1 00:00:06,920 --> 00:00:09,680 Speaker 1: Hey, what I'll welcome in. I'm Doug Gottlieb and this 2 00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:12,440 Speaker 1: is all all basketball, all the time, but we really 3 00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:15,880 Speaker 1: tell personal stories. Dick sweets. Guest is Langston Galloway of 4 00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:19,560 Speaker 1: the Detroit Pistons. If you download and listen to this 5 00:00:19,880 --> 00:00:23,599 Speaker 1: entire pod, don't forget to subscribe and rate. You'll learn 6 00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:26,880 Speaker 1: where Langston Galloway was when he was called up to 7 00:00:26,920 --> 00:00:29,920 Speaker 1: the Knicks from the Westchester Knicks. Pretty cool story what 8 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:32,519 Speaker 1: it was like, not just his first game, took the 9 00:00:32,520 --> 00:00:34,640 Speaker 1: train to his first game and d see, but his 10 00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:38,960 Speaker 1: second game was in the Garden against the Rockets and 11 00:00:39,040 --> 00:00:41,720 Speaker 1: he did pretty well. Plus the feelings of signing a 12 00:00:41,840 --> 00:00:44,720 Speaker 1: three year guaranteed contract for over twenty million dollars with 13 00:00:44,760 --> 00:00:47,839 Speaker 1: the Detroit Pistons. We go into his background growing up 14 00:00:47,840 --> 00:00:49,519 Speaker 1: in Baton Rouge, all the guys used to play with 15 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:51,960 Speaker 1: and against growing up. Lots of good stuff. You can't 16 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:55,280 Speaker 1: wait to for you to hear my interview with Langston Galloway. 17 00:00:55,600 --> 00:01:01,360 Speaker 1: Let me start with the bubble and um, look what 18 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:05,880 Speaker 1: Paul George said is a real thing, not just because 19 00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:07,319 Speaker 1: of the bubble. And we've talked about this in the 20 00:01:07,360 --> 00:01:11,679 Speaker 1: pod before, which is it's not really natural to be 21 00:01:11,720 --> 00:01:14,120 Speaker 1: in a hotel for two months, not just if you're 22 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:16,320 Speaker 1: an NBA superstar, for anybody. Have you ever been stuck 23 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:18,440 Speaker 1: in a hotel? You like, man, at some point, first, 24 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:21,240 Speaker 1: there's there's a moment there where it's really cool. You're like, man, 25 00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:22,400 Speaker 1: I know the person at the front desk and the 26 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:24,440 Speaker 1: people to clean the room. I know everything. And then 27 00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:27,720 Speaker 1: there's a probe like, oh my gosh, I've become groundhog Day, 28 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:32,319 Speaker 1: where it's the same thing over and over and over again. 29 00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:34,520 Speaker 1: And you can say these are first world problems, but 30 00:01:34,560 --> 00:01:37,160 Speaker 1: you have to also factor in that whatever your normal 31 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:39,319 Speaker 1: life is like, especially in the summer, Hey, man, I 32 00:01:39,400 --> 00:01:41,080 Speaker 1: like to go fishing. I like to go on vacations. Like, 33 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:44,280 Speaker 1: now you're in this enclosed environment. You're still dealing with 34 00:01:44,319 --> 00:01:47,640 Speaker 1: COVID and all the testing and everyone else going through 35 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:51,600 Speaker 1: the stresses of the playoffs, and you're kind of sequestered. However, 36 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:54,720 Speaker 1: nice the resort is still just did the resort. It 37 00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:59,360 Speaker 1: does become groundhog Day. I believe that Paul Georgia is 38 00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:02,880 Speaker 1: suffering from some form of kind of COVID induced depression, 39 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:05,000 Speaker 1: not that he had COVID, but all the other stuff 40 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:06,600 Speaker 1: with it. And then he broke out of it the 41 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:08,760 Speaker 1: other night and it was amazing to see. And while 42 00:02:08,880 --> 00:02:12,320 Speaker 1: Charles Barkley can say like, hey, there's a first world problems, 43 00:02:12,320 --> 00:02:15,720 Speaker 1: he's right, but they're real problems, real problems. If you 44 00:02:15,760 --> 00:02:18,280 Speaker 1: have kids, you know they you probably have one that's 45 00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:20,000 Speaker 1: gone through the same thing where suddenly they lack the 46 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:23,040 Speaker 1: motivation where normally there get up and go kid, and 47 00:02:23,040 --> 00:02:24,560 Speaker 1: now you're like, man, get up off the couch, stop 48 00:02:24,560 --> 00:02:27,680 Speaker 1: playing Fortnite, stop texting your friends, go out, be like 49 00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:30,519 Speaker 1: why I can't be had to maintain sotal distancing, Like 50 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:32,800 Speaker 1: you can ride your bike, you can go play hoops, 51 00:02:33,160 --> 00:02:34,880 Speaker 1: you can go you know, swim, you can do all 52 00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:37,480 Speaker 1: these other things like you can go and be around friends. 53 00:02:37,480 --> 00:02:39,880 Speaker 1: And even after quarantine, there's still kind of some some 54 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:42,760 Speaker 1: after effects. And I also think that that's part of 55 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:46,320 Speaker 1: what's factored in to all of the emotion with the 56 00:02:46,440 --> 00:02:50,440 Speaker 1: NBA players based on what's happening in Kenosha. Look, I 57 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:54,520 Speaker 1: I respect you're right to not just protests, but protest peacefully. 58 00:02:54,680 --> 00:02:58,200 Speaker 1: That's what you're supposed to do. Let your stance be known. 59 00:02:58,919 --> 00:03:02,359 Speaker 1: But at some point we do one have to get 60 00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:05,880 Speaker 1: back to work, which NBA players will and too. We 61 00:03:05,960 --> 00:03:09,639 Speaker 1: have to get to some sort of reasonable solutions and 62 00:03:09,919 --> 00:03:13,560 Speaker 1: not playing and boycotting not playing, it's not really a 63 00:03:13,560 --> 00:03:16,960 Speaker 1: reasonable solution for anybody's business that you can sit here 64 00:03:16,960 --> 00:03:18,800 Speaker 1: and say we have the power to not play, the 65 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:23,120 Speaker 1: power to cancel the season. But the TV rights holders 66 00:03:23,200 --> 00:03:26,640 Speaker 1: also have the power to cancel their rights deals. There's 67 00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:29,960 Speaker 1: something called a forced major part of the contract. Then 68 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:32,840 Speaker 1: cancel it. And now all of a sudden your team 69 00:03:32,840 --> 00:03:36,280 Speaker 1: falls into financial despair, and you can criticize owners and 70 00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:38,000 Speaker 1: saying we don't have your back, or the owners are 71 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:40,040 Speaker 1: just saying like, look, we have your back. On the 72 00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:42,640 Speaker 1: other hand, we're operating a business and we're already losing 73 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:44,840 Speaker 1: money and we're hoping to recoup some of it with 74 00:03:44,920 --> 00:03:48,080 Speaker 1: playoff money. If you choose to bail now, it's not 75 00:03:48,120 --> 00:03:50,400 Speaker 1: just gonna hurt us immediately not getting the playoff money, 76 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:53,240 Speaker 1: It's gonna hurt us into the future, because then all 77 00:03:53,240 --> 00:03:55,360 Speaker 1: of a sudden, you gotta you know, your TV contracts 78 00:03:55,400 --> 00:03:58,480 Speaker 1: come into question. Everything comes into question. How do you 79 00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:01,480 Speaker 1: how do you pay people for you know, the Lakers 80 00:04:01,480 --> 00:04:03,400 Speaker 1: have Spectrum sports that how do you pay people if 81 00:04:03,440 --> 00:04:07,000 Speaker 1: you don't have games to broadcast get out and how 82 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:11,720 Speaker 1: can TV companies, how can um your arenas? How can 83 00:04:11,720 --> 00:04:13,320 Speaker 1: they have least deals where they don't know if you're 84 00:04:13,320 --> 00:04:15,320 Speaker 1: going to play on a given night, Like that's that 85 00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:19,000 Speaker 1: you're professional basketball player. This is part of professionalism, so 86 00:04:19,640 --> 00:04:25,680 Speaker 1: it is it is absolutely players rights to protest. Um. 87 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:30,359 Speaker 1: I like any human being with a soul was bothered, 88 00:04:30,520 --> 00:04:35,520 Speaker 1: disturbed even by what happened in Kenosha, Wisconsin. And you 89 00:04:35,560 --> 00:04:38,240 Speaker 1: can stand in solid area as a music American citizen like, hey, 90 00:04:39,040 --> 00:04:40,680 Speaker 1: this is not how we want any of our citizens 91 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:43,680 Speaker 1: to be treated. But I do think it's time to 92 00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:47,520 Speaker 1: get to some solutions as we would all I hope 93 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:50,279 Speaker 1: agree that there's a problem. Be sure to catch the 94 00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:53,480 Speaker 1: live edition of The Doug Gottlieb Show weekdays at three 95 00:04:53,520 --> 00:04:56,919 Speaker 1: p m. Easter noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and 96 00:04:56,960 --> 00:04:59,800 Speaker 1: the I Heart Radio a app. Well, let's welcome him 97 00:04:59,800 --> 00:05:02,400 Speaker 1: into the Detroit Pistons. He's Lankston Galloway. He's kind enough 98 00:05:02,440 --> 00:05:05,280 Speaker 1: to join us here in the All Ball Podcast. And 99 00:05:05,360 --> 00:05:08,719 Speaker 1: I want to go back to the beginnings of you know, 100 00:05:08,760 --> 00:05:11,080 Speaker 1: your first days in basketball before you do that, like 101 00:05:11,880 --> 00:05:14,400 Speaker 1: what has this, what is this like for you where 102 00:05:14,440 --> 00:05:20,720 Speaker 1: you're watching NBA teams train play now play in the playoffs, 103 00:05:20,960 --> 00:05:25,200 Speaker 1: and you like and and you're in the league. But 104 00:05:25,320 --> 00:05:28,240 Speaker 1: it's like, wait, the league's going on and I'm not. 105 00:05:28,520 --> 00:05:30,400 Speaker 1: It's a it's gotta be. It's it's gotta be. It's 106 00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:33,480 Speaker 1: an interesting existence from my perspective. What's it like from 107 00:05:33,560 --> 00:05:36,839 Speaker 1: your perspective? Yeah, thank you so much for having me 108 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:40,240 Speaker 1: on and uh yeah, and it's weird. It's weird, I 109 00:05:40,279 --> 00:05:42,880 Speaker 1: guess you say, from the sense of it almost feels 110 00:05:42,880 --> 00:05:44,520 Speaker 1: like I'm retired or something like that. It's like I'm 111 00:05:44,520 --> 00:05:49,120 Speaker 1: watching basketball from a sense of outside looking in, but 112 00:05:49,200 --> 00:05:54,440 Speaker 1: I'm still in. It's hard to explain, but uh, you know, 113 00:05:54,640 --> 00:05:56,800 Speaker 1: it hasn't stopped me. It's actually been been great for 114 00:05:56,839 --> 00:06:00,040 Speaker 1: me because I've been just watching and just just on 115 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:03,600 Speaker 1: a little snips and pieces of different guys game and 116 00:06:03,839 --> 00:06:05,680 Speaker 1: trying to add it to my own while I'm working 117 00:06:05,720 --> 00:06:09,479 Speaker 1: out and at home right now. So it's good. But 118 00:06:09,560 --> 00:06:10,920 Speaker 1: like I said, I wish I was there in the 119 00:06:10,960 --> 00:06:13,760 Speaker 1: bubble plane, but I'm actually getting more time with the family, 120 00:06:13,760 --> 00:06:16,200 Speaker 1: with my little two year old, so it's it's been 121 00:06:16,240 --> 00:06:18,920 Speaker 1: fun hanging out with him and getting this this valuable 122 00:06:18,960 --> 00:06:22,000 Speaker 1: time that that I don't want to miss Yeah, no, 123 00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:24,080 