OperationSports.com's Brad Dunn attended the "ESPN College Hoops 2K5" launch party in Atlanta, Georgia with the Atlanta Hawks' Josh Childress and Anthony Chau of ESPN Videogames. The party was held at the ESPN Zone in Atlanta, Georgia on November 14, 2004.

OperationSports.com would like to thank Mr. Chau for coordinating the interview and Mr. Childress for taking the time to chat with us about "College Hoops 2K5" and his career.

Childress' answers below are not exact quotes unless noted as such by quotation marks.

Operation Sports: What was your involvement in the production of "NCAA College Hoops 2K5"?

Josh Childress: I did some motion capture. Mainly running, dribbling and dunking.

Operation Sports: Who was the inspiration behind your unique hairstyle?

Josh Childress: “Me.”

Operation Sports: Is there any story about your hairstyle, like Johnny Damon's? He was not going to cut his hair until the Red Sox won a World Series. Are you going to let it grow until you get the Hawks back into the playoffs?

Josh Childress: “No, no. That could be a good one. I had it trimmed about three weeks ago. The last time I had it short was about five years ago.”

Operation Sports: In high school you played volleyball. Do you still play? Have you ever met (Stanford volleyball star and U.S. Olympic team member) Logan Tom?

Josh Childress: "Yeah, I met her. I just played my senior year to have some fun, nothing major.”

Operation Sports: You grew up on the west coast and went to Stanford. Was there any sort of culture shock upon arriving in Atlanta?

Josh Childress: “Atlanta is big enough of a city that the pace is similar; it's not the same as L.A. Social life is good. Not too much has changed.”

Operation Sports: You're a rookie and in many other sports there are rookie pranks. Do you have any stories to share?

Josh Childress: “We don’t have any hazing. We've got to bring doughnuts, carry bags, sing "Happy Birthday" to people.” (Childress then pointed out that he has to do many things for Atlanta's veteran center Kevin Willis - and that Willis is older than himself and fellow Hawks rookie Josh Smith combined.)

Operation Sports: Who do you hang out with the most on the Hawks?

Josh Childress: “The other rookies, Josh Smith, Royal Ivey and Donta Smith.”

Operation Sports: You obviously travel a lot, practice all the time and have events like this. How do you keep in touch with your family and friends back home?

Josh Childress: “Cell phones. I was talking to Donta Smith over there, my teammate.”

Operation Sports: Was leaving Stanford early a hard decision to make?

Josh Childress: “It was really tough, actually. I just had to do what was best for me. It was really tough, leaving my fans and what I was comfortable with. I felt like this was the best situation for me and it worked out.”

Operation Sports: Do you know about the Ron Artest situation? Are you going to get his new CD?

Josh Childress: “I can probably say I won’t. Al Harrington might have it. I might listen to it in the locker room or something. It’s really funny, actually. We were cracking up about that in the locker room.”

Operation Sports: If you could "posterize" any player, who would it be?

Josh Childress: “Yao Ming - because he is so tall. That would be a sick poster.”

(Editor's Note: Childress dunked on Yao Ming in his very next game - only two days after this interview. It made "ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays" that night - so perhaps Josh's dream poster is on the way…)

Operation Sports: What’s the biggest difference so far between the college and pro game?

Josh Childress: “The biggest difference is the players are much better. There are no nights off, there are no plays off. You have to be at your best at all times.”

Operation Sports: Do you do anything differently after a win or a loss?

Josh Childress: “We don’t do anything specifically. We are still trying to find ourselves. We have to win by playing harder.”

Operation Sports: What video games do you play - besides sports games?

Josh Childress: “'Halo', spit screen. I am going to try to play ("Halo 2") online. I just got my Xbox Live. I have not had a lot of time since we are on the road so much. I am going to get it hooked up.”

OperationSports.com would like to thank Josh Childress once again for taking the time to do this interview, and we wish him and his Hawks the best of luck this season.