Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - Former Drake and current Iowa United player Josh Young joins the show for TBT Tuesday

Episode Date: May 26, 2020

Former Drake Bulldog and current Iowa United basketball player Josh Young joins the show to talk about Drake's wild 2007-2008 season, playing overseas in Germany, rebounding from a major injury, and playing for the Iowa United in this summer's TBT Tournament. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I thank God I was born on the good arms of the Midwest, and not on the battlefields of the U.S. It's a time of panic, and it's intercepted! It's picked off right away! Intercepted by Marty Hooker! Pick six! Eight seconds into the game! Buffen sets up deep in the pocket, goes down the field for Smith! Oh! He's got it! Smith! Touchdown, 85 yards. High on. Touchdown, 10.

Taking a shot in the end zone. It is caught. No offense. Touchdown. That's even one you haven't. Go ahead and three. Yes. Two-point lead for the Hawkeyes. We are back after a long Memorial Day weekend right here on the Lockdown Iowa podcast.

As always, I am your host, Andrew Wade. Excited to be back after a nice, relaxing weekend. I hope you all had a fantastic and safe weekend as well. And a big shout out to all the veterans who have served or are serving our country today. Really appreciate the sacrifice that you do every single day for our country. On today's episode, though, we do have a special TBT Tuesday coming at you with another interview with one of the members of the Iowa United. On today's episode, we have Josh Young, a former Drake University Bulldog, a guy who

led the team to the NCAA tournament back in 2007-2008, brought them on an incredible run, and over the last couple years he's been playing overseas in Europe since his time at Drake ended back in 2010, and he's played on the IU United last year and is back again for a year or two this year. So we're really excited about the episode today, and today's episode is brought to you by the great folks at Built Bar. They have some really great deals going on to get you their fantastic tasting protein bars in your pocket today. Right now, if you use the promo code locked on, you get $10 off your first purchase of Bilt Bar. And through the entire week of Memorial Day, you get

an additional $5 off until the 31st of May. So make sure to check out BuiltBar.com. They are our sponsors for the show today. Before we jump into the interview with Josh Young talking about TBT, talking about the Iowa United, talking about his pro career and his time at Drake University, I do want to remind you all to make sure to please like, review, and subscribe wherever you downloaded this podcast at. Give us that five-star review on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts at.

And make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. And as you know, if you have been following the show for some time, we do obviously like to promote the Iowa United. I think it's a really great cause. It's a great idea to bring together the major schools in the state of Iowa to compete in the $2 million winner-take-all tournament. And as you know, if you've been listening to these Tuesday episodes, we have interviews with each of the Iowa United players every single Tuesday. So make sure to follow them, though, on Twitter at IowaTBT. They have some awesome giveaways going every single week as they introduce each of the members of the Iowa United team.

And make sure to follow Josh Young on Twitter at ForeverJYoung. That's ForeverJ-A-Y-O-U-N-G. Make sure to follow him on Twitter as well. Josh is a great follow, great dude to talk to and get to know. I'm really excited about his time in the Iowa United. And that is enough of me rambling before we hop into the interview with Josh Young. So let's kick that off right now. So I am joined here today by former Drake Bulldog and current member of the Iowa United,

Josh Young. Josh and I are alums together at Drake University. I'm happy to have you on the podcast for the first time in. Sounds like you're doing well in quarantine, though. Yeah, man, I'm enjoying it. I've got a lot of time to do things that i don't normally have time for so i've just been trying to use it uh to kind of be creative and get some things done that i haven't been able to do formally so what are you doing outside of basketball then so what

are some of the things you're working on uh you know the creativity piece honestly i'm reading a lot more um you know it's one of those things i think i should have been doing pretty consistently but i hadn't and i think i'm on my third book in the last two weeks and so i don't know just trying to take on knowledge learn new things each day and trying to use the time as well as i can. Definitely, man. Any good books? Actually, I'm reading some books about trading. I've been looking a lot more into the stock market, into the forex market,

some things that I hadn't known formerly, some things that are pretty interesting to me. I've always been someone who's been interested in that. And so I'm reading a book called Trading in the Zone right now, which is more like the mental aspect of trying to be a good day trader. It's really interesting. I've enjoyed it. That's awesome, man. I'm trying to

find other ways to keep me busy because there is so much time now. You're done with work and you basically can't do anything. That's crazy. Let's start maybe with your Drake time. Obviously you went to Drake, not in the best shape in terms of a program prior to your arrival.

