WEBVTT - KJ Live - Curtis Hollis 0:00:01.280 --> 0:00:10.320 This is kJ Live with Chris john Sallen and Chris 0:00:10.440 --> 0:00:13.680 is having conversations with influencers in the sports world and 0:00:13.920 --> 0:00:20.400 entertainment in the strain. Now here's Chris Johnson. You're now 0:00:20.480 --> 0:00:23.799 see down the kJ Live. Today's guests on the show 0:00:24.920 --> 0:00:28.360 is a professional basketball player by the name of Curtis Hollerd. 0:00:28.360 --> 0:00:31.639 Now I had a chance to watch, observe, and coach 0:00:31.680 --> 0:00:34.400 against Curtis and the j b A back in the day. Curtis, 0:00:34.479 --> 0:00:40.360 what's up, my man? O man, great to see you too, brother. 0:00:40.360 --> 0:00:43.080 I mean I when when we connected, you had tweeted 0:00:43.080 --> 0:00:47.360 something out about the Dominican Republic and Uh, it's funny 0:00:47.360 --> 0:00:50.000 because I had said something back, and it just kind 0:00:50.000 --> 0:00:51.960 of reminded me though. Our interaction reminded me of the 0:00:52.040 --> 0:00:53.640 j b A days. Man, it was. It was funny 0:00:53.640 --> 0:00:56.560 because we're on opposite teams. I was coaching with Seattle, 0:00:57.080 --> 0:00:59.400 you were on with You're on Houston with Rick and 0:00:59.440 --> 0:01:02.360 all them, and uh, and you were kind of like 0:01:02.400 --> 0:01:04.200 that dude, man, the first dude kind of in the 0:01:04.240 --> 0:01:06.080 league on an opposing team that I you know that 0:01:06.240 --> 0:01:08.080 just you know, even spoke to me, you know, even 0:01:08.480 --> 0:01:11.319 even said what's up. You're cool man, You're humble. You know, 0:01:11.360 --> 0:01:13.440 you always gave it up. Man. You always said what's up? 0:01:13.440 --> 0:01:15.320 So I always like I always remembered you, always like 0:01:15.400 --> 0:01:17.119 kept the eye on you because I'm like, yeah, that's 0:01:17.120 --> 0:01:21.160 a that's a solid dude right there. Man. But thinking 0:01:21.160 --> 0:01:24.319 about the j B A, bro, before we uh, kind 0:01:24.360 --> 0:01:26.120 of go back in time man and kind of get 0:01:26.120 --> 0:01:28.240 the beginnings of your story fresh off the j B, A, 0:01:28.319 --> 0:01:32.080 may just talk about just the experience in the j B. A. 0:01:32.200 --> 0:01:35.520 Did you think that you know, LaMelo would end up 0:01:35.720 --> 0:01:38.399 doing what he did and how how did the league 0:01:38.400 --> 0:01:41.000 and that experience help you in your career in shaping 0:01:41.040 --> 0:01:44.480 your journey. First, I mean my experience with the j 0:01:44.600 --> 0:01:46.360 B it was amazing. You know a lot of people 0:01:46.440 --> 0:01:49.680 have maybe make signals, but you know, I'm gonna say 0:01:49.680 --> 0:01:53.160 I got the pretty good and you know what I mean. Um, So, 0:01:53.280 --> 0:01:55.800 you know, for a lot of different reasons. But to 0:01:55.880 --> 0:02:00.280 answer your second question about Melo, um, it probably me 0:02:00.360 --> 0:02:03.200 playing with him to really figure it out. And we 0:02:03.240 --> 0:02:04.880 went and played in the j B. AU was safe 0:02:04.880 --> 0:02:07.440 for the people that don't know. We went overseas Lavart 0:02:07.520 --> 0:02:10.040 took the best probably ten people, and we went to 0:02:10.080 --> 0:02:12.200 like valuy By twenty five different countries, so he was 0:02:12.400 --> 0:02:15.400 just hopping places playing against high level players. So when 0:02:15.440 --> 0:02:17.840 I played against when I played with Mellow, is when 0:02:17.880 --> 0:02:21.080 I really figured out, like, okay, like, yeah, he'll be 0:02:21.120 --> 0:02:22.920 where he's at. He obviously is an all star, you know, 0:02:23.000 --> 0:02:25.480 but like for the different reasons of the fact that 0:02:25.720 --> 0:02:28.560 he was sixteen in and um, we were going to 0:02:28.600 --> 0:02:32.040 playing growing men professionals like first division and second division 0:02:32.040 --> 0:02:35.200 you know, all over. But he's getting triple doubles, Like 0:02:35.200 --> 0:02:37.519 he's helping me get off, he's helping Jello get off, 0:02:37.600 --> 0:02:39.480 and then he's going to do it himself. And for 0:02:39.560 --> 0:02:42.720 people that played basketball, like that's really hard to do, 0:02:42.919 --> 0:02:45.960 like get people involved and keep everybody involved and then 0:02:46.000 --> 0:02:48.240 go score and do your thing too. So you know, 0:02:48.280 --> 0:02:50.120 I've been around a lot of guys like before I 0:02:50.120 --> 0:02:52.520 got into j b A, so I've seen what they 0:02:52.560 --> 0:02:55.040 look like, and I knew instantly when I played with him, 0:02:55.160 --> 0:02:58.440 you know he was gonna be legit. Um. Also, the 0:02:58.520 --> 0:03:00.720 j b A Like in terms of mark career, it 0:03:00.800 --> 0:03:03.120 really boost like it really is the reason I have 0:03:03.240 --> 0:03:05.959 a professional career. We're just gonna be an honor person, honest, 0:03:06.040 --> 0:03:09.320 because um, I got picked up from a team in 0:03:09.400 --> 0:03:12.760 Germany playing in j b A. So really, the whole 0:03:12.800 --> 0:03:15.040 time I went into j b A with the plan. 0:03:15.160 --> 0:03:16.560 You know, a lot of people just kind of hopped 0:03:16.560 --> 0:03:18.799 in and just you know, wanted to play. But I 0:03:18.880 --> 0:03:21.000 knew I was losing my origibility. So I'm like, listen, 0:03:21.040 --> 0:03:23.639 I'm one them all in and two. If I don't 0:03:23.639 --> 0:03:25.600 make something out of this, I'm gonna be jobless. You know, 0:03:25.639 --> 0:03:27.839 I'm gonna be out of school. Like I gotta really 0:03:27.880 --> 0:03:30.520 do something, you know. So um, like I said, it, 0:03:30.560 --> 0:03:32.919 really it really made my career, you know. And I've 0:03:32.960 --> 0:03:36.600 been playing now for four years, you know, professionally, So um, 0:03:36.640 --> 0:03:38.880 it did a lot for me. I got picked up 0:03:38.880 --> 0:03:40.360 playing in the j b A show. Yeah it was 0:03:40.360 --> 0:03:42.760 great for me. Man, that's dope. Man. But let's rewind 0:03:42.760 --> 0:03:45.720 a little bit. Man, Let's talk about before the j 0:03:45.800 --> 0:03:48.320 b A. Before all that. Man, where are you born 0:03:48.360 --> 0:03:51.040 and raised? Like, where did you get your basketball foundation? 0:03:51.760 --> 0:03:56.160 So I'm born. I was born in Dallas, Texas, raised 0:03:56.160 --> 0:04:00.000 in Arlington, Texas. So I really got got my foundation. 0:04:00.000 --> 0:04:02.760 You know, I tell people I think my brother, like 0:04:02.880 --> 0:04:04.400 just being around. I have an older brother that's two 0:04:04.440 --> 0:04:10.040 years older than me. So I Philip, Philip Polish and 0:04:10.120 --> 0:04:12.320 my dad's named Philip too. So my brothers a junior, 0:04:12.360 --> 0:04:15.120 my dad as a senior, but just my brothers two 0:04:15.160 --> 0:04:17.000 years older than me. So you know, growing up, we 0:04:17.040 --> 0:04:19.240 played every sport like we did everything, you know. So 0:04:19.279 --> 0:04:24.240 I played football, basketball, baseball, swimming, track like I did everything. Um. 0:04:24.320 --> 0:04:27.520 But just being around my brother um and just me 0:04:27.680 --> 0:04:29.200 like I was the kid that would go shoot at 0:04:29.200 --> 0:04:31.160 half time at this game, you know, stuff like that. 0:04:31.279 --> 0:04:33.880 So just being around him and just stuff like that, 0:04:34.000 --> 0:04:35.719 I think that's really how I started to love it, 0:04:35.800 --> 0:04:37.560 you know what I mean, Because, like I said, he 0:04:37.600 --> 0:04:40.000 was older, So I wasn't really playing you at the time. 0:04:40.040 --> 0:04:42.719 Like I was maybe five, maybe six, maybe four, and 0:04:42.760 --> 0:04:44.880 he's like seven seven eight, you know. So I'm seeing 0:04:44.960 --> 0:04:47.560 him and just you know, experiencing with the ball, like 0:04:47.600 --> 0:04:49.880 I said, playing at half time, just you know, playing around, 0:04:49.920 --> 0:04:52.440 and I'm just like Okay. Once I start getting older 0:04:52.480 --> 0:04:55.320 and older, I started to really love it. So yeah, no, man, 0:04:55.360 --> 0:04:57.880 I came from a big family, man, you know, gang 0:04:57.880 --> 0:05:00.120 of brothers, but I was I was the old this 0:05:00.720 --> 0:05:03.280 and so and so my big brother in a sense 0:05:03.360 --> 0:05:05.080 was kind of my dad, you know, who played in 0:05:05.080 --> 0:05:07.240 the league and at the time I was growing up, 0:05:07.240 --> 0:05:08.919 he was trying to make a little comeback. So he 0:05:09.000 --> 0:05:11.440 kind of treated me. Sounds like, how Philip did you 0:05:11.839 --> 0:05:13.839 where I was kind of the test dummy, And yeah 0:05:13.839 --> 0:05:16.080 I played against him, but I get beat up, you know, 0:05:16.440 --> 0:05:19.480 man handled, you know, posted on duct. I don't know 0:05:19.560 --> 0:05:21.880 Philip was ducking on you, because you know, you gotta 0:05:21.920 --> 0:05:24.520 live with it. But my dad, my dad was ducking 0:05:24.560 --> 0:05:27.200 on me, you dog, And I'm like thirteen fourteen and 0:05:27.200 --> 0:05:30.640 stuff in the front yard right wasn't money. But now 0:05:30.720 --> 0:05:33.200 all that to be said, I understand how that how 0:05:33.279 --> 0:05:37.120 that older influence kind of kind of you know, definitely 0:05:37.160 --> 0:05:39.640 kid can help you and get you going. So talk 0:05:39.720 --> 0:05:42.280 talk talk to him. What happened? Man? When when when 0:05:42.279 --> 0:05:45.920 do you remember saying to yourself, I want to get 0:05:45.960 --> 0:05:48.800 serious about the game, like I could do something here. Um. 0:05:48.839 --> 0:05:50.960 I don't know if you were on any paths of 0:05:51.080 --> 0:05:53.080 going the wrong way with stuff, but when did you 0:05:53.240 --> 0:05:56.039 When did everything click for you? What age? And you 0:05:56.080 --> 0:05:58.679 know what moment made you kind of open your eyes? 0:05:58.960 --> 0:06:01.440 So it was definitely after my freshman year, and it 0:06:01.520 --> 0:06:03.320 was really kind of going through it because, like you said, 0:06:03.320 --> 0:06:05.120 you know, I was kind of doing a bunch of stuff. 