Blake Goodman’s new basketball teammates at Eastern call the redshirt junior 6-foot-7-inch forward “Bgoody.”

The Fisk University transfer led his former team in scoring last season, averaging nearly 17 points and scoring 30 points in three games. He is is a native from Detroit, Michigan.

During his time at Fisk, Goodman played two seasons. During his junior year, he played in 21 games, starting 14 times.

He had a season high 36 points against Faulkner University. Goodman had a season high of 10 rebounds twice during the season with a double-double against Clark Atlanta University (30 pts/10 reb).

In this Q&A, Goodman shares his experiences with entering the transfer portal and how stressful that was to his time working with the Detroit Pistons as the basketball camp counselor.

Q: Why did you decide on EIU? Did you receive other offers?

A: “Originally, I was supposed to go to Detroit Mercy, but the minute I had my second workout for them, EIU called me. [Eastern] offered me on the spot, and I was like, ‘I’m going to EIU.’ My top five were Appalachian State, Virginia Tech, [University of the] Pacific, Detroit Mercy and EIU. Those are my top five, and the reason why I decided on that was partly because of location. I didn’t want to be at the crib [Detroit], so, I thank God that a miracle happened in that situation.”

Q: What was your process for going through the transfer portal?

A: “Stressful. I left Fisk after I had the best year, career wise, I had in my life. So it was stressful to have that, but when the recruiting process started it was very exciting. I had like 50 maybe 60 schools hitting me up. It was just bananas, every day and night. So, it was just such a cool experience because I always wanted that, but then it got kind of overwhelming, so, I had to kind of cut it down. Once I did that, I felt like it was good but definitely stressful.”

Q: Do you feel the difference in your schedule since transferring from a NAIA to a DI NCAA school?

A: “I’d say the main difference is my schedule and not having a lot of time to enjoy life in the sense of, you got school and practice. So, you have to make sure you’re on top of everything. It’s just kind of hard to manage everything, but it’s definitely fun though. I think it’s a great experience. I couldn’t say I’d ever pass it up; it’s all I wanted.”

Q: What have you found most fun since coming to the DI school?

A: “What I’ve found the most fun so far is the relationships I’ve built with my teammates. My other school, I didn’t have a lot of good relationships. Everybody gets jealous of who you could be as a person, [and] as a player. It gets caught up in friendships but here, it’s been great.”

Q: Who is your favorite music artist?

A: “Drake.”

Q: What’s your favorite song by Drake?

A: “’The Resistance.’”

Q: How did EIU initially contact you?

A: “Nate [Michael]. After I got out of Lifetime [Fitness], Nate was a coach at Cleveland State, and he was going to offer me to go to Cleveland State, but he said, ‘I’m about to take a job at EIU,’ and you know he was like, ‘We would really love you to be on the team.’ I was like, ‘Alright cool.’ My uncle, he went to EIU, so we were talking about it in the gym that day, and it was such a coincidence that Nate called me and told me that, I was like, ‘Man, maybe I’ll think about it.’ They keep calling me for the next two weeks. Detroit Mercy was going to be the school, but I had to work out for them one [more] time. I thought they’d seen enough, and they didn’t, so the second workout came and I was like, ‘Man I just got to kill it.’ As soon as I was about to start tying my shoes up, EIU called [and] boom. They offered me–Coach Simmons did, on the spot, he was like, ‘I’m going to offer you the whole thing,’ [and] it’s history from there.”

Q: Who is your favorite NBA team?

A: “The San Antonio Spurs. I love Tim Duncan, I love the system, I love Kawhi Leonard; one of my favorite players, no emotions just straight killer. I guess if it’s players wise I like Luka Dončić, a lot, that’s my favorite player right now Luka Dončić,  and LaMelo Ball because I know him personally. He works out with me at the crib.”

Q: Have you met LaMelo Ball?

A: “That’s my guy. Yeah, him and LiAngelo. They go to this gym called the Oakland Fieldhouse; it’s got like shooting machines. A lot of my friends who go to Detroit Mercy, that’s where we all work out.”

Q: Do you see LaMelo and LiAngelo regularly when you go home?

A: “Yeah, and Cade Cunningham, because I work with the Detroit Pistons. He’s great.”

Q: You work with the Detroit Pistons?

A: “Yeah, I was a counselor for two years. That was the best, I was just very happy, and that was a great time of my life.”

Q: Do you think you could possibly be a counselor when you graduate?

