Zack Pope Senior Profile

DURHAM, N.C. ? Zack Pope recently sat down with GoDuke.com for his senior profile. Pope is a midfielder on the Duke men's soccer team who hails from Round Rock, Texas. Find out what his nickname is, what TV shows he watches, what kind of food he likes to eat, plus much more.

GoDuke.com: What is your nickname?
Zack Pope: Ziggy (Zig). My older brothers and uncles used to call me this because of the way I ran in zig-zags on the field when I was younger and it's just stayed with me over the years.

GD: Who is your favorite professional player in your sport?
ZP: Thierry Henry. The man is all class. What else can I say?

GD: What's your favorite movie from over the summer?
ZP: My favorite movie from the summer would have to be Superbad. Our whole team went and saw it during pre-season and I had to go back and watch it again because I was laughing so hard the first time I saw it.

GD: What's your favorite TV show?
ZP: My favorite TV show of all time is Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. I could literally watch that show all day.

GD: What show do you most anticipate a new episode of?
ZP: Right now it would have to be the new “Shot of Love” with Tila Tequila. You basically can't go wrong with a show like that.

GD: What's your favorite food?
ZP: Anything my mom cooks is basically going to be my favorite food. My favorite is probably sweet potato casserole with some brown sugar and almonds on top with marshmallows.

GD: Do you have any pregame rituals?
ZP: Before every game I always go and chill in the training room while I eat to sort of relax the nerves. I also wear an armband under my jersey for my nephew that passed away about one-and-a-half years ago.

GD: What are you planning on doing after graduation?
ZP: After graduation I am hoping to continue to play professionally. If that doesn't work out I will probably look to get into some sort of marketing. Worst case scenario, I will do Teach for America.

GD: Who's had the most impact on your life and why?
ZP: My family has had the greatest impact on my life. From my two parents, to my two older brothers, there has never been one time in my life where they didn't support what I was doing. It's always nice to have that kind of support all the time and is something I definitely don't take for granted.

GD: What would the perfect end to your athletic career look like?
ZP: An ACC tournament championship and a national championship.

GD: What's your favorite part of practice and why?
ZP: Favorite part of practice is probably the 5v2 or one-touch juggling games we play before practice because it's a nice, easy and fun way to get into the groove of things after a normally tiring day of classes.

GD: What's your favorite sport, other than your own, to watch on TV?
ZP: I like watching X Games sports.

GD: What is your advice to this year's freshmen on your team?
ZP: Don't take your time here for granted because it will be over before you know it and you don't want to leave with any regrets.

GD: What do you do in your free time?
ZP: I like watching movies or playing Xbox 360.

GD: What game is in your gaming system right now?
ZP: Halo 3.

Players Mentioned

Zack Pope

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