The Herd with Colin Cowherd - All Ball - Clippers Chemistry Disaster; Ohio Guard Jason Preston on Going From Averaging 2 PPG in HS to 20 PPG in College

Episode Date: December 3, 2020

In this episode, Doug looks at recent reports of Clippers chemistry issues, and is joined by Ohio University Sophomore Guard Jason Preston who shares his incredible story on his growth from not starting and averaging 2 PPG as a high school senior to 20 PPG as an All-MAC star for the Bobcats. Make sure you download, rate and subscribe here to get the latest All Ball Podcasts! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games.

This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen and learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying.

Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversation. with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

Remember all those big dreams used to have and then life made other plans? With a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van, it's time to bring those dreams back. Start your own business or commit to van life with a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van. Now, you could win the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Mode 4x4 that we have. Enter the Dan Patrick Show Ultimate Camping Rigs Sweepstakes. To enter, get official rules. Visit Danpatrick.com or Fox SportsRadio.com. Have to do it by February 2nd for your chance to win.

If you love to be remembered as the person who gives the best birthday gifts, I'm here to tell you that 1-800 Flowers.com is your ultimate birthday gifting destination. 1-800 Flowers has thoughtful and artfully created options that are guaranteed to deliver the best birthday surprise. Shop thousands of unique gifts at 1-800flowers.com for exclusive offers and great values. To order today, visit 1-800flowers.com slash tune-in. That's 1-800flowers.com slash tune-in. Hey, welcome in. I'm Doug Gottlieb, and this is All Ball. All basketball all the time.

And we really appreciate you download. The numbers have just exploded recently. We'll continue to bring you guests that I think you'll really, really like. And this week is no different. Obviously, we had Rick Bird earlier in the week. And Rick is an outstanding coach. He's going to be in the college basketball Hall of Fame. Kind of his career arc and story and how he built Belmont from a little-known NIA

club that was the second-best NAA school in the city of Nashville. to an elite mid-major division one program. I think you're going to want to listen. I've been watching a lot of these college basketball teams. I do need to give you some like a breakdown pod and things that are interesting. Jason Preston is our guest this week, or in this episode.

By the way, could you download it already? Could you subscribe, write a review? I'm told that somehow helps me financially. And really, that's what this is about. Making your boy some more money. seriously, though, this is a, this is a pod. There's some great things on the horizon, but you write those reviews, and I guess it just

works for us in the business world. I don't really know, but, and then tell it, if you have a friend who's a basketball hoops fan, my brother drives, uh, 12 hours on, um, a week as he's an assistant coach now, or he's a, on staff at, at Grand Canyon University. And he's like, dude, this, he's like throwing out suggestions, get this guy, that guy, especially this holiday season, a long drive, a short drive, whatever. tell your boys to download this stuff. We have great stories,

and I try to get great storytellers for those stories. Jason Preston is an unbelievable story. Kid average two, I said two, two points per game his senior year in high school. He started one game, one. He's in his third year at Ohio, you. He's averaging 21 a game. He got to start his entire sophomore season,

some is freshman season as well. how do you go from not starting in high school, except for senior night, to averaging 21 a game. Crazy. He's going to join us. I want to quickly go give you some thoughts here on this athletic. The story that's coming out of L.A.

with kind of the dissection of what went wrong with the Clippers. The entitlement that was granted to Paul George and Kauai Leonard. Paul George saying, you know, that I was used the wrong way, like Ray Allen coming off of pin downs. And then other teammates complaining that Paul George and Kauai Leonard could call off practices, that they had their own security. It sounds like a lot of jealousy, right? And what's fascinating about this thing is that if you're going to complain about a two-time finals MVP getting special treatment, like that's called in the basketball being a bitch, right? And, the thing about the clippers is they talked about everybody else like everybody else was a world of bitches and they were apparently themselves as infighting and jealousy. So look, I want to make sure this is clear. I don't understand how the clippers could have okayed. Hey, yeah, Kwai, you can live in Sandy, whatever you want.

