WEBVTT - Jason Smith 0:00:00.040 --> 0:00:01.720 So I go into my freshman year of high school 0:00:01.720 --> 0:00:04.360 and that's like when the big transformassion takes place. I'm 0:00:04.360 --> 0:00:06.320 seeing all my friends have these huge, gross spurts. But 0:00:06.360 --> 0:00:07.880 I'm like, oh, wait a minute, I don't feel like 0:00:07.920 --> 0:00:11.920 I've grown anything. So I go into the physical freshman 0:00:12.000 --> 0:00:14.280 year and I was five ten. I was like crushed. 0:00:14.840 --> 0:00:17.520 I have no chance of being tall like my family. 0:00:17.600 --> 0:00:20.160 My brother is seven to two, my other brother six 0:00:20.239 --> 0:00:22.479 y four, my sister's six to two, my mom's six foot, 0:00:22.560 --> 0:00:24.480 my dad six five. I was like, I'm going to 0:00:24.520 --> 0:00:27.040 be the midget of the family. So I didn't really 0:00:27.080 --> 0:00:28.720 think anything. I was like, all right, let's work on 0:00:28.760 --> 0:00:31.200 your point guard skills. You can still play basketball. Let's 0:00:31.200 --> 0:00:33.879 have fun with it. But then five ten at the 0:00:33.880 --> 0:00:36.519 beginning of freshman year and six six at the end 0:00:36.560 --> 0:00:37.479 of my freshman year. 0:00:37.600 --> 0:00:40.879 Welcome to Cut, Traded, Fired, Retired. If this is your 0:00:40.880 --> 0:00:43.559 first time, thanks for checking out the podcast. There is 0:00:43.640 --> 0:00:46.240 no order to the episodes. Just pick and choose whenever 0:00:46.280 --> 0:00:48.919 you want to hear some great stories from professional athletes 0:00:48.920 --> 0:00:51.400 and coaches. If you're a regular, you already know how 0:00:51.440 --> 0:00:53.760 this works and thanks for all your support. I'm your 0:00:53.760 --> 0:00:56.960 host Susie Worgen. This episode's guest was born in Greeley 0:00:57.080 --> 0:00:59.680 and grew up in Kiowa, and for a while, Jason 0:00:59.720 --> 0:01:02.600 Smith thought he'd be the only short person in his family. 0:01:02.880 --> 0:01:05.360 That was until a growth spurt his freshman year of 0:01:05.440 --> 0:01:08.639 high school took him from five ten to six six. 0:01:08.840 --> 0:01:10.960 He was a star player at Platte Valley High School 0:01:10.959 --> 0:01:14.160 and was named three ya's most outstanding player his senior year. 0:01:14.480 --> 0:01:16.760 Jason opted to stay close to home and accepted a 0:01:16.760 --> 0:01:19.559 scholarship at Colorado State University, where he was the Mountain 0:01:19.600 --> 0:01:22.360 West Freshman of the Year and first team All Mountain 0:01:22.400 --> 0:01:25.240 West the next two seasons. He left the Rams early 0:01:25.360 --> 0:01:27.800 and was the twentieth overall pick in the two thousand 0:01:27.800 --> 0:01:30.959 and seven NBA draft and made an impact immediately with 0:01:31.000 --> 0:01:33.600 the seventy six ers, playing in seventy six games his 0:01:33.720 --> 0:01:36.680 rookie year. Jason would end up having a twelve year 0:01:36.760 --> 0:01:39.640 career in the NBA with several teams, and also dealt 0:01:39.640 --> 0:01:43.080 with a number of injuries. After his retirement in twenty nineteen, 0:01:43.280 --> 0:01:46.319 Jason focused on being a husband and father, doing some 0:01:46.440 --> 0:01:49.920 media work, and collecting more honors. In twenty twenty six, 0:01:49.960 --> 0:01:52.680 he was inducted into CSU's Ring of Honor, and his 0:01:52.840 --> 0:01:55.880 jersey hangs from the rafters of Moby Arena and Fort Collins. 0:01:56.120 --> 0:01:58.600 It's always great to chat with the fellow Ram ladies 0:01:58.640 --> 0:02:05.160 and gentlemen. Jason Smith cut Traded Fired retired podcast with 0:02:05.280 --> 0:02:07.840 Susie Wargen. Jason Smith, how are you? 0:02:08.120 --> 0:02:10.400 I am doing good and I'm trying to keep my 0:02:10.520 --> 0:02:13.480 voice alive from coming down off Cloud nine from yesterday. 