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Speaker 1: Hey, welcome, and I'm Doug Golly. This is all ball

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Speaker 1: and for today's all ball, I thought we'd catch up

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Speaker 1: with an o g. His dame's Dimitri Hill. You may

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Speaker 1: remember him to meet Hook at the University of Florida.

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Speaker 1: Remember that went to the final four? Had Dmeetri Hill.

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Speaker 1: Andrew Clark was another big guy at some chase down blocks. Anyway,

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Speaker 1: he had a really kind of fastening upbringing growing up

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Speaker 1: in St. Petersburg, made himself into a star, slowly earned

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Speaker 1: his way to being a star in college, and then

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Speaker 1: had a fifteen year career overseas. If you really want

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Speaker 1: to get down to it, if if de Meat Hook

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Speaker 1: was coming out of Florida today, there's a guy who said, hey,

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Speaker 1: if he would drop a little weight and work on

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Speaker 1: his three point shot, he'd be a Draymond Green type.

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Speaker 1: And he was a tremendous passer, an outstanding low post

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Speaker 1: score and long arms, big hands, but kind of one

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Speaker 1: of those undersized pigs with long arms today small ball five.

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Speaker 1: So I want to get into that, and you'll hear

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Speaker 1: his journey, all the different places he played, all different

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Speaker 1: coaches he played with. I thought you'd enjoy it wellout

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Speaker 1: for their due. Here's the meat hook. Um. So before

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Speaker 1: we get to your career and your travels and how

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Speaker 1: well known you are. Um, you first started playing basketball.

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Speaker 1: You can paint the picture youth center, high school. What

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Speaker 1: was your first memories of basketball? First memory of basketball? Uh,

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Speaker 1: that took me out, I was maybe saying. And he

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Speaker 1: was coaching basketball team Mac at the dance. So he

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Speaker 1: was coaching his team. And then so I was just

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Speaker 1: in the gym and you know, he never trying to

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Speaker 1: influence me to play any sport. And then so I

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Speaker 1: just picked up the ball and then just start running

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Speaker 1: up and down the keys and it was hunt. And

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Speaker 1: then so we got back in the car. He asked me,

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Speaker 1: he was like, uh, you want to play basketball. You

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Speaker 1: want to become pretty good at it. And I was

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Speaker 1: like yeah. So that weekend, uh it was it was

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Speaker 1: a Saturday, and he took me out to the park,

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Speaker 1: you know outside courts, you know, which they don't play

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Speaker 1: outside anymore these days. The kids won't know what I'm

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Speaker 1: talking about. But um, and then he just told me

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Speaker 1: how to drop step left and right. So I had

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Speaker 1: and I had to use my left hand in my

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Speaker 1: right hand. And then so after that it took off

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Speaker 1: from there, so uh fell in love with the game.

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Speaker 1: And then every day after that it was basketball. What

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Speaker 1: was the what was the outdoor park? What was it called?

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Speaker 1: Wild World Community Center right there in the sat Peak

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Speaker 1: right still there the day. It's a great place. Um.

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Speaker 1: Not of the best basketball players from Vanilla's county town

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Speaker 1: for Hillsborough Manatee. Uh, you know they have come through

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Speaker 1: there because you know, they through a lot of great

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Speaker 1: tournaments and all the high school players. Then they used

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Speaker 1: to have the program league back in the day there.

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Speaker 1: You know, Matt Gager played in there are lots and

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Speaker 1: so uh you know that was just where you go

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Speaker 1: to uh see if he really had games and so,

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Speaker 1: uh you know, I was fourteen playing an adult man's

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Speaker 1: program and so that right there, at that moment, I

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Speaker 1: knew I was at least going to college to play,

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Speaker 1: you know basketball. What was your dad like with you?

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Speaker 1: Like I understand he taught you to basically fundamentals, But

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Speaker 1: was he hard on you? Did he coach you growing up? Like?

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Speaker 1: What was what was that relationship? Like he coached me?

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Speaker 1: He coached me, uh said, I got in the eighth

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Speaker 1: grade and yeah, he was definitely hard, but he was fair,

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Speaker 1: you know. And then, uh, when I got to about

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Speaker 1: seventh grade, I actually told him I don't want to

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Speaker 1: play for him anymore. I understand, and you know him,

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Speaker 1: you know, being a good man, He's like, okay, and

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Speaker 1: then so he's like, we're going to play for so

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Speaker 1: then he cut off the coach mode and then he

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Speaker 1: went to the dam and then so you're like, okay, yeah,

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Speaker 1: they do a good job over there, you go play

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Speaker 1: over there, have no problem with that. And you know,

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Speaker 1: ironically we played against them in the championship and beat

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Speaker 1: him and so and so that was a that was

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Speaker 1: a great ride home for me, you understand. And then

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Speaker 1: so after that, you know, uh, he had a different

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Speaker 1: level of respect for me too because I was growing

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Speaker 1: up and going into my own person. And then, uh,

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Speaker 1: when I did decide to play for him again, he

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Speaker 1: was a little different. He wasn't as hard so and

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Speaker 1: but he saw that I took the game seriously and

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Speaker 1: I did everything he asked me to do, and he

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Speaker 1: just started, you know, saying it a different way. So yeah,

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Speaker 1: that was that was that was pretty good. Um, you're

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Speaker 1: always a post player, always a post player, but uh,

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Speaker 1: you know, with my dad, he just told me, if

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Speaker 1: I'm gonna player on the basketball court, I spat able

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Speaker 1: to do everything. So that's where the shooting came from,

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Speaker 1: That's where the ball handling comes from. That's where you

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Speaker 1: know running the floor and and and the i Q

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Speaker 1: passing and all that. So you know that started at

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Speaker 1: the early age. It's interesting though, because you're I'm sure

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Speaker 1: you watch now and you're like, I was born too soon,

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Speaker 1: right because I mean you're you're you're you're a small

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Speaker 1: ball five right now. And that's that's good. That's it

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Speaker 1: is it is now? Is it now? And that I I

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Speaker 1: would have been my time because it's more about skill

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Speaker 1: than you know, pretty much athleticis because you know, you

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Speaker 1: see a lot of guys you know like uh, Jaymond

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Speaker 1: Green or Williams from Boston, you know, those guys that

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Speaker 1: fit that mold that you were similar to my skill

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Speaker 1: set as well. So you know, it's good, it's good.

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Speaker 1: The game has a ball and now you have to

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Speaker 1: be skilled more than just athletics. He also don't have

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Speaker 1: to be you know, six nine six tend to play

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Speaker 1: in the post, right like those those guys, those guys

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Speaker 1: are like they're like dinosaurs and relics in the past. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: big Man has definitely faded out, but you still have

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Speaker 1: dominant bigs. And if you're dominant big that could play

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Speaker 1: and your skill, you would make a lot of money

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Speaker 1: to in the today's basketball game. For sure. Why somebody,

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Speaker 1: there's nobody out there at all as you. So you

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Speaker 1: definitely have all the skills and plus the length and

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Speaker 1: the heights, and you know you're in good shape. You know,

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Speaker 1: kudos to the bigs house that that's still doing it,

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Speaker 1: like the Joker and and Bead and you know, uh,

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Speaker 1: Kurtchy Chump in Portland. I like his game. Uh and

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Speaker 1: then uh my man that used to play for Orlando

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Speaker 1: now he's in Chicago, Guchevitz, he had nice games too.

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Speaker 1: So all those all those foreign bigs, all those foreign

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Speaker 1: bigs are just more skilled, you know, I mean, I mean,

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Speaker 1: you know, these these American kids now they're they're gaming,

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Speaker 1: you know, they have other outlets. You know, they're still

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Speaker 1: playing football now, the football still the sport. But how

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Speaker 1: do you grow up? I mean for real though, how

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Speaker 1: do you grow up in St. Pete right in in

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Speaker 1: prime football country and most people look at you and

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Speaker 1: they're like, man, that's a lot's a left tackle, that's

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Speaker 1: a defense man, that's a Hall of Fame and and

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Speaker 1: who push who was your thing? I know your dad

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Speaker 1: coached it, but how did you avoid the football there?

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Speaker 1: I'm gonna tell you this, and it's the only reason

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Speaker 1: that I didn't play football is because for my age

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Speaker 1: and my side, you know, I was just too big.

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Speaker 1: I couldn't have never made the weight. So and then

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Speaker 1: back then, it's not like now when you know, these

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Speaker 1: big kids they just put an X on their helmet

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Speaker 1: and put them on the line, or they have you know,

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Speaker 1: problem want to lead. They had different leagues and things

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Speaker 1: now that you know, help these kids that you know,

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Speaker 1: we're like myself growing up. And so that just pushed

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Speaker 1: me to play basketball because you know, I was grown

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Speaker 1: man side, So I went to play with grown man

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Speaker 1: and then when I got to high school, then it

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Speaker 1: was it was a rat. So I got my first

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Speaker 1: letter from the University of New Orleans as a rising

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Speaker 1: ninth grader and then yeah, college was my best day

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Speaker 1: after that. Why why Florida tell you? Like I told Patrick, Yea,

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Speaker 1: I went to the practice and I knew I'd go

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Speaker 1: there and play right away, So I didn't worry about

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Speaker 1: the competition in front of me. I don't worry about

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Speaker 1: who they was bringing in. I knew I was gonna compete.

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Speaker 1: And and then, you know one thing that we say

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Speaker 1: in St. Pete and pretty much everywhere else, you know,

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Speaker 1: the cream rises to the top. And so eventually, you know,

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Speaker 1: because I put the work in. You know, Lan Krueger

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Speaker 1: was he was a tough coach, but he was fair.

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Speaker 1: So if you put the work in, you did the time.

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Speaker 1: And that's you know what I had to learn as

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Speaker 1: a freshman at you well, you know, to put the

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Speaker 1: work in because like in high school, you know, I

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Speaker 1: was the man, but I had to get humble my

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Speaker 1: freshman year. And then you know, he put me on

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Speaker 1: the bench, but I was killing him practice. You understand,

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Speaker 1: we used to be the first team all the time,

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Speaker 1: but you know they were seenings as junior so you

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Speaker 1: know they were there. He was lower to them. But

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Speaker 1: then when my time came, I didn't let it go.

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Speaker 1: That final four run ninety four. I remember being in Charlotte.

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Speaker 1: But you guys had an awesome team, right yet, Dan Cross,

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Speaker 1: you had to clerk helf um in that season, did you?

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Speaker 1: Did you know? You guys were gonna be that good. No, no, uh,

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Speaker 1: but what brought us together that year is before that

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Speaker 1: final fourth season, we took a tour tour trip over

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Speaker 1: to Australia and so we played all the proteins in Australia,

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Speaker 1: which had uh, you know, rotting my role um uh,

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Speaker 1: Dwayne McClain, uh, Kenny McClary and a few others, and

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Speaker 1: so we knew we were gonna be pretty good. We

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Speaker 1: can compete against them, so um, but that team, it

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Speaker 1: was it was super unique, right it was. Porta wasn't

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Speaker 1: known as a huge basketball uh basketball program. You know,

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Speaker 1: you had Dwayne's insists in the past and his mother did,

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Speaker 1: but not really known. But you guys were You guys

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Speaker 1: were fun. You guys are athletic, You guys are unique.

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Speaker 1: What do you remember about that? Right? The thing was,

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Speaker 1: it was it was so unexpected that every every every

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Speaker 1: game was a new was a new step. We we

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Speaker 1: went to a new tier, you understanding, and then it

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Speaker 1: was amazing. I still remember and coach are always talking about,

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Speaker 1: you know, building rooms until we complete the latter, you understand.

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Speaker 1: So you know, we had to go to you know,

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Speaker 1: for one month, uh, we went to Hawaii, you know,

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Speaker 1: everyone wants to you know, uh that sucks like Oklahoma State,

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Speaker 1: but Louisville gave it to was pretty good. But you

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Speaker 1: know we were up at Oklahoma State and Big Country

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Speaker 1: and so that was a great game. That that game

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Speaker 1: right there really put me on the map as far

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Speaker 1: as the national attention went. And then I had a

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Speaker 1: great game against Louisville as well, and so then it

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Speaker 1: was it after that, and so you know, I can't

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Speaker 1: prepared for that season, and I was unexpected and didn't

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Speaker 1: nobody expect that type of play from me. And then

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Speaker 1: so now I'm getting all the and then so now

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Speaker 1: other teams they started being off that too, and then

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Speaker 1: so you know, they wanted some of that attention as well,

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Speaker 1: and then so they stepped their game up. And then uh,

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Speaker 1: we just competed to be pretty much great every day.

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Speaker 1: And then so it fun at that all the basketball

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Speaker 1: I played in the championship over in Europe. Uh that

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Speaker 1: was that was actually more fun I've had playing basketball.

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Speaker 1: When did you originally now have you always been called

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Speaker 1: the meat hook or was that just during that run?

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Speaker 1: Like when when did that actually uh uh call a call?

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Speaker 1: Then on the Lady of Hotel show and then they

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Speaker 1: dubbed it, you know because uh rn C Buford was

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Speaker 1: our assistant coach, go figure. He the GM for the

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Speaker 1: world champion San Antonio Spurs, and he was in my ear.

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Speaker 1: You know, I can tell you this like my friendsman year,

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Speaker 1: I met with coach Krueger probably two three, four times

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Speaker 1: a week my soul more year maybe once a month.

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Speaker 1: So r rn C was the buffer. Uh He's definitely

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Speaker 1: was the glue and was the secret ingredient that got

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Speaker 1: us to that point because you know, he he worked us,

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Speaker 1: He made it fun. We showed up early, stayed late,

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Speaker 1: uh protected us, he did everything. And then so he

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Speaker 1: told me, uh he would be like those crew good.

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Speaker 1: You know, I want you to shoot you hood you

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Speaker 1: out a little more. So I was like that's it.