Speaker 1: I mean it's it's it's pretty amazing that I have 124 00:06:24,120 --> 00:06:25,600 Speaker 1: friends that are in the bubble and they're like, man, 125 00:06:25,680 --> 00:06:28,640 Speaker 1: this sucks families not around kind of. I say, like, 126 00:06:28,880 --> 00:06:31,200 Speaker 1: you know, your home for three months with your family, 127 00:06:31,200 --> 00:06:33,560 Speaker 1: which you would never get previously, you know, maybe never 128 00:06:33,600 --> 00:06:35,760 Speaker 1: get again. So you try and have the perspective and 129 00:06:35,800 --> 00:06:37,680 Speaker 1: you're having the perspective of yeah, like I want to 130 00:06:37,720 --> 00:06:40,120 Speaker 1: be playing, but I'm getting this time, which I will. 131 00:06:40,440 --> 00:06:44,600 Speaker 1: You'll you'll literally never get it back. Um, it's some 132 00:06:44,680 --> 00:06:47,920 Speaker 1: of the some of these offensive numbers are crazy, and 133 00:06:48,360 --> 00:06:50,279 Speaker 1: I do think feel like the Rims are like Duke 134 00:06:50,360 --> 00:06:54,120 Speaker 1: Rims right there, super super soft. Um, But is it 135 00:06:54,240 --> 00:06:57,719 Speaker 1: the officiate? Like why is it because guys are only 136 00:06:57,720 --> 00:07:01,400 Speaker 1: worried about basketball? Like why why do you think we 137 00:07:01,520 --> 00:07:07,200 Speaker 1: had like Donovan Mitchell, Um, Damian Lillard, Luca don Check, 138 00:07:07,320 --> 00:07:10,800 Speaker 1: Like these guys are putting up obscene numbers And look, 139 00:07:10,800 --> 00:07:12,440 Speaker 1: we've seen some of that in regular season, but now 140 00:07:12,440 --> 00:07:15,600 Speaker 1: we're talking about the playoffs. And usually defense has a 141 00:07:15,640 --> 00:07:18,360 Speaker 1: tant has a tendency to dominate, and that's not nearly 142 00:07:18,400 --> 00:07:21,240 Speaker 1: as much the case. Why do you think we've had 143 00:07:21,280 --> 00:07:27,119 Speaker 1: these offense and explosions. You know, from from our standpoint, uh, 144 00:07:27,160 --> 00:07:29,360 Speaker 1: and think it back to when we were playing during 145 00:07:29,360 --> 00:07:32,920 Speaker 1: the year. You gotta think that we're traveling around year round. 146 00:07:33,360 --> 00:07:35,880 Speaker 1: Guys are kind of not saying they're saving themselves, but 147 00:07:35,880 --> 00:07:38,720 Speaker 1: but gods are kind of colgnizant of like, man, we 148 00:07:38,840 --> 00:07:42,440 Speaker 1: gotta games in two days, like we gotta travel back 149 00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:46,720 Speaker 1: to you know wherever and play. But but now in 150 00:07:46,760 --> 00:07:51,400 Speaker 1: the bubble, everybody's on the same playing fields. It's no 151 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:58,720 Speaker 1: out elevation, it's no travel. It's literally like a U ball. 152 00:07:59,120 --> 00:08:00,800 Speaker 1: It brings you back to a youth ball and said, hey, 153 00:08:00,800 --> 00:08:03,720 Speaker 1: look let's go back play. Ay, you go back to the 154 00:08:03,680 --> 00:08:05,840 Speaker 1: the hotel and then hey look the next day they 155 00:08:05,880 --> 00:08:08,080 Speaker 1: left and here let's play. Throw it up again, let's play. 156 00:08:08,800 --> 00:08:11,280 Speaker 1: So I think from that standpoint, that's why you're seeing 157 00:08:11,320 --> 00:08:15,600 Speaker 1: so many explosions because everybody's putting in the work. That's 158 00:08:15,680 --> 00:08:18,360 Speaker 1: that's no question about that. Guys. I mean went from 159 00:08:18,400 --> 00:08:21,480 Speaker 1: two months off the back plan like guys want to play. 160 00:08:21,840 --> 00:08:24,360 Speaker 1: But at the same time too, it's like, hey, why 161 00:08:24,440 --> 00:08:26,440 Speaker 1: not go out there and give your best foot forward? 162 00:08:26,600 --> 00:08:28,520 Speaker 1: Like I mean, it's done that you need to hold 163 00:08:28,560 --> 00:08:30,400 Speaker 1: back at this point, especially if you're gonna be in 164 00:08:30,480 --> 00:08:33,720 Speaker 1: the bubble for the next when you've been in there 165 00:08:33,720 --> 00:08:35,319 Speaker 1: the bubble for about a month a month and a 166 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:37,640 Speaker 1: half now, so want to stand there as long as 167 00:08:37,679 --> 00:08:40,120 Speaker 1: you can. I mean, hey, you might as well sup 168 00:08:40,160 --> 00:08:42,599 Speaker 1: it all up and play your best basketball and so 169 00:08:42,800 --> 00:08:44,600 Speaker 1: to the world, and hey, look I'm here to stay. 170 00:08:44,720 --> 00:08:47,120 Speaker 1: So I think it's a great opportunity for a lot 171 00:08:47,160 --> 00:08:50,160 Speaker 1: of guys to showcase themselves. And and that's what you're seeing, 172 00:08:50,240 --> 00:08:55,240 Speaker 1: just seeing the young stars that they're really uh coming stars. 173 00:08:56,640 --> 00:09:00,959 Speaker 1: You grew up in Louisa, Louisiana. Um, when what was 174 00:09:01,040 --> 00:09:06,720 Speaker 1: the first place you remember playing hoop? Yeah? Um, growing 175 00:09:06,840 --> 00:09:11,280 Speaker 1: up in bed Rouge. We had this, uh, this facility 176 00:09:11,440 --> 00:09:16,240 Speaker 1: and called Sports Academy. And the crazy to say, we've 177 00:09:16,360 --> 00:09:22,080 Speaker 1: had almost ten pros come out of this one gym, 178 00:09:22,240 --> 00:09:26,360 Speaker 1: one like academy that everybody used to play in back 179 00:09:26,400 --> 00:09:30,400 Speaker 1: in the day. I mean you had guys like Big Baby, 180 00:09:31,120 --> 00:09:35,800 Speaker 1: Marcus Thorton, Tyris Thomas, Garrett Temple, myself. I mean the 181 00:09:35,880 --> 00:09:37,480 Speaker 1: list kind of goes on and on, and that's I mean, 182 00:09:37,520 --> 00:09:40,400 Speaker 1: that's just a list of guys from right now. And 183 00:09:40,679 --> 00:09:43,319 Speaker 1: I remember us playing back in the day. And not 184 00:09:43,400 --> 00:09:45,200 Speaker 1: saying I played with those guys because they're much older 185 00:09:45,200 --> 00:09:48,840 Speaker 1: than than I am, but uh, just just a competition. 186 00:09:49,040 --> 00:09:52,520 Speaker 1: Like you, they had co ed games and and and 187 00:09:52,640 --> 00:09:55,599 Speaker 1: they had different competition. I mean they actually had like 188 00:09:55,679 --> 00:09:57,559 Speaker 1: some mona gustus. I mean they had so many like 189 00:09:58,120 --> 00:10:01,040 Speaker 1: just just talented players that played in that league. And 190 00:10:01,240 --> 00:10:02,920 Speaker 1: that was like if you wanted to come out of 191 00:10:02,960 --> 00:10:05,400 Speaker 1: bat Us and get your chance to play at a 192 00:10:05,480 --> 00:10:07,520 Speaker 1: high level, you had to go to the Sports Academy. 193 00:10:07,559 --> 00:10:09,679 Speaker 1: So that that was that was key back in the day. 194 00:10:11,160 --> 00:10:12,720 Speaker 1: Who is your right? Who is your right? Like when 195 00:10:12,800 --> 00:10:17,000 Speaker 1: when I grew up in l a UM growing up, Uh, 196 00:10:17,840 --> 00:10:23,200 Speaker 1: it was Ricky Price and Toby Bailey played on one team. 197 00:10:23,320 --> 00:10:27,160 Speaker 1: We played against them, and Cameron Murray who played at 198 00:10:27,200 --> 00:10:29,959 Speaker 1: Louisville and USC was on another team. And then and 199 00:10:30,040 --> 00:10:34,360 Speaker 1: he played with um. The Lopez twins brother was was 200 00:10:34,440 --> 00:10:36,920 Speaker 1: on a different team. Like we had rivals kind of 201 00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:39,800 Speaker 1: growing up. Who who is your like, dude that you 202 00:10:39,920 --> 00:10:46,000 Speaker 1: did battle with growing up at the sports academy? Um? Yeah, 203 00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:50,120 Speaker 1: you know what we really during like my age group, 204 00:10:50,640 --> 00:10:54,000 Speaker 1: there really wasn't that many guys that I battled with. UM, 205 00:10:54,840 --> 00:10:58,360 Speaker 1: But like I always played up um, so like I 206 00:10:58,400 --> 00:11:02,959 Speaker 1: would play against God like uh, It's it's kind of 207 00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:06,320 Speaker 1: hard to say like in that because there's a couple 208 00:11:06,320 --> 00:11:08,599 Speaker 1: of guys that that played that didn't make it to 209 00:11:08,640 --> 00:11:11,559 Speaker 1: the NBA but that overseas Brian Gunn and Brian Williams, 210 00:11:12,520 --> 00:11:15,880 Speaker 1: another guy, Markuel Brown. I mean, those those are just 211 00:11:16,240 --> 00:11:17,960 Speaker 1: just a couple of guys that were from the weekend 212 00:11:17,960 --> 00:11:20,000 Speaker 1: of the area. Mark I know, Mark Kelly went to 213 00:11:20,040 --> 00:11:23,760 Speaker 1: Oklahoma State, UM which which whish Brian Williams from talking 214 00:11:23,760 --> 00:11:25,760 Speaker 1: to a bunch of it was Brian Williams went to Alabama, 215 00:11:25,760 --> 00:11:27,920 Speaker 1: but he's much older than you. It was a guard 216 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:30,000 Speaker 1: that was. Yeah, if Brian went to he went to 217 00:11:30,040 --> 00:11:32,559 Speaker 1: Okloma State as well as well. Okay, I know that, 218 00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:35,720 Speaker 1: but I know that Brian Williams as well. Yeah yeah, yeah, 219 00:11:35,800 --> 00:11:39,760 Speaker 1: but yeah now so it But for me, it wasn't 220 00:11:40,120 --> 00:11:43,040 Speaker 1: as many guys that were around my age that made 221 00:11:43,080 --> 00:11:47,360 Speaker 1: it to the professional ranks other than those those those 222 00:11:47,440 --> 00:11:50,959 Speaker 1: names are just listed. But I think from from my standpoint, 223 00:11:51,160 --> 00:11:54,360 Speaker 1: like I can remember like playing against guys and you 224 00:11:55,040 --> 00:11:59,079 Speaker 1: like we played against Brandon Knight, we played against Josh Shelby, 225 00:11:59,240 --> 00:12:03,600 Speaker 1: we played again, uh, Tim Hardaway, We played against uh 226 00:12:04,679 --> 00:12:08,280 Speaker 1: uh Harrison Barnes when we obvio hen, we played against 227 00:12:08,320 --> 00:12:11,040 Speaker 1: a lot of guys like you, And that's why I 228 00:12:11,120 --> 00:12:14,319 Speaker 1: think a you, it's kind of different now because a 229 00:12:14,360 --> 00:12:18,360 Speaker 1: lot of guys they switched teams up so often. Where 230 00:12:19,200 --> 00:12:21,199 Speaker 1: um when when I when we were coming through, it 231 00:12:21,360 --> 00:12:22,920 Speaker 1: was like you were on that one team and like 232 00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:25,480 Speaker 1: if you saw that team, you were gonna see the 233 00:12:25,559 --> 00:12:28,080 Speaker 1: same players, Like it wasn't. It wasn't no switch up 234 00:12:28,240 --> 00:12:30,000 Speaker 1: or hey, let's play on this team one weekend and 235 00:12:30,040 --> 00:12:32,560 Speaker 1: switch up to the middle team. That's why I enjoyed 236 00:12:32,640 --> 00:12:34,600 Speaker 1: are you when I was going up because the competition 237 00:12:34,720 --> 00:12:37,280 Speaker 1: level was just it was through the root because every 238 00:12:37,360 --> 00:12:39,240 Speaker 1: team had a pro on it. I mean not not 239 00:12:39,360 --> 00:12:41,760 Speaker 1: knowing at the time that when we play, but that's 240 00:12:41,800 --> 00:12:44,880 Speaker 1: just how how it looked from the outside, Like looking 241 00:12:44,880 --> 00:12:47,800 Speaker 1: at looking back now, how did you end up going 242 00:12:47,840 --> 00:12:50,319 Speaker 1: to St. Jose? So it's it's it's a lot of 243 00:12:50,360 --> 00:12:55,120 Speaker 1: different moving pieces right here right. Uh So, so my uncle, 244 00:12:55,520 --> 00:12:58,640 Speaker 1: um it was assistant coach at St. Joe's, Jeff On. 245 00:12:59,840 --> 00:13:04,360 Speaker 1: Um my mom is actually from Philadelphia as well, So um, 246 00:13:04,559 --> 00:13:07,760 Speaker 1: I wanted my grandmother, aunts and uncle's cousins all of 247 00:13:07,800 --> 00:13:12,440 Speaker 1: them to see me play. Phil Martelly another huge component 248 00:13:12,480 --> 00:13:15,439 Speaker 1: of that, like he got Jamor Nelson Delante west of 249 00:13:15,480 --> 00:13:17,880 Speaker 1: the pros, so hey, look why not trying to get 250 00:13:17,920 --> 00:13:21,240 Speaker 1: another guard to get to the pros. Um and then 251 00:13:21,320 --> 00:13:25,199 Speaker 1: and then um, lastly, um, just the opportunity to not 252 00:13:25,320 --> 00:13:27,880 Speaker 1: saying I wanted to leave Louisiana and play basketball, but 253 00:13:28,480 --> 00:13:31,719 Speaker 1: every summer I would go back up to Philly and play. UM. 254 00:13:31,960 --> 00:13:34,560 Speaker 1: I don't know if you remember John Hardnett. He used 255 00:13:34,600 --> 00:13:37,600 Speaker 1: to have like it was a basically like a prose 256 00:13:38,280 --> 00:13:44,839 Speaker 1: like kind of like workouts um slash. Yeah, you know. 257 00:13:45,400 --> 00:13:49,320 Speaker 1: I it's funny because I when I was a player, 258 00:13:49,440 --> 00:13:52,920 Speaker 1: I worked out in that workout. And then I played 259 00:13:52,960 --> 00:13:56,640 Speaker 1: on a team that went because I'm Jewish, the Maccabi team, 260 00:13:56,679 --> 00:13:59,080 Speaker 1: and we went to Israel and we trained at LaSalle. 