0:06:05.160 --> 0:06:06.919 Like I had an older brother, so I came in 0:06:06.960 --> 0:06:09.080 as a freshman. He's already a junior, so you know, 0:06:09.120 --> 0:06:11.000 I'm kind of already lit going in, you know, like 0:06:11.040 --> 0:06:14.719 I know everybody, like every I was moving too fast, 0:06:14.800 --> 0:06:18.120 you know. But probably after that night grade summer because 0:06:18.160 --> 0:06:20.039 I played in the U Y b L. Like a 0:06:20.040 --> 0:06:22.360 team came and found me and they were just like listening, 0:06:22.360 --> 0:06:25.440 which is pro scie leader still around. Um, you know, 0:06:25.520 --> 0:06:28.119 but a guy named George Play he came and found 0:06:28.160 --> 0:06:29.679 me and he was like, listen, I see your talent, 0:06:29.800 --> 0:06:31.680 Like come try out, come work with us and see 0:06:31.680 --> 0:06:34.440 how it goes. So I ended up playing with Trey Young, 0:06:34.640 --> 0:06:38.200 which is actually crazy. That year I was fifteen, and um, 0:06:38.560 --> 0:06:41.080 I started seeing him blowing up. I'm like, whoa, Like 0:06:41.160 --> 0:06:44.039 he's getting everywhere. All was like that. He was like 0:06:44.160 --> 0:06:46.400 that back then. Man, what how he played now? He 0:06:46.440 --> 0:06:49.479 played then? Like bro, it's wow, it's wow. Because I 0:06:49.520 --> 0:06:52.400 was just talking to somebody about just his like his frame, 0:06:52.480 --> 0:06:54.560 his body, like when you look at him, it's like damn, 0:06:54.560 --> 0:06:57.840 he's so skinny. And they looked a little but it's nothing. 0:06:57.960 --> 0:06:59.680 What do you is he super strong. I mean, what 0:06:59.760 --> 0:07:02.320 is his biggest kind of key to his success. I 0:07:02.320 --> 0:07:05.760 think the kudos is to his dad, his father, because 0:07:06.000 --> 0:07:09.560 his father ray ray for young man. He used the 0:07:09.720 --> 0:07:12.000 grilled trade I'm talking about. Like I tell people this 0:07:12.040 --> 0:07:14.400 story all the time, Like I went to Pangos camp, right, 0:07:14.480 --> 0:07:16.880 so I'm just my first time really seeing it. I'm like, 0:07:16.880 --> 0:07:19.280 all right, cool, like I'm here for the experience. You know, 0:07:19.320 --> 0:07:20.800 I'm gonna try to get in one of the top games. 0:07:20.800 --> 0:07:22.640 I end up getting the top forty. But you know, 0:07:22.680 --> 0:07:24.600 Trey was hord to cover to he was top five, 0:07:24.680 --> 0:07:28.040 top whatever point guard coming coming in. So you know 0:07:28.120 --> 0:07:30.680 his pops played at the University of Oklahoma played Oh 0:07:30.800 --> 0:07:33.280 she's a little bit, so he's seen what it takes, 0:07:33.320 --> 0:07:36.600 you know what I mean. So trade one game, he 0:07:36.680 --> 0:07:39.080 just went at forty, you know, going crazy, right, so 0:07:39.120 --> 0:07:41.760 we're on the right back. I'm like, all right, cool, 0:07:41.760 --> 0:07:43.560 like trying a good job, you know, like you know, 0:07:43.640 --> 0:07:47.800 I like his pop. Really, man, you ain't got up, like, 0:07:48.120 --> 0:07:51.200 you ain't assisted. You look bad. He's like horrible shots 0:07:51.640 --> 0:07:55.320 and I'm just like he just had forty. I'm like, 0:07:55.520 --> 0:07:58.120 what are we doing? So it was at that moment 0:07:58.160 --> 0:08:01.200 where I was like, Okay, I know why he's gonna 0:08:01.240 --> 0:08:03.200 be great. You know what I mean. He just kept 0:08:03.560 --> 0:08:05.920 going up that trajectory, you know what I mean. But 0:08:06.320 --> 0:08:08.120 one I will say, you always had talent, you know 0:08:08.160 --> 0:08:10.000 what I mean. He's always been really talented. He could 0:08:10.000 --> 0:08:13.040 always really shoot the ball. But like that mentality that 0:08:13.160 --> 0:08:16.560 was drilling him, plus continuously working, you know, just stuff 0:08:16.600 --> 0:08:18.600 like that. Um, I feel like he's the reason why, 0:08:18.600 --> 0:08:21.280 He's the reason year today. So yeah, he seems like 0:08:21.480 --> 0:08:24.040 he you know, from when I've watched him. My son 0:08:24.120 --> 0:08:27.040 was at Oregon and Oklahoma came. They played up in Portland. 0:08:27.240 --> 0:08:30.000 He Trey had a forty ball and Brayton Pritchard. But 0:08:30.400 --> 0:08:33.479 from what I saw, you know, I mean, his his 0:08:33.480 --> 0:08:36.520 his i Q was is incredible. And then and then 0:08:36.880 --> 0:08:39.800 like he just has a unique ability to know how 0:08:39.840 --> 0:08:42.200 to get his shot off before you can block it. 0:08:42.280 --> 0:08:44.959 Like I just know, like like he just his release 0:08:45.120 --> 0:08:47.480 is always right before you get there. It's just no 0:08:47.840 --> 0:08:50.080 matter what I'm like, dang, because you think you always 0:08:50.080 --> 0:08:55.120 go get it, but it's like no, because it's real quick. 0:08:55.240 --> 0:08:58.560 It's real quick. Man. Uh So you played on the 0:08:58.600 --> 0:09:00.440 E Y b O with Trey, you earned it out. 0:09:00.440 --> 0:09:02.160 So so you got on people's scouts. So let let 0:09:02.160 --> 0:09:03.560 me just break this down. Let me just break this 0:09:03.600 --> 0:09:05.880 down real quick. So for those out there that don't know, 0:09:06.240 --> 0:09:10.400 and this is kind of was my scouting report on you, Kurt, 0:09:10.880 --> 0:09:12.400 back when you were playing in the j b A. 0:09:12.480 --> 0:09:14.400 I mean I I classified you at the time as 0:09:14.880 --> 0:09:18.000 as a slasher wing kind of guy that could create 0:09:18.240 --> 0:09:21.600 handle for its own shot. The jump shot was at 0:09:21.640 --> 0:09:24.560 times a little inconsistent, but you know, we didn't want 0:09:24.559 --> 0:09:26.200 you to get warm. We didn't want you to hit 0:09:26.240 --> 0:09:28.120 a couple because once you can hit a couple, we 0:09:28.160 --> 0:09:29.760 felt like, you know, you could, you know, you would 0:09:29.800 --> 0:09:32.720 go off. Then you'd be eight nine in a row. Um, 0:09:32.760 --> 0:09:35.480 you're on the glass a little bit. You defensively is 0:09:35.520 --> 0:09:38.640 where I saw a lot of NBA potential from you. Uh, 0:09:38.800 --> 0:09:40.480 you hadn't put it all together at the time, but 0:09:40.520 --> 0:09:42.480 you were still giving a lot of effort. You were 0:09:42.520 --> 0:09:44.319 still giving the effort. But it was like one of 0:09:44.360 --> 0:09:45.800 those things where I felt like, hey, man, if this 0:09:45.840 --> 0:09:48.000 guy gets in the right situation and this is this 0:09:48.080 --> 0:09:49.800 is as a pro if this guy gets in the 0:09:49.840 --> 0:09:52.320 right situation, you know, in the right kind of place 0:09:52.360 --> 0:09:54.839 where coaches are gonna development and believe in him and 0:09:55.000 --> 0:09:57.439 he could be an NBA player. Let's rewind back to 0:09:57.559 --> 0:09:59.760 the y b L. What was the scouting report then 0:10:00.360 --> 0:10:03.560 on Curtis house Man. That's exactly That's exactly what it 0:10:03.679 --> 0:10:05.480 was like, you know all the other stuff, like they're 0:10:05.480 --> 0:10:07.880 creating all that I didn't even have back then, you know. 0:10:07.960 --> 0:10:10.800 So really I was a late bloomer. I'm just gonna 0:10:10.800 --> 0:10:12.480 be real, like I just was. But I know how 0:10:12.480 --> 0:10:14.760 to slash, you know, to the fen. I know how 0:10:14.760 --> 0:10:16.480 to get guys involved. Like I was kind of like 0:10:16.520 --> 0:10:18.440 that glue, you know what I mean. And that was 0:10:18.480 --> 0:10:20.800 just natural for me. Like I was always athletic, you 0:10:20.800 --> 0:10:23.840 know what I mean. So that that's what it was like. Um, 0:10:23.880 --> 0:10:26.439 you know, like that next year I played seventeen U 0:10:26.520 --> 0:10:28.839 I b A right, So that's what I was. You know. 0:10:28.880 --> 0:10:30.960 I was a slasher, a guy that could rebound, like 0:10:31.000 --> 0:10:33.320 I know, but no no players drawn up for me, 0:10:33.320 --> 0:10:34.800 but I would end up with twenty you know that 0:10:34.840 --> 0:10:37.559 type of guy, you know. So yeah, that that's what 0:10:37.800 --> 0:10:41.000 That's what that happened for sure. Okay, and then what 0:10:41.200 --> 0:10:44.560 schools kind of pain we're in the mix as far 0:10:44.600 --> 0:10:48.000 as recruiting, you colleges coaches. So I'm gonna be real. 0:10:48.080 --> 0:10:49.800 I you know, I had a lot of schools, Like 0:10:49.840 --> 0:10:51.760 I played A U, I B L. You know, like 0:10:51.760 --> 0:10:53.960 like that was great for me. You know, high school, 0:10:54.040 --> 0:10:56.160 I did my thing. You know. The biggest thing for 0:10:56.240 --> 0:10:59.560 me was you know, the great situation. And what happened 0:10:59.600 --> 0:11:02.160 with that is I didn't really figure out, like I said, 0:11:02.320 --> 0:11:04.680 I was late blooming. I didn't really figure out about 0:11:04.679 --> 0:11:07.520 the clearinghouse, what you had to have a specific d 0:11:07.640 --> 0:11:09.720 p A and all that to like my junior year, 0:11:10.040 --> 0:11:11.520 and it was late. It was late by that, you know, 0:11:11.559 --> 0:11:14.760 I was just going by getting seventies, you know, to play. 0:11:14.800 --> 0:11:17.760 So that was the biggest thing. Like because your coaches, 0:11:17.800 --> 0:11:20.240 your coach, your coaching, your coaches and stuff. You didn't 0:11:20.240 --> 0:11:22.520 have counselors or anybody like