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Speaker 1: He's like yeah. And then so one game I think

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Speaker 1: I for a letter and shooting looks so I mean

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Speaker 1: and then after that he called then and called it

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Speaker 1: the meat hook and then so it just stood and

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Speaker 1: I'm just mad I didn't have the wearer tho when

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Speaker 1: I was years old to copyright that, yeah, trade mark

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Speaker 1: and everything. So can you can you like name, image

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Speaker 1: and likeness now like you have big personality. You had

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Speaker 1: a big game. You at Florida, a huge school. I mean,

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Speaker 1: just imagine the meat hook and trade marketing and n

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Speaker 1: I L today and what you've been. It would have

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Speaker 1: been able capitalize on. I would have fold up to

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Speaker 1: the game and a rocket ship u h to pull

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Speaker 1: it out to the game and the spaceship. I'm telling

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Speaker 1: you been all the jerseys day sold my thirty five

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Speaker 1: jersey and everything. Not just meet Dan had him, Andrew

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Speaker 1: had him, Craig Adam as well. So so it have

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Speaker 1: been a plenty for everybody to go around. But I'm

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Speaker 1: just glad they got it right in a way. But

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Speaker 1: now they got to figure out how to control it

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Speaker 1: because you know, some of these kids coming there, you know,

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Speaker 1: making a ton of money right now, and then they

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Speaker 1: make the more money to the coaches. So I can

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Speaker 1: see where that could be a problem. I also think

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Speaker 1: that part of it is that the issue is if

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Speaker 1: you're paying a guy before he ever plays, right one,

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Speaker 1: that's not really the idea of n I L. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: the idea of n I ELA is you ball out,

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Speaker 1: you make a name for yourself, you're able to benefit

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Speaker 1: off of it immediately, right right. But um, but the

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Speaker 1: other part two, it is that as you, as you experienced,

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Speaker 1: right when you get there, you don't always play right away.

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Speaker 1: And so what happens is these kids they either the

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Speaker 1: coaches feel forced to play them because they're how much

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Speaker 1: money they're getting? Hey brush, older players like why why

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Speaker 1: am I still around here? And if they don't play

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Speaker 1: as well as they think, then they transfer out before

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Speaker 1: they ever actually live up to that building, and it

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Speaker 1: becomes a vicious cycle. It's not the it's the idea

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Speaker 1: of not compensating a kid for name, image, likeness, But

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Speaker 1: how do you create kind of a fair balanced way

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Speaker 1: to do it? That's the hard part. And then and

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Speaker 1: then how can it be a fair market value? When

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Speaker 1: if I'm going to go to play football at Alabama,

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Speaker 1: you understand, I know I'm about to make millions of

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Speaker 1: dollars at least half a million, and then if I

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Speaker 1: come down to stay Troy kind of destroy you. I'm saying, like,

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Speaker 1: that is not gonna be an equal playing field and

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Speaker 1: they're not gonna be able to offer as much as

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Speaker 1: one of those big schools. So you know, I don't

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Speaker 1: know if it have to be a cap or anything

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Speaker 1: like that, but uh, you know, it's just isn't efficacy stage.

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Speaker 1: It's so a lot of people gonna make a lot

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Speaker 1: of money in the beginning and then then figured out

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Speaker 1: later you get done playing at cat Florida. Um, what

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Speaker 1: was what was the pre draft process? Like? What was it?

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Speaker 1: Because everybody has the goal of being in the league.

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Speaker 1: What what were people telling you? What was the process

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Speaker 1: like for you? So my thing was everybody was telling

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Speaker 1: me I'm getting drafted. You know, it's gonna be second round,

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Speaker 1: which okay, I'm cool with it. But I went out

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Speaker 1: to UH. San Antonio went out there with RC and

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Speaker 1: they had great workout with them. I was out there

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Speaker 1: for a couple of weeks, so we went through everything.

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Speaker 1: I destroyed everybody and r C. You know, san Antonio

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Speaker 1: didn't have a draft pick that year in nineties SI,

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Speaker 1: so he was like, well, if you don't get drafted,

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Speaker 1: I'll invite you, you know, to the camp. So I

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Speaker 1: was like, okay, I got that in the bag. Then,

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Speaker 1: So after that went down to UH, I called it

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Speaker 1: the torch the chain go on South Beach working with

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Speaker 1: the pat Riley did his UH camp and that was that.

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Speaker 1: That that let me know right there, that level of

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Speaker 1: just training for the NBA was something there because even

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Speaker 1: now you know, rolly stuff is legendary, and even though uh,

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Speaker 1: you know Shoo took some of that over, but that

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Speaker 1: that measureing the body fat and weighing every couple of

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Speaker 1: days and all that, and then you know, getting nutrition

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Speaker 1: right and everything. It's real down there and he runs

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Speaker 1: you to death. So that right there, I knew I

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Speaker 1: want to making my Heat team. Because they only had

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Speaker 1: two sponsor that was forty five people. So experience I was.

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Speaker 1: I was. I was in the camp of Lakers camp

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Speaker 1: with Isaac Austin, and I remember him talking about the here.

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Speaker 1: He like, he was like, yo, one preseason with the

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Speaker 1: Heat took three years off my career, That's what he said.

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Speaker 1: But but if it wasn't for the Heat, he wouldn't

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Speaker 1: have never been in the league. Because I was at

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Speaker 1: I was at that camp with Isasy Austin, you understand.

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Speaker 1: So they had him in shape. He was there before

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Speaker 1: anybody got there, so we knew one of those spots

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Speaker 1: was going to him, and then so everybody else is

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Speaker 1: gonna go one more spot because they invested a lot

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Speaker 1: of time in him, got him to lose weight and

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Speaker 1: he looked great. And then uh after he you know,

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Speaker 1: had him get a couple of good seasons in Miami.

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Speaker 1: Then he came to Orlando, and then you know when

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Speaker 1: it was downhill from there because Orlando has great restaurants

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Speaker 1: and they gave him a lot of money to come

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Speaker 1: up there, so he was gonna get it anyway. So

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Speaker 1: they didn't put a weight clause in this contract, and

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Speaker 1: then so the rest is history. That Fox Sports Radio

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00:18:48,359 --> 00:18:51,160
Speaker 1: has the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch

334
00:18:51,280 --> 00:18:54,040
Speaker 1: all of our shows at Fox Sports Radio dot com

335
00:18:54,640 --> 00:18:57,240
Speaker 1: and within the I Heart Radio app search f s

336
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Speaker 1: R to listen live. What was it like for you

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Speaker 1: that to try to manage your weight? It was I

338
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Speaker 1: can tell you this. It was easier to manage it

339
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Speaker 1: in Europe than it was when I was home because

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Speaker 1: in Europe, Uh, the food is different. They don't put

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Speaker 1: as much things in the food, and uh, you don't

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Speaker 1: eat as much beat all the time over there, you understand,

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Speaker 1: as we do over here in the States, and uh,

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Speaker 1: just the whole culture of lifestyle over there, it is

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Speaker 1: it's not around boo, you understand like this. Uh, you know,

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Speaker 1: Americans over here we eat a lot of meat and

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Speaker 1: then so that's what I used to notice when I

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Speaker 1: used to come back from my travels, it's how bad

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Speaker 1: we eat over here. And so of course I'm from here.

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Speaker 1: I love food, love steaks, love all that. So you know,

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Speaker 1: in the summertime, I would work out three times a day,

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Speaker 1: watch what I ate. But then once I got through

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Speaker 1: playing the uh, it was tough that they don't that

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Speaker 1: there's they don't have the snacks like we have, right,

355
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Speaker 1: like here's always something you can stop and getting snacks

356
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Speaker 1: or whatever, like, yes, the meals are generally healthier, but

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Speaker 1: I mean you can still find but but the but

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Speaker 1: the the snacks is what really gets you, you know, right.

359
00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:14,199
Speaker 1: And then over there you're eating you're not eating uh,

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Speaker 1: preservative bread and everything. You get breast bread every day,

361
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Speaker 1: so you gotta go to your bakery. You understand, you're

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Speaker 1: not fine, you know, like they don't even sell like

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Speaker 1: wonder bread and things like that, you know, only a

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Speaker 1: certain times. So it's just a whole lifestyle and eating

365
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Speaker 1: a lot more salad, a lot more soups. That's when

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Speaker 1: I was in Slovakia, I think I ate soup every day.

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Speaker 1: Your first team overseas was hopwell TELEVIV, right, so you

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Speaker 1: so you go, you're twenty two years old? Two, yes,

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Speaker 1: just enof you. Well, so you're you're twenty two you

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Speaker 1: want to play in the NBA. You don't you go

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Speaker 1: to Israel playing Hopwell Telvi, dude, Pete who's been in himself?

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Speaker 1: What do you What do you remember about that first experience? Uh?

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Speaker 1: It was it was well, the first thing I remember

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Speaker 1: how long the flight was. I was like, damn, where

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Speaker 1: is Israel? You understand, like we are really flying to

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Speaker 1: the Middle East? Like damn? And then you are allowed

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Speaker 1: you understand that's the only every plane going into Israel.

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Speaker 1: You know at that time you understand, so that the

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Speaker 1: flight was great and then you you you you know,

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Speaker 1: then everybody on that airplane would tell you the history

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Speaker 1: of all al and it has never you know, had

382
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Speaker 1: an accident or anything like that, and so you know

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00:21:38,359 --> 00:21:41,040
Speaker 1: that was there and the uh, it was a culture shot.

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Speaker 1: But the great thing was is everybody spoke English, so

385
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Speaker 1: I didn't have a difficult time with Justine. And then

386
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Speaker 1: the one thing that I did love about Israel is

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Speaker 1: that everybody is knowledge for about sports, like like a

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Speaker 1: lot of people. Because when the Wrong Shepherd was played

389
00:22:01,840 --> 00:22:05,920
Speaker 1: in Yukon, we played ukon and so they remember me

390
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Speaker 1: from that game that we beat you can to get

391
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Speaker 1: to the Elite eight in Miami. So you know what

392
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Speaker 1: over there they up at two am out on the beach,

393
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Speaker 1: oh on Allenby Street. Do you understand having party? So yeah,

394
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Speaker 1: it was it was it didn't take long to get adjusted.

395
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Speaker 1: But you know, the food, it took a minute to

396
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Speaker 1: get adjusted because I did not like, uh, hummus. Yeah,

397
00:22:31,560 --> 00:22:34,639
Speaker 1: every meal they put it every heal and then I

398
00:22:34,800 --> 00:22:37,600
Speaker 1: was like, then then so then we come back to

399
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Speaker 1: the States and then I see hummus, but I was like,

400
00:22:41,080 --> 00:22:44,399
Speaker 1: that is not the real hummus. You understand, Like, I

401
00:22:44,480 --> 00:22:47,639
Speaker 1: don't think you would eat the real hummus because it

402
00:22:47,760 --> 00:22:51,960
Speaker 1: doesn't taste like anything, Like you know, it's no flavors,

403
00:22:52,000 --> 00:22:56,520
Speaker 1: no garlic, is no nothing. How do you manage the nightlife? Right?

404
00:22:56,600 --> 00:22:59,240
Speaker 1: Like he's tell tells me is a good time. But

405
00:22:59,359 --> 00:23:01,520
Speaker 1: now you're off. Now you're also a professional athlete, Like

406
00:23:01,600 --> 00:23:04,480
Speaker 1: how how hard was that first year out? I'm not

407
00:23:04,640 --> 00:23:07,720
Speaker 1: going out of the night before the games, you understand, Uh,

408
00:23:08,040 --> 00:23:12,000
Speaker 1: just being disciplined with it. Uh, it was it was tough.

409
00:23:12,520 --> 00:23:14,920
Speaker 1: You understand that I had to get my routine and

410
00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:17,400
Speaker 1: I can never said I didn't go out some nights

411
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Speaker 1: before the game, but I just I just put it

412
00:23:21,320 --> 00:23:24,040
Speaker 1: like this, Doug. I was like, if I'm out the

413
00:23:24,160 --> 00:23:26,760
Speaker 1: night before the game and every the whole city knows it,

414
00:23:27,400 --> 00:23:30,359
Speaker 1: then when I show up at the game, I got

415
00:23:30,440 --> 00:23:33,480
Speaker 1: to play my ass. So because if I don't, that's

416
00:23:33,520 --> 00:23:35,359
Speaker 1: gonna be the reason that they used that I didn't

417
00:23:35,359 --> 00:23:37,800
Speaker 1: play good because I was out and I might not

418
00:23:37,920 --> 00:23:40,720
Speaker 1: have been out till midnight, but then at midnight turns

419
00:23:40,760 --> 00:23:46,000
Speaker 1: into four o'clock. Real easy. What how did you do

420
00:23:46,160 --> 00:23:48,480
Speaker 1: with the coaching? Because it is really coaching is it's

421
00:23:48,480 --> 00:23:50,760
Speaker 1: a little bit like college coaching and that they think

422
00:23:50,800 --> 00:23:53,920
Speaker 1: they're they're the boss, right, not like real professional basketball

423
00:23:53,960 --> 00:23:55,920
Speaker 1: where the players kind of have to say a little

424
00:23:55,960 --> 00:23:59,320
Speaker 1: bit right um. But they also they don't they're not.

425
00:24:00,680 --> 00:24:03,280
Speaker 1: They don't have the RCBU first to kind of bridge

426
00:24:03,280 --> 00:24:06,879
Speaker 1: the gap there. They don't. How did how did you

427
00:24:06,960 --> 00:24:11,320
Speaker 1: handle that? Well, my first my first coach, uh mayor

428
00:24:11,440 --> 00:24:16,320
Speaker 1: commiskey over there and uh and hup for well. He

429
00:24:16,680 --> 00:24:20,920
Speaker 1: was like, look, you're like you're not in encointage anymore.

430
00:24:21,160 --> 00:24:25,600
Speaker 1: He was like, we bring you here two win gangs

431
00:24:26,160 --> 00:24:29,639
Speaker 1: and score points. He was like, you are an American.

432
00:24:30,040 --> 00:24:33,760
Speaker 1: So he just gave me, you know, a brief overview

433
00:24:34,119 --> 00:24:36,760
Speaker 1: of how I'm looked at on the team as I

434
00:24:36,880 --> 00:24:39,320
Speaker 1: if I'm the man. And then so I just took

435
00:24:39,359 --> 00:24:41,600
Speaker 1: the poem rand with it. And then he just told

436
00:24:41,640 --> 00:24:46,080
Speaker 1: he's taught me one phrase uh in Israel and I

437
00:24:46,280 --> 00:24:49,280
Speaker 1: used when I was over there, and it was tenderly

438
00:24:49,359 --> 00:24:52,399
Speaker 1: could do. That was like give me the ball. So

439
00:24:52,760 --> 00:24:55,440
Speaker 1: that's it. That was it. So I was like, yeah,

440
00:24:55,640 --> 00:24:58,240
Speaker 1: all right, I'm home. And then I had a great season,

441
00:24:58,359 --> 00:25:02,320
Speaker 1: I mean, led the league's going. Uh we was. We

442
00:25:02,440 --> 00:25:05,440
Speaker 1: finished at the bottom, but you know, kept them in there.

