BDN Interview – Future Blue Devil Josh Hairston talks hoops

Josh Hairston poses with his future coach - c/r Hairston

Just outside the glitz, glamour, tangible heat, and pulsating excitement of Las Vegas is Henderson, Nevada, where thousands of young men have gathered to showcase their wares in front of hundreds of college coaches. In the second half of the July live period, many are anxious to impress the coaches in the stands in order to earn at least one more scholarship offer than they already have, but one young man who doesn’t have that concern is Josh Hairston of Spotsylvania, Virginia. Hairston has verbally committed to join the Duke Blue Devils in the class of 2010. In the Adidas Super 64 Tournament, the Virginian is playing for DC Assault, an AAU program founded by Curtis Malone, the stepfather of Duke point guard Nolan Smith. This Assault team has won both the Adidas Super 64 fifteen year old and sixteen year old age groups in the prior years, respectively.

Winning is something that Hairston has become accustomed to on the AAU circuit, but, during this past high school season, he led his Spotsylvania team to their first state title in school history. Recently, he decided to transfer for his senior season to Rockville, Maryland’s Montrose Christian, where he will be instructed by venerable high school coach Stu Vetter and be a teammate of Justin Anderson, one of the top rising sophomores in the country and a fellow Spotsylvanian.

If the handicappers in the nearby casinos were able to offer wagers on the 2009 Adidas Super 64 tournament, the DC Assault would be the odds-on favorites, with Hairston, Notre Dame commit Eric Atkins, and Duke commit Tyler Thornton, the reigning MVP, leading the way. After a game against the KC Pump ’N Run, 6’8” Josh Hairston sat down with Blue Devil Nation to discuss, amongst other things, his recent transfer to Montrose Christian, what the Duke coaches are looking for him to work on, winning the first state title in his hometown school’s history, his chemistry with Tyler Thornton, and how he dealt with an idiot in the middle of nowhere.

Can you talk about your decision to transfer to Montrose from your hometown high school?

Montrose? Sure. The decision was finalized really in mid to late June. I talked to my parents about it. The school that I was at was in Spotsylvania, Virginia. You know it was nothing against them. For the three years that I’d been there, I had been the man, you know, and, if I had continued to be there, there really would be no competition for me there in my senior year. You know I wanted to get better and, you know, further my development so that, you know, when I get down to Duke, I’ll be able to come in and play. Montrose was just it. I’ve seen their facilities and I mean you look at Coach Vetter‘s resume. He’s put guys in the NBA and he prepares them for college. So that’s what I wanted. They play a national schedule. They play powerhouse programs and I’m looking forward to it.

That’s a good attitude. I was talking with Justin Anderson a couple of weeks ago and he was telling me that you were a role model of his. Did he help at all with your decision or with the transition?

Oh, me and Justin, you know, he, um, with the transition part, he did. The decision, you know, was made by myself and my family, but, yeah, we grew up playing basketball together.

Well, I remember from the interview that he said, when he was the eighth grader on the varsity, that the older guys on the team were all giving him a really hard time and that you were the one that stood up for him and (2000 word interview awaits you)