JJ
Redick is perhaps the most recognizable talent in all of college
basketball. And rightfully so. The reigning ACC
Player of the Year averaged an impressive 21.8 ppg. With
Duke atop just about everybody's
preseason rankings, and scheduled appeared to appear on national
TV just about every week of the season, we will be hearing the
name JJ Redick for months to come. He was kind enough to
take some time out of his busy schedule to answer a few
questions for CHN.
***
1) Just about everybody
(including myself) thinks that Duke should be the top team in
the nation this year. How hard is it to push aside the sometimes
unfairly high expectations put on you and the team?
I don’t think it is hard for us to push aside high
expectations because as a veteran group we have had teams here
that were No. 1 preseason and we have had teams here that were
out of the top-10 preseason. I said this all last preseason to
the media, that the game is not played on paper. I said last
preseason that we were going to surprise a lot of people and we
did. I have that same mentality now that it doesn’t matter what
teams look like going into the season because nobody has played
a game yet and everybody is 0-0.
2) Everyone who watches college
basketball knows about Shelden Williams and yourself. But is
there any particular teammate of yours who you feel doesn’t get
enough respect on the national level who deserves more credit?
I think everybody on my team deserves more credit. If I
had to pick one guy it would probably be Sean Dockery. I think
he is really underrated and is one of the better point guards in
the country. His ball pressure is the initiator for our defense.
Over the summer he has improved his offensive game a lot and I
expect him to surprise a lot of people this year.
3) I know the correct answer is
that you’re simply focusing on winning games this year. But
looking towards professional basketball, what aspects of your
game do you feel you’ll need to showcase this year in order to
impress pro scouts?
I am actually not worried at all about impressing pro scouts.
I don’t feel like I need to showcase anything. I am more about
Duke and what is going on with our team. I know if I play well
and we win then I will have a chance to play in the NBA.
4) The conference loses some big
names this year like Chris Paul and Julius Hodge. What teams do
you expect to contend with Duke for the ACC title?
I think there are a lot of teams out there who can contend
with us. If I started naming a few, then I would leave a couple
out. With Carolina losing all those guys, they are still the
defending champs so I think everybody still has to go after
them.
5) Have you had a chance to write
much recently? Do you ever hope to be published in the future?
I haven’t written that much recently but I do hope at some
point in my life to have some of my poetry published.
