>> JOURNEY THOMPSON, LET'S START WITH THE START OF YOUR BASKETBALL JOURNEY.

WHO WAS THE FIRST PERSON TO PUT A BALL IN YOUR HANDS?

>> SO, I PLAYED MY FIRST AAU ORGANIZATION I PLAYED FOR WAS SMACK.

AND SORT OF LIKE THE HEAD OF THE ORGANIZATION RAN INTO ME WHEN I WAS AT A NIKE OUTLET BUYING CLEATS.

>> FOR SOCCER?

>> YES.

>> SOCCER IS ONE OF THE SPORTS IN WILL IN YOUR FAMILY'S BACKGROUND.

>> HE SAID DO YOU PLAY BASKETBALL.

I SAID NO.

HE SAID IT'S A WASTE OF HEIGHT.

HAVE YOU TO PLAY.

MY MOM SAID, SHE HAS NEVER TOUCHED A BASKETBALL.

SHE WOULD BE NO GOOD.

HE SAID COME TO OUR SUMMER WORKOUTS.

WE'LL WORK WITH YOU.

AT LEAST SHOW UP AND GIVE US A CHANCE.

I WAS LIKE I'M NOT VERY GOOD AT EIGHT.

ALL I COULD BASICALLY DO WAS RUN THE FLOOR AND PUT A LAYUP UP BECAUSE I NEVER RAN OUT OF ENERGY FROM PLAYING SOCCER.

AS I STARTED GETTING HIGHER AND HIGHER, PEOPLE SAID I HAD A LOT OF POTENTIAL AND COULD GO AS FAR AS I WANTED TO.

SLOWLY I STARTED TO THINK MAYBE I COULD GO SOMEWHERE WITH THIS BUT IN THE BEGINNING IT WASN'T ON MY RADAR AT ALL.

>> YOU ARE AN ALL STAR PLAYER IN PENNSYLVANIA.

WENT TO THERE FROM YOUR FIRST SCHOOL ARIZONA STATE AND THEN TWO YEARS THERE TRANSFERRED TO SYRACUSE.

WHAT LED TO YOU SYRACUSE.

>> IN ARIZONA I HAD A BIT OF A HARD TIME WITH THE DISTANCE FROM HOME.

I DEFINITELY WANTED TO COME BACK TO THE EAST COAST.

I DON'T LIKE THE HEAT.

I REALLY LIKE THE SNOW.

I LIKE THE COLD.

>> YOU CAME BACK TO THE RIGHT PLACE, OF COURSE.

>> SO I WAS LIKE, HAVE I TO GET BACK TO THE EAST COAST.

I FELT A LITTLE OUT OF PLACE ON MY TEAM.

I JUST FELT LIKE MY PERSONALITY DIDN'T MIX WELL NECESSARILY WITH THE PEOPLE THAT WERE THERE.

SO I WANTED TO GO SOMEWHERE THAT HAD PEOPLE THAT THOUGHT LIKE ME AND ACTED LIKE ME.

THAT WAS A BIG PART.

>> THE EAST COAST ENERGY.

A LOT OF NEW FACES ON THIS YEAR'S TEAM.

A LOT OF NEW PLAYERS.

YOU BEING ONE OF THE RETURNERS, YOU HAVE THE SYRACUSE EXPERIENCE THAT SOME OF THEM PROBABLY DIDN'T HAVE.

HOW HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO SHARE THAT WITH THE NEWCOMERS?

>> I THINK WE'VE DONE LIKE-- HIVE TRIED TO DO A GOOD MIX OF HELPING THEM WITH THE SYRACUSE EXPECTATIONS AND WHAT NOT BUT ALSO WELCOMING AND OPEN TO THEIR IDEAS.

I THINK LIKE DOM IS REALLY VOCAL ABOUT TRYING NEW THINGS AND OFFERING NEW OPTIONS.

>> YOU MENTION THOSE EXPECTATIONS, OF COURSE THE PERSON SETTING THOSE ARE COACH JACK.

JUST LIKE SHE ASKED YOU, I'LL ASK YOU THE SAME.

WHAT IS YOUR Y?

WHY DO YOU PLAY THE GAME?

>> CORNY AS CHEESY AS IT SOUNDS, I PLAY FOR MY FAMILY.

MY DAD WILL SEND ALL OF MY GAMES TO HIS FAMILY IN AFRICA AND THEY JUST LOVE IT.

