You Should Know Podcast - TOP HIGH SCHOOL PLAYER *CALLS OUT NBA SUPERSTAR*!! -You Should Know Podcast-

Episode Date: January 10, 2021

Kj Adams details life as one of ESPN'S TOP 100 recruits. Kj talks about how Blake Griffin helped him become one of the best basketball players in the country, while CALLING OUT NBA SUPERSTARS!  FOLLOW ME: Instagram: @psh8 Twitter: @thePSH8  PLEASE SUBSCRIBE! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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maybe I could take him one-on-one, who would it be? Well, definitely. Hey, everybody. Welcome back to the You Should Know Podcast. If you haven't already, be sure to subscribe because it helps me get amazing guests like we have today. Our guest today is ranked sixth in the state of Texas, 45th on ESPN's Top 100, and is signed to the University of Kansas. It's K.J. Adams. K.J., what's up, bro? Hey, thank you. Thanks for having me. Of course. I appreciate you coming on. How's quarantine going? How are you feeling? How are you doing? Everything's been good. It was a struggle at first, but now I think everybody's getting the hang of it and starting to get more healthy and more comfortable with what's going on. So let's just start off with KJ is a big guy this kid is

huge he's 6'6 225 pounds and I've seen you in person a couple times just going to different tournaments around Austin and stuff and when I first saw you I was like okay this kid definitely plays football but coming to find out you're actually one of the best basketball players in the nation. And I see you're working out with Zach Urbanis and Christian over at Austin Pro Academy. And with your physique and skill level, are you particular with who you choose to work out with and what about them made you choose them? Yeah, of course. Just their background, Zach Urbanis and Christian are both really good guys, and they both work on the stuff that I need to work on to get better.

Like Zach is shooting, and everybody knows I need to be a better shooter. So we're now specifically a shooting guy like Zach. And his background, he's one of the best shooters I've ever seen ever play the game of basketball with his film. And Christian, I need to get more better with my mobility and move my body and Christian's one of the best he's worked with Zach and Christian's worked with guys like Miles Turner um Marik Isom and Avery Bradley so that just and uh my man Sniper Brooks so it's it's good it's good to uh see them and help me get to where those people are right now. Yeah and so going into your freshman year you kind of touched on a little bit

but what are you looking to uh work on like what's the main focus whenever you're in training sessions because you've already conquered the physical hurdle that most incoming freshmen have to deal with being able to compete at a high level. So what are you mainly focusing on right now? Definitely my shooting. I think I just got to get it more consistent and more, I guess, more fluid. I just got to get in the gym with Zach every day, just trying to get better with it and especially time on my own. And now you're committed to the University of Kansas.

First of all, congratulations. But it kind of hurts a little bit being a guy from Austin. I grew up kind of close to UT. So I believe UT was your first offer. Yeah, that was my first offer. So what made you choose Kansas? I think just the background, just like the all-over character of the people that have been there for a while.

Coach Self has been there for a good minute. And for him to be there that long and still there, it shows longevity and what he's doing is really good. And just like, if you ask somebody around, I don't think anybody has anything else bad to say about Coach Self, unless you've gone against them. So I think that speaks just volumes to just the integrity of the program and just how he's set the community around him.

And if I'm not mistaken, I think Kansas is ranked fifth in the nation, second in Big 12 right now. I know a lot of guys, whenever they're choosing what program they want to go to, some people are like, I want to go to a program that's not doing so well so I can be the guy that turns it around.

And some people want to go to the good program. Was that thought ever in the decision-making process? Oh, no, definitely you see Kansas as one of the best teams in the country. They're blue blood, but I think I just had to hound in on just the whatever, what's the best fit for me. And I think they're all around. You see they have a big,

a lot of big, strong guys that play like, just like me, like Jalen Wilson in high school, he plays just like me, just with a better shot. So I think if I can get on that level, it'll help me for the long run. Yeah. And let's take it back before you were this national phenom of a basketball player. I found some footage of you

that you used to play volleyball. Let's, where did that come from? Where were you? What's that? Okay. So that, that all started when I went to St. Andrews from way before any of that. Sorry. My sister, she went to SMU for volleyball. So she was one of the best volleyball players I ever seen in my eyes so she definitely was a big volleyball star but I went to St. Andrews at the time and they were trying to find a men's team Nathan Nathan Litsky he plays at Stanford right now he's been him and his parents have been trying to get a men's team for the longest. And the one year they got it together, I was there. I was a sophomore.

