Street Talk caught up with M.L. King Jr. High School hoop star Tracy Thomas, a silky smooth 6-4 up and coming senior for “Lions”. I got a chance to sit down and “Keep it Real” with “T-Mac II” after he played a game in the “Atlanta Basketball Classic” at Georgia Tech.

L.A:  “Last year MLK came real close to making it all the way to the State Championship Game but a tough lose in the Final Four to Troup High School ended your chances. What happened in that game?“

Tracey:  “Last year we came together in the playoffs and just played ball. During the season we were kind of falling apart because of a couple of mishaps like people leaving the team but at the end of the season we just came together and became victorious during the state tournament.

L.A.:  “What have been some of the most exciting or most memorable moments in your career so far?”

Tracy:  “Just making it this far. I’m originally from the suburbs of Chicago and I didn’t really play ball back then, I just started playing when I came here in the 8th grade. My mom said if I came down here I was going to have to have something going for myself otherwise I was going to stay in Chicago and keep doing what I was doing; so I said ok, I’m going to change my life around and came to Georgia and changed it around”.

L.A.:  “What things will you have to work on between now and the start of next season to get yourself ready for the next level of basketball?”

Tracy:  “My attitude and getting stronger”

L.A.:  “What are your plans for the rest of the summer as far as basketball goes?”
Tracy:  “Working hard on my game, very hard. I just came back from Middle Tennessee State and I saw how their program is ran and how good they are.”

L.A.:  “Give me the names of a few of the college programs that you like and wouldn’t mind playing for after high school.”

Tracy:  “Tennessee, Middle Tennessee State, UAB, Purdue, Southern Illinois, Central Florida and Alabama.”

L.A:  “Who have been some of the most influential people in your life thus far?”

Tracy:  “My coaches from high school, Coach Mance, Coach Stringer and my AAU Coach, Coach Buck. Oh yea and my moms”

L.A.:  “What types of food do you like to eat?”
Tracy:  ”I like to eat chicken”

L.A.:  “Who is your favorite player?”
Tracy:  ”Tracy McGrady”

L.A.:  “I was going to say that you have that smooth type of game, do you sort of pattern your game after his?”
Tracy:  ”Yes, I’ve been trying to, like the way he came up is kind of like I have, he had some early attitude problems with his coaches and stuff and I feel like I have taken that same road and in the long run I will learn and get better and better like he did.”

L.A.:  “If there was one person in the world you could meet right now who would it be and what would you ask them?”
Tracy:  (without hesitation) “Tracy McGrady, (with a big smile) I would ask him if he could be my personal trainer and help me get to the next level”

L.A.:  “What type of team and individual goals have you set or would like to achieve next season?”

Tracy:  ”Individually, working on my game and attitude, team wise helping my team and teammates get better. We have like 3 seniors this year so we want to get better and go beyond what we did last year.”

L.A.:  “Tell me something about yourself that people might not know”
Tracy: ”I’m very passionate about the game, I hate loosing. People might think I have an attitude when they see me yelling and stuff, but I just hate to loose, like if I notice that somebody can do better I want them to give their best with me so we can do it together and win.”

L.A.:  “Do you have a nickname?”
Tracy:  ”At school people call me “T-Mac”, I kind of like that”

L.A.: “Escalade, Denali, Corvette, Mercedes or Ferrari?”
Tracy:   “Escalade”

L.A.: “Hollie Berry, Bianca or Janet Jackson”
Tracy:  “Bianca”

L.A.:  “Good Luck, “T-Mac”.”
Tracy:  ”Thanks”

If you want to “Keep it Real" on Street Talk …holla at me

This is “L.A.” … PEACE!