News
April 5, 2003
NCAA College Basketball 2K3 participants speak out
It won’t be long before the Final Four players face off. Before the last game commences, Kevin Adoin, David Muellerweiss and Robert Lemega spoke to GameZone about the tourney, their love of games and more.
This Sunday, Xbox Live will heat up with Sega’s NCAA College Basketball 2K3 tournament. 1,500 of the top ranked players were invited to participate in the tournament, which began at the beginning of March.
It wasn’t long before 1,500 players turned into 64. Of those players, only four would make it to the final tournament. The top four players were flown out to New Orleans for the Xbox Live Hoop Madness Final Four tournament, taking place on Sunday, April 6.
Being huge fans of Xbox Live and all video game-related things, GameZone Online jacked into the server to seek out NCAA College Basketball 2K3’s top players. Wires stuck out of our brains as if we were computers, eerily reminding us of The Matrix. The eerie feeling wore off fast though, as we now had the ability to perform bullet-time slam-dunks!
Upon exiting the court, we saw three of the top Xbox Live Hoop Madness participants coming in; Kevin Ardoin, David Muellerweiss and Robert Lemega. All three guys were surprisingly relaxed considering the intense tournament that they’re about to compete in.
With our Matrix-y powers in hand, we told the players that they couldn’t leave until they answered a few important questions. They resisted, but gave in once Neo and Trinity arrived.
Tournament Participants:
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Kevin Ardoin – age: 20; hometown: Havana, FL; playing as University of Florida in tournament
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David Muellerweiss – age: 18; hometown: Oak Island, NC; playing as UConn in tournament
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Robert Lemega – age: 21; hometown: West Hartford, CT; playing as UConn in tournament
Question: How long have you been playing video games?
Kevin: Ever since I was in diapers. I remember my dad taking me to Wal-Mart when I was little and I would play “Galaxy” there.
David: Can’t remember when I started. We had an Atari system growing up in my house so I’d play that a lot.
Robert: Since
[I was] about 5 years old. I liked playing Sonic and Super Mario games.
Is this your first video game tournament?
Kevin: No, I was in a Monday Night Football game tournament and won.
David: No, I’ve played in a few at local restaurants near my house.
Robert: This
is my first one.
Which is more exciting to you: competing with friends in person, or competing
with strangers online via Xbox Live?
Kevin: Online, because it’s cool to rank yourself nationwide.
David: Online, because the competition is much more stiff. None of my friends are that good so you want to challenge yourself more.
How many
hours a day do you play “NCAA College Basketball 2K3”?
David: A lot, I rarely take days off. Probably about 20 hours a week.
Robert: About 3 hours a day; more on the weekends.
Sounds like some of my friends! Okay, I admit it, I play that much, too.
What is your favorite SEGA game?
David: Sonic.
Robert: All of the 2K series.
When David Muellerweiss isn’t playing NCAA College Basketball 2K3,
he’s playing another one of Sega’s classics – Sonic the Hedgehog.
What is it about NCAA College Basketball 2K3 that makes it your favorite
basketball game?
Kevin: Sega’s game is the most realistic one. You can tell that Sega listens to its customers and added things we wanted in the game. It’s a great sim – EA’s is too much like an arcade game.
Robert: It’s just the best out of the bunch!
What’s your strategy coming into this tournament? Do you have a plan of attack?
Kevin: I’m just comin’ in confident. I’m going to win by 30 points.
David: I’m just going to go out there and do what I do best. I think we’re all about even, but I’ve spotted some weaknesses. I’m the Cinderella story…(laughs)
Robert: I need to go out and just play my game and not make any mistakes. I’ll get nervous if I get down by 20 or something, but I’m going to win it by 35.
Have you
been doing anything special to polish up your gaming skills for the final game?
Special diets? Pre-game exercises?
Kevin: I crack my fingers right before to prevent my fingers from getting cramped. I don’t have arthritis yet…. I’ll eat some buffalo wings before game time.
David: I probably won’t eat anything. Not from nerves, just to keep my focus.
Robert: My pre-game meal is going to be Subway and I’ll just be practicing a lot before it starts.
Aside from
going to the 2003 NCAA Men's Championship Game, what will you blow your $1,000
on if you win?
Kevin: Spending another day in New Orleans.
David: Invest it in stocks, but I’m not going to tell you which ones.
Robert: Paying my credit card bill.
See! Video games ARE beneficial! Money won from the tourney
could go to bills or stock investments. If that doesn’t convince
you of the importance of video games, nothing will.
Who will you bring as your guest to the 2003 NCAA Men's Championship Game?
David: I have a few of my boys driving down to fight for the ticket.
Robert: My dad.
If you could have any classic NCAA hoops team to play, what team/year
would it be?
Kevin: I’ve no idea.
David: Any Tarheels team, but I prefer playing as the current team.
Robert: The 1999 UConn Huskies squad.
If you could meet any NBA or NCAA player, who would it be and why?
Kevin: Tracy McGrady because [he] is a good example of a leader.
David: Everyone probably has this answer, but I’d like to meet Michael Jordan because he is such a great player and leader and has done so much for basketball.
Robert: Ray Allen. He’s just great to watch.
Thanks for your time, guys. Good luck on Sunday!
For more information on this exciting tournament, check out GameZone Online’s interview with college basketball legend, Bobby Hurley.
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