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Shaquille
O'Neal: "When you are 60, hang out with 60-year-olds, not 20-year-olds.
That is all I got to say about Jerry Buss."
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HoopsHype.com Interviews Amare
Stoudemire: "If you want to be successful, you're on your own"
Are you surprised at the success you have had so far as a team and individually? Amare Stoudemire: I pretty much figured I’d be where I’m at right now due to the fact that I work hard. I’m a firm believer that hard work pays off. If I just keep working hard and we keep working hard as a team, there’s no telling how soon we could be Finals contenders. When you were drafted, both GM Bryan Colangelo and head coach Frank Johnson preached patience with you coming out of training camp. How does patience fit into the equation now with your success so far? AS: Patience is the key to our success. We’ve still got to be patient because right now we’re still not as good as we can be. So we have to be patient and still work hard. I think I opened their eyes a little bit and came out and played hard in playing so good so soon. I’m having a great time doing what I’m doing. You set a new high for points and are on pace statistically to have the best NBA rookie season for a player coming directly from high school. Does that surprise you? Was that a goal you set for yourself? AS: I was planning on coming into the season averaging maybe ten points, eight rebounds. That’s what I told my old coach back in high school. Right now I’m doing a little better than that. I’m just going to try to continue to do better. What do you think separates you from the others who have come out of high school before you? AS: I don’t know, man. Honestly, I have no idea. I’m pretty sure they came out and played hard also. I’m coming out and playing hard every game, but I don’t know. You will finally face Shaquille O’Neal and the Lakers twice this weekend. How much are you looking forward to that? AS: I’m looking forward to it. I’m looking forward to just being on the court beside him and just enjoying the moment. He was my favorite player growing up. I’m just going to try to have fun out there. He’s a dominant player and he dunks with authority and that’s something that I do also. I think our game is similar, but I’m much smaller. You said you have opened some eyes up in Phoenix. Do you think you are now opening eyes everywhere you go? AS: I think so. I don’t think everybody believed that I was going to do as good as I’m doing, but I always believed, and my family believed it. One of things people have said about you is that you already do things that rookies don’t normally do. In what ways do you still feel like a rookie at this point? AS: I feel like a rookie because there’s a lot of stuff I still need to learn, fundamental-wise. My teammates are showing me great support. Plus I’ve got to bring the doughnuts in before practice and gather the balls up, so I’m a rookie right there. Just because you’re putting up the points doesn’t mean you don’t bring the doughnuts. AS: Exactly. You have already played against some of the other top rookies this season. What is your impression of the rest of this year’s rookie class? AS: They’re doing really good. I think we have a great rookie class. Caron Butler’s doing great, Drew Gooden’s doing good, Yao Ming’s doing good, Dajuan Wagner’s doing good. Everyone’s doing pretty good, I think it’s a great class. How does it feel to be mentioned among Rookie of the Year candidates among that group? AS: That feels good also. I don’t think a kid out of high school has ever won Rookie of the Year. I just feel blessed right now. Do you sense that other players are reacting to you differently now than earlier in the season when you were more unknown? AS: I think now they recognize I’m an explosive player and they know I play hard on every play. That’s a good thing. Growing up in such an unstable environment, who were your biggest influences to go in a positive direction? AS: My family backed me up 100%… My older brother. But it was my decision. It was my decision whether to fade away or become a high commodity in this world. I just kept my head and stayed focused… That’s a lot of pride right there, man. That tells you that I have a straight head on my shoulders. A lot of people that fade away, they follow their friends that are doing negative stuff. If you want to be successful, you’re on your own. If people think you’re weird because you’re taking care of your business, then so be it. Steven Koek is a regular contributor to HoopsHype.com Tell us what you think about this interview. E-mail us at HoopsHype@HoopsHype.com _____________________ |
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