San Diego is Jamelle Horne's officially listed hometown, but he does not consider tonight's Arizona-San Diego State game a homecoming.
"Nah," Horne said. "I'm from Tacoma, Washington."
Still, the Arizona junior forward lived in San Diego long enough to appreciate the city's beauty, beaches and weather - all while making a name for himself on the court at San Diego High School.
"Jamelle Horne is a freakish athlete," San Diego State coach Steve Fisher said.
Horne will be playing his third game against the Aztecs, who tried unsuccessfully to recruit him, and his first in San Diego. Here are 10 things he discussed about his second hometown:
1. He moved to San Diego during Thanksgiving break of his freshman year in high school because …
"My parents were divorced. I relocated with my pops and my sister stayed with mom. (Father Johnnie) had a job with computers and real estate. It's always tough to leave home. I stayed in Washington for 13 years so leaving friends and family is always tough. But it was a great opportunity in San Diego. It's a beautiful city and having L.A. right up the street - there's a lot of tournaments and scouts up there - in basketball is a big thing."
2. The basketball scene was different in Southern California …
"The Tacoma-Seattle area has a lot of guys who can play but a lot of guys are in difficult situations so they don't get to be seen. L.A. is just wide open, San Diego is wide open. I feel there are a lot more opportunities at camps and stuff like that whereas basketball in Washington wasn't really a big thing. But it ended up happening and a lot of good guys from Seattle are in the NBA now."
3. This game won't be too different from any other road game. …
"But I'll see my friends, teachers and of course the opponents. (SDSU forward) Billy White is like my brother. We played on a team called EBO my junior year summer and ever since then we've been really cool."
4. He didn't seriously consider SDSU but …
"They have a great program. Fisher was the first coach to offer me a scholarship. The first time I met him, I loved him. Great guy, great energy. Coming from Michigan, he definitely knows how to coach. He's doing extremely well at San Diego State. … (But) I had to get out of San Diego. Just get away from home, get a full college experience. That's what it's all about, being away.
5. But he does miss something about San Diego. …
"The beach. I went from the beach to the desert."
6. Mission Beach is his favorite hangout, but don't look for him on the waves. …
"I tried boogie-boarding once. It didn't go too well. Didn't like the water. It was all in my mouth. Just nasty. And the board did flip me over."
7. His other hangout is a tiny Mexican restaurant named …
"Pokez. I used to go there every day with my high school teammates. It holds like 12 people but it was our spot. But that was it. I was at gym, the beach or Pokez."
8. If he had a choice to return permanently to either the Seattle or San Diego area …
"I'd go to San Diego, but realistically, because of the price and the way the economy is, I could end up anywhere. But San Diego is a great city. So is Seattle."
"It just rains too much. That's why I didn't go to U-dub. (Washington coach Lorenzo) Romar is, like, my uncle. I was going to go there, but I couldn't do the weather."
9. San Diego people don't realize Tucson …
"Is beautiful at night. I don't think anybody from San Diego realizes that. Just go all the way to the top of Campbell."
10. Tucson people don't realize San Diego …
"Actually gets cold out there. It really gets cold."
Please Wait…