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Deandre williams
‍‍Spotlight

DeAndre Williams SPOTLIGHT Video Or  Read Transcript Below
Last season

1. What was your favorite part of last season? 

I would say my favorite part is when we went on that losing streak a five, six game losing streak and everybody was down, the city was down, and we came together as a team. We had a couple team meetings and we kind of just let it all out and figured it out and bounced back and started winning after that. I guess that was my favorite part of the season, how we responded to adversity. 

22-23 season

2. What are you most excited about for this upcoming year?  

Well I'm always excited and just looking forward to a new season. I'm very happy with the team. We have a lot of experienced guys but I am most excited about getting our chemistry together and making the city proud. 

Favorite tiger memory

3. What is your favorite memory as a Tiger? 

Definitely the tournament, March Madness. That was very memorable for me and my teammates. A very great experience. And I am looking forward to being back there next year. 

motivation

4. Who motivates you? 

I would just say just being here, being a high level D1 basketball player. What I've been through, my story. I have a lot of drive and knowledge and everything through that. So that motivates me itself. But Coach Hardaway, all my coaches and my teammates, just to see everybody just grinding, just to try to make something happen. I mean that's all the motivation I need. 

comparison

5. How do you compare playing for Evansville and Memphis? 

A way bigger school, bigger stadium and a lot more expectations. Just being a basketball city is very exciting, when Memphis Tigers play. So I'd say it's a more exciting environment. 

FAvorite Player

6. Whose your favorite NBA team or player right now? 

That's tough, because I wouldn't really say I have a favorite player because they are all great. But I like Michael Jordan, I like LeBron, I like Stephen Curry too as well. He's changed the game, all types of aspects. So pretty much those three. I'd say my favorite team... I don't think I really have a favorite team. I just have a couple of players I like. 

advice

7. What is the best advice you have received from you coaches? 

Just don't give up. What I have already been through, I learned that not giving up and just staying the course has always been good for me. But yeah, just being a leader, being receptive to coaching, and just understanding the game and being a sponge to all the knowledge that's around me. That's pretty much it. 

pre-game

8. Do you have a pre-game ritual? 

I pretty much do the same thing, I pray, for sure. Depending on the mood, where I'm at, I like to play a little jazz, some soft music, just to get me kind of in that mode and locked in and focused. But that's pretty much it. And we got the warm up and stuff as a team itself, so my ritual is pretty much scheduled. 

top 3

9. What are your three favorite movies?  

One of them is Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins, then Pursuit of Happyness with Will Smith. I like The Glory Road, and can I add one more? Remember the Titans, it’s a great one. 

Favorite Spot

10. Where is your favorite place to eat in Memphis? 

I might have to go with Babalu. For sure my favorite place to eat.  

FedExForum

11. What's it been like playing in the FedExForum? 

Oh, it's an amazing experience. It's an NBA arena, NBA goals, NBA crowd. It's just amazing just to be in the city, you know and it's very exciting. 

underdogs

12. What was it like when You Helped Evansville upset No. 1 Kentucky? 

That was amazing. Like you said, it was kind of like my first time actually experiencing college basketball. We were a great team but we weren't really known around college basketball. So when we got there we knew that was our big chance to let everybody know who we are. And my coach, Walter McCarty, he played The Pursuit of Happyness...like a little scene, a motivational scene before that game. So we were really locked in on going in there and making something happen, shocking the world. But when we did it... the game was like a movie. There were so many people in the stands, everything. Before we even got back, they were stopping the bus. The whole city was out, Evansville city was out. But before we got to the facility and we got out, they were screaming our name and everything. So, it was an amazing experience. 

leadership

13. How are you able to handle the pressure of being a leader for the team? 

Well just me being the oldest on the team, I automatically have to take that role. Because guys are younger than me, they've been through things, but I've been through things as well. So I don't want to make it seem like I'm the main person, you know what I'm saying? My teammates help me as well as much as I help them. But just my vocalness, and the way I speak up, and things like that, it's just more dominant, if that makes sense. But I'm happy to be in this position because I have been through some things that I can help my younger teammates throughout the season and things like that. So it's very exciting and I'm just looking forward to keep leading the team and shocking the world. 

situations

14.  How were you able to handle the situation when Penny asked you for more publicly? 

Well Coach Hardaway always tries to bring the best out of all his players. That's just the type of person he is. And so I just took it as a challenge. And I really appreciate him for actually calling me out and telling me that because if he didn't, he wouldn't care. So I just took it as a challenge and went out and did what I was supposed to do and just kept working. 

comeback

15.  What was it like coming back from your injuries and completely turning the season around? 

Yeah, it was exciting to turn the season around. Just to get wins and things like that. But like I said, I've been through a lot of adversity so when that came, it was normal to me and I just... It was not much I can do but just cheer my teammates on and keep the positive vibe around the whole area. So that's all I did and it was contagious. And we always knew we were great as a team. Nobody's perfect. You can go on a losing streak, you know, but the fact that you bounce back is the huge part. So I'm glad that we did that. 

passion

16.  When Penny asks you to play with passion, how do you handle it? 

Well he'll just basically... Like I said, he'll challenge me for sure. Me being a leader and one of the best guys on the team, he don't like me coming in, having bad days. He says he's the coach so he can't come in and have a bad day. Same as me and everybody in the gym. So just going out there, doing what I can do, and doing as much as I can do as possible for the team. Very excited that I can do that. But with the technicals and then things like that, that's just my passion. I don't really try to go out there and get technicals, but my mind kind of get in the game and I get very passionate on getting a win for the city and for my team and things like that. So, you know, I'm going to kind of try to calm down this year. 

rivals

17.  Being from Houston, what is it like competing with them as our rivals? 

That's a great rivalry. They like the standard in the conference, on winning. And they have that winning culture because every year they win. Kelvin Sampson is a great coach. Just to go out there and compete with them every year is exciting because to be the best, you've got to beat the best.  It helps us because we've got to go out there and bring our best game. And it's fun. 

memphis love

18.  You seem to have a great connection with Tiger Fans. What’s it like to have that connection? 

Oh, it's a blessing. I just thank God just to be in this position. But the goal is to leave a legacy here and for the younger generation and to give back. That's what I'm about. And just leaving my mark here. And I believe I did that and I'm going to continue to do it.