Coat Check | Joe Richmond

Just a reminder, coat Check is released on a bi weekly basis, and you can catch up on previous episodes. We've had Terry Harris. Recently we had assistant coach Xavier Sila who formerly as a player, was a member of the seventy sixers, And you can find those episodes and this one, well, I guess you've already found it under the Delaware Bluecoats and Philadelphia seventy Sixers podcast networks wherever

you get your podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and elsewhere. But without further ado, the guest on this episode Blue Coats Ambassador of Basketball, Joe Richmond. What's up, Joe Yoh? What's up? Man Murder? What's going on? Man? I? Usually give the date that when we are recording this just for background if we reference any days of the week or anything

like that. We're doing this one on Wednesday, May twenty seventh, and that's a notable date because we're fresh off your profile in the Philadelphia in Choir markin Arducci doing a write up on you and our Delaware Blue Coats books and basketball programs. So how did you make time and your busy schedule Joe and your media tour right now? With that article coming out? That was pretty cool, you know, you know, when you guys first approach me with it, I was just blowing away. And to be able to

do something on that level was amazing. And I've been blessed to be on the Blue Goos, had me on TV Fox and all those things. But to do that interview with Mark, who's a Philly guy who kind of related with some of the stories that we talked about was just amazing, and um, it was a lot of fun.

And you know, as you know, with books and basketball, my schedule is kind of out there, and I'm also doing some birthday videos as well, so whatever I need to do, and you know, to keep the smiles or the kids' faces and the families doing this, this, this, this lockdown and it's kind of fun though. It's been a lot of fun. And that will be that article will be available in the print edition of The Inquiry on Sunday. I mentioned we're recording this on Wednesday, so

thanks again. I got about one hundred lines up to go purchase already. I'm gonna make my copy gold platinum. Well, we know that's the case with you, and we know you've got supporters that would definitely scoop up. So on today's episode, we're gonna get into a little bit of your background or a lot of bit, however much we can get to about your upbringing, your roots, all that for those who who don't know you as much as some others, or what wasn't covered in the article or

anything like that. We'll talk about your time with as you say, and a lot of people say, the world famous Harlem Globe Trotters and your time touring with them. We will also, of course have our healthy Lifestyle segment presented by our friends at Christianic Care and of course as doctors, nurses and caregivers and as neighbors and friends Christianic Care, as a partner in everyone's journey to greater health and well being? Why do they do it for

the love of health? Visit christianic Care dot org. And Joe, you're a fan of the program, So you know, we'll wrap things up with the Bluecoats talk and what you do for this team and what we've got going on in the community, and then we will hit a couple of questions, just some fun stuff at the buzzer. But let's start with that background for those who do not know you, Where did you grow up? Joe born and

raised in South Philly three fifteen carpet away Man. It was called the North Side and the South Side because it was the tracks that divided both down to South Philly ned the Italian Market if you need some type of reference, and not too far from Columbus Boulevard, which we used to call Delaware av So growing up, I

went to a never Your High school. I'm never your Elementary, left never Your Elementary, went to George George Washington Elementary right there on Fishtry, and then went to I went I actually started at Box Tech High School, ended up going to South Philly High where my brother was Big Mike, and it's so funny that I'm the ambassador of basketball. You gotta see me in the community. But it came from my mother. My mind stayed in the community in Philadelphia.

She was a dance teacher. She took dance for twenty years at the community center called the House of Industry where most of us as kids, we went there to play basketball. Was wrecking things in there. So that's where all this truly started from. So South Philly. You come from a big family, the youngest of six boys and your sister makes seven. How would you describe your upbringing? Oh? Man, discipline.