261 00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:02,400 Speaker 1: Were actually on Bruce I guess I think Bruce Pearl 262 00:14:02,480 --> 00:14:04,719 Speaker 1: was coaching the team and I was an assistant and 263 00:14:04,800 --> 00:14:07,559 Speaker 1: we practiced at LaSalle. But that workout went on beforehand, 264 00:14:07,600 --> 00:14:09,520 Speaker 1: and then some of those guys stuck around and we 265 00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:11,880 Speaker 1: scrimmaged again. They scrimmaged against him or whatever. So yeah, 266 00:14:11,920 --> 00:14:15,120 Speaker 1: I know that I was incredible. Was unbelievable group that 267 00:14:15,160 --> 00:14:16,840 Speaker 1: would work out in Philly anyway, So you'd go there 268 00:14:16,880 --> 00:14:20,160 Speaker 1: every summer and that's where you would work out. Yeah. Yeah, 269 00:14:20,200 --> 00:14:21,600 Speaker 1: So I mean I would go over there and like 270 00:14:21,640 --> 00:14:23,560 Speaker 1: I was like, it was me and another key I 271 00:14:23,640 --> 00:14:25,080 Speaker 1: can't think of his name right now, it was it 272 00:14:25,160 --> 00:14:26,880 Speaker 1: was we were the only two high school kids to 273 00:14:26,960 --> 00:14:31,160 Speaker 1: even get a chance to play. And so uh, I like, 274 00:14:31,280 --> 00:14:33,200 Speaker 1: I held my own the first day and then they 275 00:14:33,320 --> 00:14:34,680 Speaker 1: was like, hey, look we want to come back. And 276 00:14:34,680 --> 00:14:36,520 Speaker 1: then I just you know, day after day I would 277 00:14:36,520 --> 00:14:40,080 Speaker 1: I would hold my own and so I had a 278 00:14:40,160 --> 00:14:42,360 Speaker 1: lot of opportunity to play against cold was growing up 279 00:14:42,400 --> 00:14:44,640 Speaker 1: and I was like, man, there's no point of me 280 00:14:44,800 --> 00:14:47,960 Speaker 1: going to school that. I mean, it's great to stay 281 00:14:47,960 --> 00:14:49,720 Speaker 1: in the Weisiana, great to go to other schools, but 282 00:14:50,240 --> 00:14:51,640 Speaker 1: I knew I was gonna get a chance to play 283 00:14:51,640 --> 00:14:54,960 Speaker 1: because other pros every single summer, and that was a 284 00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:57,920 Speaker 1: great opportunity for me to think ahead of the game 285 00:14:58,080 --> 00:15:01,720 Speaker 1: and not not even knowing it while I was doing it. Okay, 286 00:15:01,800 --> 00:15:04,320 Speaker 1: So but you had even though you had spend time 287 00:15:04,560 --> 00:15:07,880 Speaker 1: in Philadelphia, had family in Philadelphia. We'd be kidding ourselves. 288 00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:10,640 Speaker 1: We didn't say kind of culture of Philadelphia is very 289 00:15:10,800 --> 00:15:14,360 Speaker 1: very different. Uh what was that that first freshman year? 290 00:15:14,480 --> 00:15:18,400 Speaker 1: Like to be in Philly at St. Joe's playing hoop 291 00:15:18,440 --> 00:15:21,400 Speaker 1: but also kind of adjusting to your life. You know. 292 00:15:21,520 --> 00:15:25,600 Speaker 1: The one crazy story that I tell everybody that um 293 00:15:25,880 --> 00:15:29,200 Speaker 1: really shocks everybody, is that when when I got to 294 00:15:29,280 --> 00:15:32,520 Speaker 1: Philly my first first I was my first winner, my 295 00:15:32,640 --> 00:15:37,360 Speaker 1: real first winner. I get the campus and and uh, 296 00:15:37,440 --> 00:15:40,160 Speaker 1: it's like freaky degrees outside and so I'm like, I 297 00:15:40,200 --> 00:15:42,600 Speaker 1: walk outside my breathing out here. So I put on 298 00:15:42,880 --> 00:15:44,960 Speaker 1: one of one of my big puff jackets that we 299 00:15:45,120 --> 00:15:47,960 Speaker 1: just got from the from the team, and like everybody 300 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:49,920 Speaker 1: else is still walking around with swarts and foot on, 301 00:15:50,040 --> 00:15:55,240 Speaker 1: like I'm not cold, like, and everybody's like, man, you're tripping, 302 00:15:55,320 --> 00:15:59,120 Speaker 1: Like I don't know why you have, uh one win 303 00:15:59,200 --> 00:16:01,440 Speaker 1: the gear on and this it feels real good out here. 304 00:16:01,920 --> 00:16:04,320 Speaker 1: So that was that was my first experience with with 305 00:16:04,440 --> 00:16:06,680 Speaker 1: the winner. Uh. And it wasn't even winning it was 306 00:16:06,760 --> 00:16:08,280 Speaker 1: it was I think it was still just ball. So 307 00:16:09,800 --> 00:16:12,080 Speaker 1: I was like, man, like, I'm here for a rude 308 00:16:12,080 --> 00:16:14,040 Speaker 1: awaken and especially when it starts snowing and all that. 309 00:16:14,680 --> 00:16:16,680 Speaker 1: Here's my story. So I grew up in southern California. 310 00:16:17,040 --> 00:16:19,320 Speaker 1: I went to Notre Dame my first year, and I'll 311 00:16:19,320 --> 00:16:22,400 Speaker 1: never forget. It was like early October, right, and it 312 00:16:22,480 --> 00:16:26,960 Speaker 1: was fifty degrees and I owned like one pair of jeans, right, 313 00:16:27,040 --> 00:16:30,080 Speaker 1: Like that wasn't I mean, you know, like I never 314 00:16:30,160 --> 00:16:33,480 Speaker 1: were I always wear either hoop sweats or shorts, you know. 315 00:16:33,640 --> 00:16:36,560 Speaker 1: That was that was it. And so before I left 316 00:16:36,640 --> 00:16:39,480 Speaker 1: for and this is in the mid nineties, my mom 317 00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:41,920 Speaker 1: bought me a parka and I had like a I 318 00:16:42,040 --> 00:16:46,200 Speaker 1: had like an Orlando Magic starter parka from the Shock 319 00:16:46,360 --> 00:16:49,760 Speaker 1: days and I had this like lll being ugly green 320 00:16:49,880 --> 00:16:51,840 Speaker 1: parker with a hood. And I woke up and I 321 00:16:51,920 --> 00:16:54,160 Speaker 1: had to I had an early morning workout, like individual 322 00:16:54,200 --> 00:16:57,200 Speaker 1: workout before practice started, right, and I had I put 323 00:16:57,280 --> 00:16:59,520 Speaker 1: on a beanie and I put on my parka, and 324 00:16:59,560 --> 00:17:01,320 Speaker 1: I had my sets and rue my bike to the 325 00:17:01,400 --> 00:17:04,159 Speaker 1: gym and I and anyway, so I'm walking out and 326 00:17:04,200 --> 00:17:07,199 Speaker 1: I got all this stuff on, and the coaches call 327 00:17:07,280 --> 00:17:09,200 Speaker 1: me into the office and they take pictures of me, 328 00:17:09,520 --> 00:17:11,480 Speaker 1: and they're all clowning and laughing at me, like, dude, 329 00:17:11,880 --> 00:17:14,240 Speaker 1: it's fifty degrees outside. What are you doing? This is 330 00:17:14,320 --> 00:17:17,520 Speaker 1: not wait three months and it's cold. So I know 331 00:17:17,960 --> 00:17:23,159 Speaker 1: exactly what Okay, So, uh, what about playing for Phil? Like, uh, 332 00:17:23,440 --> 00:17:26,479 Speaker 1: Phil did have a ton of success obviously that one 333 00:17:26,520 --> 00:17:28,359 Speaker 1: incredible team that lost in the lead eight and it 334 00:17:28,400 --> 00:17:31,040 Speaker 1: was undefeating the regular season. They put guys in the pros. 335 00:17:31,480 --> 00:17:33,840 Speaker 1: He does seem to let his guards play, but uh, 336 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:36,200 Speaker 1: and he's he's quick with a joke. But what's he 337 00:17:36,960 --> 00:17:40,520 Speaker 1: He has some interesting kind of thoughts on basketball, some 338 00:17:40,720 --> 00:17:42,960 Speaker 1: that I think really helped you that I want to 339 00:17:43,000 --> 00:17:45,280 Speaker 1: get to. But what was what? What? What were your 340 00:17:45,320 --> 00:17:47,840 Speaker 1: memories of first playing for Phil Martelling? Was it easy? 341 00:17:47,960 --> 00:17:50,359 Speaker 1: Was it a hard an adjustment? Was he tougher than 342 00:17:50,359 --> 00:17:56,040 Speaker 1: any like? What was it really like? Act was a 343 00:17:56,160 --> 00:18:01,280 Speaker 1: pretty easy transition because no sense in the sense of 344 00:18:01,480 --> 00:18:04,920 Speaker 1: like how he coached, but just you know, the yelling, 345 00:18:05,040 --> 00:18:08,760 Speaker 1: the screaming and running different things like that. So coach 346 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:12,840 Speaker 1: Telly was actually really easy. I really transition for me 347 00:18:13,400 --> 00:18:16,320 Speaker 1: because he would get on you, but it would it 348 00:18:16,359 --> 00:18:19,480 Speaker 1: would it would be undersenseive, like him yelling to like 349 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:22,560 Speaker 1: get you in the mindset of hey, look, this is 350 00:18:22,640 --> 00:18:24,200 Speaker 1: what you're gonna be dealing with through a game, Like 351 00:18:24,280 --> 00:18:26,439 Speaker 1: how do you get through a game? And how did 352 00:18:26,480 --> 00:18:31,159 Speaker 1: you understand that and so yeah, coach coach, he has 353 00:18:31,640 --> 00:18:34,879 Speaker 1: a different philosophy that you know. I think a lot 354 00:18:34,960 --> 00:18:36,879 Speaker 1: of guys they have a tough time with it. But 355 00:18:37,600 --> 00:18:39,600 Speaker 1: I think from day one when when when when we 356 00:18:39,720 --> 00:18:42,239 Speaker 1: all it was it was basically five six of us 357 00:18:42,680 --> 00:18:46,000 Speaker 1: that were freshmen that that stepped on campus. Uh, we 358 00:18:46,240 --> 00:18:48,000 Speaker 1: we had a mentality about us was like, hey, look 359 00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:50,560 Speaker 1: we're gonna try to turn the s pokegram around. And 360 00:18:50,800 --> 00:18:53,120 Speaker 1: uh it took one It was one step at the time. 361 00:18:53,440 --> 00:18:55,880 Speaker 1: I mean we started out the first year. I think 362 00:18:56,520 --> 00:18:59,960 Speaker 1: our director was like eleven and twenty something. It was. 363 00:19:00,040 --> 00:19:03,159 Speaker 1: It was terrible, and it was terrible, but uh, that 364 00:19:03,320 --> 00:19:05,000 Speaker 1: that was that was our mindset, was like, hey, how 365 00:19:05,040 --> 00:19:08,200 Speaker 1: can we get feel back on on the pedestal of 366 00:19:08,520 --> 00:19:11,200 Speaker 1: you know, ruling build up your basketball because we just 367 00:19:11,320 --> 00:19:14,040 Speaker 1: we saw how people treat to feel and uh and 368 00:19:14,160 --> 00:19:15,879 Speaker 1: when we we also didn't want to be truth like 369 00:19:15,920 --> 00:19:18,480 Speaker 1: that as well. So it kind of just this is 370 00:19:18,560 --> 00:19:20,399 Speaker 1: up a bad taste in our mouth. And I think 371 00:19:20,560 --> 00:19:22,600 Speaker 1: that's the same thing that you know, Phil has. He 372 00:19:22,680 --> 00:19:26,040 Speaker 1: has that that sense of man, I want to get 373 00:19:26,080 --> 00:19:28,680 Speaker 1: back at these these these uh these guys as bad 374 00:19:28,720 --> 00:19:31,080 Speaker 1: as I I wanted to, but I kind of sold 375 00:19:31,080 --> 00:19:33,840 Speaker 1: it but shortly heat back into it. And so first 376 00:19:33,960 --> 00:19:35,520 Speaker 1: year had a rough year and then it kind of 377 00:19:35,600 --> 00:19:37,880 Speaker 1: just built up where you know, by my senior year, 378 00:19:37,880 --> 00:19:39,920 Speaker 1: we end up winning the A ten tournament and you know, 379 00:19:40,040 --> 00:19:42,280 Speaker 1: fils back on top. So that that was really the 380 00:19:42,520 --> 00:19:44,879 Speaker 1: biggest thing for me, is like we wanted to get 381 00:19:44,920 --> 00:19:47,439 Speaker 1: filed back on on on the pedestal and and and uh, 382 00:19:48,080 --> 00:19:49,800 Speaker 1: you know if you wanted to retire, hey, look that 383 00:19:49,920 --> 00:19:52,000 Speaker 1: was on him. But you know, finish our our careers, 384 00:19:52,119 --> 00:19:54,560 Speaker 1: especially in St. Joe's and so many other people that 385 00:19:54,640 --> 00:19:57,240 Speaker 1: wanted wanted us to win, and we end up winning. 