UMTerps.com sat down with Maryland Men's Basketball's Jahari Long to get to know him on and off the court. Check out his answer below as he gears up for his senior season.


Question: When did you start playing basketball, and what was your inspiration for starting?

JL: I want to say I started playing when I was 1-2. My grandmother and my dad had a "Little Tykes" hoop at each of their houses. I used to play with it every day, like every single day and I even have old pictures of me playing with it. So I wouldn't say I had any inspiration, it was just something that I just loved to do from an early age. I would maybe say my inspiration to keep playing would be my cousins and the people I grew up around. That was all we did. We just stayed outside playing football and basketball, I just have more of a love for basketball.

Question: If you had to guess, what would you say you're known for on the team?

JL: I'm going to go with gaming, or being one of the funniest. One of the ones always laughing and joking.

Question: Do you have any pre-game rituals or superstitions that you follow? Any unusual ones?

JL: Not really, just sleep and listen to music. My music depends on the day, sometimes I just put my playlist on shuffle. It could be me choosing a certain artist. Some artists I might choose could be Jeezy, Jadakiss, NoCap, Rylo Rodriguez, and maybe even R&B some days.

Question: Tell us about your most memorable or favorite moment that you have had with Maryland Men's Basketball.

JL: When we went to play Minnesota and Michigan State. We were on the road for five or six days. We were basically stuck with each other and we just had endless jokes and laughter.
 

Question: What do you value most about being part of this basketball program? How has it positively impacted your college experience?

JL: I value spending time with the guys on the team, they introduced me to a lot of things in College Park. We are always hanging around each other and having fun. What I value most is helping out the program as much as I can on the court, as far as helping younger guys reach their potential. I feel like the best way for me to do that is to push them and lead by example.

Question: Reflecting on last season, what are some things you wish to improve on as a team? What are some positives you wish to expand on?

JL: As a team, just staying connected during games on the road, staying poised. To keep composure when we are down and not let our team identity fade in the face of adversity. A positive would be continuing to keep the work rate and intensity up. I feel like we're one of the hardest working teams in the country, the way we practice, and the way we work out, that's mainly it.

Question: If you had to choose one basketball player, past or present, to be your teammate in a 2-on-2 tournament, who would it be and why?

JL: Oo I gotta pick two, can I have a sub?

Interviewer: Yeah sure

JL: I'm going to go with Kyrie Irving and CJ McCollum. Just my two favorite players to play and I always looked at their games and studied. 

Question: Outside of basketball, what are your hobbies and interests?

JL: Gaming and music. I play 2k, Call of Duty, Fortnite, and I just started playing fall guys. I won my first time downloading it. I play a lot of games, when I get bored sometimes I just download games. If I have friends online, I usually play 2k. But if it's on my time, or they're going to play what I want to play, it's going to be Call of Duty.

Question: What is your favorite thing about Coach Willard?

JL: Just the belief and trust he has in his players. I also like that he's very honest with everyone. Coach Willard was also very honest with me about coming here.