We caught up with Perth Wildcats forward and all-round chess master, Greg Hire. Whilst we were impressed with his table manners and tapas etiquette he did excuse himself so he could go and grab a couple of rebounds. Here is what Greg had to say.
CBAB: So, we have seen your game progress on court this season. Tell us how your life has progressed off the court.
GH: I’ve recently just bought a house with my lovely fiancé, and I’m currently working on a couple of projects that I’m extremely passionate about. Hopefully some exciting announcements in the near future but unfortunately have to keep it a secret for the time being!
CBAB: A magic carpet arrives which will take you to a time and place where you will have front row seats to witness any historical event in human existence, what event would that be?
GH: Hooley dooley, that’s a great question. I’m going to bend the rules here and have two separate events, one sporting and one cultural. I would have to go with Michael Jordan’s last game as a Chicago Bull, when he hit the game winner over Bryan Russell and I would also have liked to witness the landing on the moon, just to prove all of the skeptics wrong.
CBAB: Which team mate is most likely to have a poster of themselves hanging up in their house and which one would most likely have one of you?
GH: I’m not too sure who would have a poster of themself hanging in their house, but Kevin Lisch’s poster would be hanging in most of our fan’s houses! He’s a beautiful man and has many adoring fans that idolise him, hence his popularity. A teammate that most likely would have my poster would have to be Cameron Tovey – the only reason this would happen though is because I would give it to him as a gift.
CBAB: After basketball finishes, will actually candidate to be the Mayor of Wanneroo?
GH: I’m definitely not ruling it out – in high school my favourite class was Political and Legal studies and I was adamant I would become the prime minister of Australia. You never know, but I would definitely have some awesome policies.
CBAB: You graduated from Augusta State in 2010 after transferring from Miles Community College. What did you study and what life lessons did you learn abroad?
I studied early childhood teaching and now currently studying for a degree in management. I learnt that even if you cook sausages on a George Foreman Grill, having them everyday with rice will not do wonders for skinfolds. Time management was an essential life lesson I took away from there as well.
CBAB: If I assembled your last three coaches in a room and asked them about you, what would they say that isn’t true?
GH: They would say:
A) I’m only 6’5
B) I’m loud
C) I can’t dunk it
ALL LIES!!!
CBAB: Now doubt you are familiar with the ‘Wildcats Rap’. If you were charged with the responsibility of creating an up to date version of it how would you go about it and what would you do?
GH: I think I would have to take the mantle as the hype man – a guy that just yells at the most suitable times and really sets the tone. My teammates have said I have the voice of an angel though – a mixture between Michael Bolton and Justin Bieber.
CBAB: How can we concentrate on basketball knowing that Selena Gomez made Justin Bieber cry?
GH: Have you not seen the documentary on Justin Bieber? I don’t know how Selena can live with herself after seeing him cry. On a trip to Bali we put our plans on hold to watch that doco and we were utterly amazed at how legit he is.
CBAB: When was the last time you played air drums?
GH: I do it everyday in the car on the way to weights in the morning or on the way home during beautiful peak hour traffic. But I also play guitar, the clarinet, and also have my own mythical DJ setup whilst driving too.
CBAB: If you could star in one Hollywood blockbuster, what movie would that be?
GH: 300 – I would be able to have a handy rig, have quite an attractive wife, lead an army, and most importantly die a legend. You’re more than welcome.