that. That was like, yo, man, 0:11:22.600 --> 0:11:25.439 this is the move and nothing like I wish. And 0:11:25.440 --> 0:11:27.000 I was talking about that about this the other day. 0:11:27.040 --> 0:11:29.199 I'm like, you know, like I wish, that's what you know. 0:11:29.240 --> 0:11:30.880 I wish somebody would have really pulled me to the 0:11:30.880 --> 0:11:32.840 side of even my parents. This was like this how 0:11:32.880 --> 0:11:35.160 it goes like this is the navigation, Like I was 0:11:35.280 --> 0:11:38.480 navigating everything I've gotten to this point by myself, you know. 0:11:39.080 --> 0:11:41.800 So that's what that's that was the toughest part, you know, 0:11:41.960 --> 0:11:46.320 just figuring that out. So all right, man, and then 0:11:47.320 --> 0:11:50.880 the grades were issues. So now the j b A 0:11:51.280 --> 0:11:55.400 opportunity rises. How did you hear about the j b A? Like, 0:11:55.559 --> 0:11:57.439 how did you hear about that? So it was really 0:11:57.640 --> 0:11:59.800 it was really my best friend his name is kJ kJ, 0:12:00.280 --> 0:12:02.200 but he really was just hearing about it, like on 0:12:02.240 --> 0:12:03.760 Twitter and all that. He was like, Yo, they're having 0:12:03.800 --> 0:12:06.400 to try out in dollars, like you should come. And 0:12:06.440 --> 0:12:08.199 it's crazy because I was at junior. I was at 0:12:08.240 --> 0:12:11.360 my junior college like basically just for listening the season, 0:12:11.880 --> 0:12:14.199 and I'm just thinking in my head, I'm like I 0:12:14.320 --> 0:12:15.920 want I'm not. I've always been a guy who doesn't 0:12:15.920 --> 0:12:17.760 really want to miss out of opportunities because you never 0:12:17.760 --> 0:12:19.560 know and you never want to go back and just 0:12:19.640 --> 0:12:21.719 be like, man, I'm what if I would have did that? 0:12:21.760 --> 0:12:24.319 You know? So I figured it out. I was like, 0:12:24.400 --> 0:12:26.440 all right, just this for real. So I called my mom. 0:12:27.080 --> 0:12:28.920 I was like, yo, like this is what's going on. 0:12:29.480 --> 0:12:31.880 Put me up flight home. I'm gonna come try out, 0:12:31.880 --> 0:12:33.360 and I'm gonna literally go back to school. I went 0:12:33.400 --> 0:12:37.280 back to school like that night. It was crazy. But yeah, 0:12:37.360 --> 0:12:39.800 that's that's how that that's how I came. But at 0:12:39.840 --> 0:12:43.079 the time, did you were you aware? So when you 0:12:43.160 --> 0:12:45.199 knew about the opportunity, you knew that this was a 0:12:45.240 --> 0:12:48.080 professional opportunity, that you you would get probably get paid, 0:12:48.120 --> 0:12:51.119 you would get paid, and that you would have to 0:12:51.160 --> 0:12:54.960 give up your remaining college eligibility. I wanted to talk 0:12:55.000 --> 0:12:57.960 to you about just sort of that process of thinking 0:12:58.080 --> 0:13:00.920 that you know, that thought press us, what made you 0:13:01.480 --> 0:13:03.760 want to make that decision. It wasn't a gang of money, 0:13:04.480 --> 0:13:07.160 and you know, and and conventional wisdom could have said, hey, 0:13:07.240 --> 0:13:09.200 a guy like you, you would have got your stuff 0:13:09.240 --> 0:13:12.080 situated at the jukeco man anothering, you could have transferred 0:13:12.080 --> 0:13:15.839 two years to a legitimate spot, uh possibly at a 0:13:15.960 --> 0:13:19.840 Power five conference, got on the radar of NBA scouts 0:13:19.920 --> 0:13:23.439 off top. So then you, if you're a little bit patient, right, 0:13:23.600 --> 0:13:25.719 you may get there talk a little bit about the 0:13:26.000 --> 0:13:28.959 choices and why you made it. So really, like I said, 0:13:29.080 --> 0:13:31.280 like I was navigating on my own, Like I didn't 0:13:31.320 --> 0:13:34.520 have anybody telling me. I didn't have anybody say listen, Curtis, 0:13:34.960 --> 0:13:37.679 to sit down. You know, this the visual one is 0:13:38.280 --> 0:13:41.280 what it looks like to the NBA teams, you know 0:13:41.320 --> 0:13:43.240 what I mean, it looks very different, you know, And 0:13:43.320 --> 0:13:45.960 I just I didn't know that. And like what happened 0:13:45.960 --> 0:13:48.600 with the thought process was really after the trial, maybe 0:13:48.600 --> 0:13:50.560 like an hour later, I got a call from LaVar 0:13:50.720 --> 0:13:53.480 ally right, and they're like, listen this what's going on. 0:13:53.600 --> 0:13:56.480 This will be doing We're going offseas like it's legit, 0:13:56.760 --> 0:13:57.880 you know what I mean. I knew they were putting 0:13:57.880 --> 0:14:00.319 mellow in Jello in it, so I was like, man, 0:14:00.320 --> 0:14:02.720 I'm Tinto's in. Like I always wanted to be a professional, 0:14:03.080 --> 0:14:05.000 so that was really intriguing to me. And just you know, 0:14:05.120 --> 0:14:07.160 like I felt like I could really make a name 0:14:07.200 --> 0:14:09.719 for myself, like because Nomelo and Leangelo over there in 0:14:09.800 --> 0:14:11.880 LaVar you know, like that league was huge, you know 0:14:11.920 --> 0:14:14.199 what I mean. So and I end up doing that, 0:14:14.280 --> 0:14:18.280 But definitely, like I'm not gonna sit here and say, like, man, 0:14:18.320 --> 0:14:20.760 I regret anything, because you know, like life is life, 0:14:20.880 --> 0:14:23.080 you know. But definitely, if if I would have known 0:14:23.280 --> 0:14:25.640 like a lot of different stuff back then, like I 0:14:25.640 --> 0:14:27.360 probably would have made a different decision to be on 0:14:27.360 --> 0:14:29.320 one hundred percent honest with you, because like I said, 0:14:29.320 --> 0:14:31.080 I had every school coming in. I put any r 0:14:31.160 --> 0:14:33.760 B L obviously, like you saw my talent, a lot 0:14:33.840 --> 0:14:36.400 of other people saw my talent too. And really going 0:14:36.440 --> 0:14:38.200 through those times, like when I was in Juka was 0:14:38.280 --> 0:14:40.920 really developed, Like I was really developing. I started watching 0:14:40.960 --> 0:14:44.520 film like understanding, so my game was really starting to expand, 0:14:44.680 --> 0:14:46.880 you know what I mean. So that's really what the 0:14:46.960 --> 0:14:49.040 thought thought pressure was was. I really didn't have any 0:14:49.160 --> 0:14:52.520 understanding of the Division one process and how big it 0:14:52.600 --> 0:14:54.920 would be, like with what NBA teams looked for in 0:14:55.000 --> 0:14:57.320 that platform and just all that stuff, like I had 0:14:57.360 --> 0:15:02.040 no idea. Yeah, you that's why it's up. Yeah, it's man, 0:15:02.280 --> 0:15:05.640 that's a wild because we're taking for granted. We're taken 0:15:05.680 --> 0:15:08.400 for granted, and but you understand why, you know, the 0:15:08.440 --> 0:15:11.680 certain decisions are made. Fox Sports Radio has the best 0:15:11.760 --> 0:15:14.560 sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of our 0:15:14.600 --> 0:15:18.040 shows at Fox sports Radio dot com and within the 0:15:18.120 --> 0:15:21.280 I Heart Radio app search f s R to listen live. 0:15:21.760 --> 0:15:24.760 So as we as we talked about it, now when 0:15:24.800 --> 0:15:26.080 we get to the j B A. Man, the j 0:15:26.200 --> 0:15:28.480 B A was. I think the setup was nice. I 0:15:28.760 --> 0:15:32.040 enjoyed it. I enjoyed the setup Um, I know, fake. Look, 0:15:32.080 --> 0:15:36.120 the games were televised on Facebook Live m We traveled 0:15:36.200 --> 0:15:38.440 it was eight teens. We traveled to about ten or 0:15:38.480 --> 0:15:43.320 eleven cities. Man, we're going, you know, coach, and the 0:15:43.440 --> 0:15:46.200 music was nice that summer to some jams, so we 0:15:46.280 --> 0:15:51.040 were we was on the jams. Um. From the basketball perspective, 0:15:51.120 --> 0:15:56.280 how important do you think it was for like LaMelo, yourself, 0:15:56.640 --> 0:16:00.320 other guys with the professional aspirations to play in under 0:16:00.360 --> 0:16:02.280 the setup of the j b A which was four 0:16:02.400 --> 0:16:06.320 quarters forty eight minutes and LaVar had this thing. Man, 0:16:06.400 --> 0:16:09.120 we wanted to push the basketball. We wanted the scores 0:16:09.200 --> 0:16:12.280 to be high run, run, run, And how important was 0:16:12.360 --> 0:16:15.200 that style for you as you went onto other jobs 0:16:15.600 --> 0:16:17.480 and you know, as as you played in Germany as 0:16:17.520 --> 0:16:20.240 a pro, then that style helped prepare you. I mean 0:16:20.360 --> 0:16:22.800 definitely because one I mean, I want to say, like 0:16:23.600 --> 0:16:25.320 for me coming in, I had never really had my 0:16:25.400 --> 0:16:27.400 own life team, Like I had never really had to 0:16:27.440 --> 0:16:29.480 figure out how to get guys involved, you know, make 0:16:29.520 --> 0:16:32.280 people better, you know, then score on my own and 0:16:32.360 --> 0:16:33.920 I'm playing a whole game, you know what I mean. 0:16:34.040 --> 0:16:36.880 Like and like you said, it's fast paced. So really 0:16:37.000 --> 0:16:39.360 that was a big challenge for me, like just really 0:16:39.480 --> 0:16:42.120 figuring that part out and understanding like and we weren't 0:16:42.160 --> 0:16:44.680 winning like all the games at first, we started winning, 0:16:45.200 --> 0:16:46.960 so I was like, man, well I gotta figure it out, 0:16:47.000 --> 0:16:48.640 like I'm trying. So that really helped me a lot. 0:16:48.720 --> 0:16:52.120 Adrey start thinking the game and watching basketball like really 0:16:52.200 --> 0:16:54.520 deeper and all that, so that really helped me out 0:16:54.520 --> 0:16:58.520 a lot. And then you know, obviously like in terms 0:16:58.560 --> 0:17:01.240 of professional like how that really helped, Like, you know, 0:17:01.360 --> 0:17:03.520 I took it and ran with it because like LaVar 0:17:03.680 --> 0:17:05.400 used to talk to me crazy, I'm gonna be honest, 0:17:05.480 --> 0:17:06.800 Like he used to talk to me crazy when he 0:17:06.800 --> 0:17:08.920 was playing over there because I could get maybe fifteen 0:17:09.840 --> 0:17:13.040 the first game. He was like, Bro, you're doing He 0:17:13.200 --> 0:17:15.199 was like, why are you passionate? We need you scoring 0:17:15.280 --> 0:17:17.840 forty or or we're gonna lose, like you and Jello 0:17:17.920 --> 0:17:20.560 have to have forty on the wing or we're gonna lose. Period. 