WEBVTT - Coat Check | Joe Richmond 0:00:00.320 --> 0:00:03.640 This podcast is part of the seventy Sixers podcast network 0:00:04.000 --> 0:00:18.120 search seventy Sixers podcast wherever you get your pods. Who 0:00:26.360 --> 0:00:29.840 welcome in to Coach Check, the official podcast of the 0:00:29.880 --> 0:00:33.559 Delaware Blue Coats, the NBA G League affiliate of the 0:00:33.600 --> 0:00:39.760 Philadelphia seventy Sixers. Coat Check proudly presented by Land Rover Wilmington. 0:00:40.240 --> 0:00:43.400 I'm Matt Murphy and we are back with another episode 0:00:43.760 --> 0:00:48.519 of coat Check coming off Memorial Day weekend, the Long Weekend. 0:00:48.600 --> 0:00:51.800 Just a reminder, coat Check is released on a bi 0:00:51.920 --> 0:00:55.200 weekly basis, and you can catch up on previous episodes. 0:00:55.280 --> 0:00:59.520 We've had Terry Harris. Recently we had assistant coach Xavier 0:00:59.600 --> 0:01:02.200 Sila who formerly as a player, was a member of 0:01:02.240 --> 0:01:04.880 the seventy sixers, And you can find those episodes and 0:01:05.000 --> 0:01:07.280 this one, well, I guess you've already found it under 0:01:07.319 --> 0:01:12.360 the Delaware Bluecoats and Philadelphia seventy Sixers podcast networks wherever 0:01:12.400 --> 0:01:16.679 you get your podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and elsewhere. But 0:01:17.120 --> 0:01:21.640 without further ado, the guest on this episode Blue Coats 0:01:21.680 --> 0:01:27.320 Ambassador of Basketball, Joe Richmond. What's up, Joe Yoh? What's up? 0:01:27.440 --> 0:01:31.560 Man Murder? What's going on? Man? I? Usually give the 0:01:31.640 --> 0:01:34.479 date that when we are recording this just for background 0:01:34.480 --> 0:01:36.920 if we reference any days of the week or anything 0:01:36.959 --> 0:01:40.320 like that. We're doing this one on Wednesday, May twenty seventh, 0:01:40.560 --> 0:01:43.039 and that's a notable date because we're fresh off your 0:01:43.080 --> 0:01:46.920 profile in the Philadelphia in Choir markin Arducci doing a 0:01:47.000 --> 0:01:49.640 write up on you and our Delaware Blue Coats books 0:01:49.640 --> 0:01:52.920 and basketball programs. So how did you make time and 0:01:53.000 --> 0:01:55.520 your busy schedule Joe and your media tour right now? 0:01:55.560 --> 0:01:58.840 With that article coming out? That was pretty cool, you know, 0:01:59.360 --> 0:02:02.040 you know, when you guys first approach me with it, 0:02:02.120 --> 0:02:04.880 I was just blowing away. And to be able to 0:02:04.920 --> 0:02:08.639 do something on that level was amazing. And I've been 0:02:08.680 --> 0:02:11.520 blessed to be on the Blue Goos, had me on 0:02:11.600 --> 0:02:14.960 TV Fox and all those things. But to do that 0:02:15.080 --> 0:02:18.360 interview with Mark, who's a Philly guy who kind of 0:02:18.680 --> 0:02:22.000 related with some of the stories that we talked about 0:02:22.120 --> 0:02:25.280 was just amazing, and um, it was a lot of fun. 0:02:25.360 --> 0:02:27.960 And you know, as you know, with books and basketball, 0:02:28.040 --> 0:02:30.880 my schedule is kind of out there, and I'm also 0:02:30.919 --> 0:02:34.520 doing some birthday videos as well, so whatever I need 0:02:34.560 --> 0:02:37.000 to do, and you know, to keep the smiles or 0:02:37.040 --> 0:02:40.120 the kids' faces and the families doing this, this, this, 0:02:40.120 --> 0:02:43.360 this lockdown and it's kind of fun though. It's been 0:02:43.400 --> 0:02:46.560 a lot of fun. And that will be that article 0:02:46.600 --> 0:02:49.800 will be available in the print edition of The Inquiry 0:02:49.800 --> 0:02:53.040 on Sunday. I mentioned we're recording this on Wednesday, so 0:02:53.080 --> 0:02:55.160 thanks again. I got about one hundred lines up to 0:02:55.240 --> 0:03:05.840 go purchase already. I'm gonna make my copy gold platinum. Well, 0:03:05.840 --> 0:03:07.640 we know that's the case with you, and we know 0:03:07.680 --> 0:03:12.040 you've got supporters