Among the highlights of Thaddeus Young’s season at Georgia Tech was a runner-up finish in the Maui Invitational.
RW.com: How do you enjoy coming back to Atlanta to play?
Young: “It’s always cool. You get to see some of your friends and some of the people you went to school with. And it’s also a chance to come back and play in front of some of the Georgia Tech people. It’s always a cool experience.”
RW.com: Do you still follow the Georgia Tech program throughout the year?
Young: “Yeah, I try to look at a lot of the stuff that they’re doing through social media feeds and they also send blast emails with alumni stuff, so, I try to keep up with everything that’s going on with sports from football, to basketball, to baseball, to softball, tennis, everything.”
RW.com: What appealed to you about coming to Chicago when you signed this offseason?
Young: “At the end of the day, they had a fairly young team with some good pieces that can really ball. Our record doesn’t indicate what type of team we could be, but we could be a very talented team. We just have to play up to par in the second half of games. That’s one of the things that I’ve been harping on, just helping teach the guys how to win. Obviously I came from winning cultures and helped build playoff teams and be a leader on those playoff teams, so, just trying to bring those types of things to it.”
RW.com: How have you gone about taking a leadership role with this young core in Chicago?
Young: “Just being vocal and making sure they understand how to win games, making sure they understand we’re going to take our bumps and our bruises, but we have to continue to walk toward the light as opposed to shying away and going into the darkness and hiding in the corner. With that being said, it’s just a matter of staying vocal with the guys and getting them to understand this is the way we have to play in order to go out and win games with the personnel we have.”
RW.com: What is it like playing and living in Chicago?
Young: “It’s definitely different than Indiana. Indiana has a rich basketball history also, but Chicago is a much bigger scale, much bigger city. The only thing I hate is the traffic. But I love playing with these guys. They’re a great group of individuals. I think it’s just a matter of how you fit into the city. It is a great city. They have some of the best food in the world, lots and lots of restaurants, lots of stuff to do. My wife can go shopping, my kids can go to different parks and indoor events and stuff like that.”
RW.com: What advice would you give to a Georgia Tech basketball player who wants to be an NBA veteran like you one day?
Young: “Just don’t take it for granted. Go to work each and every day, whether it is in the classroom or on the court, and make sure you’re prepared for anything that comes at you.”
RW.com: Do you have a favorite memory from your time at Georgia Tech?
Young: “All of my games at Georgia Tech. I was only there for one year, so that was a memorable year simply because we had a special group of guys. We didn’t make it as far as we wanted to, but we all bonded very well together, we all played very well together, and it was just a good group. I loved the coaches, I loved the staff, I loved the people who welcomed me into the Georgia Tech family. It was just a close-knit group that wanted to go get the job done. I also had great memories of going to the football games and watching Calvin Johnson play, and also playing against top-tier teams like Duke and North Carolina. All of those are great memories.”
