Alexis Hornbuckle
(5'11'', rising senior)
Second reporter: Where
are you at in your decision?
Alexis Hornbuckle: It's
still down to two, Tennessee first and Duke is my second option.
Johnny Goldfinger: Is
that your order?
Alexis Hornbuckle: Yeah.
Second reporter: What's
different right now? Where are you at right now?
Alexis Hornbuckle: Tennessee
has always been my dream college. When I went for my first
unofficial [visit] at Duke, I really liked it, so it stepped up. I
really wasn't looking at Duke actually, until I got to know the
coaches and some of the players.
Johnny Goldfinger: What
attracted you to Duke?
Alexis Hornbuckle: Oh,
Coach G, she's a really nice person. I like the campus. And, of
course, if you graduate from Duke, job wise, you're going to be
pretty set.
Second reporter: When do
you think you're going to make a decision?
Alexis Hornbuckle: When?
I'm not sure. I don't know how soon, but before early signing
probably.
Johnny Goldfinger: Do
you know what you what to study?
Alexis Hornbuckle: Sports
medicine, I want to be a physical therapist.
Second reporter: What do
you get out of a camp like this?
Alexis Hornbuckle: You
get to meet a lot of new people; you get to see all the good players
that you'll probably either play with or against in college and if
you pursue it further. And you just learn a lot. You're playing
under different coaches and their styles of play. So going to
different camps and camps like this you learn a lot; you learn how to
handle different coaches and get to step up your game.
Johnny Goldfinger: I've
seen your named mentioned with Tasha Humphrey and Candace Parker.
Did you guys talk about going to the same school?
Alexis Hornbuckle: We
did; we talked about it a lot. I haven't really talked to Candace
lately; she's been kind of busy. And she hurt her knee, but she'll
be up here Thursday. Tasha is actually staying with me until July
29. We're pretty close. We talk about it every now and then.
Johnny Goldfinger: How
likely do you think that is?
Alexis Hornbuckle: I
don't know.
Johnny Goldfinger: Do
you guys sit around and talk about this school and that school?
Alexis Hornbuckle: Sometimes
we do get into conversations like that. But Tasha's down to two
also, but her number one is Duke and then Tennessee, so it's kind of
reversed. I told her if my heart's somewhere and her is in another
place then we wouldn't go to school together because you don't want
to go somewhere based on someone else's decision.
Johnny Goldfinger: Do
you model your game after any particular person?
Alexis Hornbuckle: I try
to take a little bit of everything. Like if I see a player and they
do something really well, I'll try to add that to my game.
Johnny Goldfinger: Who
do you admire or like?
Alexis Hornbuckle: I
like watching Steve Francis play. He's not really a big guy, but he
plays hard and gets to the rack. If I watch women, I like Cynthia
Cooper's leadership and the way she plays hard all the time.
What do you think of the leadership
development program they have at the camp?
Alexis Hornbuckle: Oh,
it's fun. This is my third year doing it. [Laughs] It's a really
good program. You learn a lot about yourself. You start talking
about yourself; you'll have all these questionnaires and everything
to do. And you're like "oh", you might learn something.
Johnny Goldfinger: Have
you made good friends from camp?
Alexis Hornbuckle: Yeah.
Actually, like Tasha, I didn't know Tasha until this camp and a lot
of other people like Crystal Langhorne and Sharnee Zoll. I didn't
meet them until Nike my first year. And everyone else I kind of meet
them along the way at different tournaments and stuff.
Second reporter: Are you
talking more in tandem with Tasha or Candace?
Alexis Hornbuckle: What
do you mean?
Second reporter: You
said you talked about maybe going to the same school together. Is
that more with Candace or with Tasha?
Alexis Hornbuckle: Tasha
and I talked about it more, but actually all three of us said it,
"that would be a nice little trio right there if all three of us
went to the same school." But I don't know how likely that is.
Johnny Goldfinger: How
has the recruiting process been?
Alexis Hornbuckle: Actually
it's kind of easy; it's not too hectic because after you narrow it
down then you don't have to deal with all the other phone calls and
everything. After you tell coaches that you have it narrowed down,
then they're not going to really hassle you and keep calling and
sending stuff. So it's not too bad; it's actually kind of fun.
Johnny Goldfinger: When
are you going to make your official visits?
Alexis Hornbuckle: I
don't know because I play soccer and I'm going to have to work around
my soccer schedule.
Johnny Goldfinger: But
it'll just be Tennessee and Duke?
Alexis Hornbuckle: Yeah.
Johnny Goldfinger:
That's it?
Alexis Hornbuckle: That's
it.
Second reporter: Does
soccer help you with your footwork?
Alexis Hornbuckle: Oh
yeah. It helps you with your speed and agility. Its builds your
jumping muscles. It strengthens my ankles. I have fewer injuries
when I play soccer. Last year I didn't play soccer; I studied
harder. It really does help. It helps with court awareness too
because you have to see the whole field and it's bigger than a
basketball court. So it's good in that aspect and it helps you out.
Johnny Goldfinger: How
would you describe your game?
Alexis Hornbuckle: I
don't know. I'm more the person who likes to get everyone else
involved. I don't like scoring too much. I'll score if I have to
and if it's need, but I like to get everyone else involved and take
over in a different way than just offensively.