386 00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:03,640 Speaker 1: So you're first year was was what two thousand ten, 387 00:20:04,080 --> 00:20:09,320 Speaker 1: two thousand, two thousand two. Yeah, and so then as 388 00:20:09,359 --> 00:20:12,080 Speaker 1: you as you point out, by your senior year, uh, 389 00:20:12,320 --> 00:20:15,919 Speaker 1: you guys had Uh he has a really good team. Mean, 390 00:20:15,960 --> 00:20:19,320 Speaker 1: I love DeAndre Bembury, that dude, that dude could go 391 00:20:19,480 --> 00:20:23,320 Speaker 1: as well, and and Ronald Roberts and yourself and who's 392 00:20:23,840 --> 00:20:26,280 Speaker 1: you know, who's a Jersey cat? Like, so who is 393 00:20:26,480 --> 00:20:30,600 Speaker 1: who are you closest to on that team? You know what, 394 00:20:30,760 --> 00:20:34,639 Speaker 1: we're all a real real type. I mean, so we 395 00:20:34,800 --> 00:20:38,399 Speaker 1: had me, Ronald and hellel all three of us, same class, 396 00:20:39,640 --> 00:20:43,359 Speaker 1: Darre's cools, same class. Uh, we had a couple of 397 00:20:43,400 --> 00:20:46,520 Speaker 1: walk Ons that I'm going close with as well. And 398 00:20:46,720 --> 00:20:50,840 Speaker 1: then um and then DeAndre, you know DeAndre DeAndre. And 399 00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:52,920 Speaker 1: then it's so crazy that Isaiah Miles was on the 400 00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:54,920 Speaker 1: team as well. As they tried out six is a 401 00:20:54,960 --> 00:20:57,280 Speaker 1: couple of times didn't didn't make it, didn't pan out, 402 00:20:57,359 --> 00:21:01,120 Speaker 1: but uh, he had really really close to make it. Um. 403 00:21:01,600 --> 00:21:05,200 Speaker 1: But yeah, all of us still real close. Me and 404 00:21:05,280 --> 00:21:07,520 Speaker 1: DeAndre still talk. I mean we I mean we will 405 00:21:07,560 --> 00:21:09,879 Speaker 1: be brothers for life. I mean we went through so 406 00:21:09,920 --> 00:21:12,159 Speaker 1: many battles and so many different things with each other 407 00:21:12,720 --> 00:21:15,639 Speaker 1: that you know, it really left the bond between all 408 00:21:15,680 --> 00:21:18,400 Speaker 1: of us. If you could close your eyes and think 409 00:21:18,440 --> 00:21:20,760 Speaker 1: back to your senior year, right, your senior year when 410 00:21:20,760 --> 00:21:23,800 Speaker 1: you win the A ten um you guys, I mean 411 00:21:23,960 --> 00:21:26,840 Speaker 1: like there were so many ups and so many downs, right, 412 00:21:26,920 --> 00:21:29,720 Speaker 1: Like I I remember you guys got crushed by Nova 413 00:21:29,800 --> 00:21:33,159 Speaker 1: by like thirty, right, But then there was there was 414 00:21:33,240 --> 00:21:36,880 Speaker 1: some you know, massive wins. You know, you guys beat 415 00:21:36,920 --> 00:21:40,200 Speaker 1: VCU kind of later in the year. Um, you guys 416 00:21:40,280 --> 00:21:43,480 Speaker 1: swept dating that year. Um, there's you know the n 417 00:21:43,560 --> 00:21:46,240 Speaker 1: C A Ternament game, which went to overtime, which was 418 00:21:46,320 --> 00:21:49,440 Speaker 1: an incredible game. What's the to you? What's the most 419 00:21:49,680 --> 00:21:56,240 Speaker 1: memorable game? I mean I would definitely say when it 420 00:21:56,280 --> 00:21:58,119 Speaker 1: when in a ten, but I mean, you know that's 421 00:21:58,160 --> 00:22:01,760 Speaker 1: probably their probably would say that, but you know what 422 00:22:01,920 --> 00:22:06,840 Speaker 1: I would say, Um, I would say that. I remember 423 00:22:07,240 --> 00:22:09,720 Speaker 1: my most no moment about that year was us losing 424 00:22:09,760 --> 00:22:15,160 Speaker 1: an over on Hawkkale. And after that game, I think 425 00:22:15,200 --> 00:22:17,200 Speaker 1: our record was like three and four or something like that. 426 00:22:18,400 --> 00:22:21,760 Speaker 1: And I remember we had a meeting the next day. Um, 427 00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:26,080 Speaker 1: and so so okay, so you lose, you lose by 428 00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:33,000 Speaker 1: thirty but you lose by thirty one. Okay, I sorry, 429 00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:34,680 Speaker 1: I got a point and you lost and you lost 430 00:22:34,720 --> 00:22:36,719 Speaker 1: the Temple the game before. You're four and four at 431 00:22:36,760 --> 00:22:40,520 Speaker 1: the time. This is like December, It's right, you got 432 00:22:40,760 --> 00:22:43,160 Speaker 1: like two games, be four Christmas break. You had Drexel 433 00:22:43,240 --> 00:22:46,080 Speaker 1: coming in the next game. So you called the meeting. 434 00:22:46,320 --> 00:22:48,280 Speaker 1: The coach called me. You called me, like who called 435 00:22:48,280 --> 00:22:52,240 Speaker 1: the meeting? So so so we we UM. It was 436 00:22:52,320 --> 00:22:54,679 Speaker 1: basically like a team just to just to catch up 437 00:22:54,720 --> 00:22:56,560 Speaker 1: and just say, hey, look what do we want to 438 00:22:56,600 --> 00:23:00,520 Speaker 1: do going forward? Um? And I remember vividly like coach 439 00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:03,640 Speaker 1: not yelling not doing anything, but you're saying, hey, look 440 00:23:04,560 --> 00:23:08,440 Speaker 1: it's in you see you're seeing your court. What do 441 00:23:08,520 --> 00:23:10,360 Speaker 1: y'all want to do? Do y'all want to fold over 442 00:23:10,440 --> 00:23:11,879 Speaker 1: and just say, hey, look we had we had a 443 00:23:11,920 --> 00:23:15,640 Speaker 1: heck of a run, and then our careers and St. 444 00:23:15,720 --> 00:23:17,560 Speaker 1: Joe's and the want to you know, turn this around 445 00:23:17,640 --> 00:23:19,960 Speaker 1: and really make this into a heck of a year. 446 00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:27,040 Speaker 1: And remember that day finished up that day. The next day, 447 00:23:27,200 --> 00:23:30,200 Speaker 1: meet Ronald and he little all went to I took 448 00:23:30,280 --> 00:23:32,760 Speaker 1: him out, We went to lunch. We all laid everything 449 00:23:32,800 --> 00:23:34,320 Speaker 1: on the on the table and say, hey, look what 450 00:23:34,359 --> 00:23:36,720 Speaker 1: do we want to do. What do we want to accomplished? 451 00:23:36,720 --> 00:23:38,720 Speaker 1: Because at the end of the day, everybody wants to 452 00:23:38,760 --> 00:23:41,200 Speaker 1: go to go professional, but like, hey, we we gotta 453 00:23:41,200 --> 00:23:45,159 Speaker 1: do it a collective group. And I'm telling you what 454 00:23:45,440 --> 00:23:49,560 Speaker 1: with that meeting and the meeting before that, like literally 455 00:23:49,640 --> 00:23:53,480 Speaker 1: everything turned around, Our season turned around. We started having fun, 456 00:23:53,680 --> 00:23:56,320 Speaker 1: and I mean the rest is history. It really was 457 00:23:56,400 --> 00:23:59,320 Speaker 1: that game right there, like you've blown out on national 458 00:23:59,440 --> 00:24:04,159 Speaker 1: TV at home coach yelling and screaming like it just 459 00:24:04,359 --> 00:24:07,040 Speaker 1: it was just it was a culmination of everything built 460 00:24:07,119 --> 00:24:09,800 Speaker 1: up that Hey, look we needed that wake up call 461 00:24:09,920 --> 00:24:11,520 Speaker 1: to to say, hey, look we need to get going. 462 00:24:11,640 --> 00:24:14,480 Speaker 1: And I'm telling that that took everybody's career took off 463 00:24:14,520 --> 00:24:18,960 Speaker 1: from there. Um, you guys get to the n c 464 00:24:19,160 --> 00:24:24,920 Speaker 1: A tournament and you Drew Yukon. What do you remember 465 00:24:24,920 --> 00:24:29,960 Speaker 1: about the game? I mean, my only memory was, which 466 00:24:30,000 --> 00:24:34,200 Speaker 1: is so crazy, it's me missing the thing. Regulation that's 467 00:24:34,200 --> 00:24:37,320 Speaker 1: the only remember I remember the whole game. But that 468 00:24:37,440 --> 00:24:39,480 Speaker 1: was my biggest thing. Was like I missed the shot 469 00:24:39,600 --> 00:24:44,160 Speaker 1: to win it. Uh it was it might have been 470 00:24:44,200 --> 00:24:46,560 Speaker 1: like five second left. I had to boil my hands, 471 00:24:47,160 --> 00:24:52,960 Speaker 1: tried to go um right baseline, and I thought I 472 00:24:53,040 --> 00:24:55,040 Speaker 1: had like an angle to bank it off the glass 473 00:24:56,040 --> 00:24:59,960 Speaker 1: and literally like I might have just barely like moved 474 00:25:00,160 --> 00:25:02,640 Speaker 1: my finger on the ball, and I remember just hitting 475 00:25:02,640 --> 00:25:04,480 Speaker 1: the side of the backboard and bouncing back to me. 476 00:25:05,280 --> 00:25:09,960 Speaker 1: Shot cut goes off. Um, there's like two seconds left. 477 00:25:10,960 --> 00:25:13,119 Speaker 1: I'm like sick because I'm like, man, that was my 478 00:25:13,280 --> 00:25:15,560 Speaker 1: chance to win the game, like take us to the 479 00:25:15,640 --> 00:25:17,480 Speaker 1: next round. I'm having a heck of a game and 480 00:25:18,160 --> 00:25:19,639 Speaker 1: I think I end to finish the game with like 481 00:25:19,800 --> 00:25:23,920 Speaker 1: twenty some points. Um, but like I just that's the 482 00:25:23,960 --> 00:25:26,480 Speaker 1: only remember I can remember. Like man, I like I 483 00:25:26,520 --> 00:25:28,240 Speaker 1: feel like I left the whole team down, Like I 484 00:25:28,280 --> 00:25:31,680 Speaker 1: feel like I let uh just st Joe's down. That 485 00:25:31,840 --> 00:25:34,200 Speaker 1: that was crazy. Yes, that was probably one of my 486 00:25:34,359 --> 00:25:38,280 Speaker 1: Like I'm not saying it's the most like regrettable moment 487 00:25:38,320 --> 00:25:41,600 Speaker 1: I've ever had, but it kind of is. Though. It's 488 00:25:41,640 --> 00:25:44,480 Speaker 1: interesting though, like, right, you make that shot, you kind 489 00:25:44,520 --> 00:25:48,120 Speaker 1: of loses. They you missed that shot, they win in overtime, 490 00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:51,400 Speaker 1: they win a national championship, Like that's how you know who? 491 00:25:51,480 --> 00:25:55,359 Speaker 1: Who knows how history changes on that one shot And 492 00:25:55,480 --> 00:25:59,320 Speaker 1: it's it's crazy. The part that sticks out to me 493 00:25:59,720 --> 00:26:01,600 Speaker 1: in listening to you talk about it, and I've I've 494 00:26:01,640 --> 00:26:05,320 Speaker 1: talked to Phil. There's two things actually, First is and 495 00:26:05,400 --> 00:26:08,119 Speaker 1: this is his coaching philosophy. You know, I I was 496 00:26:08,600 --> 00:26:10,680 Speaker 1: for a couple of coaching jobs and I said, he's 497 00:26:11,280 --> 00:26:13,359 Speaker 1: I said, what, Phil, what should I do? Like, what 498 00:26:13,400 --> 00:26:14,800 Speaker 1: should be my game plan if I get one of 499 00:26:14,800 --> 00:26:18,520 Speaker 1: these jobs? And he said, look, whatever you do, spend 500 00:26:18,600 --> 00:26:22,240 Speaker 1: time every day having your guys play one on one 501 00:26:23,440 --> 00:26:25,400 Speaker 1: haven't played, especially in the off season. He goes, you're 502 00:26:25,400 --> 00:26:26,760 Speaker 1: gonna come in, you can take a job, and you're 503 00:26:26,760 --> 00:26:28,680 Speaker 1: gonna want to show everybody how great your offense is, 504 00:26:28,720 --> 00:26:30,159 Speaker 1: how smart you are. He's like, but you know what, 505 00:26:30,760 --> 00:26:32,440 Speaker 1: Like you got plenty of time for that. You wear 506 00:26:32,520 --> 00:26:34,840 Speaker 1: guys out with that end of the day, you win 507 00:26:34,920 --> 00:26:37,920 Speaker 1: to lose games based upon your best player having a chance, 508 00:26:37,920 --> 00:26:40,560 Speaker 1: having the ball and making a shot. And the more 509 00:26:40,640 --> 00:26:44,760 Speaker 1: he does it, the greater a chance. And it's an 510 00:26:44,800 --> 00:26:47,359 Speaker 1: investment in the kid because the kid realizes that it's 511 00:26:47,359 --> 00:26:49,040 Speaker 1: gonna help him take the big shot, but it's also 512 00:26:49,119 --> 00:26:51,159 Speaker 1: gonna help him to get to the next level in 513 00:26:51,240 --> 00:26:53,919 Speaker 1: that end of the day, all things being equal, if 514 00:26:53,960 --> 00:26:55,919 Speaker 1: you can get your own shot, take and make your 515 00:26:55,960 --> 00:26:58,840 Speaker 1: own shot in a big in a big situation, you're 516 00:26:58,880 --> 00:27:01,040 Speaker 1: more valuable than the next guy. I thought that was brilliant. 517 00:27:01,080 --> 00:27:02,960 Speaker 1: I also thought that was a you know because you 518 00:27:03,160 --> 00:27:05,320 Speaker 1: you did get open. It wasn't a bad shot, he 519 00:27:05,480 --> 00:27:08,520 Speaker 1: just missed it right. I thought that was like his 520 00:27:08,640 --> 00:27:11,320 Speaker 1: coaching philosophy coming to bear. Is that is that accurate? 521 00:27:11,400 --> 00:27:13,480 Speaker 1: For in the off season he would have you guys 522 00:27:13,520 --> 00:27:16,760 Speaker 1: play one on one a lot. You know what, he 523 00:27:17,119 --> 00:27:20,080 Speaker 1: never he never told us say hey, look, let's go 524 00:27:20,160 --> 00:27:23,320 Speaker 1: play one on one. It was more just just that's 525 00:27:23,359 --> 00:27:25,880 Speaker 1: just doing on our own. And that's why I loved 526 00:27:25,880 --> 00:27:30,080 Speaker 1: about coach. He's like he never liked, hey, look this 527 00:27:30,200 --> 00:27:32,159 Speaker 1: is Manda Coorey. We're gonna play one on one today. 