0:02:13.480 --> 0:02:14.359 But yeah, awesome. 0:02:14.400 --> 0:02:16.960 You've had a big weekend. You're in town for you 0:02:17.040 --> 0:02:19.400 were put into the Ring of Honor for the CSU 0:02:19.520 --> 0:02:22.320 Rams and you now have a banner up and movie arena, 0:02:22.360 --> 0:02:25.639 which is really cool and what an honor. First of all, 0:02:25.639 --> 0:02:27.160 before we get into all this, what was it like 0:02:27.240 --> 0:02:29.480 to get that call to know that you were going 0:02:29.480 --> 0:02:30.560 to be in that Ring of honor? 0:02:30.760 --> 0:02:31.120 You know it? 0:02:32.440 --> 0:02:35.120 It was a very difficult thing for me to actually 0:02:35.160 --> 0:02:37.760 accept in my mind because I know all of the 0:02:37.760 --> 0:02:40.440 greats that came out of Colorado State, and to be 0:02:40.560 --> 0:02:44.079 in that conversation with Amy Van Dyken and Sonny Lubig 0:02:44.120 --> 0:02:47.240 and Becky Hammond and all the other great I was 0:02:47.280 --> 0:02:49.200 blown away. John gave me the call and I was 0:02:49.240 --> 0:02:51.080 just like are you playing a joke on me. 0:02:51.040 --> 0:02:52.880 Like to call somebody else? 0:02:53.040 --> 0:02:54.600 I think you button diled me. I don't know if 0:02:54.600 --> 0:02:58.080 that was supposed to be me, But for me, my family, 0:02:58.160 --> 0:03:00.640 my friends, everyone here at c you, they know all 0:03:00.639 --> 0:03:02.440 the hard work that I had to put in to 0:03:02.520 --> 0:03:05.280 get to this point, and for me, it was an 0:03:05.360 --> 0:03:06.320 absolute honor. 0:03:06.560 --> 0:03:09.880 Yeah. No, really cool. And what's even neater about the 0:03:09.880 --> 0:03:12.799 whole situation is that you're from here, which is where 0:03:12.800 --> 0:03:15.040 we'll start with this, and you know you play ball 0:03:15.080 --> 0:03:17.480 here and then you spend twelve years in the NBA. 0:03:17.600 --> 0:03:19.120 I mean you have to look back and go, you 0:03:19.120 --> 0:03:22.320 know what, Yeah, actually you tripled the average length of 0:03:22.360 --> 0:03:25.080 an NBA career, So you did all right? You deserve this. 0:03:25.720 --> 0:03:27.160 Yeah, if you take it all the way back to 0:03:27.480 --> 0:03:31.000 curzy Colorado days, Yeah, Platte Valley High School playing some 0:03:31.160 --> 0:03:35.160 high school basketball, mister three A two times my junior year, 0:03:35.200 --> 0:03:38.440 my senior year, and then heading off to Colorado State. 0:03:38.920 --> 0:03:41.520 I mean, I was just happy to be playing basketball 0:03:41.560 --> 0:03:45.880 in college Division I scholarship. My parents were very adamant 0:03:45.960 --> 0:03:49.240 of you are a student athlete, and I took that 0:03:49.280 --> 0:03:52.000 to heart because I just worked my tail off in practice. 0:03:52.000 --> 0:03:54.480 If I ever got any playing time. That was great, 0:03:54.560 --> 0:03:57.960 But my coach has challenged me in college going into 0:03:58.120 --> 0:04:00.320 my freshman year. They're like, we're gonna have to red 0:04:00.320 --> 0:04:02.520 shirt you because you're not big enough, you're not strong enough. 0:04:02.720 --> 0:04:04.480 And I was like, what do I gotta do to 0:04:04.640 --> 0:04:07.640 be playing my first year? Well, me, coming out of 0:04:07.720 --> 0:04:10.520 high school, I was seven foot one ninety were so 0:04:10.600 --> 0:04:13.600 gay enough, and they said, if you can get your 0:04:13.640 --> 0:04:16.520 weight up to two twenty five by the start of 0:04:16.560 --> 0:04:17.919 the season, we won't red shirt you. 0:04:18.320 --> 0:04:20.159 So how you played your freshman year? 0:04:20.200 --> 0:04:21.599 That's how I played my freshman year. 0:04:21.640 --> 0:04:22.039 Wow. 0:04:22.200 --> 0:04:25.839 I made a conscious effort going from Curzy, Colorado to 0:04:25.880 --> 0:04:29.320 Fort Collins, Colorado every day during the summer, getting in 0:04:29.360 --> 0:04:31.560 the weight room with the strength coach. They gave me 0:04:31.800 --> 0:04:34.520 cases of protein shakes, and. 0:04:34.560 --> 0:04:36.080 I just here's another insure. 