If Steve Tchiengang isn't your favorite player, he will be after reading this interview with the Barca Blog. After sitting out the first six games due to a NCAA policy, the freshman forward and Cameroon native will make his regular season debut tonight when the Commodores host Illinois-Chicago at 7 p.m. CT at Memorial Gym.

A few of the highlights from the hilarious and thoughtful interview:

On whether he's a better soccer player than fellow freshman Jeffery Taylor, who's from Sweden

"Even if he did play soccer, he didn't play for a team with the level of competition that I did. Competition in Africa is rough and physical. It's the primary sport there. In fact, I read his quote in that interview where he said he was better than me and there's no way that's possible."

On why he moved to the United States

"When I moved to the United States, my first purpose was to get an education, because my family back home was poor. I always felt at a certain age that my parents wouldn't be able to make it any more, and in Africa you don't get retirement and stuff like over here. It's totally different. You don't get insurance. Such a thing doesn't exist. So, I always felt that my family would really be pleased if I could be successful with my education.

"As for basketball, it wasn't until after my sophomore year of high school that I figured out what college basketball was, and all of the vibes around it. So, it wasn't an athletic purpose. It was strictly educational."

On the team's diversity

"Well, they like to make fun of me and my French accent because I don't know how to pronounce `three' and when I say `Jeffrey' I accent the `r.' I think it's just funny because it brings us laughter, and we need that especially when we are trying to learn so many things. I enjoy the diversity of backgrounds that we have on the team, and I think it's a good thing to have."

On his nickname

"We don't really call each other by nicknames. Coach Rice likes to call us freshmen, `Young Dragons.' That nickname has carried over with the other players."

On his potential

"My coach in high school always told me that the biggest room in the world is the room for improvement. I believe that I can improve in every single way possible on the floor, and off the floor too. I think I can improve so much of my game with time and dedication. The sky's the limit if I really put myself into that position by working hard."

How can you not love this guy? It's yet another example of why I love rooting for the Commodores. And "Young Dragons"? That's priceless...