The Basketball Interview with Tajen Ross
Our 18th ranked player in the 2017 class, ADM, Adel guard Tajen Ross has enjoyed a monumental rise through our rankings. He burst on to the scene in the fall of 2015 at our Combine, showing off an all-around offensive skill set and natural scoring ability that he would further display throughout his junior year. After a solid summer with Kingdom Hoops, the smooth scoring guard has signed a national letter of intent to play at Division II Minnesota-Crookston. This is “The Basketball Interview with Tajen Ross”.
Q: What is your favorite part of game day at ADM?
I’d say my favorite part is when I go to the gym after school and get some game-like shots up. I go game speed for about 45-60 minutes, just to get my blood flowing and focused for the game.
Q: Who is the most difficult player to defend in the state?
I’ve got to go with Drew Maschoff (Ankeny) because you never know what you’re going to get. You don’t know if he’s going to come down the court and pull it in your face or come down the court, hit you with a move, then finish at the rim. I have major respect for him, he’s a great player.
Q: Other than ADM, which gym is your favorite to play in and why?
My favorite gym is either Winterset or Carlisle. Both gyms are really small and the atmosphere when we play there is just awesome.
Q: If you had complete control over the schedule and could put anyone in the state on the schedule, who would you want to play?
No doubt I would put Waukee on my schedule. I feel like they overlooked me for many years, so I would want to play them to show what they missed. (Ross transferred from Waukee to ADM before his junior year.)
Q: Who is your favorite basketball player of all-time? Do you model your game after them or any other players?
I really like Carmelo Anthony, just because he can score in so many different ways and he’s fun to watch. I don’t really try to model my game after him. I just try to play my own game and do what I do best.
Q: What is the best piece of coaching advice you’ve ever received?
It was from my AAU coach Tyler Headlee. He told me to never give up on basketball. Because at one point I was so upset with the game I just didn’t want to play anymore. But he really pushed me and believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. I wouldn’t be where I am today without him.