Junior Galette Interview

Defensive End – Stillman

By: Alex Khvatov

1/28/10
 

Alex Khvatov:  You moved to the US from Haiti at the age of ten, what are you experiencing at the moment with the whole tragedy that occurred there recently?

Junior Galette:  At the moment, I feel that my family is very strong.  I was able to stay focused on what I have to do.  I can’t really help anybody else right now.  It is a tough time.  I am dealing with adversity.  I was born in Haiti and spent my childhood there.  I don’t know how to put into words.  My grandparents are safe, but I lost a few cousins.  It is pretty tough to deal with.  Best thing that I can do is work hard and get ready for the Texas vs the Nation game and the Combine.

Alex Khvatov:  What are your measurements (height, weight and forty time)?

Junior Galette:  I am 6’2, 248 pounds, and I run a 4.50 forty.   

Alex Khvatov:  What positions did you play in high school?

Junior Galette:  In high school I played both ways.  I played strong safety and outside linebacker on defense.  I played RB and WR on offense, but for the most part I was a wide receiver.  Basketball was actually my main sport.  I played it day and night.  But I stopped growing.  Then reality kicked in.  I wasn’t going to play football my senior year, but my coach convinced me to play.  Football came pretty naturally to me.   

Alex Khvatov:  Coming out of high school, what programs showed interest in you besides Temple?

Junior Galette:  Besides Temple, I had Rutgers and Connecticut.  I had a situation with my low ACT scores.  Temple coaches were at Virginia at that time.  They told me to go to a Prep School for a half of a semester to get my score up.  I took ACT courses and boosted my score.  I got a scholarship and signed with Temple.       

Alex Khvatov:  Why did you choose Temple? 

Junior Galette:  The coaches have been there for me since my junior year of high school.  They had my back.  My mother told that they really want you to come and play for them.  I went there.  I went to a program where I had a chance to play early as a freshman.  It was a good decision for me. 

Alex Khvatov:  Why did you decide to transfer to Stillman for your senior season?

Junior Galette:  Basically it got down to taking care of my little cousin.  He got into an altercation on campus when he was visiting me at Temple.  Since he was my guest, I was responsible for him.  It was a tough part for me.  He came from Haiti, and his family wasn’t providing for him.  He was 17 years old.  I put him in high school and was like a father figure to him.  He just got too happy in the environment that he was in.  The school wanted to suspend me for 6-8 games.  I told them that it can’t happen.  I can’t miss any games because I am an NFL draft prospect.  It would hurt my chances to play in the NFL.  I had to find another school and go and play there for my senior season. 

Alex Khvatov:  Describe your senior season at Stillman to us. 

Junior Galette:  I went to Tuscaloosa, Alabama for my senior season.  I took ownership of all of the methods and things that I learned at Temple.  I wanted to build a team commodore at Stillman.  I had no ego.  I was really eager to help the team.  After the first week of practice, the players wanted me to be named team captain.  I took on a leadership role.  It is who I am.  I am a vocal leader.  It comes naturally to me.  Head coach L.C. Cole is a great guy.  Coming to Stillman was the best decision that I made in my life.

Alex Khvatov:  What are your strengths on the football field?

Junior Galette:  Pass rushing, getting to the QB, my personality and the overall leadership.  I am almost like the alpha dog in the room.  People are willing to follow me because I have a unique personality.

Alex Khvatov:  What areas of your game do you still need to improve upon?

Junior Galette:  I would say that I am eager to learn.  I am learning a lot down here where I am training from the former starting DL of the Ravens.  I am learning new techniques.  They would classify me as raw talent who has to learn some more technique.  I am a fanatic about football.  I love to watch Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis play.  I try to imitate what they do on the field.  It becomes a part of me.  I love football.

Alex Khvatov:  Who is the one NFL player that you would compare your game to?

Junior Galette:  Lawrence Taylor.  My mother and father told me a long time ago that I can do anything I want to do.  I just need to put my heart into it.  I feel that I have so much faith.  I want to accomplish great things and prosper through any type of adversity.

Alex Khvatov:  What is your favorite NFL team?

Junior Galette:  I don’t really have a favorite team.  I love how the Colts get off the ball.  I love how Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis get off the ball.  I was upset when Brett Favre lost last night because he plays with so much passion.  I also have so much passion for this game.  I am playing for my country and my family.  A lot is on the line for me.  I love to watch Brett and Lawrence Taylor play.

Alex Khvatov:  Who is your favorite NFL player?

Junior Galette:  Either Robert Mathis or Dwight Freeney.  Freeney is a beast.  I would love to have him as my teacher.  I would say those two.  I like James Harrison as well.  He has been through so much adversity in life.  He overcame that and became the MVP.