that would definitely scoop up. So on 0:03:12.160 --> 0:03:15.040 today's episode, we're gonna get into a little bit of 0:03:15.040 --> 0:03:17.240 your background or a lot of bit, however much we 0:03:17.280 --> 0:03:19.680 can get to about your upbringing, your roots, all that 0:03:19.800 --> 0:03:22.880 for those who who don't know you as much as 0:03:22.880 --> 0:03:25.519 some others, or what wasn't covered in the article or 0:03:25.560 --> 0:03:28.600 anything like that. We'll talk about your time with as 0:03:28.639 --> 0:03:30.520 you say, and a lot of people say, the world 0:03:30.560 --> 0:03:34.520 famous Harlem Globe Trotters and your time touring with them. 0:03:34.920 --> 0:03:38.520 We will also, of course have our healthy Lifestyle segment 0:03:38.600 --> 0:03:42.120 presented by our friends at Christianic Care and of course 0:03:42.240 --> 0:03:45.680 as doctors, nurses and caregivers and as neighbors and friends 0:03:45.760 --> 0:03:48.920 Christianic Care, as a partner in everyone's journey to greater 0:03:49.000 --> 0:03:51.240 health and well being? Why do they do it for 0:03:51.320 --> 0:03:55.040 the love of health? Visit christianic Care dot org. And Joe, 0:03:55.080 --> 0:03:56.880 you're a fan of the program, So you know, we'll 0:03:56.920 --> 0:03:59.600 wrap things up with the Bluecoats talk and what you 0:03:59.640 --> 0:04:01.560 do for this team and what we've got going on 0:04:01.640 --> 0:04:04.000 in the community, and then we will hit a couple 0:04:04.000 --> 0:04:07.640 of questions, just some fun stuff at the buzzer. But 0:04:07.840 --> 0:04:10.920 let's start with that background for those who do not 0:04:11.120 --> 0:04:14.440 know you, Where did you grow up? Joe born and 0:04:14.520 --> 0:04:17.680 raised in South Philly three fifteen carpet away Man. It 0:04:17.760 --> 0:04:20.160 was called the North Side and the South Side because 0:04:20.160 --> 0:04:22.680 it was the tracks that divided both down to South 0:04:22.720 --> 0:04:25.479 Philly ned the Italian Market if you need some type 0:04:25.480 --> 0:04:30.200 of reference, and not too far from Columbus Boulevard, which 0:04:30.200 --> 0:04:34.599 we used to call Delaware av So growing up, I 0:04:34.640 --> 0:04:37.960 went to a never Your High school. I'm never your Elementary, 0:04:38.040 --> 0:04:42.720 left never Your Elementary, went to George George Washington Elementary 0:04:42.839 --> 0:04:46.000 right there on Fishtry, and then went to I went 0:04:46.120 --> 0:04:49.240 I actually started at Box Tech High School, ended up 0:04:49.279 --> 0:04:52.039 going to South Philly High where my brother was Big Mike, 0:04:52.520 --> 0:04:56.360 and it's so funny that I'm the ambassador of basketball. 0:04:56.400 --> 0:04:57.880 You gotta see me in the community. But it came 0:04:57.920 --> 0:05:01.480 from my mother. My mind stayed in the community in Philadelphia. 0:05:01.600 --> 0:05:03.680 She was a dance teacher. She took dance for twenty 0:05:03.760 --> 0:05:06.520 years at the community center called the House of Industry 0:05:06.520 --> 0:05:08.800 where most of us as kids, we went there to 0:05:08.839 --> 0:05:12.320 play basketball. Was wrecking things in there. So that's where 0:05:12.360 --> 0:05:17.159 all this truly started from. So South Philly. You come 0:05:17.200 --> 0:05:20.920 from a big family, the youngest of six boys and 0:05:20.960 --> 0:05:27.839 your sister makes seven. How would you describe your upbringing? Oh? Man, discipline. 