You went there and put together one of the best careers, if not the best career Drake has, has ever seen. What was your recruiting process like though, going to Drake? Oh man, it was, I mean, it was fairly simple. I remember I had seen the Drake coaches at a

tournament that I played in in Texas called the Great American Shootout and I was playing really well in the tournament and I remember seeing Chris Davis and the reason I remember seeing him is because he was the only coach in the gym that was wearing a boot. He had, like, torn his ACL or something crazy, playing racquetball the weekend before. And so he kind of stood out to me. So when they called me, I had remembered the name. I'd never heard of Drake before that. And Dr. Tom at the time was really a legendary coach,

and my father knew of him. And so it was the reason that I thought to even give Drake a chance and go on my recruiting visit. And so I did. I really enjoyed the campus. I enjoyed the team. I enjoyed the facilities. And I thought it would be a good fit for me both athletically and academically.

And the rest was kind of history. Yeah, man. So speaking on the Tom Davis piece, you played for a couple different coaches, Tom, then Keno, then Mark Phelps. Wait, did you play for Tom or just Keno? I did. I did. I played for Tom my freshman year. That's what I thought. OK, so I got confused as to what year you were. So Tom Davis, Keno Davis and then Mark Phelps. What was that transition like for you? I mean, going through three coaches in four years.

Well, actually, the first transition was, like, not even a transition. You know, Keenan Williams was on staff in our freshman year, and he and his father had pretty much the same coaching style, really kind of hands-off, laissez-faire, you know, put the ball in the players' hands, let us create a lot of things. Practices were similar. I think in my sophomore year, obviously, we changed some things up defensively and offensively, X and O's.

But they had similar coaching styles, so that was easy. Going from Keno to Mark Phelps was a little bit more difficult because we had brought in a new offense, new defensive strategies. There was a lot to learn, but not just because there was a lot to learn but not just because there's a lot to learn it was there was just things that i think my team wasn't prepared for in terms of like our personnel so adjusting to that i think was a little more difficult but eventually we kind of found our way there absolutely man yeah i talked to um cory parker actually a little bit about mark phelps sounds like it was uh definitely a

different um type of environment going from keno to mark phelps and um you know gave me some to talk about some interesting stories there i won't i won't dive into that but i'm sure there are many yeah yeah he was uh i went up to aspen and went snowboarding with him and uh gave me the the rundown i thought was interesting but again i won but I won't bring that up. I want to talk about some more good stuff on the call today. But as far as playing at Drake, what was one of your best memories outside of that second season where you went to the NCAA tournament? Outside of the season when we went to the NCAA tournament? I just think I really enjoyed my time there, just in general.

The Knapp Center in full capacity is one of the coolest places to play, I think, in the Valley. I really enjoyed our fan support. I think that we had some of the best fans in the conference. And so my time there was something that I really cherished.

And I think just the entire experience of being a young kid from a smaller town, smaller school, and then coming to a place like Drake where I was able to showcase my talents and have such a great fan backing, I think it was the coolest part about being there. I'm going to quickly hit pause on the interview today to make sure I give you an announcement from our sponsors of the show today at Built Bar. BuiltBar.com, they are producing the best tasting protein bars on the market today. It's what I use before my workouts and after my workouts or just if I need a midday pick-me-up, a nice little snack.

