CHARLOTTE—The corners of Jordan Travis’s mouth wriggle into something resembling a smile as he tries not to give too much credence to the question posed: Do you notice people who were saying a certain thing about you last year—‘he can’t play,’ ‘he’s not this or not that’—and how they’ve changed their tune after your success?
“I saw a couple people that were talking pretty bad, but now they admit it,” Travis says. “As long as they’re real man, that’s the main thing about life, it’s not always about proving other people wrong, it’s about proving yourself right. I always want to prove myself right every single day about what type of person I am, what type of player I am.”
While Travis is more of an internal motivator, he remembers things from his struggles. Like the night the Florida State quarterback was booed at home against Notre Dame, or the feeling of melancholy after a crucial interception on the road against NC State, a moment he called a turning point in his career as the Noles lost while trying to mount a comeback. Now he’s back, as a moderator joked, for what may be a record third media day appearance. But Travis’s career has been a true act of persistence, including a potential position change. He admitted to being down in the dumps at various times, especially when former coach Willie Taggart was fired and Mike Norvell took over.