0:05:30.360 --> 0:05:34.400 My dad a pulled no mudgets, you know, I mean, 0:05:34.440 --> 0:05:37.760 we still my oldest brother was in charge, and everything 0:05:37.920 --> 0:05:40.960 was always regimented for us. My dad was in the Navy. 0:05:41.160 --> 0:05:44.320 My brother Jeff ended up going into the army, and 0:05:44.360 --> 0:05:46.720 then I ended up going into the Navy, following my 0:05:46.800 --> 0:05:50.160 dad as well as his dad. So you know, just 0:05:50.200 --> 0:05:53.520 was regimented, you know, with boys. I love to brag 0:05:53.880 --> 0:05:56.520 that all of all of us are still living, my 0:05:56.600 --> 0:06:00.000 brothers and my sister. I just lost my one brother, 0:06:00.200 --> 0:06:03.880 but you know it went in succession and but we've 0:06:03.880 --> 0:06:06.760 been blessed. Man, and you know, to come up out 0:06:06.800 --> 0:06:09.039 of the out out of the neighborhood. When we came 0:06:09.040 --> 0:06:11.920 out of too where we at now, I would have 0:06:12.080 --> 0:06:15.800 never thought that. And all of that was was was 0:06:15.920 --> 0:06:20.680 rooted in the Sixers. It really was, man like we 0:06:20.720 --> 0:06:25.680 grew up. Everything was Doctor Jay or more Cheese, and 0:06:24.880 --> 0:06:28.800 and and and and Andrew toldy man, we was rooted. 0:06:28.800 --> 0:06:34.280 And Bobby Jones was like, dude, So you know, that's 0:06:34.279 --> 0:06:36.920 just how we were. My dad loved the game. And 0:06:37.080 --> 0:06:40.160 my dad was actually a Pittsburgh Stealer fan on football side, 0:06:41.080 --> 0:06:43.360 but you know, he kind of loosened up and let 0:06:43.440 --> 0:06:47.599 us become Eagles fans because my sister actually got to 0:06:47.720 --> 0:06:52.839 be an Eagles cheerleader when she was at Delaware State 0:06:53.000 --> 0:06:56.359 and she turned it down and boyed my dad ain't 0:06:56.360 --> 0:07:00.720 talked to her. Oh while he was like, you couldn't 0:07:00.720 --> 0:07:04.520 tell us nothing. Yeah, that's when Leonard toast on the team. Man. 0:07:04.640 --> 0:07:07.960 So we we've had a beautiful upbringing. Man. My mom 0:07:08.000 --> 0:07:10.520 and dad they just was strong in the community. And 0:07:11.200 --> 0:07:13.040 that's where we get it from. And that's why you 0:07:13.120 --> 0:07:15.160 see me out there and doing the things that I do, 0:07:15.600 --> 0:07:17.800 putting kids smiles on kid because my mother did it 0:07:17.920 --> 0:07:20.080 and and it was just an amazing thing to see 0:07:20.160 --> 0:07:22.840 growing up as a kid. And I know when we 0:07:22.880 --> 0:07:26.120 did the Blue Coats beat together, you talked about your 0:07:26.160 --> 0:07:29.960 older brother first putting the basketball in your hands. So 0:07:30.000 --> 0:07:33.440 how how did that change your life? Murph, You're gonna 0:07:33.480 --> 0:07:35.720 love this birth. This is a true story. So my 0:07:35.800 --> 0:07:37.880 brother takes me and my brother Mike. We got our 0:07:37.920 --> 0:07:40.080 coats so and this isn't a winter time. We got 0:07:40.160 --> 0:07:43.080 our mittens on and he takes us to the basketball 0:07:43.120 --> 0:07:46.960 court with a shovel. We're shoveling the snow off the court. 0:07:47.280 --> 0:07:50.120 Never forget it, man, and my brother just out there 0:07:50.160 --> 0:07:53.480 started teaching us the basics and this out this winter 0:07:53.560 --> 0:07:56.520 time when people are looking. And he had this one 0:07:56.640 --> 0:07:58.880 drill man when he made us lay on our back 0:07:59.720 --> 0:08:03.280 and suit toward the rim and if my brother was 0:08:03.320 --> 0:08:05.560 there to catch the ball to pass it back to us, 0:08:06.040 --> 0:08:08.000 just to get us our strapped up and buy. That's 0:08:08.000 --> 0:08:10.320 a true story, and that's how we got started. And 0:08:10.440 --> 0:08:12.600 my sister just took it over because she played at 0:08:12.680 --> 0:08:16.720 Delaware State when she played basketball. So my sister she 0:08:17.200 --> 0:08:19.520 cheated though, Matt, she was rough. She cheated a lot. 0:08:22.440 --> 0:08:24.520 And we're gonna cover a lot of your stops in 0:08:24.560 --> 0:08:27.760 the basketball world, including the Blue Coats later on in 0:08:27.800 --> 0:08:31.440 this interview. But away from basketball, you served in the Navy. 0:08:31.640 --> 0:08:35.280 So when was that period in your life? Well, right 0:08:35.320 --> 0:08:39.439 after high school, I had a traumatic situation happened with 0:08:39.480 --> 0:08:42.640 a friend in my life