443
00:25:05,880 --> 00:25:09,040
Speaker 1: And so and then I even got all my money

444
00:25:09,119 --> 00:25:12,040
Speaker 1: that first year, so that was that was rare. And

445
00:25:12,200 --> 00:25:16,600
Speaker 1: then uh yeah there's some stories in Israel and they

446
00:25:16,720 --> 00:25:21,639
Speaker 1: all true about that money. Well, um yeah, yeah, so

447
00:25:21,840 --> 00:25:26,119
Speaker 1: you get to get done why France the next year, Uh,

448
00:25:26,640 --> 00:25:29,760
Speaker 1: they called my agent and then so and then so

449
00:25:30,160 --> 00:25:33,639
Speaker 1: my first question was who was my point guard? And

450
00:25:33,680 --> 00:25:36,480
Speaker 1: then so they like we got Jerry McCullough and so Jerry,

451
00:25:36,600 --> 00:25:40,040
Speaker 1: me and Jerry played together at Portsmouth and so I

452
00:25:40,119 --> 00:25:43,600
Speaker 1: was like, oh man, I was right away where ice

453
00:25:43,720 --> 00:25:46,159
Speaker 1: I know I'm gonna win some games, and then so

454
00:25:46,800 --> 00:25:50,359
Speaker 1: once again we went to grab Lane and I used

455
00:25:50,359 --> 00:25:52,280
Speaker 1: to actually was the m v P of the league

456
00:25:52,400 --> 00:25:55,399
Speaker 1: that year. And then so I had I had a

457
00:25:55,520 --> 00:25:58,280
Speaker 1: very good season as well, and then they wanted to

458
00:25:58,359 --> 00:26:02,600
Speaker 1: bring me back to Graveling after that, but Ice wasn't

459
00:26:02,680 --> 00:26:06,720
Speaker 1: coming back. And then so Um Eisenberg got on the

460
00:26:07,119 --> 00:26:09,200
Speaker 1: fall with my agent and staid they wanted to be

461
00:26:09,280 --> 00:26:13,800
Speaker 1: back in Israel. So my third year I went back

462
00:26:13,920 --> 00:26:17,240
Speaker 1: to Israel. But it wasn't as good as my first year.

463
00:26:17,480 --> 00:26:20,600
Speaker 1: So the team wasn't as good. We made a lot

464
00:26:20,680 --> 00:26:26,000
Speaker 1: of changes. Um Johnny Newman was the coach, so he

465
00:26:26,119 --> 00:26:29,600
Speaker 1: was like the only American coach in Israel at that time.

466
00:26:30,480 --> 00:26:34,879
Speaker 1: Well David Black too, but you know, but he essentially

467
00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:40,160
Speaker 1: Israeli right right, But he got uh, he got fired.

468
00:26:41,680 --> 00:26:44,760
Speaker 1: And then they brought in uh Ronnie Bassani and he

469
00:26:44,880 --> 00:26:46,239
Speaker 1: was a he was a good coach. He was very

470
00:26:46,280 --> 00:26:48,000
Speaker 1: good coach. I wish you probably would have had him

471
00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:50,239
Speaker 1: at the beginning. Uh, you know, we would have won

472
00:26:50,320 --> 00:26:54,119
Speaker 1: some games and it had been more disciplined and not

473
00:26:54,359 --> 00:26:57,720
Speaker 1: as Kati guess when Johnny was there. As Johnny was

474
00:26:58,840 --> 00:27:01,240
Speaker 1: Johnny Neuman was, he was out more than we were.

475
00:27:01,560 --> 00:27:05,440
Speaker 1: So and then you know, come to the game and

476
00:27:06,280 --> 00:27:08,800
Speaker 1: he was still living in his glory days when he

477
00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:12,800
Speaker 1: was scoring forty points at in the SEC. So you

478
00:27:12,920 --> 00:27:14,879
Speaker 1: know we had to hear all theold stories and how

479
00:27:15,000 --> 00:27:18,560
Speaker 1: he uh in grease and everything like that. So you know,

480
00:27:18,720 --> 00:27:20,920
Speaker 1: that was that was I liked him as a person,

481
00:27:21,080 --> 00:27:24,679
Speaker 1: but as a coach he was terrible. But as an

482
00:27:24,720 --> 00:27:27,399
Speaker 1: assistant coach he would have been great because he drilled

483
00:27:27,440 --> 00:27:30,040
Speaker 1: you to death and then so that made me better

484
00:27:30,160 --> 00:27:32,520
Speaker 1: as well, Like just working him for those couple of

485
00:27:32,560 --> 00:27:35,000
Speaker 1: months he was there, all the drills we did, just

486
00:27:35,400 --> 00:27:38,160
Speaker 1: him and he and I. That helped my game as well,

487
00:27:38,560 --> 00:27:41,800
Speaker 1: you know, just catching shoot, especially with the catching shoot park,

488
00:27:42,240 --> 00:27:47,119
Speaker 1: I became a better catching shoot person. Uh working with Johnny,

489
00:27:48,240 --> 00:27:49,680
Speaker 1: Why did you return to the States? Why why go

490
00:27:49,760 --> 00:27:54,119
Speaker 1: to the CBS. Uh that was the quickest way to

491
00:27:54,160 --> 00:27:56,240
Speaker 1: get to the league back then, what's to go to

492
00:27:56,320 --> 00:27:59,919
Speaker 1: the c v A. He really worked in your shooting,

493
00:28:00,440 --> 00:28:02,359
Speaker 1: you know now, said you can kind of establish yourself

494
00:28:03,440 --> 00:28:07,240
Speaker 1: and then uh two falls and calling so and then

495
00:28:07,320 --> 00:28:09,600
Speaker 1: so I had a good chance. Um I was over

496
00:28:09,680 --> 00:28:14,040
Speaker 1: there and two follow was a great look. I mean

497
00:28:14,640 --> 00:28:21,680
Speaker 1: starting uh putting up numbers, you know, getting looks, and

498
00:28:21,840 --> 00:28:26,159
Speaker 1: then uh ripped a brawl and so that put me

499
00:28:26,240 --> 00:28:30,399
Speaker 1: on the shelf about a whole summer. And yes, I

500
00:28:30,520 --> 00:28:32,760
Speaker 1: tried to come back. When I tried to come back

501
00:28:32,840 --> 00:28:35,200
Speaker 1: doing the playoffs and wrap it up, but you know,

502
00:28:35,280 --> 00:28:37,920
Speaker 1: my grol I had it. I had to heal, so

503
00:28:39,040 --> 00:28:43,240
Speaker 1: I took time off after that, and then uh, once

504
00:28:43,320 --> 00:28:46,960
Speaker 1: I held up before some season started in Europe, I

505
00:28:47,040 --> 00:28:50,280
Speaker 1: went down to Venezuela. Do you understand, Because I was

506
00:28:50,400 --> 00:28:53,400
Speaker 1: in a round for three months and then so my

507
00:28:53,520 --> 00:28:57,240
Speaker 1: agent got Middale down in Venezuela, and so I was

508
00:28:57,280 --> 00:28:59,040
Speaker 1: able to you know, held up and go down there

509
00:28:59,080 --> 00:29:02,400
Speaker 1: and play play well, lay very well, best wife. Which

510
00:29:02,440 --> 00:29:07,600
Speaker 1: is a fun league. Yes, uh, it's wild this country,

511
00:29:07,680 --> 00:29:13,720
Speaker 1: but it's it's wild, okay, So give me the mental image,

512
00:29:13,800 --> 00:29:16,840
Speaker 1: like what what's your I know, the spring league guys

513
00:29:16,880 --> 00:29:18,080
Speaker 1: can go down there and make a good amount of

514
00:29:18,080 --> 00:29:20,800
Speaker 1: money in a short period of time, good talent down there,

515
00:29:21,240 --> 00:29:23,680
Speaker 1: but as you said, it's dangerous. So like paint the picture,

516
00:29:23,880 --> 00:29:26,400
Speaker 1: I mean, what was your apartment? Like? Well was did

517
00:29:26,480 --> 00:29:29,480
Speaker 1: you walk to the gym? How how much was their

518
00:29:29,640 --> 00:29:32,680
Speaker 1: crime everywhere? Like? What was it really like? Okay, we

519
00:29:32,840 --> 00:29:36,760
Speaker 1: we everything was gated and barred up, so you're not

520
00:29:36,880 --> 00:29:39,320
Speaker 1: going to do anything without gates and bars even on

521
00:29:39,400 --> 00:29:42,320
Speaker 1: the window. And we did not walk to practice. We

522
00:29:42,400 --> 00:29:46,520
Speaker 1: had drivers, so we wanted to go anywhere, we had

523
00:29:46,680 --> 00:29:49,000
Speaker 1: drivers who they stayed down at the bottom of the

524
00:29:49,080 --> 00:29:52,920
Speaker 1: building twenty four hours a day, so anywhere we wanted

525
00:29:52,960 --> 00:29:55,680
Speaker 1: to go, they drove us. And then you know, around

526
00:29:55,920 --> 00:30:00,680
Speaker 1: our apartment and building because all the players state in

527
00:30:00,760 --> 00:30:03,560
Speaker 1: one department building. I own to own the building stuff.

528
00:30:04,200 --> 00:30:06,560
Speaker 1: Pretty much all the team lived there. But you know,

529
00:30:06,640 --> 00:30:10,080
Speaker 1: you had little cafes and bodegas and little restaurants and

530
00:30:10,120 --> 00:30:12,520
Speaker 1: stuff around the area that we were free from a lot,

531
00:30:12,680 --> 00:30:17,400
Speaker 1: but pretty much we had people with us all the time,

532
00:30:17,440 --> 00:30:20,040
Speaker 1: even when we went club and they would take us there,

533
00:30:20,720 --> 00:30:24,080
Speaker 1: you understand. And then you know, no issues or anything,

534
00:30:24,280 --> 00:30:27,360
Speaker 1: because you know, a lot of people get caught up

535
00:30:27,400 --> 00:30:33,000
Speaker 1: and you know, the nightlife and the atmosphere over there

536
00:30:33,080 --> 00:30:37,160
Speaker 1: is conducive to whatever you want to do. And then

537
00:30:37,280 --> 00:30:39,200
Speaker 1: so if you're not careful, you get caught up in it.

538
00:30:39,320 --> 00:30:40,960
Speaker 1: And they could go and go it and go south

539
00:30:41,080 --> 00:30:43,600
Speaker 1: really quick, and I've seen it. You don't understand. So

540
00:30:44,080 --> 00:30:45,960
Speaker 1: a lot of players, you know, come over there, and

541
00:30:46,200 --> 00:30:48,120
Speaker 1: then in two weeks they're gone and you're like why,

542
00:30:48,640 --> 00:30:51,400
Speaker 1: And then so that's why they can't handle the situation,

543
00:30:51,560 --> 00:30:56,760
Speaker 1: because the women are amazing. Yes. And then the money,

544
00:30:56,800 --> 00:30:58,840
Speaker 1: like you said, the money is good and everything is

545
00:30:58,920 --> 00:31:02,200
Speaker 1: cheap over there, so you're live in a good life.

546
00:31:02,280 --> 00:31:04,880
Speaker 1: And then you rarely have to pay for anything because

547
00:31:04,920 --> 00:31:07,360
Speaker 1: they fed us twice to day if we choose to eat,

548
00:31:07,680 --> 00:31:11,640
Speaker 1: you know at the facility where we practiced that you know,

549
00:31:11,880 --> 00:31:15,800
Speaker 1: uh local team make stair egge there, but you know

550
00:31:16,000 --> 00:31:18,960
Speaker 1: sometimes you know, we didn't eat there, but it was

551
00:31:19,040 --> 00:31:22,520
Speaker 1: the option. And then they sent all our money home

552
00:31:22,600 --> 00:31:25,760
Speaker 1: to our bank accounts. They gave us per dimn per day,

553
00:31:25,840 --> 00:31:28,440
Speaker 1: so we didn't have to really spend any money. And

554
00:31:28,560 --> 00:31:33,080
Speaker 1: then so uh for my teammates spoke law in Spanish,

555
00:31:33,800 --> 00:31:35,800
Speaker 1: so that helped a lot too, and then I learned

556
00:31:35,840 --> 00:31:39,080
Speaker 1: the language and then so it was a good time

557
00:31:39,160 --> 00:31:41,880
Speaker 1: and there and then so that got me back in

558
00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:45,160
Speaker 1: shape too to get back into Europe. And then so

559
00:31:45,440 --> 00:31:47,680
Speaker 1: also make some good money and then you know, got

560
00:31:47,760 --> 00:31:51,640
Speaker 1: to the finals and then down there you play everybody

561
00:31:53,240 --> 00:31:57,880
Speaker 1: like you would play uh three times in the weekend,

562
00:31:58,120 --> 00:32:01,000
Speaker 1: you understand, So it was be hard because you go

563
00:32:01,040 --> 00:32:04,400
Speaker 1: down that Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. By the time you

564
00:32:04,480 --> 00:32:06,280
Speaker 1: got the Sunday, you really didn't want to play the

565
00:32:06,360 --> 00:32:07,880
Speaker 1: other team where they don't want to play you either,

566
00:32:08,360 --> 00:32:12,720
Speaker 1: So it depends like beat them twice, they're gonna win

567
00:32:12,800 --> 00:32:16,880
Speaker 1: the third game, or if they don't beat you twice,

568
00:32:16,960 --> 00:32:20,040
Speaker 1: then you gotta win the third game because you don't

569
00:32:20,040 --> 00:32:23,600
Speaker 1: want to deal with the owners not paying. So you know,

570
00:32:23,880 --> 00:32:30,640
Speaker 1: Venezuela's cutthroat. But it was good. Um you you thenly

571
00:32:30,680 --> 00:32:32,200
Speaker 1: playing the A B A. What was like to play

572
00:32:32,240 --> 00:32:36,040
Speaker 1: at home in Tampia. Now you're playing your hometown that

573
00:32:38,040 --> 00:32:41,720
Speaker 1: sounds like sounds scallenging as well. And I played for

574
00:32:41,800 --> 00:32:47,520
Speaker 1: Derreck Dawkins, so so that was that was a great experience.

