Kut's Korner - "Kut"
On Da Bricks / Manny Atkins
By Kut Washington
Feb 2, 2009, 08:10 EST

Manny Atkins On Da Bricks! (Simply Manny)

No more Cold Summers, no more Da Lost Bricks! I take it back to the roots of what got it all started, “On Da Bricks”. I ask Tucker High School All State Small forward and future Virginia Tech Hokie Manny Atkins what was his nick name? “I don’t have one, I got to work on that.” Ok I got it, Simply Manny.

Let’s cover the basics:

As Chris Reeder would say, "Say No Mo!"

Full name-  Manuel Alan Atkins Jr.

Nickname-  Manny

Age- 17

Classification- Senior

Where you from- New York

What high school-   Tucker High School

Current GPA of-  3.6

Principal Name-  Mr. Jackson

Favorite Teacher / Grade / Subject? Have a lot of favorite teachers, they all cool with me and treat me the same way.

Who is the man at your high school right now?  You can say me. Lol

Is Basketball the only true sport you play? Yes, I use to play football but I stopped in 9^th after I broke my wrist.

Become a sport analyst and scout yourself?  Well over the years I know I have been a go hard player that can shoot the ball very well but I know that I have to get my handling right and my left hand just a little bit stronger. 

What have you done to improve what you consider a weak part of your game? I have been getting in the gym a lot working with my cousin or Charles from center court with any of the weak parts of my game. 

What coach or parent gives you the best information about basketball? My cousin Tony and coach Hartry from my high school.

What is it like playing for Coach James Hartry?  Its fun at times, we go at it every now and then. He say I think I know everything, sometimes I do, but its been fun playing with coach Hartry my four years of high school, he is like another father to me he looks out for me when I need him, and he never change he is the same way all the time.

I see it was.

Your team won the state 2007 Championship in Class 4-A. What was that like? Man that was one of the greatest moments of my life not just by winning the state championship but because I was just a sophomore and I played a big part in that game that helped us win the state championship. 

What’s the toughest player and team you ever had to face?  I want to say in high school, Mufon was probably one of the toughest players that I have faced and that 2007 Columbia team was probably one of the toughest teams I have faced. 

I know you gave a verbal commitment to play for Virginia Tech. Congratulations on that. Why Virginia Tech? I choose VT because they have a great campus and its not to far but far enough to get away, and the coaching staff seems real cool, coach Greenberg seems like Hartry when he is on the floor, and they have a great academic advisor.

What kind of player will Coach Seth Greenberg and the Hokie Nation be inheriting?  They will be inheriting a great player. I’m going to come in giving my all and go harder than anybody in front of me, I am a winner and I look forward to keep doing that when I get there. 

What’s the difference in playing AAU versus your high school team? Well the difference to me is that high school basketball have at least one or maybe two star athletes on there team and AAU have a whole team full of Athletes, and in high school they run more offense. AAU just be running up and down the court.

How cool are you and Noel Johnson? How would you describe him? Me and Noel we have gotten cool over the time as we started playing with each other more, some people don’t think Noel talk but the more you are around him he talk, but he is a real cool dude and a great basketball player to have on your team.

Andre Malone says “Manny is hilarious. He doesn’t stop laughing.” Is that true and tell me something about Malone?  Lol, yea that’s true I do laugh a lot, its good to laugh sometime, but Andre he ‘s not that much different. (Lol) He stay smiling all the time even if he mess up in the game. You look at him he’s going to  smile, but Andre is a real cool dude to be around he always going to say something stupid and have everybody laughing.  

What is life after Basketball for you?  After basketball I am hoping to just be successful in whatever I am doing and making good money doing it. 

Who is your favorite NBA player? Kobe, great player on the court, everybody still hates on him because of what he did a while ago, but that don’t have nothing to do with what kind of player he is.  

What’s your opinion on people comparing Lebron James and Kobie Bryant to Michael Jordan?  Well to me Kobe is looking similar because he can score anyway just like Mike, but Lebron is just real athletic and still need to work on some things but he still a great player.

Who are the top five players in the NBA right now from 1-5? Kobe , Lebron, Dwayne wade, Chris Paul, Kevin Garnett

I know that...

What’s something your father tells you that’s true, even though you don’t want to hear it sometimes? He tells me to play hard all the time and I already know to do that, so I hate hearing it.

What’s the most memorable thing you’ve ever done so far in your career?  Won state championship game and got MVP.

What would you say to your mother on Mothers Day, other than “Happy Mothers Day”?   I will tell her I love her. 

If you had to trade your vehicle (ride, whip) in for some brand new, what would it be?  A Limo or a Bentley.  

What’s something about you that if I didn’t ask, no one would know?  I had this crazy twitch after this accident I was in lol 

If you had the choice of playing basketball or spending time with your girl? Play ball, she would just have to come watch.

What do you like to do for fun? Hang out, with friends go to parties. 

What type of music do you enjoy? I like R&B and rap.  

What would be your dream vacation?  Going to brazil , they say the girls out there are ridiculous so I’m trying to find out.

If you had the opportunity to meet anyone in the world; who would it be and why?  Martin Luther king because without him doing what he did I probably wouldn’t be hooping right now 

Let’s do church. Give me a scripture you live by.  (Psalms 119:99) I have more understanding than all my teachers for thy testimonies are my mediation.

Any body you want to shout out? I would like to thank my parents for doing everything that they have done to get me where I am now. For basketball I thank the coaches who put their time in to get me as good as I am now and last but not least I thank god for bringing me in this world.

© Copyright 2006 by 4SHOT Sports