Like, no, you got to have some, got to be some boundaries. You know, some boundaries. And the San Diego thing, that's just, that's just too far. I mean, look, I live an hour from where I work or whatever. an hour and a half with traffic, and that's far. There is no part of even the northern part of San Diego where he lives that is in any way close enough. Now, I'm guessing he probably has an apartment close or whatever, but it clearly ticked off

enough people. And Tom Brady actually had this when he was in New England. He was at the peak of being Tom Brady. He was taking a helicopter out of Foxborough after every game and guys got ticked and they said something about it and they nixed it after like a season or two of doing it. So stars are always going to push the envelope and they'll get away with whatever you let them get away with. And believe it or not, players do, in fact, like discipline. And they see through things.

And I think that it might have been different had either or both of those players grown up as Clippers, had the sweat equity there, they did not. So no matter how well respected they were, you come in from other places and you start, you know, saying, this is how I want to do things when the Clippers had established a culture and you start scratching your head. Why would they change that culture and just relent? in order to get Kauai Leonard. If you get Kauai Leonard, you get them because, hey, we're not the Lakers. It's your team. We got to call it character and culture of toughness, and this is how you got to fit into our team. Once you make those mistakes, and I'm guessing bombers involved in that, then, you know,

you acquiesced to too many of these desires. You're never going to get control of the team, and you have, you know, you basically have two different kind of sex. You know, you have the superstars and everybody else, and that doesn't go over the way. It's not the reason that they lost, but it's a basis for a bad foundation. and it struck at the core of the culture that they had built. All right, let's get to college basketball as we've had so much incredible competition. And as I told you in our last podcast, I think it's really, really important that we don't over under,

we don't overvalue some of the results of these games because, you know, teams are playing three games in three days, and many of them haven't paid in a competitive game since last February. You know, you got young players obviously at a disadvantage on some level, as opposed to older players. But I think a good portion of this, good portion of it, is teams are still trying to figure out what they have. Remember, there's no scrimmages. So saying that a team should or shouldn't be in the NCAA tournament

based upon the result of a third game in three days is really, really hard. But the one thing we can see and we see it was we discover new players. We discover new talent. Jason Preston is one of those guys that America is just now discovering. Jason Preston is a talented junior at a, Ohio University. He's 21 years old. He's 6'4. He's 187 pounds. He's added meat to his frame. And I saw he was playing against Illinois last week on the Big Ten Network and he had 31 against A.O. DeSumo, who is a really talented NBA prospect guard for the Illini. The Illini

won by a point, but Preston had, I think, 31 and 6 and really looked like the best player out in the court. It's a very good shooter. He's got good feel. He's got a good big body and feels like a guy who's got a chance to be an NBA point guard. His story, though, was told in Big Ten Networks. All I did was retweet this story and Twitter kind of exploded. Everyone likes an amazing story. And so instead of me telling it over and over again, or instead of you watching him play at Ohio, you, which you can, I reached out and said, hey, can we have him on? And you know what? The folks at Ohio you said Jason would love to come on.

Here's my talk with him. What's this been like for you? I mean, you know, it's one thing to play really well and to start earning respect in the basketball world. But when your story kind of takes off and I want to get into it. But what's the last week been like for you? It's been crazy. Definitely something that I've never experienced. before and it's definitely surreal.

Very blessed to be here and everything that's going on right now. All right. So you grew up in Jamaica, that's where you spent most of your childhood? No, I grew up in Florida. My mom was going to Jamaica. So it's in Orlando, correct? Yeah, yeah. I go down to...

So your first memories of basketball. basketball are where and with who? When I was four years old, I'd have like a little hoop in my house. And my mom and I, we'd watch basketball games together. What was she like? Great person, very caring, very selfless. She'd always put other people in front of herself. It's just an amazing person.

What was it like when she got sick? It definitely wasn't easy and definitely didn't like to see her struggle. But knowing she's in a better place now and doesn't have to suffer like she did before is definitely comforting. Yeah, I can't imagine. Did you know, in terms of her letting you in, did she tell you right away? When did you know that she was really sick? Actually, it was a couple months in.