528 00:27:32,800 --> 00:27:34,959 Speaker 1: It was just like what I want to do when 529 00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:37,240 Speaker 1: we're like we'll play one on one, We'll we'll play 530 00:27:37,440 --> 00:27:40,600 Speaker 1: like that's what it is. That's that's basketball. And if 531 00:27:40,640 --> 00:27:44,760 Speaker 1: you if you're not competitive enough to say, hey, look 532 00:27:44,840 --> 00:27:46,520 Speaker 1: this is what I want to do every single day, 533 00:27:46,600 --> 00:27:48,640 Speaker 1: like that's that's what I love to do, Like you're 534 00:27:48,680 --> 00:27:51,480 Speaker 1: in the wrong sport. So that's why I like, I 535 00:27:51,640 --> 00:27:53,920 Speaker 1: loved it. I loved every single moment of just like 536 00:27:54,840 --> 00:27:57,040 Speaker 1: everybody on my team was always I was always a 537 00:27:57,080 --> 00:27:58,639 Speaker 1: small not saying I was the smallest guy, but I 538 00:27:58,680 --> 00:28:01,159 Speaker 1: was one of the smallest guys on my team. So 539 00:28:01,320 --> 00:28:05,280 Speaker 1: I had to compete against guys six seven and above 540 00:28:05,440 --> 00:28:07,600 Speaker 1: every single day like they guarding me, I'm guarding them. 541 00:28:07,720 --> 00:28:10,119 Speaker 1: Like it just it just it is what it is 542 00:28:10,280 --> 00:28:12,960 Speaker 1: and and and that's what uh. I think it made 543 00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:15,080 Speaker 1: me into a better player because I had to learn 544 00:28:15,119 --> 00:28:18,800 Speaker 1: how to score over bigger guys and so two, um, 545 00:28:19,119 --> 00:28:23,960 Speaker 1: it really it really shows the cream rides to the top. 546 00:28:24,320 --> 00:28:26,080 Speaker 1: It shows who who the who the top dog is. 547 00:28:27,880 --> 00:28:29,639 Speaker 1: Did you watch the rest of the n C term like, 548 00:28:29,680 --> 00:28:31,800 Speaker 1: did you even watch you can beat Kentucky for the 549 00:28:31,840 --> 00:28:36,480 Speaker 1: national Championship. I watched. I didn't watch over the game 550 00:28:36,600 --> 00:28:41,200 Speaker 1: like the the games. I just watched the highlights because 551 00:28:41,200 --> 00:28:46,080 Speaker 1: I was just so upset, like that should be me. Yeah, 552 00:28:46,600 --> 00:28:48,840 Speaker 1: Like and I like I saw that win one game 553 00:28:48,920 --> 00:28:50,640 Speaker 1: and I'm like, all right, well, we would have played 554 00:28:50,680 --> 00:28:53,800 Speaker 1: no over like they beating over man. Then they go 555 00:28:53,880 --> 00:28:56,360 Speaker 1: ahead and I think they would they played Michigan State 556 00:28:56,440 --> 00:28:58,200 Speaker 1: and and somebody else and I would say that something 557 00:28:58,240 --> 00:29:01,160 Speaker 1: like that, and they beat down. But I'm like, god, like, 558 00:29:01,560 --> 00:29:03,560 Speaker 1: now they're going to the frontald Fola like he had 559 00:29:03,600 --> 00:29:06,840 Speaker 1: this team beat and they're like dominating team and then 560 00:29:06,880 --> 00:29:09,920 Speaker 1: and then they're going to beat what Kentucky in Wisconsin 561 00:29:10,120 --> 00:29:13,200 Speaker 1: something like that or whoever it was. And I'm just 562 00:29:13,360 --> 00:29:17,560 Speaker 1: like I can't I can't even think who the CHAMPI 563 00:29:17,560 --> 00:29:20,280 Speaker 1: who was in the champions game. No, they beat Kentucky 564 00:29:20,320 --> 00:29:23,440 Speaker 1: in the championship game. They beat in the semifinal, they 565 00:29:23,440 --> 00:29:27,240 Speaker 1: beat Florida. They beat Florida, Florida. That's right, Florida. And 566 00:29:27,320 --> 00:29:29,280 Speaker 1: I'm just like, man, like, we would have had a 567 00:29:29,320 --> 00:29:30,880 Speaker 1: chance to make the championship like and that, And I 568 00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:33,800 Speaker 1: was stuck in my head, like the whole predraft and 569 00:29:33,840 --> 00:29:37,560 Speaker 1: like I remember seeing uh Man, I can't think anything. 570 00:29:37,600 --> 00:29:40,160 Speaker 1: What was the do you remember the shooter's name? He was? 571 00:29:40,240 --> 00:29:42,640 Speaker 1: He was? He was he was a foreign shooter on 572 00:29:42,760 --> 00:29:48,400 Speaker 1: that team. Yeah, what's his name from Neil's uh Neil's 573 00:29:48,400 --> 00:29:53,040 Speaker 1: gefi or whatever? Right? He was he was. He was 574 00:29:53,200 --> 00:29:56,600 Speaker 1: on the on the um. He came to the Portsmouth 575 00:29:56,680 --> 00:29:59,760 Speaker 1: camp with me. He is only they invite the top 576 00:30:00,080 --> 00:30:04,600 Speaker 1: I want to say, sixty kids, that seniors and um, 577 00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:07,200 Speaker 1: and he's there and I'm like looking at him, and 578 00:30:07,200 --> 00:30:10,160 Speaker 1: I'm like, we would have we should have beat y'all, 579 00:30:10,280 --> 00:30:13,800 Speaker 1: like like like individually like we would have beat them, 580 00:30:13,840 --> 00:30:17,080 Speaker 1: but like as a collective group. They had a heck 581 00:30:17,160 --> 00:30:19,280 Speaker 1: of a group because they had it was all spread around. 582 00:30:19,360 --> 00:30:24,560 Speaker 1: Had they had shot blockers, they had scores, they had facilitated. 583 00:30:24,600 --> 00:30:26,800 Speaker 1: I mean that their team was well rounded and we 584 00:30:26,880 --> 00:30:29,280 Speaker 1: were just I mean we were just a small uh 585 00:30:29,360 --> 00:30:31,160 Speaker 1: med and major school just trying to make some noise. 586 00:30:31,240 --> 00:30:33,600 Speaker 1: And I mean just I feel like, just you know, 587 00:30:33,720 --> 00:30:37,160 Speaker 1: one one one having met over, I would have banked 588 00:30:37,200 --> 00:30:40,080 Speaker 1: it in and we would have won that game. But hey, 589 00:30:40,280 --> 00:30:41,960 Speaker 1: I guess, I guess life wants his way out and 590 00:30:42,000 --> 00:30:44,600 Speaker 1: then look, I'm seven seven years in the NBA and 591 00:30:45,480 --> 00:30:48,240 Speaker 1: everything else is is history, you know. Assentially, you, I 592 00:30:48,280 --> 00:30:50,160 Speaker 1: think you had more pros than they did write you 593 00:30:50,280 --> 00:30:54,880 Speaker 1: and you and Deandre's you know, and they only had 594 00:30:56,080 --> 00:30:58,120 Speaker 1: when they were proved. Yeah, and you've had a better 595 00:30:58,240 --> 00:31:02,600 Speaker 1: broker than than than sbas has Um. The part that 596 00:31:02,720 --> 00:31:05,560 Speaker 1: jumps out to me is and I feel this way 597 00:31:05,560 --> 00:31:07,280 Speaker 1: about my school, but I didn't make the n b A, 598 00:31:07,360 --> 00:31:11,360 Speaker 1: you know, I played overseas. Is that I feel like 599 00:31:12,480 --> 00:31:14,560 Speaker 1: I feel like we we do this thing in the 600 00:31:14,640 --> 00:31:20,680 Speaker 1: media where we we make college basketball only about being 601 00:31:21,040 --> 00:31:22,760 Speaker 1: a kind of stopping point on the way to the 602 00:31:22,920 --> 00:31:26,000 Speaker 1: n b A, and we don't realize all the other 603 00:31:26,120 --> 00:31:28,840 Speaker 1: things that guys get out of it. And to me, 604 00:31:29,360 --> 00:31:32,960 Speaker 1: it's this, there is this aspect of playing for Like 605 00:31:33,120 --> 00:31:35,520 Speaker 1: you said, when you missed that shot, it wasn't that 606 00:31:35,600 --> 00:31:38,360 Speaker 1: you felt like you let you down, you let your coach, 607 00:31:38,440 --> 00:31:41,160 Speaker 1: your teammates, your school, like Saint Joe like it. It's 608 00:31:41,200 --> 00:31:43,320 Speaker 1: a real thing that you're a part of something kind 609 00:31:43,360 --> 00:31:46,960 Speaker 1: of bigger than yourself. And I could be wrong. Again, 610 00:31:47,040 --> 00:31:49,160 Speaker 1: I've never played in the NBA, and I do think 611 00:31:49,320 --> 00:31:51,200 Speaker 1: that at the end of the when you get to 612 00:31:51,280 --> 00:31:53,960 Speaker 1: the end of the championship, if you're in the finals, like, yeah, 613 00:31:54,160 --> 00:31:56,360 Speaker 1: there there is And especially now, guys in the bubble, 614 00:31:56,360 --> 00:31:59,600 Speaker 1: there's probably much better team chemistry than normally, but it's 615 00:31:59,640 --> 00:32:02,920 Speaker 1: not the same. Like, having played now seven years in 616 00:32:03,000 --> 00:32:06,000 Speaker 1: the NBA, is there anything close to the feeling of 617 00:32:06,200 --> 00:32:08,880 Speaker 1: being a part of a team like it was in college. 618 00:32:11,720 --> 00:32:15,400 Speaker 1: You won't get the same. I guess you say, like 619 00:32:15,520 --> 00:32:20,520 Speaker 1: just I won't say naive, but I'll say like just 620 00:32:21,760 --> 00:32:23,880 Speaker 1: blind to the fact of just saying, hey, look, it's 621 00:32:23,960 --> 00:32:26,680 Speaker 1: it's pure. Basketball is pure when it when it's when 622 00:32:26,680 --> 00:32:29,680 Speaker 1: it's not about money, um. And when you get to 623 00:32:29,720 --> 00:32:33,960 Speaker 1: the professional ranks, um, when money is involved and a 624 00:32:34,040 --> 00:32:35,760 Speaker 1: lot of like ego and a lot of a lot 625 00:32:35,800 --> 00:32:40,400 Speaker 1: of other things that involved that kind of changes things. Um. 626 00:32:40,720 --> 00:32:44,360 Speaker 1: But I will say there's a few teams that I've 627 00:32:44,360 --> 00:32:46,360 Speaker 1: seen in the bubble that I can tell that they 628 00:32:46,520 --> 00:32:49,200 Speaker 1: they don't egos out the window and they're just out 629 00:32:49,200 --> 00:32:51,720 Speaker 1: there playing, Like Toronto for example, they have to just 630 00:32:51,880 --> 00:32:54,600 Speaker 1: playing like it doesn't matter who's a free agent, Like 631 00:32:54,800 --> 00:32:58,040 Speaker 1: like Van Fleet is a free agent and he doesn't 632 00:32:58,040 --> 00:33:00,320 Speaker 1: even care, like he just had They're playing having a 633 00:33:00,400 --> 00:33:02,200 Speaker 1: good time. But he's playing well. But like at the 634 00:33:02,240 --> 00:33:05,080 Speaker 1: same time too, he's just had there playing. I mean, 635 00:33:05,120 --> 00:33:06,720 Speaker 1: I'm sure there's other guys on the team that are 636 00:33:06,840 --> 00:33:08,920 Speaker 1: free agents, but it's like he's one of the guys 637 00:33:09,000 --> 00:33:13,680 Speaker 1: that stands out. Um, another team is is okay, see 638 00:33:13,760 --> 00:33:16,760 Speaker 1: that they're playing well, but it's like the Rockets are 639 00:33:16,800 --> 00:33:19,480 Speaker 1: just a better team and they're partner, you know, the Rockets. 640 00:33:19,760 --> 00:33:22,200 Speaker 1: They're gonna keep balance between the two because both all 641 00:33:22,240 --> 00:33:24,560 Speaker 1: want to win. But it's like, let's let's see, let's 642 00:33:24,560 --> 00:33:27,760 Speaker 1: see what tonight. Holes. But it's just like those are 643 00:33:27,760 --> 00:33:30,880 Speaker 1: the instances where when you have a team just playing 644 00:33:31,760 --> 00:33:35,000 Speaker 1: and not thinking out there, they're they're dangerous. They're dangerous 645 00:33:35,000 --> 00:33:37,360 Speaker 1: and and that's when you can kind of see upsets 646 00:33:37,440 --> 00:33:40,640 Speaker 1: and whatnot in the NBA ranks. But for the most part, 647 00:33:40,680 --> 00:33:44,120 Speaker 1: when when I said, when the money and and and 648 00:33:44,400 --> 00:33:47,560 Speaker 1: egos and all that become a factor, like I've seen 649 00:33:47,800 --> 00:33:50,680 Speaker 1: tons of teams that I've been on that that that 650 00:33:50,880 --> 00:33:53,400 Speaker 1: came in the factor. And we we we struggled. We 651 00:33:53,480 --> 00:33:56,880 Speaker 1: struggled throughout the year. Like guys get to free agency 652 00:33:56,960 --> 00:34:02,320 Speaker 1: break or I mean, like uh uh, All Star break 653 00:34:02,480 --> 00:34:05,040 Speaker 1: and guy's only thinking about, well, am I ready to 654 00:34:05,080 --> 00:34:08,000 Speaker 1: get traded? Um? Am I having a good enough year 655 00:34:08,040 --> 00:34:10,600 Speaker 1: where I need to fit out? You know, I need 656 00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:13,560 Speaker 1: some Some guys say, hey, look, I'm trying how to 657 00:34:13,600 --> 00:34:15,520 Speaker 1: get injuried, So let me just ease my way through it. 658 00:34:15,560 --> 00:34:17,400 Speaker 1: Like it's it's a lot of different lot of factor 659 00:34:17,440 --> 00:34:21,319 Speaker 1: a lot offer factors. When did you I mean, I'm 660 00:34:21,320 --> 00:34:24,120 Speaker 1: sure always been a shoe guy, but what what was 661 00:34:24,200 --> 00:34:26,080 Speaker 1: the what was the first kind of creative shoe do 662 00:34:26,120 --> 00:34:32,360 Speaker 1: you decide to wear? Um? My first creative shoe? I 663 00:34:32,400 --> 00:34:34,160 Speaker 1: probably would go all way back to when I was 664 00:34:34,280 --> 00:34:42,400 Speaker 1: like I probably was like thirteen fourteen, um, And I 665 00:34:42,520 --> 00:34:44,719 Speaker 1: and my dad would always bet me. It was like, 666 00:34:44,760 --> 00:34:47,120 Speaker 1: if you always you win a championship or something like that, 667 00:34:48,040 --> 00:34:50,480 Speaker 1: he'll buy me a brand new pair of shoes, which 668 00:34:50,600 --> 00:34:54,360 Speaker 1: was a basketball shoe. And that's all I all that 669 00:34:54,760 --> 00:34:56,399 Speaker 1: we I would get for a whole year. I won't 670 00:34:56,520 --> 00:34:59,359 Speaker 1: have one pair of shoes for the whole season. Um. 671 00:34:59,800 --> 00:35:03,960 Speaker 1: And so every year I would win something alone along 672 00:35:04,040 --> 00:35:07,279 Speaker 1: the way, or win some award or something, and he 673 00:35:07,320 --> 00:35:09,840 Speaker 1: would always say, hey, look, you get to get a 674 00:35:09,920 --> 00:35:11,960 Speaker 1: chance to pick whatever you want. And I would always 675 00:35:12,000 --> 00:35:14,239 Speaker 1: go on nike yat D or if we want to 676 00:35:14,280 --> 00:35:16,120 Speaker 1: beat this team, I was going to beat this and 677 00:35:16,160 --> 00:35:18,160 Speaker 1: I would customize a pair of shoes like the night 678 00:35:18,239 --> 00:35:21,319 Speaker 1: yat D or at Theaters at D and then say, hey, 679 00:35:21,400 --> 00:35:24,200 Speaker 1: look it's my shoe. I have to wait what three 680 00:35:24,280 --> 00:35:27,400 Speaker 1: to six weeks till it came in. Once he came in, 681 00:35:27,520 --> 00:35:28,759 Speaker 1: and I'm like, all right, I'm rocking this for the 682 00:35:28,800 --> 00:35:32,680 Speaker 1: rest of the year. And so that's probably my first 683 00:35:33,360 --> 00:35:36,279 Speaker 1: inclination of like all I like customers and shoes. It's 684 00:35:36,320 --> 00:35:38,920 Speaker 1: different and you get to put your own spell on it, 685 00:35:39,160 --> 00:35:42,720 Speaker 1: and so that's that's that was probably like my biggest 686 00:35:43,880 --> 00:35:45,839 Speaker 1: I just go as a kid, is like hey, look, 687 00:35:45,840 --> 00:35:48,280 Speaker 1: how can I be different than everybody else? Because everybody 688 00:35:48,280 --> 00:35:49,719 Speaker 1: else was going to wear the same pit of sues? 689 00:35:49,920 --> 00:35:54,640 Speaker 1: But how can I be different? Yeah, so you go undrafted? Um, 690 00:35:55,239 --> 00:35:58,120 Speaker 1: how did you come to pick the nets for summer? Like, 691 00:35:58,360 --> 00:36:02,080 Speaker 1: I mean the Knicks? Excuse me for summer? Like? Um, 692 00:36:02,400 --> 00:36:04,640 Speaker 1: me and my agent we we had a long conversation, 693 00:36:05,120 --> 00:36:08,160 Speaker 1: um going undrafted. We knew it was a possibility that 694 00:36:08,239 --> 00:36:10,600 Speaker 1: probably was gonna happen, just because I played four years. 