0:17:21.080 --> 0:17:22.760 And like I used to go up trying to lay 0:17:22.840 --> 0:17:25.879 people up, people like bro, you saw people like Bro, 0:17:26.000 --> 0:17:27.960 you're trying to you you laying people? Let me all this, 0:17:28.359 --> 0:17:31.080 don't even dunk on nobody. I start punching on everybody, 0:17:31.160 --> 0:17:33.960 like I started throwing it on everybody. So that's really 0:17:34.080 --> 0:17:35.920 you know, it was really the bar like you know, 0:17:36.160 --> 0:17:39.080 just really enhancing me and just really challenging me. So 0:17:39.240 --> 0:17:41.280 that really, you know, that was glued to my head, 0:17:41.359 --> 0:17:42.800 like I don't know how to play one way, you 0:17:42.840 --> 0:17:45.200 know what I mean? So that a lot. I bet 0:17:45.240 --> 0:17:47.040 it did. Man and LaVar was the head coach on 0:17:47.119 --> 0:17:50.159 that team, right and you go and you guys, the 0:17:50.280 --> 0:17:52.800 level of competition, how would you describe the level competition 0:17:52.880 --> 0:17:55.320 of the European teams you're playing against? It was, it 0:17:55.400 --> 0:17:57.399 was really all level. Like we played a couple of 0:17:57.440 --> 0:17:59.879 teams in LKL First Division. We played Chisca and my 0:18:00.040 --> 0:18:03.360 scouting they wanted multiple times. We didn't play their their 0:18:03.600 --> 0:18:06.560 early team, but we played their their farm team, and 0:18:06.840 --> 0:18:09.080 they bring the guys down, you know what I mean? 0:18:09.320 --> 0:18:12.960 Really they really We beat them on their soil, like 0:18:13.240 --> 0:18:16.439 you did. They didn't. They did not like that. They 0:18:16.520 --> 0:18:18.600 did not like that we beat them on their show. 0:18:18.760 --> 0:18:20.879 We'd beat sent it the sentence in the ear league too, 0:18:21.040 --> 0:18:24.639 right now, beat them on their soil. Okay, okay, we 0:18:24.800 --> 0:18:27.119 was playing legit teams like we were, and we was 0:18:27.200 --> 0:18:30.040 playing legit pros. You know what I mean, so we 0:18:30.119 --> 0:18:31.960 were playing a different way. Also, like we were playing 0:18:32.000 --> 0:18:34.879 American style. We wasn't playing slow pick and roll like no, no, no, 0:18:35.119 --> 0:18:38.080 We used so they couldn't keep up. They was like whoa, 0:18:38.240 --> 0:18:40.440 Like what is this attack and just getting it out 0:18:40.480 --> 0:18:43.720 and attack, Yeah, pushing, throwing a full court trapping the 0:18:43.760 --> 0:18:46.480 whole game like that. They didn't they didn't know what 0:18:46.560 --> 0:18:51.680 to do with that Jello ball Man. I've always felt 0:18:51.800 --> 0:18:55.320 like Jello was the purest score obviously, of of the 0:18:55.400 --> 0:18:58.679 Ball brothers, the most the codest kind of assassin shooter, 0:18:58.840 --> 0:19:00.720 like I mean, I know, I know other guys are 0:19:00.800 --> 0:19:02.840 really good, but Jello is like, you know, I've seen 0:19:02.920 --> 0:19:05.720 Jello do some unbelievable stuff in his career. I know 0:19:05.800 --> 0:19:07.639 in that championship game we ended up losing to the 0:19:07.720 --> 0:19:09.280 l A team, I think he had fifty eight on us, 0:19:09.680 --> 0:19:11.159 but it was just like you know, thirty in a 0:19:11.280 --> 0:19:14.639 row or something crazy dog and we're really I'm sitting, 0:19:14.800 --> 0:19:18.040 we're sending the double teams, we're trying to guard bro. 0:19:18.200 --> 0:19:20.680 It wasn't like that's what I knew that that game 0:19:20.800 --> 0:19:22.720 is what I was like, Oh man, Jello is that dude? 0:19:22.800 --> 0:19:25.480 Like I had a whole we had a whole game 0:19:25.520 --> 0:19:28.399 plan for Jello. Man and then and man, he just 0:19:28.680 --> 0:19:32.760 lit us up. What do you think when do you 0:19:32.920 --> 0:19:35.200 think it's gonna be time or he's gonna get that 0:19:35.240 --> 0:19:38.400 opportunity to play in the league. I mean I tell 0:19:38.440 --> 0:19:40.760 people like, I just feel like if he just stays 0:19:40.920 --> 0:19:43.439 on the course, stays consistent, you know, because I've always 0:19:43.520 --> 0:19:45.760 told everybody Joe's play to me, like kind of like 0:19:45.840 --> 0:19:48.240 you've experienced. I played with him, you know what I mean. 0:19:48.320 --> 0:19:50.240 So I know for sure what he can do, and 0:19:50.280 --> 0:19:52.199 I know for sure he can shoot the hell out 0:19:52.240 --> 0:19:54.440 the basketball, like the hell out of it, like I've 0:19:54.480 --> 0:19:57.119 seen I've seen really good shooters. He's easy to talk to, 0:19:57.320 --> 0:19:59.600 shoots i've ever seen in my life. And he's strong, 0:20:00.480 --> 0:20:02.119 so we can guard him paint. You know, he can 0:20:02.160 --> 0:20:05.159 guard big if you got to switch physical guy. You know, 0:20:05.440 --> 0:20:07.600 UM really confident, you know what I mean. He's growing 0:20:07.680 --> 0:20:10.080 up with LaVar ball, so you better be confident, you 0:20:10.119 --> 0:20:11.919 know what I mean. So I feel like everything everything 0:20:12.000 --> 0:20:14.000 is in order for him, you know, like he's been 0:20:14.119 --> 0:20:16.280 he's with Charlotte, you know he Yeah, I think he 0:20:16.320 --> 0:20:18.360 did a really good job. He's really professional. Like there's 0:20:18.400 --> 0:20:20.639 some games maybe he didn't play, but he stayed with 0:20:20.720 --> 0:20:22.840 the course, you know what I mean. So I just 0:20:22.880 --> 0:20:24.399 feel like the biggest thing is with him is just 0:20:24.520 --> 0:20:27.640 staying consistent. Just keep showing and showing and keep working 0:20:27.680 --> 0:20:29.560 on this game, and eventually I feel like he'll get 0:20:29.560 --> 0:20:32.359 a real opportunity. Yeah, I think he will. Man, he's uh, 0:20:32.720 --> 0:20:35.080 he's he's a really unique player, man. I mean he 0:20:35.240 --> 0:20:38.440 has when you have Pettigreen, like the Ball Brothers and 0:20:38.840 --> 0:20:41.679 that family, I mean, you just got a belief now. 0:20:41.720 --> 0:20:43.959 I mean, I know it was a crazy thing when 0:20:44.040 --> 0:20:46.440 LaVar first came out with all this and was telling 0:20:46.480 --> 0:20:48.760 everybody from Jump Street what time it was gonna be 0:20:48.960 --> 0:20:51.520 ten years now. I know it was crazy for people 0:20:51.560 --> 0:20:55.440 to believe. But as we see, please never lost and 0:20:55.560 --> 0:20:59.520 he's spoke everything into existence. Literally, dog, he got too 0:21:00.040 --> 0:21:07.320 pap three picks as sons. That's the other thing that 0:21:07.400 --> 0:21:11.320 people don't realize. They was already paid bro Yo, I 0:21:11.359 --> 0:21:13.239 didn't want to say that, but Jello, I think Jim 0:21:13.320 --> 0:21:15.560 Man Jello was like showing his bank account or he 0:21:15.640 --> 0:21:20.440 was doing something on the floor. I saw the Olds Bros. Like, 0:21:23.000 --> 0:21:24.680 you know, he bought his own house right next to 0:21:24.800 --> 0:21:27.879 LaVar Man without even playing in the league or NBA. 0:21:28.720 --> 0:21:34.919 Uh see, I love his nuts. Man. Man, Think when 0:21:35.320 --> 0:21:37.399 when you think about LaVar, man, what is what's his 0:21:37.560 --> 0:21:41.280 best quality? Dude? What was his best quality? Man? There's 0:21:41.359 --> 0:21:46.080 so many, but I just feel like the genuineness and 0:21:46.160 --> 0:21:49.000 the real the realness of him. I think those with 0:21:49.080 --> 0:21:50.720 his two I said too, but I think those his 0:21:50.880 --> 0:21:53.000 main two qualities because I feel like that's what really 0:21:53.040 --> 0:21:57.240 makes from him. But one, he's so real, like he's 0:21:57.240 --> 0:21:59.480 show that's all he knows, Like whether he like you 0:21:59.640 --> 0:22:01.200 or not, he gonna tell you the truth. You know 0:22:01.240 --> 0:22:02.840 what I mean, you all you can do is respect it. 0:22:02.880 --> 0:22:05.639 But at least it's the truth. And he's on genuine, 0:22:05.720 --> 0:22:07.640 Like if you show him you're a good guy, he's 0:22:07.640 --> 0:22:10.080 gonna he's gonna be nothing but love positive. You know, 0:22:10.160 --> 0:22:12.560 he's not out the gates gonna love you, you know, 0:22:12.920 --> 0:22:15.080 like I will, I will say that. But you know, 0:22:15.359 --> 0:22:17.400 once you start showing him and he's showing the loyalty 0:22:17.480 --> 0:22:20.000 and all that, like he's an amazing guy. Amazing guy. 0:22:20.520 --> 0:22:24.240 You gotta earn lavars respect, and yeah, you gotta you 0:22:24.320 --> 0:22:29.680 gotta earn it. Brouh man. I but I just felt like, man, 0:22:29.840 --> 0:22:32.040 that and this is kind of the last thing on 0:22:32.080 --> 0:22:33.280 the j b A. Man, I just felt like it 0:22:33.359 --> 0:22:36.240 was a great, great thing, man for to give young 0:22:36.359 --> 0:22:40.359 men an opportunity to be pros. Some guys that may 0:22:40.400 --> 0:22:42.639 have had, you know, certain type of issues that prevented 0:22:42.680 --> 0:22:45.240 them from playing whatever. Those might have been playing Divisional 0:22:45.280 --> 0:22:47.479 one or wherever. But now you have a home. Now 0:22:47.560 --> 0:22:49.639 you have a place to go, and out of the 0:22:49.720 --> 0:22:51.920 j b A. After the j b A, you see 0:22:51.960 --> 0:22:55.360 other leagues kind of popping up and things on as 0:22:55.560 --> 0:22:57.520 as we see now there's two or three there's two 0:22:57.600 --> 0:23:00.879 or three leagues now that kind of have a j 0:23:01.080 --> 0:23:03.520 b A like structure, man, And so it was always 0:23:03.600 --> 0:23:05.560 honored to kind of be the trailblade on the trailblaze 0:23:05.600 --> 0:23:09.120 in front of that um and you got a job 0:23:09.160 --> 0:23:12.000 out of that. I think that's pretty sick. But talk 0:23:12.040 --> 0:23:13.800 about that job, man, who what's the name of the 0:23:13.840 --> 0:23:15.800 team that signed you? And how many games you play 0:23:15.840 --> 0:23:18.280 and how was that experience? Yeah, it was great And 0:23:18.440 --> 0:23:20.879 like even like last speak on the j b A, like, 0:23:20.960 --> 0:23:22.440 I feel like it was great for you. And you're 0:23:22.480 --> 0:23:26.879 a choice too, because y'all had Seattle. Y'all was legit. Listen, here. 0:23:27.560 --> 0:23:30.080 I'm telling my team, I'm like, bro, listen, bro, these 0:23:30.160 --> 0:23:32.520 dudes is real, Like they're not coming to play. Remember 0:23:32.600 --> 0:23:34.840 one time we had a practice maybe and we got 0:23:34.880 --> 0:23:37.920 into it a little bit. Yeah yeah, listen, I hope 0:23:37.960 --> 0:23:41.080 you already bro like rail not playing with y'all. Bro, 0:23:42.800 --> 0:23:45.040 you know what I'm saying, Like, yeah, we had hitters, 0:23:45.200 --> 0:23:47.680 we had hitting, you had you as a as a coach. 