My dad a pulled no mudgets, you know, I mean, we still my oldest brother was in charge, and everything was always regimented for us. My dad was in the Navy. My brother Jeff ended up going into the army, and then I ended up going into the Navy, following my dad as well as his dad. So you know, just was regimented, you know, with boys. I love to brag that all of all of us are still living, my brothers and my sister. I just lost my one brother, but you know it went in succession and but we've

been blessed. Man, and you know, to come up out of the out out of the neighborhood. When we came out of too where we at now, I would have never thought that. And all of that was was was rooted in the Sixers. It really was, man like we grew up. Everything was Doctor Jay or more Cheese, and and and and and Andrew toldy man, we was rooted. And Bobby Jones was like, dude, So you know, that's

just how we were. My dad loved the game. And my dad was actually a Pittsburgh Stealer fan on football side, but you know, he kind of loosened up and let us become Eagles fans because my sister actually got to be an Eagles cheerleader when she was at Delaware State and she turned it down and boyed my dad ain't talked to her. Oh while he was like, you couldn't tell us nothing. Yeah, that's when Leonard toast on the team. Man. So we we've had a beautiful upbringing. Man. My mom

and dad they just was strong in the community. And that's where we get it from. And that's why you see me out there and doing the things that I do, putting kids smiles on kid because my mother did it and and it was just an amazing thing to see growing up as a kid. And I know when we did the Blue Coats beat together, you talked about your older brother first putting the basketball in your hands. So how how did that change your life? Murph, You're gonna love this birth. This is a true story. So my

brother takes me and my brother Mike. We got our coats so and this isn't a winter time. We got our mittens on and he takes us to the basketball court with a shovel. We're shoveling the snow off the court. Never forget it, man, and my brother just out there started teaching us the basics and this out this winter time when people are looking. And he had this one drill man when he made us lay on our back and suit toward the rim and if my brother was there to catch the ball to pass it back to us,

just to get us our strapped up and buy. That's a true story, and that's how we got started. And my sister just took it over because she played at Delaware State when she played basketball. So my sister she cheated though, Matt, she was rough. She cheated a lot. And we're gonna cover a lot of your stops in the basketball world, including the Blue Coats later on in this interview. But away from basketball, you served in the Navy.

So when was that period in your life? Well, right after high school, I had a traumatic situation happened with a friend in my life and the neighborhood I grew up, and I made a decision that I was not going to end up like that. So the next day I went on Broad Street where all the Navy and all

the officers were. I signed up. My mom and dad didn't know, and when they did find out, I was on a plane head at the San Diego Cali Want from boot Champ, Yeah, And I was a hospital corman um And I chose that field, the medical field, and it's the honest guy in truth. If I chose it because of the TV show you might have remember was m Quincy Nah not right? Jack Plugan played the doctor called Quincy FD and he used to do all this term anoledge. I'm like, I want this is that stuff

for real? So when I went in and they said would you want to be in my grades test? My test I tested. I I tested high enough to go in the Air Force or any of them. But I chose the Navy because of my dad, and that was right out of high school. Man, So it was it was a real impactful time in my life based on what was transpiring in my neighborhood at the time. Yeah, and definitely an impactful story there. And I already teased

the Harlem Globetrotters. You toured with them for five years two thousand and seven to twelve, A referen returned coach and a whole bunch of other hats. How did you get involved with the Globetrotters. Well before leading up to that, my brother and I and my partner, Tim Hagans, who's a twenty year police van, we formed the organization called I Am Focused Finance was a nonprofit organization, so we owned minor league teams. We owned the Delaware Destroyers, the

Delaware Stars. We was trying to just do anything in basketball because all three of us loved the game. Tremendous league and another rival in Harrisburg. He saw this and his buddy was actually going to be some big shot with the heart of Globetrotters and he said, hey, man, would you like you? You would be because he just saw the way I was with my team. I was animated as a fan, just animated. But he knew I officiated because you know when you and Mighty leads you

to wear a different a lot of hats. And one time the officials ain't show up at a game. So I jumped in there and he said, would you want to? And I'm like what. So this was back in two thousand and I want to say two thousand and four, two thousand and five, and I said, I went to a game at the Bomb carton the Center where we used to play our games, watched the Harlem Globetrotters. The guy invited me back this that the third and three years later two thousand and seven. The rest is history. Wow.