They are high in protein, low in calories, low in sugars, and they absolutely pack a punch in taste. All these bars are covered in chocolate. They have nut-free options. 16 original flavors and 4 brand new flavors being offered this week. Peanut Butter Banana, Pineapple Upside Down Cake, Coconut Pecan Pie, and Blueberry Lemon. And we have a great promo code that you can use to get $10 off your first purchase of Bilt Bars today. Use the promo code LOCKEDON at BiltBar.com to get $10 off your first purchase of Built Bars today. Use the promo code LOCKEDON at BuiltBar.com to get $10 off. And this week through May 31st, you can get an additional $5 off every single box of bars

today. Like I said, you can customize that pack. You can get one flavor if you want. Do whatever you want, but definitely go check out BuiltBar.com and make sure you take advantage of these promo codes and get your delicious pack of protein bars delivered to your door in the next few days. Make sure to check out BuiltBar.com and use the promo code LOCKEDON for $10 off. Now going on to the NCAA tournament run. Talk me through that season.

Was that something that you guys expected as a team? Because, I mean, from the national media perspective, it was kind of by, you know, kind of by surprise. And then all of a sudden you guys took the world by storm, got a number five seed, you know, went on that ridiculous winning streak. What was that like? Was it surreal and almost just kind of like an outer body experience for you? Yeah, I think so. I think one of the things that you realize in life is that when you, when you're in a moment like that, it's really difficult to see it for what it is until you get out of it. So for us, it was just kind of doing what we were there to do, which was play basketball, and we were being really successful at it.

I think early on in the season, we knew that we had decent chemistry. We played a tournament in the Bahamas where we played really well. And I think that's where things really started. And we started to see that, hey, maybe we could be decent. And then we started the season. We won our first game out in Moraga, California. We ended up losing to St. Mary's and Patty Mills in that second game. and Patty Mills in that second game.

And I think from that loss, the way that the team responded was just unlike any team I ever played on. So it was after that game that we went on this crazy two-month, three-month run and started to see our name creep towards the top 25. And once you start to see that, it's something that you really dream about. And so I think we took that, it's something that you really dream about. And so I think we took that opportunity and we just ran with it. Yeah, man. I mean, it was, it was a lot of fun to watch. I mean, I remember where I was for the NCAA tournament. I remember where I was for, you know, for Arch Madness. What a cool experience nonetheless for,

for Drake to be able to do and for you to be a part of that, man. Yeah, it was definitely one of the highlights of not just uh my college career but my basketball career it was really just an unbelievable season and definitely one that no one that was a part of the drug community will ever forget definitely man um was there was there anyone on that team in particular that you were really close with or that you still keep in touch with um closely to this day? Yeah, actually, mostly everyone. Josh Parker was my roommate that season. He and Tyson Derrickson, so I actually was just talking to him yesterday. And then I make it a point to go back to Des Moines every summer to just kind of familiarize myself with new faces,

talk to the coaching staff, new guys on the team. So from that, I'm always hitting up the guys that I played with because a lot of those guys, they just fell in love with Des Moines and they ended up staying there. So we kind of have an annual get-together every time I'm there. So I'm able to see those guys and it's always a really nice time. That's awesome, man. Yeah, I mean, I'm from the Des Moines area, so I wanted to get away, but I can understand how people

love Des Moines, and I think I could have fell in love with Des Moines had I not been from there. They do. Everyone stays. After school, everybody stays there. It's a good place to live. It is, man. It's very good. I think if it was about 10 hours south, I think that would be a little bit better, a little warmer. Yeah, for sure.

Those winters are brutal. That was a big shock for me when I first came to Drake that first year. I can imagine. At least the walk on campus wasn't too bad, right? I mean, it's only a couple blocks to get anywhere you need to be on campus. Yeah, thank God. So where would you want to stay at then when you do move back to the States full time? Where are you looking at settling down at?

Would it be in Oklahoma or would it be in Des Moines or somewhere else, man? I actually don't know, but I don't think any of those places. I've kind of taken a liking to cities on the coast. So I am, I'm from a town of 100, thousand people which I call a small town but if you talk to someone in Iowa for example they're like that's not small that's huge man that's like the third biggest town I know I like to be kind of in a smaller place but right outside of a big city that's that's kind of like my vibe these days and so I'm not exactly sure where that is but for sure it won't be in Oklahoma.