and the neighborhood I grew up, 0:08:42.960 --> 0:08:44.840 and I made a decision that I was not going 0:08:44.880 --> 0:08:48.240 to end up like that. So the next day I 0:08:48.280 --> 0:08:50.920 went on Broad Street where all the Navy and all 0:08:50.920 --> 0:08:53.720 the officers were. I signed up. My mom and dad 0:08:53.800 --> 0:08:57.480 didn't know, and when they did find out, I was 0:08:57.559 --> 0:09:00.280 on a plane head at the San Diego Cali Want 0:09:00.480 --> 0:09:06.840 from boot Champ, Yeah, And I was a hospital corman 0:09:07.600 --> 0:09:10.959 um And I chose that field, the medical field, and 0:09:11.080 --> 0:09:12.640 it's the honest guy in truth. If I chose it 0:09:12.720 --> 0:09:15.439 because of the TV show you might have remember was 0:09:15.920 --> 0:09:20.760 m Quincy Nah not right? Jack Plugan played the doctor 0:09:20.880 --> 0:09:23.120 called Quincy FD and he used to do all this 0:09:23.360 --> 0:09:25.160 term anoledge. I'm like, I want this is that stuff 0:09:25.160 --> 0:09:28.800 for real? So when I went in and they said 0:09:28.840 --> 0:09:31.040 would you want to be in my grades test? My 0:09:31.160 --> 0:09:33.839 test I tested. I I tested high enough to go 0:09:33.880 --> 0:09:35.920 in the Air Force or any of them. But I 0:09:36.080 --> 0:09:38.719 chose the Navy because of my dad, and that was 0:09:38.880 --> 0:09:41.160 right out of high school. Man, So it was it 0:09:41.360 --> 0:09:45.319 was a real impactful time in my life based on 0:09:46.080 --> 0:09:49.320 what was transpiring in my neighborhood at the time. Yeah, 0:09:49.480 --> 0:09:52.960 and definitely an impactful story there. And I already teased 0:09:53.000 --> 0:09:56.640 the Harlem Globetrotters. You toured with them for five years 0:09:57.040 --> 0:10:01.200 two thousand and seven to twelve, A referen returned coach 0:10:01.559 --> 0:10:03.920 and a whole bunch of other hats. How did you 0:10:03.960 --> 0:10:08.000 get involved with the Globetrotters. Well before leading up to that, 0:10:08.240 --> 0:10:11.679 my brother and I and my partner, Tim Hagans, who's 0:10:11.720 --> 0:10:15.000 a twenty year police van, we formed the organization called 0:10:15.000 --> 0:10:18.199 I Am Focused Finance was a nonprofit organization, so we 0:10:18.320 --> 0:10:22.880 owned minor league teams. We owned the Delaware Destroyers, the 0:10:23.040 --> 0:10:25.800 Delaware Stars. We was trying to just do anything in 0:10:25.920 --> 0:10:28.360 basketball because all three of us loved the game. Tremendous 0:10:28.440 --> 0:10:32.920 league and another rival in Harrisburg. He saw this and 0:10:33.440 --> 0:10:37.840 his buddy was actually going to be some big shot 0:10:37.960 --> 0:10:40.679 with the heart of Globetrotters and he said, hey, man, 0:10:41.120 --> 0:10:43.079 would you like you? You would be because he just 0:10:43.160 --> 0:10:44.679 saw the way I was with my team. I was 0:10:44.800 --> 0:10:48.640 animated as a fan, just animated. But he knew I 0:10:48.800 --> 0:10:51.120 officiated because you know when you and Mighty leads you 0:10:51.240 --> 0:10:52.839 to wear a different a lot of hats. And one 0:10:52.880 --> 0:10:54.760 time the officials ain't show up at a game. So 0:10:54.840 --> 0:10:57.199 I jumped in there and he said, would you want to? 0:10:57.559 --> 0:11:00.320 And I'm like what. So this was back in two 0:11:00.400 --> 0:11:03.080 thousand and I want to say two thousand and four, 0:11:03.240 --> 0:11:07.520 two thousand and five, and I said, I went to 0:11:07.600 --> 0:11:09.319 a game at the Bomb carton the Center where we 0:11:09.400 --> 0:11:12.679 used to play our games, watched the Harlem Globetrotters. The 0:11:12.800 --> 0:11:15.080 guy invited me back this that the third and three 0:11:15.160 --> 0:11:19.280 years later two thousand and seven. The rest is history. Wow. 0:11:19.440 --> 0:11:21.800 So I was gonna go with the thing you probably 0:11:21.840 --> 0:11:23.760 get asked a lot. You've been to all these states 0:11:23.800 --> 0:11:26.760 and countries, some of the countries you like, and we 0:11:26.880 --> 0:11:28.680 might talk about that later. But I was also going 0:11:28.720 --> 0:11:31.040 to hit you with the best memories type thing. But 0:11:31.520 --> 0:11:33.800 it just jogged my memory with you telling that story 0:11:33.920 --> 0:11:37.800 about your your audition for the Globetrotters. So tell that 0:11:38.000 --> 0:11:42.480 story of the actual audition or tryout. So they flew 0:11:42.559 --> 0:11:46.199 me out to Houston and they were like, hey, we 0:11:46.559 --> 0:11:49.240 really liked you, but I, unbeknownsed to me, there was 0:11:49.280 --> 0:11:52.439 a bunch of other people trying to start. I was special. 0:11:52.880 --> 0:11:56.760 I was in. So they had three referees, three of 0:11:56.880 --> 0:11:59.400 us guys that were coaches, and one of them was 0:11:59.480 --> 0:12:02.680 the Great Sea Worthing who played and played along Tupac 0:12:02.760 --> 0:12:04.959 in the movie above the Rim. I did not know 0:12:05.160 --> 0:12:07.280 him at that time, but that's so I'm like, whoa, 0:12:07.960 --> 0:12:09.960 this is big, you know what I mean? Like they 0:12:10.080 --> 0:12:13.880 got real guys and and it just it just kind 0:12:13.920 --> 0:12:16.439 of man, I don't know if I don't know what 0:12:16.600 --> 0:12:19.640 it was about me over it was me and Sam 0:12:19.760 --> 0:12:22.040 got picked. The other third guy didn't get picked as 0:12:22.080 --> 0:12:24.480 a coach, but I didn't get picked as a coach. 0:12:24.559 --> 0:12:28.480 I got picked as a referee because the referees could 0:12:28.640 --> 0:12:31.000 not keep up with the speed and the different things 0:12:31.040 --> 0:12:34.280 that the globetrotters did. So the guy that brought me 0:12:34.360 --> 0:12:36.920 in name Al Clocker, who's a Hall of Famer and 0:12:37.000 --> 0:12:39.600 pa he was like, hey, Joe, you can do that, right, 0:12:39.679 --> 0:12:42.200 you can. You can keep up with that, you can 0:12:42.320 --> 0:12:45.040 keep up with the verbage and all the things being said. 0:12:45.120 --> 0:12:47.360 I'm like, yes, So can I tell you the actual 0:12:47.559 --> 0:12:50.840 how you did it? Please? So it was a lie. 0:12:51.480 --> 0:12:53.440 The showman had to do this line, and the line 0:12:53.640 --> 0:12:56.400 was they going for land. The guy get foul and 0:12:56.440 --> 0:13:00.319 he says, foul, foul, foul. I seen the whole thing. 0:13:00.960 --> 0:13:05.040 The short white guy did it number seven, two shots. 0:13:05.559 --> 0:13:08.520 The other three referees as they doing it, doing it boom. 0:13:08.600 --> 0:13:10.800 They could not get that backup. All they had to 0:13:10.840 --> 0:13:12.959 do is re beat what he said. The guy who 0:13:12.960 --> 0:13:14.280 walked up and said, Joe, you could do it. I 0:13:14.360 --> 0:13:16.360 got on a suit and tie. They got on sneaks 0:13:16.400 --> 0:13:18.839 of referee shart. So I jumped out the air. I'll 0:13:18.840 --> 0:13:20.360 go on my bag because I always was taught to 0:13:20.480 --> 0:13:22.240 keep your referee stuff, which I'll go in my bank 0:13:22.320 --> 0:13:24.000 said no, you don't need your shirt, grabbed your whistle. 0:13:24.360 --> 0:13:27.400 I grabbed my whistle mat and I go out there. 0:13:27.760 --> 0:13:31.280 I hit on the first one and the rest is history. 0:13:31.360 --> 0:13:37.200 Man gotta be ready for your opportunity, and you were, yes, sir. 0:13:38.120 --> 0:13:40.560 Let's shift gears a little bit as we move along 0:13:40.840 --> 0:13:45.480 our Healthy Lifestyle segment presented by Christiana Care. And I 0:13:45.559 --> 0:13:48.720 know you've been doing a lot during this quarantine time 0:13:48.800 --> 0:13:51.599 at home, with whether it be virtual books and basketball, 0:13:51.720 --> 0:13:55.280 virtual basketball drills. So here in the healthy lifestyle segment. 