So I was gonna go with the thing you probably get asked a lot. You've been to all these states and countries, some of the countries you like, and we might talk about that later. But I was also going to hit you with the best memories type thing. But it just jogged my memory with you telling that story about your your audition for the Globetrotters. So tell that

story of the actual audition or tryout. So they flew me out to Houston and they were like, hey, we really liked you, but I, unbeknownsed to me, there was a bunch of other people trying to start. I was special. I was in. So they had three referees, three of us guys that were coaches, and one of them was the Great Sea Worthing who played and played along Tupac in the movie above the Rim. I did not know him at that time, but that's so I'm like, whoa,

this is big, you know what I mean? Like they got real guys and and it just it just kind of man, I don't know if I don't know what it was about me over it was me and Sam got picked. The other third guy didn't get picked as a coach, but I didn't get picked as a coach. I got picked as a referee because the referees could not keep up with the speed and the different things

that the globetrotters did. So the guy that brought me in name Al Clocker, who's a Hall of Famer and pa he was like, hey, Joe, you can do that, right, you can. You can keep up with that, you can keep up with the verbage and all the things being said. I'm like, yes, So can I tell you the actual how you did it? Please? So it was a lie. The showman had to do this line, and the line was they going for land. The guy get foul and he says, foul, foul, foul. I seen the whole thing.

The short white guy did it number seven, two shots. The other three referees as they doing it, doing it boom. They could not get that backup. All they had to do is re beat what he said. The guy who walked up and said, Joe, you could do it. I got on a suit and tie. They got on sneaks of referee shart. So I jumped out the air. I'll go on my bag because I always was taught to keep your referee stuff, which I'll go in my bank said no, you don't need your shirt, grabbed your whistle.

I grabbed my whistle mat and I go out there. I hit on the first one and the rest is history. Man gotta be ready for your opportunity, and you were, yes, sir. Let's shift gears a little bit as we move along our Healthy Lifestyle segment presented by Christiana Care. And I know you've been doing a lot during this quarantine time at home, with whether it be virtual books and basketball, virtual basketball drills. So here in the healthy lifestyle segment.

I'm gonna have you put on your coach Joe hat. Figuratively, What are something basketball drills that players of all ages, skill levels, all that can do at home during this time. Well, as you know, you never can do enough ball handling, and in basketball, most coaches teach that everybody needs to be a threat, meaning when you get that ball in your hand, you should be able to triple threat, you know what I mean, be in a position to pass, dribble, or shoot. So when you're at home, that's what you

need to practice. Get a chair. I like to use the drill that I use a lot, and I've put this out there where you get a chair, put the basketball on the chair, getting your stance, a good stance like you're almost sitting down, Snatch the basketball up and just pivot if you're right if you're right handed, and you know, you use your your left foot as your pivot foot, and you move around a chair as it was a person. The getting your triple threat position, the

ready to pass, dribble or shoot the ball. In that way, you don't get the tear up a lot the mommy stuff. Actually dribbling in around the house and shooting it, but just mimicking those movements. And that's what I like to teach a lot of well, you know, you sit down and just play with the basketball, three year lags, going around one league, going around another league, standing up, going around, your back, going around. Just get used to that basketball,

because you never can get enough of basketball. Hailing trips right for all of our the triple threat for all of our younger listeners out there, or maybe some Blue Coats fans will pass the message along to their kids. And speaking of the Blue Coats, let's go there. Now. You've been involved since the beginning, but you were named a few years back the ambassador of basketball for the Delaware Blue Coats. How did you end up with the

