NBA Champion/Rhodes Scholar Double Cover (Fall-Winter 2020)

FEATURE STORY

"I would say he continues to impress. The young man has a great attitude, a great spirit, comes to work every day with humility, he just goes out there and kicks people's butts, quite frankly. He's a heck of a talent...." —Coach Frank Vogel

Horton-Tucker is having an outstanding 2020 Preseason run.

of the NBA?

LA Lakers on draft night?

Horton-Tucker: With my family mem- bers being involved in the fraternity, I always wanted to be a part of that bond. Growing up around older Nupes sparked my interest in joining. When I found out there was an opportunity for me to cross at the Omega Chapter, I jumped on that opportunity because I felt like it was the right time to join.

Horton-Tucker: As I got older, I started to put my mind to it. I tried to put myself into that mindset of dominance, and just by me saying that mentally, I felt like it put me in that position to go and do it. I also felt that the older I got I became closer to reaching that level. The Journal: Any particular routine or mindset you believe you had to have to achieve this pinnacle? Horton-Tucker: You just have to believe in yourself, put your full focus into anything that you are doing and lock into it. I feel like if you put the work in, what you put in is the outcome of what you are going to get out of it, that’s the most important thing. The Journal: You were first drafted by the Orlando Magic. What was it like to get that call and then be traded to the

Horton-Tucker: It was crazy, it was a blessing to be drafted in the first place, but just putting me in LA kind of added the cherry on top to the experience that I was about to receive. The Journal: What is the process like to be assigned to the G League South Bay Lakers and then become a shooting guard for the LA Lakers? Horton-Tucker: Just being on assign- ment is a process in which they send you down for however long they want you to be down there. Coming back up is pretty much doing the same thing you were doing down there but on a different level with different and better players. The Journal: What was it like at Omega Chapter? What motivated you to want to become a Nupe?

The Journal: What are your career goals in the league and after basketball?

Horton-Tucker: My career goal is to be the best player that I can be right now, I just want to continue winning and get better every day. I just want to let my work speak for that and hopefully the sky is the limit for me and I’m excited to get to work. The Journal: Any advice to aspiring ath- letes who are Nupes or Kappa Leaguers on what it takes to become a profes-

THE JOURNAL ♦ FALL-WINTER 2020 | 57

Publishing achievement for more than 105 years

Made with FlippingBook Publishing Software