Winning, family motivates future Sooner

C.J. Washington has a sweet tooth off the court.

“I eat a lot of chocolate, it’s my addiction,” the 6-foot-7 Sooner-to-be told OUhoops.com in a recent interview.

On the court, his chocolate is rebounding. The way he goes after missed shots would make one think he was going up for a piece of German Chocolate Cake (his favorite) with every loose ball.

“I think I’m a great rebounder because I play hard, and that is a lot of what rebounding is,” he said. “There are going to be games where your shot is off and you can’t help that. Defense and rebounding is just hard work and effort, and I can say I give all I have when I play.”

The way Washington rebounded was a big factor in why he picked up awards, honors and Connors State records this past season. The National Junior College All-American set Connors State records for rebounds in a game, per game and single-season to go along with leading the Cowboys to a berth in the National Junior College Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas.

Even though Washington was a tenacious rebounder in junior college, his game overall was hard to peg.

“My teammates at Connors always said I have an unorthodox style of play,” said Washington.

So it took an outside look to find an apt comparison.

“While I was at the national juco all-star game in Las Vegas last month my roommate, Ricardo Ratliff (Missouri signee) said he thinks I play like Tim Duncan,” said Washington, who scored seven points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the all-star game.

Similar to Tim Duncan, Washington is all about team play and getting the win.

“Win,” was C.J.’s response when asked if he had any goals for his first season in Crimson and Cream. “And for me just come in play hard and do what I can to help out.”

While winning and team play are Washington’s motivation on the court, off the court he has an external motivation that plays a big role in why he works so hard and strives for success.

“My biggest motivation is my son, Kacin. He will be 3 on July 21. He is the reason I play so hard and is my driving force. I know the better I do or the further I go, the better his life will be. So that’s where my focus is — to be the best father and role model for my son and go far as I can and succeed in the game of basketball.”

Being a role model for his son and the junior college route has lead to Washington to grow up quickly over the past few years. These experiences will not only serve him well in Norman as an upperclassman, but they already have him thinking about his future.

“I plan on being a Division-1 assistant coach. I’ll do my two years at OU and then grad school for two years to get my masters and get a job.”

While Washington has big plans for the future, his focus now is on OU. He moved to Norman this past Monday (May 17) and is ready to start his career as a Sooner.

So what will his focus be in this summer when working on his game?

“Getting bigger, putting on muscle, getting in shape, shooting everyday and working on defense,” he said.

Oklahoma fans will certainly appreciate the “working on defense” part after last season. They will also appreciate why he chose to be a Sooner.

“I chose Oklahoma because it is close to my son, and it’s in my home state.”

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