Kei Madison Interview

JUCO Junction/Rivalshoops.com had a chance to catch up with Kei Madison, the talented 6-9, 220 pound forward from Okaloosa-Walton C.C. in Niceville, Fla., this past weekend at the Panhandle Classic.

Madison helped the Raiders post back to back victories on Friday and Saturday, averaging 11.5 points per game in two contests.

Earlier this fall, Madison committed to Mississippi State after visiting the Southeastern Conference school. He had also seriously considered Cincinnati.

It's the third college that Madison has committed to in the past four years. Prior to giving an oral commitment to Mississippi State, Madison had signed letters of intent with both Alabama and Indiana University.

Madison was unable to satisfy NCAA academic standards for freshmen (Indiana) or junior college transfers (Alabama), which is why he never wound up at either institution.

Now Madison and Mississippi State are awaiting word from the Southeastern Conference on whether he'll be able to sign with the Bulldogs this fall. An old SEC rule prohibits a student-athlete from signing with a member institution if that player has spent less than three semesters at his last junior college.

Madison is spending his last two junior college semesters at Okaloosa-Walton, where he hopes to earn his associates degree this spring. If he is unable to sign this fall with Mississippi State, it's likely he'll have to go through the recruiting process one more time.

Madison spoke to JUCO Junction/Rivalshoops.com on that and many other issues. Here is the transcript of the Q&A session we did with Madison.

JJ: Can you tell us what the process is right now with Mississippi State and the letter of intent?

KM: Right now, they have the waiver letter going right now. We're trying to see what is going to be the final deal on that. As of right now, everything is in the process of getting it worked out to where I can go there. I talked to [Okaloosa-Walton] Coach Stewart today, and he said I would probably know something by Monday or Tuesday of this week. Hopefully, I will be able to sign by Wednesday.

JJ: If you don't get the waiver approved or in time, what will you do?

KM: I guess that's when everything restarts. If I can't go to Mississippi State, Coach Stewart and I will just open my recruitment back up and just go from there. Hopefully, I can go to Mississippi State in the fall.

JJ: There were some rumors this fall that you had contacted Indiana when this issue about the waiver came about. Is that true? Did you go around and contact some schools?

KM: No, I did not contact none of the schools. As a matter of fact, Indiana tried to contact me. We had not talked since any of this had been going on. I don't really think it was a recruitment deal. Mike Davis and I are good friends, we were good friends before any of this occurred. I think he was just getting in touch to see how I was doing. I have not been in touch with those guys.

JJ: If it does not work out with Mississippi State, would Indiana be a school that you are interested in?

KM: Most definitely. I would love to play for the Hoosiers, especially with Mike Davis being the head coach now. If Mississippi State is unavailable, that might be one of m top options.

JJ: Any other choices you might have if Mississippi State does not work out?

KM: Cincinnati, that's the only team. Because they were the only other school that was really recruiting me hard. So I would have to put Cincinnati back in.

JJ: And the SEC would be pretty much out?

KM: I guess so, because that is a rule for the whole SEC. Hopefully, I can go to the SEC, but if not, I would have to start all over.

JJ: Were you aware of the rule when you committed to Mississippi State? Did it cross your mind?

KM: I had no clue. I just thought it was a done deal when I committed. The first time I heard anything about it was maybe two, two and a half weeks ago.

JJ: Can you talk about your attraction to Mississippi State and why you picked them over the other schools?

KM: Mississippi State had a lot of attractions for me. It was close to home, I had been away for home for years and my parents have not gotten to see me play. Not just my parents, but my family, my grandparents. And it's close by, it's about three hours from my house. I grew up watching the SEC, so that's all I really know. I like SEC basketball. I think Mississippi State is headed on the right track. They have some real good young talent. Hopefully, with me and [O-W teammate] Brandon [Vincent] coming in, we can mix it up even some more.

JJ: You mentioned that you would be interested in Indiana and Cincinnati if you are unable to sign with Mississippi State. Are you going to totally throw the recruitment wide open, or is it going to be a limited reopening of the process.

KM: I don't think I am going to limit it, because I want to have all of my options open, so I think I am just going to have it wide open again and see who all is interested.

JJ: Are there certain things you will be choosy about? Obviously, the SEC will be out of the mix if Mississippi State can't get the waiver. Are there certain areas of the country that you don't see yourself being at?

KM: I really don't want to go back up north, as far as being away from home. But if I have to, I will. It's nothing that I can't do, but I prefer to stay somewhere down south closer to home. There's a few things that I will have to choose from, but being far from home won't make too much of a difference.

JJ: Do you see yourself going out west?

KM: No, I don't want to, but I am not saying I won't do it. I guess I would do it. I don't want to be that far, far away from home at a school that I was not sure about. I want to be real sure about the school I go to if it is far away from home.

JJ: What has the last year and a half been like since you left Iowa Western. I would think it's been a little crazy for you. Just with so many different things happening. Can you talk about how you've dealt with that?

KM: It was crazy being off for a year and not playing basketball. I stayed in contact with my brother a lot. He was and still is playing down at Southern Union. I got a chance to see him play and we got the chance to talk. I worked on my game the year that I had taken off. But I think I still have some minor adjustments I need to make to get my back on top. It was all right. The year off wasn't all right, but I think I adjusted from it pretty good.

JJ: Are you going to be able to put all of that stuff behind you?

KM: I think me being down here with Coach Stewart at Okaloosa-Walton is the best thing for me. I am on a new path now, and I don't think anything can stop me but myself. Hopefully, this will be a good season for me.

JJ: Kei, can you talk a little about the NBA? You and I had even spoken about this last year down in Alabama at the regional JUCO tournament. You had said at that time that you were looking for a pro league if you did not go back to junior college. At that time, you were not sure what you were going to do with your future. What is the situation with that? Is the NBA going to be a viable option for you?

KM: The NBA is going to be a viable option if they are interested in me come the end of our season, like they did with [Boston Celtics first round pick] Kedrick [Brown]. Then I'm going. But I am not putting my name up in the NBA Draft now. If they are interested in me and they like what they see, then good. But it's not like I am saying that I am going to the league right now. I am really looking to go D-I for at least a year, but if the NBA does happen, so be it.