695 00:36:10,719 --> 00:36:14,120 Speaker 1: And that's that's I guess you said that the new 696 00:36:14,239 --> 00:36:17,560 Speaker 1: Morales like, hey, look you senior, you two them. And 697 00:36:17,760 --> 00:36:21,480 Speaker 1: so we looked at all the teams we came down to, 698 00:36:21,640 --> 00:36:25,239 Speaker 1: like it was like a couple of teams that I 699 00:36:25,360 --> 00:36:28,320 Speaker 1: had a choice between, and we thought that, hey, the 700 00:36:28,520 --> 00:36:32,240 Speaker 1: Knicks probably had the best chance of me possibly sneaking 701 00:36:32,280 --> 00:36:37,279 Speaker 1: in the roster. Um. And you know, as a as 702 00:36:37,280 --> 00:36:39,080 Speaker 1: a as an undrafted guy, I'm just trying to get 703 00:36:39,120 --> 00:36:42,239 Speaker 1: a chance to show myself, show myself as a brand 704 00:36:42,239 --> 00:36:44,000 Speaker 1: new coach coming in and had we had Derrick Fisher 705 00:36:44,080 --> 00:36:49,440 Speaker 1: coming in, brand new regime coming in film um um, 706 00:36:50,680 --> 00:36:54,839 Speaker 1: uh what I'm going to blank um, Phil feels um 707 00:36:55,239 --> 00:36:58,319 Speaker 1: the president um. And so I'm like, all right, well 708 00:36:58,360 --> 00:37:00,160 Speaker 1: this might be a chance for me to kind uh 709 00:37:00,800 --> 00:37:02,920 Speaker 1: learned about this try and go offense as well as 710 00:37:03,840 --> 00:37:09,520 Speaker 1: um get my name out there. And so uh, I 711 00:37:09,600 --> 00:37:15,000 Speaker 1: realn't really wasn't worried about like like just I wasn't nervous. 712 00:37:15,040 --> 00:37:17,360 Speaker 1: I would say that I wasn't nervous. I just was 713 00:37:17,400 --> 00:37:19,239 Speaker 1: out there just playing, just having a good time. And 714 00:37:19,880 --> 00:37:21,360 Speaker 1: I mean it's just the same thing that we just 715 00:37:21,440 --> 00:37:24,560 Speaker 1: talked about, like one on one, Like I'm out there 716 00:37:24,600 --> 00:37:28,200 Speaker 1: playing one day, I'm Jr. The next day, Chump the 717 00:37:28,280 --> 00:37:31,320 Speaker 1: next day. I'm playing Mellow Like every single day was 718 00:37:31,360 --> 00:37:34,400 Speaker 1: a competition for me because I'm playing against dudes and 719 00:37:34,440 --> 00:37:36,399 Speaker 1: I grew up watching like I'm watching them on TV. 720 00:37:36,680 --> 00:37:39,239 Speaker 1: Like now I'm getting a chance to play against them. 721 00:37:39,280 --> 00:37:41,920 Speaker 1: So I'm like, well, I'm trying to trying to bust that, 722 00:37:42,000 --> 00:37:43,480 Speaker 1: bust them up. But I don't want them to bust 723 00:37:43,520 --> 00:37:44,640 Speaker 1: me up. I want to I want to go out 724 00:37:44,640 --> 00:37:46,800 Speaker 1: there and showcase they look, I'm here, I'm here, and 725 00:37:46,920 --> 00:37:49,239 Speaker 1: I want to showcase that I want to stay. And 726 00:37:49,400 --> 00:37:53,520 Speaker 1: so as like the preseason and all that kind of 727 00:37:53,560 --> 00:37:56,680 Speaker 1: went on, and then we got into me playing with 728 00:37:56,840 --> 00:37:58,279 Speaker 1: them in some of the league. I was like, hey, look, 729 00:37:58,320 --> 00:37:59,920 Speaker 1: this might be the great opportunity for me to go 730 00:38:00,000 --> 00:38:02,880 Speaker 1: out there play against some other older guys in some 731 00:38:03,080 --> 00:38:04,880 Speaker 1: league and then see where I'm at from there. And 732 00:38:05,320 --> 00:38:08,080 Speaker 1: Chips Falling played play roll play well, I'm in the 733 00:38:08,160 --> 00:38:10,880 Speaker 1: first game. I was absolutely nervous in Summer League, and 734 00:38:10,960 --> 00:38:14,440 Speaker 1: then my second game played really well, and then and 735 00:38:14,520 --> 00:38:19,000 Speaker 1: then only I just I never looked back. So you 736 00:38:19,239 --> 00:38:22,239 Speaker 1: you get done with Summer League. Um, but you know 737 00:38:22,239 --> 00:38:25,399 Speaker 1: when you play in Summer League, you're not necessarily under 738 00:38:25,440 --> 00:38:27,279 Speaker 1: contract with the Knicks or to play for for the 739 00:38:27,320 --> 00:38:30,520 Speaker 1: west Chester team you get done, how long was the 740 00:38:30,600 --> 00:38:33,200 Speaker 1: process before you decided to sign with the Knicks and 741 00:38:33,280 --> 00:38:39,080 Speaker 1: play for west Chester. So I remember getting cut or like, uh, 742 00:38:39,360 --> 00:38:41,400 Speaker 1: I think it was like a Friday maybe now you 743 00:38:41,440 --> 00:38:43,880 Speaker 1: know what I think it was a Monday that waved 744 00:38:43,920 --> 00:38:48,040 Speaker 1: on a Monday, um from the roster. One of my 745 00:38:48,040 --> 00:38:49,839 Speaker 1: other good friends, he ended up making the roster album. 746 00:38:49,880 --> 00:38:51,799 Speaker 1: I didn't make it. I was. I was the last 747 00:38:51,840 --> 00:38:55,279 Speaker 1: two last two cut. So it was it was only 748 00:38:55,640 --> 00:38:56,920 Speaker 1: two of us left and I was the one to 749 00:38:56,960 --> 00:39:02,239 Speaker 1: get cut. And so I would from They're getting cut 750 00:39:02,400 --> 00:39:05,160 Speaker 1: to having a week off to figure out if I 751 00:39:05,200 --> 00:39:07,759 Speaker 1: wanted to go play overseas or did I want to 752 00:39:08,040 --> 00:39:10,960 Speaker 1: be an affiliate player for the Westchester next which was 753 00:39:11,040 --> 00:39:14,080 Speaker 1: a brand new team that was just getting started. And 754 00:39:14,280 --> 00:39:18,400 Speaker 1: so my whole thing was I can go out and 755 00:39:18,520 --> 00:39:21,360 Speaker 1: chase the money and play overseas and that be it, 756 00:39:22,239 --> 00:39:25,719 Speaker 1: or I can stay. I wasn't married at the time, uh, 757 00:39:26,239 --> 00:39:27,840 Speaker 1: didn't have a kid at the time. I just was 758 00:39:27,880 --> 00:39:30,560 Speaker 1: out there just ready to play. And so that's why 759 00:39:30,560 --> 00:39:31,880 Speaker 1: I was like, well, let me just stay here in 760 00:39:31,920 --> 00:39:34,920 Speaker 1: the United States and see what I can kind of 761 00:39:36,480 --> 00:39:40,640 Speaker 1: draw up and just play, and so uh get an 762 00:39:40,640 --> 00:39:44,680 Speaker 1: opportunity to go to the G League won't really good 763 00:39:44,760 --> 00:39:49,439 Speaker 1: times now and really work on my skills. It really 764 00:39:49,480 --> 00:39:51,200 Speaker 1: helped helped me out in the long run because I 765 00:39:51,280 --> 00:39:54,880 Speaker 1: was able to work on not just like my shooting 766 00:39:54,880 --> 00:39:58,799 Speaker 1: anything like that, but like my ball handling, my defense. Uh, 767 00:39:59,200 --> 00:40:01,080 Speaker 1: my work ethic really changed because I had a lot 768 00:40:01,120 --> 00:40:03,080 Speaker 1: of guys around me that we're working hard, so I 769 00:40:03,120 --> 00:40:06,680 Speaker 1: had to work even harder. So it really it really 770 00:40:06,719 --> 00:40:10,440 Speaker 1: helped me along the way because mentally I wasn't ready, 771 00:40:11,239 --> 00:40:14,040 Speaker 1: but it got me ready. They got me ready, that's 772 00:40:14,080 --> 00:40:20,520 Speaker 1: for sure. Um, so when did you get the call? When? 773 00:40:20,719 --> 00:40:22,759 Speaker 1: What was what was the call up for the ten day? 774 00:40:22,800 --> 00:40:27,960 Speaker 1: What was that like? So the ten day January seven, Um, 775 00:40:29,040 --> 00:40:32,560 Speaker 1: I'm actually sitting in the room with my roommate Orlando 776 00:40:32,640 --> 00:40:36,160 Speaker 1: Sanchez and we're actually playing video games and uh, what game? 777 00:40:36,320 --> 00:40:41,600 Speaker 1: I'm like, what game? What game were you playing? I 778 00:40:41,640 --> 00:40:43,840 Speaker 1: think we're playing two K. I think we're playing to 779 00:40:44,320 --> 00:40:46,359 Speaker 1: We had just uh, I think we had just had 780 00:40:46,400 --> 00:40:49,160 Speaker 1: done with practice and and and and the league. The 781 00:40:49,239 --> 00:40:51,840 Speaker 1: week leading up into it, like everybody was like early 782 00:40:51,920 --> 00:40:54,200 Speaker 1: on my mind, like man, I'm telling you called when 783 00:40:54,239 --> 00:40:57,080 Speaker 1: we called up. I'm just like, man, January seven comes. 784 00:40:57,480 --> 00:41:01,000 Speaker 1: If I get called up, I get called up. Jame 785 00:41:01,080 --> 00:41:06,040 Speaker 1: was seven hits. Nothing goes on the whole like afternoon. 786 00:41:06,239 --> 00:41:08,359 Speaker 1: I'm just you know what, the practice came back home, 787 00:41:08,480 --> 00:41:11,680 Speaker 1: relaxed at this point. Next you know, like we're playing 788 00:41:11,880 --> 00:41:17,360 Speaker 1: two k get a call upon answered is Alan Houston. 789 00:41:18,080 --> 00:41:20,359 Speaker 1: I just gonna let you know the Knicks are gonna 790 00:41:20,400 --> 00:41:22,399 Speaker 1: call you up and you're gonna be the first ever 791 00:41:22,520 --> 00:41:25,040 Speaker 1: call up for the for the What'shuster Knicks going to 792 00:41:25,120 --> 00:41:28,520 Speaker 1: the Knicks And I was like wow, like so what's next? 793 00:41:28,680 --> 00:41:30,920 Speaker 1: And He's like, well, look you whether, I'm gonna send 794 00:41:30,920 --> 00:41:32,920 Speaker 1: you a car and she'll be waiting outside for you 795 00:41:32,920 --> 00:41:35,160 Speaker 1: in the next five minutes. You get in the car 796 00:41:35,200 --> 00:41:38,040 Speaker 1: and had to hit the pen station downtown and then 797 00:41:38,120 --> 00:41:41,760 Speaker 1: hit on the DC because you gotta play uh Washington 798 00:41:41,800 --> 00:41:45,960 Speaker 1: Wizards tomorrow. And I was like, oh, shoot, like I 799 00:41:46,000 --> 00:41:49,239 Speaker 1: gotta go right now, like it's time to play. And 800 00:41:50,040 --> 00:41:55,040 Speaker 1: remember I didn't get into about like two three in 801 00:41:55,080 --> 00:42:00,440 Speaker 1: the morning. Tired this can be, but it's hey, look 802 00:42:00,560 --> 00:42:03,439 Speaker 1: my dream, my dream is here. I can't I can't 803 00:42:03,480 --> 00:42:07,040 Speaker 1: be tired now. So I literally was ready to go. 804 00:42:07,200 --> 00:42:10,960 Speaker 1: I just mentally exhausted, but I was just like, I 805 00:42:11,400 --> 00:42:12,880 Speaker 1: don't have no time to rest. Now I got I 806 00:42:12,880 --> 00:42:14,680 Speaker 1: gotta I gotta really take my game to all. I 807 00:42:14,800 --> 00:42:16,239 Speaker 1: love to get where I need to be at it 808 00:42:16,360 --> 00:42:18,520 Speaker 1: to make sure I stay here for these These are 809 00:42:18,600 --> 00:42:22,759 Speaker 1: the first ten days in contract. So the next day, 810 00:42:22,800 --> 00:42:24,160 Speaker 1: you did you have shoot around the day of the 811 00:42:24,239 --> 00:42:25,600 Speaker 1: game or or it is just you show up at 812 00:42:25,640 --> 00:42:28,319 Speaker 1: the game. No, no, yeah, so we have shoot around 813 00:42:28,320 --> 00:42:32,440 Speaker 1: the next day. Um, we go down to the arena, 814 00:42:33,640 --> 00:42:37,839 Speaker 1: we shoot around. Um, then we leave shoot around hit 815 00:42:37,880 --> 00:42:42,560 Speaker 1: by Hotel. Uh, we have team Meal go from Team 816 00:42:42,600 --> 00:42:45,680 Speaker 1: mel Go said, take a little nap, and then I'm all, 817 00:42:45,760 --> 00:42:49,800 Speaker 1: I'm it's so crazy because my routine back then was 818 00:42:49,880 --> 00:42:52,160 Speaker 1: always riding on the first bus, getting there early to 819 00:42:52,239 --> 00:42:54,960 Speaker 1: get my shots up and getting ready for the game. 820 00:42:55,840 --> 00:42:58,200 Speaker 1: And it's still is the same today, Like I haven't 821 00:42:58,280 --> 00:43:00,279 Speaker 1: changed that where I'm always want to be the first 822 00:43:00,280 --> 00:43:03,600 Speaker 1: one on the court, first one to work out, get 823 00:43:03,680 --> 00:43:07,879 Speaker 1: my sweat and get ready to play. And so back 824 00:43:07,920 --> 00:43:10,000 Speaker 1: then it was mandatory I had to be the first 825 00:43:10,040 --> 00:43:11,759 Speaker 1: one in the court because if not everybody else had that, 826 00:43:11,840 --> 00:43:15,560 Speaker 1: times already slided out, especially because I'm just getting onto 827 00:43:15,640 --> 00:43:18,520 Speaker 1: the team. Everybody else is already ready to go. So 828 00:43:19,440 --> 00:43:24,719 Speaker 1: we get to arena early. I work out feeling great. Um, 829 00:43:25,880 --> 00:43:29,280 Speaker 1: you know, everybody everybody around me was like really encouraging. 830 00:43:29,640 --> 00:43:32,120 Speaker 1: It was like, hey, look look this this shop opportunity. Man, 831 00:43:32,200 --> 00:43:33,560 Speaker 1: go out think get it. Man. We look, we know 832 00:43:33,640 --> 00:43:36,040 Speaker 1: what you can do. Just go do it. Coach Fisher 833 00:43:36,120 --> 00:43:39,840 Speaker 1: he's the same way. Hey look, young fellow, just to relax. 