575
00:32:48,480 --> 00:32:52,560
Speaker 1: And and once again I was doing my thing, uh

576
00:32:53,360 --> 00:32:56,400
Speaker 1: the A B A. And then they were playing a

577
00:32:56,440 --> 00:32:59,560
Speaker 1: good lot of money at that time as well. And then, um,

578
00:33:00,440 --> 00:33:03,720
Speaker 1: I never forget this play. It was just going up

579
00:33:03,760 --> 00:33:07,360
Speaker 1: for a rebound and it was me and put North

580
00:33:07,520 --> 00:33:11,320
Speaker 1: then and I was giving him the business that whole game.

581
00:33:12,280 --> 00:33:15,760
Speaker 1: And so he made a third and he hiped checked me.

582
00:33:15,840 --> 00:33:18,560
Speaker 1: But he's seven foot so when he hip checked me,

583
00:33:19,760 --> 00:33:23,360
Speaker 1: I kind of uh he, I should have failed to

584
00:33:23,440 --> 00:33:25,440
Speaker 1: the ground, but you know, the pride like game for

585
00:33:25,520 --> 00:33:32,520
Speaker 1: to knock me down and then uh uh it resulted

586
00:33:32,560 --> 00:33:35,400
Speaker 1: in a hernd this so I finished the game, had

587
00:33:35,440 --> 00:33:38,560
Speaker 1: a good game. But after that I couldn't walk for

588
00:33:38,680 --> 00:33:40,160
Speaker 1: like two months, and then I had to be in

589
00:33:40,240 --> 00:33:42,960
Speaker 1: rehab and I did a lot of stuff in the

590
00:33:43,120 --> 00:33:47,400
Speaker 1: pool and injections and everything like that. So my season

591
00:33:47,680 --> 00:33:52,480
Speaker 1: burnly much over after that play. But maybe it was great.

592
00:33:53,320 --> 00:33:55,480
Speaker 1: Being home was great. I got to see my family,

593
00:33:55,560 --> 00:33:58,640
Speaker 1: They got to see me play a few games. Uh,

594
00:33:59,680 --> 00:34:03,080
Speaker 1: I at my family down with me because you know,

595
00:34:03,120 --> 00:34:04,920
Speaker 1: they didn't have to travel to Europe and go through

596
00:34:04,920 --> 00:34:07,880
Speaker 1: the airports and with small kids at that time, you know,

597
00:34:08,040 --> 00:34:12,840
Speaker 1: that was good. We lived h in Tampa, so you know,

598
00:34:12,960 --> 00:34:15,000
Speaker 1: everything was good. I mean it was good. It's just

599
00:34:15,600 --> 00:34:18,680
Speaker 1: too bad they couldn't keep that one going because a

600
00:34:18,760 --> 00:34:21,719
Speaker 1: lot of players from that you know, got jobs, and

601
00:34:21,800 --> 00:34:23,520
Speaker 1: some of them he went to the league from the

602
00:34:23,600 --> 00:34:26,399
Speaker 1: A B A. So you know, it's it's it's many

603
00:34:26,440 --> 00:34:28,840
Speaker 1: ways to get there. It's just all about time and

604
00:34:28,880 --> 00:34:34,960
Speaker 1: an opportunity. So you have to go. You go back overseas.

605
00:34:35,719 --> 00:34:40,920
Speaker 1: Where's you know, I went to China. Actually after the

606
00:34:41,000 --> 00:34:43,800
Speaker 1: A B A, I went to China and then that

607
00:34:44,040 --> 00:34:47,960
Speaker 1: was that. That was culture shot, you understand, Like I

608
00:34:48,200 --> 00:34:53,200
Speaker 1: never ever really could imagine what a billion people look like.

609
00:34:54,000 --> 00:34:58,600
Speaker 1: But there's people everywhere in China, like you get no privacy,

610
00:34:58,680 --> 00:35:01,680
Speaker 1: no peace, twenty four hour of the day, people always

611
00:35:01,719 --> 00:35:04,279
Speaker 1: in the street. We went up to training camp, but

612
00:35:04,320 --> 00:35:07,120
Speaker 1: we had training camp up in the mountains for like

613
00:35:07,280 --> 00:35:10,759
Speaker 1: a month and then uh, but it was five million

614
00:35:10,840 --> 00:35:14,000
Speaker 1: people in the village, you understand, So it was not

615
00:35:14,160 --> 00:35:16,560
Speaker 1: like it was a small it was a small city,

616
00:35:16,680 --> 00:35:19,759
Speaker 1: but that was overcrowded as well. And then so but

617
00:35:19,920 --> 00:35:23,000
Speaker 1: then when you come down from the village, you down

618
00:35:23,040 --> 00:35:25,640
Speaker 1: into the main city. So we was on the border.

619
00:35:25,719 --> 00:35:29,040
Speaker 1: We was in Gunstown, so that was like South China

620
00:35:29,280 --> 00:35:33,120
Speaker 1: and then right across from Hong Kong, so we was

621
00:35:33,160 --> 00:35:34,920
Speaker 1: able to go to Hong Kong. And that was when

622
00:35:35,280 --> 00:35:39,840
Speaker 1: it was still under British rule. So we had to

623
00:35:39,840 --> 00:35:42,000
Speaker 1: get a visa and everything to go to Hong Kong

624
00:35:42,080 --> 00:35:44,960
Speaker 1: because it was still on the British world. But I

625
00:35:45,080 --> 00:35:47,319
Speaker 1: think that next year they had to give it back.

626
00:35:47,600 --> 00:35:49,640
Speaker 1: So it's like after a hundred years they had to

627
00:35:49,680 --> 00:35:52,319
Speaker 1: give it back to China and then so but they

628
00:35:52,440 --> 00:35:54,680
Speaker 1: still own all the banks, so it's pretty much still

629
00:35:55,200 --> 00:36:05,080
Speaker 1: break what it was, crazy, chaotic, barbaric actually, but they

630
00:36:05,120 --> 00:36:11,560
Speaker 1: get a lot of money, but the Chinese and you

631
00:36:11,719 --> 00:36:13,920
Speaker 1: better be able to fish fight because you will get

632
00:36:14,000 --> 00:36:17,680
Speaker 1: sucker punts. And yeah I still got scars from the

633
00:36:17,760 --> 00:36:21,960
Speaker 1: Chinese Basketball League. But yeah, it's one time was enough

634
00:36:22,640 --> 00:36:24,960
Speaker 1: and when we did not ever want to do it again.

635
00:36:25,800 --> 00:36:27,560
Speaker 1: A lot of a lot of Americans go over there

636
00:36:27,560 --> 00:36:30,040
Speaker 1: and they get thrown out the lead for fight because

637
00:36:30,520 --> 00:36:33,359
Speaker 1: they're gonna hitch. There's no if fans about it. They're

638
00:36:33,400 --> 00:36:36,440
Speaker 1: gonna sucker punts. They're gonna do everything they can to

639
00:36:36,520 --> 00:36:39,960
Speaker 1: take you after and if they get kicked out, so

640
00:36:40,160 --> 00:36:41,839
Speaker 1: be it. They would they would love to get rid

641
00:36:41,840 --> 00:36:47,600
Speaker 1: of the American For one of the Chinese local players, Um,

642
00:36:49,200 --> 00:36:53,719
Speaker 1: what was the weirdest food you tried in China? Octo pus?

643
00:36:53,920 --> 00:36:57,600
Speaker 1: And it was it was it was a live wait wait,

644
00:36:57,600 --> 00:37:02,680
Speaker 1: wait what the bush? It was a live They brought

645
00:37:02,760 --> 00:37:05,960
Speaker 1: it out. He was still moving and then so you know, uh,

646
00:37:06,920 --> 00:37:08,600
Speaker 1: chopped up the little kind of coles and then I

647
00:37:08,800 --> 00:37:11,520
Speaker 1: ate a little piece, but that was it. But yeah,

648
00:37:11,680 --> 00:37:15,000
Speaker 1: that was the Chinese food over there is definitely different

649
00:37:15,040 --> 00:37:18,040
Speaker 1: than what we experienced over here. That's real Chinese food

650
00:37:18,080 --> 00:37:21,200
Speaker 1: and age. Just so his American Chinese who that is

651
00:37:21,480 --> 00:37:32,239
Speaker 1: pretty much trash. I know you played back in France.

652
00:37:32,280 --> 00:37:34,400
Speaker 1: Actually we played each other in France. And then you

653
00:37:34,440 --> 00:37:38,319
Speaker 1: want what's uh Slovakia as well. I wanted to lat

654
00:37:38,440 --> 00:37:42,840
Speaker 1: there first. After France, I went to Latvia and that

655
00:37:43,080 --> 00:37:48,120
Speaker 1: was I played with Andrew's bidrid. Uh. He was seventeen,

656
00:37:48,320 --> 00:37:52,320
Speaker 1: eighteen years old. Uh, and he was he was a

657
00:37:52,400 --> 00:37:57,120
Speaker 1: pro then, but uh, you know that was fun. Uh

658
00:37:58,239 --> 00:38:02,560
Speaker 1: built up, shut him down before the before the playoffs,

659
00:38:03,960 --> 00:38:07,040
Speaker 1: and so that was that could have been my first championship.

660
00:38:07,160 --> 00:38:11,240
Speaker 1: But of course we lost the ben Spills in the finals.

661
00:38:11,400 --> 00:38:16,320
Speaker 1: But that was a great experience. What's that was? What

662
00:38:16,440 --> 00:38:22,520
Speaker 1: was that like for you? Uh? Latvia was lava was

663
00:38:22,680 --> 00:38:25,960
Speaker 1: an unexpected surprize. That's like a diving in the rough

664
00:38:26,040 --> 00:38:28,360
Speaker 1: over there. We were in regals, so it was in

665
00:38:28,400 --> 00:38:32,880
Speaker 1: the campital and and and then that country. The racial

666
00:38:33,000 --> 00:38:35,160
Speaker 1: for me and the women is like seven women to

667
00:38:35,360 --> 00:38:40,360
Speaker 1: one bad man and a beautiful So that was and

668
00:38:40,440 --> 00:38:43,200
Speaker 1: then the money when the money was shipped. But I

669
00:38:43,320 --> 00:38:46,800
Speaker 1: took the opportunity because it was a EuroLeague team, and

670
00:38:46,960 --> 00:38:50,200
Speaker 1: so I took a step back, did you know, propelled

671
00:38:50,280 --> 00:38:54,719
Speaker 1: my career a little further because I destroyed the your

672
00:38:54,880 --> 00:38:59,319
Speaker 1: EuroCup and then so the Feverle Cup, whichever was uh

673
00:39:00,080 --> 00:39:02,279
Speaker 1: was an all Star and that and then so that

674
00:39:02,560 --> 00:39:04,560
Speaker 1: that that carried me on for the rest of my season.

675
00:39:04,680 --> 00:39:08,040
Speaker 1: That's just one year playing in Latvia for like eight

676
00:39:08,120 --> 00:39:12,319
Speaker 1: thousand dollars a month and uh, which it was less

677
00:39:12,360 --> 00:39:16,120
Speaker 1: than I was making and and gravel and or leone.

678
00:39:18,080 --> 00:39:20,120
Speaker 1: Well when you we played against you when you was

679
00:39:20,239 --> 00:39:26,200
Speaker 1: down in clare Claremont, Yeah, yeah, yeah, that was That's

680
00:39:26,239 --> 00:39:28,680
Speaker 1: some great time. But Latvia was good. I still have

681
00:39:28,880 --> 00:39:31,719
Speaker 1: friends over that to this day. I talked to um.

682
00:39:34,040 --> 00:39:38,320
Speaker 1: And then after that, uh, we went to uh Cyprus

683
00:39:39,560 --> 00:39:44,160
Speaker 1: and then Cyprus was another country with Barbara basketball. Uh

684
00:39:44,520 --> 00:39:47,720
Speaker 1: when you back, it wasn't when you say bar Barack basketball,

685
00:39:47,719 --> 00:39:52,160
Speaker 1: what do you mean? Okay Na, No, No, this the's

686
00:39:52,200 --> 00:39:55,160
Speaker 1: from the fans actually playing was the play was great,

687
00:39:55,760 --> 00:39:59,040
Speaker 1: but these fans like they would spit on you. They

688
00:39:59,080 --> 00:40:03,920
Speaker 1: would throw uh. Like for instance, during the time out

689
00:40:04,239 --> 00:40:07,120
Speaker 1: by coach, he was talking to us and he had

690
00:40:07,200 --> 00:40:10,920
Speaker 1: on his Armani suit and it's a big gang and

691
00:40:11,200 --> 00:40:14,840
Speaker 1: and and he's just sitting down talk to us and

692
00:40:14,960 --> 00:40:19,360
Speaker 1: all we see spit come from the cap all his

693
00:40:19,800 --> 00:40:22,560
Speaker 1: face or his suits and just sitting there taking it.

694
00:40:22,680 --> 00:40:25,839
Speaker 1: I was like, man, are you crazy? And then uh,

695
00:40:26,000 --> 00:40:30,440
Speaker 1: they throwing uh the drums like we're gonna run and

696
00:40:30,520 --> 00:40:32,680
Speaker 1: we beat at good team. They throw the drums on

697
00:40:32,800 --> 00:40:36,080
Speaker 1: the court. Then they're running the court if the if

698
00:40:36,160 --> 00:40:39,360
Speaker 1: the referee make a car they don't like you understand,

699
00:40:39,480 --> 00:40:42,720
Speaker 1: like we have stopped games and had to come finish

700
00:40:42,800 --> 00:40:46,520
Speaker 1: him the next day. So yeah, Cyprus was Cyprus was

701
00:40:47,080 --> 00:40:49,759
Speaker 1: I wanted done, but it was fine because uh, the

702
00:40:50,440 --> 00:40:55,360
Speaker 1: eye of itself, the country itself very beautiful. I was

703
00:40:55,400 --> 00:40:59,400
Speaker 1: in Nicosia, so on the you know, the Cyprious side,

704
00:40:59,560 --> 00:41:03,360
Speaker 1: but that city has split between Turkey and uh and

705
00:41:03,520 --> 00:41:06,560
Speaker 1: and Cyprus. To the other side of Nico Sea is Turkey.