Like that just goes to her, you know, being selfish. You know, she didn't want me to feel bad for her or let it affect me in any type of way. So she kind of held it out for a couple months, but eventually she told me. Did it affect you, like in terms of school and relationships and how you were around other people? Maybe personally, but I tried not to let that affect other people. You know, I'd be pretty selfish for me. And, you know, especially for her, I didn't want to ever. or let her see me be done or anything like that

because that would be pretty selfish. Who was, who supported you most during that time? I mean, you have you and her, but who else was helping you? Because that's got to be a really tough time in your life. My aunt, her sister, she would sometimes come down. She really helped her.

Her son, my cousin, and also very supportive and also her best friend would come over a lot, make her meals. Well, what's her best friend's name? Barbara Wizzaker. And when she passed, now Barbara,

then Barbara took you in right then? Were you with your aunt right after your mom passed? Barbara's son took me in and also my aunt's son, so my cousin. That's who I was. So your,

15 at this time? Yes. You're 15, you're bouncing from place to place. What were you like as a basketball player? I was kind of really just a shooter, at least for my high school team. Sometimes I go to LA Fitness. I could do some other things at the basketball,

but really playing for my high school team. I was really just a shooter. So in high school, you're a late bloomer, right? at this time, you're 5-11, 6 feet tall. Is that about right? And when we read, oh, we average two a game. Like, were you in the rotation, or were you the guy that people at the end of the game,

you'd come in and you just try and get buckets because the game was over? No, I wasn't really in the rotation. I was probably, I never started. And I'd probably get about, like, nine minutes a game. Yeah, in some games I would. You never started a high school game once? I started one game for senior night.

So you're the senior night guy, right? How long did he leave you in on senior? That's the big thing. It's on senior night, like, is it one possession? Is it you got to play the quarter and you just balled out? Like, how long did you get to go on senior night? I think I played a good amount in senior night. It's probably 25 plus minutes and senior night.

Were you a good teammate? Like, I just, I'm not just full disclosure, right? I went to a different high school because I wanted to play varsity as a freshman. I played some. And I'd like to think I was a good teammate, but I got to play all the time. It's really easy to be a good teammate when you're playing all the time. When you're not and you clearly love basketball and it's a connection you have with your mom going back to when you're four years old, were you a good teammate when you're down there on the bench and you weren't playing very much?

Yeah, I definitely tried to be, you know. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds.

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'll say. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions,

my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes,

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. And the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger.

So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking.

What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jek. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s.

To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because, of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence. Yes.

I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your Podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me,

your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing,

we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person

while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing,

growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app, Search learn the hard way and listen now. You know, that selfless person, you know, it's bigger than me. And our team was pretty successful in my whole time at high school. We almost won a state championship multiple years.

But yeah, I never try to be deep down or anything like that. All my teammates and I had a pretty good relationship to, it was good. So your love for basketball, right? because the one thing basketball will do is it will kick your butt. And it will, you know, you love it a lot more than it loves you. Was there a moment, was there ever time there where you're like, man, this just ain't, if this ain't my deal, right? I'm just going to do it through high school.

And that's it. Was there a moment you're waving the white flag on hoop? I don't know if I ever officially gave up on it. I just figured that I would need another option for it if things didn't work out. And that's when I was going to enter the journalism at UCF. If you love to be remembered as the person who gives the best birthday gifts, I'm here to tell you that 1-800 Flowers.com is your ultimate birthday gifting destination. 1-800 Flowers has thoughtful and artfully created options that are guaranteed to deliver the best birthday surprise.

Shop thousands of unique gifts at 1-800flowers.com for exclusive offers and great values. To order today, visit 1,800flowers.com slash tune in. That's 1,800flowers.com slash tune in. Look through your children's eyes to see the true magic of a forest. It's a storybook world for them. You look and see a tree. They see the wrinkled face of a wizard with arms outstretched to the sky.

They see treasure and pebbles. They see a windy path that could lead to adventure. And they see you. Their fearless guide is this fascinating world. Find a forest near you and start exploring at discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the ad council. And we're live here outside the Perez family home just waiting for the... And there they go.