0:04:36.320 --> 0:04:38.560 I know, I know, I just put the work in 0:04:39.279 --> 0:04:42.560 day in, day out, and for me, that hard work 0:04:42.560 --> 0:04:44.520 paid off just so I didn't get red shirts, so 0:04:44.560 --> 0:04:46.159 I had an opportunity to get on the court. 0:04:46.320 --> 0:04:47.400 Oh that's awesome, Jason. 0:04:47.480 --> 0:04:49.560 That's just the little tidbit. And then that's how I 0:04:49.600 --> 0:04:52.440 got on the court. I started to compete with the 0:04:52.520 --> 0:04:55.200 elder classmen of the sophomores and the juniors, and there 0:04:55.240 --> 0:04:57.320 was at the time a guy named Matt Nelson on 0:04:57.360 --> 0:05:00.000 the team, and I had watched him play in high school, 0:05:00.240 --> 0:05:02.480 and I was like, there's no way I can compete 0:05:02.480 --> 0:05:04.159 against this guy. But then when I put all that 0:05:04.200 --> 0:05:06.440 work in and I gained some weight and I learned 0:05:06.440 --> 0:05:10.200 tendencies of different players, the coaching staff really realized, Hey, 0:05:10.440 --> 0:05:12.479 he's taking it to heart that he's going to do 0:05:12.520 --> 0:05:15.640 anything and everything that we tell him to do to get. 0:05:15.440 --> 0:05:16.960 On the floor, which is huge. 0:05:17.120 --> 0:05:17.800 It was groundbreaking. 0:05:17.880 --> 0:05:20.719 Ye, you were coachable, yes, and so that's that's the key. Okay, 0:05:20.720 --> 0:05:22.919 So let's go back then to Curzy. So you grow up, 0:05:22.960 --> 0:05:26.000 you're born in Greeley, grew up in Curzy. Did you 0:05:26.040 --> 0:05:27.919 play other sports? Because you didn't come out of the 0:05:27.920 --> 0:05:30.480 wombs seven feet tall? So assuming you had other sports 0:05:30.480 --> 0:05:32.120 that you were that you liked, in the end, you 0:05:32.160 --> 0:05:32.640 tried out. 0:05:32.800 --> 0:05:35.880 So I've played baseball when I was little. I hated 0:05:35.920 --> 0:05:38.080 the fact that if you hit three out of ten. 0:05:37.960 --> 0:05:38.440 You were good. 0:05:38.720 --> 0:05:40.840 So I was like, this is the worst sport ever, 0:05:41.240 --> 0:05:43.160 too boring for me, too slow. I played soccer when 0:05:43.160 --> 0:05:46.440 I was little. Obviously the little track and field competitions 0:05:46.920 --> 0:05:50.000 during school. I love that blue ribbons were for me, 0:05:50.360 --> 0:05:53.880 that's for sure. And then once everybody started catching up 0:05:53.880 --> 0:05:55.560 to me athletically, I was like, oh man, I don't 0:05:55.560 --> 0:05:57.000 think I can do this track thing. This is a 0:05:57.000 --> 0:05:59.520 little bit different. But I got into high school and 0:05:59.600 --> 0:06:01.279 track with a great way for me to stay in 0:06:01.279 --> 0:06:02.159 shape in the off season. 0:06:02.279 --> 0:06:02.720 Did you hur? 0:06:03.240 --> 0:06:05.120 I did not hurdle. I was not I was not 0:06:05.160 --> 0:06:07.800 a fast runner. I could do high jump, though high 0:06:07.880 --> 0:06:10.440 jump was my thing. Long jump, high jump, lots of 0:06:10.480 --> 0:06:13.440 the actual running relay races not so much. 0:06:13.520 --> 0:06:14.280 Not my thing. 