More Junior Cadougan
Dec. 27, 2008
Here are excerpts from the interviews I did with Christian Life coach Carlos Wilson and Junior Cadougan on Friday night:
Carlos Wilson
What kind of season is Junior having? He's the heart and soul of our basketball team. Our success definitely depends on how he plays. He's playing the best basketball of his career since he's been with me thus far. So I have nothing but great things to say about him. He's really worked hard to get himself in shape. He's really committed to the little things, and that's the difference I see now.
Was that an issue before this season? He always practiced. He went hard in games. But the small things: eating right, putting up extra shots, being a leader. You know, details. Details. Trust me, the old Junior's better than a lot of point guards. But this guy right here is special.
How excited was Junior when he found out he'd be playing at the Al McGuire Center? Actually we were invited back to a tournament in Tampa, and this thing came up. He told me, 'Coach, it doesn't matter,' but I felt he really, really wanted to show the fans at Marquette what they were getting in him. Because a lot of people really didn't know much about him, or he wasn't considered by some as an elite point guard. He wanted to show, 'Hey, you're getting a guy that's going to help you win some ball games.'
Did you sense any nervousness out of Junior early? No, there's no such thing as nervousness with that kid. He just started slow. We're just coming back from Christmas break; we haven't practiced in about seven days. All the kids flew in from different destinations, with us being a boarding school, it's important they go home and be with their families. So we all knew that it was going to be a dogfight at first, but things would settle down. But he wasn't nervous.
How's Junior as a person? Junior is a guy that hangs out at school with the A students who listen to Mozart. He'll be at the lunch table with them, then he'll spend some time with the rock n' roll group, you know what I mean? He's just a people person, and he gets along with everyone. That's what you've got to have out of your team leader. He's as good a friend with Latavious Williams as he is with the 15th guy on our team. He's that kind of guy.
Junior's averaging around 21 points, 9 assists and 2 steals per game for you this season. How's his rebounding been? He gets in there deceptively and gets a couple. But it's hard to rebound when you've got 6-9, 6-9 and 6-8 guys in there. They don't let him get near a lot of rebounds. But he'll get in there when he has to.
He knocked down 3 of 5 three-pointers. Is he improving as a shooter? He's been in a slump lately. But he just got in the gym, and he's been grinding it out, trying to tweak some things technique-wise to work himself out of it. But tonight was one of his better shooting nights. He hit some big shots. But even when he's gone 2 for 9, he'll hit the 10th one if the game is on the line.
Junior Cadougan
What have your impressions been of MU and the area? This is just my second time here. I haven't really gotten to see the outside world at Marquette. But basketball-wise, that's enough for me. This is the Big East. I've always wanted to play in the Big East. It's a great basketball atmosphere. I love it here. I'm used to the snow. People say, 'Aren't you going to be cold?' I'm from Toronto. I've lived in minus-degree weather.
Your coach said he had the option of playing in a tournament in Tampa, or this one here in Milwaukee. Are you glad he chose this one? I wanted to come here and play in front of the fans, show them how I can lead my team and that I'm not just a scorer, I'm a real point guard. Show them how I play, so next year they'll know.
Most of the team was here watching you in the first half. How does that make you feel? That's important to me. We're family now. I love these guys.
Have you kept in contact with any of them? I've been busy with school, but me and Lazar text. I know Lazar from AAU, from a long time ago.
Were you nervous at all out there? Yeah, I first walked out and people started calling my name and stuff I was like, 'Oh, goodness. What's going on?' Then after that, in the second quarter, I got comfortable. But at first I was nervous.
Your team improved to 14-0 in beating Wauwatosa East. How would you say the season has gone in general so far? That's the best start ever. This team is a team, a family. They're listening to me, they're trusting me. The past two years we've had people that just wanted to score and stuff like that. But now we have a team, and we're stronger and better. We're 14-0 and act like a family on and off the court.
Have you had a chance to follow MU much? I watched one game, when they played against Tennessee. That was a good game. They played good. Right now they're so small. Dominic is guarding guys like Latavious. Then I heard about Dominic hitting the game-winner (at NC State).
Speaking of which, James just said hi to you. Any of that late-game magic rub off on you? I don't know. When I come here I'm going to work hard and try to grow to my best potential. Just try to win games. That's what I do -- try to win games.
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