On Saturday, I had a Q&A with 2018 power forward Andre Kelly after the Nor Cal Clash practice. In addition to sharing with our subscribers at GoldenBearReport.com, I figured I would share it with all of you as well. Below is a transcript of that interview.
Q: What are you looking forward to about the Nor Cal Clash and this event in general?
A: Obviously, going out there, having a good time. I’m just playing with my friends before high school season starts. This might be the last time that we get to play together and there’s some I got to play with and travel with. So I’m just going out there trying to have a good time, do my best, make sure I win.”
Q: Are there any guys here that you have a particularly close relationship with?
A: “I’m pretty close with Elijah [Hardy], I played AAU with him. I’m pretty close with Junior [Ballard]; he lived down the road from me. I’m pretty close with those guys.”
Q: I know you are taking an official visit to Cal next weekend. Do you have any officials set up to other schools and if so, what schools?
A: “I have some set up. I have one the weekend after Cal, either to St. Mary’s or Iowa State, those two schools, and then I have UC Santa Barbara after that, and then after that I have Utah.”
Q: After you take your official visits do you have any timeframe for when you might make a decision?
A: “I think I’ll just go see what every school has to offer and then come back, discuss with my dad, discuss with my AAU coach KP, and then probably make a decision then. I want to make a decision before the high school season starts. I plan on signing in early November. So, probably then. I’m not planning on putting it out too much after that after seeing what every school has to offer. I’m pretty sure I’ll have a good feeling after that.”
Q: You have played with Jordan Brown, who Cal is after as well. How well do you feel you two play together and compliment each other?
A: “He’s a really good player, so I think it would be fun to play with him. He definitely gets a lot of attention down there. So he’ll probably get me some easy points and things like that, so I’d look forward to that.”
Q: You can play both the 3 and the 4 pretty seamlessly. Is there one that you feel more comfortable playing?
A: “I just really like playing the 4 position. Not having the ball in my hands, I like bringing it up, things like that, so, whether it’s inside or outside I feel really comfortable with the ball. Driving it under the basket, midrange game, posting up, in rhythm catching threes, shoot. I’m really comfortable; I’ve been working on that a lot, so I think it’s starting to flow, starting to get into a rhythm out there. It feels good.”
Q: You visited Cal once before. What do you expect to get out of your official visit to Cal? What are you looking to see there? What are you looking for?
A: “I already checked it out. I haven’t seen all of the campus yet. Just bonding well with the coaching staff, getting to know some of the guys they have there, things like that so I can talk with them a little bit more. Playing style, the role they see me in, plans on being there, things like that. But for the most part, I have a good relationship with them; I talk to them a lot. So, go out there looking to have fun, see the campus and tour it, things like that.”
Q: As far as Pac-12 basketball is concerned, just in general, it’s obviously very high level, how much do you think that might factor into your decision to go to a conference like the Pac-12 versus a smaller conference? How much will the level of competition factor into your decision?
A: “ A little bit. You know, you obviously want to play against the best competition out there. I’m really competitive, I want to play against the best out there, I want to play on a big stage, do good, shine, things like that. At the same time, I think there’s pros and cons about both. You can go to a smaller school and then you have that cool story of playing at a small school, putting them on the map, too. St. Mary’s is a pretty good program in the WCC, so they make the tournament a lot and things like that. A lot of people say when you go to a bigger school it’s a bigger campus, a lot more people, and when you go to a smaller school you get that family feel, really, but I think want to play in a big conference, things like that, too.”
Q: When you think about making your decision and how you’re going to make that decision, what are the most important factors that you are looking for over the next two months that you are taking visits?
A: “Probably just another way they use me, how their development works. I want to play professionally, so just how I fit in their system, the coaching staff, the relationship I have with them, because at the end of the day you’re going to be there for a long time. I don’t plan on transferring. I want to stay at the school for four years, the school I go to, so I just want to stay there, have a really good connection with everyone there and have a good family feel.”
Q: Cal has told you they see a lot of Ivan Rabb in your game. Are there any other guys at the NBA level that you try to mold your game after?
A: “I really like LeBron. I try to play like him all the time, he gets it, he goes coast-to-coast, he’s always in attack mode, things like that. Also I like a little bit of DeMarcus Cousins when he’s not going crazy all the time, but I think he’s pretty good inside. I like to also step out and be able to shoot, and things like that, so maybe like Anthony Davis, he’s a guy that likes to step out and shoots a little bit too, so working on those types of things.”
Q: Is there a fun fact about you that our subscribers might find interesting?
A: “Fruit. I will not eat fruit if it’s soft. Like grapes, raspberries. They have to be hard for me to eat them. I don’t eat soft fruit. If somebody gives me a strawberry and its soft, I don’t want a soft strawberry. I don’t eat any soft fruit. My favorite food is probably, I like French Fries. I also can’t sleep with my socks on. That’s another thing. Those are the two things.”