706
00:41:07,280 --> 00:41:09,080
Speaker 1: And then that was the first time they over whatever,

707
00:41:09,200 --> 00:41:12,480
Speaker 1: boarded whatever the past, going back and forth because a

708
00:41:12,600 --> 00:41:16,080
Speaker 1: lot of the um, I'm gonna say, Bulgarian people lived

709
00:41:16,160 --> 00:41:18,839
Speaker 1: on the Turkeys side, but work, you know, they did

710
00:41:18,920 --> 00:41:21,520
Speaker 1: all the night, the cleaning jobs and everything like that

711
00:41:22,360 --> 00:41:26,200
Speaker 1: for the on the Cyprious side, which is very clean

712
00:41:26,320 --> 00:41:29,120
Speaker 1: and pristine and and there's a lot of money inside.

713
00:41:29,280 --> 00:41:31,320
Speaker 1: So I had a good time there. But with the

714
00:41:31,360 --> 00:41:33,600
Speaker 1: basketball it was it was okay, it was so so

715
00:41:35,440 --> 00:41:40,840
Speaker 1: um and and then you went to after um no.

716
00:41:42,000 --> 00:41:46,320
Speaker 1: After Cyprus, I went to Portugal and then I was

717
00:41:46,480 --> 00:41:48,880
Speaker 1: I was on the island of with Thera and that

718
00:41:49,160 --> 00:41:52,000
Speaker 1: was now Portugal was fine. But we had too much

719
00:41:52,080 --> 00:41:54,319
Speaker 1: fun in Portugal, and then we lost a couple our

720
00:41:54,400 --> 00:41:57,520
Speaker 1: best players because they got kicked off team. And then

721
00:41:57,560 --> 00:42:00,840
Speaker 1: I heard us in the playoffs. But we had a

722
00:42:00,880 --> 00:42:04,239
Speaker 1: good run. And uh in Portugal, that was that was

723
00:42:04,320 --> 00:42:10,919
Speaker 1: a great experience. Too much fun. What they do. Uh well,

724
00:42:12,680 --> 00:42:17,920
Speaker 1: our owner was the CEO of the the major airline

725
00:42:18,160 --> 00:42:25,319
Speaker 1: in Portugal, and so my teammate, Kenny Younger, he got

726
00:42:25,560 --> 00:42:27,719
Speaker 1: we went out one night after the game we beat

727
00:42:27,840 --> 00:42:31,200
Speaker 1: I think we beat Porto and Porto we'll be one

728
00:42:31,239 --> 00:42:33,120
Speaker 1: of them. We had a big win. And then so

729
00:42:33,280 --> 00:42:37,239
Speaker 1: he got he got super super drunk. And then so

730
00:42:37,400 --> 00:42:40,080
Speaker 1: the next morning he woke up, he was still dropped,

731
00:42:41,440 --> 00:42:44,719
Speaker 1: and so he got on the airplane drunk, and oh

732
00:42:44,800 --> 00:42:47,520
Speaker 1: my god, he showed his ass. And then so he

733
00:42:47,680 --> 00:42:52,000
Speaker 1: got kicked off the airplane, you understand. And then when

734
00:42:52,040 --> 00:42:55,799
Speaker 1: he got back, so that that's embarrassing not only the club,

735
00:42:55,960 --> 00:42:58,000
Speaker 1: but it's embarrassing in the president of the club because

736
00:42:58,000 --> 00:43:01,520
Speaker 1: he's the CEO of the airline lead us the same

737
00:43:02,040 --> 00:43:04,160
Speaker 1: back he was gone and he was the MVP of

738
00:43:04,200 --> 00:43:06,800
Speaker 1: the league. So I was the leader score, but he

739
00:43:06,920 --> 00:43:10,239
Speaker 1: was the MVP of the league. So we lost him

740
00:43:10,560 --> 00:43:12,480
Speaker 1: and then we can never recover. After that, we were

741
00:43:12,520 --> 00:43:15,200
Speaker 1: still good and we of course we were playing him

742
00:43:15,280 --> 00:43:19,320
Speaker 1: with the players, but they we had le By Houston,

743
00:43:19,480 --> 00:43:22,480
Speaker 1: he was a good player. And then uh, Kim Adams

744
00:43:22,560 --> 00:43:25,200
Speaker 1: and I forget the other one, but it wasn't Jinny.

745
00:43:25,440 --> 00:43:28,240
Speaker 1: And then so we uh we lost in the second

746
00:43:28,360 --> 00:43:34,320
Speaker 1: round due a man from a techy Mohammed uh Nazi

747
00:43:34,400 --> 00:43:41,400
Speaker 1: Mohmed as he was Manhattan and then and then Kentucky.

748
00:43:41,920 --> 00:43:45,000
Speaker 1: He was a bad boy. Yeah, yeah, so we lost.

749
00:43:45,160 --> 00:43:49,600
Speaker 1: She moved and then uh yeah, So you bring back

750
00:43:49,600 --> 00:43:53,840
Speaker 1: a lot of memories, Doug, but yeah, no, idea, you

751
00:43:53,960 --> 00:43:56,640
Speaker 1: have it. You also you have an unbelievable memory for

752
00:43:56,719 --> 00:43:59,160
Speaker 1: all these guys you played with from coaches you played

753
00:43:59,320 --> 00:44:02,080
Speaker 1: played with. Um okay, So after so what was the

754
00:44:02,600 --> 00:44:07,080
Speaker 1: what was the best part about Portugal? Like the food

755
00:44:07,200 --> 00:44:11,480
Speaker 1: we live we lived I lived off a mountains. So yeah,

756
00:44:12,680 --> 00:44:15,440
Speaker 1: I was in there on the island the fun So

757
00:44:15,640 --> 00:44:18,200
Speaker 1: that was yeah, that was that was nice. That was nice,

758
00:44:18,719 --> 00:44:21,319
Speaker 1: and it was all touristic, so you got a lot

759
00:44:21,400 --> 00:44:23,920
Speaker 1: of you know, international flavor on the island and that

760
00:44:24,080 --> 00:44:27,360
Speaker 1: was good. I had a great time there. I wanted

761
00:44:27,400 --> 00:44:30,160
Speaker 1: to go back, but but they don't want to bring

762
00:44:30,239 --> 00:44:34,719
Speaker 1: me back because they could control but on the floor,

763
00:44:34,800 --> 00:44:37,120
Speaker 1: on the floor, I gave marything I had and so

764
00:44:37,600 --> 00:44:43,560
Speaker 1: and uh. The next year, Porto wanted to sign me. Uh,

765
00:44:44,080 --> 00:44:47,640
Speaker 1: which Scott Stewart, my cottage teammate, he played there and

766
00:44:47,760 --> 00:44:49,759
Speaker 1: then so I was like, okay, we go there. But

767
00:44:49,880 --> 00:44:55,200
Speaker 1: then my ex teammate from Portugal, he was in Slovakia.

768
00:44:55,880 --> 00:44:57,799
Speaker 1: He was like, how much money you've got to get

769
00:44:57,840 --> 00:45:00,160
Speaker 1: in ports So I told him that. He was like,

770
00:45:00,640 --> 00:45:04,120
Speaker 1: we got that plus some more and Slovakia. I was like,

771
00:45:04,440 --> 00:45:08,640
Speaker 1: where there's like Slovakia. Man, he said, you come here,

772
00:45:08,760 --> 00:45:11,320
Speaker 1: you will destroy the league. Then so I was like,

773
00:45:12,360 --> 00:45:13,880
Speaker 1: I was so by this time, I'm at the end

774
00:45:13,920 --> 00:45:16,080
Speaker 1: of my career. So I actually I got about three

775
00:45:16,200 --> 00:45:21,320
Speaker 1: more years left at high level. And then so I

776
00:45:21,480 --> 00:45:24,600
Speaker 1: was like, well happen called my agent and we'll see.

777
00:45:25,120 --> 00:45:28,080
Speaker 1: So I'm sitting on the deck out on Treasure Island Beach,

778
00:45:29,040 --> 00:45:31,000
Speaker 1: and so I get the phone call and then he

779
00:45:31,160 --> 00:45:34,680
Speaker 1: was like, yeah, that's serious right here. They saw your take, uh,

780
00:45:35,000 --> 00:45:37,200
Speaker 1: and they say you what they need and they're gonna

781
00:45:37,239 --> 00:45:40,240
Speaker 1: pay for it. So they brought me there. I played

782
00:45:40,280 --> 00:45:45,400
Speaker 1: for Globo mayor Earthy. He's a Slovak legend coach. He

783
00:45:45,520 --> 00:45:50,120
Speaker 1: won Moore Championships over there then, uh, anybody, and so

784
00:45:50,600 --> 00:45:53,640
Speaker 1: I played for him. He's a good coach. He's a

785
00:45:53,719 --> 00:45:59,160
Speaker 1: coach though, you understand. So I respected him. I respected

786
00:45:59,200 --> 00:46:01,719
Speaker 1: how he ran it team, and I played for him

787
00:46:01,880 --> 00:46:07,799
Speaker 1: for four years. But then uh, we won the championship

788
00:46:07,880 --> 00:46:11,640
Speaker 1: over there. Uh we went to the playoffs every year.

789
00:46:12,840 --> 00:46:17,360
Speaker 1: I left it on the floor fall Uh, no complaints.

790
00:46:17,400 --> 00:46:19,759
Speaker 1: I'm so bucky. That was that was a good time

791
00:46:19,960 --> 00:46:23,600
Speaker 1: and that was what is that? What is that like? Though? Too?

792
00:46:24,160 --> 00:46:27,200
Speaker 1: You're living a lifestyle for a decade of different team

793
00:46:27,239 --> 00:46:30,200
Speaker 1: every year, sometimes two teams in a year, and then

794
00:46:30,239 --> 00:46:32,520
Speaker 1: at the end to play for the same team and

795
00:46:32,600 --> 00:46:36,080
Speaker 1: to play for the same coach for multiple years. Was that?

796
00:46:36,280 --> 00:46:38,440
Speaker 1: Did you like that better? What? What was? What was that?

797
00:46:38,600 --> 00:46:41,520
Speaker 1: Was that? That seems that seems amazing because now you

798
00:46:41,800 --> 00:46:44,760
Speaker 1: because the hardest part about it is not necessarily playing.

799
00:46:44,920 --> 00:46:48,480
Speaker 1: It's the some new you got, like to complete new lifestyle,

800
00:46:48,680 --> 00:46:51,279
Speaker 1: new diet, new places. What was that like to do

801
00:46:51,440 --> 00:46:54,680
Speaker 1: the same thing for four straight years? It was actually stability,

802
00:46:54,840 --> 00:46:58,239
Speaker 1: you understand, because I was saying, before I go home

803
00:46:58,400 --> 00:47:01,120
Speaker 1: for the next season, stand So I was the m

804
00:47:01,200 --> 00:47:04,080
Speaker 1: v P over there, I want to say twice. And

805
00:47:04,239 --> 00:47:07,680
Speaker 1: then the third year we won the championship, and then

806
00:47:07,719 --> 00:47:10,120
Speaker 1: the fourth year we went back to the finals. Then,

807
00:47:10,200 --> 00:47:12,960
Speaker 1: so we had a nice run. And then so I

808
00:47:13,040 --> 00:47:17,400
Speaker 1: would always sign, you know, before I leave for the

809
00:47:17,520 --> 00:47:20,040
Speaker 1: next season. And then at that point, you know, as

810
00:47:20,040 --> 00:47:22,719
Speaker 1: long as the money wasn't ridiculous, I'll be all right,

811
00:47:22,920 --> 00:47:25,279
Speaker 1: you know what, I'm staying. So I wasn't there for

812
00:47:25,360 --> 00:47:27,759
Speaker 1: the money. I just there for the long devity trying

813
00:47:27,800 --> 00:47:30,359
Speaker 1: to figure out what I'm gonna do after I get

814
00:47:30,440 --> 00:47:36,200
Speaker 1: done playing basketball. So uh. And then so that gave

815
00:47:36,239 --> 00:47:38,279
Speaker 1: me the incentive, you know, the stay in shape while

816
00:47:38,320 --> 00:47:40,799
Speaker 1: I was home and not eat all this stuff over here.

817
00:47:41,080 --> 00:47:44,000
Speaker 1: Then keep more work out going. And then I of

818
00:47:44,120 --> 00:47:46,080
Speaker 1: course they gave you money when you go home to

819
00:47:46,600 --> 00:47:48,759
Speaker 1: you understand for them, you know, so you can you know,

820
00:47:48,960 --> 00:47:51,320
Speaker 1: train and do all that other stuff too, so that

821
00:47:51,440 --> 00:47:53,920
Speaker 1: was in the contract as well. And then so it

822
00:47:54,040 --> 00:47:56,600
Speaker 1: just kept me, you know, it kept me going for

823
00:47:57,440 --> 00:48:00,400
Speaker 1: my last five years. For my last five years played

824
00:48:01,160 --> 00:48:04,879
Speaker 1: on Uh. I was in Nature, then I played one

825
00:48:05,000 --> 00:48:07,440
Speaker 1: my last season, I was in Levisa. But then now

826
00:48:07,520 --> 00:48:09,600
Speaker 1: I was it. I was done. After that. I knew

827
00:48:09,760 --> 00:48:12,480
Speaker 1: going into my last year that I should have quit

828
00:48:13,160 --> 00:48:17,000
Speaker 1: the year before. But as a person once told me,

829
00:48:17,880 --> 00:48:20,320
Speaker 1: it's better to quit too late than too soon. So

830
00:48:21,280 --> 00:48:23,239
Speaker 1: you know, I was when I was done. I was done.

831
00:48:24,480 --> 00:48:28,560
Speaker 1: Show your your last game. It was a win, Uh,

832
00:48:29,920 --> 00:48:32,200
Speaker 1: it was. It was. It was around January because I

833
00:48:32,280 --> 00:48:34,520
Speaker 1: didn't finish. I didn't finish. I didn't even finish the season.

834
00:48:35,040 --> 00:48:40,160
Speaker 1: The reason I went back to Slovakia was the woman

835
00:48:40,200 --> 00:48:42,120
Speaker 1: I was seeing at the time. You know, she was

836
00:48:42,200 --> 00:48:44,960
Speaker 1: there and then you know, we had big plans and everything.