0:23:47.720 --> 0:23:50.800 You know y'all have abandoned like yeah, legit, legit. People 0:23:50.840 --> 0:23:53.440 over there like so that that was it was great man. 0:23:53.520 --> 0:23:56.080 But um, the team I went to was a Dragon's 0:23:56.160 --> 0:23:59.440 ruin doorf in Germany, so that they're actually partnered with 0:23:59.560 --> 0:24:02.480 a BB team was the first division in Germany and 0:24:02.960 --> 0:24:06.280 it's Telecom Bast's Bond, so that's their farm team. And 0:24:06.359 --> 0:24:07.879 actually it's kind of crazy. They have a guy to 0:24:07.920 --> 0:24:10.560 playing the Vision one from that team. He goes his 0:24:10.640 --> 0:24:13.520 name seem sclekozis he liting Winnian kid who goes to 0:24:13.600 --> 0:24:16.320 the Butler University. But he had a great years year. 0:24:16.359 --> 0:24:18.920 He's a freshman. He's gonna be NBA player, I believe 0:24:19.000 --> 0:24:22.200 because and he came from there. So what happened was 0:24:22.320 --> 0:24:26.119 a guy named Yassin came. He's Dominican now, I mean, 0:24:26.240 --> 0:24:29.399 he's a German national player, played with Munich, play with 0:24:29.440 --> 0:24:32.160 Albert Berlin, you know, the German national team. So he's 0:24:32.160 --> 0:24:35.520 a legendist, you know what I mean. And so yeah, yeah, 0:24:35.560 --> 0:24:38.600 So what happened was he came and saw me playing 0:24:38.840 --> 0:24:40.439 and I was just like I said, I was at 0:24:40.480 --> 0:24:42.160 a forty game. That game, I think I like forty, 0:24:42.480 --> 0:24:44.240 like forty and five games in a row or something, 0:24:44.800 --> 0:24:46.680 but I had forty. He was going crazy, right So 0:24:46.840 --> 0:24:50.159 after the game, uh, he came up to me and Alan, 0:24:50.200 --> 0:24:52.920 I mean in LaVar. He was like, listen, you have 0:24:53.040 --> 0:24:54.959 a lot of talent. Like he was like, yeah, you're 0:24:55.000 --> 0:24:57.399 really talented, but you're doing everything off raw Town, Like 0:24:57.440 --> 0:24:59.879 you just killed us off raw Town. And he's like, 0:25:00.040 --> 0:25:01.399 I could see you if you haven't, you know what 0:25:01.400 --> 0:25:03.440 I mean, you just aren't playing. So he's like, listen, 0:25:03.440 --> 0:25:05.600 I'm gonna go with a different club next year and 0:25:05.640 --> 0:25:08.359 I'm gonna come bring you. And that's exactly what happened. 0:25:08.920 --> 0:25:12.879 And man, the testament to him as a person and 0:25:13.440 --> 0:25:17.119 what they really did to help me develop, like is amazing, 0:25:17.240 --> 0:25:20.840 Like I learned so much over there. Tell me about 0:25:20.840 --> 0:25:23.200 described this the detail detailing for me, man, Like what yeah, 0:25:23.240 --> 0:25:26.080 I mean, just like just like me coming in as 0:25:26.080 --> 0:25:30.879 an American, I was maybe I've never been overseas, never 0:25:31.000 --> 0:25:33.240 understood it, didn't understand what it took to be a 0:25:34.040 --> 0:25:36.680 high level player really even a professional. Let's just be real, 0:25:37.160 --> 0:25:41.600 because I went over there, you know, I go to practice, like, okay, 0:25:41.680 --> 0:25:43.120 let's try and get through this, you know, go through 0:25:43.119 --> 0:25:45.399 the motions. They wasn't having that. You're going a hundred 0:25:45.400 --> 0:25:49.280 percent hard every single day or you'll go home. And 0:25:49.400 --> 0:25:52.800 then I had practiced for two hours and I had 0:25:52.840 --> 0:25:55.560 to work out, so basically I worked out three times 0:25:55.600 --> 0:25:58.520 to day. I'm lifting, I got individual skill practice, and 0:25:58.560 --> 0:26:01.000 then I had a practice with the team and we're 0:26:01.040 --> 0:26:02.560 pointing one time a week, you know what I mean. 0:26:02.680 --> 0:26:05.000 So I was really getting it in, really developing, and 0:26:05.200 --> 0:26:08.000 like he broke down how to watch film, he broke 0:26:08.080 --> 0:26:09.960 down my game, Like what am I looking at on 0:26:10.000 --> 0:26:11.719 the floor? What? What? What? You know? What I mean? 0:26:11.840 --> 0:26:15.520 My game slowed down so much, and it's crazy what what? What? 0:26:15.640 --> 0:26:18.360 What the development was from after year one, after month one, 0:26:18.880 --> 0:26:21.800 two months six, and I started realizing because when I 0:26:21.880 --> 0:26:24.320 was watching myself, I'm like, yo, like I'm getting better, 0:26:24.440 --> 0:26:26.879 Like I'm seeing all this stuff, like I'm learning how 0:26:26.920 --> 0:26:28.760 to play the picking role, you know what I mean, 0:26:28.800 --> 0:26:30.879 I'm learning how to play real defense. I'm learning how 0:26:30.920 --> 0:26:33.040 to you know, really work as a professional and what 0:26:33.160 --> 0:26:36.280 it takes. So you know, that's just the ultimate testament 0:26:36.359 --> 0:26:38.240 to him. And he didn't have to do that, you 0:26:38.280 --> 0:26:40.000 know what I mean, but he really saw something in me. 0:26:40.600 --> 0:26:42.520 And um, you know, like like I said, he's another 0:26:42.560 --> 0:26:45.240 reason I'm I'm continuing. I'm going on year four, not 0:26:45.440 --> 0:26:47.720 like so you know, it's been great. That was great, 0:26:48.520 --> 0:26:52.440 And what you describe sounds like you figured out that 0:26:52.680 --> 0:26:55.359 hard work is kind of that secret to success. That 0:26:55.600 --> 0:26:59.800 magic quote unquote formulas is doing the stuff that you 0:27:00.400 --> 0:27:05.400 above and beyond at an you know, and it's all 0:27:05.480 --> 0:27:07.560 the time. So it's like when you don't feel like 0:27:07.760 --> 0:27:11.359 I heard somebody Shaheen Holloway to the new head coaches, 0:27:11.600 --> 0:27:16.080 Uh Seton Hall. Was that Peter he was talking? He 0:27:16.760 --> 0:27:20.080 tweeted out this note that said something to the effect of, 0:27:20.280 --> 0:27:23.760 you know, successful people, uh keep appointments when they don't 0:27:23.800 --> 0:27:27.280 feel like doing it. You know, unsuccessful people, you know, 0:27:27.359 --> 0:27:30.520 won't won't show up somewhere because they in a bad mood. Yeah, hey, 0:27:30.680 --> 0:27:33.120 but that if that ain't the realist thing I ever heard. 0:27:33.800 --> 0:27:37.440 And it's like it's crazy because like I used to, 0:27:37.600 --> 0:27:40.639 like you know, like I thought, like I said, I 0:27:40.680 --> 0:27:42.400 thought I was a professional. I've always been a worker. 0:27:42.480 --> 0:27:44.560 I've always been working because I always knew, like listen, 0:27:44.560 --> 0:27:45.960 I'm at the bottom. I gotta get to it, you 0:27:45.960 --> 0:27:46.920 know what I mean. Even when I was in the 0:27:47.119 --> 0:27:48.879 y b L. You know, I wasn't on top of 0:27:49.040 --> 0:27:51.639 the player, but you know I always stood out and 0:27:51.720 --> 0:27:53.320 knew how to do that. I've always been that. But 0:27:54.119 --> 0:27:57.160 it's just another level of work, like in another level 0:27:57.240 --> 0:28:00.200 of speed, and like it's just different and you go 0:28:00.280 --> 0:28:02.000 over sieves, especially in Europe, you know what I mean, 0:28:02.119 --> 0:28:05.440 Like these coaches are crazy, you know, so you gotta understand, 0:28:05.560 --> 0:28:07.399 like you know, it's not personal. They want you to 0:28:07.480 --> 0:28:10.639 be better, and like I said, like Americans, you know, 0:28:10.800 --> 0:28:13.960 like no disrespect to Americans, how we are. I'm American myself, 0:28:14.080 --> 0:28:17.960 But the training and stuff isn't really the level like 0:28:18.200 --> 0:28:19.960 over there, you know. I mean that's why these kids 0:28:19.960 --> 0:28:21.760 are so good at such a young age, because they 0:28:21.880 --> 0:28:25.600 really trained O D like a young Well also, Curtis, 0:28:25.840 --> 0:28:29.720 you overseas in Europe. In those places, they take basketball 0:28:29.720 --> 0:28:32.560 a little differently, so they take courses, they have degrees. 0:28:32.680 --> 0:28:35.600 So some of these coaches, we have a degree in coaching, 0:28:35.960 --> 0:28:38.200 so they studied on a on a high on a 0:28:38.360 --> 0:28:41.320 really high level. Um. It's funny when you talk about 0:28:41.400 --> 0:28:43.760 how the coaching style and the work, it reminds me 0:28:43.840 --> 0:28:46.880 of when I was in Turkey and I was in Russia. 