[Rosiak's Blog] Interview with Joseph Fulce

[ToddRosiakSays]

Interview with Joseph Fulce
Sunday, Oct 21 2007, 12:45 PM

It's been a long, interesting ride for Joseph Fulce, MU's newest addition.

He's gone from a Texas A&M recruit out of Plano Senior High to a military school just outside of Washington D.C., signed with and released from the University of New Orleans, and finally back to Texas this season to play at Tyler Junior College.

News of his commitment to MU broke last week. But in reality the Golden Eagles and coach Tom Crean had the 6-6 1/2, 205-pound Fulce on their radar screen some time before that thanks in large part to Fulce's prior relationship with Crean's newest assistant, Buzz Williams.

I had a chance to speak with Fulce early Sunday afternoon. Here's what he had to say:

How long had Marquette been involved with you, and how big a hand did Buzz Williams play in the situation? Actually me and Coach Williams, right after he had left New Orleans, we had kept in contact a little bit. We had talked a few times by the time I came here (to Tyler). After that he said he was at Marquette, and we had kept in touch. It was nothing talking about Marquette or whatever. Position-wise, I don't know what they were looking for, but Coach Crean said he wanted to take a look at me. I guess (Williams) had mentioned his name to him or whatever so (Crean) was like, 'OK, I'm going to go take a look at him. So they came down here. We had a late practice, probably 7 or 8 o'clock on a Sunday night, he came down here and said he liked everything he saw in that period of time. He sat down and talked with me and asked how I would feel with him recruiting me and everything, and I said that'd be fine. I was excited.

Then next thing you know I get a phone call another 2-3 days later saying they're coming back the next week. So they came back that next week during a weekday. We kept in contact before he came, and he was telling me, 'This is where I see you in our program, this is where I see you contributing,' and it just kind of went from there. Buzz talked to me a little bit more about it, and then I decided that was what I really wanted to do. So I went ahead and made that commitment.

How long ago did MU offer you a scholarship? Probably right about a month ago. By the same time (Crean) had come back, I had told him.

Why do you think it took so long for word to get out that you had committed? I really don't know. It was more of a situation where it was like, 'Alright, you made that commitment.' They had asked me, 'Are you sure this is what you want to do? It's a long way from home.' I had told them I was just in military school just outside of D.C. in Virginia. I really don't get that homesick after all the traveling I've done, so it was more of a situation where I was more sure about doing this than any...how can I put it? I knew I was real sure about the situation, I knew what I was getting into, I knew this was what I wanted to do. I wanted to contribute to MU basketball. Coach Crean sat down with me and we talked and it was, 'This is what I wanted to do.'

Had any other Division I school offered you a scholarship while you've been at Tyler prior to MU? They were the first ones. There were others there that were there to try to recruit, but they knew that I probably wasn't going to...I had two mid-majors (looking), and that was New Orleans still and North Texas, and they knew right off the bat that they probably weren't going to be able to get me. It was more of a situation where all the other bigger schools, they would talk to (Tyler) Coach (Mike Marquis), but he really didn't say anything to me about it because he knew what I was looking for in a team and a school. It wasn't bad or nothing like that; he knew what I was looking for.

You've had a long journey since leaving high school,. What have you learned throughout this whole process? To be honest, what I've really learned is regardless, there's always going to be a time where you've got to grow up and handle your business - for real. You see the business aspect to basketball. I've seen that and I've seen how it works on the court at a different level. To be honest, it really opened my eyes because it shows that a coach can be there one minute, and you've got to be prepared for the business part of it, that he can leave at any time. So how I'm looking at it going into this is I have trust in Coach Crean and Buzz and the team knowing that we're all going to be on the same page in making it to the tournament. I'm trying to contribute to winning games. I'm doing whatever it takes. I'm a big person on teamwork and chemistry, therefore I'm going to do whatever it takes to bust my butt and put in work - on the court and off the court. Because you won't be able to be on the court if you don't handle your business off the court.

What made you decide to go to military school after committing to Texas A&M? The situation with A&M, I didn't qualify. I didn't have all my credits I needed. I had no other choice but to go to Massanutten, to prep school.

Were you disappointed with not being able to play at A&M? To be honest I really was because my sister went to play Division I ball right out of high school (at Arkansas-Pine Bluff), my cousin Jimmy (King) went to college, he went to play with the Fab Five right out of high school. It was kind of a situation where I wanted to do the same thing, too. But sometimes everything doesn't fall the way you want it, and I feel the Lord had a different path for me. Therefore, I went to Massanutten, had a season there, did my thing there, went to New Orleans, Buzz left, so I got released, and now I'm here (at Tyler). I'm tired of just moving around. I feel like this is it for me.

Being a Texas native, are you prepared for Wisconsin winters? (laughs) To be honest, I actually like the cold. I'd never really seen snow until I went to D.C. But I actually really liked it. It really doesn't bother me. And all my family stays in South Bend, Ind., so I've seen cold and everything. It's cool.