0:06:14.400 --> 0:06:15.479 My feet got real slow. 0:06:15.760 --> 0:06:19.280 But uh after that, I just kind of focused into 0:06:19.320 --> 0:06:23.160 basketball right around my sophomore year, and it paid off 0:06:23.160 --> 0:06:23.400 for me. 0:06:23.440 --> 0:06:25.320 When did you grow When did you have that big 0:06:25.360 --> 0:06:27.000 star or did you have a vispert question? 0:06:27.160 --> 0:06:29.839 I had five to ten when I was in sixth grade, 0:06:30.120 --> 0:06:31.719 And I tell this to people all the time that 0:06:31.760 --> 0:06:33.320 ask me how tall are you and when did you 0:06:33.320 --> 0:06:36.360 have your gros spurt? Sixth grade five ten, seventh grade 0:06:36.440 --> 0:06:39.200 five ten? I was like, Oh, that's not good. Eighth 0:06:39.240 --> 0:06:41.960 grade five ten. I was like, Oh cool, everybody's starting 0:06:41.960 --> 0:06:43.400 to catch up to me. I'm starting to look people 0:06:43.640 --> 0:06:45.600 to eye. I'm like, all right, I've got this one 0:06:45.640 --> 0:06:47.800 last gross spurt. Come on, I got to get above 0:06:47.839 --> 0:06:50.279 six feet. So I go into my freshman year of 0:06:50.320 --> 0:06:53.200 high school and that's like when the big transformasion takes place. 0:06:53.240 --> 0:06:55.279 I'm seeing all my friends have these huge gross spurts. 0:06:55.279 --> 0:06:56.800 But I'm like, oh, wait a minute, I don't feel 0:06:56.839 --> 0:06:59.960 like I've grown anything. So I go into the physical 0:07:00.320 --> 0:07:02.360 for freshman year and I was five ten. I was 0:07:02.400 --> 0:07:06.000 like crushed. I have no chance of being tall like 0:07:06.040 --> 0:07:08.680 my family. My brother is seven to two, my other 0:07:08.720 --> 0:07:11.240 brother six', four my sister's six to, two my mom's six, 0:07:11.280 --> 0:07:13.280 foot my dad six y. FIVE i was, Like i'm 0:07:13.280 --> 0:07:15.920 gonna be the midget of the. Family SO i didn't 0:07:15.920 --> 0:07:17.680 really think. ANYTHING i was, like all, right let's work 0:07:17.680 --> 0:07:19.960 on your point guard. Skills you can still play. Basketball 0:07:20.040 --> 0:07:22.800 let's have fun with. It but then five ten at 0:07:22.840 --> 0:07:25.320 the beginning of freshman year and six six at the 0:07:25.440 --> 0:07:26.239 end of my freshman. 0:07:26.320 --> 0:07:27.200 Year oh my. 0:07:27.280 --> 0:07:30.200 Gosh so that gross. Spurt And i've compared it with 0:07:30.280 --> 0:07:33.280 the likes Of Dwight Howard Otto Porter, junior one of 0:07:33.320 --> 0:07:36.320 my teammates In. Washington they both had the same type 0:07:36.320 --> 0:07:38.840 of gross spurts THAT i, did and from that five 0:07:38.960 --> 0:07:41.120 ten to six six at the end of the freshman, 0:07:41.200 --> 0:07:43.280 year and then going into my sophomore year six, eight 0:07:43.760 --> 0:07:47.320 junior year six,' ten coming into my senior year seven. 0:07:47.320 --> 0:07:50.160 Foot wow all in. High school it was all in. 0:07:50.240 --> 0:07:52.720 High school did it hurt your? Freshman. Year yeah i've 0:07:52.760 --> 0:07:54.280 talked to a few guys that, talk about like you 0:07:54.400 --> 0:07:55.160 just lay in bed and. 0:07:55.160 --> 0:07:58.520 You're, aching yes your, back aches your, shin's ache and. 0:07:58.640 --> 0:08:01.600 MY knees i have the ojga slaughtered bump on my 0:08:01.720 --> 0:08:04.720 knee plant. OR fastiitus i had, heel cups little jelly 0:08:04.720 --> 0:08:05.320 heel cups in. 0:08:05.360 --> 0:08:07.560 My shoes we're trying to just keep. 0:08:07.360 --> 0:08:10.600 Me upright at, that point my mom was constantly getting 0:08:10.640 --> 0:08:13.800 me orthotics for, my shoes and it's. 0:08:13.600 --> 0:08:14.000 Like you were. 0:08:14.040 --> 0:08:14.360 Growing. 