So it’s like this, if you consider yourself a fan of J. Cole, you know how important the game of basketball is to him. It’s a reason all three mixtapes have been titled in homage of the game and a reason why I wouldn’t be surprised if his debut album was named in its ilk. Seeing as how almost every interview with Fayetteville’s finest centers around music these days (and it should), it was almost refreshing to read something different, something he was obviously excited to talk about.

ESPN Rise caught up with the Friday Night Lights creator and chopped it up about all things basketball, including why he compared himself to Dwayne Wade.

ESPN RISE: The mental aspect is huge in basketball.
J. Cole: Oh without question! It’s so big. It’s funny because the day after our season was over in open gym was where I really learned my true talents. The pressure was off and I was just having fun and I was dominating. My coach was like “Where was all this during the season?” From that day through my junior year in college were probably the best basketball years of my life.

ESPN RISE: You graduated from St. John’s…did you win any intramurals titles there?
J. Cole: Aww man, we never won, but we got to the championship game three years and lost to this team that called themselves The Dynasty. That was for a reason…they were good!

ESPN RISE: We hear that you play pickup in the cities that you tour in.
J. Cole: Yeah, whenever I can I go and play. Now that I’m off the road I play a lot more. In the past two weeks I’ve probably played about six or seven times, which is pretty unheard of for me.

ESPN RISE: So with all that practice you’ve got to be looking pretty nice on the court?
J. Cole: Oh man! I’m feeling better than I’ve felt in a long time! I call myself a poor man’s Dwyane Wade because that’s how I play. I’m an in-the-flow type of player.

ESPN RISE: Wow, D Wade, huh? You got hops like him too?
J. Cole: (Laughs) Man, I’ve got the poor man hops. I get up every now and then though. I caught one last night as a matter of fact.

ESPN RISE: Is it weird to play with fans at the open runs?
J. Cole: Yeah I always have people who are like “Wow that’s J Cole!” And I think they probably don’t expect too much out of me on the court. So I really love to see their faces when I really go off and have a good game. I hate having an off night when fans are playing with me.

ESPN RISE: Do you follow hoops on all levels?
J. Cole: I can’t keep up with high school ball as much as I used to, but I keep people around me that keep me updated on that stuff. I do somewhat follow North Carolina and some NBA.

Read the rest over at J. Cole’s fan site.