0:28:46.960 --> 0:28:50.040 I had similar experiences with three days, uh we three 0:28:50.120 --> 0:28:53.960 or three days doug morning shooting middleweights, wait in in 0:28:54.000 --> 0:28:56.120 the afternoon, then practice in the evening. You know what 0:28:56.160 --> 0:28:58.800 I'm saying. We was conditioning and ridiculously that they're taking 0:28:58.840 --> 0:29:00.440 us up to the mountains and turn you we gotta 0:29:00.480 --> 0:29:02.640 run three miles in the mounds with these big roaches 0:29:02.680 --> 0:29:04.120 and stuff. I mean, it was all kind of stuff. 0:29:04.560 --> 0:29:08.320 But my fondest memory dog of that and the work 0:29:08.520 --> 0:29:12.000 was actually in Qatar, the Quatars, you know, the Middle East. 0:29:12.040 --> 0:29:15.240 It's right next to Dubai, you know. But it was 0:29:15.320 --> 0:29:17.760 cracking when I was there. But I had an Egyptian 0:29:17.880 --> 0:29:20.480 coach man and it sounds like your guy, but he 0:29:20.640 --> 0:29:22.840 believed in me, man. I mean this. I had a 0:29:22.920 --> 0:29:25.280 Quatarian head coach but my Egyptian head coach was the 0:29:25.280 --> 0:29:27.960 guy that worked me out all the time. He put 0:29:28.040 --> 0:29:32.280 me through these individual workouts, bro, we do yo, throwing up. 0:29:32.400 --> 0:29:35.560 I'm throwing up yo. The no rest like you just 0:29:35.800 --> 0:29:39.200 like you can't see like he was, and they just 0:29:39.320 --> 0:29:41.800 looking like are you gonna finish the workout? Like come on? 0:29:42.080 --> 0:29:45.320 And the toughest nails, they don't have no sympathy. They 0:29:45.400 --> 0:29:48.280 look like But I tell you what, man, when I 0:29:48.360 --> 0:29:50.000 got to the game and I was dropping, you know, 0:29:50.080 --> 0:29:51.960 hitting the leven ten, eleven threes, and it was just 0:29:52.120 --> 0:29:55.840 wet ball city like a robot right Like It's like yo, 0:29:56.000 --> 0:29:58.360 It's like yo, I'm like controlling myself out here like 0:29:59.800 --> 0:30:03.320 like that. It was crazy. I'm like, yeah, I'm on 0:30:03.360 --> 0:30:05.760 another level, like this is wow, this is what really happens. 0:30:05.800 --> 0:30:08.000 And you know, like another really thing, like kind of 0:30:08.040 --> 0:30:10.440 crazy story I'll tell you about that is like I 0:30:10.560 --> 0:30:13.360 was going, I was getting you know, obviously like the NBA, 0:30:13.400 --> 0:30:16.480 they have people everywhere, right, So NBA team came in 0:30:16.680 --> 0:30:20.600 right a scout. Yeah, so this is like a big 0:30:20.760 --> 0:30:23.000 lesson that I learned. You know, I came in you know, 0:30:23.080 --> 0:30:24.800 I just went to practice. You know, we had practice 0:30:24.840 --> 0:30:28.000 went harder individual cool. So this practice over, I take 0:30:28.040 --> 0:30:31.320 my stuff, you know, all right, let's go right. So 0:30:31.440 --> 0:30:33.720 my GM calls me like maybe an hour or two after, 0:30:33.880 --> 0:30:36.320 he's like, yo, Courtish, you know the NBA team was 0:30:36.320 --> 0:30:38.080 in there for you, right. I'm like, yeah, how did 0:30:38.200 --> 0:30:41.360 what they think? What they say? He said, they don't 0:30:41.360 --> 0:30:44.160 think you're serious? And I was like, why what? I 0:30:44.320 --> 0:30:46.680 was going hard in there? Said as soon as practice over, 0:30:46.760 --> 0:30:50.400 you took yourself off in lest I said, whoa, I 0:30:50.480 --> 0:30:52.720 didn't even think of that. They want to see you 0:30:52.760 --> 0:30:54.360 get some extra word. They know you can, They know 0:30:54.400 --> 0:30:56.240 you can. They want to see if you're gonna work extra, 0:30:56.880 --> 0:30:59.520 if you're gonna ask to get some development. And that's 0:30:59.560 --> 0:31:01.560 just a little of stuff like that. You would never 0:31:01.920 --> 0:31:05.080 know that has to happen to you to understand, you 0:31:05.120 --> 0:31:07.240 know what I mean? Like even was even with some 0:31:07.320 --> 0:31:09.800 college players might be able to take from this because 0:31:10.680 --> 0:31:12.680 that's the little stuff they look at like. They come 0:31:12.760 --> 0:31:14.680 in knowing that you can play. They come in knowing 0:31:14.760 --> 0:31:17.040 what you look like. They want to see the little 0:31:17.080 --> 0:31:19.960 stuff to see light. Can can we really take a 0:31:20.080 --> 0:31:21.560 risk on him? Does you want to be better? Does 0:31:21.600 --> 0:31:24.560 you want to be great? Better? Himself, so that that 0:31:25.800 --> 0:31:28.440 was probably just such a huge big thing for me, 0:31:28.640 --> 0:31:31.520 you know, and every single time, like after practice, you know, 0:31:31.560 --> 0:31:33.840 I'm getting an extra work before practice, getting extra work, 0:31:33.880 --> 0:31:35.200 And that's what it takes to be great, you know. 0:31:35.400 --> 0:31:37.640 Like in the NBA's a little different because people are 0:31:37.680 --> 0:31:40.160 playing with millions, so not everybody loves the game now, 0:31:40.200 --> 0:31:42.200 everybody wants to be great, but the ones that are 0:31:42.200 --> 0:31:44.360 all stars and the ones that are you know, a 0:31:44.440 --> 0:31:47.040 hundred million to a million are working like that, you 0:31:47.120 --> 0:31:50.120 know what I mean. So that really helped, Like that 0:31:50.240 --> 0:31:52.800 changed my whole perspective of a lot of things. And 0:31:53.400 --> 0:31:55.200 it stucks that it had to happen, but I'm glad 0:31:55.240 --> 0:31:57.760 that it did happen. Yeah, and they came back to yeah, 0:31:57.800 --> 0:31:59.240 I know they did, I know what they did. Yeah, 0:31:59.280 --> 0:32:01.640 it was like, listen, we understand you don't know. We're 0:32:01.640 --> 0:32:03.640 gonna we're gonna tell you, and we're gonna come back 0:32:03.640 --> 0:32:05.680 and we're gonna tell you once. They're gonna tell you once, 0:32:06.560 --> 0:32:08.880 and then they didn't tell me. They talk about GM 0:32:09.240 --> 0:32:11.080 you know what I mean. And and you got to 0:32:11.120 --> 0:32:13.000 think of it like as a scout man, if I'm 0:32:13.040 --> 0:32:15.120 going overseas and I'm looking at you as a player. Oh, 0:32:15.200 --> 0:32:17.560 I got on you really is film. I did my research, 0:32:17.600 --> 0:32:20.120 I talked to people about you, but I really don't 0:32:20.200 --> 0:32:23.640 really know a lot about you other than what I 0:32:23.800 --> 0:32:26.440 see right now in the gym. I can tell a 0:32:26.520 --> 0:32:28.960 lot about a dude if he's out there working after practice. 0:32:29.400 --> 0:32:31.360 You don't say if you see like you we see 0:32:31.440 --> 0:32:33.960 somebody that stays after practice, you just kind of look 0:32:34.000 --> 0:32:35.800 you might be leaving, but you're looking at him kind 0:32:35.800 --> 0:32:37.320 of like over your shoulder, like that he's getting his 0:32:37.360 --> 0:32:44.480 work it, you know where it was like, mama, guilty, 0:32:44.840 --> 0:32:46.600 There'll be all right over there, like we not just 0:32:46.680 --> 0:32:53.480 go through the same practice like he look crazy exactly. 0:32:53.560 --> 0:32:56.040 But those are the ones. Those be the ones, man, 0:32:56.200 --> 0:33:00.280 them ones that make it bro. That's Fox Sports Radio 0:33:00.360 --> 0:33:03.160 has the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch 0:33:03.280 --> 0:33:06.040 all of our shows at Fox sports Radio dot com 0:33:06.640 --> 0:33:09.240 and within the I Heart Radio app. Search f s 0:33:09.440 --> 0:33:15.520 R to listen live. And so after that that season, um, 0:33:15.760 --> 0:33:19.640 the second season, right, what happened you go? Year three? Now? 0:33:19.720 --> 0:33:22.760 Where did you go after that? So it was this man, 0:33:22.880 --> 0:33:26.760 my monster was crazy. So I went I entered the draft. Really, 0:33:27.000 --> 0:33:29.960 that's what happened and what happened. Was I hit it? 0:33:30.040 --> 0:33:31.760 I went to as soon as soon as COVID is 0:33:32.920 --> 0:33:35.680 so I'm already behind the ball because I'm playing pro 0:33:35.840 --> 0:33:38.160 be in Germany. We got kids from Dog and all that, 0:33:38.520 --> 0:33:41.040 you know, Um, and then I'm dealing with COVID. So 0:33:41.120 --> 0:33:43.880 there wasn't any any person workouts. There's none of it. 0:33:43.920 --> 0:33:46.400 I'm doing everything virtual. No. I mean, I had a 0:33:46.440 --> 0:33:48.280 lot of feedback, but you know, it just it was 0:33:48.360 --> 0:33:50.720 tough because they couldn't see me in person, and it 0:33:50.840 --> 0:33:52.720 was really it's really hard. You know, when you see 0:33:52.720 --> 0:33:54.240 somebody on film, when you see me in person is 0:33:54.560 --> 0:33:57.880 a bits different, you know. So so I didn't get drafted, 0:33:58.080 --> 0:33:59.720 and then, um, so I had a couple of teams 0:33:59.760 --> 0:34:01.360 that were interested, like yo, we're gonna bring you in, 0:34:02.240 --> 0:34:03.600 you know, I just want to see you developed, like 0:34:03.680 --> 0:34:05.520 see how you are, like in Miami Heat. There was 0:34:05.560 --> 0:34:08.120 one of them was Gota Keith Askins. I'm sure you 0:34:08.200 --> 0:34:10.839 know Keith. Yeah, you know he's he played with under 0:34:10.840 --> 0:34:13.520 pat Riley and all that. So we worked with Miami 0:34:13.680 --> 0:34:15.600 right now. So he was like, listen, I see a 0:34:15.680 --> 0:34:17.680 lot of like talent in you, Like we want to 0:34:17.719 --> 0:34:21.440 bring you in. So they end up the g Leaue Bubble. 0:34:21.560 --> 0:34:23.440 That's what happened with that. So I didn't even they 0:34:23.440 --> 0:34:25.399 didn't even end up going. You know, there's like five 0:34:25.440 --> 0:34:28.600 or six team that didn't go, So so I didn't go. 0:34:28.760 --> 0:34:31.200 You know, I was going through the draft process for months, 0:34:31.239 --> 0:34:33.400 you know, like going through that. Then the draft finally hit. 0:34:33.480 --> 0:34:35.359 You know, they kept backing it up, it finally hit. 0:34:35.880 --> 0:34:38.399 Didn't get drafted, didn't and now they didn't a team. 0:34:38.400 --> 0:34:40.320 I supposed people didn't even go to the Gili Bubble. 