Jahlil Okafor has been asked a lot of questions by media, coaches, recruiting analysts and fans since he emerged as one of the most celebrated high school basketball players in the country. But Whitney Young's 6-foot-11, 265-pound center had never been asked anything like this.
Would you rather be (1) the best basketball player who ever played the game, (2) President of the United States or (3) the richest man in the world?
The 16-year-old sophomore didn't hesitate to respond.
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"I want to be the best basketball player of all," he said.
"President doesn't appeal to me, all that pressure, people loving you and hating you. And being the richest man doesn't mean you are happy.
"But if I'm the best basketball player, I'd be happy. I would take great joy in it. That's what I want to be."
Okafor said Michael Jordan is the best basketball player he has ever seen. But Tim Duncan, Shaquille O'Neal and Hakeem Olajuwon are the three best big men he has seen. Each of them has been important, influential, motivating and inspirational factors on his life.
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"Duncan was so skilled, the first big man I started to watch in fifth grade. People said I looked like him so I started to watch him. Hakeem was so skilled on the block. He had great post moves, what I try to have in my game. Shaq was so dominant on the floor, what I want to be. He overpowered people."
What is so amazing about Okafor is he has accumulated scholarship offers from more major Division I programs and is rated more highly than Simeon's Jabari Parker at the same stage. Yet, like Parker, he remains down-to-earth and grounded with a degree of maturity that turns critics into believers.
"He is the same person he was when he came in as a ninth grader -- except he is three inches taller," Whitney Young coach Tyrone Slaughter said. "His demeanor and the way he handles himself haven't changed.
"It has to do with his upbringing. His father has done a phenomenal job. He has great values. He is positive, very respectful. What is important to him? Having fun and being able to play. He recognizes the enormity of his skills and the opportunities ahead of him."
Okafor credits his father, his aunts and uncles and his family for keeping him grounded. "They keep me away from all the media and the hoopla. I'm aware of it but my dad keeps me away from it. They make sure I don't get big-headed. My dad tells me: 'The taller they are, the harder they fall.' They try to keep me humble," he said.
He admits he has been awestruck only once, when Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski walked unannounced and totally unexpected into Whitney Young's gym at 6:00 a.m. to observe a preseason workout.
"I take everything in stride," Okafor said. "But I was surprised when coach K. came to the school to see me play in open gym at 6 in the morning before the season began. I wasn't expecting him to come. I felt good about myself. I was humble to see him watch me play. No, I wasn't nervous. It was just basketball. I don't get nervous on the court. It said to me that he wants me to go to his program, that he thinks I'm a pretty good player."
But Okafor also admits that it didn't dawn on him that he had a big-time future in the game until he finally defeated his father in a one-on-one duel when he was in eighth grade. His father Chuck, who is 6-foot-5, played at Bowen and Western Arkansas, a Division II school.
"The NBA has always been my main goal," he said. "In third grade, the teacher asked: 'What do you want to be when you grow up?' I said I want to be a NBA player. In eighth grade, when I started to think I could play in the NBA, there was no doubt in my mind that I could achieve my goals.
"In eighth grade, when I beat my dad 21-8, something I had been trying to do for a long time, it boosted my confidence. I was 6-foot-8 at the time. I couldn't guard him when he went to the rim. He was too strong for me. But, that time, when he went to the rim, I blocked his shots and tried to put a whupping on him. I felt if I could beat my dad I could beat anyone."
Okafor doesn't have to impress anyone anymore. "He is the quintessential post player. He is running the floor on offense much better, from block to block, with a greater level of efficiency. Now he is starting to focus on defense and rebounding, to be more mobile than before," Slaughter said.
He has scholarship offers from Illinois, DePaul, Duke, North Carolina, Florida, Arizona, Michigan State, Ohio State, Nebraska, Iowa, Connecticut, North Carolina State, Georgetown, Arkansas and...well, the list just keeps getting bigger. Kentucky and Kansas also are expressing interest. Remember, he has two more years to impress recruiters. And he has no timetable.
"I'm not in a hurry. I'm taking it all in, taking my time, making sure I make the right decision," he said. "What am I looking for? I want to go to the NBA. I want to make an impact right away. I want to have great players around me. I want to be Player of the Year and win a national championship. Then I won't stay for another year."
He doesn't take losing lightly. Last year's 16-9 finish, despite injuries to key players and a schedule that would be the envy of an NBA team, Okafor was disappointed that Whitney Young didn't play up to expectations. He vows to bolster his production in 2012-13 and is determined to improve all aspects of his game.
"Last season was very frustrating. We played great teams. We could have easily won all the games we lost but we made minor mistakes and turnovers and missed free throws," he recalled.
"It taught me that you must expect the unexpected, that I have to take a huge role when players are hurt. I'm a lot more serious this year. I want to average 13 or more rebounds and 5-6 blocks per game. I want to block a lot more shots than last year. My scoring will come. I can score on the block whenever I want to. I'm focusing on defense.
"To me, basketball is a lot of fun. I don't see it as a job now. I see it as being my job of the future. I take it seriously. My dad says when I don't want to play basketball I can stop. He will support me no matter what. If I didn't play basketball, what would I do? I'd like to be a veterinarian. I like animals a lot. I used to have a Great Dane. And I always watched the movie Lion King. But basketball is something I want to do now."
After seeing Jabari Parker on the cover of Sports Illustrated, Okafor added another goal to his list.
"I'm happy for him. I would like it to happen to me," he said. "My family warns me that there are a lot of bad temptations out there in the world. I don't know what to expect. I know I have to make the right choice."