In this new column, Assistant Sports Editor Aaron Gottlieb will go one-on-one with some of Binghamton University’s premiere athletes to help you, the readers, get to know them a little better off the field.
Kyrie Sutton
Senior — Center, men’s basketball
Hometown: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Aaron Gottlieb: How was your summer? What did you do?
Kyrie Sutton: My summer was great. I just took classes, worked on my game a lot, tried to get in better shape for this upcoming season.
AG: Did you take any time off between the end of last season and training for this season?
KS: I probably took no more than a week off so I could get back focused into classes and stuff like that. Once the season ended, it was time to get back and focused on my school work and training for this year.
AG: What are you looking forward to most about this season?
KS: Hopefully … well, I’m not one to say “hopefully.” So I’m going to do well enough this year to get drafted — I just want this season to be a breakout season for me and my team and just put another banner up in the Events Center.
AG: What’s one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
KS: I’m a very mean guy but I don’t show it too much. But I guess this year on the court they’re going to see that I’m not playing any games with anybody. It’s all business.
AG: When did you start playing basketball?
KS: When I was about 14 years old.
AG: And at what point did you start thinking about playing in college?
KS: Four months after I got hurt in my junior year in high school when in the summertime I got ranked in the City of New York No. 28 for just killing everybody on the basketball court using my height to my advantage.
AG: Is there any significance behind your number? (12)
KS: Not really, I just love the numbers 12, 6 and 34. I always have, just can’t explain it … I just love those numbers.
AG: What’s playing on your iPod right now?
KS: Notorious … Biggie. Juicy. Always.
AG: You’re from Brooklyn, so was it important for you to stay close to home when you went to school?
KS: At first, I wanted to stay close to home because I have a little brother at home that looks up to me and he needs guidance as far as a male role model. But I wasn’t trying to go too far away because of him.
AG: I know you’re an human development major, but are there any other classes you’ve taken that were particularly interesting to you?
KS: Most of my classes were around HDEV and social sciences and dealing a lot with racism and stuff that goes on in today’s world, but other than that, not really.
AG: You mentioned after graduation you want to get drafted, so where do you go from the end of this upcoming season to that point?
KS: You’re not allowed to [make any plans like that when] you’re still on your amateur level and still enrolled in college classes and stuff like that so once school’s over I’m just trying to progress and move on with my life as far as professional-wise playing sports.
This interview has been edited for clarity.