837
00:48:45,120 --> 00:48:48,239
Speaker 1: So I went back just for her. And then a

838
00:48:48,360 --> 00:48:50,640
Speaker 1: good friend of mine, he was GM over at the

839
00:48:50,960 --> 00:48:53,880
Speaker 1: and Levisa, so he was like, just come play for

840
00:48:54,000 --> 00:48:56,600
Speaker 1: me for the whole year and then that's that. So

841
00:48:56,760 --> 00:49:00,480
Speaker 1: I signed a contract. But then in January that I

842
00:49:00,600 --> 00:49:03,640
Speaker 1: was done. I didn't even want to go practice. I

843
00:49:03,719 --> 00:49:07,680
Speaker 1: didn't want to play I didn't even I'm catching attitude,

844
00:49:08,400 --> 00:49:10,360
Speaker 1: and I just told him. I was like, I appreciate it.

845
00:49:11,280 --> 00:49:13,640
Speaker 1: I was like, but I'm done. So by February I

846
00:49:13,760 --> 00:49:18,200
Speaker 1: came home early. And then uh, you know my fiancee

847
00:49:18,239 --> 00:49:20,320
Speaker 1: at the time, she came a few months later. And

848
00:49:20,400 --> 00:49:23,560
Speaker 1: then what I did after that, because I didn't graduate

849
00:49:23,680 --> 00:49:27,080
Speaker 1: from UF before I left, I went back to uh

850
00:49:27,280 --> 00:49:30,480
Speaker 1: finish up my fall semester. Only had one semester left

851
00:49:30,560 --> 00:49:33,160
Speaker 1: to get my degree. And uh. The great thing was

852
00:49:33,360 --> 00:49:37,920
Speaker 1: Jeremy Foley before I left UF and nineties six, he

853
00:49:38,120 --> 00:49:40,680
Speaker 1: was like, look, you only got a semester left, so

854
00:49:40,800 --> 00:49:43,560
Speaker 1: when you're done playing, come on back and finish up.

855
00:49:43,920 --> 00:49:45,760
Speaker 1: But I ain't nobody know I was gonna play fifteen

856
00:49:45,840 --> 00:49:50,200
Speaker 1: years professional. So but at the end, but then at

857
00:49:50,239 --> 00:49:52,560
Speaker 1: the end when I came back, ehon of this word

858
00:49:53,440 --> 00:49:55,520
Speaker 1: and wrote me back. So I finished up, got my

859
00:49:55,640 --> 00:49:59,799
Speaker 1: degree and then so, hey, I have nothing but love

860
00:50:00,000 --> 00:50:03,040
Speaker 1: admiration for out of the University of Florida because you know,

861
00:50:03,680 --> 00:50:06,759
Speaker 1: they took care of me. And then so, uh you

862
00:50:06,920 --> 00:50:11,560
Speaker 1: set me up pretty nice. And then so uh, no complaints,

863
00:50:11,640 --> 00:50:14,360
Speaker 1: no ill, will I go back All the time. I

864
00:50:14,480 --> 00:50:17,279
Speaker 1: love my school. Uh, you know, we got a new

865
00:50:17,360 --> 00:50:21,839
Speaker 1: wet in transition now, so it's always gonna be tough

866
00:50:21,880 --> 00:50:24,680
Speaker 1: in the beginning, but uh, this game is that we'll

867
00:50:24,760 --> 00:50:29,200
Speaker 1: get it right. What's that like that first year when

868
00:50:29,840 --> 00:50:33,520
Speaker 1: all you've ever done your entire life is be a

869
00:50:33,560 --> 00:50:36,640
Speaker 1: part of the team, and now there's nothing to get

870
00:50:36,680 --> 00:50:39,759
Speaker 1: in shape for. There's no practice, there's no coach, there's

871
00:50:39,800 --> 00:50:41,719
Speaker 1: no teammates. You get to know, what's what's that first

872
00:50:41,800 --> 00:50:46,160
Speaker 1: year like? It's it's it's tough, you're getting fat, you're

873
00:50:46,200 --> 00:50:50,080
Speaker 1: getting out of shape. It's not I don't get up

874
00:50:50,120 --> 00:50:52,600
Speaker 1: to day and go run my three miles four miles

875
00:50:52,960 --> 00:50:59,880
Speaker 1: or nobody gonna care. I'm not gonna hurt nobody after midnight. Okay,

876
00:51:00,440 --> 00:51:05,840
Speaker 1: if I want a drink all day, there's no consequences

877
00:51:05,920 --> 00:51:09,200
Speaker 1: for that. So I had to I had to get then.

878
00:51:09,400 --> 00:51:12,200
Speaker 1: So I want to go play golf, I can't go

879
00:51:12,320 --> 00:51:14,680
Speaker 1: do that and in the daytime, I ain't got to

880
00:51:14,719 --> 00:51:17,520
Speaker 1: worry about, you know, hitting the weight room or doing this.

881
00:51:17,760 --> 00:51:21,160
Speaker 1: And then I want to just stay around him, be lazy. Nothing.

882
00:51:21,440 --> 00:51:23,399
Speaker 1: I could do that as well. But the good thing

883
00:51:23,640 --> 00:51:26,920
Speaker 1: is with that, like once I finished, I had a

884
00:51:27,000 --> 00:51:30,040
Speaker 1: summer and then I went back to school. So I

885
00:51:30,200 --> 00:51:32,839
Speaker 1: was going to class, you understand, So I was doing

886
00:51:32,920 --> 00:51:35,719
Speaker 1: something to break up or not of the day. And

887
00:51:35,840 --> 00:51:39,359
Speaker 1: then so and then by that time my fiance was there,

888
00:51:39,760 --> 00:51:42,920
Speaker 1: so I was we got married in games there and

889
00:51:43,040 --> 00:51:48,800
Speaker 1: then so you know, football season, basketball season. So it

890
00:51:48,920 --> 00:51:51,040
Speaker 1: was a good time when I was when I went back,

891
00:51:51,239 --> 00:51:53,160
Speaker 1: and then it was in the false message, so I

892
00:51:53,239 --> 00:51:56,160
Speaker 1: got a little bit of everything. And then so then

893
00:51:56,400 --> 00:52:01,839
Speaker 1: after December, I graduated, and then I came back to St. Pete.

894
00:52:02,360 --> 00:52:04,279
Speaker 1: And then so how to get a place to live.

895
00:52:04,640 --> 00:52:06,400
Speaker 1: Then I had to find out what career was I

896
00:52:06,480 --> 00:52:09,279
Speaker 1: gonna do. So you know, the obvious choice would be

897
00:52:09,360 --> 00:52:15,279
Speaker 1: going into coaching. And I'm gonna be honest with you, Doug, Yeah,

898
00:52:15,360 --> 00:52:18,120
Speaker 1: I can't coach these kids that I just can't. It's

899
00:52:18,200 --> 00:52:22,560
Speaker 1: just it's it's tough. It's a new generation. And then

900
00:52:22,600 --> 00:52:25,120
Speaker 1: I was at a private school, you know, admir Fagot.

901
00:52:25,640 --> 00:52:27,600
Speaker 1: And then so these kids they didn't want to go

902
00:52:27,680 --> 00:52:31,480
Speaker 1: to practice. Their mom dad called like, let's say me

903
00:52:31,600 --> 00:52:35,600
Speaker 1: got a physics test that he had studied for and

904
00:52:35,719 --> 00:52:38,600
Speaker 1: he's overwhelmed with with this and that and that thing.

905
00:52:38,760 --> 00:52:41,880
Speaker 1: That's just the normal stuff that we used to juggle

906
00:52:42,760 --> 00:52:46,520
Speaker 1: because we had to. You know, these kids nowadays, you

907
00:52:46,600 --> 00:52:50,800
Speaker 1: know they can't do that because there are they're Caldo

908
00:52:50,920 --> 00:52:55,800
Speaker 1: then Coddle then and and entitled and all those things

909
00:52:56,000 --> 00:52:58,759
Speaker 1: that he had to earn that you know, they give

910
00:52:58,800 --> 00:53:01,480
Speaker 1: him that right away. Understand, you had to earn the

911
00:53:01,719 --> 00:53:05,920
Speaker 1: entitled men, you had to earn, you had to earn

912
00:53:06,520 --> 00:53:09,160
Speaker 1: you know, victories. Everybody didn't get the trophy when we

913
00:53:09,320 --> 00:53:13,040
Speaker 1: go saying so, yeah, yeah, it's a different time, but

914
00:53:13,320 --> 00:53:18,359
Speaker 1: the challenge there there, it's just time pursuming and I just, uh,

915
00:53:18,880 --> 00:53:21,399
Speaker 1: I have a good light away from you know, from

916
00:53:21,440 --> 00:53:25,399
Speaker 1: it all, you understand. So I enjoyed my free time.

917
00:53:25,520 --> 00:53:29,040
Speaker 1: Now I am a fan of all sports and but

918
00:53:29,400 --> 00:53:33,080
Speaker 1: but it took adjustment. And then the thing was I

919
00:53:33,160 --> 00:53:35,239
Speaker 1: didn't have a plan of what I was gonna do

920
00:53:36,080 --> 00:53:39,680
Speaker 1: when I finished. I understand because the logically was called

921
00:53:39,719 --> 00:53:43,360
Speaker 1: one of my friends and get in the coach. But

922
00:53:43,960 --> 00:53:46,120
Speaker 1: when I tried to do that, I see that's not

923
00:53:46,320 --> 00:53:49,759
Speaker 1: that easy. And then so and then a lot of

924
00:53:49,920 --> 00:53:53,399
Speaker 1: coaches don't like to hire ex players because they don't

925
00:53:53,480 --> 00:53:56,000
Speaker 1: think the player is gonna do the work and put

926
00:53:56,120 --> 00:53:58,280
Speaker 1: in the out that it takes to be a good coach.

927
00:53:58,960 --> 00:54:02,600
Speaker 1: But you know, if X player comes in and that's

928
00:54:02,640 --> 00:54:04,960
Speaker 1: what you want to do, then showing the ropes, that's

929
00:54:05,000 --> 00:54:08,239
Speaker 1: just don't assume that you know the worst because he

930
00:54:08,400 --> 00:54:11,920
Speaker 1: was an ex player, you understand, because ex players have knowledge,

931
00:54:12,040 --> 00:54:15,560
Speaker 1: we know the game. Uh, and we can be definitely

932
00:54:17,200 --> 00:54:20,239
Speaker 1: asset to some of these coaches that can't get through

933
00:54:20,360 --> 00:54:23,560
Speaker 1: to the plate. You understand, because that's what how you

934
00:54:23,680 --> 00:54:28,600
Speaker 1: win games. You want be the best coach. K is

935
00:54:28,640 --> 00:54:32,040
Speaker 1: the great coach. And we didn't have grand Hell or

936
00:54:32,280 --> 00:54:37,279
Speaker 1: pretare role or uh Jackson Williams and and Batty ate

937
00:54:37,520 --> 00:54:42,799
Speaker 1: you know, we probably wouldn't know. So yeah, no doubt

938
00:54:42,880 --> 00:54:45,600
Speaker 1: and definitely and and the and the bridging a lot

939
00:54:45,640 --> 00:54:48,600
Speaker 1: of communications is used. Why not coach overseas? You're so

940
00:54:49,320 --> 00:54:53,759
Speaker 1: everywhere you go people like you, and that that mentality

941
00:54:53,880 --> 00:54:57,000
Speaker 1: is a little bit more aligned with your mentality in

942
00:54:57,160 --> 00:55:02,480
Speaker 1: terms of the work ethic and earning things. When that

943
00:55:02,760 --> 00:55:05,239
Speaker 1: that is a good one. And then, uh, that was

944
00:55:05,560 --> 00:55:08,200
Speaker 1: what I was gonna transition to and slop out here.

945
00:55:08,800 --> 00:55:12,400
Speaker 1: I had already set up, but then I had to

946
00:55:12,440 --> 00:55:14,880
Speaker 1: be a citizen for this and then had to go

947
00:55:15,040 --> 00:55:16,920
Speaker 1: to this. Then it was a lot of hoops to

948
00:55:17,040 --> 00:55:19,239
Speaker 1: jump through. And then so I was like, well, let

949
00:55:19,280 --> 00:55:23,239
Speaker 1: me go, give me some experience you know at home,

950
00:55:23,600 --> 00:55:26,320
Speaker 1: and then I can come back. But after that, I

951
00:55:26,480 --> 00:55:29,040
Speaker 1: was just dumb with the coaching aspect. And then I

952
00:55:29,239 --> 00:55:33,520
Speaker 1: was like, let's put this degree work so you know, uh,

953
00:55:34,560 --> 00:55:37,040
Speaker 1: toward a round because I still have money safe up,

954
00:55:37,600 --> 00:55:39,480
Speaker 1: you know from my time planning. So I didn't really

955
00:55:39,520 --> 00:55:43,200
Speaker 1: get a job until three or four years after I

956
00:55:43,280 --> 00:55:47,839
Speaker 1: got done playing. And then so I landed at our

957
00:55:48,360 --> 00:55:52,520
Speaker 1: company I work for now and St. Vincent de Paul. Uh,

958
00:55:52,680 --> 00:55:54,520
Speaker 1: we have the home in his population, you know, take

959
00:55:54,600 --> 00:55:57,160
Speaker 1: him off the street in the house and then you know,

960
00:55:57,239 --> 00:55:59,560
Speaker 1: help them get jobs and you know, you know, give

961
00:55:59,640 --> 00:56:02,960
Speaker 1: him some us a norm seeing back on you know, stability,

962
00:56:03,480 --> 00:56:05,719
Speaker 1: you know in their lives, you know, after being you

963
00:56:05,760 --> 00:56:08,359
Speaker 1: know homeless for some of them for five six years.

964
00:56:08,440 --> 00:56:12,440
Speaker 1: So you know, we're deal with families, veterans, uh, you know,

965
00:56:13,200 --> 00:56:16,560
Speaker 1: the whole gamble. So so it's a rewarding job. It's

966
00:56:16,920 --> 00:56:22,359
Speaker 1: a run the upper housing program. So it's it's not basketball,

967
00:56:22,440 --> 00:56:25,160
Speaker 1: but I still treat it, you know, like I'm still

968
00:56:25,280 --> 00:56:29,080
Speaker 1: in the game. I'm out working everybody. I'm here late,

969
00:56:29,560 --> 00:56:34,680
Speaker 1: you know, here early. Everything is done, pay attention to details.