Almost on time this morning. Mom is coming out the front door strong with a double-armed kid carry. Looks like dad has the bags. Daughter is bringing up the rear. Oh, but the diaper bag wasn't closed. Dipers and toys are everywhere. Ooh! But mom is just...

Just nailed the perfect car seat buckle for the toddler. And now the eldest daughter, who looks to be about nine or ten, has secured herself in the booster seat. Dad zips the bag closed, and they're off. Ah, but looks like mom doesn't realize her coffee cup is still on the roof of the car, and there it goes! Oh, that's a shame. That mug was a fam favorite.

Don't sweat the small stuff. Just nail the big stuff. Like making sure your kids are buckled correctly in the right seat for their age and size. Learn more at NHTSA.gov slash the right seat. Visit NHTSA.gov slash the right seat. Brought to you by NETSA and the Ad Council. Yeah, so you're going to go to UCF as just a student, right, and do intermurals.

But then what happened? Yeah, I actually was taking summer classes at UCF. And it was, this was like late July. So the summer semester is almost over. And my friend asked me to come playing an AAU tournament. And it would have, and I would have made like the. fifth person. So like it, there would have only been five players and everyone's playing 40 minutes. So I say, why not? I'll play. Okay. So where's this tournament? Do you remember the location?

It was two tournaments. One was in Georgia. Another one was in Orlando, the Disney Wide World Sports. And you guys just had five dudes? Yeah. Yeah. Who is the coach? Eduardo Palma Pama. Pamaales. Okay. So you show up. But you guys. You guys. got jersey you got to bring your own jerseys just bring some black bling some white give it a reversal we had jerseys but i remember someone someone someone someone was wearing a shirt wait wait wait somebody's what one of our teammates was just wearing a red shirt we had red jerseys well wow so you show up red jerseys looking all janky right don't have any plays let's just go hoop you know high balls one high ball screen come get me was or was orlando first or

Or was Georgia first? It was Georgia first. All right. So you go, how'd you do? Georgia, Georgia was really well, really well. There were a lot of really good teams in that one. I think it was like a Hoops Sesh tournament. It was a really good tournament.

And we played really well. I think we were second in the like little tournament we were in. But like I said, there were a lot of really good teams. So who's your buddy who asked you to play in the team? Gabe, Paul Mala, is the coach's son. So the coach's son asked you to play. Was he good? He actually was hurt, so he couldn't play.

He was really just there. So he's the star recruiter, right? And at this time, how tall are you? You're done playing high school. You're six foot, your senior year in high school. This is a couple months after high school. This is in the summer, right? So this is, you know, a couple months after high school is done, how big are you now?

I'm about 6-1-6-1-150. So then you go back to Orlando. Now you're back home, okay, and you're playing at the wide world. Did you play well that tournament, too? Yes, I did. We actually won that tournament. It was another good tournament, too. So you win it, and now what?

Take me through how you got to the prep school. So after one of my games there, UNC Asheville coach said, we're all full for this year, but we recommend prep school to you so we can potentially offer you next year. That next game I play, I talked to a prep school coach,

and then he convinces me to go down to his prep school. What prep school? He was going to take me to a prep school down in Florida, but then like a couple weeks later, he said he relocated to one in Tennessee that was better. It was called Believe Academy. So you go to Believe Academy, right? and like this is you all set to go to college,

you're taking courses, then some coaches like, yo, you want to come play here, but you got to go to prep school for next year. So, and you don't, what was your mom's best friend and what was your aunt?

What were they telling you you should do? Um, they were supporting me, you know, they kind of put it, they kind of put it in my hands to, to make, make the decision.

I want to say they were kind of leaning towards, towards school, but at the same time, they, They allowed me to pursue my dreams. Well, look, it's hard to believe, though, right? Like, if they watch you play in high school and you're kind of the scrub right in high school and you're telling them like, no, no, no, no, listen, trust me.

I can actually get a scholarship like, come. Scholarship. And then, you know, then you're going to prep school in Florida. Like, no, no, no, no, we're going to flip school in Tennessee. It does, it sounds like somebody's trying to get money from it. It sounds like one of those emails you get from a guy who's locked up in, in London and the desk really needs you to send 10 grand. That's what it sounds like, doesn't it?

