DeMarcus Interview!

Our pal Starter hooked up with DeMarcus Nelson at ABCD and got this
interview which he let us cross-publish. It's also on his site, www.sportsangle.com,
along with a ton of other great stuff.

I got to check out DeMarcus Nelson on Wednesday night and I came away pretty
impressed, especially considering that he has another year of high school ball
to get ready for Duke. He seems like a good kid, and is very enthusiastic about
going to Duke. When I approached him and said that I had gone there, he took me
aback by widening his eyes and asking enthusiastically, “Yeah? How was the
experience?” Usually, when I go up to future Dukies and tell them that I went
there, I get a nod of recognition, if that. DeMarcus seemed excited about his
future prospects, as well he should be. He’s considered a gunner, but most
people will agree that he takes a lot of shots because nobody can stop him from
getting his shot off or getting to the hoop.

SportsAngle: I just watched
your game and I was very impressed, you had a great game. What do you think is
the best attribute of your game?

DeMarcus
Nelson: I would say that I’m a well-rounded player. I try to do everything in
a basketball game. I try to rebound, I try to get my teammates the ball, and
also, I’m strong enough to get around people. I just try to do everything. I
play good defense… I just try to help my team win.

SA: I think you were Duke’s
earliest commitment ever, right?

DN:
Yes, sir.

SA: How has your game
improved in the time since you signed with Duke?

DN: My
game improved a lot. My body matured, I matured, and I just want to keep working
hard because there’s a bulls eye on my chest. Teams are coming after me and
players are coming after me… it’s a certain way you have to carry yourself
in the eyes of the media too, because it’s a certain thing they look for when
they say, “Oh, a Duke player’s on the court.” That’s made me work a lot
harder.

SA: How do you like the
atmosphere at this camp? You’ve been here a couple of years.

DN:
Yeah, I think it’s a great camp for players to come and show their talents and
skills. One thing that I think that could be improved a little more is that I
think players could play together a little more. However, players just want to
play well in front of college coaches so I think they get outside themselves.
Still, it’s a good camp for players to come to and get evaluated.

SA: What has Coach K told you
about your role and everything?

DN: He
told me that he wanted me to stay the same. He told me that he just wanted to
put a couple of things into my game, but he pretty much wants me to stay the
same. He wants me to lock up on defense, he wants me to get my teammates the
ball, and he wants me to be aggressive on offense, so pretty much I’m playing
the same game when I get there. He’ll probably add a couple of things, fix a
couple of minor errors that I may already have.

SA: I know you have one more
year of high school, and it’s easy to look past it, but what are you looking
to accomplish in that final year?

DN:
I haven’t won a state championship yet in (California) and I think that’s
the only goal I’m playing for this year. I think all the good players like to
be able to say that they’ve won state, and I haven’t done it yet, so I’m
going to give it everything I have.