834 00:43:39,920 --> 00:43:41,200 Speaker 1: But I didn't have some fun to night and I'm 835 00:43:41,280 --> 00:43:45,759 Speaker 1: all right, cool cool, and yeah I was. That was 836 00:43:45,880 --> 00:43:48,440 Speaker 1: That was That was one of what what's that like 837 00:43:48,520 --> 00:43:50,640 Speaker 1: the first time you're you're sitting down there, you're sitting 838 00:43:50,680 --> 00:43:52,520 Speaker 1: down there, you're on the bench in Washington and you 839 00:43:52,600 --> 00:43:54,560 Speaker 1: played a bunch and you know you're ill get your 840 00:43:54,600 --> 00:43:56,919 Speaker 1: second Yeah, nineteen, your second game against Houston, your first 841 00:43:56,920 --> 00:44:00,040 Speaker 1: game you're playing against the Wizards. I mean, what's that 842 00:44:00,160 --> 00:44:02,880 Speaker 1: feeling like to where Fish comes down and points to 843 00:44:02,960 --> 00:44:05,400 Speaker 1: you and says you're in Like, that's got to be 844 00:44:05,520 --> 00:44:10,400 Speaker 1: a bit of a big moment. Yeah, And I can 845 00:44:10,440 --> 00:44:13,320 Speaker 1: remember that that moment vividly. It's like I was just 846 00:44:13,400 --> 00:44:15,600 Speaker 1: sitting there. Because I was sitting I was right close 847 00:44:15,640 --> 00:44:17,120 Speaker 1: to the top of the bench. I was talking to 848 00:44:17,160 --> 00:44:18,880 Speaker 1: one of other assistant coaches because he was telling me, 849 00:44:18,960 --> 00:44:21,000 Speaker 1: like making sure I knew the plays and making sure 850 00:44:21,000 --> 00:44:23,200 Speaker 1: I knew everything. But the triyan goes pretty simple. I mean, 851 00:44:23,719 --> 00:44:27,200 Speaker 1: it's not simple in the stance of you have to 852 00:44:27,560 --> 00:44:30,960 Speaker 1: mentally understand where to go when you know if someone's 853 00:44:30,960 --> 00:44:32,560 Speaker 1: taking away, you gotta go to the opposite way. So 854 00:44:34,040 --> 00:44:35,800 Speaker 1: it's all based upon where the ball the ball, But 855 00:44:35,840 --> 00:44:37,719 Speaker 1: they're set movement based upon where the ball is and 856 00:44:37,719 --> 00:44:39,320 Speaker 1: where you know where the two pass goes for the 857 00:44:39,360 --> 00:44:43,160 Speaker 1: three pass goes and right right. But it sets up 858 00:44:43,160 --> 00:44:46,680 Speaker 1: perfectly to your game because there's really good spacing. You 859 00:44:46,719 --> 00:44:48,600 Speaker 1: don't have to be like a true point guard. There's 860 00:44:48,640 --> 00:44:50,120 Speaker 1: no ball screens. But if you can get your own 861 00:44:50,120 --> 00:44:52,719 Speaker 1: shot or play off somebody else's penetration, you can really play. 862 00:44:53,520 --> 00:44:55,880 Speaker 1: You can really play. Yeah, And it's all about just 863 00:44:56,120 --> 00:44:58,480 Speaker 1: just having other intelligent people around you. Everybody has to 864 00:44:58,640 --> 00:45:00,719 Speaker 1: have a have a high i Q to understand how 865 00:45:00,760 --> 00:45:05,400 Speaker 1: to make the ball pop and move around. Um. But yeah, no, 866 00:45:05,640 --> 00:45:08,279 Speaker 1: I think that. UM. I was definitely nervous. I won't 867 00:45:08,320 --> 00:45:12,000 Speaker 1: I won't lie. I was very nervous going into the game. Um, 868 00:45:12,760 --> 00:45:15,719 Speaker 1: and then I got my first uh I think I 869 00:45:15,760 --> 00:45:19,480 Speaker 1: gotta steal something like that, and took it to the 870 00:45:19,520 --> 00:45:22,960 Speaker 1: bath he got filed, made my first free throw, and 871 00:45:23,040 --> 00:45:27,120 Speaker 1: everything kind of relaxed after that. I mean so so 872 00:45:27,640 --> 00:45:32,719 Speaker 1: so the next game, though, is the following day, you 873 00:45:32,880 --> 00:45:36,759 Speaker 1: go back and you play in the garden. You're like, 874 00:45:37,360 --> 00:45:40,080 Speaker 1: there's the NBA and then there's I'm playing for the 875 00:45:40,239 --> 00:45:44,239 Speaker 1: Knicks in the garden and you dropped nineteen and hit 876 00:45:44,360 --> 00:45:47,080 Speaker 1: three threes in your first game in the garden. What 877 00:45:47,239 --> 00:45:52,920 Speaker 1: was that experience? Like, yeah, I really, I just was 878 00:45:53,000 --> 00:45:55,560 Speaker 1: there and it's it's so crazy to say that, but 879 00:45:55,640 --> 00:46:00,680 Speaker 1: it's like I didn't expect myself to to do anything 880 00:46:00,760 --> 00:46:02,840 Speaker 1: like that. I just was out there just playing and 881 00:46:04,000 --> 00:46:06,200 Speaker 1: longer behold, we were getting blown out, like don't don't 882 00:46:06,200 --> 00:46:07,880 Speaker 1: forget to mention that, like we were like we were 883 00:46:07,880 --> 00:46:11,320 Speaker 1: playing the Rockets. I gotta before the game before we 884 00:46:11,400 --> 00:46:13,400 Speaker 1: go out there, and my my boys are all something, Man, 885 00:46:13,440 --> 00:46:15,160 Speaker 1: don't we crossed up? Man, don't that hard and cast 886 00:46:15,239 --> 00:46:17,640 Speaker 1: us up this and that, and I'm just like, man, 887 00:46:17,680 --> 00:46:20,520 Speaker 1: I'm not that's the laughing along now. I'm just trying 888 00:46:20,520 --> 00:46:22,480 Speaker 1: to make sure I don't embarrass myself out in and 889 00:46:22,600 --> 00:46:27,879 Speaker 1: play terrible and so um, I remember I just went 890 00:46:27,920 --> 00:46:30,399 Speaker 1: out there and just played, and um we started getting 891 00:46:30,400 --> 00:46:32,840 Speaker 1: blowing out with down by twenties. The crowds likes doing 892 00:46:34,000 --> 00:46:37,200 Speaker 1: and and then they s you know, I coming coming 893 00:46:37,239 --> 00:46:40,160 Speaker 1: the game, I said a couple of shots to cross 894 00:46:40,239 --> 00:46:42,040 Speaker 1: us getting into the game. I mean not saying we're 895 00:46:42,040 --> 00:46:43,439 Speaker 1: coming back and on like that, but they just getting 896 00:46:43,440 --> 00:46:47,960 Speaker 1: into the game because I'm playing well and uh playing hard. 897 00:46:48,360 --> 00:46:51,120 Speaker 1: I gotta I gotta think I got a tip, slam dunk, 898 00:46:51,200 --> 00:46:54,480 Speaker 1: and like the crowd just on their feet and teammates 899 00:46:54,520 --> 00:46:56,800 Speaker 1: that get un their feet and it's a whole different 900 00:46:56,800 --> 00:47:00,399 Speaker 1: atmosphere then. So I'm like, wow, like this, I think 901 00:47:00,440 --> 00:47:02,600 Speaker 1: I'm here, and like it was almost like I'm a 902 00:47:02,719 --> 00:47:05,759 Speaker 1: rob type moment, like man, like this is what it 903 00:47:05,800 --> 00:47:08,319 Speaker 1: gonna be like, Like I want to, you know, every 904 00:47:08,360 --> 00:47:10,680 Speaker 1: I want to be in this moment all the time. 905 00:47:10,760 --> 00:47:12,440 Speaker 1: I don't want to to be one time home. I 906 00:47:12,520 --> 00:47:15,760 Speaker 1: wanted to happen to move more and more so often. 907 00:47:16,560 --> 00:47:21,080 Speaker 1: So it just it literally just took me from being 908 00:47:21,120 --> 00:47:22,680 Speaker 1: a kid again. I was like I felt like I 909 00:47:22,760 --> 00:47:24,560 Speaker 1: was a kid again just out there in the backyard 910 00:47:24,640 --> 00:47:27,920 Speaker 1: hooka like count down five, four, three to one, you know, 911 00:47:28,080 --> 00:47:30,720 Speaker 1: Kovid Jordan or whatever, and and and see my shote. 912 00:47:30,800 --> 00:47:37,920 Speaker 1: So that's that's how I felt. Um, all right, you did. 913 00:47:38,040 --> 00:47:41,320 Speaker 1: I mean the contract with Detroit was that's like a 914 00:47:41,440 --> 00:47:44,600 Speaker 1: legit three year, big time deal. And I know you 915 00:47:44,719 --> 00:47:46,239 Speaker 1: played in New Orleans. You have to go back and 916 00:47:46,320 --> 00:47:49,200 Speaker 1: play relatively kind of your hometown. That that had to 917 00:47:49,239 --> 00:47:51,800 Speaker 1: be amazing. But to but to sign the deal you 918 00:47:51,960 --> 00:47:56,399 Speaker 1: signed with Detroit, considering you know, you weren't a top 919 00:47:56,800 --> 00:48:00,680 Speaker 1: twenty recruit and though you had a very good college career, 920 00:48:00,920 --> 00:48:03,359 Speaker 1: you weren't drafted. You had to go through the G League. 921 00:48:03,680 --> 00:48:06,200 Speaker 1: You chose to bet on yourself and stay here instead 922 00:48:06,200 --> 00:48:09,400 Speaker 1: of going overseas. Um, take me through that moment of 923 00:48:09,480 --> 00:48:15,080 Speaker 1: signing the big deal with Detroit. Yeah, my agent, I 924 00:48:15,120 --> 00:48:17,320 Speaker 1: would give him a credit, a lot of credit. Michael Segar, 925 00:48:17,560 --> 00:48:19,440 Speaker 1: he did a lot of weren't for me to get 926 00:48:19,480 --> 00:48:23,920 Speaker 1: that deal, and so uh going it really led let 927 00:48:24,040 --> 00:48:28,120 Speaker 1: up into be getting traded to Sacramento. I actually had 928 00:48:28,160 --> 00:48:30,080 Speaker 1: one more more year on my contract. It was a 929 00:48:30,120 --> 00:48:31,840 Speaker 1: two It was a two year deal I had in 930 00:48:31,880 --> 00:48:34,080 Speaker 1: New Once when it was the second year was a 931 00:48:34,080 --> 00:48:39,160 Speaker 1: play auction and so leading up until the end of 932 00:48:39,160 --> 00:48:43,680 Speaker 1: the Sacramento season, Um, we've been going back and forth 933 00:48:43,800 --> 00:48:47,520 Speaker 1: with the management group over in Sacramento and saying the 934 00:48:47,600 --> 00:48:52,160 Speaker 1: direction they were heading, and then along of the whole 935 00:48:52,280 --> 00:48:54,520 Speaker 1: Detroit to end up coming in the last minute and saying, hey, 936 00:48:54,560 --> 00:48:57,359 Speaker 1: look we warned up. We went to the common play 937 00:48:57,520 --> 00:48:59,720 Speaker 1: for us and that was that was the stand band Gungeer. 938 00:49:01,120 --> 00:49:02,960 Speaker 1: I was like, man, like, you know, if a team, 939 00:49:04,000 --> 00:49:06,439 Speaker 1: that's a great sign like that. I mean, mom, they're 940 00:49:06,440 --> 00:49:08,680 Speaker 1: gonna they're gonna let me really rock out and let 941 00:49:08,719 --> 00:49:12,640 Speaker 1: me let me play. Because at that point in my career, 942 00:49:12,880 --> 00:49:14,399 Speaker 1: it was a lot of ups and downs, like after 943 00:49:14,480 --> 00:49:17,480 Speaker 1: getting traded, like my you know, my mentor everything was 944 00:49:17,560 --> 00:49:21,759 Speaker 1: kind of just all screwed up. Um. But then having 945 00:49:21,840 --> 00:49:25,080 Speaker 1: that moment was like, hey, look somebody wants you, like 946 00:49:25,160 --> 00:49:28,200 Speaker 1: the trade really wants you for three years, Like it 947 00:49:28,320 --> 00:49:30,560 Speaker 1: really changed my whole mindset in the scope. But I 948 00:49:30,600 --> 00:49:33,000 Speaker 1: mean the business side, yes, I understood that that maybe 949 00:49:33,160 --> 00:49:38,480 Speaker 1: understand getting traded um and and treating the game as 950 00:49:38,480 --> 00:49:41,920 Speaker 1: a business as well as a as a kid's game 951 00:49:41,960 --> 00:49:43,800 Speaker 1: as world like it really opened my eyes to a 952 00:49:43,840 --> 00:49:47,560 Speaker 1: lot of different things. But also too it really it 953 00:49:47,680 --> 00:49:50,800 Speaker 1: helped me because I knew that. Like I said, it 954 00:49:50,880 --> 00:49:52,640 Speaker 1: gave me a lot of confidence to go into my 955 00:49:52,840 --> 00:49:55,239 Speaker 1: my first year in Detroy, Like, hey, look, I think 956 00:49:55,280 --> 00:49:57,839 Speaker 1: I can make some noise with with signing this contract now, 957 00:49:57,960 --> 00:50:01,719 Speaker 1: and and I've changed a lot of like the stereotypes 958 00:50:02,280 --> 00:50:04,800 Speaker 1: for myself because if I go out here and and 959 00:50:05,000 --> 00:50:07,080 Speaker 1: and make the most out of this contract, I can 960 00:50:07,120 --> 00:50:10,200 Speaker 1: sign something even bigger than that and and really put 961 00:50:10,280 --> 00:50:13,120 Speaker 1: put my name and and put my you know, my 962 00:50:13,280 --> 00:50:17,520 Speaker 1: family on my back. The toughest toughest dude to cover 963 00:50:17,560 --> 00:50:23,080 Speaker 1: in the NBAS who for you, I probably would say 964 00:50:23,920 --> 00:50:29,759 Speaker 1: toughest has been Kyrie Um. I enjoyed playing against Kyrie Um. 965 00:50:30,880 --> 00:50:33,120 Speaker 1: But yeah, I'm always like it's it's always gonna be 966 00:50:33,120 --> 00:50:35,520 Speaker 1: a battle. I'm always you know, going back and forth 967 00:50:35,560 --> 00:50:37,880 Speaker 1: with him. It's going to bucket talking like it's just 968 00:50:38,000 --> 00:50:41,040 Speaker 1: it's a it's a lot of like whispering and um 969 00:50:41,719 --> 00:50:46,320 Speaker 1: he's real shifty, real shifty. So I love competing against him, 970 00:50:46,719 --> 00:50:48,920 Speaker 1: um and and and going and going after him. So 971 00:50:49,000 --> 00:50:51,919 Speaker 1: it's it's always a good matchup. He's a bad boy 972 00:50:52,200 --> 00:50:55,160 Speaker 1: right like he can just I mean, the finishing shots 973 00:50:55,200 --> 00:50:58,680 Speaker 1: are unreal. The handle is unreal. The creativity is is 974 00:50:59,160 --> 00:51:03,200 Speaker 1: ridiculous as as well. Um, best teammate you've had in 975 00:51:03,239 --> 00:51:07,399 Speaker 1: the NBA, you know that that's so hard to say. 976 00:51:08,120 --> 00:51:10,000 Speaker 1: I'm gonna I'm gonna say that There's there's been a 977 00:51:10,080 --> 00:51:13,800 Speaker 1: lot of great teammates along the way. Um, So I 978 00:51:13,840 --> 00:51:16,680 Speaker 1: don't want to specifically name one because I know there's 979 00:51:16,719 --> 00:51:18,560 Speaker 1: been so many and I don't want to miss anybody. 