970
00:56:34,719 --> 00:56:36,719
Speaker 1: So all the things I used to do while I

971
00:56:36,880 --> 00:56:39,960
Speaker 1: was playing, you know, I just translated to the huh

972
00:56:40,520 --> 00:56:43,960
Speaker 1: to the work field. And you know basketball was hard.

973
00:56:44,120 --> 00:56:46,480
Speaker 1: This this working, you know, working a job that's kind

974
00:56:46,480 --> 00:56:51,600
Speaker 1: of easy. Yeah, it actually it Actually it's one reason

975
00:56:51,680 --> 00:56:54,600
Speaker 1: one of reasons good companies hire guys like you, guys

976
00:56:54,640 --> 00:56:57,520
Speaker 1: that were great athletes, because there's a workouthic it takes

977
00:56:58,000 --> 00:57:00,359
Speaker 1: to make it. It's it's really the interest thing part

978
00:57:00,360 --> 00:57:02,839
Speaker 1: about what you said about former players with coaches. It's

979
00:57:02,960 --> 00:57:06,839
Speaker 1: it's weird, like I don't. Not every former player wants

980
00:57:06,880 --> 00:57:09,080
Speaker 1: to work, there's no question, right, especially guys that have

981
00:57:09,600 --> 00:57:11,200
Speaker 1: tons of cash, like now I want to do this,

982
00:57:11,760 --> 00:57:15,600
Speaker 1: but most of them they love ball. Like the guys

983
00:57:15,680 --> 00:57:17,840
Speaker 1: that love ball and have a work ethic, those are

984
00:57:17,840 --> 00:57:21,400
Speaker 1: the guys you want to have around you. Yeah. Yeah,

985
00:57:21,920 --> 00:57:23,520
Speaker 1: And that's the people I want to have. I want

986
00:57:23,560 --> 00:57:26,880
Speaker 1: to have, you know, people that is not trade to

987
00:57:27,000 --> 00:57:31,440
Speaker 1: get the hands dirt. You understand, Like, you know, it's okay,

988
00:57:31,600 --> 00:57:35,040
Speaker 1: like because because I didn't started you no program manager

989
00:57:35,200 --> 00:57:40,000
Speaker 1: and programs. I started a regulication, so I had to

990
00:57:40,040 --> 00:57:42,560
Speaker 1: work my way up. But one thing I said was

991
00:57:42,720 --> 00:57:46,200
Speaker 1: nobody's going to out work And it was easy because

992
00:57:46,280 --> 00:57:48,680
Speaker 1: when I got in there, like all these people like

993
00:57:48,800 --> 00:57:51,720
Speaker 1: sy Hit, you understand, like they got all these positions,

994
00:57:51,760 --> 00:57:54,280
Speaker 1: they're sitting around doing that. But I was like, let

995
00:57:54,360 --> 00:57:57,440
Speaker 1: me out work them and then so and stay below

996
00:57:57,560 --> 00:58:02,440
Speaker 1: radar and then they see my work. Then if age

997
00:58:02,520 --> 00:58:06,120
Speaker 1: are position up and we want you to have here,

998
00:58:06,280 --> 00:58:10,400
Speaker 1: I go. And then so the as history. But you know,

999
00:58:10,800 --> 00:58:13,320
Speaker 1: it's it's still a lot of options out there. Um

1000
00:58:14,080 --> 00:58:17,280
Speaker 1: I have I'm getting the edge to get back into coaching,

1001
00:58:18,000 --> 00:58:21,080
Speaker 1: but because I know more about the culture that I

1002
00:58:21,200 --> 00:58:25,000
Speaker 1: will be coaching, because coming back from Europe to the States,

1003
00:58:25,160 --> 00:58:30,600
Speaker 1: that was actually a culture shot, you understand. So yeah, yeah,

1004
00:58:30,880 --> 00:58:33,840
Speaker 1: so uh and then you know basketball is still gonna

1005
00:58:33,840 --> 00:58:35,880
Speaker 1: be the same. I mean, I know it's a lot

1006
00:58:35,920 --> 00:58:41,600
Speaker 1: of small ball, same size players, which is fun, Like

1007
00:58:41,800 --> 00:58:45,120
Speaker 1: like this position is basketball and that's what it should

1008
00:58:45,160 --> 00:58:47,840
Speaker 1: have been pretty much. I think that's what it's always been.

1009
00:58:48,480 --> 00:58:53,080
Speaker 1: The best players always could play multiple positions, you know,

1010
00:58:53,280 --> 00:58:59,640
Speaker 1: like I can play multiple positions. Barkley could play multiple positions.

1011
00:59:00,000 --> 00:59:03,120
Speaker 1: You know, Michael could play multiple Scotty you understand, like

1012
00:59:03,520 --> 00:59:06,200
Speaker 1: they were not just you know, okay, they're small forward,

1013
00:59:06,480 --> 00:59:10,920
Speaker 1: but Scotty plays, you know, small forward Scotty plays some

1014
00:59:11,160 --> 00:59:15,360
Speaker 1: point you know, Michael was you know points sometimes you understand,

1015
00:59:15,520 --> 00:59:19,640
Speaker 1: so a small for when they had high and accent

1016
00:59:19,720 --> 00:59:23,919
Speaker 1: in that so you know it was uh always been there,

1017
00:59:23,960 --> 00:59:28,439
Speaker 1: but now it's just more noticeable because these guys take

1018
00:59:28,520 --> 00:59:33,040
Speaker 1: it so much money. Oh my god, I heard Draymond

1019
00:59:33,160 --> 00:59:38,240
Speaker 1: Green making twenty five million dollars Like, yeah, I told

1020
00:59:38,320 --> 00:59:40,720
Speaker 1: my called my mother about told you you had me

1021
00:59:41,360 --> 00:59:47,480
Speaker 1: way too soon? No, no, all right. A couple of

1022
00:59:47,520 --> 00:59:50,480
Speaker 1: quick ones for regal one. If you could pick one

1023
00:59:50,520 --> 00:59:53,520
Speaker 1: of the countries that you played in to live in,

1024
00:59:54,200 --> 00:59:59,720
Speaker 1: which one would it be? France without a question. Love

1025
00:59:59,800 --> 01:00:02,080
Speaker 1: for and love of culture. I tell everybody that became

1026
01:00:02,120 --> 01:00:04,560
Speaker 1: a grown man in France. Uh, just the way they

1027
01:00:04,640 --> 01:00:07,640
Speaker 1: do things. I like, they take time out for theirselves.

1028
01:00:07,880 --> 01:00:11,960
Speaker 1: Self care is very big over there, uh you know,

1029
01:00:12,160 --> 01:00:15,160
Speaker 1: and and everything is done with a list, sophistication and class.

1030
01:00:15,440 --> 01:00:19,240
Speaker 1: So you know I like that. Uh put that into

1031
01:00:19,280 --> 01:00:21,440
Speaker 1: you know, the way I live now you understand, so

1032
01:00:22,480 --> 01:00:26,560
Speaker 1: that that's that's definitely a place I would stay. You

1033
01:00:27,120 --> 01:00:31,080
Speaker 1: you work with housing homeless people as somebody as people

1034
01:00:31,160 --> 01:00:33,360
Speaker 1: and anybody who's listening to this spot is not homeless.

1035
01:00:34,120 --> 01:00:38,040
Speaker 1: What what do you know about people who are struggling

1036
01:00:38,080 --> 01:00:42,520
Speaker 1: with homelessness that you wish more people understood that they

1037
01:00:42,680 --> 01:00:46,040
Speaker 1: that they that they got. You only get because you're

1038
01:00:46,040 --> 01:00:50,360
Speaker 1: actually in contact with all these people a lot of

1039
01:00:50,440 --> 01:00:54,720
Speaker 1: a lot of the common denominator is first of all,

1040
01:00:55,280 --> 01:00:57,680
Speaker 1: uh for for for pretty much most of them, they

1041
01:00:57,800 --> 01:01:01,840
Speaker 1: in this position because they put themselves in that position. Understand.

1042
01:01:02,000 --> 01:01:05,920
Speaker 1: But the thing is, you have to take mental health

1043
01:01:06,520 --> 01:01:10,960
Speaker 1: into consideration a lot. And I've never ever been the

1044
01:01:11,080 --> 01:01:13,000
Speaker 1: one to you know, blame a lot of stuff on

1045
01:01:13,160 --> 01:01:16,680
Speaker 1: mental health. But working in this field, you see a

1046
01:01:16,840 --> 01:01:21,000
Speaker 1: lot of that is is relevant and true and so

1047
01:01:21,720 --> 01:01:24,480
Speaker 1: you definitely have to handle it a lot different to

1048
01:01:24,560 --> 01:01:26,640
Speaker 1: say when we were growing up to be like just

1049
01:01:26,720 --> 01:01:28,240
Speaker 1: suck it up and get up and go do this,

1050
01:01:28,960 --> 01:01:31,920
Speaker 1: not that. So we have to you know, get on

1051
01:01:32,000 --> 01:01:34,200
Speaker 1: the right reason or state needs so they'll be able

1052
01:01:34,280 --> 01:01:37,640
Speaker 1: to sustain you know, permanent housing, you know, once they

1053
01:01:37,760 --> 01:01:40,680
Speaker 1: have about program, because we don't have a have a program.

1054
01:01:41,040 --> 01:01:42,880
Speaker 1: It's just to help get them back on that seat.

1055
01:01:45,160 --> 01:01:48,160
Speaker 1: Um in one country, you would never if I never

1056
01:01:48,240 --> 01:01:51,920
Speaker 1: went there again, it would be too ship. I don't know,

1057
01:01:52,040 --> 01:01:54,520
Speaker 1: I don't have pretty much good time at all of them.

1058
01:01:54,640 --> 01:02:06,200
Speaker 1: But uh, I would say, uh hungry, no my bad Romanian. Yeah,

1059
01:02:06,880 --> 01:02:12,720
Speaker 1: ye keep Romanian. I'm sorry, but yeah, yeah, too great,

1060
01:02:12,920 --> 01:02:19,120
Speaker 1: too great. Yeah, it looks like old school Russia. Yeah, man,

1061
01:02:19,320 --> 01:02:28,120
Speaker 1: you can see a head floating down the river in Romania. Um, gypsy.

1062
01:02:28,600 --> 01:02:33,560
Speaker 1: Where how did you handle when they got shitty with

1063
01:02:33,640 --> 01:02:37,080
Speaker 1: the money? Right when all of a sudden because you play,

1064
01:02:37,080 --> 01:02:39,120
Speaker 1: you played fifteen years, I'm sure that happened a lot

1065
01:02:39,200 --> 01:02:42,560
Speaker 1: of times. How did you personally handle it? Not a lot,

1066
01:02:42,920 --> 01:02:46,080
Speaker 1: but it happened to me in Israel? Israel a sac

1067
01:02:47,000 --> 01:02:49,480
Speaker 1: and the way I handled it in Israel, you gotta go,

1068
01:02:49,720 --> 01:02:52,560
Speaker 1: so you understand. So you have your agent, then you

1069
01:02:52,640 --> 01:02:55,520
Speaker 1: gotta go get a Lloyd and then so it took

1070
01:02:55,600 --> 01:02:58,760
Speaker 1: me five years to get my money, but I got it.

1071
01:02:59,320 --> 01:03:01,440
Speaker 1: But you know, course the lawyer got half of it.

1072
01:03:01,720 --> 01:03:04,440
Speaker 1: But I didn't expect that, so, you know, and then

1073
01:03:04,520 --> 01:03:07,880
Speaker 1: and then you gotta fly back for court, you understand.

1074
01:03:08,080 --> 01:03:10,520
Speaker 1: So I had to go back to Tel Aviv like

1075
01:03:10,680 --> 01:03:14,640
Speaker 1: three times in that five years. And then uh, luckily

1076
01:03:14,680 --> 01:03:16,560
Speaker 1: one of the times when I played over there in

1077
01:03:16,640 --> 01:03:21,280
Speaker 1: the cup game. So and then my agents gathered it

1078
01:03:21,480 --> 01:03:22,920
Speaker 1: like that. So I could come in and do my

1079
01:03:23,120 --> 01:03:25,000
Speaker 1: parents and stuff. Because of that, then I want to

1080
01:03:25,040 --> 01:03:28,320
Speaker 1: got my money. So sometimes I used to you know,

1081
01:03:28,520 --> 01:03:31,080
Speaker 1: fly over the uh Tel Aviv, which you know I

1082
01:03:31,160 --> 01:03:34,040
Speaker 1: didn't buydle. Tel Aviv is a great time, you understand,

1083
01:03:34,200 --> 01:03:36,440
Speaker 1: So you know that was that was the good part

1084
01:03:36,480 --> 01:03:39,120
Speaker 1: about it. And I still had friends there, but you

1085
01:03:39,160 --> 01:03:40,920
Speaker 1: know it was inconvenienced because I had to pay for

1086
01:03:41,000 --> 01:03:44,960
Speaker 1: that ticket myself. Sure. Sure, then to get to get

1087
01:03:45,000 --> 01:03:52,040
Speaker 1: your money, you had to pay money to get money, yeah, yes, yeah,

1088
01:03:52,160 --> 01:03:56,200
Speaker 1: and then yeah, and the cypres Cypress it was the

1089
01:03:56,280 --> 01:03:59,560
Speaker 1: same way, you understand. So but the money wasn't as

1090
01:03:59,640 --> 01:04:03,600
Speaker 1: big and cypers as it was in Israel, so uh,

1091
01:04:04,400 --> 01:04:06,720
Speaker 1: you know cybers that that came a few years later,

1092
01:04:07,080 --> 01:04:09,760
Speaker 1: but I didn't even you know, that was just you know,

1093
01:04:09,840 --> 01:04:11,720
Speaker 1: pay some bills. So if I didn't get that one

1094
01:04:11,840 --> 01:04:16,439
Speaker 1: toil almost when I was in Slovakia, you know, before

1095
01:04:16,480 --> 01:04:20,640
Speaker 1: I retired. So there's there's another question, how did you

1096
01:04:21,960 --> 01:04:23,560
Speaker 1: you get paid? You get this money, but you also

1097
01:04:23,600 --> 01:04:26,200
Speaker 1: you have money to live on while you're there. What's

1098
01:04:26,240 --> 01:04:28,440
Speaker 1: the device you could give to somebody in terms of

1099
01:04:28,560 --> 01:04:32,440
Speaker 1: managing your money while you're playing overseas? Send all your

1100
01:04:32,520 --> 01:04:36,480
Speaker 1: money back to the crib. Don't don't keep about five

1101
01:04:36,560 --> 01:04:39,080
Speaker 1: hundred dollars for the month, by us some food, by

1102
01:04:39,120 --> 01:04:42,200
Speaker 1: all the alcohol you need to drink. Then just throw

1103
01:04:42,360 --> 01:04:44,960
Speaker 1: all of it back to your account and the states

1104
01:04:45,040 --> 01:04:47,959
Speaker 1: and leave it alone till you've done. If it's five years,

1105
01:04:48,080 --> 01:04:51,480
Speaker 1: ten years or whatever, are you you you appreciate that

1106
01:04:51,920 --> 01:04:54,800
Speaker 1: because we don't make millions of dollars, but you make

1107
01:04:54,800 --> 01:04:57,320
Speaker 1: an underground But yeah, you can make you know, two

1108
01:04:57,440 --> 01:04:59,720
Speaker 1: fifty you know, some good teams and stuff like that.

