University of Georgia Athletics
A Quick Chat With ... Houston Kessler
December 07, 2016 | Men's Basketball
By John Frierson
UGAAA Staff Writer
Houston Kessler knows he comes from a super-achieving family. The Georgia men's basketball forward also knows his last name stands out in the history of Bulldog hoops.
His uncle, Alec, who passed away in 2007, is among the greatest of the great at Georgia, right there with Dominique Wilkins, Vern Fleming and a few others. His father, Chad, played for the Bulldogs, as well, and was drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers. And both his father and his uncle was classroom stars, earning Academic All-America honors, and went on to become orthopedic surgeons.
The 6-foot-8 redshirt senior has been named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll four straight years and in September was named to the SEC's Men's Basketball Leadership Council. He recently sat down to chat about his family, beating his dad in one-on-one, law school and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: What's the most creative thing you do? Or what's something creative you wish you could do?
Kessler: When I was a kid I wanted to be an architect, so that [drawing] is something that I wish I could do. The most creative thing I actually do, I play the guitar and the piano a little bit.
Frierson: Do you have a preferred song or two that you play?
Kessler: I can play a couple of different songs. I like rock and alternative, mostly, and I can play a couple of different things. If I hear something I like I go on YouTube and try to figure out how to play it.
Frierson: Is that the best way to learn these days, go on YouTube and watch how it's done?
Kessler: Absolutely. You can learn almost any song you want, someone's made a video on how to play it.
Frierson: What's something from your childhood that you really miss?
Kessler: Playing outside every day, absolutely. When I was a kid I used to come home and ride my bike, and I knew a bunch of kids in the neighborhood and we'd play backyard football or whatever.
Frierson: When you were a kid, what were the pickup basketball games like? Coming from your family, I would imagine the basketball games in the driveway or wherever could probably be pretty good.
Kessler: It got pretty intense. I probably didn't beat my dad in one-on-one until I was 15, and then I probably couldn't beat him consistently until I was 16 or 17. And then he didn't want to play anymore [laughs].
Frierson: Was that a significant moment for you?
Kessler: It was. I think it was kind of rough for him, maybe [laughs].
Frierson: You were pretty young when your uncle passed away, so how aware are you of just how great a player he was here at Georgia?
Kessler: I've seen some footage of him, but it's mostly things I've heard about him. He was 6-11, could shoot the ball really well; he was a really hard worker and that's something that's inspired pretty much everybody in my family. Do your best and work as hard as you can to try to be excellent in the classroom and out on the court, and at whatever you want to do in life.
Frierson: That's one thing that stands out about your family, it's just a big group of achievers, which has to be a motivating thing but there also much be some pressure, as well.
Kessler: There's pressure that comes with it, especially when you're growing up. I have a little brother and I'm sure he feels some pressure, as well, but it is definitely a motivator and an inspiration, seeing people in your family do those things and knowing that you can do it, too. The positives definitely far outweighs the negatives, as far as the pressure.
Frierson: Do you have a plan for after you're done at Georgia?
Kessler: Yes, sir, I want to go to law school and then I'd really like to be an attorney afterwards. That's the plan.
Frierson: Any specific area of law you want to practice?
Kessler: I'm really interested in health care law — my dad's a doctor so I'm sure that's where that came from — and I want to be a litigator, too. I love speaking and arguing, so that's what I'm going to try to do.
Frierson: Your dad's an orthopedic surgeon and your uncle was an orthopedic surgeon, so was that ever a possibility for you?
Kessler: Not really, I didn't want to go to school for 50 years.
Frierson: Who on the team makes you laugh the hardest?
Kessler: That's hard because we've got some funny people on the team. I'd have to say Turtle Jackson, he's just a goofy dude. He says some funny things and he'll say probably 10 things he thinks are funny and maybe three of them are actually funny — but those three things are really, really funny.
Frierson: If you could spend an hour with Coach Fox away from basketball, what would you do?
Kessler: Probably get a big meal and just talk.
Frierson: If you could go back and talk to your 18-year-old self that was just arriving at Georgia, what would you tell him?
Kessler: Just work really, really hard and it will pay off. It might not even pay off in ways that you think it will, but it does pay off. That's pretty much it.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