THEY'RE SO EXCITED, YOU KNOW.

THEY THINK IT'S THE BEST THING EVER THAT I'M HERE IN AMERICA AND THAT I'M PLAYING AND PLAYING AT A HIGH LEVEL AND BEING ABLE TO LIKE HAVE THE FAMILY NAME ON MY BACK AND PLAY FOR MY FAMILY MEMBERS WHO HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT I HAD AND COME HERE AND DO THE THINGS THAT I DID.

IT MEANS A LOT TO ME.

>> BEFORE THE SEASON THOUGH, I SPOKE TO COACH JACK AND SAID, WHO IS A PLAYER THAT MAY BE MAYBE THE CASUAL FAN DOESN'T HAVE ON THEIR RAY RADAR BUT YOU THINK IS GOING TO STEP UP THIS YEAR.

SHE MENTIONED YOU.

WHAT DO YOU PRIDE YOURSELF ON.

>> I HAVE A LOT OF PRIDE IN THE DIRTY WORK.

I LOVE GOING FOR THE REBOUNDS AND DIVE FOR THE LOOSE BALLS, DEFENSE.

I LOVE DEFENSE.

AND I'M LIKE A REALLY BIG INTO LIKE PLAYING MY ROLE.

AND I KNOW I'M NOT GOING TO BE THE PERSON THAT TRIES TO SHOOT THE LAST SHOT OR, YOU KNOW,IS LIKE GOING FOR THE, YOU KNOW, BIG BUCKET.

BUT I'M THE ONE THAT'S GOING TO GET THE REBOUND AND KICK IT BACK OUT SO WE CAN HAVE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE I LIKE DOING THAT STUFF AND I LIKE BEING ABLE TO SUPPORT MY TEAMMATES IN THAT WAY.

>> WHERE DOES THAT GRIT, THAT TENACITY COME FROM, DO YOU THINK?

>> I DON'T KNOW, TO BE HONEST.

I THINK MY PARENTS, WHEN I WAS PLAYING SOCCER AND I WHEN-- WHEN I FIRST STARTED IT WAS THE LITTLE THINGS, THE DETAILS.

THE DEFENDERS IN SOCCER, SO I WAS DEFENSE MINDED.

I WOULD STRUGGLE ON OFFENSE.

IF YOU ARE NOT GOING TO DO OFFENSE, HAVE YOU TO DO THE DIRTY STUFF NO ONE WANTS TO DO TO HELP YOUR TEAM OUT.

THAT'S SOMETHING I ALWAYS FOCUSED ON.

SO NOW IT'S LIKE I FEEL THAT KIND OF PRIDE WHEN I COME OUT WITH THE REBOUND, YOU GOT SCRATCHES OR BRUISES ON YOU BECAUSE I GOT THIS FOR YOU, NOW PUT THAT SHOT UP AND I'LL GET YOU ANOTHER ONE.

>> WE SEE IT ON DISPLAY TIME AND TIME AGAIN ON DISPLAY FROM YOU.

WITH THIS TEAM YOU WILL HAVE PERSONAL GOALS, TEAM GOALS.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE GOALS THAT YOU HAVE?

>> PERSONALLY?

>> YEAH.

>> WELL, OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, I REALLY WANT TO BE ABLE TO HELP MY TEAM GET TO THE TOURNAMENT.

I'VE NEVER BEEN BEFORE AND AS SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN A POWER FOUR OR POWER FIVE SCHOOL, IT'S CRAZY I HAVEN'T MADE TO IT THAT YET.

>> EVERYBODY WANTS TO GET THERE.

>> I WANT TO GET THERE.

I REALLY WANT TO BE IN THAT GYM.

I WANT TO PLAY, OBVIOUSLY GO AS FAR AS I THINK-- I THINK WE CAN GO QUITE FAR.

BUT AS FAR AS POSSIBLE.

THOSE ARE BIG GOALS FOR ME.

I WANT TO BE A HUGE CONTRIBUTOR FOR MY TEAM.

LIKE I SAID, I'M WILLING TO DO WHAT IT TAKES TO HELP MY TEAM WHETHER THAT'S ON THE COURT OR ON THE BENCH OR WHATEVER IT IS.

I WANT TO BE THERE AND BE THE BIGGEST SUPPORTER, THE BIGGEST CHEERLEADER.

THE BIGGEST REBOUNDER.

I WANT TO DO WHAT IT TAKES TO HELP MY TEAM WIN.