KJ Live – Etop Udo-Ema

in the building atop what's good man? What up? What up? What up? I love the introduction. I don't know if it's all that, but well, I mean, you gotta sometimes you gotta keep it real. I heard when I listen to you talk, I hear you talk a lot about flowers and giving people flowers, and you need to be

introduced the right way at some point. It's kind of like how we as we've gone old there, we think about, you know, the accomplishments of ball players that have that we've you know, watched and been a part of, and it doesn't hit you right away how good them dudes were until kind of like later on down the road. It's kind of like you man, we start looking at your track record, brother, all these guys that you don't sit to college, and now you're making major headway into

the league. But first, atop, I wanted to just get a quick thought on one of the game's most dominant players. If we've ever seen Wilt Chamberlain hundred points in the game, seven one, a triple jumper, a high jumper, do you think Wilt would have dominated today's game? You know, it's

it's it's really hard to answer that. With the way the spacing is in the NBA now, and that would be my I mean, obviously in his size, I mean, he probably might have figured that out, um, but it's hard to translate it with with the space and he would have been good obviously, But um, obviously the spacing and and driving and the way the game is and and be to shoot the three. You know, all those things kind of in today's game are a little more important than they were back then. So, um, do I

think you've been as dominant? Probably? I don't know how it would have looked though, Yeah, I'm not that's a good question. But so I had the same sort of questions to and you know, I self, immittedly hadn't gone back and watched a ton of Wilke footage from his early years at Kansas and then with Globetrotters and then the first couple of seasons in the league, and which stood out about the guy. Man. I mean, he was seven one and he was leading the break. I saw

him doing no look a turnaround jumper. I saw him doing Magic Johnson jump in the air, fake fake pass. So I'm seeing all this stuff and I'm just kind of like, I saw him do like step through, up and under. I saw him, and then I really then they're showing me the videos. Man, all his game was bank shots, Like he had this one of the sickest bank shots in the history of basketball before the skyhook.

It was the will Like fade away, funny style fade away, but it was shot up Taylor bro Hey with no grip. I wonder if he taped his ankles with no grip with the thing flipping up. I mean, come on, man Hey, but that But listen, when we talk about big men, and we talked about the evolution of big man, we got to talk about Evan Moble and this is a kid that was in your program since day one. Talk about Evan as the front runner for the Rookie of the Year, his development and what he can be, if

that that makes any sense at all. What he can be, he's already something, but what he can be as far as upside of potential tone. So, you know, I had plenty of arguments early on with people about what I thought he looked like moving forward. Um, people didn't see it. Um people. Um, I remember, I felt that he's too soft, people felt too skinny. People thought, I mean, it's whatever you come up with too, you know, argued the case that he wasn't gonna be as good as ever as

we thought he was gonna be. Um. As soon as he hit the end of his freshman year. In his sophomore year, I knew exactly what it was, and I started putting the word out, start telling everybody, all the writers, the Paul being cardis the boss's you know. They didn't mean we saw it because the time, you know, remember he had had that huge grossburt. He was short, not short, but eighth grade. Eighth grade was it eighth grade? The

ninth grade? Grade six four? And I don't remember, I don't remember if you remember a kid named Ben Todd, So we had we had Ben Todd on our team. And now Ben Todd was already six ten in the eighth grade and he was a number player in the country and everyone was about six four and nobody, you know, nobody knew who everon was. But um, you know, it's

it's crazy. And how like he got hurt his freshman year, hurt his foot and after that that we started seeing some things and and and the first thing that that that I he noticed he could always he always is a shooter. So right now the NBA hasn't seen what he used to do, and they will eventually because that will come back to him. But you know, he started off as he was a great jump shooter. He's a three point shooter. And that's what he did. He shot

and then throw and became explosive. Um that's when, um, you see all the things that he's had going on now because the explosion that one of the beauties of what he was doing and made it easy for me to evaluate was the quickness of his jump. And when that one of that as a sophomore, his first and second jump, I thought of Sean Marrion, but he's seven feet, you know, Sean Marian was was lethal. But his second jump one of the quickert second jumpers in the NBA.

And you jump like that, no no matter what's your size, no matter what it is, you're gonna be have some value in the league. And he just jumped so quick. So he started getting to the the rim. I see how fast you get to the rim, And I was like, whoa, it would just be like boom boom boom. You know, his quick twitch was crazy quick quick. Yeah, so, oh man, this is a problem. I got the number one point in the country, you know what I mean, because I knew like he had already he had got the size before.

He was already a great shooter. He already had great perimeter acumen, you know what I mean, even though he didn't have to use it, because like when he got big, he stopped using it. So you know what happened. He got big, and his junior year playing for US, he shot um in the Indenis League. He shot eighty percent from the floor, dumped everything like they couldn't do it. He shot dam an average eighteen and nine shots a game.

So he was crazy. But it was because he like no one could stop him to the rim, so he stopped but he stopped doing his perimeter stuff. All he did was catch and make plays around the rim because it was that easy for him. What are you attribute most ah to his growth and development as as far as an all around game, I'll tell you simple. It's his dad and mom because what they needed to do with them is like, you know, his dad wouldn't just have him doing cones stuff. You know these cone guys.