Yeah. No, you're right. You're right. It does. It does. All right. So you show up a Believe Academy, right? So it's one of these kind of made up prep school deals. And there's four teams.

Was there any other school or was it just kind of four basketball teams? No, it was it was like 60 to 70 kids that went there. And the other prep schools I knew, or I came to realize only had like one other team. but this one had like 70 kids. So it was split up into like four different teams plus a high school team. Two weeks into there, the guy who brought me there actually ended up leaving the prep school. And so none of the coaches that were there really knew anything about me. So they put you on the, they put you on the D team to start or the C team to start?

I was on the B team with him. But then once he left, I got bummed. jumped up to the A team. But like I said, no one really knew about me, so I didn't really play much on that team. Where are you living at the time? We all lived in like this little dorm, all 60 to 70 of us

lived in this like one big building. What was that like? It was fun. I had my two roommates who convinced me to come down to the C team with them. It was really fun. a lot of bus rides, a lot of fun memories. So you're just hanging out.

Who are your two roommates? Their names are Isaac Hill and JJ Romer. So during this time, do these guys know, or do they, I mean, you know how guys are, like you're at prep school, they're all going to league. I'm going to go to Kentucky. I'm going to go to league. All right. Did any of them go like, how good were you in high school?

Did anyone know that you didn't play much in high school? It's actually funny. One of the roommates, Isaac, he lived 50. 15 minutes away from me. He's from Orlando, too. And the same guy that brought me there, brought him there. And we had never seen each other before, and we live 15 minutes away from each other. And now we're roommates in Tennessee.

Okay, so how did you put a mixtape together? How did it come to be where you put your highlight tape on Twitter? So, yeah, after I came down to the C team with them, I was playing pretty well. and it's kind of late in the year. It's like near January. I'm like, I need to get some film for coaches. If I want to pay basketball somewhere, I'm going to need the coaches to be able to see something than me.

So I asked the coach on one bus ride. It was like an eight-hour bus ride from wherever we were going back to Tennessee. And so I asked if I get out of the film. I got it. So I'm just on this bus ride screen recording, all my clips. I get all my clips put together. And then I send it over to my other friend back home. he puts it together in like a mix.

After he does that, he sends it back to me. The Believe Prep Academy Twitter page posts it. And then I get a DM from both Ohio and Long. So you get a DM. How long was it before it was posted and you got a DM? It was probably like two days. And the DM, the DM happened one day after it was posted the DMs.

At any point in time, so you played for a guy, David Martinson, right, at Boone, like you said, good high school program. At any point in time, did your coat, you make any contact with him like about, hey, I'm at a prep school. I might go play Division I, like this is the guy who you weren't playing much for.

Was there any relationship there, which he was almost surprised at your success? No, I haven't really talked much with him to be. honest. Sometimes, maybe like once or twice a year, I'll go down and play basketball in the school and I'll say hi then, but we really haven't talked much. So now you talk to Ohio U. What was it about going up to Appalachia, that that was like, okay, I want to do this?

So I went on visits to both schools. It was a hard decision. I really liked the culture. Ohio, like, the teammates and the guys around me, like, Ben Vanderpast who's still here. He was my host. I really, like, I really, uh, vibe with him once I got here. And I thought it was a great fit for, uh, for me. And I thought I could play the way I'd want to play here as well.

So you show up on campus, okay? What do you remember? What was it like? This is after I'm committed here. Yeah. Um, it was. was nice. The campus is really nice. Facilities are nice. Nothing I've ever really seen. I mean like, I mean like again, are you like first, how big were you last year when you first showed up?

I was 6-2161. So you're still, you're still growing. You're still adding weight and adding muscle like as, as this goes on. Did you feel like you belonged, right? Because there's this, you know, C-T, B, B, A team, preps school. You know, you go up, you got two offers. Like when you showed up on campus, we're like, oh, I got this or was there a process? Because a lot of guys, I mean, I remember I showed up, and I had a really good high school career,

and I was really well regarded. And I felt like I belong. And then we started playing. I was like, damn, these are men. This is a lot harder than I thought. What was it like for you when you first showed up? You know, I was a little nervous about that at first, but things are pretty good for me to start.