0:34:40.880 --> 0:34:43.320 So granted, I'm like out of a job basically, you 0:34:43.360 --> 0:34:45.320 know what I mean. It was late. So what I 0:34:45.360 --> 0:34:48.080 happened was I went to the Dominican Republic because one 0:34:48.080 --> 0:34:50.480 of my friends was playing out there, and I just 0:34:50.640 --> 0:34:52.680 was like, man, I'm not playing, like, let me just see, 0:34:52.800 --> 0:34:54.320 like you know, like I want to see how it 0:34:54.440 --> 0:34:56.719 is over there. I always knew about Europe, I didn't 0:34:56.719 --> 0:34:59.279 know anything about South America, so I just went. I'm 0:34:59.320 --> 0:35:02.040 a visual learning yo. I went over there and saw 0:35:02.120 --> 0:35:03.920 how how they was living in what they was getting, 0:35:04.120 --> 0:35:07.399 and just how the basketball was. I was like, whoa, 0:35:07.719 --> 0:35:09.880 how would you describe the basketball over there? What's the 0:35:09.920 --> 0:35:13.400 style of play? So they do it differently. The infrastructure 0:35:13.400 --> 0:35:15.720 in South America is different because it's not eight months, 0:35:15.880 --> 0:35:17.640 you know what I mean. They they are a month 0:35:17.680 --> 0:35:20.279 and a half. Some leagues are longer, you know, like 0:35:20.440 --> 0:35:22.279 maybe at the most you're gonna play three much and 0:35:22.360 --> 0:35:25.200 then you don't have another season. But the basketball is 0:35:25.239 --> 0:35:27.640 high level, like they have the Dominican national team players, 0:35:27.680 --> 0:35:30.960 Puerto Rican national team players, Argentina, like all the South 0:35:31.000 --> 0:35:34.719 American countries, they have really high level players and they 0:35:34.800 --> 0:35:36.320 go and play these leagues like the l m b 0:35:36.440 --> 0:35:40.440 P Mexico. Puerto Rico is really big right now. Um, 0:35:40.560 --> 0:35:42.279 the d R is really big right now, you know 0:35:42.320 --> 0:35:44.320 what I mean, So the argent like you know, the 0:35:44.520 --> 0:35:47.920 South American countries, it's it's high level basketball. How much 0:35:48.080 --> 0:35:50.640 how much NBA? How much NBA presence is down there? 0:35:51.080 --> 0:35:53.560 Oh it's a lot, a lot, a lot, especially in 0:35:53.680 --> 0:35:56.000 the Puerto Rico. And the d R is being there too. 0:35:56.080 --> 0:35:58.759 Like Keen Christmas is playing in there right now. He 0:35:58.880 --> 0:36:01.440 played in the NBA. Um, you know a lot of 0:36:01.480 --> 0:36:03.800 guys are playing, and I guess from a scouting a 0:36:03.800 --> 0:36:07.359 scouting perspective, people coming like the NBA scouts coming down 0:36:07.360 --> 0:36:10.640 there checking guys. I'm not exactly sure, Like as far 0:36:10.680 --> 0:36:13.239 as I know, I'm not sure, but I wouldn't be 0:36:13.320 --> 0:36:15.440 surprised if they're not even even watching, you know what 0:36:15.520 --> 0:36:18.399 I mean, Like because like I know Puerto Rico for sure, 0:36:18.840 --> 0:36:21.120 Puerto Rico l M. P. Peters, NBA scouts for sure, 0:36:21.480 --> 0:36:23.560 for sure, because Michael Basy playing in the last year 0:36:23.920 --> 0:36:26.440 at the end. So there's NBA. You know, I know, 0:36:26.880 --> 0:36:29.320 there's gout in Paris bats. He was actually on the 0:36:29.560 --> 0:36:31.960 Lakers D League team this year. He played in the 0:36:32.000 --> 0:36:34.520 Dominican Republic play in Puerto Rico, went straight to g 0:36:35.440 --> 0:36:37.440 Now he got on a couple of ten days with Phoenix, 0:36:37.560 --> 0:36:40.760 Like so he's he's from d R from Puerto Rico straight, 0:36:40.800 --> 0:36:43.040 you know what I mean. Like that's where he got 0:36:43.120 --> 0:36:45.200 his name and really made it. So it definitely is 0:36:45.239 --> 0:36:50.160 possible for sure. So your current the way you think 0:36:50.200 --> 0:36:52.719 about it, you're saying you want to go through the 0:36:52.840 --> 0:36:56.440 d R route. Do you ever think of trying or 0:36:56.560 --> 0:37:01.120 vying for European route or maybe so like a G 0:37:01.360 --> 0:37:06.280 League round? Oh definitely, Like that's obviously I tell everybody, 0:37:06.320 --> 0:37:07.759 Like the NBA's where I where I feel like I 0:37:07.800 --> 0:37:09.520 should be and where I want to be like that's 0:37:09.560 --> 0:37:11.600 always gonna be to go from me. I'll never not 0:37:11.760 --> 0:37:14.120 change that until I get there. But you know, it's 0:37:14.120 --> 0:37:15.920 just a matter of like kind of like resources and 0:37:16.080 --> 0:37:18.160 you know, me knowing other people, like you know, how 0:37:18.239 --> 0:37:20.280 that stuff goes. Like I was actually with Santa Cruz 0:37:20.760 --> 0:37:22.560 for the training camp for about three weeks. I was 0:37:22.640 --> 0:37:24.759 like the last one cut actually, but you know I 0:37:24.840 --> 0:37:26.520 had to deal with a couple, you know, some stuff 0:37:26.560 --> 0:37:27.960 like that, and that's how it goes. But it was 0:37:27.960 --> 0:37:30.080 a great opportunity for me and I got to meet 0:37:30.120 --> 0:37:32.520 some great people and I made my way in you know, 0:37:32.640 --> 0:37:34.719 like I went to a try out and everything, like 0:37:34.840 --> 0:37:36.719 I went and I had to do all that, but 0:37:36.880 --> 0:37:39.160 you know, they saw something, so it was great for 0:37:39.280 --> 0:37:42.200 that and um but you know, like obviously I would 0:37:42.200 --> 0:37:43.840 love to go play in Europe. I would love it. 0:37:43.960 --> 0:37:45.399 You know. I just got to find the right agent 0:37:45.400 --> 0:37:47.200 that can really help me make that happen. But I 0:37:47.239 --> 0:37:48.759 would love to go play over there because I know, 0:37:48.960 --> 0:37:50.960 like I know what it is in Europe, you know 0:37:51.000 --> 0:37:53.400 what I mean, Like obviously it's longer. You know. I 0:37:53.520 --> 0:37:55.879 love the the d R in Puerto Rico and South 0:37:55.920 --> 0:37:58.600 American countries because like I said, it's not long and 0:37:58.680 --> 0:38:00.759 it's not far, you what I mean. So I can 0:38:00.840 --> 0:38:03.439 go play two months to get a really nice bag, 0:38:04.000 --> 0:38:06.319 go home for a week or two, and then come back, 0:38:06.400 --> 0:38:07.880 you know, go somewhere else, you know what I mean. 0:38:08.040 --> 0:38:09.680 You can't really do that in Europe, Like they're not 0:38:09.760 --> 0:38:13.680 playing that. You know, they like what holiday and don't 0:38:13.760 --> 0:38:17.480 don't play that. They don't play so you know, like 0:38:17.640 --> 0:38:19.520 for me, it's just about being comfortable. I don't feel 0:38:19.520 --> 0:38:21.759 like I'll be playing overseas my whole career, so you know, 0:38:21.880 --> 0:38:23.480 it's only just for now, you know what I mean. 0:38:23.560 --> 0:38:25.360 And I've been making my way up, so I'm starting 0:38:25.360 --> 0:38:28.279 to really played a high level over there, and I'm 0:38:28.320 --> 0:38:31.000 not a really high level places are calling me so like, um, 0:38:31.080 --> 0:38:33.000 if I'm not in the n b A or if 0:38:33.000 --> 0:38:34.160 I'm not in the G League, you know, I have 0:38:34.239 --> 0:38:36.920 a really good, you know, situation to go to. So yeah, 0:38:36.960 --> 0:38:39.040 that's awesome, man. How how much longer do you see 0:38:39.080 --> 0:38:42.680 yourself playing, like to try to make it to the NBA, 0:38:42.800 --> 0:38:44.279 Like do you put a year on it? Like do 0:38:44.320 --> 0:38:46.960 you say, if I don't make the league in five years, 0:38:47.800 --> 0:38:50.719 shut it down and think about something else or what? Yeah, 0:38:50.880 --> 0:38:53.279 I mean, I just feel like now like I'm kind 0:38:53.280 --> 0:38:56.120 of at the point to where like I'm at that point. 0:38:56.160 --> 0:38:58.120 I'm only twenty three, which is the crazy part about 0:38:58.120 --> 0:38:59.560 all this. I started that's a good thing. That's a 0:38:59.560 --> 0:39:02.360 good yeah. I know, I start playing professionally young, so 0:39:02.640 --> 0:39:05.279 I've been hit. I've learned so much, you know, at 0:39:05.320 --> 0:39:07.520 a young age. A lot of these guys don't understand 0:39:07.560 --> 0:39:10.640 that learn this today like thirty three, you know, So 0:39:10.800 --> 0:39:12.640 I have a long like I have a really you know, 0:39:12.920 --> 0:39:15.840 like advantage, you know what I mean. And now I 0:39:16.000 --> 0:39:18.320 feel like I'm at the highest level to where like 0:39:18.640 --> 0:39:20.479 you know, if I don't, if I'm on the NBA, 0:39:20.520 --> 0:39:22.600 I'll be playing at a really high level. So I'll 0:39:22.640 --> 0:39:24.319 be okay you know with that, you know what I mean. 0:39:24.440 --> 0:39:27.080 So you know, obviously like the goal, like I said, 0:39:27.120 --> 0:39:29.120 I want to shoot to um you know, till I'm 0:39:30.200 --> 0:39:33.480 in the NBA. But right now, like at this point 0:39:33.840 --> 0:39:36.320 and probably next year, if I'm not playing in the NBA, 0:39:36.480 --> 0:39:38.640 like I'm at the highest level, you know what I mean. 0:39:38.719 --> 0:39:41.200 So i feel like I'm okay with you know, like 0:39:41.360 --> 0:39:43.560 not being there and just you know, keep pushing to 0:39:43.640 --> 0:39:46.560 get there. And like obviously like guys come from overseas 0:39:46.600 --> 0:39:49.080 all the time, you know. So with my game and 0:39:49.120 --> 0:39:50.879 how I am, my skill set, I feel like I'm 0:39:50.920 --> 0:39:53.160 kind of prototypical NBA players. So I just feel like 0:39:53.280 --> 