Q: What are you looking forward to about the Nor Cal Clash and this event in general?
A: Obviously, going out there, having a good time. I’m just playing with my friends before high school season starts. This might be the last time that we get to play together and there’s some I got to play with and travel with. So I’m just going out there trying to have a good time, do my best, make sure I win.”
Q: Are there any guys here that you have a particularly close relationship with?
A: “I’m pretty close with Elijah [Hardy], I played AAU with him. I’m pretty close with Junior [Ballard]; he lived down the road from me. I’m pretty close with those guys.”
Q: I know you are taking an official visit to Cal next weekend. Do you have any officials set up to other schools and if so, what schools?
A: “I have some set up. I have one the weekend after Cal, either to St. Mary’s or Iowa State, those two schools, and then I have UC Santa Barbara after that, and then after that I have Utah.”
Q: After you take your official visits do you have any timeframe for when you might make a decision?
A: “I think I’ll just go see what every school has to offer and then come back, discuss with my dad, discuss with my AAU coach KP, and then probably make a decision then. I want to make a decision before the high school season starts. I plan on signing in early November. So, probably then. I’m not planning on putting it out too much after that after seeing what every school has to offer. I’m pretty sure I’ll have a good feeling after that.”
Q: You have played with Jordan Brown, who Cal is after as well. How well do you feel you two play together and compliment each other?
A: “He’s a really good player, so I think it would be fun to play with him. He definitely gets a lot of attention down there. So he’ll probably get me some easy points and things like that, so I’d look forward to that.”
Q: You can play both the 3 and the 4 pretty seamlessly. Is there one that you feel more comfortable playing?
A: “I just really like playing the 4 position. Not having the ball in my hands, I like bringing it up, things like that, so, whether it’s inside or outside I feel really comfortable with the ball. Driving it under the basket, midrange game, posting up, in rhythm catching threes, shoot. I’m really comfortable; I’ve been working on that a lot, so I think it’s starting to flow, starting to get into a rhythm out there. It feels good.”
Q: You visited Cal once before. What do you expect to get out of your official visit to Cal? What are you looking to see there? What are you looking for?
A: “I already checked it out. I haven’t seen all of the campus yet. Just bonding well with the coaching staff, getting to know some of the guys they have there, things like that so I can talk with them a little bit more. Playing style, the role they see me in, plans on being there, things like that. But for the most part, I have a good relationship with them; I talk to them a lot. So, go out there looking to have fun, see the campus and tour it, things like that.”
Q: As far as Pac-12 basketball is concerned, just in general, it’s obviously very high level, how much do you think that might factor into your decision to go to a conference like the Pac-12 versus a smaller conference? How much will the level of competition factor into your decision?
A: “ A little bit. You know, you obviously want to play against the best competition out there. I’m really competitive, I want to play against the best out there, I want to play on a big stage, do good, shine, things like that. At the same time, I think there’s pros and cons about both. You can go to a smaller school and then you have that cool story of playing at a small school, putting them on the map, too. St. Mary’s is a pretty good program in the WCC, so they make the tournament a lot and things like that. A lot of people say when you go to a bigger school it’s a bigger campus, a lot more people, and when you go to a smaller school you get that family feel, really, but I think want to play in a big conference, things like that, too.”
Q: When you think about making your decision and how you’re going to make that decision, what are the most important factors that you are looking for over the next two months that you are taking visits?
A: “Probably just another way they use me, how their development works. I want to play professionally, so just how I fit in their system, the coaching staff, the relationship I have with them, because at the end of the day you’re going to be there for a long time. I don’t plan on transferring. I want to stay at the school for four years, the school I go to, so I just want to stay there, have a really good connection with everyone there and have a good family feel.”
Q: Cal has told you they see a lot of Ivan Rabb in your game. Are there any other guys at the NBA level that you try to mold your game after?
A: “I really like LeBron. I try to play like him all the time, he gets it, he goes coast-to-coast, he’s always in attack mode, things like that. Also I like a little bit of DeMarcus Cousins when he’s not going crazy all the time, but I think he’s pretty good inside. I like to also step out and be able to shoot, and things like that, so maybe like Anthony Davis, he’s a guy that likes to step out and shoots a little bit too, so working on those types of things.”
Q: Is there a fun fact about you that our subscribers might find interesting?
A: “Fruit. I will not eat fruit if it’s soft. Like grapes, raspberries. They have to be hard for me to eat them. I don’t eat soft fruit. If somebody gives me a strawberry and its soft, I don’t want a soft strawberry. I don’t eat any soft fruit. My favorite food is probably, I like French Fries. I also can’t sleep with my socks on. That’s another thing. Those are the two things.”