Alex Khvatov:  Which underclassman on your team should we keep an eye on in the future?

Junior Galette:  Michael Ricks.  I know that he has a future.  He is 6’2’, 220 pounds and runs a 4.32 consistently.  He had a pick in every game last year.  Some of them were called back because of penalties.  He is a safety/corner.  I talk to a lot of guys at Stillman.  They call me all the time.  These kids really thank me for coming there.  I love helping people. 

Alex Khvatov:  What makes you such a feared pass rusher? 

Junior Galette:  My speed.  Speed kills.  I took it from basketball.  I was a SF/SG.  I would just blow by people with my first step.  My motor never stops.  I am relentless.  I refuse to tell myself that I am tired.  I am playing for so much more. 

Alex Khvatov:  Do you take a lot of pride in your versatility?

Junior Galette:  I do take a lot of pride in it.  I am 248 pounds, but I have the speed to move and redirect from one sideline to the next.  I stretch as much as possible.  I take yoga.  I am so flexible.  When I went to Temple, I was only 195 pounds.  I kept stretching fanatically to keep my hips loose.

Alex Khvatov:  What do you enjoy most about playing football?

Junior Galette:  Getting a sack.  To get a sack is the hardest thing to do.  I love to get a sack and a fumble during the game.  I can put the team on my back.  All eyes are on me.  It is a wonderful feeling when I get a sack and a fumble.  When I go to the gym right now and get on the field, I am able to release everything.  I know what my country is going through.  It is a sad tragedy.  I can’t even put into words. 

Alex Khvatov:  What makes you a unique individual?

Junior Galette:  The adversity that I have overcome in life.  A lot of tragic events have happened in my life.  I have come from poverty, from nothing.  My father worked hard in this country.  He provided for our family and my brothers.  I have a picture of me and my brothers where we used to take baths at Haiti.  I have been able to overcome events in my life and still be able to play football.  That separates me from the crowd.  I went to a public school the first three years of high school.  Then I asked my parents to send me to a private school for my senior year.  I went to one of the top private schools in New Jersey.  It was the best high school around.  I went from public to private school, from New Jersey to Philadelphia to Tuscaloosa, Alabama.  Life has been a big journey for me.    

Alex Khvatov:  What are your hobbies?

Junior Galette:  I speak to my mother every day.  I am the youngest son out of the three boys.  I speak to my family members all the time.  I stay off the internet as much as possible because there are so many negative things being said there.  People bash my character.  I don’t like to see that.  Everything happens for a reason in life.  I try to stay on neutral ground.  I like to watch tape of Lawrence Taylor and Dwight Freeney.  I watch tape of my opponents all the time.  I fell in love with football.  It is my primary job.  I want to be able to support my family. 

Alex Khvatov:  What do you want to do with your life after your football career is over?

Junior Galette:  I will do something with the sports industry and kids.  I speak to kids all the time.  I talk to them about facing adversity in life and dealing with peer pressure.  It is great to speak to them.  Temple is in Philadelphia.  It is not in the rich neighborhood.  They have a lot of one single parent households.  I tell kids that they can come through and rise.  The future is there for them.  I love to be able to see a smile on their faces.  I want to play football.  It motivates me even more.  I want to work with kids or be a commentator.  I am a unique person.    

Alex Khvatov:  How are you preparing for the upcoming Texas vs The Nation All-Star Game and the Scouting Combine? 

Junior Galette:   Right now, I am in Fort Lauderdale, FL.  We start practice at 6:30 in the morning.  We do defensive line work.  I am taught everything that we will do at the Combine.  I go against guys from Michigan and Notre Dame.  I am working on my speed and my forty for the Combine.  I am working out with former track star Ato Bolden.  I think that he still holds the record for Trinidad in the 200 meters.  I was so raw, and he has helped me clean up my technique.  He is teaching me how to run from 9:30 am to 11 am.  I lift from about 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm.  I get a massage after that.  I spend various days with the chiropractor.  My work day is from 6:30 am to 6:30 pm.  I love it.  I am the first to the gym and the last one to leave.  I love doing it.  I am really enjoying it.    

Alex Khvatov:  Finish the sentence, Junior Galette is....

Junior Galette:  On and off-the-field, I am a natural leader.  I enjoy being in the leadership role.  Off-the-field, I am loose and I make people laugh.  I have a unique personality.  At the training facility, I am hyped up before each practice.  I get everyone to wake up.  I am a happy person.  You can never know too much.  I learned a lot.  I love to communicate with new people.  Knowledge is power.