Q: The North Carolina game was your first real road game in college. What did you think of the atmosphere there? Was it intimidating or surprising?

A: I really expected more. I thought it would be louder. But it was a good start to get the jitters out, so now it won’t be a culture shock when we get on the road again.

Q: What’s been the toughest thing about adjusting to Big Ten basketball, college basketball?

A: Sometimes you have a bad game, but you can’t hang onto it. You have to bounce back if you have a bad game. If you don’t play as well as you think you could, you can’t dwell on it.

Q: Obviously Dee Brown is one of the most talented guards in the NCAA. What has he been able to help you with?

A: Patience and awareness. He’s helped me a lot. We hang out more off the court, he’s my roommate on road trips, so he’s like a big brother to me.

Q: You’re the first Illinois basketball player from Baltimore. Has it been hard to adjust to the atmosphere in the Midwest?

A: Not really. It’s good to get out of Baltimore because it’s nothing to glorify, but it’s really bad in Baltimore. So anybody who can get out should be really lucky. I feel lucky that I got a chance to get away from it.

Q: What upcoming game are you most looking forward to?

A: You look forward to every game, but I’m kind of looking forward to starting Big Ten play. Everyone’s kind of expecting that we’re not going to be as good as we were last year, but we can’t dwell on last year. So I’m looking forward to Big Ten play.

Q: Who’s the best player you’ve ever played against?

A: Probably a guy named Marcus Pitt. He’s a former St. John’s player. He scores all these points, and he never sweats.

Q: What’s the toughest part about guarding Dee?

A: The toughest thing about guarding Dee is that he changes speeds so quickly. He’s so quick. He might catch you sleeping and just blow by you. I try to be physical with Dee, I try to bump him a lot, but it’s kind of hard to defend him because he’s so small and so quick.

Q: What do you see as your biggest strength on the court?

A: My biggest strength is probably my defense right now. My offense is coming along, but defense is ahead of my offensive game. So defense and probably my energy is what I bring to the court.

Q: If you had to compare yourself to a guard people are familiar with, who would it be?

A: I don’t know. I don’t know who I’m like in college or the NBA. It’s too hard to pick.

Q: If you could play any sport at any school, other than basketball at Illinois, what would you play?

A: I would play football at USC. I’d play running back.

Q: If you could have been the one setting up the Big Ten-ACC Challenge, who would you have had Illinois play?

A: Oh, North Carolina. Revenge is sweet. Who wouldn’t want to play North Carolina if they beat you for the National Championship?

Q: What other matchup would you have liked to see this year?

A: Probably Michigan State/Duke. Duke probably would have had the upper hand, so that would have gotten Michigan State another loss.

Q: What sold you on coming to Illinois?

A: Dee Brown. I came on my visit, and he was really cool. I saw him in high school and thought he was a really good player. I wouldn’t tell him this, but I kinda want to be like him, want to play like him.

Q: What was your first impression of Coach Weber?

A: I thought he was a real brainiac basketball-wise. He knows a lot about the game. I just thought he was a really cool, humble guy. More of a teacher than a militant coach, but I thought he was tough because when his mom died he continued to coach. I really respected him for that.

Q: If I asked your mom to describe you, what would she say?

A: Silly, goofy, crazy. Funny.

Q: Are you the comedian of the family?

A: Yeah. Of the family, the team, you name it.

Q: What’s your favorite movie?

A: “Scarface.” It shows how a guy who came from nowhere can be on top. But I don’t let the movie play until he gets killed; I rewind it.

Q: If you had to be stranded on a desert island with one of your teammates, who would you pick?

A: Calvin Brock. We crack a lot of jokes on each other, so we’d have fun together.

Q: Your roommate in the dorms is Charles Jackson. Is there anything he does that really bugs you or anything you do that really ticks him off?

A: No, we never see each other in the room during the day, only when we’re sleeping. The only thing that bugs me is that he never takes the trash out.

Q: Got any dirt on him?

A: Oh yeah, I’ve got a lot of dirt on Charles. He has fake eyes. He has contacts that make his eyes hazel. I don’t think a man should wear contacts as jewelry.