Employees Author
Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe needs to be one of many few Georgia males’s basketball gamers ever to have some youth hockey expertise in his previous. In fact, Moncrieffe is Canadian, so being on the ice got here naturally.
A junior from Toronto, the 6-foot-8 ahead transferred to Georgia after two seasons at Oklahoma State, the place he began 21 video games. Toronto is among the world’s most numerous and grand cities, a wealthy, multi-cultural stew that Moncrieffe, with Jamaican roots, is proud to name residence.
Throughout a latest Fast Chat, Moncrieffe talked about his begin in basketball, his appreciation for his hometown, enjoying hockey, his first dunk, and way more. Here is a few of what he needed to say:
Frierson: Do you keep in mind your first dunk?
Moncrieffe: My first dunk was in seventh grade. It was a squeeze, I simply squeezed it in there. I used to be simply so lengthy — I could not actually soar excessive — however I did it in seventh grade. It is enjoyable; now you simply begin training them on a regular basis.
I would not say in seventh grade dunking was part of my sport, however as I bought older, then it turned a part of my sport, for positive.
Frierson: Is there one in a sport that stands out in your thoughts?
Moncrieffe: I’ve a few good ones. In highschool I had a reasonably good one, and I’ve had some good ones in school at Oklahoma State, however nothing in any massive video games.
Frierson: Have been you at all times the tallest child in your lessons, or did you may have a extremely massive progress spurt alongside the best way?
Moncrieffe: I used to be at all times taller than my classmates. I might say after I bought to eighth grade I used to be round 6-1, and ninth grade I used to be about 6-4, and tenth grade I used to be 6-5 or 6-6.
Frierson: How difficult is that each from the standpoint of getting garments that match and simply the bodily a part of your physique altering that a lot?
Moncrieffe: I used to be undoubtedly uncoordinated after I was little. I performed quite a lot of completely different sports activities after I was youthful, so I believe that helped. I performed soccer, hockey, the whole lot after I was youthful, is I believe that helped me with basketball. It was undoubtedly onerous adjusting to your physique whenever you’re rising like that.
Frierson: Right here in Georgia we all know hockey exists but it surely’s not one thing we encounter all that usually. What had been you want as a hockey participant?
Moncrieffe: I used to be all proper. I wasn’t too unhealthy. I used to be at all times the tallest one, however I wasn’t too unhealthy. It was enjoyable, I appreciated hockey, however I used to be simply too tall.
Frierson: Once you consider residence what involves thoughts?
Moncrieffe: Good meals, good folks, completely different cultures, and household.
Frierson: Is Toronto an amazing place to develop up?
Moncrieffe: Most undoubtedly. You simply develop up with so many alternative cultures. My household’s Jamaican however you possibly can develop up with any Africans or Asians — it is identical to a melting pot for lots of various cultures.
Frierson: What’s one thing you possibly can eat each day and by no means get uninterested in it?
Moncrieffe: For me, Jamaican meals is my favourite meals. The jerk hen, that is my favourite.
Frierson: How are you within the kitchen?
Moncrieffe: I can not cook dinner in any respect. I can cook dinner breakfast, I make a reasonably good breakfast, and I can cook dinner pasta, however that is about it.
Frierson: Who’s the funniest individual on the crew?
Moncrieffe: Jabri (Abdur-Rahim) is fairly humorous to me. He makes me chortle on a regular basis. Guys like him maintain all people off edge, light-hearted. We have a reasonably humorous crew. It undoubtedly helps, retaining us calm and joking round.
(This Q&A was frivolously edited for size and readability.)
Assistant Sports activities Communications Director John Frierson is the workers author for the UGA Athletic Affiliation and curator of the ITA Males’s Tennis Corridor of Fame. You’ll find his work at: Frierson Recordsdata. He is additionally on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.