0:08:14.480 --> 0:08:18.400 Daily literally it was a, painful experience and it was 0:08:18.400 --> 0:08:21.000 great because my high school coach really REALIZED that i 0:08:21.080 --> 0:08:22.480 was going through a lot. Of pain, he's like you, 0:08:22.480 --> 0:08:24.160 know what if you have to set out, of practice. 0:08:24.960 --> 0:08:27.440 Do it you have bigger things ahead. Of you you 0:08:27.480 --> 0:08:29.920 don't need to be going out there and going hard all. 0:08:29.960 --> 0:08:31.800 The time so and you're not a point? Guard, Anymore, 0:08:31.920 --> 0:08:32.840 yes yes. 0:08:33.200 --> 0:08:35.520 Very, Much so. 0:08:35.160 --> 0:08:36.000 Oh, my gosh that. 0:08:36.120 --> 0:08:36.200 Is. 0:08:36.280 --> 0:08:39.080 Crazy, wow okay so as you go through, high school as, 0:08:39.120 --> 0:08:40.880 you mentioned you get all these accolades while you're in 0:08:40.920 --> 0:08:44.000 high school and you are most outstanding player For The 0:08:44.120 --> 0:08:47.319 all state game your. Senior year you have other opportunities 0:08:47.320 --> 0:08:50.960 Aside From. COLORADO state I, Read, Gonzaga, utah wyoming and 0:08:51.120 --> 0:08:52.400 any other places that you. 0:08:52.440 --> 0:08:55.080 WERE considering i think at THE time i was really 0:08:55.160 --> 0:08:59.040 Torn Between Gonzaga, colorado STATE but i had offers all 0:08:59.080 --> 0:09:01.680 From The, east coast and my high school coach really 0:09:01.720 --> 0:09:04.600 helped me with the whole process Of eliminating, he said 0:09:04.640 --> 0:09:05.920 do you want to go east Of. 0:09:05.920 --> 0:09:07.640 THE mississippi i, was, like, HECK no i don't want 0:09:07.640 --> 0:09:07.760 to go. 0:09:07.760 --> 0:09:09.520 Over there that you even bet, Over, THAT no, i 0:09:09.559 --> 0:09:11.480 HAD so i hadn't known what was. 0:09:11.520 --> 0:09:14.040 Over there so, FOR me i just wanted to stay 0:09:14.040 --> 0:09:16.920 a little bit closer To Home West coast. Midwest area 0:09:17.000 --> 0:09:20.160 and once we kind of, limited that the letters just. 0:09:20.200 --> 0:09:24.480 Flooded in AND when i, GOT recruited i knew because 0:09:24.520 --> 0:09:26.880 my brother was tall and he had, played basketball and 0:09:26.920 --> 0:09:29.160 he was recruited by the top twenty five teams throughout the, 0:09:29.320 --> 0:09:32.440 entire country and we just got bombarded, by MAIL so i, 0:09:32.480 --> 0:09:34.720 was like let's limit it a. Little bit even though 0:09:35.040 --> 0:09:37.720 when we did, limit It Those east coast schools still kept. 0:09:37.760 --> 0:09:41.520 Sending letters so it's a very tough thing to kind. 0:09:41.559 --> 0:09:44.640 Of navigate but at the same time it, Was, awesome 0:09:44.800 --> 0:09:46.720 yeah because you get those letters from those schools and 0:09:46.760 --> 0:09:49.320 you know that their top, twenty five you hear about THEM. On, 0:09:49.400 --> 0:09:52.040 tv NOW granted i GREW up i didn't HAVE. CABLE 0:09:52.080 --> 0:09:56.920 tv I, WAS, ABC, Cbs, nbc fox, Maybe right THAT'S 0:09:56.960 --> 0:09:59.520 why i never really grew up with. College basketball the 0:09:59.559 --> 0:10:02.480 only GAMES that i saw were whoever was on the, 0:10:02.559 --> 0:10:05.760 national stage Which was jordan Or the knicks Or, the 0:10:05.800 --> 0:10:07.920 lakers the major, market team right For a. 0:10:07.960 --> 0:10:10.640 Nuggets, Game yeah. 0:10:09.720 --> 0:10:11.839 So for me in the, COLLEGE aspect i didn't really 0:10:11.840 --> 0:10:13.880 KNOW what i was getting. Myself INTO but i was 0:10:14.600 --> 0:10:17.160 potentially a little biased because both my parents Went To 0:10:17.160 --> 0:10:18.000 colorado state. 