One-on-One with TayShaun Prince

Posted: May 13, 2002

Just days after graduating with a degree in sociology, Kentucky guard TayShaun Prince traveled to Phoenix to begin the next stage of his life with his first private workout for an NBA team. The lanky 6-9 forward was one of four players invited to America West Arena, as the Suns continue their talent evaluations leading up to the June 26 NBA Draft.

Following the two-hour workout and informal interviews with the Suns’ brass, Prince was interviewed by local reporters. The following is a transcript of that media availability session.

Question: How did it go?

Prince: I feel it went pretty good. I hit some times there where I missed three or four (shots) in a row. I could’ve done a better job at that, but I thought overall it went fairly well.

Question: Were you nervous at all?

Prince: I wasn’t nervous. I think it’s just a matter of coming out here and getting loose. Once a couple shots go down for you, then you kind of just get in the groove of things from that point on.

Question: Would you describe yourself as a scorer or a shooter?

Prince: A scorer. If the shooting is not going well, I’ll just protect the basket or post-up. So I’d say more of a scorer than a shooter.

Question: Is there a player in the league that you can compare your game to?

Prince: I pretty much just try to do what I can do. I watch a lot of pro players, watch a lot of pro teams, just learning different things. My game reminds me of Jalen Rose a little bit because we’re left handed and we’re pretty similar as far as handling the basketball and that type of thing. So I just try to go out there and play the way I can.

Question: Are you familiar with the Suns’ organization?

Prince visited with Suns assistant coach Phil Weber after Monday's workout.

Question: Do you have a feel for where you’ll go in the draft?

Prince: Obviously, the goal is to keep moving up. But with all the overseas players and more high school players coming out, underclassman, you never know how things will go as far as the selection. You just want to come out here and show what you can do, and try to help yourself out as best you can.

Question: Talk about earning your degree and what that meant to you.

Prince: It’s been a hard road, four years playing basketball and doing academics at the same time. So getting the academic part out of the way is a big help, because it’s difficult to play in the NBA and then go back to school during the summer time. So getting it out of the way just makes me feel more comfortable.

Question: How important was it for you to get your degree wrapped up before entering the NBA?

Prince: It was very important. My last semester in college, I had 21 hours, so it’s a big relief. I had 21 to finish it out so I wouldn’t have to come back. It was very tough. Once we lost to Maryland in the Sweet 16, from that point on, it was more concentrating on academics rather than trying to get prepared for the next level. I tell you, the last couple months have been very difficult as far as trying to stay in shape and work out, while trying to do the school aspect, as well.