RAYMOND FELTON

The Bobcats made Raymond Felton the fifth overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft just over two months after he won the 2005 National Championship with the North Carolina Tar Heels, fulfilling yet another dream for the Latta, SC product. Felton is the lone Bobcats player to see action in all 43 games this season and is averaging 11.9 points, 4.9 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 17 starts.

BobcatsBasketball.com checked in with Felton to find out a little more about him off the court.

What was your childhood ambition growing up?
Just to be the best I can in life, really. I always wanted to try to make it to the point where I am now. I just wanted to make it so I could give back to my family. That was something that I always wanted to do since I was a little boy – make it to the NBA so I could take care of my parents.

So you never wanted to be a fireman, a policeman or Superman?
Nah (he laughs). I always wanted to be a basketball player. It started early for me at the age of two. I don’t remember those days, but my daddy told me I could dribble just as good as a 10 year old at the age of two, so I guess I was just born with a natural talent.

When your dad saw your talent early on, was basketball something that he pushed you to?
No, my daddy didn’t push me towards anything. He always let everything be my decision. I played all sports for a while. I played baseball, football – I did a little bit of everything. Eventually I just left all those to play basketball, because that’s what I loved.

At what point in time did you realize that basketball ranked above all the others?
It’s funny, because I was actually better at baseball at one point than I was at basketball. I just didn’t have the same love of the game for baseball, so I kept playing basketball trying to get better. It was the game that I loved, so I decided to leave all the others alone.

You were a pitcher and a shortstop back when you played baseball, which one were you better at?
Man, that’s tough. I used to shut teams out sometimes on the mound. I was a power pitcher – I’d bring the heat. I had a curve ball and a changeup here and there, but I’d try to go at you most of the time. But I’d also go in the hole and get it at shortstop. I’d use my quickness to make plays some people didn’t think I could make and had the arm to throw you out. I guess it was pretty much equal at each position. On offense I batted third or fourth. I could hit it.

What about football, where’d you play there?
I ran the option some, but I could throw it, too. I was more of a scrambling quarterback that looked to run. I didn’t want to get hit, so I’d just take off running. I think that elusiveness helped me out on the basketball court because it taught me how to make that quick first step to get away from people.

How difficult was it for you to get the exposure going to small school like Latta?
People think that just because you go to a smaller school, you may not get the exposure, but I used all my options. I used AAU basketball, camps and tournaments that we played in with my high school basketball team. I used everything to get that national exposure. It doesn’t have to matter if you’re from a small school. If it’s meant for you to make it, you’re going to make it. All you have to do is go out there and get it, and that’s what I did.

What was the feeling like for you to win back-to-back state championships at Latta?
The whole town was shut down both times, so that was a great feeling, especially in my senior year. There weren’t any stores open and we sold out the big coliseum. We were a 1A school selling out a college coliseum that seated around 25,000 people. Not only did we sell it out, but there were about 4,000 people outside that couldn’t get in. That’s how crazy it was just to watch our game. The feeling of being able to do that at that level while playing for that small of a school was great. It was a wonderful feeling.

So was the first one better than the second one?
I wouldn’t say the first one was better, but it’s hard to top that first one because of the excitement of winning it that first time. You know how it feels the second time around, but it still feels good. It was much crazier the second time around, though, I’ll tell you that.

How much did it help you to feel that pressure at that young age?
There was pressure on you to win and pressure on you to put on a good show. I was struggling in the first half (my senior year) and was 2-13 from the field with 10 points at the half. This guy started taunting me, slapping the floor and telling me to bring it. I went at him after that and ended up with like 43 points in the win.

After high school what was the feeling like for you to leave this small school and head off to North Carolina?
It was a dream come true. I always wanted to go there, and I don’t want to say it was a mistake that it happened as much as it was the right situation. Coach (Matt) Doherty was watching Jackie Manual in California playing on one court and I was playing on another court. He kept seeing me do some things and saw me catch one off the rim and dunk on somebody. He saw me go down the court and make a good pass or shoot the three, and he said all of a sudden he stopped looking at Jackie and turned his chair over towards me. After that, he called my house the whole summer and after my junior year in the Beach Ball Classic, Carolina offered me the scholarship.

Ever any second thoughts on going anywhere else?
Nah. I kept my options open, but in my head, I knew the whole time that I wanted to go there.

How hard was that first year for you at North Carolina?
It was tough because we got off to such a good start. I knew that we had a good team, but we were young and hit a couple bumps in the road. When we lost Sean (May), that hurt us. We started off being ranked in the top 12 after winning the preseason NIT and were doing great. We had things rolling, but then Sean got hurt and it set us back a little bit. We struggled after that but still ended up having a winning season even though we lost more games than we wanted to. We went 19-16 and went to the postseason NIT and almost won it, but it wasn’t something that North Carolina was used to. We’re used to making the tournament.