0:10:17.800 --> 0:10:19.520 And one more. THEY did i didn't, know, that, yeah 0:10:19.520 --> 0:10:20.280 okay and. 0:10:20.240 --> 0:10:23.120 One of my brothers he Graduated From colorado state with an, 0:10:23.120 --> 0:10:25.880 engineering DEGREE so i had. 0:10:25.679 --> 0:10:26.360 A bit of. 0:10:26.400 --> 0:10:28.679 A bias but also there was ONE point i went 0:10:28.720 --> 0:10:30.920 To a nuggets GAME and i was very lucky to 0:10:31.040 --> 0:10:33.800 talk TO the gm Of the nuggets at, The Time, 0:10:33.880 --> 0:10:37.640 kiki vandwick and he. Was. Awesome YEAH like i had 0:10:37.640 --> 0:10:39.600 one question. FOR him i, was like does it matter 0:10:39.800 --> 0:10:42.520 going to a bigger school or a smaller school? For 0:10:42.640 --> 0:10:45.480 basketball do you guys look for that in? A player and, he, 0:10:45.559 --> 0:10:49.880 said honestly if, you're good it's our job to. Find 0:10:49.920 --> 0:10:52.920 YOU and i took that. To heart that hit me 0:10:53.640 --> 0:10:55.400 with a thousand pounds down the right over. 0:10:55.440 --> 0:10:58.240 The, head, well like and look, at colleges. Same thing if, 0:10:58.280 --> 0:11:00.480 you're good you're at A three a school. Found, You, 0:11:00.679 --> 0:11:01.600 Yes yeah and. 0:11:01.520 --> 0:11:02.920 THAT'S why i took it. TO heart, i said you, 0:11:02.960 --> 0:11:04.240 know what it doesn't. Really MATTER if i go To, 0:11:04.240 --> 0:11:06.200 a GONZAGA which I knew i was going to for sure, 0:11:06.320 --> 0:11:08.480 RED shirt i would have no chance. Of playing i'd 0:11:08.520 --> 0:11:10.800 be far away. From home THAT'S why i, was like you, 0:11:10.840 --> 0:11:14.040 Know What colorado state's not a. Bad idea i'm going 0:11:14.120 --> 0:11:16.240 to take care of EVERYTHING that i. CAN control i 0:11:16.280 --> 0:11:18.800 can work my tail off to get on the court. 0:11:18.840 --> 0:11:22.040 And EVERYTHING and i. DID that i Committed To colorado 0:11:22.160 --> 0:11:25.120 state EVEN though i had Offers from Gonzaga And oregon 0:11:25.200 --> 0:11:28.920 State And, arizona kansas like all these top twenty. Five 0:11:28.960 --> 0:11:31.040 schools they, just said we'll take a chance. On you 0:11:31.080 --> 0:11:32.640 we'll probably have to red, shirt you but we'll take 0:11:32.679 --> 0:11:34.360 a chance. On you so for me to Go To 0:11:34.400 --> 0:11:37.760 colorado state and have the best opportunity, to succeed plus 0:11:37.800 --> 0:11:40.800 making my, parents happy my brother. Was happy and the 0:11:40.880 --> 0:11:42.840 nice thing about being close. To HOME when i talked 0:11:42.840 --> 0:11:45.040 to a lot of the college athletes on recruiting trips 0:11:45.760 --> 0:11:48.520 was they wish they could be closer to home because 0:11:48.600 --> 0:11:52.000 as a, college athlete many people don't realize the time 0:11:52.080 --> 0:11:54.400 restraints that you have of you only have a couple 0:11:54.440 --> 0:11:57.360 minutes each day to yourself because you got weights and 0:11:57.520 --> 0:12:01.080 study haul and classes and, training sessions everything. Going on 0:12:01.679 --> 0:12:04.640 so for me to be close to home when we 0:12:04.720 --> 0:12:06.280 did have, A break i could go home and see. 0:12:06.280 --> 0:12:10.880 My parents, oh yeah you're forty. Minutes, away absolutely. 0:12:10.200 --> 0:12:12.480 That was a big decision part, for me plus all. 0:12:12.679 --> 0:12:15.480 My family they got to see all of my, college, 0:12:15.520 --> 0:12:19.040 games yeah which was insane, to ME and i thought 0:12:19.040 --> 0:12:21.559 it was normal because that's what my. Parents did they 0:12:21.640 --> 0:12:24.320 drove to Every Continental united states game that. 0:12:24.400 --> 0:12:24.840 We had. 0:12:25.200 --> 0:12:27.720 They did only games that they missed were the games 0:12:27.720 --> 0:12:28.240 that we played in. 0:12:28.280 --> 0:12:31.760 Whole, lot yeah because they couldn't, fly so oh, my 0:12:31.800 --> 0:12:33.760 gosh they Drove Like San diego. 