University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Teshaun Hightower
December 15, 2017 | Men's Basketball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
UGAAA Staff Writer
Teshaun Hightower, a 6-foot-4 freshman from Lithonia, Ga., has played in seven of eight Georgia men's basketball games this season. He and fellow freshman Rayshaun Hammonds made some critical plays in the closing minutes of the Bulldogs' tight win at Marquette earlier this month.
Before practice Wednesday, Hightower paused his warmup routine for a Quick Chat about the fascinating NBA, his first semester of college, holiday food and much more.
Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: As someone that probably never came within a foot of being able to touch the rim. I'm kind of fascinated by dunking. What do you remember about your first dunk?
Hightower: It was in the 10th grade and I jumped and I didn't know I could touch the rim. I tried with the ball and it went in.
Frierson: Wow, 10th grade seems pretty late. Did you get a big growth spurt before that?
Hightower: Yeah, I was probably up to about 6-1 by the 10th grade.
Frierson: Was it something of a life-changing thing, like I imagine it might be? Suddenly you're able to do this thing that for years you've been watching basketball legends do with ease.
Hightower: I didn't really grow to 6-3 or 6-4 until my 11th-grade summer, so that really was life-changing. That really opened things up.
Frierson: As a fan of the NBA, it seems right now to be by far the most fun and interesting pro league we have. What are you watching? What's catching your interest?
Hightower: I like Russell Westbrook a lot [2016-17 MVP of the Oklahoma City Thunder] and De'Aaron Fox [rookie with the Sacramento Kings]. I got the speed, so I try to mimic my game after them.
Frierson: Westbrook's one of those guys, he's just so fierce and ferocious on the court. And last season was something spectacular. So I guess you sided with him versus Kevin Durant when they split up?
Hightower: Yeah, I did. I chose Westbrook. I didn't think that was a good move for Durant, but he had to do what was best for him.
Frierson: You're wrapping up your first semester of college this week, so what's your biggest takeaway from the past few months? Was it about what you expected?
Hightower: It was. The classwork was often hard, but we had tutors to get us through it. Basketball was hard, but the coaches got us through it. And we're still going strong.
Frierson: In what way are you already a much better player since when you got here?
Hightower: I've learned how to facilitate more, I've learned the spots in college where you can score and the spots where you can't, because in high school you can score anywhere. Really, I think my shooting has gotten a lot better.
Frierson: I know physically the game is harder because everybody's big and athletic, but has the mental side been more of an adjustment than the physical?
Hightower: The mental part is really big, because if you think you can do something, you can do it. If you don't think you can do it, you're not going to be able to. The mental part is really important.
Frierson: We've got the holidays coming up, so do you have a favorite present you've ever received?
Hightower: I can't think of a favorite present, I just like eating at Christmas. There's a lot of good food.
Frierson: What are you thinking of as you say that?
Hightower: The dressing, the dressing is really good.
Frierson: What else is on the table when everyone sits down for the big Christmas meal?
Hightower: Macaroni and cheese, greens, yams, chicken — it's a lot.
Frierson: What's something you've tried to master but have never even come close?
Hightower: Playing the [NBA] 2K, because I really don't play [video] games like that. But everybody else plays the game, so I'm trying to get better at it.
Frierson: I would imagine there are some pretty good team battles between guys.
Hightower: There are, for sure.
Frierson: Have they given you and Rayshaun any kind of nickname yet? With a Teshaun and a Rayshaun coming in as freshmen together, it seems like someone would have come up with something.
Hightower: Not really. Most of my teammates call me T and the coaches call me Hightower, and they call him Rayshaun.
Frierson: I figured they'd have surely come up with something.
Hightower: Not yet.
Frierson: Who's the funniest guy on the team?
Hightower: The funniest guy to me has got to be either Turtle [William Jackson II] or Jordan [Harris]. They don't try to be funny, they just come off funny to everybody. They make everybody laugh.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
UGAAA Staff Writer
Teshaun Hightower, a 6-foot-4 freshman from Lithonia, Ga., has played in seven of eight Georgia men's basketball games this season. He and fellow freshman Rayshaun Hammonds made some critical plays in the closing minutes of the Bulldogs' tight win at Marquette earlier this month.
Before practice Wednesday, Hightower paused his warmup routine for a Quick Chat about the fascinating NBA, his first semester of college, holiday food and much more.
Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: As someone that probably never came within a foot of being able to touch the rim. I'm kind of fascinated by dunking. What do you remember about your first dunk?
Hightower: It was in the 10th grade and I jumped and I didn't know I could touch the rim. I tried with the ball and it went in.
Frierson: Wow, 10th grade seems pretty late. Did you get a big growth spurt before that?
Hightower: Yeah, I was probably up to about 6-1 by the 10th grade.
Frierson: Was it something of a life-changing thing, like I imagine it might be? Suddenly you're able to do this thing that for years you've been watching basketball legends do with ease.
Hightower: I didn't really grow to 6-3 or 6-4 until my 11th-grade summer, so that really was life-changing. That really opened things up.
Frierson: As a fan of the NBA, it seems right now to be by far the most fun and interesting pro league we have. What are you watching? What's catching your interest?
Hightower: I like Russell Westbrook a lot [2016-17 MVP of the Oklahoma City Thunder] and De'Aaron Fox [rookie with the Sacramento Kings]. I got the speed, so I try to mimic my game after them.
Frierson: Westbrook's one of those guys, he's just so fierce and ferocious on the court. And last season was something spectacular. So I guess you sided with him versus Kevin Durant when they split up?
Hightower: Yeah, I did. I chose Westbrook. I didn't think that was a good move for Durant, but he had to do what was best for him.
Frierson: You're wrapping up your first semester of college this week, so what's your biggest takeaway from the past few months? Was it about what you expected?
Hightower: It was. The classwork was often hard, but we had tutors to get us through it. Basketball was hard, but the coaches got us through it. And we're still going strong.
Frierson: In what way are you already a much better player since when you got here?
Hightower: I've learned how to facilitate more, I've learned the spots in college where you can score and the spots where you can't, because in high school you can score anywhere. Really, I think my shooting has gotten a lot better.
Frierson: I know physically the game is harder because everybody's big and athletic, but has the mental side been more of an adjustment than the physical?
Hightower: The mental part is really big, because if you think you can do something, you can do it. If you don't think you can do it, you're not going to be able to. The mental part is really important.
Frierson: We've got the holidays coming up, so do you have a favorite present you've ever received?
Hightower: I can't think of a favorite present, I just like eating at Christmas. There's a lot of good food.
Frierson: What are you thinking of as you say that?
Hightower: The dressing, the dressing is really good.
Frierson: What else is on the table when everyone sits down for the big Christmas meal?
Hightower: Macaroni and cheese, greens, yams, chicken — it's a lot.
Frierson: What's something you've tried to master but have never even come close?
Hightower: Playing the [NBA] 2K, because I really don't play [video] games like that. But everybody else plays the game, so I'm trying to get better at it.
Frierson: I would imagine there are some pretty good team battles between guys.
Hightower: There are, for sure.
Frierson: Have they given you and Rayshaun any kind of nickname yet? With a Teshaun and a Rayshaun coming in as freshmen together, it seems like someone would have come up with something.
Hightower: Not really. Most of my teammates call me T and the coaches call me Hightower, and they call him Rayshaun.
Frierson: I figured they'd have surely come up with something.
Hightower: Not yet.
Frierson: Who's the funniest guy on the team?
Hightower: The funniest guy to me has got to be either Turtle [William Jackson II] or Jordan [Harris]. They don't try to be funny, they just come off funny to everybody. They make everybody laugh.
(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.
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