Q and A with 2015 Washington recruit, Marquese Chriss

The July recruiting period is now wrapped up, and the Husky basketball coaching staff is now working on putting the finishing touches to their 2014 recruiting class while also beginning their groundwork on their 2015 targets. UW Dawg Pound starts a series of interviews today with the Huskies' main 2015 recruits.

Marquese Chriss is a 6-foot-9 small forward recruit from Elk Grove, Calif. Starring for Pleasant Grove HS, Chriss is a considered a four-star recruit by most recruiting services. Chriss' long body frame and elite athleticism have put him on the radar of several college programs. UW Dawg Pound interviewed Chriss to learn more about his game and his recruitment.

Marquese Chriss CATCHES BODIES At Pangos Camp!!! (via YayareasfinestTV)

How did your July go with the NorCal Wildcats?
It went real good. We played well together. I think we learned how to play together a little better than we did in the spring, by the end of the summer we ended up getting a better result. Over the tournaments I actually started to progress and started to shoot a lot better and I think I just got a lot more comfortable shooting. Our first tournament in San Francisco I shot real good and then I just started thinking about shooting more along with doing things like driving to the hoop.

Who are some of your teammates that you learned from and had a good time playing with?
Probably our two big men, Jonathan Galloway and Solomon Young and I'm good friends with Armani Collins.

How would you describe your game to a stranger?
A lot of people that watch me say that I'm real athletic and they talk about how I can jump, that's what a lot of on-lookers say.

What's your height and weight?
I'm around 6-foot-9, 200lbs. As a freshman I was like 6-foot-4 and I've just been growing slowly. My doctor said I can grow a few more inches.

What are some other things you're still looking to work on heading into next basketball season?
Probably my dribbling and my court vision. My court vision has gotten better with passing because when I'm on the block, I pass a lot more than I do if I'm out on the perimeter. I want to try to lead more, not only by being more of a verbal leader but also be in control on the court in situations.

What are some of your team goals with Pleasant Grove this coming season?
Most of our team graduated from last season, I think we only have three returning players. It'll be a lot of rebuilding, probably by my senior year, we'll be successful. But I have no doubt that we'll be good this year.

You're being recruited as a wing, but what position do you play at the high school level or Pleasant Grove?
For my school, I've been playing all of the positions except for point guard. I played shooting guard a little bit because we don't have a lot of set positions, but for my school we'll run plays and I'll be in all spots from shooting guard down to center.

Is there a player in college basketball or in the NBA that you try to model your game after?
I try to play a lot like Rudy Gay because of his athleticism and how he can shoot it well.

How did you end up landing the scholarship offer from Washington?
I think it came after our tournament in Anaheim. [Assistant coach] T.J. Otzelberger was talking to me first and calling me and then after talking to him for awhile, Coach Romar started giving me calls. I started getting calls from them near the end of June.

What other schools are showing a lot of interest and have offered scholarships?
Arizona State, Boise State, Loyola Marymount, Northern Arizona and San Diego St. have offered scholarships. Besides those, I've talked to a lot of different colleges.

Any schools in particular that are showing more interest than others?
Washington and Boise St. have been in contact the most, and then after that, probably San Diego St.