980 00:51:19,320 --> 00:51:21,120 Speaker 1: So so I've I've had a lot of great ones, 981 00:51:21,200 --> 00:51:25,839 Speaker 1: a lot of great was over my career. What what's 982 00:51:25,840 --> 00:51:27,160 Speaker 1: it like to be in the same court as Lebron? 983 00:51:29,960 --> 00:51:33,319 Speaker 1: It's just like any other any other player like uh, 984 00:51:33,920 --> 00:51:36,319 Speaker 1: he does I mean I will see that he does. 985 00:51:37,040 --> 00:51:39,960 Speaker 1: He sees things before the guys see see and see them. 986 00:51:40,280 --> 00:51:43,400 Speaker 1: So I will say his his uh, his ir Q, 987 00:51:43,920 --> 00:51:47,400 Speaker 1: his passibility, his his eye for the game. Is that 988 00:51:47,480 --> 00:51:52,000 Speaker 1: a whole nother level than everybody else's. So, um, yeah, 989 00:51:52,040 --> 00:51:54,279 Speaker 1: I give him a lot of credit because you know, 990 00:51:54,360 --> 00:51:57,239 Speaker 1: he studies a lot and it just it just comes 991 00:51:57,320 --> 00:51:59,680 Speaker 1: with the game. He's been in that spotlight for so 992 00:51:59,840 --> 00:52:01,840 Speaker 1: long on it. He just knows how to play, he 993 00:52:01,880 --> 00:52:04,000 Speaker 1: knows how to entertain, he knows how to entertainment. Sure 994 00:52:04,680 --> 00:52:07,719 Speaker 1: you mentioned you mentioned playing a video game two K 995 00:52:07,960 --> 00:52:09,960 Speaker 1: the first time you got the call for the ten day. 996 00:52:10,800 --> 00:52:12,759 Speaker 1: I mean, have you thought you have your own shoe, 997 00:52:12,800 --> 00:52:16,280 Speaker 1: your own que four shoe, right, you have a lundor 998 00:52:16,280 --> 00:52:18,480 Speaker 1: you have a guaranteed contract. You played seven years in 999 00:52:18,520 --> 00:52:21,360 Speaker 1: the NBA. Now you're on two K. Right now you 1000 00:52:21,440 --> 00:52:25,800 Speaker 1: can play yourself. Have you have you had a do 1001 00:52:25,880 --> 00:52:29,359 Speaker 1: you ever have a chance to have that perspective of Wow, 1002 00:52:29,440 --> 00:52:31,960 Speaker 1: I've really really made it, Like even if you never 1003 00:52:32,040 --> 00:52:38,160 Speaker 1: make an All Star team, you've accomplished more than of 1004 00:52:38,200 --> 00:52:43,319 Speaker 1: basketball players ever even dream of accomplishing. I never had 1005 00:52:43,360 --> 00:52:45,160 Speaker 1: that chance to just sit back and this plot and 1006 00:52:45,280 --> 00:52:50,279 Speaker 1: just just being all because I'm still in the moment um, 1007 00:52:50,760 --> 00:52:52,799 Speaker 1: I will say I've had a chance to just play 1008 00:52:52,840 --> 00:52:56,120 Speaker 1: against other people as my creative player on two K. Yeah, 1009 00:52:56,719 --> 00:52:58,719 Speaker 1: I mean that's it's great because everybody's like, man, you 1010 00:52:59,800 --> 00:53:01,680 Speaker 1: just of who are you gonna play with? I'm playing myself. 1011 00:53:01,760 --> 00:53:04,680 Speaker 1: I'm talking about Like that's just like saying like that's 1012 00:53:05,360 --> 00:53:08,439 Speaker 1: that's that's a dream, Like to play as your own 1013 00:53:08,600 --> 00:53:11,880 Speaker 1: creative player on the game, and then to really be 1014 00:53:12,040 --> 00:53:13,920 Speaker 1: in the game and play against yourself, like that's that's 1015 00:53:13,960 --> 00:53:18,239 Speaker 1: pretty cool. That's pretty cool, So I will say that, 1016 00:53:18,400 --> 00:53:21,640 Speaker 1: like it is a dream come true to play a 1017 00:53:21,800 --> 00:53:26,160 Speaker 1: video game as myself. Um, but yeah, now I'm so 1018 00:53:27,960 --> 00:53:30,480 Speaker 1: like locked into the moment that I think I want 1019 00:53:30,520 --> 00:53:32,719 Speaker 1: to approve it until later, only once my career is 1020 00:53:32,760 --> 00:53:35,480 Speaker 1: all set done and and I'm able to like look 1021 00:53:35,560 --> 00:53:36,960 Speaker 1: back at it with my son or something like that 1022 00:53:37,040 --> 00:53:38,960 Speaker 1: when he gets old enough to understand what's going on. 1023 00:53:39,760 --> 00:53:44,040 Speaker 1: If you could, if you could tell a high school kid, hey, 1024 00:53:44,120 --> 00:53:46,160 Speaker 1: here here's how you might not make it, but here's 1025 00:53:46,160 --> 00:53:48,400 Speaker 1: how you give yourself the best chance of making it. 1026 00:53:49,040 --> 00:53:53,480 Speaker 1: What would you advice be? My advice to myself right 1027 00:53:53,520 --> 00:53:58,200 Speaker 1: now and to this day is it's been sacrifice. How 1028 00:53:58,280 --> 00:54:01,320 Speaker 1: can you How can you sacrifice time with your family, 1029 00:54:02,360 --> 00:54:07,640 Speaker 1: time uh hanging out with your friends, and time uh 1030 00:54:07,840 --> 00:54:11,200 Speaker 1: sleeping and everything like that? How can you sacrifice all 1031 00:54:11,280 --> 00:54:14,520 Speaker 1: that to make it where you want to make it too? 1032 00:54:15,360 --> 00:54:17,120 Speaker 1: And I've had to do that alone this way long, 1033 00:54:17,200 --> 00:54:20,759 Speaker 1: this journey, And so I'll say to any of your 1034 00:54:20,800 --> 00:54:23,399 Speaker 1: high school kid now, it's like, if if you really 1035 00:54:23,440 --> 00:54:26,440 Speaker 1: want this to be uh something you want to do 1036 00:54:26,520 --> 00:54:28,640 Speaker 1: in the future, like you want basketball to be your 1037 00:54:29,520 --> 00:54:32,399 Speaker 1: your job, you have to sacrifice a lot to get 1038 00:54:32,440 --> 00:54:36,759 Speaker 1: to this point, and um, and it's never going it's 1039 00:54:36,760 --> 00:54:39,120 Speaker 1: not gonna be given to you, that's for sure, unless 1040 00:54:39,200 --> 00:54:41,600 Speaker 1: like just you know, just you have God given ability 1041 00:54:41,640 --> 00:54:45,080 Speaker 1: and it's just yeah, I mean you're closing in Lebron 1042 00:54:45,200 --> 00:54:46,920 Speaker 1: or something like that. But still you still have to 1043 00:54:47,000 --> 00:54:51,160 Speaker 1: work every single day and sacrifice so much to get 1044 00:54:51,200 --> 00:54:54,879 Speaker 1: to that point. And and like everybody says, I it's 1045 00:54:54,920 --> 00:54:57,440 Speaker 1: only a small slim chance that you make it, but 1046 00:54:57,520 --> 00:54:59,800 Speaker 1: it's like that's gonna give you the best shot, just 1047 00:55:00,000 --> 00:55:02,800 Speaker 1: sacrificing and and putting in a lot of hardwork, putting 1048 00:55:02,800 --> 00:55:06,359 Speaker 1: a lot of hardwork. Thanks to man. Listen, it's been 1049 00:55:06,400 --> 00:55:08,880 Speaker 1: awesome to see you grow as a as a player, 1050 00:55:09,480 --> 00:55:11,800 Speaker 1: and great to catch up with you. Love to have 1051 00:55:11,920 --> 00:55:14,240 Speaker 1: you on the radio show and very very near future. 1052 00:55:14,480 --> 00:55:17,080 Speaker 1: In the meantime, enjoy that time and your son watching 1053 00:55:17,120 --> 00:55:18,880 Speaker 1: Guys Hoop and can't wait to see you back on 1054 00:55:18,960 --> 00:55:21,239 Speaker 1: the NBA floor next season. Thanks me, our guest on 1055 00:55:21,280 --> 00:55:24,919 Speaker 1: All Ball, Thank you so much. Be sure to catch 1056 00:55:25,040 --> 00:55:28,000 Speaker 1: the live edition of The Doug Gottlieb Show weekdays at 1057 00:55:28,080 --> 00:55:32,200 Speaker 1: three p m. Easter noon Pacific. All right, let me 1058 00:55:32,239 --> 00:55:34,200 Speaker 1: give you a couple of quick thoughts on the Lakers 1059 00:55:34,880 --> 00:55:37,279 Speaker 1: as they will get back to playing, and as we 1060 00:55:37,440 --> 00:55:41,279 Speaker 1: told you, Portland wasn't a tough matchup for them, and 1061 00:55:41,360 --> 00:55:44,360 Speaker 1: now Damian Lillards gone home. So eventually they'll play this 1062 00:55:44,520 --> 00:55:47,120 Speaker 1: game five and the series will in fact be over. 1063 00:55:48,120 --> 00:55:50,960 Speaker 1: They're gonna win based upon their defense and if they 1064 00:55:51,080 --> 00:55:53,879 Speaker 1: just get enough scoring from guys you know, not named 1065 00:55:53,960 --> 00:55:56,680 Speaker 1: Lebron and not named Anthony Davis. Really Anthony Davis, if 1066 00:55:56,719 --> 00:55:59,200 Speaker 1: he can um, if he can show the ability to 1067 00:55:59,200 --> 00:56:01,840 Speaker 1: score in the fourth order, that that that's huge. But 1068 00:56:02,040 --> 00:56:06,160 Speaker 1: the plan for this team, the blueprint for this team 1069 00:56:06,280 --> 00:56:12,840 Speaker 1: was seventy five points between Kuzma, Lebron, a d and 1070 00:56:13,120 --> 00:56:16,640 Speaker 1: Kuzma sometimes has and sometimes has not provided his end 1071 00:56:16,719 --> 00:56:18,399 Speaker 1: of the bargain, and then the rest of the team 1072 00:56:18,440 --> 00:56:20,440 Speaker 1: just picking up play defense and hit enough shots to 1073 00:56:20,480 --> 00:56:23,600 Speaker 1: keep everybody, uh, to keep everybody you know, out of 1074 00:56:23,600 --> 00:56:26,759 Speaker 1: the lane for Lebron and for Anthony Davis. That's how 1075 00:56:26,840 --> 00:56:29,120 Speaker 1: they play like they mall you. Defensively, they're the best 1076 00:56:29,200 --> 00:56:32,840 Speaker 1: defensive team in the West, and uh that's kind of 1077 00:56:32,880 --> 00:56:37,600 Speaker 1: their path to a championship. So I think they played 1078 00:56:37,680 --> 00:56:40,000 Speaker 1: to their blue plot print quite quite well. Whereas the 1079 00:56:40,040 --> 00:56:43,160 Speaker 1: Clippers are still trying to figure out exactly who they 1080 00:56:43,200 --> 00:56:45,200 Speaker 1: are and what they are. Do they have pieces that 1081 00:56:45,280 --> 00:56:47,080 Speaker 1: tell you they should be a great defensive team? Yes? 1082 00:56:47,200 --> 00:56:50,600 Speaker 1: Are they great defensive teams at times? And I think 1083 00:56:50,640 --> 00:56:53,320 Speaker 1: Paul George making shots makes Paul George play better defensively, 1084 00:56:53,400 --> 00:56:55,239 Speaker 1: makes the whole thing work. And that's why they scored 1085 00:56:55,239 --> 00:56:58,440 Speaker 1: a hund fifty nine points the last time out. The 1086 00:56:58,560 --> 00:57:01,440 Speaker 1: Clippers have more top to bottom talent, they have more 1087 00:57:01,480 --> 00:57:05,200 Speaker 1: weapons to score, but it's sometimes it's just about knowing 1088 00:57:05,239 --> 00:57:07,480 Speaker 1: who you are, and the Clippers don't seem to know 1089 00:57:07,680 --> 00:57:12,320 Speaker 1: that just yet. All Right, I'm lengthy. Gallery was great. Obviously, 1090 00:57:12,440 --> 00:57:14,640 Speaker 1: this is an interesting time in the NBA. I'm happy 1091 00:57:14,680 --> 00:57:18,280 Speaker 1: they're coming back and playing. It sucks, frankly as an 1092 00:57:18,280 --> 00:57:21,440 Speaker 1: American that this is. You know how I think we're 1093 00:57:21,520 --> 00:57:23,680 Speaker 1: viewed in the world that we just have. We just 1094 00:57:23,760 --> 00:57:27,000 Speaker 1: cannot seem to figure out our issues, and I would 1095 00:57:27,080 --> 00:57:31,680 Speaker 1: like I would like NBA players like, look, you definitely 1096 00:57:31,720 --> 00:57:36,360 Speaker 1: have power and influence to have reasonable goals and expectations, 1097 00:57:36,480 --> 00:57:40,400 Speaker 1: demand them of our leadership and stick to those demands 1098 00:57:41,080 --> 00:57:42,920 Speaker 1: a right like look when I canna defend the police, 1099 00:57:43,640 --> 00:57:46,280 Speaker 1: um and you can't speed at times you can't speed 1100 00:57:46,360 --> 00:57:49,400 Speaker 1: up investigations or mistakes are made, and the legal system 1101 00:57:49,520 --> 00:57:51,600 Speaker 1: is kind of what it is and you but you, ever, 1102 00:57:51,720 --> 00:57:54,400 Speaker 1: you have every right to demand justice for all citizens, 1103 00:57:54,720 --> 00:57:56,520 Speaker 1: not just black ones that are unarmed and shot in 1104 00:57:56,520 --> 00:58:01,200 Speaker 1: the back. I mean for anybody. But I I think 1105 00:58:01,520 --> 00:58:05,720 Speaker 1: that the next step and the way in which you've 1106 00:58:05,720 --> 00:58:12,080 Speaker 1: gotten everybody's attention is is good. Is peaceful protest. I'm 1107 00:58:12,080 --> 00:58:14,040 Speaker 1: not gonna play today. Now we get back to work, 1108 00:58:14,520 --> 00:58:18,040 Speaker 1: but we wanted demand change. Here's some smart things that 1109 00:58:18,160 --> 00:58:21,560 Speaker 1: we feel like can change and and helped shift us 1110 00:58:21,600 --> 00:58:25,320 Speaker 1: towards moving forward. Instead of remarking on actions that have 1111 00:58:25,440 --> 00:58:28,240 Speaker 1: taken place, I feel free to tweet at me at 1112 00:58:28,240 --> 00:58:30,800 Speaker 1: gott Leave Show. You can be up our Facebook page 1113 00:58:30,880 --> 00:58:33,320 Speaker 1: doug ot Live Show Facebook page. Uh, some of you 1114 00:58:33,400 --> 00:58:35,440 Speaker 1: slide into my I G s and make comments. Anyway, 1115 00:58:35,520 --> 00:58:37,200 Speaker 1: We'll put this out on I G in the meantime. 1116 00:58:37,600 --> 00:58:41,760 Speaker 1: Appreciates you downloading, subscribing, and listening. I got a bunch 1117 00:58:41,800 --> 00:58:43,640 Speaker 1: of thoughts for you in college basketball the bubble. I 1118 00:58:43,680 --> 00:58:46,520 Speaker 1: got great guests coming up for you. Keep listening to 1119 00:58:46,640 --> 00:59:03,120 Speaker 1: a ball themple Ber