Q&A with 2022 Cesar Tchilombo
What a difference a year can make. Last summer when we first talked with Cesar Tchilombo, a native from Congo, his English was pretty difficult to understand and while his play on the court was impressive, he still had some…
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Continue ReadingWhat a difference a year can make. Last summer when we first talked with Cesar Tchilombo, a native from Congo, his English was pretty difficult to understand and while his play on the court was impressive, he still had some ways to go with adjusting to the American style of play. Fast forward not even a full year later, and you’ll find the 6-foot-9 forward having fluid conversations in English and having portions of games in an extremely challenging MIAA A Conference where he looked dominant.
Tchilombo averaged 8.9 rebounds, six points and 3.8 blocks per game for a John Carroll team that depended heavily on the production of freshmen and sophomores.
We caught up with Tchilombo to talk a variety of topics:
PH: Tell me about you freshman season experience? I know it wasn’t ideal with the amount of games you guys lost, but there’s still plenty to learn and gain from an experience like that.
CT: Well, I’m just a freshman so I don’t really care how many games we lose because I know we’ll be much better next year. This was my first year playing in America, so I think next year will be easier for me.
PH: So now that you’ve had a little bit of time to adjust, are you getting more comfortable with the style of play when it comes to American basketball?
CT: Yeah, I feel like I did pretty good and showed I can play with these guys. I feel like on defense I’m pretty good. I can block a lot of shots and I’m scared of nothing.
PH: Coach Mellady was telling me that a focus for your development this off-season is to become more comfortable putting the ball on the floor and work on a few wing skill. Is that an aspect that has been fun for you?
CT: Yeah. For me, I don’t want to just play inside. When I’m a junior or senior I want to be able to step out and play like a guard just so I can do many different things on the court.
PH: You’ve been playing with Global Squad for the start of the AAU season. How’s that been going?
CT: It’s very good. It’s a new team and just like my school team, we are young. We are winning together so it’s been good so far.
PH: You received your first offer following Pitt Jam Fest from Mount St. Mary’s. What did that mean to you?
CT: It’s my second big dream. My first big dream was just coming to the U.S., but my second was to have a chance to go to college, so it was wonderful.