A: “They wanted me to be the guy who runs the camps, but I just don’t know if I could do that. I love kids, but I just don’t know if I could work with kids for the rest of my life. When I was there, I had the most revenue in a long time. I’m dunking and doing all this stuff, and the kids are coming, and last year was the first year I didn’t do it so now they’re looking for me to come back and bring that energy. Maybe I’ll do it for a year or two, but I don’t see it being a career.”

Q: What is your favorite basketball moment from your professional career?

A: “Last year with Fisk, when we played Clark Atlanta, I had 40 [points]. It was a fun experience. Just to see everybody have fun and see the excitement on Fisk’s face. When we played Tennessee State, I had 26 [points] against Tennessee State. It felt great seeing everybody come to the game [and] seeing some posters. It’s a dream come true, [and] my career has taken off. I’m blessed.”

Q: What is your favorite food?

A: “Tacos.”

Q: What do you like on your tacos?

A: “Cheese and salsa.”

Q: Do you put any protein on your tacos?

A: “I like beef, lamb, bison or turkey.”

Q: Who is the coolest NBA player you’ve met?

A: “Kobe [Bryant]. That’s why I got him tatted on [me]. He died on my birthday. I met Kobe eight times. That’s why my number is eight. The only time I really remember seeing him was when he wore [the] number eight. I saw him one time when he wore 24. Everybody’s like, ‘I like the old Kobe, 24 Kobe.’ I was like, ‘Nah, I like the young Kobe.’ That’s the guy I met. He’s always been the great guy he was. He met me a few times, and those few times, he’s always made a great impression. I met him through the [Detroit] Pistons camp. As a kid, I used to go to the camp all the time. They used to take us to the games [and I got to] high five Kobe. But for some reason, he just saw something special, he had a conversation with me, [and] he kept remembering me.”

Q: What is something you want to cross off your bucket list?

A: “NCAA tournament. Even if that’s next year, this year, whatever year it is. Going to the tournament, that’s my main goal. I feel like if I get to the tournament, that’s when everybody will know who my name is. I mean obviously during the season, [you] make a name for yourself, but in March that’s when everybody knows who you are, so I feel like that’s the main thing.”

Q: Do you feel a difference in the culture from Fisk versus Eastern?

A: “Yeah, it’s more of a family here. I’d say they really like to look out for you. At Fisk, they looked out for individuals, like certain coaches looked out for certain people.”

Q: What is your major, and what do you plan on doing with your major?

A: “Criminal justice, and I want to be an FBI agent. My uncle was an FBI agent, the one who went to EIU. He put that thought in my head, and ever since then it’s been my dream after basketball.”

Q: Who is someone you look up to?

A: “My granddad. He’s like my father, [and] he does everything for me and my family. He’s getting up in age, so I got to be the man [and] take care of the family. That’s where this basketball stuff gets serious. You got to be a man about everything. So, I say my granddad, my mom and my grandma. Those are the three people I always look up to. They’ve always been the ones who take care of me.”

Q: What is the biggest adversity or obstacle you’ve overcome?

A: “Injuries. Just year after year [and] understanding that my body’s going to get hurt. Understanding that even if you have an injury, an obstacle can never stop you if you have God on your side, that’s the one thing I learned. Through the process of being at Fisk, if you have God on your side, nothing can ever stop you. God’s timing is always the best timing.”

Q: Are you planning on taking your basketball career to the next level?

A: “Yes, I had an offer to go overseas and play professionally, but I decided to turn that down during this recruiting process. My granddad wants me to focus on getting my degree, and I thought being a Division I player is my dream, and I want to make it to the NBA. I think I can do it. My coach was an NBA player, and he said with the talent I have, if I can continue to listen and do what I need to do, he thinks I can make it. I just think if I get a chance to show myself in the DI level, I can do it. I just need the TV to see me, and now it’s time.”

Q: What do you think you need to do to possibly play professionally?

A: “Keep doing what I do. Make shots; I’m a very good shooter so I mean everybody’s role and everybody’s team is different, but my role has always been the same: consistently make threes, score buckets and I do that at a good clip. I work hard, so I say that’s the main thing, just making sure the main thing stays the main thing.”

Q: What would you tell your 10-year-old self?

A: “Keep going. As much as you think you’ll never make it, whatever you do, you’ll make it if you keep working hard. I never thought I’d ever be here in my life, so I just say trust in God. Trust in your abilities and never doubt yourself. No matter what anybody tells you. I feel like that’s something I had to learn over time. But now that I’ve learned it, there’s no going back.”

Payton Liggins can be reached at 581-2812 or at paliggins@eiu.edu.