5 Minutes with David Didenko

A native of Russia who attended Boca Raton Community School in Florida and spent the 2018-19 season at Palm Beach State College, David Didenko signed with the Yellow Jsckets in November of 2018 and enrolled for the summer, 2019 term. A full academic qualifier out of high school, David has three seasons with the Yellow Jackets. David has excellent physical size with a high basketball IQ and skills. He enjoys watching movies, reading and playing billiards. He is studying business administration at Tech.

Born in Yakutsk, Russia, David came to Brooklyn, N.Y., in August, 2010, at the age of 11, on vacation, and has remained in the United States. He began playing basketball for fun, won a championship with his middle school AAU team and cemented his desire to play competitively. Prior to his enrollment at Boca Raton Community High School, he attended Northeast High School as a junior, and Montverde Academy for his ninth- and 10th grade years.

 

What is your nickname?

“The Denkster” or “Big Dave”

Why did you choose Georgia Tech?

“It was a large motivation for me to play at this level and to play under coach [Josh] Pastner. He’s a great coach. There’s a lot of good guys on the team and a good coaching staff. I really get along well with all of the coaches, they are pushing me forward as a player and as a student.”

Which player did you grow up modeling your game after?

“I really like Dirk Nowitzki’s one-legged fade away. I was trying that one a lot when I was younger, especially when I hit my growth spurt, and I was a lot taller than my peers.”

What are your goals for this season?

“Improving my knowledge of the game, just learning from the coaching staff and the players who have been here for 2-3 years. I think just getting the experience of playing at this level is the most important thing.”

What is something people might not know about you?

“I used to draw for fun. I think I was pretty good at making sketches. I don’t do it as much nowadays though.”

If you could have one super power what would it be?

“Teleporting. I think time is the most important, precious resource we have.”

What was the biggest adjustment for you coming to the United States from Russia?

“Just the different culture and language. I moved to a more diverse place in New York, so it was a little easier transition, but it was still different. The people were speaking a different language, doing different things, eating different foods, so that was probably the biggest adjustment.”

What is your favorite sports movie?

“I like ‘Space Jam’. I love the cartoons in there, and I’m a big fan of Michael Jordan. I mean, who isn’t?”