And so they were just trying to recruit everybody that come, all the athletic people there. And I was like, I wasn't playing football anymore at the time. So my sister, my parents encouraged me. And the Litskis are family friends. And so they put a lot of time and effort. So I had to give back to them and play but it was fun it definitely one of the funnest sports I played and it was it was really

it was a good experience it was way better than anybody ever thinks yeah definitely I mean I used to you know I was kind of nice at volleyball too I'd go down to the park and play in the sand a little bit I don't know if you want to see me on the volleyball court, but it doesn't stop there. You also, if I'm not mistaken, you played lacrosse too? Yeah, yeah. Lacrosse used to be probably my number one sport when I was little. I picked it up probably when I was in fifth grade and then carried on. And that's literally all I did.

I think I picked up a lacrosse ball more than I picked up a basketball in certain times. So I think it helped. like playing all these different sports. My mom loved it because she feels like you play different sports. It works on different parts of your body that you wouldn't get if I just played basketball. So I definitely played all the sports when I was in private school when I was younger. So it was fun. But I think if I would have picked up lacrosse, I would have been pretty good.

But I think I'm picking up this year. I have to basketball to end off my senior year. Oh, so you're going to go back to the lacrosse field? Yeah, yeah. I'm going back just for the one year. OK, I'm going to have to show up to a game or two, you know, if they're allowing fans, but I'm definitely going to pop up.

And so during a while back, I don't know how far back but you played for team griffin obviously like it's on your shirt um and you had this infamous uh game winner it was all over the internet and it was all over espn uh what was that moment like for you oh my i can't even it's one of those things where it's hard to talk about because it's like a dream come true like people would dream about stuff like that like especially just having a good relationship with blake alone it's just a dream but like having him there support our whole team our organization that he built and his brother Taylor, it's amazing. And just that game when he shot, it's just –

it's one of those things where you dream about and then when it actually happens, it's surreal. Like, you don't look at it in the moment, but, like, right after when I got in the car, I was like, oh, my – like, did that just happen? Like, my phone was blowing up. Everybody was hitting me up. So it was amazing.

And what's your relationship like with Blake Griffin right now? And what's, what's the most memorable advice he's given to you? Probably just, he, he's, he's always told me to just keep my head up and keep working. And just because he's always, he's always been passionate about, it's not really about the trainer that works out with you. It's about you and how hard you work about it. So that really stuck with me because you can get all these, you can fly out all these people that train NBA players.

But if you don't put in the work and actually just think about what you're doing and how you do it and can relate to the court, that's how it works. But yeah, he's been great. Him, Taylor, and Blake have been probably the greatest um advice givers and helped me through this process than anybody that has just met me this year they've put a lot of information in my parents and we trust them everything and it worked out really good for me that's dope to hear also like having such guidance from such a prominent NBA player and that's that's awesome to hear um you know yes um uh Taylor Taylor Griffin has been probably the most

substantial person that he he brought me over there he he showed up to my house to show me um that they were with me before I was making a decision I was making a decision of where to play this summer and Taylor showed up to my house, ate dinner with my family, and it was really cool. So I give him a lot of props for helping me, and he deserves a lot of praise for it. That's dope. And, you know, so Hoopers always have hypothetical conversations

and, like, what-ifs scenarios, like in locker rooms or whatever. You know, being a former Juco guy myself, you're the most humble guy i've heard great things about you you're real nice real humble but if you had to pick one nba player that you think maybe i could take him one-on-one who would it be well definitely i have a lot of friends that uh in the nba but i'll probably play my my my friend, Jared. He plays, he plays for the Brooklyn. So I, I think I always used to look up to him, but now I think I take him a little bit.

I love, I love the energy. I love it. I love to hear that. And, um, you know, before I let you go, what's one personal goal you have for your freshman year at the university of Kansas? Um, probably just help the team with whatever they need. I think a lot of guys go to college and try to just put a bunch of points and do all this, but it's really about like, Jared Allen actually told me this. He said, when I went to Texas, I think the best thing that they

let me know is all I need to do is rebound, block, and get tip dunks, and I'll be one of the best people in the draft. And I think watching him go through that and it actually happening was amazing just because it's really about the little things that you do when you get to college, and that's really what people want to see. So I think just help the team as best as I can. Okay, Jay, I look forward to watching you at Kansas. I'll probably run into you before you leave.

So I'm a fan of you. Congratulations on everything, and thank you for coming on the show, man. Yes, I appreciate it. Thanks for having me. All right, everybody, that's KJ Adams. This is the You Should Know Podcast. Be sure to hit the subscribe button if you haven't. I'll see you all next time.

We'll see you next time. The You Should Know Podcast.