0:12:33.600 --> 0:12:36.920 State game and they loved the. Road trip so that's 0:12:36.960 --> 0:12:39.480 why that's cool to kind of. Fast forward we talked about. 0:12:39.480 --> 0:12:42.360 Off air it's not that hard for me to drive. 0:12:42.440 --> 0:12:46.200 Long Distances san diego is twenty three twenty four Hours, From. 0:12:46.200 --> 0:12:50.199 Denver colorado, you know all the time by my sister. 0:12:50.000 --> 0:12:52.719 Went to school AT Nau So Northern arizona University, Of, 0:12:52.760 --> 0:12:56.400 flagstaff arizona fifteen. Hour drive you could take it either 0:12:56.400 --> 0:12:58.160 going Over The. Rocky mountains we could go Down Through 0:12:58.160 --> 0:13:01.840 new mexico and my grandma she lived Down By New mexico, 0:13:01.960 --> 0:13:05.360 texas Border like, amarillo area and that was a nine. 0:13:05.360 --> 0:13:07.520 Hour drive so these drives were nothing. 0:13:07.559 --> 0:13:09.680 TO me i, feel like this is such a crazy thing. 0:13:09.600 --> 0:13:13.040 To hop on. The road let's take, a drive. 0:13:13.200 --> 0:13:16.160 Family truckster. Let's, go well it pays off for you 0:13:16.200 --> 0:13:18.199 because you Come To, colorado state like you, said earlier 0:13:18.240 --> 0:13:19.800 you did all the work what you needed to do 0:13:19.920 --> 0:13:22.560 to get on. The court You're The mountain west freshman of. 0:13:22.559 --> 0:13:24.920 THE year, i mean you have a, great season you 0:13:24.960 --> 0:13:27.800 have great seasons for two more, after that and then 0:13:28.080 --> 0:13:30.520 You Leave. COLORADO state i mean with a whole bunch. 0:13:30.559 --> 0:13:32.640 Of records you. Leave early at, that time you were 0:13:32.760 --> 0:13:35.280 ninth all time and scoring sixth, and rebounds fifth in, 0:13:35.320 --> 0:13:38.240 block shots second most with. Double doubles what went into 0:13:38.240 --> 0:13:40.960 the decision to leave then in two thousand and seven 0:13:40.960 --> 0:13:41.319 and enter. 0:13:41.360 --> 0:13:44.679 THE draft i think we kind of groomed myself Because 0:13:44.760 --> 0:13:48.360 after i'd gotten that accolade my, freshman year they had 0:13:48.440 --> 0:13:52.480 definitely put that on. My, mind really it was all my, teammates, Like, 0:13:52.520 --> 0:13:54.200 Oh jay you're gonna go IN The nba draft right after. 0:13:54.280 --> 0:13:55.800 FRESHMAN year i, was like what are you? 0:13:55.960 --> 0:13:58.640 Talking about there is NO chance i have a chance 0:13:58.760 --> 0:14:01.320 in hell in getting TO. The NBA so i didn't 0:14:01.320 --> 0:14:04.520 really believe it at. That point but my coach he. 0:14:04.559 --> 0:14:06.800 Asked me, he's like so what are? You Thinking and, 0:14:06.840 --> 0:14:08.280 i'm like what do? You mean WHAT am? I thinking 0:14:08.400 --> 0:14:11.559 i'm coming back to go to, class right like what? 0:14:11.600 --> 0:14:14.600 Time's practice, he's, like, no like are you going to 0:14:14.640 --> 0:14:16.120 stay or are you going to make a decision? To 0:14:16.200 --> 0:14:19.000 LEAVE and i, was like is this? A joke did 0:14:19.040 --> 0:14:21.240 you guys put him up to asking, me this like what's? 0:14:21.280 --> 0:14:23.360 GOING on i had no idea what was? Going on 0:14:23.440 --> 0:14:26.160 but he, was, like honestly the fact that you don't. 0:14:26.240 --> 0:14:30.120 Realize it let's keep putting it into. Your mind you 0:14:30.160 --> 0:14:32.840 have the potential to play. Post college you could. Go 0:14:32.880 --> 0:14:35.600 overseas you have a very slim chance to get INTO, 0:14:35.640 --> 0:14:37.280 the nba but it takes a lot. 0:14:37.080 --> 0:14:40.200 Of work and this is your. Freshman year my, FRESHMAN 0:14:40.280 --> 0:14:41.160 year i had. 0:14:41.200 --> 0:14:43.360 NO