Fair enough, man. That's awesome. Well, moving on past the Drake days, you had a stellar career at Drake. Went into the NBA draft where you ultimately started playing in the G League for a brief second, really. I read some articles about that. It sounds like you struggled a little bit. Do you mind talking to me a little bit through that and kind of what that period of time meant for you? No, not for sure. That was a really interesting time. I had done some workouts with some D-League teams and I had started to gain a lot of interest actually really before I ended up being in Austin, which I was selected to go to Austin.

But before that had happened, I had spoken to the D-League team in Oklahoma City, also the D-League team in Iowa, both of which wanted me to come and kind of sign for the season. Doing training camp, but for sure having a roster spot. season doing training camp but for sure having a roster spot and I remember it was maybe two days before I was supposed to move up to Iowa because I was going to join their team the energy and I got a call from the D-League office in New York City excuse me and they told me that I would have to put my name into the D-League draft because I had interest from other teams, which I didn't know which teams they were. And so because of that, they'd have to enter me into the draft.

So that night I got drafted in the third round by the Austin Toros. I hadn't spoken to anyone from the organization. I didn't know anything about them. I knew that they had a few veteran point guards that were returning or that were going to be there in training camp. So I went there kind of in a disposition, really. I still felt like I was kind of cut out for that, but it just didn't end up working out. I kind of fell behind some of the veteran guards,

and that kind of was what led to me coming overseas. Awesome, man. I think everything kind of happens for a reason. It seems like you have really enjoyed, though, being overseas. Would that be an accurate statement, or am I just putting words in your mouth? Yeah, I guess that's accurate. You know, I've been here for 10 years now. So anything else would probably be a lie.

Yeah, I was like, you've been there for a while. And you played a lot in the German league. What has been your favorite experience so far playing overseas, man? Actually, it was last season, which was almost a mirror season of our 2008 season at Drake. We had a team here that was full of know, full of guys who had talent, but it wasn't like we were picked to be one of the better teams in the league. My club had just moved up from the second league,

so usually when that happens, you know, the goal of the club is just to stay in the league, which is really difficult to do in the first league in Germany. The teams are really good. It's a high level of competition. And so we lost our first three games of the season and then just almost similar to my drake years we just went on a tear ended up beating all the top teams um finished fourth in the regular season uh beat out one of the best teams in

germany in the first round of the playoffs and then end up losing to the eventual champions Bayern Munich in the semis. It was just unbelievable, man. Like the same type of run that we made that year with Drake, but just on a professional level. So I can for sure say it was the best season that I've had since I've been over here. That's awesome, man. I mean, you've spent 10 years with German clubs. Have you had any interest in other countries and you just wanted to stay in Germany?

Or is this by design or is this kind of just kind of how you fell into it and stayed in Germany? I wouldn't say it was by design, but I was getting good offers to stay here. good offers to stay here. And then I always had offers from different countries, but the German league is, like I said, it's competitive, it's stable. Once I got injured,

it was kind of like a saving grace for me because I was injured in the end of 2015 until when I was coming back off the injury because of the rapport that I had built with clubs in Germany, I was able to get a job just based on that fact. You know, because people knew me, they knew what I brought to the table.

Obviously, it was a risk to take someone who had such a big knee injury and had such a big surgery. But I was able to come back and kind of establish myself, work my way up the ranks, and that's what has led me to where I am today. Yeah, man. When you suffered that injury, did you know you wanted to go back into basketball or were you kind of unsure at that point about where your career trajectory was going to be at?

I mean, I knew I wanted to play. I just wasn't sure if I'd be able to. The way that the doctors put it to me was that if I didn't have the surgery, I would never play basketball. Recreational basketball would be definitely cool, but for sure I would never play it on the professional level. And if I had the surgery, then I would have a chance to play basketball, but just not at a high level.