I remember coming into my visit, the coach was telling me, you know, you'd get back up, point guard roll, play about 15 minutes, possibly growing over the years. But I ended up starting in my first year. You know, things went pretty good that summer and that fall before the season.

Now, at what point in time did your teammates know you didn't, you only started one game in high school. Your college students. When I first got here in my summer, I didn't really talk to anybody, to be honest. I was kind of very focused, kind of isolated. I guess towards the end of summer, you know, team bonding kind of went on. And that's when I started to tell people. And they were like, what?

Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That was the common reception. What was your first winter like? Winter? Oh, that was, that was a, that was something else. I mean, I got a little bit of a taste of it because I lived in Tennessee, and it would snow there sometimes. The lowest it would get was probably like 10 degrees, which is similar to here.

So I had kind of experienced it before. but it wasn't cold every cold and gray every day in the Midwest is is very very different than what you're what you're accustomed to no yeah yeah it definitely takes took some adjusting too but you know now it now it's fine it's fine your your game and I'm I'm friends with Rashad Phillips we were we played against each other we played at the same time in college obviously he's kind of a legend Orlando he works with guys and he was the one who first pointed you out to me going back a couple months ago. But it's not just that you've grown and you've added muscle. Like your game has evolved, as you said, when you're high school, you're just a shooter.

Now you're a point guard kind of does everything. Scoring point kind of does everything. Take me through, like, in terms of work, are you always an individual workout guy? Do you get in the gym, you just shoot and work on your game? Or you just, I want to go play and I just play all day? Um, kind of both of the last ones. Me and my, my, my best friend, Kobe, we'd always go down to the gym. This is in high school. You know, just play a lot of one-on-one. Watch a lot of film and a lot of guys.

Like, I watch a lot of, watch a lot of LeBron James. Watch a lot of Chris Paul. Those two guys, I've really studied both of their games heavily. and then obviously they have two of the weirdest stepbacks right like lebron's got that weird kind of step to the side step back you got to break that out if you really study lebron you got to have the can you make the lebron sidestep weird step back thing you know what i'm talking about right that that shot he shoots from three yeah i probably did it uh once last year you got you got to break that you got to break that out and then get the clip and then screenshot it on the bus the same way you you you blew up

And then sent it to LeBron be like, look, I have been studying your game. And then Chris Paul, like he only shoots going right, literally, only, but you can't stop it. There's just crazy how you can't stop the fact that you know he's going right. So one of the things that fascinates me about you is that you do have good feel for game situations, end of games. So it's not that you didn't play growing up, obviously you played that Tennessee. You played that elite team. and he played in tournaments, but not having played in big moments in high school,

the prep school games don't always mean nearly as much. How have you been able to kind of assimilate to real game situations, time, score, possessing, shot clock, and things like that, while playing in college? I might not have played in a bunch of games like that, but like I said, I've watched for years and years and years, a lot of close games, time and clock management, a lot of high IQ plays from, you know,

Chris and LeBron. And it's just something that I look at and see that I can emulate. You mentioned your friend Kobe. Where is he now? He's down in Florida right now. He's looking to find a school for himself right now, too. So what is your relationship like with him since kind of you've blown up and you become this kind of megastar? He's like, that's my boy.

That's my boy. We used to shoot the gym in high school. I do it all along. Oh, nothing's really changed. You know, I still talk to him like every day. Yeah, he actually went viral one time in high school himself. It's, nothing has changed. Okay.

So then this is what's crazy, though, right? Like, you've gone viral. You've blown up. Everybody knows you are. But there's nobody on campus. There's nobody to come up and be like, you know, I saw you on social media. Right.