Was that the first year you had to deal with being on maybe just an above-average team rather than one of the best teams?
I’m the type of guy who really doesn’t think that we’re average at any point. On any team I’m on, I think that we’re a good team. I know if we’re struggling, then we’re struggling, but I think we can win every game. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out that way.

What was the feeling of winning a National Championship with the Tar Heels compared to winning the two state championships?
To win that National Championship just multiplied that feeling that I had in high school because we were doing it on a national stage. I have two state championships and a National Championship – now I’m looking forward to trying to win an NBA Championship. I know it’s going to take time, but those others took time too. My first two years in high school, we didn’t win it. My first two years in college, we didn’t win it. So I know these things take time.

Family is also something that fuels you as well, right?
No question. I can’t explain how good it feels being able to help out my mom and dad. Maybe one day when I get a bigger contract in the future, I’ll find a way to help out more people in my family, but right now I have to think about what is best for my immediate family.

You’ve got two older sisters. How was that growing up?
I had one sister who tried to pick on me. My middle sister (Juvonna) tried to bully me around and beat me up a little bit every now and then, but that changed once I got older. We all have a strong relationship now, though.

I’ve also heard that you like to write poetry, is that true?
Yeah, it’s just something I picked up messing around one day in class and realized I was pretty good at. I just started doing it, but I really kind of stopped after college and threw all of them away. I’m kind of upset that I did that now. You might catch me every now and then if I’m bored going into my office and writes something down if I got some stuff on my mind. I guess it just shows another side of me – I have a warm side of me, too.

Does that work to balance the competitive side in you?
Oh yeah, definitely. I’m a guy that has some fire in me. I can get angry and things like that on the court, but I have a compassionate side, too.

What do you do to get away from it all?
I just like to go in my room to get away from it all, close my door and relax in my bed. I’ll watch some TV or play video games – whatever it is. Even when you go out somewhere, you can’t really relax because somebody will recognize you and want autographs or pictures. All that stuff is fine, because it comes with the territory, but if you want to get away from everything, the only thing you really can do is stay home. If you’re in your house, nobody can see you.

So what’s your perfect day?
To get out of practice, go back home, get something to eat and chill. You and your boys might be at your house clowning, talking about old stuff and playing video games. That’s competitive all the time because you’re talking junk to each other and messing around with it, but nothing harmful.

What do you all usually play?
We’ve been playing NCAA Basketball a lot. We used to play football a lot, but we don’t really mess with that too much any more. When we play basketball, I can use North Carolina, but mostly I’ll play with the All-North Carolina team with (Michael) Jordan, Vince (Carter) and all them guys.

What’s the biggest challenge you face on a daily basis?
My biggest challenge is to continuously try to get better. I try not to get sidetracked with all the little things that might get you away from what you really need to focus on.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I see myself still being here and doing some great things with this team.

Is it more important to you to have team success instead of individual accolades?
No question. That’s a big thing to me. It has showed throughout my career that if you win, those accolades are going to come. I’m all about winning, and if we do that, then all the little individual stuff is going to come.

What about after life after basketball?
I’m a person that loves to work with kids, so I’ll probably start my own AAU team. I doubt that I’ll want to coach in any type of system or school. I just want to have my own team in the summertime and take them off to places. I want to give kids the chance to go to school or win a scholarship. I want to stress to them that they have to do their work and have to have a certain grade point average to play for my team. I want to be the guy that can go talk to college coaches and let them know that my kids are the types of kids who get their work done on and off the court. Times are tough and parents and kids can struggle to pay off student loans, but scholarships are out there. A free ride is a free ride, and I just want to help kids get those scholarships, go to school and get their education to make their lives better.

So there’s no acting in your future after the commercial shoot this year?
I don’t see it, but if it happens, it happens. That was fun once I got out there, though. Mine made people laugh because I think it brought out my personality. I’m willing to do anything. I’m willing to do whatever it takes. I’m not a singer, and it’s kind of embarrassing because I can’t sing, but at the same time I did it anyway. I didn’t care.

Are you a fan of any other pro teams?
I’m a big football fan. The Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts are my two favorite teams, and in baseball I’m a big St. Louis Cardinals fan.

Who is the player in the NBA you have had the best time playing against in your rookie year?
That’s probably Steve Nash and Jason Kidd. Those are two guys I really keyed on and watched their games as a player coming up. Just to get a chance to go out there, talk with them and be competing on the same court with them, while matched up against them was a wonderful feeling. But at the same time, the most important thing was trying to win the game. They were fast, but I’m a person who depends on my speed, too. They’re fast and they’re smart, but the key was that they made things look so easy. That’s what I want to do.

By Matt Rochinski, BobcatsBasketball.com