And so obviously I took the chance. I had surgery done. I had cartilage damage in my left knee. And so I took a complete year off. I did as much as I could for rehabilitation and strengthening of my leg. And luckily the cartilage healed properly, and I've been able to just recreate a new lane here in Germany. Yeah, man. I mean, I would say you've done pretty well. You've put together

a nice four seasons since then. I'm looking at your stats from this year, man. Shooting 50% from the field, 48% from behind the three-point line. Do you feel like this is one of your better seasons that you've had so far? Do you feel like this is one of your better seasons that you've had so far? Actually, it's the best. I've scored more points in years before at different levels, but we were able to play also international competitions. So we played, for example, in Greece.

We played in Israel. We played in Spain and France and Belgium and Poland. And I think combining the two competitions, the German League and the Basketball Champions League, it's just been one of the best seasons that I've been able to play. And I think a lot of that is attributed to the fact that I've been in the system for a few years now. The confidence that our coach gives each and every one of us, and me included as the captain of the team,

is just really unmatched. And I think those things combined with experience, which has proven to be kind of the formula for having a really good season. That's awesome, man. And before we started recording, we talked a little bit about, it sounds like Germany is looking at potentially opening the league back up a bit, maybe on a smaller scale with some different format. Do you feel like this team,

obviously if you get some of your guys back from the States, right, do you feel like this team has the opportunity to potentially win the German Premier League? I mean, for sure. That's why we play. The thing that is special about this team and actually this club is that we play at a level that it's really unmatched anyone that watches us can tell you our defense is nasty it's full court it's the whole

game it's a lot of pressure and offensively we get out we run we shoot a lot of threes it's a fun style of basketball to watch. And if you don't come prepared as an opponent, you will potentially get your head knocked off. So it's a good formula for being able to compete against anyone. Awesome, man. And this is just a little bit of my ignorance with the German League, but when does the season actually start?

That's a decent question. We usually report here sometime in the first, second week of August, and we do just about six weeks of preseason, and the season usually starts the end of September, beginning of October. So it is a long season, to say the least, because last year we didn't finish until the 12th of June. If you don't make the playoffs, you're done sometime early May. All right. That is quite a long season.

Well, next year, we're planning on going to Oktoberfest this year, my wife and I, but that obviously got canceled as Oktoberfest got canceled. That's so tough. Yeah, a little bit rough. I mean, obviously, as we talked about, people have it way worse, right? But next year we are planning on going to Oktoberfest, so I will hit you up and try to catch a game if you're back out there. As far as the length of the season, though,

what do you typically do when you get done with the season? Do you come immediately back to the States? I don't usually um just because i've been here for so long and so when i first got when i first was here my first few years i was so quick to leave um it's just you know one of those things and so a lot of the guys that I play with, when you get done with 10-month seasons, you want to get out of here, you know. I think some of the older guys always want to take, like, a little time off or take a little vacation, go somewhere over here, and then fly back to the States.

Makes sense then. So as far as, you know, When you decided to stay in town And stay on that side of the World what has been one of your favorite Things to do or what has been one of the coolest experiences You've had in Germany like outside of Basketball or even just in Europe in general I just think

The opportunity to see the world On someone else's dime Yeah And do what i love to do is it's an experience that not a lot of people get to you know to have and so i don't take it for granted i really enjoy traveling i've taken a liking to history for example because you you see it come to life you know they teach you about all these things in school, and it doesn't make sense until you actually go to Rome and you see it, or you go to London, or you go to Paris,

and it's really there in front of you and becomes real to you. So it's been one of my favorite things to just kind of travel. Nice. I think I can scope out some of these cities and see some history. I love it, man. Yeah, I couldn't agree more the first time I was in Rome I never really realized how incredible the history was over in Europe and how

minor the history was in America when you go over to Europe you're seeing things that were built thousands of years ago this is incredible definitely puts a new spin and gives you a new perspective on things. Yeah, for sure. Everything here is so old, and you don't really see that,

or you don't realize it until you get here. Definitely, man. So as far as playing in the TBT tournament, was that something that you were always interested in? Is that something you kind of was on your radar before, before matt reached out to you about playing for the iowa united or what what was really your thoughts of the the tbt until you started playing in it um actually it wasn't something that i really wanted to do um it wasn't something that i was actively pursuing i guess is a better way to put it. I have tons of friends, former teammates,