So the good is everybody knows you are, the bad is, and it's not helping you as much with the ladies as it should be. Oh, no, no. I actually have a girlfriend. I have a girlfriend. So she's probably happy for the social distancing of everybody else, right? Because everyone,

it would have been a bunch of things. This team is very talented. What did you learn from the Illinois game? That, we stay consistent. You know, we can play with anyone in the country. You know, I was very proud of our guys. You know, we watched a lot of film prior to the game. You know, it was the third game in three days,

but we had been watching before, and especially after our first two games. We really made a game plan on attacking what they would do on ball screens and whatnot. And our guys executed great DJ, great. DJ Wilson said great screens. Van VanVos was great on both ends. Lending McDay on defense. Miles Brown on defense. You know, it was a great effort. We just got to stay consistent now. I got a chance to coach Kofi in one of these Pango steals, which is like they just

go up and down and dunk on each other. And one, I really like them as a kid, but two, that is a grown ass man, right? That is a big, they don't have dudes like that in the Mac. They may have used to have guys like that in the Mac, but they don't. Kobe Coburn, what was he like to play against? Yeah, you're right. Everything you said is true. He's huge. He's huge.

And it's crazy because I would say DJ, he held his own. You know, there's the time we'd be backing him down. And DJ was chesting him up, walling him up strong. And it was impressive. Yeah, I mean, that's a big, that's a big human being. And I was like, man, I first saw him. He was like, 16. I was like, no way.

Show me his driver's license. Like, okay, okay, I'll, I'll buy it. I guess you are 16. That is a big dude. For you personally, what do you want to improve it? What do you want to get better at? For this year, definitely want to cut down on my turnovers. And also shoot more off the dribble, maybe get more threes up this year,

those two areas that are somehow we worked on. What has the season been like with so much to the unknown, you know? And it's weird because, again, this kind of comes back to, I'm guessing prep school probably prepared you for it better than some other guys, more the traditional route in that the three and three days. That's like an AAU tournament, right? That's, you know, everybody makes it out to be so hard. That's better.

I'd prefer to play as opposed to practice and have to play defense the whole time. But with all the unknown, known with having to social distance from other students, with having to, you know, kind of just be, you know, be safe and be smart. What's this been like for you? I mean, it's been an adjustment, but I, I don't mind it. Classes are going pretty well for me, you know, got a nice little schedule going on. You don't see as many people, but that's fine. You know, you learn to adjust. I have my roommates that are on the team. Like I said, I have my girlfriend and it's fine.

When when people see your story, when they hear about when they hear about your mom and how you kept going. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced

games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast Superhuman documented it all embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined.

And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. And the next, we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger.

So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people.

I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill,

waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that. sentence.

I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the

Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests, I'm talking. Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark.

Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross,

because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different. levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new

podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now. When you hear about high school and you kept going, what does that come from? How do you, how do you relate to somebody else who's going through a tough time that there can be something better on the horizon? I would say really just having faith. trusting in God's plan and knowing that everything happens for a reason. If you can truly believe that everything happens for a reason, you know, you'll get through a lot. But how, like, like the world was kicking your ass for a while, right? It was it was handing you ass weapons.

But, I mean, in those moments where you're like, my mom is everything I have. Like, how do you, it's great to say you have faith, but is it simply praying to God? Is it finding it within your soul? How does that work? No, yeah, it is. You know, and it goes a long way. And my mom would always tell me that to just stay strong, keep praying to God and everything will work itself out.

And I'm telling you, if you truly believe in, and your faith is strong, it can take you a long way. Is it harder to do it? to make it, which you've done, or to sustain it, right? Because last year you got to start as a freshman out of nowhere. Now everybody knows who you are. Is it more difficult now when you're on top of people's skydun reports? You know, I would always say it's harder to sustain.

You know, it's kind of easy to be the underdog. You know, when it's more expected of you, I would say it's probably harder. In this scenario, I don't know. I don't really like look at it. as pressure to keep it for me. I'm just trying to do whatever it takes to win each night. Well, I can tell you from the people I know in Orlando and from kind of everybody who has followed the story,

people are just amazed by your perseverance and by what you've done. And it does feel like you kind of only crack in the surface, right? Like you just, it's one of those, the more you watch, the more you're going to get better. and now you're getting that kind of scores, confidence and almost a little arrogance where you just know it's going in, right? Does it feel different before you believed it, but now everybody in that bench believes it? That's got to be a little different deal. Yeah, my teammates, they always tell me to keep shooting.

