Josh Langford, a
five-star shooting guard recently played in both the McDonald’s All-American
game and the Nike Hoop Summit. The future Michigan State Spartan talks about
his experience, goals for next season, and his overall improvement.
Q: How was the Nike Hoop Summit experience for you?
It’s been great, being around the best players in the
country. It’s been fun. Off the court it’s really been fun. Known these guys
for a long time. Never a dull moment off the court and never a dull moment on
the court.
Q: You were named a McDonald’s All-American. How did you enjoy your
week in Chicago?
It was a great experience as well. We were a little more
busy. It was a great experience going to the Ronald McDonald house being around
the kids and seeing the smiles on the kids faces that are going through tough
times. Sometimes we forget what it’s about, and that’s what its all about
impacting lives using basketball as a platform.
As a team, just to go win a national championship. We know
what it takes. We have guys that have made the runs. Tum Tum and other guys. So
we aren’t going in there blindly. We have guys that can teach us the ropes.
Individually I just want to get better, be the best player. Soak it up from
Coach Izzo, who is a Hall of Fame coach. Just learn from him and grow.
Q: Izzo and the Spartans are known for their toughness. Is that
something you looked for in a school?
I think it will fit in well. That’s something I looked at
when I was looking at the school and other schools. That is part of my game is
being tough and bringing toughness to the court. So I feel Coach Izzo can only
make me better in that category so I feel like it’s a perfect fit. Looking
forward to getting out there and getting to work.
Q: You’ve been shooting the ball well from the outside, is that
something you’ve been working on lately?
It’s always an aspect I’m working on. People think I can’t
shoot as well, but I feel like I can and just have to keep working on it. The
game changes, but you always need to be able to shoot. I feel like if you can
shoot you can last in this game a long time. You can be really old, but if you
as long as you can shoot, you can make it a long time and I have been focusing
on that a little more getting some reps.
Q: What are your personal goals for next season?
Really my conditioning. My conditioning and shooting. Main
thing I want to go in there already conditioned. I want to be ahead of
schedule. Once I get my conditioning down it will allow me to show my full game
cause I’ll be in shape so I can play the best I know how to play. So just
conditioning and working on my jump shot.
Q: Over 140 NBA Scouts watched you practice in Portland, did that
change how you played at all?
I’m just looking to play basketball and have fun. When you start
looking at the NBA scouts it causes you to press a little bit harder and you
get too hard on yourself. You just want to enjoy it and stay present in the
moment and live it up since this is my last high school experience. So I’m not
trying to focus on that, just want to play fun and play the best I can play.
Q: With your high school season over, what was the biggest improvement
you made over the years?
I made a tremendous jump. From the mental part of it to the
skill wise and physical wise. My jump shot made a real big improvement and
mentally, people take that for granted. I feel like that’s what the greats do, Michael
Jordan and Kobe Bryant took the mental part to a whole other level. Skill-wise
I just got a lot better. I still have a long ways to go, but I really made some
big strides.