1109
01:05:00,320 --> 01:05:03,040
Speaker 1: And if you're coming up with a big thing, you understand,

1110
01:05:03,640 --> 01:05:07,800
Speaker 1: and you played well, you can have longevity in Europe,

1111
01:05:07,920 --> 01:05:11,040
Speaker 1: which I did. You understand? So you know that was

1112
01:05:11,200 --> 01:05:15,040
Speaker 1: that wash that that is definitely something that you have

1113
01:05:15,280 --> 01:05:19,200
Speaker 1: to do because like I stayed, you're not making twenty

1114
01:05:19,280 --> 01:05:21,520
Speaker 1: five you know what I'm saying. But two hundred fifty

1115
01:05:21,600 --> 01:05:26,800
Speaker 1: K is pretty good, you know, for until you actually

1116
01:05:28,600 --> 01:05:30,800
Speaker 1: and then then you go get your crib. Ain't go

1117
01:05:30,960 --> 01:05:33,560
Speaker 1: get your cars. Then you know you can take care

1118
01:05:33,560 --> 01:05:35,800
Speaker 1: of that woman that you want to and then you

1119
01:05:36,040 --> 01:05:38,800
Speaker 1: don't have stress, you understand, because you know life is

1120
01:05:38,880 --> 01:05:41,280
Speaker 1: stress free. You understand. I don't you know what I'm

1121
01:05:41,320 --> 01:05:45,640
Speaker 1: being pretty much everywhere I'm gonna go. Uh seen pretty

1122
01:05:45,720 --> 01:05:48,840
Speaker 1: much everything I want to see. And then so now

1123
01:05:48,920 --> 01:05:51,880
Speaker 1: I'm just enjoying life. Got me, you know, good woman,

1124
01:05:52,080 --> 01:05:56,200
Speaker 1: I'm chilling. We do things together. My kids are wrong,

1125
01:05:57,360 --> 01:06:00,840
Speaker 1: um granddad, so you know, I spend time with grandson

1126
01:06:01,480 --> 01:06:07,040
Speaker 1: and then uh, I just uh, I just stay in

1127
01:06:07,120 --> 01:06:09,280
Speaker 1: my lane and stand the way and then it just

1128
01:06:09,520 --> 01:06:14,560
Speaker 1: enjoy this great hair on my chin and uh you know,

1129
01:06:14,720 --> 01:06:18,320
Speaker 1: still keep up with my sports and David thought pretty

1130
01:06:18,600 --> 01:06:21,920
Speaker 1: pretty good, pretty close. Still always we stay in contact.

1131
01:06:22,480 --> 01:06:24,840
Speaker 1: So he keeps me relevant, you know, with the games

1132
01:06:24,840 --> 01:06:28,400
Speaker 1: and everything changing, and so you know, be him. You know,

1133
01:06:28,520 --> 01:06:31,640
Speaker 1: not as often as as I would like, but you know,

1134
01:06:31,720 --> 01:06:35,920
Speaker 1: we're still in contact. So I just you know a

1135
01:06:36,000 --> 01:06:40,440
Speaker 1: lot of love for what basketball has you know, afforded me.

1136
01:06:41,360 --> 01:06:45,400
Speaker 1: And I wouldn't change anything, although I do regret not

1137
01:06:45,560 --> 01:06:48,040
Speaker 1: playing the league, but it's not a big one, uh

1138
01:06:48,240 --> 01:06:50,960
Speaker 1: because I did my thing well, I got my opportunity

1139
01:06:51,000 --> 01:06:55,720
Speaker 1: to shine, I did it. And then so of course,

1140
01:06:55,880 --> 01:06:59,240
Speaker 1: you know during the summertime, there's a couple of teams,

1141
01:06:59,440 --> 01:07:03,520
Speaker 1: you know, all that podcasts, then you know, Bernie big

1142
01:07:03,640 --> 01:07:05,600
Speaker 1: Staff and all I want to come play some camp

1143
01:07:05,680 --> 01:07:08,640
Speaker 1: in some league and all that stuff. But summer times,

1144
01:07:08,800 --> 01:07:11,360
Speaker 1: that was my time to be my kids. So I

1145
01:07:11,400 --> 01:07:14,800
Speaker 1: didn't even you know, even consider none of that. So

1146
01:07:15,000 --> 01:07:17,040
Speaker 1: if y'all want to be in there bringing the camp,

1147
01:07:17,320 --> 01:07:19,280
Speaker 1: I don't want to come in and play something league.

1148
01:07:19,280 --> 01:07:21,280
Speaker 1: I don't want to do all that there. If you

1149
01:07:21,320 --> 01:07:23,200
Speaker 1: want me to come, bring me to camp. And that's

1150
01:07:23,240 --> 01:07:27,080
Speaker 1: a different story. So because like I said, Doug, I

1151
01:07:27,200 --> 01:07:29,760
Speaker 1: was already signed for the next season before I leave,

1152
01:07:30,560 --> 01:07:33,680
Speaker 1: so I already had a gig. So I was comfortable.

1153
01:07:34,160 --> 01:07:36,400
Speaker 1: And then that was that was the only thing I

1154
01:07:36,480 --> 01:07:41,560
Speaker 1: would say is I got too comfortable, and that's okay.

1155
01:07:41,760 --> 01:07:44,040
Speaker 1: I mean, you know, I mean, like if that's a

1156
01:07:44,760 --> 01:07:47,040
Speaker 1: that's a bad thing. And it lasted fifteen years, you know,

1157
01:07:47,240 --> 01:07:49,120
Speaker 1: because other guys they come up and they chase it,

1158
01:07:50,000 --> 01:07:53,240
Speaker 1: and you know, they never they're never comfortable anywhere to

1159
01:07:53,320 --> 01:07:58,640
Speaker 1: constantly chasing drink right right, And then you know had

1160
01:07:58,840 --> 01:08:01,560
Speaker 1: you know, as as the time went on, you know,

1161
01:08:01,920 --> 01:08:05,280
Speaker 1: fifteen years, you have you know, all Americans coming through.

1162
01:08:06,000 --> 01:08:08,720
Speaker 1: So I went from being the youngster to the bed

1163
01:08:09,240 --> 01:08:11,000
Speaker 1: and then so you know, you gotta teach teach the

1164
01:08:11,080 --> 01:08:14,800
Speaker 1: youngsters how to use a freaking night from four understand,

1165
01:08:14,880 --> 01:08:23,160
Speaker 1: like even to them things grown man like, yeah, so

1166
01:08:23,479 --> 01:08:28,360
Speaker 1: yeah it was it was good. Then it just shows

1167
01:08:28,400 --> 01:08:31,679
Speaker 1: you to different cultures and the things that people take

1168
01:08:32,320 --> 01:08:35,879
Speaker 1: more important in different places. Because I I tell everybody,

1169
01:08:35,920 --> 01:08:38,200
Speaker 1: I was like, people the same all over the world.

1170
01:08:38,280 --> 01:08:40,200
Speaker 1: They want their kids to do good, they want to have,

1171
01:08:40,479 --> 01:08:42,479
Speaker 1: you know, a nice place to stay, nice things just

1172
01:08:42,680 --> 01:08:45,160
Speaker 1: that that. But the only thing is different. It's pretty

1173
01:08:45,280 --> 01:08:49,560
Speaker 1: much the culture and the politics. You understand, like you know,

1174
01:08:49,680 --> 01:08:52,760
Speaker 1: in certain countries the people running their country. Over here

1175
01:08:52,840 --> 01:08:57,160
Speaker 1: the government run country, you understand. So it's like you know,

1176
01:08:57,240 --> 01:08:59,320
Speaker 1: you see, you see the way the world can work,

1177
01:09:00,280 --> 01:09:03,559
Speaker 1: but you understand why it works in certain places because

1178
01:09:04,200 --> 01:09:07,640
Speaker 1: of you know, financial means and financial gains and and

1179
01:09:07,840 --> 01:09:11,200
Speaker 1: and just everything is is based on something. But it's

1180
01:09:11,200 --> 01:09:14,320
Speaker 1: all different in every you know aspect when you all

1181
01:09:14,360 --> 01:09:18,200
Speaker 1: over the world, you know, different Asia than then say Iceland.

1182
01:09:19,240 --> 01:09:21,840
Speaker 1: Then you know, you go to the UK, which is

1183
01:09:21,880 --> 01:09:24,600
Speaker 1: another place I love, but I hate the food, but

1184
01:09:26,280 --> 01:09:29,280
Speaker 1: you know, as then you slide down the trance, then

1185
01:09:29,360 --> 01:09:32,439
Speaker 1: over the Germany. So you know, it's just everything is good,

1186
01:09:32,520 --> 01:09:36,160
Speaker 1: but the politics just a little bit amazing. Right. I'll

1187
01:09:36,200 --> 01:09:38,600
Speaker 1: start in St. Pete and you're ten years old. You

1188
01:09:39,040 --> 01:09:43,320
Speaker 1: completely saw the world against everybody and you had a

1189
01:09:43,360 --> 01:09:45,680
Speaker 1: good time doing That's a it's a pretty and you're

1190
01:09:45,680 --> 01:09:47,680
Speaker 1: only like you're like halfway through life. You still got

1191
01:09:47,720 --> 01:09:50,120
Speaker 1: a whole other half of life to it and and

1192
01:09:50,280 --> 01:09:52,479
Speaker 1: and and it's good. And I do like this part

1193
01:09:52,600 --> 01:09:56,719
Speaker 1: right here because you know, it mos you into a person.

1194
01:09:56,880 --> 01:09:59,680
Speaker 1: You understand, it takes more than just you living in

1195
01:09:59,800 --> 01:10:02,960
Speaker 1: your surroundings and being comfortable where you are. You have

1196
01:10:03,080 --> 01:10:05,560
Speaker 1: to be uncomfortable. You have to take a chance, you

1197
01:10:05,680 --> 01:10:07,960
Speaker 1: have to go ahead. And you know, like they say,

1198
01:10:08,080 --> 01:10:11,000
Speaker 1: what's your nuts on the line? You understand. So you know,

1199
01:10:11,040 --> 01:10:15,280
Speaker 1: because I could have left us, went to the post office,

1200
01:10:15,479 --> 01:10:19,160
Speaker 1: been let for fifty years, you understand and die you

1201
01:10:19,240 --> 01:10:21,000
Speaker 1: know what I mean. But but I chose to do

1202
01:10:21,160 --> 01:10:24,960
Speaker 1: something else. Uh, those to you know, be different, be exceptional,

1203
01:10:25,640 --> 01:10:30,679
Speaker 1: and you know it's paying off now. So I appreciated.

1204
01:10:30,880 --> 01:10:33,920
Speaker 1: I really appreciate you joining me is awesome. To catch up.

1205
01:10:34,120 --> 01:10:38,320
Speaker 1: We gotta do it in person. And yes, sir, yes sir,

1206
01:10:38,840 --> 01:10:40,400
Speaker 1: I will make I will make it the same peek.

1207
01:10:40,520 --> 01:10:42,880
Speaker 1: I will make the same peek sometimes this year you

1208
01:10:43,000 --> 01:10:47,479
Speaker 1: come on down here, man, We do a bit good

1209
01:10:47,520 --> 01:10:49,599
Speaker 1: trip down Memory Lane. If you're a Florida Gator fan

1210
01:10:49,720 --> 01:10:52,519
Speaker 1: or SEC fan, just the college hoops fan, right, that

1211
01:10:52,760 --> 01:10:57,040
Speaker 1: was That was the Arkansas National championship. Remember Arkansas the

1212
01:10:57,200 --> 01:11:00,679
Speaker 1: game winner like Duke Okay, thank you? Who the fourth

1213
01:11:00,680 --> 01:11:05,240
Speaker 1: team was? I actually was playing video games with Cherokee Parks,

1214
01:11:05,320 --> 01:11:08,600
Speaker 1: me and Miles simon Um about five hours before that

1215
01:11:08,720 --> 01:11:12,760
Speaker 1: national championship game in Charlotte, North Carolina had went back

1216
01:11:12,760 --> 01:11:14,920
Speaker 1: to Charlotte since that was also the arena, the old

1217
01:11:14,920 --> 01:11:17,400
Speaker 1: arena by the airport where the Horns used to play.

1218
01:11:17,520 --> 01:11:20,120
Speaker 1: That that was that was where it was. Well anyway,

1219
01:11:20,240 --> 01:11:22,160
Speaker 1: thanks so much for listening. Minding the Doug Gottli shows

1220
01:11:22,240 --> 01:11:24,640
Speaker 1: daily three to six Eastern or twelve three Pacific I

1221
01:11:24,720 --> 01:11:27,400
Speaker 1: Heart Radio, Fox Sports Tradio dot Com, or on Serious

1222
01:11:27,560 --> 01:11:30,040
Speaker 1: x M. I'm Doug gott Leave. This is all ball