0:13:55.320 --> 0:13:58.839 I'm gonna have you put on your coach Joe hat. Figuratively, 0:13:59.440 --> 0:14:03.360 What are something basketball drills that players of all ages, 0:14:03.520 --> 0:14:07.520 skill levels, all that can do at home during this time. Well, 0:14:07.559 --> 0:14:10.880 as you know, you never can do enough ball handling, 0:14:11.360 --> 0:14:15.839 and in basketball, most coaches teach that everybody needs to 0:14:15.880 --> 0:14:18.360 be a threat, meaning when you get that ball in 0:14:18.480 --> 0:14:21.200 your hand, you should be able to triple threat, you 0:14:21.280 --> 0:14:24.320 know what I mean, be in a position to pass, dribble, 0:14:24.480 --> 0:14:28.040 or shoot. So when you're at home, that's what you 0:14:28.160 --> 0:14:30.920 need to practice. Get a chair. I like to use 0:14:30.960 --> 0:14:33.680 the drill that I use a lot, and I've put 0:14:33.760 --> 0:14:35.920 this out there where you get a chair, put the 0:14:36.000 --> 0:14:39.760 basketball on the chair, getting your stance, a good stance 0:14:39.880 --> 0:14:43.560 like you're almost sitting down, Snatch the basketball up and 0:14:43.720 --> 0:14:46.520 just pivot if you're right if you're right handed, and 0:14:46.600 --> 0:14:49.240 you know, you use your your left foot as your 0:14:49.280 --> 0:14:51.520 pivot foot, and you move around a chair as it 0:14:51.680 --> 0:14:54.600 was a person. The getting your triple threat position, the 0:14:54.760 --> 0:14:58.440 ready to pass, dribble or shoot the ball. In that way, 0:14:58.720 --> 0:15:00.880 you don't get the tear up a lot the mommy stuff. 0:15:02.760 --> 0:15:06.240 Actually dribbling in around the house and shooting it, but 0:15:06.440 --> 0:15:09.440 just mimicking those movements. And that's what I like to 0:15:09.520 --> 0:15:11.840 teach a lot of well, you know, you sit down 0:15:12.240 --> 0:15:15.200 and just play with the basketball, three year lags, going 0:15:15.240 --> 0:15:18.560 around one league, going around another league, standing up, going around, 0:15:18.600 --> 0:15:20.920 your back, going around. Just get used to that basketball, 0:15:21.080 --> 0:15:24.680 because you never can get enough of basketball. Hailing trips 0:15:25.200 --> 0:15:27.200 right for all of our the triple threat for all 0:15:27.240 --> 0:15:29.920 of our younger listeners out there, or maybe some Blue 0:15:29.960 --> 0:15:33.160 Coats fans will pass the message along to their kids. 0:15:33.240 --> 0:15:35.520 And speaking of the Blue Coats, let's go there. Now. 0:15:35.960 --> 0:15:39.160 You've been involved since the beginning, but you were named 0:15:39.200 --> 0:15:42.600 a few years back the ambassador of basketball for the 0:15:42.680 --> 0:15:45.160 Delaware Blue Coats. How did you end up with the 0:15:45.280 --> 0:15:50.080 Delaware organization? That's an awesome story. When the first game, 0:15:50.160 --> 0:15:52.600 we had a great guy named Malie Rose who's coming 0:15:52.640 --> 0:15:54.480 to be a board to get it all started to 0:15:54.520 --> 0:15:56.920 get out of the community. A great friend of mine, 0:15:56.960 --> 0:15:59.720 Tim Crawls, he called me and say, hey, this guy 0:16:00.200 --> 0:16:03.920 Malik Rose, what's to do something to commune. I'm like Malik, 0:16:04.000 --> 0:16:06.240 and I'm like, oh when I seem like maligu Rose? 0:16:06.600 --> 0:16:09.000 So Malik is a Philly guy kind of I knew 0:16:09.280 --> 0:16:11.760 knowing real well. He had a coach that was like 0:16:11.840 --> 0:16:15.240 a mentor to mister Bill Williams from Drexel, and so 0:16:15.480 --> 0:16:18.200 when I came to him, all I did was I 0:16:18.360 --> 0:16:22.920 just wherever Malik went. I went with them during basketball, 0:16:23.120 --> 0:16:26.480 juggling all different things while he presented the things that 0:16:26.600 --> 0:16:28.880 we wanted to get out to the public. And then 0:16:28.960 --> 0:16:31.840 the Dulaware eighty seven ers. But now as the Blue 0:16:31.920 --> 0:16:34.480 and it's grown to now where we are the Blue coach. 