people that have played in the tournament. I watch it every summer because it comes at a time where there's not really any interesting sports on. And so I have always checked it out. People told me, like, hey, this is a legit tournament. It's got good competition. Obviously, the chance to win so much money is enticing for a lot of players. And I think even now, the exposure that you can get as a player can it can do something for your

career you know I see guys getting contracts from the way they play in the TPT so when Matt reached out to me I just thought man that'd be cool and especially the concept of combining the four schools in Iowa to make a team I thought we would have a pretty decent team and just another chance to go compete and actually another chance to play in front of my family in the States, which I hadn't done since college. And so that was one of the coolest things, that they were able to be there and watch me play stateside.

Definitely, man. So out of playing with the TBT or playing with the Iowa United in the TBT, was that environment last year what you expected it to be, or was that a little bit shocking? Because that environment was insane. Shocking is the perfect word for that environment. That was nuts. I did not expect that.

I mean, obviously, when I played in the Valley, Wichita State was in the Valley, one of my favorite places to play, just because it's a crazy environment. The arena is super nice, in my opinion. Their fans are nuts. And that's what it reminded me of when we were standing in that tunnel to run out. I was just thinking, like, this seems like a college game.

You know, they were there acting like it was the Wichita State Shockers, you know, like a college team playing, and so it was really a really cool experience for all of us. I was glad that that was the venue that Matt and those guys had chosen for us to play in. Yeah, man, that was a lot of fun. I did not expect. I don't know what I was expecting, but the volume and the excitement and electricity of that crowd. Obviously, it was 100% against you all. I was probably one of 30 people along with your family members and a few other teammates' family members to actually be rooting for your team, but it was crazy fun.

Yeah, yeah. Those are the best games, though, when everyone is against you. It's fun. It's just a little bit of a disadvantage when you're playing for $2 million. Yeah, that's fair. So how did that experience or how has that experience helped you coming into year two with the Iowa United? I think I know what to expect.

the Iowa United? I think I know what to expect. I think for us, I think it also shows us what type of personnel we need

to be successful. But for me, man, basketball is basketball. No matter where I'm playing, it's a three-point line, it's a three-point line there's a three-point line there's five guys on each side and so i'm just blessed to be able to have the opportunity to go to the game and hopefully this time we can put the state on our back and get a couple wins

absolutely so um you guys added a few new players to the iowa united um out of the guys who are returning uh what was one of the guys who kind of surprised the Iowa United. Out of the guys who are returning, what was one of the guys who kind of surprised you the most? And out of the guys who are new, which one are you most excited to play with? Well, I think the guys that are returning, the guy that surprised me was Matt, Matt Tivey. And I think he has a good touch. I think he does his job really well.

He can obviously shoot the ball. He stretches the floor. He can score a little bit inside. And actually, I played against him over here in Germany, and he absolutely killed us. He had like 20 in the first half. And I was like, man, this dude really can play some basketball. Him and Nick McGlynn.

I was really impressed with Nick McGlynn. He's just a motor. I think that playing in that type of environment, he just did really well. The new guys, who am I looking forward to playing with? I'm looking forward to playing with all of them. But I remember when my little brother was playing at Will Roberts, he played South Dakota State, I think it is. He was telling me about a kid

that he was playing that was just a killer. A kid named Mike Dahlman. And so when I looked at the roster, I'm like, this is the kid my brother was talking about. My brother used to tell me, like, yo, this kid is a straight bucket. Like, you cannot stop this kid. So I'm really looking forward to seeing that on display.

And then pretty much everyone that's on the team I've played either against with at some point um yeah tyrus i played against tyrus mcgee this year he was in france we were in the same champions league like i said i played against matt he was in my league and so i played against beyonce obviously and justin carter all those guys from college so i think we will have a good team this year definitely Definitely, man. And so just a couple other questions. What are you looking to do post-basketball? I know you host some basketball camps back in the States, but is that something you're looking to get into full-time?

