AUBURN, Ala. – It's time to meet the Class of 2020. Over the next three weeks, we'll be bringing you Q&As with all five newcomers. We wrap up the series with JT Thor, a consensus top-100 player forward who signed in May.
Favorite movie? Scarface
Favorite food? My mom's cooking (African food)
What artist are you listening to right now? Polo G
What was the go-to Netflix show during quarantine? Money Heist
Nicknames? JT Bandz
What do you plan to major in? Business Marketing
With the last name Thor, are you a big Marvel guy?
Thor: I'm a big fan of Marvel. Thor is my guy. I always liked him because it was my name. So I liked him from the jump. And we can both drop the hammer. That thunderous dunk.
You grew up in Alaska. What was that like?
Thor: It was cool. I liked it. It was like a normal city to me other than the winters. The winters were cold. But the summer, the fall, the spring – I liked it. I liked the weather a lot. People think it snows there the whole year. The summers are actually hot. It's sunny all day. But those winters, I'm not a fan of that.
When did you start playing basketball?
Thor: I wasn't really into basketball until I was probably 10. I couldn't even make a lay-up. The first couple months I was playing basketball, I couldn't make a lay-up. I wasn't really good at anything. I just knew I liked basketball because I used to watch it. I used to watch KD (Kevin Durant). Growing up, KD was an inspiration to me. I used to watch him every day. I used to think it was like a video game. No one could ever make the NBA. It just looked unreal when I was watching them. But it feels closer every day now.
Do you remember the first time you dunked it?
Thor: I was a freshman in Alaska. I played JV my freshman year. I had a fast break, and I just two-handed it. Everybody was going crazy. And then the next possession – it was like back-to-back – they threw me a lob off the backboard, but I missed it. The first one was clean, though. That was my first time dunking. I had high self-esteem after that.
What is the biggest basketball highlight of your career?
Thor: This past senior year, we played in D.C. We had a bad first half. We were down by like 20, and I had one point at the half. We were getting kind of heated in the locker room, so I told my coach to pass me the ball the whole second half and I'm going to win the game. I was talking boldly, but I knew I had to back it up. I ended up scoring 30 in the second half, and we won the game.
Is there a player you model your game after?
Thor: KD (Durant). When I used to hoop outside every day, I used to work on my jump shot. Every day. I never thought about posting up. I just wanted to break people down and shoot the ball because that's what everybody else did. That's what KD does.
What made you choose Auburn?
Thor: The first time I came here when they played LSU. They were down by 20, and they came back and won the game. The whole time I was on the visit, it just opened my eyes. It wasn't even an official visit yet. But as soon as I came here, it was like "I think I want to be here." It made me want to come on another visit, so I came to the game vs. Texas A&M. They lost, but after that, I was ready to plan my official and commit. This is where I wanted to be. It's a good environment, a family-type environment that I want to be in.
Give me one word to describe Bruce Pearl.
Thor: Energetic.
How do you think Coach Pearl and his system can help your game?
Thor: I feel like he's good at developing talent. I see the players he's had the past couple years with Chuma (Okeke), Isaac (Okoro), with Tobias (Harris) at Tennessee. I feel like those type of players are people I can model my game after where I can be successful in that program.
How do you see yourself fitting into the team this year?
Thor: I think I'm going to make a big impact in all types of ways – on the defensive end and the offensive end. BP preaches defense first. In practice, we're playing defense the whole time, and then we'll get into our plays. We have to know the plays, too. So it's just knowing what you're doing the whole time.
What makes this 2020 recruiting class special?
Thor: I feel like we've got one of the best classes in the country. I feel like we're all underdogs. Everybody is an underdog, and we're coming in with a chip on our shoulder. People are sleeping on us.
Where's that underdog mentality come from for you?
Thor: I always felt like I was the underdog because even though I feel like I'm tall, I'm not the strongest or the fastest, so I feel like I have to work on my skill more than everybody else to get what I want. I put in a lot of work to get to where I'm at. That's where the underdog part comes in..