Delaware organization? That's an awesome story. When the first game, we had a great guy named Malie Rose who's coming to be a board to get it all started to get out of the community. A great friend of mine, Tim Crawls, he called me and say, hey, this guy Malik Rose, what's to do something to commune. I'm like Malik, and I'm like, oh when I seem like maligu Rose? So Malik is a Philly guy kind of I knew

knowing real well. He had a coach that was like a mentor to mister Bill Williams from Drexel, and so when I came to him, all I did was I just wherever Malik went. I went with them during basketball, juggling all different things while he presented the things that we wanted to get out to the public. And then the Dulaware eighty seven ers. But now as the Blue and it's grown to now where we are the Blue coach. So my whole goal was to say, Hey, here's this

organization coming to our great state. Let me let them know what the status really all about. Since I've been here going on twenty years, going youth basketball, mightor league basketball, working my family, grown head kids, going to school, and I just had a good amount I'm gonna user Stephen A. Smith type word, plethora of mallets, you know what I mean.

So I want to I want to use that to help them because I understood that the kids that were coming to play here weren't from here, so we still needed to engage them in the community, but they wouldn't know how to really relate to our community. And I wanted to be that go between guy to do that to introduce them, because man, when we first started, as you see where we've grown to now, we've always add

some unique, amazing talent for the Blue Goals. Yeah, you and Aris Watson, the Community Development Associate for the Bluecoats better known as two Phones these days, you guys obviously do a great job in the community with the books and basketball program that has the backing of the more Sports Medicine described that program the children's literacy program For those who might be unfamiliar with it, or better yet, just quickly take us through what you guys do when

you've recently before all this happened when you guys would get into the classroom, well you know from day one, Um, it was. It was a program that was definitely needed. I am I'm not I'm not against technology or anything, but it's something about opening a book, man, that just is just magical. So when Alex presented this to us, man, so me my man arress a k A. Two fouls and the one and only the number one mascot in the whole g League, Cody. We go out to the community, man,

but we get into them schools. When we get into them schools, and the time that I introduced Cody it is and they like, it's amazing. It is so amazing, And we use Cody Dance, the Cody Dance off with the kids. We use the education, all of that to get them to understand this is what books bring to us. And the one thing I love about our program that's I think more than you, unique than anyone else is man, is that we don't give not one kid a book.

They get to pick out their book. And that's what I love about the schools and the different people in the community that allow us. They give us the time to leave the books out so the kids can go out and pick out their books. And I think that's the beauty of it because they take ownership of it now and as it seem like it's not posed on them. They get to put their name in it, like they went to the library and they get to keep that book.

And then we also allowed them to pick one out for a family member or a friend and encourage them to read at home when they're not in school. And that's what I love more about the program than anything more than fifty thousand books distributed since two sixteen and only going out from that school. That's a soft number. But what is a game day like at seventy six

ers field House for Joe Richmond. Amazing from the day the day before, when I know it's going to be the wake up to get in that field house for a seven clock game, to get in there around nine ten o'clock and get prepared because with a lot of people don't know. And I pray that this is really emphasized.

And you notice as well, we probably get on each other more than anybody all because we're looking at every detail for those fans that's walking through those doors, and everything that we do is geared to make sure we have not and we've got to kick over every rock, knock over whatever. We got to make sure all our teams across eyes are dotted to make sure that those fans get the most the most fun experience coming through the door and then get that amazing experience when they

get the stands and see the game. So for Joe Richmond, it is so much fun to get ready. You know, I put on some of my nice little clothes, you know I do, Matt, I look at Spiffy because I can't wait to get to the front. And then there's nothing like with security saying doors and those doors open, and I see our fans during this this this shut in. Man, that's the most thing I've missed about anybody. I missed the game, but miss the fez, the kids, the parents,

the grandparents. I missed that more than anything. You got your blue coat shirt on as we're recording this um or those listening, he's got the white shirt with the blue letters. The pented block letters of the blue coats were almost at our final quick questions at the buzzer. But before we get to that, I have been calling you for a little while now, but especially when the article came out. One of the most positive people that I know. So what keeps you going is it's just life.