0:16:34.840 --> 0:16:38.640 So my whole goal was to say, Hey, here's this 0:16:38.840 --> 0:16:42.480 organization coming to our great state. Let me let them 0:16:42.640 --> 0:16:45.280 know what the status really all about. Since I've been 0:16:45.400 --> 0:16:48.440 here going on twenty years, going youth basketball, mightor league basketball, 0:16:48.840 --> 0:16:51.880 working my family, grown head kids, going to school, and 0:16:52.000 --> 0:16:54.960 I just had a good amount I'm gonna user Stephen A. 0:16:55.080 --> 0:17:00.960 Smith type word, plethora of mallets, you know what I mean. 0:17:01.320 --> 0:17:03.080 So I want to I want to use that to 0:17:03.240 --> 0:17:06.440 help them because I understood that the kids that were 0:17:06.480 --> 0:17:10.080 coming to play here weren't from here, so we still 0:17:10.160 --> 0:17:12.639 needed to engage them in the community, but they wouldn't 0:17:12.640 --> 0:17:15.119 know how to really relate to our community. And I 0:17:15.240 --> 0:17:17.840 wanted to be that go between guy to do that 0:17:18.000 --> 0:17:21.000 to introduce them, because man, when we first started, as 0:17:21.160 --> 0:17:24.080 you see where we've grown to now, we've always add 0:17:24.200 --> 0:17:28.960 some unique, amazing talent for the Blue Goals. Yeah, you 0:17:29.400 --> 0:17:33.639 and Aris Watson, the Community Development Associate for the Bluecoats 0:17:33.680 --> 0:17:38.440 better known as two Phones these days, you guys obviously 0:17:38.560 --> 0:17:41.080 do a great job in the community with the books 0:17:41.119 --> 0:17:45.080 and basketball program that has the backing of the more 0:17:45.200 --> 0:17:50.119 Sports Medicine described that program the children's literacy program For 0:17:50.200 --> 0:17:52.680 those who might be unfamiliar with it, or better yet, 0:17:52.960 --> 0:17:56.320 just quickly take us through what you guys do when 0:17:56.440 --> 0:17:59.200 you've recently before all this happened when you guys would 0:17:59.200 --> 0:18:03.160 get into the classroom, well you know from day one, Um, 0:18:03.560 --> 0:18:06.240 it was. It was a program that was definitely needed. 0:18:06.640 --> 0:18:10.920 I am I'm not I'm not against technology or anything, 0:18:11.160 --> 0:18:13.159 but it's something about opening a book, man, that just 0:18:13.480 --> 0:18:16.960 is just magical. So when Alex presented this to us, man, 0:18:17.359 --> 0:18:21.040 so me my man arress a k A. Two fouls 0:18:21.320 --> 0:18:23.480 and the one and only the number one mascot in 0:18:23.480 --> 0:18:27.520 the whole g League, Cody. We go out to the community, man, 0:18:27.560 --> 0:18:29.920 but we get into them schools. When we get into 0:18:30.000 --> 0:18:32.800 them schools, and the time that I introduced Cody it 0:18:33.160 --> 0:18:36.800 is and they like, it's amazing. It is so amazing, 0:18:37.240 --> 0:18:42.000 And we use Cody Dance, the Cody Dance off with 0:18:42.160 --> 0:18:45.840 the kids. We use the education, all of that to 0:18:45.960 --> 0:18:48.600 get them to understand this is what books bring to us. 0:18:49.080 --> 0:18:51.600 And the one thing I love about our program that's 0:18:51.600 --> 0:18:53.920 I think more than you, unique than anyone else is man, 0:18:54.480 --> 0:18:57.280 is that we don't give not one kid a book. 0:18:58.119 --> 0:19:00.879 They get to pick out their book. And that's what 0:19:01.000 --> 0:19:03.399 I love about the schools and the different people in 0:19:03.480 --> 0:19:06.240 the community that allow us. They give us the time 0:19:06.640 --> 0:19:09.159 to leave the books out so the kids can go 0:19:09.280 --> 0:19:11.920 out and pick out their books. And I think that's 0:19:11.960 --> 0:19:14.600 the beauty of it because they take ownership of it 0:19:14.720 --> 0:19:16.720 now and as it seem like it's not posed on them. 0:19:16.960 --> 0:19:18.600 They get to put their name in it, like they 0:19:18.640 --> 0:19:21.240 went to the library and they get to keep that book. 0:19:21.520 --> 0:19:24.080 And then we also allowed them to pick one out 0:19:24.359 --> 0:19:27.280 for a family member or a friend and encourage them 0:19:27.359 --> 0:19:29.879 to read at home when they're not in school. And 0:19:29.960 --> 0:19:32.000 that's what I love more about the program than anything 0:19:32.680 --> 0:19:37.040 more than fifty thousand books distributed since two sixteen and 0:19:37.200 --> 0:19:42.040 only going out from that school. That's a soft number. 