Off the Court: Jeff Withey
By: Pelicans.com
New Orleans rookie center Jeff Withey is one of four California natives on the 2013-14 Pelicans, joining fellow newcomers Jrue Holiday, Ryan Anderson and Josh Childress in bringing some West Coast flavor to the Big Easy. The San Diego native and University of Kansas product recently discussed his background and some of his interests away from basketball with Pelicans.com:
Best moment as an athlete: “Going to the Final Four in New Orleans my junior year at Kansas.” How he chose his uniform number of 5: “I was a huge Kevin Garnett fan when I was younger. When he got to the Celtics, he wore No. 5. When I went to Kansas, my high school number of 24 was taken, so I chose 5.” One thing fans might be surprised to know about him: “I’m very good at beach volleyball. I played a lot in high school, just for fun on the beach. I played club indoor volleyball when I was younger. It’s very popular in Southern California.” Favorite thing about New Orleans: “I went on a swamp tour recently. I think the bayou is very cool, all the gators and the unique aspects of it. I like the culture here, too.” Pregame ritual: “When I get my feet taped, I always get my right foot taped first.”Favorite athlete as a kid: “Kevin Garnett.” What he’d be doing if he weren’t an NBA player: “I’d probably want to be a real estate agent.” Closest friends on other NBA teams: “The Morris twins (Marcus and Markieff), who play for Phoenix, and Xavier Henry, who is with the Lakers now. I played with them in college at Kansas.” Favorite type of music: “Country, but I like all types of music.” Favorite TV show: “Breaking Bad.” Favorite movie of all time: “Dumb & Dumber.” Favorite websites: “Twitter and Instagram.”