So you've got one year of junior-college ball before finally making the jump to Division I. What would you like to accomplish personally? I've actually gotten a lot stronger, a lot faster. So right now I'm really going to concentrate a lot on continuously rebounding, getting a lot stronger and putting on a little more weight and still maintain the same type of cardiovascular fitness that I have. I don't want to put on too much weight and have it slow me down, so I'm trying to put on that weight and still be able to run the way I am now.

What position are you playing at Tyler right now? Everything from the 2 to the 4.

What are you being projected as playing once you get to MU? More of a 3-4. Still be able to score outside and defensively I'm down low most of the time. That's why I want to get a little bigger.

What are your strengths? You better box me out, because I'm going for every rebound - offensive, defensive. A lot of people with my size and at the position that I play can't shoot that outside shot consistently. I can shoot it consistently. I have a lot of energy and it takes a while for me to get tired. I'm going to run you to death. That's where I usually get a lot of people - I run them to death.

On the flip side, what do you need to work on? Foot speed and strength.

After committing to Texas A&M, did you get to spend any time in the school's off-season program? I had made my decision (to go to Massanutten) closer to February. But I was around them so much, it was real hard to really swallow and look at myself in the mirror and say, 'This is what you've got to do. You've got to go a different route.' I really did want to go (to A&M).

Looking at A&M now, though, Billy Gillispie is now coaching at Kentucky and Buzz Williams is at his second school. Do you think you would be happy if you were still there, knowing all that? To be honest, I really don't think I would be as happy, just because I feel the relationship I had with Coach Gillispie and Buzz, it was totally different than what I've had with any other coach. It's just funny how the Lord's blessed me to still be able to be coached by Buzz after all this time, you know?

Did you really even know where MU was prior to learning Buzz had taken a job there? Yeah, I knew where it was because I watched a few Big East games and Notre Dame is in the conference and everything. It was more of, 'Do you think you could see yourself playing at Marquette?' I was just like, 'I really don't know that much about Marquette, but I heard they were a pretty good program.' It's just funny how it all just kind of fell into place and now here I am, going to Marquette.

You mentioned your cousin, Jimmy King. He was obviously a highly successful college player and went on to play quite a while professionally. Do you keep in contact with him today? Oh yeah, we always keep in contact. He's always busy doing his thing, and I'm always busy with school and basketball. But we probably talk to each other about once or twice every two weeks. He was in my life a lot growing up and everything. I remember him holding me when I was younger, and meeting Chris Webber and Juwan (Howard) and everybody, going to the tournaments. So we're real close. He only stays probably five minutes away from my house. We keep in contact as much as possible.

How has Jimmy influenced you as a basketball player? To be honest, he told me, 'Shoot for the stars. You've got to work hard every day. You can't slack, and there's no room for error.' He taught me that there's certain things that you have to realize playing college ball at that level. It's a lot different, it's a lot harder, the coach is going to stay on you all the time. They expect a lot out of you. That's everybody on the team. And that's why you have to put in that much more work if you want to be successful.

Do you have a visit to MU set up at this point? I'm trying to come up there as soon as possible, but we're about to start the season and everything. So I'm trying to come up there one of these weekends when we don't have a game. But I'm going to be up there very soon.

http://blogs.jsonline.com/muhoops/archive/2007/10/21/interview-with-joseph-fulce.aspx

[bs4173]

I'm trying to contribute to winning games. I'm doing whatever it takes. I'm a big person on teamwork and chemistry, therefore I'm going to do whatever it takes to bust my butt and put in work - on the court and off the court. Because you won't be able to be on the court if you don't handle your business off the court.

Nice to hear.

[77ncaachamps]

Sounds like Crean's getting the work-ethic kids and not the primadonnas.

I hope Fulce can be a contributor. Nice to know there's athletic genes in his family (Jimmy King).

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

He sounds like a great kid. I just hope Buzz isn't run off after one year.

I also hope he's not our next head coach.

[MUBasketball]

He sounds like a great kid. I just hope Buzz isn't run off after one year.

I also hope he's not our next head coach.

What?? Sounds like you have something against Buzz, am I reading that correctly? I think he'll make a phenomenal head coach someday. Same attributes Crean had as an assistant.

[muwarrior87]

He sounds like a great kid. I just hope Buzz isn't run off after one year.

I also hope he's not our next head coach.

What?? Sounds like you have something against Buzz, am I reading that correctly? I think he'll make a phenomenal head coach someday. Same attributes Crean had as an assistant.

then you are probably correct in how you are reading prn's comments

[Coobeys Oil Depot]

He sounds like a great kid. I just hope Buzz isn't run off after one year.

I also hope he's not our next head coach.

Honest query: Is there anyone that works in the program you don't dislike?