Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
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Six weeks of asking, planning, hoping, re-asking and even a little bit of begging might have been involved, but finally, this past Thursday I was granted an audience with Jimmer.
He's only the most sought-after college basketball player in the nation, leading scorer in the nation and leading candidate for national player of the year, but even more captivating to the common-folk-non-rabid-sports-fan, Jimmer has become an iconic BKB rock star around the nation. A regular on ESPN's family of TV and radio shows. Sweet tweets about him come from NBA superstar Kevin Durrant, Rookie of the Year candidate John Wall and Rap king Nelly.
He's the boy-next-door - humble, quick to smile, quicker to deflect the fame but armed with a killer crossover. He has unlimited deep three range, sneaky strength that has him hunting contact, riding the carpool lane to the free throw line and his on-court demeanor is as cold blooded as any "Black Ops" video game figure.
You get the picture. He's almost as hard to get off the court as he is hard to stop on it.
It took an hour to set up intricate lighting in the booster room at the Marriott Center, his road Cougar Blue #32 hanging over his shoulder (Alexander's armor waiting for the next battle) and right as the clock struck 2, Jimmer pulled into the parking lot and we were 'on'.
After a brief introduction, I started by asking if he realizes his fairy tale run is coming to end, with just 3 more games in the Marriott Center. I also asked what it's like being inside the "Jim-sanity" around campus, both in class, and in his everyday life. Many of his teammates are married, so I asked him if he gets teased about it at all, to which he told me that where he's from people get married a little later, and again he said his teammates are great friends.
That prompted my favorite exchange. "Oh I like to hang out with my girlfriend, just have fun, don't talk about basketball," Jimmer replied. I then asked, "What does she say to bring you back down to earth?" "Oh stuff like 'You're not so cool, not as cool as everyone thinks you are, you're not even the coolest one in this relationship'," Jimmer said.
We took a short break while he got dressed for practice, then reconvened in that perfectly lit room and away we went, 15 minutes of whatever I wanted to ask him, from more on what it's like being him ("it's never been cooler being you...?") to what he does to get away from the Jimmermania. That prompted my favorite exchange. "Oh I like to hang out with my girlfriend, just have fun, don't talk about basketball," Jimmer replied.
I then asked, "What does she say to bring you back down to earth?"
"Oh stuff like 'You're not so cool, not as cool as everyone thinks you are, you're not even the coolest one in this relationship'," Jimmer said.
We went inside his unlimited range and what those deeeeep threes do to opponents and talked about him hunting contact and why he doesn't get more calls. We talked about what motivated him to work so hard, uber prepare when he was growing up, why this upcoming MWC Tournament it extra special to him, and we looked down the road to his NBA future, things he heard last spring on his short tour around the NBA - the good things he heard and criticisms that still drive him to this day.
He's the kind of interview that's so charming, insightful and elaborate that you can't really mess it up. Jimmer gives layered, thoughtful answers and while he's always complimenting his teammates, he is also not low on confidence (how could he be?). He's not cocky but he carries an outward self-assurance that is also a core characteristic.
After 15 minutes my time was up, I thanked him, shook his hand and he walked back into the Jim-sanity, the awaiting throng of local media waiting for him to answer questions about the latest rap video named for him. And so it goes, and that's how he rolls.
Please feedback and react: Tom.Kirkland@ksl.com and follow me on Twitter @tksportsbeat