You know we're gonna do this sting one time once. We won't get another shot at this, and you know you're blessed to start. Like how not for basketball, would I've met a Matt Murphy. If not for basketball, would I've met a Joe Kane, Aris Watson, you know, a Felicia. It just sports. Just do this and that that that excites me. That excites me to know where I came from, knowing where I came from to where I'm at now and knowing that basketball has done that and it has

it has given me an opportunity. And you said it before, Matt, I like to tell the story. I've been in all fifty states. I've been over thirty five countries and not that's basketball, and I do not take it for granted. You and I know we go back at it. Man, you talking new school basketball, talking old school basketball. But that excites me that you and I can relate on that level and that's what I love about and that's

where it gets me going. So I'm I got a joke that I say, long as I'm six feet above the ground, I'm laughing at joking. I love that, and a well deserved shout out for our small but mighty staff with the Delaware Blue Coats in there as well, the best staff. He said, Yes, sir, I gotta agree with that one, but we're both a little bit biased.

More with Joe Richmond in just a second, But first, No More Sports Medicine believes that highly personalized one on one physical therapy for young athletes is paramount to a speedy and complete recovery. Learn more at Namur's dot org slash PT. All right, Joe we'll get you out of here with a couple of questions at the buzzer, I was going back and forth on whether or not I was going to ask, but you brought up the Globetrotters travel again, so we know basketball lifers, the game takes

you all over. What's your favorite city that you have visited or some of your favorite cities. Oh, man, I love I love Chicago, Dallas is beautiful. Anything in Texas you can't be. Anything in New Orleans is awesome. Miami was amazing. But I actually got to visit Hawaii and I lost. It was amazing. And I just we have some beautiful cities around this country, and I encotch everybody. When this is over, go make your business and go

enjoy them. I know you said you got a road trip maybe with your brother coming up after all this, so maybe that'll get your mind going from different places you can go. But we as we wind down, I've got two more for you. I asked some of the players about what they fill out on media day for hidden talents, but you're often the one asking them what they're hidden talents are. Do you have a hidden talent or anything you've been working on during this time at home,

juggling whatever it might be. You know, y'all might not notice, but I'm a great dancer. What kind of dancing. I'm a lying dance dude. Okay, I love lying dancing. I love Bobby chai Chi. That's old style, but I'm a lying dance dude. So that's my main thing. And I do a lot of hosting, and I have a comedy show, my Man Old School in US, and that's one of

my favorite things. So the being that type of arena with that crowd people you don't know, and keeping that crowd going, getting ready for the comedians, that excites me more than anything. Man, you gotta come and check me out on's off. Honestly, Joe, I know a lot about you. I did not know that. So there is something every

day but last one. And I don't think this question applies to anybody else will have on the podcast, none of the players, coaches or anything like that, because it is inspired by our office debates when we were in the office that you had just touched on a moment ago. And it's about analytics. So give me a percentage, Joe, when you're looking at basketball players, what percent is the eye test, and what percent is analytics ninety five design? For me, five percent is the analytics, not saying they

don't belong. But I'm just telling you, man, you know, you look at a guy and you just see something, especially when you play the game as long as I did and been arounded all over the world, and I officiated a two, Matt, so I look at it so many different ways as a basketball official, and I'm officiated on so many levels. So that's for me, is definitely an eye test. I'm not I'm not the data set against analytics. I just don't believe that. You know, championships

don't analytics and championships don't equate. I just wanted to get that out of you because you gotta look at them to see if they can go. You gotta find out if these guys can go or if they can't go. So I knew this was gonna be electric Joe. You lived up to it. I'm really glad we got you on the podcast, especially with the timing of the article coming out. I was really happy to see you getting your shine. So thank you, No man, I want to

thank you for louding. Thank you, Matt. That is our Delaware Bluecoats Ambassador of Basketball Joe Richmond, and I'm Matt Murphy. Until next time, Take it or leave it at the coach check