0:39:56.279 if I just stay consistent, keep killing, eventually it's gonna 0:39:56.320 --> 0:39:59.719 happen for me. But you have faith in your skill set, 0:39:59.800 --> 0:40:02.879 you you have faith in your work that your game 0:40:03.200 --> 0:40:07.359 in his current phase, in his current stage, it's ready 0:40:07.480 --> 0:40:09.960 right now for the NBA. Yeah, because I'm played with 0:40:10.120 --> 0:40:12.080 NBA players. I played with all Stars, Like I said, 0:40:12.080 --> 0:40:14.280 I played with Trade and I play with Deer and Fox. 0:40:14.400 --> 0:40:16.759 I play with Mr Robertson. I play with DeAndre A 0:40:16.880 --> 0:40:19.200 and I play with him mellow Ball, I play with 0:40:19.320 --> 0:40:21.480 Ka Gunningham like the list goes on, you know what 0:40:21.560 --> 0:40:24.040 I mean. And I've been at these guys like I've 0:40:24.080 --> 0:40:25.719 been in the mix, like one of the top, Like yo, 0:40:25.800 --> 0:40:27.680 I'm one of the better ones, you know what I mean. So, 0:40:28.400 --> 0:40:30.719 and like I said, I watched so much basketball. I'm 0:40:30.719 --> 0:40:33.280 a basketball junk. I'm a basketball head, so I understand 0:40:33.360 --> 0:40:35.120 what it takes, you know what I mean. Like I know, 0:40:35.760 --> 0:40:37.040 maybe I'm not gonna be a guy to come in 0:40:37.120 --> 0:40:38.560 and be able to shoot all the shots, but I 0:40:38.600 --> 0:40:40.359 can come in and lock lock them up. I can 0:40:40.400 --> 0:40:42.880 come in and rebound, So there's value for me, Like 0:40:43.400 --> 0:40:44.600 you know what I mean. I feel like there's really 0:40:44.680 --> 0:40:46.840 value for me, like in any role. And then eventually, 0:40:46.880 --> 0:40:49.239 once I'm in there, I'll be able to expand and 0:40:49.800 --> 0:40:51.840 you know, do all the other stuff when it comes. 0:40:51.960 --> 0:40:54.080 But just to get in there, and I understand what 0:40:54.160 --> 0:40:55.960 it takes, you know what I mean. Like I had 0:40:56.000 --> 0:40:58.080 to be a role player when I was playing sixteen 0:40:58.160 --> 0:41:00.400 U seven t U I B. I've had that and 0:41:00.520 --> 0:41:02.839 I've had to be a star. So I have kind 0:41:02.840 --> 0:41:04.399 of both in my game, you know what I mean, 0:41:04.440 --> 0:41:08.480 Like I understand both those sides of it. Yeah, man, man, 0:41:08.560 --> 0:41:11.520 I love here you talk about it because it's it's confidence. Man. 0:41:11.719 --> 0:41:14.200 You gotta know, you gotta know that you can play 0:41:14.239 --> 0:41:16.560 in the league. You gotta know why that you can 0:41:16.600 --> 0:41:18.719 play in the league, because nobody else's go tell you 0:41:18.840 --> 0:41:21.120 that that you can play in the league. But you 0:41:21.160 --> 0:41:23.799 know that's like the number one fan. Your number one 0:41:23.880 --> 0:41:25.440 fan has got to be you, bro, And so that's 0:41:25.480 --> 0:41:27.800 what I always I've always told, like my son and 0:41:27.920 --> 0:41:30.200 my brothers when they were coming up, hoping, Man, just 0:41:30.520 --> 0:41:33.080 your belief in your game has got to be in 0:41:33.160 --> 0:41:36.440 a solid place, right, right, can not have you know, 0:41:36.600 --> 0:41:39.920 these these questions about yourself when you're out there against 0:41:40.280 --> 0:41:42.480 in the world man, because especially like and it's like 0:41:42.600 --> 0:41:44.680 you already kind of behind the ball, you know. But 0:41:44.760 --> 0:41:47.000 it's like, I'll give it a testament. You're just really 0:41:47.160 --> 0:41:49.360 just me and my character and everything I've been like 0:41:49.440 --> 0:41:52.200 growing up because I've always been this way. Like I 0:41:52.280 --> 0:41:54.160 I said, I only know how to play one way, 0:41:54.320 --> 0:41:56.439 you know what I mean. And it's just like I've 0:41:56.480 --> 0:42:00.560 always had to be at that pedestal and you know, 0:42:00.800 --> 0:42:03.040 standing out because I haven't. I didn't go to college. 0:42:03.040 --> 0:42:04.799 I didn't get I didn't get the luxury of coming 0:42:04.840 --> 0:42:07.800 into a different situation of averaging five, you know, not 0:42:08.080 --> 0:42:10.319 being a standout, not showing a lot of different things. 0:42:11.000 --> 0:42:13.279 So now I'm so wired in my brain and how 0:42:13.400 --> 0:42:15.040 I play like I only know how to play it 0:42:15.160 --> 0:42:18.719 one way, you know what I mean. So that you no, 0:42:18.880 --> 0:42:22.120 I was gonna say, And so you take that and 0:42:22.239 --> 0:42:25.279 now you're you're fine tune in different parts throughout of 0:42:25.360 --> 0:42:28.920 your game. Because you watch so much film, You've added 0:42:29.000 --> 0:42:32.560 that aspect of scouting yourself, of being your worst critic 0:42:33.320 --> 0:42:37.160 and then you're training now with Ashton Benney. Yeah, yeah, 0:42:37.200 --> 0:42:39.759 with Ashton and um also with Tim Martin sometimes you 0:42:39.800 --> 0:42:42.960 know Tim coach me UM. So yeah, you know I 0:42:43.480 --> 0:42:46.040 was last summer, I was with John Luke's the third 0:42:46.160 --> 0:42:48.560 eason was with the Lakers, uh staff, So I was 0:42:48.600 --> 0:42:50.520 out there in l A with him. But you know, 0:42:50.600 --> 0:42:52.920 I just like I said, you know, I've always I 0:42:53.000 --> 0:42:54.880 played with so many guys. I've been around so much 0:42:54.920 --> 0:42:57.160 I played and I'll be I've doil a great relationship 0:42:57.239 --> 0:42:59.720 for people and that really helps me a lot because 0:43:00.360 --> 0:43:02.360 you know, I've been able to really call people and 0:43:02.440 --> 0:43:04.480 ash like, Yo, what can I come trained? Can I 0:43:04.560 --> 0:43:06.479 come to do this? You know? I mean I didn't 0:43:06.520 --> 0:43:08.279 think these guys are gonna turn into that actually know 0:43:08.400 --> 0:43:10.840 something I did. But you know, you know, for the 0:43:10.880 --> 0:43:12.759 most problem, like, Yo, these guys made as a league, 0:43:12.840 --> 0:43:14.320 like I can really call them in you know, like 0:43:14.360 --> 0:43:17.240 a lot of people don't have those, you know options, 0:43:17.320 --> 0:43:20.520 So that that's another thing like that's that's a testament 0:43:20.640 --> 0:43:22.480 of me and just you know how the person I 0:43:22.560 --> 0:43:25.760 am like always being kind, you know, never known anything. 0:43:25.880 --> 0:43:28.080 So that's just helped me out a lot. Yeah, man, 0:43:28.120 --> 0:43:31.640 that's that's the right approach, the humility and you have. 0:43:31.719 --> 0:43:34.360 You've always been a humble cat. You've always carried yourself 0:43:34.800 --> 0:43:36.480 with a lot of like you respect, you know, a 0:43:36.520 --> 0:43:38.839 lot of respect man when you walk around. And I've 0:43:38.840 --> 0:43:43.200 always appreciate that about you. Man, I hope that you 0:43:43.280 --> 0:43:45.640 get an opportunity. Dude, you been the kind of guy 0:43:45.640 --> 0:43:47.759 I feel like, you know, could help somebody. You got 0:43:47.800 --> 0:43:50.680 the right mentality. You're not. You know, you've been through 0:43:50.960 --> 0:43:52.800 and you've got a great story. There's a lot of 0:43:52.880 --> 0:43:55.000 good there's a lot of good stories now in the 0:43:55.200 --> 0:43:58.319 NBA of guys that are similar to you. The six 0:43:58.800 --> 0:44:01.840 six seven had to playing like five different leagues. I 0:44:01.960 --> 0:44:05.400 know why. Scotne Anderson. Hey, I'm telling you. It's a 0:44:05.440 --> 0:44:07.279 lot of dudes that I'm seeing in the league that 0:44:07.480 --> 0:44:10.360 that you Curtis at twenty three, which just blew me, 0:44:10.560 --> 0:44:12.160 blew my mind right now because I'm like, damn, I 0:44:12.200 --> 0:44:14.560 thought she was older, but you only. I'm like, yeah, 0:44:16.200 --> 0:44:20.520 So just stay of course, keep working, man, don't never change, man, 0:44:20.680 --> 0:44:23.080 And it's gonna happen for your brother. And when that 0:44:23.200 --> 0:44:25.759 opportunity does happen, man, I think you're gonna be ready 0:44:25.840 --> 0:44:29.719 for it this time around, man, wholehearted. Like it's like 0:44:29.920 --> 0:44:32.080 even like like I said, I'm a basketball head, so 0:44:32.239 --> 0:44:34.880 like even the NBL, the euro League, like some of 0:44:34.960 --> 0:44:37.520 these leagues overseas. I'm like, yo, like these would be 0:44:37.719 --> 0:44:40.080 crazy to play and like I would be in awe, 0:44:40.320 --> 0:44:42.960 Like you know, obviously the money is great, but it's 0:44:43.000 --> 0:44:46.160 just the league, like the professionalism, how they do stuff. 0:44:46.239 --> 0:44:47.960 Like I've always wanted to be a pro. You know, 0:44:48.000 --> 0:44:49.480 I'm not gonna s always be like yo, I want 0:44:49.520 --> 0:44:50.719 to be NBA and b A and b A like 0:44:50.960 --> 0:44:53.320 that kind of came later, but me being a professional 0:44:53.440 --> 0:44:55.799 was always what I want to be. So I'm living 0:44:55.880 --> 0:44:59.080 my dream. Like I'm extremely blessed, like I'm going through 0:44:59.120 --> 0:45:02.360 this like like kind of like just an emotion, like 0:45:02.440 --> 0:45:04.160 I'm just like yo, you know, but I also have 0:45:04.239 --> 0:45:07.040 appreciation of like what it really takes in. Like you said, 0:45:07.040 --> 0:45:08.160 I've been through a lot, so I have a lot 0:45:08.200 --> 0:45:11.480 of experience and so yeah, it's a lot, it's a lot, 0:45:11.640 --> 0:45:14.400 but I just you know, I'm happy. Well, man, I 0:45:14.480 --> 0:45:16.480 wish you the best of luck. Brother. I appreciate you 0:45:16.920 --> 0:45:19.560 coming on the day and sharing your story. Yeah, I 0:45:19.640 --> 0:45:24.280 appreciate you. Man. Always know that ladies and gentlemen Curtis Hollis, 0:45:25.360 --> 0:45:25.919 Oh my guy,