0:19:45.160 --> 0:19:47.960 But what is a game day like at seventy six 0:19:48.040 --> 0:19:53.440 ers field House for Joe Richmond. Amazing from the day 0:19:53.560 --> 0:19:55.680 the day before, when I know it's going to be 0:19:56.280 --> 0:19:59.280 the wake up to get in that field house for 0:19:59.359 --> 0:20:03.320 a seven clock game, to get in there around nine 0:20:03.440 --> 0:20:06.879 ten o'clock and get prepared because with a lot of 0:20:06.920 --> 0:20:11.320 people don't know. And I pray that this is really emphasized. 0:20:11.560 --> 0:20:14.800 And you notice as well, we probably get on each 0:20:14.840 --> 0:20:18.399 other more than anybody all because we're looking at every 0:20:18.680 --> 0:20:22.159 detail for those fans that's walking through those doors, and 0:20:22.560 --> 0:20:25.399 everything that we do is geared to make sure we 0:20:25.560 --> 0:20:28.800 have not and we've got to kick over every rock, 0:20:29.400 --> 0:20:31.840 knock over whatever. We got to make sure all our 0:20:31.880 --> 0:20:34.720 teams across eyes are dotted to make sure that those 0:20:34.800 --> 0:20:37.760 fans get the most the most fun experience coming through 0:20:37.800 --> 0:20:40.639 the door and then get that amazing experience when they 0:20:40.720 --> 0:20:43.600 get the stands and see the game. So for Joe Richmond, 0:20:43.960 --> 0:20:46.840 it is so much fun to get ready. You know, 0:20:46.880 --> 0:20:48.760 I put on some of my nice little clothes, you 0:20:48.800 --> 0:20:51.159 know I do, Matt, I look at Spiffy because I 0:20:51.240 --> 0:20:53.280 can't wait to get to the front. And then there's 0:20:53.359 --> 0:20:56.960 nothing like with security saying doors and those doors open, 0:20:57.520 --> 0:21:01.960 and I see our fans during this this this shut in. Man, 0:21:02.280 --> 0:21:04.560 that's the most thing I've missed about anybody. I missed 0:21:04.560 --> 0:21:08.280 the game, but miss the fez, the kids, the parents, 0:21:08.400 --> 0:21:12.119 the grandparents. I missed that more than anything. You got 0:21:12.160 --> 0:21:14.800 your blue coat shirt on as we're recording this um 0:21:15.040 --> 0:21:17.520 or those listening, he's got the white shirt with the 0:21:17.600 --> 0:21:21.680 blue letters. The pented block letters of the blue coats 0:21:21.680 --> 0:21:24.240 were almost at our final quick questions at the buzzer. 0:21:24.320 --> 0:21:27.359 But before we get to that, I have been calling 0:21:27.440 --> 0:21:29.200 you for a little while now, but especially when the 0:21:29.320 --> 0:21:32.480 article came out. One of the most positive people that 0:21:32.680 --> 0:21:37.840 I know. So what keeps you going is it's just life. 0:21:38.520 --> 0:21:41.680 You know we're gonna do this sting one time once. 0:21:41.720 --> 0:21:44.200 We won't get another shot at this, and you know 0:21:45.160 --> 0:21:48.200 you're blessed to start. Like how not for basketball, would 0:21:48.200 --> 0:21:51.680 I've met a Matt Murphy. If not for basketball, would 0:21:51.680 --> 0:21:56.080 I've met a Joe Kane, Aris Watson, you know, a Felicia. 0:21:56.480 --> 0:21:58.560 It just sports. Just do this and that that that 0:21:58.760 --> 0:22:02.440 excites me. That excites me to know where I came from, 0:22:03.119 --> 0:22:05.720 knowing where I came from to where I'm at now 0:22:06.359 --> 0:22:09.639 and knowing that basketball has done that and it has 0:22:10.000 --> 0:22:13.720 it has given me an opportunity. And you said it before, Matt, 0:22:13.960 --> 0:22:15.760 I like to tell the story. I've been in all 0:22:15.880 --> 0:22:19.240