How many people can actually say that they’ve been court side of a professional NBA team? Or even in the locker rooms? Better yet, have interviewed a professional basketball player?
This was me and two other ThreeSixty students, who got to go on Monday, February 25, to cover the Minnesota Timberwolves game against the Sacramento Kings.
Personally, basketball is one of my favorite sports, so to watch these players play and meet some of them is insane.
I interviewed All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns and asked him what it was like to get back after spending some time on the sidelines. Town was in a car crash a few days before and missed the Milwaukee game.
“I knew things were going to be different,” Towns said.
He explained how he tried to find his “rhythm” by being aggressive.
I asked Tyus Jones, who is from Minnesota and attend high school in Apple Valley, how he keeps his head in the game. He had some big plays that night.
“Try to stay calm,” Jones said. “…Ryan (Saunders), our coach, gives me a lot of confidence to play free and not worry about messing up. So when you’re free and just playing, it’s easy to make plays. I give a lot of credit to our coach for that, but it takes some time, you know, in late game situations are super competitive. You have to stay as even keel as possible.”
I learned a lot about what it is to be a journalist and to be with these players in everyday life when talking to Star Tribune Timberwolves beat reporter Chris Hine.
He talked about how critical thinking to investing part of your life on the road are all part of the job. It really takes a lot to be a journalist, which is something I learned from this experience.
I’m used to seeing everything on TV, but in person, it just left me in awe because everything that you’re seeing on TV at home, there’s a lot of people behind that.
This experience was definitely worth everything, and I would do it again. Not only because of the many perks but seeing the diversity of jobs. You’re exposed to different work environments, which for me after attending this event, will help me choose my career path and narrow it down.
Jesse Ordoñez-Saybe is a senior at Roseville Area High School and a ThreeSixty Journalism student who is considering attending the University of St. Thomas in fall 2019.