University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Blue Cain
January 08, 2024 | Men's Basketball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
We have to start with the name, right? Georgia men's basketball freshman Blue Cain goes by his middle name. His first name is Chris, like his father, but he goes by Blue, which immediately makes him a fan favorite thanks largely to the movie "Old School."
Yes, he's heard "You're my boy, Blue!" quite a few times over the years. Odds are, he's heard the movie line a few times from Georgia fans this season after hitting a 3-pointer. Fourteen games into his career, the 6-foot-5 guard from Knoxville, Tenn., had hit 20 3s — 20 of his 38 field goals were from long range — while averaging 7.0 points in 18.2 minutes a game off the bench.
Cain comes from a family full of Division I athletes. His father played golf at Duke, his mother, Myriah, played basketball at George Washington, and his sister, Sophie, plays volleyball at Appalachian State. It's a competitive bunch.
During a recent Quick Chat, Cain talked about his first dunk, going by Blue, his family, and more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: Was basketball always your main sport, or did you play a bunch of different things when you were younger?
Cain: I played everything growing up. I played baseball really seriously up until high school — I was really good at baseball — and I like golf a lot, too. I play golf a lot, still.
Frierson: I read where your dad played at Duke.
Cain: Yeah, he introduced me to the game. I like to just go out there and have fun.
Frierson: Do you remember your first dunk?
Cain: Oh, yeah. It was in the summer before ninth grade, at an AAU tournament in Gatlingburg, Tenn. I was just like juiced up, and I dunked it.
Frierson: How good did that feel?
Cain: [Laughs] It felt really good. It was a weak dunk, but it still felt good.
Frierson: Does it ever stop feeling good, or is it always a cool thing?
Cain: It always feels good. It gives you energy when you do it in a game, and it's always fun.
Frierson: What's something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?
Cain: Chicken wings, for sure. I like mild buffalo wings, and I like flats.
Frierson: Who's the funniest guy on the team?
Cain: We've got a few of them. J.J. (Jalen DeLoach) is funny, J-Hill (Justin Hill) is funny, and so are some other guys, but it's probably between J.J. and J-Hill. Their personalities, J.J. will say whatever's on his mind, and J-Hill is always going to have a funny comeback or something.
Frierson: I have to ask, is Blue your real name or is that a nickname?
Cain: It's my middle name. It's on my birth certificate and everything.
Frierson: Have you always gone by Blue?
Cain: Ever since I was a kid. My father's name is Chris, too, so my mom just always called me Blue, and it just stuck.
Frierson: Did the move "Old School" help or hurt with that?
Cain: I think it helped. I hadn't seen the movie until recently, but everybody when I was a kid used to say, "You're my boy, Blue!" I didn't really understand it until I was older.
Frierson: I'm guessing you've also heard a lot of the drawn out "Bluuuuuuue" cheers, as well? Where it almost sounds like they're booing you.
Cain: Oh, yeah. It took a minute to get used to it. I don't really hear the crowd anyway, but when I do, I just kind of chalk it up to, it is what it is.
Frierson: Coming from a very athletic family, are you all super competitive?
Cain: [Laughs] We used to be, as kids, but now we're all just happy to be together. As kids, me and my sister were definitely super competitive with each other. Now we just appreciate each other's company.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Â
Staff Writer
We have to start with the name, right? Georgia men's basketball freshman Blue Cain goes by his middle name. His first name is Chris, like his father, but he goes by Blue, which immediately makes him a fan favorite thanks largely to the movie "Old School."
Yes, he's heard "You're my boy, Blue!" quite a few times over the years. Odds are, he's heard the movie line a few times from Georgia fans this season after hitting a 3-pointer. Fourteen games into his career, the 6-foot-5 guard from Knoxville, Tenn., had hit 20 3s — 20 of his 38 field goals were from long range — while averaging 7.0 points in 18.2 minutes a game off the bench.
Cain comes from a family full of Division I athletes. His father played golf at Duke, his mother, Myriah, played basketball at George Washington, and his sister, Sophie, plays volleyball at Appalachian State. It's a competitive bunch.
During a recent Quick Chat, Cain talked about his first dunk, going by Blue, his family, and more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: Was basketball always your main sport, or did you play a bunch of different things when you were younger?
Cain: I played everything growing up. I played baseball really seriously up until high school — I was really good at baseball — and I like golf a lot, too. I play golf a lot, still.
Frierson: I read where your dad played at Duke.
Cain: Yeah, he introduced me to the game. I like to just go out there and have fun.
Frierson: Do you remember your first dunk?
Cain: Oh, yeah. It was in the summer before ninth grade, at an AAU tournament in Gatlingburg, Tenn. I was just like juiced up, and I dunked it.
Frierson: How good did that feel?
Cain: [Laughs] It felt really good. It was a weak dunk, but it still felt good.
Frierson: Does it ever stop feeling good, or is it always a cool thing?
Cain: It always feels good. It gives you energy when you do it in a game, and it's always fun.
Frierson: What's something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?
Cain: Chicken wings, for sure. I like mild buffalo wings, and I like flats.
Frierson: Who's the funniest guy on the team?
Cain: We've got a few of them. J.J. (Jalen DeLoach) is funny, J-Hill (Justin Hill) is funny, and so are some other guys, but it's probably between J.J. and J-Hill. Their personalities, J.J. will say whatever's on his mind, and J-Hill is always going to have a funny comeback or something.
Frierson: I have to ask, is Blue your real name or is that a nickname?
Cain: It's my middle name. It's on my birth certificate and everything.
Frierson: Have you always gone by Blue?
Cain: Ever since I was a kid. My father's name is Chris, too, so my mom just always called me Blue, and it just stuck.
Frierson: Did the move "Old School" help or hurt with that?
Cain: I think it helped. I hadn't seen the movie until recently, but everybody when I was a kid used to say, "You're my boy, Blue!" I didn't really understand it until I was older.
Frierson: I'm guessing you've also heard a lot of the drawn out "Bluuuuuuue" cheers, as well? Where it almost sounds like they're booing you.
Cain: Oh, yeah. It took a minute to get used to it. I don't really hear the crowd anyway, but when I do, I just kind of chalk it up to, it is what it is.
Frierson: Coming from a very athletic family, are you all super competitive?
Cain: [Laughs] We used to be, as kids, but now we're all just happy to be together. As kids, me and my sister were definitely super competitive with each other. Now we just appreciate each other's company.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
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Assistant Sports Communications Director 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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