One on One: Kahlil Dukes

Kahlil Dukes, a point guard, is one of the top players in the state of Connecticut.

Good-Win! Sports Blog- Hey Kahlil, thanks for taking some time to talk with us. Tell us about yourself.
Kahlil Dukes-
• Born May 17, 1995
•Born and raised in Hartford, CT
•Junior (16 years old)
•Goes to Capital Prep (Hartford, CT)
•Been playing basketball since I was born
•I made my first basket on regulation at the age of 3
•I'm a workaholic
•I love representing myself and where •I come from
•Love to win, hate to lose
•Motivated by success and everything that comes with it
•Kris Dunn is my big brother and biggest admiration
•Huge faith and belief in God
•2-Time All-Stater
•Just your abnormal teenager:
Music, sleep, workout, chill, rest, and do it all over again
•Oh and I write poetry don't forget that!

G-W!SB- Wow. That's a lot. Its cool to know your not just one-dimensional. What separates you from the rest of the 2013 class?
KD- I just push myself mentally; spend a lot of time alone, thinking, sleeping, seeing myself succeed, seeing the hardwork pay off, seeing where all the training can and will take me, listening to guys who have done it like Kris Dunn, and just disciplining myself to get into the gym everyday no matter what happens throughout the course of the day. If my body is tired or if I for some strange reason can't get the gym, I watch film and learn something to improve my IQ so that I don't make the same mistakes again and make more of the good decisions as my game progresses. And honestly, I just want it. Some say they do, but I've proved it.

G-W!SB- You sound like you want it a lot. Which schools know you want it and want you in return?
KD-
•Rice
•Sacred Heart
•Quinnipiac
•Vermont
•Robert Morris
•Saint Peters
•Saint Bonaventure
•Princeton
•Stony Brook
•Fairfield
•Hofstra
•USC
•LeHigh
•Northeastern (just interest)
To name a few

G-W!SB- Congrats on the USC offer. Are there other ways you can tell your hard work is paying off? (and ok I gotcha)
KD- Thank you!
And yeah those top players or players who are above me were showing me love. Usually when you play well against the best competition in the country, they're too into themselves to respect a player who has worked just as hard as them or works hard like them to get where they are or become how good they really seem to be. And I got that love, not just from coaches, but from the players I've never been mentioned in the same sentence with before.

G-W!SB- How does it feel to watch yourself elevate because of your own hard work?
KD- Unexplainable, you spend months and months training to become someone who is talked about and admired for his talents and you wonder where it'll take you, I've found out exactly where hard work leads. When you dedicate your life to something, you expect something in return. I guess you could say, this is the return.

G-W!SB- Which schools have impressed you the most do far?
KD- Definitely USC because they pulled the trigger with me. A lot of high majors wait for you to be this ranked player, hype player, sky's the limit potential, 7'0 footer, but they came to see another player from California play and I happen to be playing against him, I performed, and they ended up offering me so that really impressed me that they pulled the trigger so fast, made me feel like they really wanted me and saw high major to professional potential in me.
But other than that, Vermont has been all over me, from my school to other states, they've shown the most interest and have contacted me the most so they've impressed me as well. However, I'm still open and waiting my options.

G-W!SB- Ok man, thanks for talking to us! Can't wait to talk again if that's cool with you!
KD- No problem, anytime!

Thanks to Kahlil for his time! We look forward to keeping up with him this next year!

One on One: Derek Millinghaus

I recently interviewed Derek Millinghaus, a point guard from Schenectady, New York. He recently signed with St. Bonaventure, but his letter of intent was released, and he then signed with Ole Miss.

Andrew Toler: Would you mind explaining the situation with St. Bonaventure?
Derek Millinghaus: I signed with St. Bonaventure last year and I did not want to go there anymore because my family was moving down south. I wanted to be kind of close to my family.

AT: There's a lot of colleges down south! What made you choose Ole Miss?
DM: I chose Ole Miss because Coach [Andy] Kennedy has had a lot of good point guards during his career and I felt that he will push me to be the best player and point guard that I can be.

AT: Tell us about your recruitment to Ole Miss.
DM: Coach Kennedy has been at my games faithfully, so I felt that [Ole Miss] really wants me.

AT: I understand. Who are some players you look up to/feel your game is most like?
DM: I would say Chris Paul and Brandon Jennings.

AT: How is their game similar to yours?
DM: They are able to score and pass, and bring excitement to the game.

AT: What excites you the most about playing for Ole Miss?
DM: The passion the fans have for ther school, being able to play in the SEC, and having a chance to make it to the NCAA Tournament.

AT: How do you feel about Ole Miss's current roster? Who are you excited about playing with?
DM: I feel that we have a lot of pieces to make it far next year, probably even the Final Four. I'm excited about playing with everyone on the roster.

AT: Do you feel like you could be the missing link to the Ole Miss offense?
DM: Yes, I think that I'm the type of guard that they need.

AT: What kind of guard does Ole Miss need?
DM: They need Derrick Millinghaus! [Laughs] Ole Miss needs a guard that attack the basket well, shoots well, and will do anything to help his team win.

AT: Thank your for taking the time to talk to us. I'm an Ole Miss fan, so I'm looking forward to seeing you play. Hotty Toddy!
DM: Alright thank you. I appreciate it.

Thanks to Derek Millinghaus for interviewing with me. He is a great guy and I hope to do it again soon.