Quick Chat With: Sebastian Telfair

We sat down for a brief chat with Sebastian Telfair after he put a Wolves' jersey on for the first time before hurrying off to the team photo shoot.

Telfair told us about playing AAU ball with Randy Foye, about what he's learned in his first three years and what he knows about Minnesota.

MT: With Randy Foye being from East Side High School in Newark and you from Abraham Lincoln HS in Brooklyn, you guys must have gone against each other once or twice...
Telfair: Randy and I are almost the same age, and we basically came up together in the high school circuit; we also played against each other in the AAU circuit. He's got a lot of talent, and I'm looking forward to playing with him. He played for the Road Runners, and I was on the Juice All Stars.

MT: Do you remember who won the bulk of those battles ... and were any in Rucker Park?
Telfair: It was kind of mixed up, but I remember us getting a few. We didn't play in Rucker, but I've played there a lot. Oh man, playing in Rucker is a great experience. So many people have played there ... it's just a really good place to play basketball.

MT: You were drafted by Portland straight out of high school in 2004, and spent two seasons there before heading to Boston last year. What have you learned that has stood out to you the most?
Telfair: It's been a roller coaster, but the number one thing is to take it seriously and work hard. The harder you work, the more you're going to get out of it.

MT: Fair enough. For an East Coast guy, what do you know about Minnesota? Don't say it's cold.
Telfair: Man, it is though. That's the first thing people say. I've only been here to play basketball, and I know the fans are great here. I'm really looking forward to playing in front of them.

MT: Are you excited by the prospect of coming up with a young, talented team and growing together?
Telfair: Being a point guard coming up with a young team, you need to help everyone develop their game. You are going to be a big part of that growth, and it's important to enjoy that.

MT: OK, we know you have to run, so we'll let you off the hook and save the tough questions for next time.
Telfair: All right, thanks.