You want to do coaching? Or really what's kind of the thing that you're looking into post-basketball? Yeah, I mean, everyone always asks me if I want to coach. And there's just something in me that says, absolutely not. I don't know if that's ever going to change, but I'm not really into it. I'd really enjoy the training aspect of it. If I was going to do the basketball route, I think I'd want to be in the front office somewhere. More so like the NBA route than anything.

Right now I do, with my brother-in-law and my sister some real estate and investing and so I think I'll get more a little more heavy into that once I get done playing and I can be settled down somewhere and actually in public speaking that's probably the thing I want to do the most. I'd love to travel and talk to different groups of people, athletes, young people, because I really have a passion for that. So I think I would try to make that my profession moving forward. That's awesome, man. It's funny you say you don't want to coach because I feel like, at least on the court,

what I heard from some of the guys from Iowa United is that you were kind of like a coach. You were one of the guys kind of leading the team and whatnot. So I find that interesting that you have zero desire at this point to be a coach. I just know I've been blessed to have amazing coaches, really some of the best coaches over here. And so I've learned the game in detail and in depth. I think I have a lot of knowledge that has come from them.

And so if I had to do it, I could definitely do it. I just don't know if I want the headaches of having to be in a game but not be able to play, if that makes sense. Yeah, that's fair. So final question for you then. What is your expectations for Iowa United this year? How far do you think this team can go? I think that we could be the sleeper team of the tournament, honestly.

And I think that because I'm sure that we're going to have a group of guys that are going to be focused on doing one thing, and that's winning, at whatever cost that is, but also willing to do it in, like, the right way. And so I looked at the pieces that we have. We've got people who can penetrate, handle the ball. We've got some amazing shooters. We've got inside presence. I think the balance that, you know, Matt has put together in the roster

gives us a really good chance to either creep up on people and beat them or just absolutely drop them. So I'm really looking forward to finding out what that's going to be. Awesome, man. Well, I am too. I plan on being there. Looking forward to, well, as long as we can play, you know, actually show up to the arena and watch games. I don't know how that's all going to play out. Oh, man. I haven't even thought about's all going to play out. Oh, man.

I haven't even thought about that. I hope that plays out well. Yeah. And I know, I mean, it sounds like at least if nothing else, there might be an empty arena and there might be TV or whatever it may be. But regardless, I'll be watching you all and supporting you all. Looking forward to watching the team play. And obviously, stay safe in Germany, man.

Any last words, though, for fans of the Iowa United team or Drake Bulldog alums that are listening to this? Support us, please. And make sure you follow us on all of our social media outlets. I know that they do a great job of plugging us and getting to know the personalities, the guys on the team, and hopefully we can do something special for the state of Iowa. Hell yeah, man.

Well, Josh, have a great day, buddy. Well, I guess it's nighttime in Germany. Have a great night. Good luck with the rest of your season, and stay safe, man. All right, and that will do it for our show today. A big shout-out to Josh for taking the time out of his day. I know he was still back in Germany at the time of the interview. We did that a couple weeks ago,

kind of making sure he's staying safe with everything going on with the coronavirus pandemic. Obviously, we'll be tracking his season as well as that picks back up, it sounds like, in Germany. And we're really excited to watch him play for the Iowa United in the $2 million winner-take-all TBT tournament this summer. Again, a big shout-out to Josh and a big shout-out to the Iowa United for obviously working with us to provide these interviews every single Tuesday for our special TBT Tuesday episodes. Make sure to follow the Iowa United on Twitter at IowaTBT and follow Josh Young at ForeverJYoung. That's ForeverJ-A-Y-O-U-N-G on Twitter.

And as always, make sure to follow us on Twitter as well at LockedOnIowa. And if you liked this episode and you like what we've been producing as far as content goes and you have not done this already, make sure to give us that five-star review wherever you downloaded this episode and you like what we've been producing as far as content goes, and you have not done this already, make sure to give us that five-star review wherever you downloaded this episode at and subscribe today to get all future episodes downloaded directly to your smart device. Again, thank you all for tuning into today's episode. I hope you all had a fantastic weekend and have a fantastic Tuesday. And as always, let's go Iowa.