idea i was just happy to be. IN college 0:14:43.400 --> 0:14:45.680 i got my education. Paid for my parents are Happy 0:14:45.680 --> 0:14:46.240 that i'm going to get it. 0:14:46.400 --> 0:14:48.480 Playing. Basketball yes SO. 0:14:48.520 --> 0:14:50.480 Then i go into my sophomore YEAR and i had 0:14:50.520 --> 0:14:54.680 that drive and determination to work even HARDER because i 0:14:54.720 --> 0:14:56.840 got the accolade that, freshman YEAR and i knew that 0:14:57.360 --> 0:15:00.520 We Had matt nelson leaving from, the PROGRAM and i 0:15:00.720 --> 0:15:02.680 had a real opportunity to kind of step into that 0:15:02.760 --> 0:15:05.480 role of that main guy on. The team so my 0:15:05.560 --> 0:15:09.320 sophomore year. WAS awesome i, performed really. Really well the 0:15:09.360 --> 0:15:11.720 coaches did a really good job of helping me throughout 0:15:11.800 --> 0:15:14.120 the entire year of dealing with ups and downs and 0:15:14.680 --> 0:15:17.960 really reading defenses and offensive looks and getting your. Teammates 0:15:18.000 --> 0:15:21.440 involved so had a really good. Sophomore year after that, 0:15:21.480 --> 0:15:24.280 sophomore year, they, said hey are you going to take that? 0:15:24.400 --> 0:15:26.880 Jump again and they asked me. THAT question i, was, 0:15:26.920 --> 0:15:30.320 Like no i'm not mentally ready to. LEAVE college i. 0:15:30.440 --> 0:15:34.520 ENJOY it i enjoy the work aspect. Of it, for 0:15:34.600 --> 0:15:37.240 me thinking of leaving and being kind of like on, your, 0:15:37.280 --> 0:15:40.360 own yeah that's what a professional athlete. Is like you 0:15:40.520 --> 0:15:43.880 are responsible for yourself at, all TIMES and i just 0:15:44.000 --> 0:15:45.880 wasn't ready. FOR it i took it. To heart my, 0:15:45.920 --> 0:15:48.160 coaches said, all, right well let's go with your. Junior 0:15:48.240 --> 0:15:50.000 year you got to have a better year than your 0:15:50.000 --> 0:15:52.640 freshman and. Sophomore YEAR so i, Was, like okay let's 0:15:52.680 --> 0:15:54.960 put in, the work let's do. The JOB and i 0:15:55.000 --> 0:15:57.880 had a great. Junior year our team had so. So 0:15:58.080 --> 0:16:00.200 success we're kind, of average middle of the pack of. 0:16:00.240 --> 0:16:03.000 The conference but then my head coach had gotten Fired 0:16:03.040 --> 0:16:06.320 daily air had. Gotten, fired yeah and that sent shockwaves, 0:16:07.280 --> 0:16:10.840 through me through, our team, my family because we had 0:16:10.880 --> 0:16:14.720 this plan of potentially leaving after my, senior year but 0:16:14.840 --> 0:16:18.520 then that got accelerated drastically because he got fired and 0:16:18.600 --> 0:16:21.440 you don't know who they're going to. Bring in and 0:16:21.920 --> 0:16:24.280 every one of my teammates was looking at, me, like 0:16:24.320 --> 0:16:27.760 hey what are. You doing and at, THAT point i 0:16:27.800 --> 0:16:30.440 had had a better year in my JUNIOR year I 0:16:30.480 --> 0:16:33.800 think i was averaging seventeen points. Ten rebounds the draft boards. 0:16:33.840 --> 0:16:36.760 And everything i'd been on them for years and people were. Just, 0:16:36.840 --> 0:16:40.280 WAITING well i took. A chance and the biggest thing 0:16:40.400 --> 0:16:43.120 for me was really trying to convince my parents you left. 0:16:43.120 --> 0:16:45.000 School, early, yes yeah. 0:16:44.720 --> 0:16:46.440 They, were all you are a. 0:16:46.640 --> 0:16:51.520 Student athlete and it took some convincing for, my PARENTS 0:16:51.600 --> 0:16:55.720 but i proved to THEM that i was, BUSINESS ready 0:16:56.040 --> 0:17:00.520 i was, ATHLETICALLY ready i was, mentally ready and they 0:17:01.720 --> 0:17:04.359 took a chance, on Me saying i'm ready. 0:17:04.400 --> 0:17:06.320