They know I like to pass, but, you know, they've instilled a lot of confidence in me, and it's awesome. Definitely looking to keep growing it this season. How many shots a day? I don't know a specific number, but before and after every practice for about 20 minutes each, I get up a lot of shots. Listen, congrats on your success so far. I can't wait to see what's next from you,

and really appreciate you joining us on the pod. Thank you. I appreciate it. Are you wasting two perfectly good Saturdays each year? Most people waste two Saturdays getting rid of junk that we could make magically disappear. We're 1-800 got junk. We make junk disappear. All you have to do is point.

Reclaim your Saturdays. Call 1-800 Got Junk. Or visit 1-800 GotJunk.com. And two smiling, happy people will magically appear at your front door. They'll be driving a clean, shiny truck. And they'll be wearing snappy, happy uniforms. All you have to do is point, point, point, point. And that junk will be gone, gone.

Gone, gone, gone. Hooray, you have a Saturday. Let the party begin. We make junk disappear. Don't waste two perfectly good Saturdays each year. Let us work our magic for you. Give us a call. And we'll give you back your Saturdays.

Call 1-800-Godjunk. Or visit 1-800.gogonk.com. What grows in the forest? Trees? Sure. Know what else grows in the forest? Our imagination. Our sense of one. wonder, and our family bonds grow too, because when we disconnect from this and connect with

this, we reconnect with each other. The forest is closer than you think. Find a forest near you and start exploring at Discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the Ad Council. Adoption of teens from foster care is a topic not enough people know about, and we're here to change that. I'm April Dinwiddie host of the new podcast, Navigating Adoption presented by Adopt U.S. Kids. Each episode brings you compelling real-life adoption stories told by the families that live them with commentary from experts. Visit Adoptuskids.org slash podcast or subscribe to navigating adoption presented by Adopt U.S. Kids. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families and the Ad Council.

It's pretty crazy stuff, right? And the demeanor, he did feel like he got a little emotional, obviously talking about his mom. I mean, who wouldn't? You're 15 years old. You lose your mom to breast cancer. and you start, you know, living in multiple places. But to have that sort of belief in self, to never give up on your dream, even when, look, you're going to college as a regular student,

that's usually time when you should give up that idea. And then to go from that to being a recruited scholarship athlete and from that to being a starter in college basketball so early in his career, the whole thing is nothing short of absolutely remarkable. Anyway, I hope you appreciated it. I hope you liked having play. We have players on. We have coaches on.

We have NBA players on. Make sure you tell friends. You tweet it out. You download it. You subscribe it. You rate it and you review it. I really appreciate you. Listen to the daily radio show.

That's 3 to 6 Eastern, 12 to 3 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio or Fox SportsRotter.com, the Iheart radio app. It's called the Doug Gottlieb show. Thank you so much for downloading this. I'm Doug Gottlieb, and this is All Ball. If you love to be remembered as the person who gives the best birthday gifts, I'm here to tell you that 1800 Flowers.com is your ultimate birthday gifting destination. 1,800 Flowers has thoughtful and artfully created options that are guaranteed to deliver the best birthday surprise. Shop thousands of unique gifts at 1800flowers.com for exclusive offers and great values.

To order today, visit 1,800flowers.com slash tune in. That's 1,800flowers.com slash tune in. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy. Not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform?

We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all?

You're listening to and learn the heart. Hardway with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to,

listen to learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. On the Look Back at it podcast For 1979 That was a big moment for me 84 was big to me I'm Sam Jay And I'm Alex English

Each episode We pick a year unpack what went down And try to make sense of how we survived it With our friends Fellow comedians And favorite authors

Like Mark Lamont Hill On the 80s 84 was a wild year I don't think There's a more important year for black people Listen to look back at it On the Iheart radio app

Apple Podcasts Or wherever you get your podcast This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.