says you’re somewhat shy. Rudy: I’m not the type of person that would start a conversation. MDV: Whether you want it or not, though, what you do on the court demands attention. Rudy: I just try to be active on both ends of the court and that’s gotten me attention. I’m comfortable with it. With that also comes if you don’t produce, people talk about it. You have to keep going out there. Keep working on your game. MDV: Do you think you’re a good player? Rudy: I’m my worst critic. I always think I can get better. Some people think I do things well, but I don’t think I do them too good. MDV: Well then, what drives you? Rudy: Love of the game. I like to feel as though I get better at something. MDV: Even when people are heckling you? Saying things like “The Rudy Show is over! (laugh)” Rudy: (smile) Stuff like that makes me play harder. I want to prove people wrong. I’ve been proving people wrong all my life. MDV: Two years ago you made the decision to come here (Spalding). I’m not breaking any news to you when I tell you that transferring is controversial. Rudy: It was tough at first, people here at Spalding took me in. MDV: People think the worst though. You know that, right? Rudy: Yes. It turned out pretty well. People here helped me out a lot. I came here in seek of help with academics and I think that’s what I got. MDV: How would you compare your old school- Eastern Tech- to Spalding? Rudy: It’s a big difference. Coming from public school going to a private school. There’s so much you have to get adjusted to, but I think I needed it. That’s why I came here. It’s so different. I really can’t compare it. Eastern Tech is a good school, but more a school for a person that can do a lot of things on their own. I think I needed more structure. Its kind of tough seeing your friends and sometimes they’ll get out of school and we don’t. Stuff like that. I think I made a good decsion. MDV: Were your friends supportive? Rudy: They were pretty much supportive. They were just for whatever helped me. Some felt as though I should’ve stayed, some felt as though I should have gone. But I guess they all know now that it was a good decision. MDV: If you were to look into your Crystal Ball and Rudy had never transferred, would everything be the same or would things be different? Rudy: That’s a good question. I think about that every now and then. I don’t think things would be exactly the same, but knowing me, I’d try to work hard to make it like it is now. MDV: I first saw you as a sophomore at Eastern Tech, playing at Cole Field House. One thing I know is different about you is your body. You’ve really developed. Rudy: When I got here, what was different from being from a public school to a private school, they stress weight lifting a lot more. I came here and they locked me in the weight room. When I got here, I gained 20 pounds. MDV: How much could you bench when you got here? Rudy: (laugh) I don’t even want to say this on TV. It was 125- no, 135. MDV: Struggling? Rudy: Yes MDV: Now? Rudy: 220 MDV: How has your new found strength helped you as a player? Rudy: Its easier to go through fouls. It’s easier to keep my shot up. Its easier to keep on shooting my shot consistently and jumping higher. MDV: How much more disciplined have you become as a student? Rudy: As a student? I’ve become a lot more disciplined. Being here, you have to do your work or else you don’t play or you don’t do other school activities. MDV: I’m sure it’s a totally different culture or vibe in this building… Rudy: Everybody that’s here is here for a reason. They didn’t just come because it is another level in their life. They came here because they want to do good in academics. They don’t just pay their money because just to come to school. If you’re around people that want to do their work, you can do your work. MDV: How far is the commute every day for you? Rudy: It is 30 minutes. MDV: So what time do you have to wake up every day to get here? Rudy: Probably about 6. I’m a late sleeper. I should get up earlier. MDV: Next year when you wake up, you don’t have to shower before going to class. Just throw a hat on. Rudy: I didn’t say that, you did (laugh). MDV: Did you start high school with certain goals and have you achieved them? Rudy: I set my goals high. That’s the only way you can reach them. You set your goals high, you can be successful. From the time I started playing basketball, I wanted to be a McDonald’s All-American. I wanted to be the Player of the Year in the Sun and the Post. I just wanted to do everything to succeed. Everybody in my family played athletics and stuff like that, so I just wanted to be one of them. MDV: What’s next? Rudy: National championship in college. MDV: Well, they (U.Conn) got one this year. Rudy: It’s going to be tough. People will expect a lot out of us. Me and A.J.(Price)- another person that’s going to Connecticut. MDV: Is there a goal beyond college? In Part II of One on One with Rudy Gay, we'll pick up right where we leave you off here- playing professionally and when that might happen.