by Jens Deju
Brad Korn is a sophomore forward on the SIU men's basketball team. Korn has been a key contributor off the bench for the Salukis this season after sitting out last year to improve his strength. He recently took some time to speak to Jens Deju of the Daily Egyptian.
Daily Egyptian: How would you describe yourself as a player?
Brad Korn: I'd say I'm pretty versatile. I can go inside a little bit if I got a smaller person on me or I can step out and shoot. That's probably my best strength, being able to shoot. There's not a lot of 6-9 guys that can shoot with the range that I have, so I'd say just being versatile, being able to step out on the floor and create mismatches for other teams.
DE: Off of the court?
BK: I'm pretty fun I guess. I love hanging out with my teammates, going out and stuff like that. I'm pretty easy going, pretty down to earth. I try to stay the same no matter what, win or lose, good or bad, I just try and keep a level plane there with my personality. Hopefully I'm not too plain for some people.
DE: Do you have any superstitions?
BK: I had a real big superstition in high school. Every home game, me and my buddy would go to Subway and get a sub before the game, something light, and I'd always wear these black Jordan shorts under my game uniform. I did that for the first couple of games my freshman year, but 20 points and 10 rebounds went away real fast so I decided that wasn't what was doing it for me, so I got rid of those. None right now really, kind of a nap before the game is my pre-game ritual.
DE: What do you think of your status as a fan favorite?
BK: I love it. I don't know, just go in and hear people chanting your name and diving on the floor, they chant your name, they see you out and they respect you and it means a lot to me because I just try and play hard and it shows me that they appreciate it and I appreciate them.
DE: Does it help you to know no matter how you perform on the court they'll be on your side?
BK: Yeah. It's kind of fun when you're at home especially. I shoot an airball and ... next time I come in the game they're cheering for me and wanting me to come in and then if I hit a shot they're even louder, so I mean, it's great having them.
DE: Do you hear the 'Korn' calls while you're walking around campus?
BK: I think it's the tall, white, red-headed kid and then the name, you know, that helps too. I see them walking past and they just yell out my name, Korn or something like that. It's fun though. I like it.
DE: Do people ask you if you like the band Korn?
BK: Yeah, I've been asked that a couple of times. I've been asked if I spell my 'r' backwards and if I like their stuff, but I don't really care for them too much.
DE: What type of music do you listen to?
BK: Mostly like R&B, rap, you know. Actually all kinds of music, but R&B's the main one I listen to.
DE: If you're in a shooting slump, does that make you think twice before taking a shot?
BK: Sometimes. Earlier in the year I think it played with me. I would think about it, 'I'm going to miss it so I better not shoot it,' but you know, shooters shoot. You can't stop shooting. If you're a shooter, you just got to keep shooting and sooner or later it'll fall.
DE: If you guys do get into the NCAA Tournament, do you think SIU can be one of those Cinderella teams that comes out of nowhere and wins a couple of games?
BK: Most definitely, because we're not really that highly publicized or anything like that so teams probably will take us for granted. We'll probably be a lower seed in the tournament, or a higher seed, but teams probably would overlook us. We've proven that we could play with the top teams in the country so I don't see why we couldn't.
DE: Favorite actor?
BK: I'd like to go with Morgan Freeman.
DE: Favorite musician?
BK: Ja Rule and R. Kelly.
DE: Favorite movie?
BK: It's got to be "Good Will Hunting."
DE: Favorite TV show?
BK: "Friends." I'm kind of losing interest though; it's kind of losing it a little bit, but I really don't watch that much TV.
DE: Favorite local restaurant?
BK: Lonestar.
Reporter Jens Deju can be reached at jdeju@dailyegyptian.com
Published on 11/17/05; 12:24:44 PM