His dad would have him playing against grown asks man in twenty our fitness, both him and his brother. That's why you see they their I cus or high. They know how to play because it's like, you know, their development wasn't all just you know, jump in there and play do cones. Like they had a whole, well rounded regiment and they live that regiment seven days a week. They weren't. They weren't wavering, like they weren't doing it just for like show. Yeah, I mean like they're really

out here believing. Once they got to the point, they were out here believing where they're going. And you know, the kids love the hoop. They both loved the hoop. That's another thing too, some people don't like they love the hoop. And just because Evan don't talk Evan loves the hoop. That's what makes this scary because he loves the hoop in regiment. By the time he gets done, I don't know what it's gonna look like. I mean, he could be it would be a KD be honest,

k D mix, you know what I mean. We I don't know what the game. It would be anything because he's he's got the discipline to work and he loves the hoop. Man the k D hold on the k D the honest comparison, the kgbrid that's a scary animal. So we're in Vegas, uh for the I believe for the no. I was in Vegas for the Summer League and I just got a chance to watch um Evan compete. Oh yeah, so yeah, that's where I saw. I was trying to figure out what was at the time. But

but so we were there and we saw Evan. I watched him. I think what my takeaway was him on the defensive end, his ability to guard show. I mean he could pretty much do anything on perimeters and big yeah, he can. He switched one people. It's unbelievable. It's unbel and his ability to to to to to to close out on shooters and then recovered to the rim make a play on the ball, as we've seen in the league. Um,

you know, I don't know if it's a surprise. Are you surprised at all by how well he's done so quickly, how how quickly he's adjusted, or did you kind of figure that it wouldn't be a problem. The funny thing is this, I didn't know until summer league. So I went to summer league and I saw the way Cleveland was utilizing them cold bigger staff and that coaching staff. They were already used I don't know if you remember, they were already using him like they used him now.

They were using them on the elbows, on the perimeter, initiating offense. They were doing a lot of ship with him in the summer league. And I was like, oh, if they play him like this, oh he's about to Because the thing about like if he could have went somewhere else and the coach would have not really believed in them stuck him on the box, it might have not been like this, you know what I mean. It might have been as fast as this, you know what

I mean. But confidence, a confidence to develop. No, But what I will say is this, this is the and things that everybody underestimated in college. So I don't know if you saw that earlier the season they start charting that stat about um shots that he altered but he didn't block or something or whatever that I don't forgot, But remember like Evan doesn't he's just out there hooping

and bawling. Like defensively, he's really good. Most guys in the NBA they're not gonna, you know, rush the shooters or do the things that he's doing to play defensively. The reason Cleveland had a great turnaround too. Obviously, Darris Garland has been unbelievable. Um, some of the other kids have done really well, but I think like with Jared Allen and and and Evan, defensively they've posed a lot of problems. People have a hard time. That's there's so

much length, you know what I mean. And Evan is not just trying to block shots. He's going after everything. Even if you're running the perimeter, he's chasing you. You know, he's chasing everything. So he don't know no better yet like these other dudes who to sit around and don't play like he's playing. He's trying to chase shooters, he's switching, he's doing all the things that you know most guys in the league don't do. Now all of a sudden, your team is good. Yeah, And I've seen Cleveland go

big at times when they throw marketing out there. And so you have Alan mobile marketing, three seven footers on the perimeter or garden, everybody covering ground, covering space. Man. I mean it's true. I expect Evan. I think he will be in contention for a Defensive Player of the Year at some point. I mean, obviously this year, I feel like he's gonna he's the front runner for the Rookie of the Year. We got to see how that

vote turns out. But I wanted to talk about another big that came through your program that is actually playing well in the league. And I wouldn't say going under the radar, but nationally kind of flying under the radar in my opinion. Top On necka down in Atlanta, talked about Anca Man and what's what he's been doing? So funny man, So he I wasn't. I was in Austin.

I got I was in Austin UM yesterday and uh he face times me and one in the morning, right, and I'm like keep doing because they're playing Boston, you know what I mean, something like is he doing? And you know, obviously he's been playing well. Man, some people, you know, I think he gets snuff for that Rising Stars game. I think you should have been in it. A lot of people are saying that thing, you should have been that game. But that's that's been his mantres.

We ain't tripping, like we're just we're gonna follow his journey. And and you know with him, I'm i'm I'm I'm very involved in his life obviously. Um. But he called me at one thirty in the morning with some grown man talk man talking about like real estate, like you know, like the kids, like I think he's twenty years old.

He might be, but uh, you know, I'm just I'm very very proud of his evolution and his growth out and off the court or you know, miss Unfortunately his father passed away recently, you know, and um, you know it's just with those kind of things, you know, kids dropping down. But um, he is in a very very comfortable place and on the floor on the team, very comfortable place. Like so I don't know if you see like his numbers like whenever, whenever, it depended on his minutes.

His minutes are up, his numbers are up, like they're like, you know, are not even seventeen seven and three, you know, seventeen point seven rebounds, three blocks and one thing. I always like. I talked to him that night. I'm like, hey, man, you gotta rebound better. I told him, I said, you gotta rebound better because you know, obviously you got to tell him that team to calor rebounds everything. He goes, yeah, tell rebounds on the paint. I said, yeah, but he

go he goes, yeah, told, he goes. But I'm I'm running all over the place. I'm switching one of five, I'm switching screens, I'm playing D. I'm playing crazy D. He goes half the time, I can't get to the rebound. So but I'm always on the about the rebounds because I said, look, man, I said that rebounds that for

you is is a money maker. Like that's the one that like it's gonna really you is when you try to re up from this next you know, in year four, when you're trying to get this contract, you know what I mean. So we talked about it. He's in a really good place, man, He's comfortable, he knows who he is, he knows what he's doing. Obviously, we want to expand on that, and we will in the summertime. But he's in a very very very good place. Yes he is. And and you said it best as far as his

comfort in his role. When I've watched the Hawks play and I've watched him in the game, I mean, he strikes me as sort of he has a veteran type demeanor out there, and I think that speaks to him

embracing his role. Um you know what. Else when he had this in again, it's just like Evan, him and Ever both like they're out there and they're both playing defense, like like defense, Like he knows that that's his calling card there, so like he takes pride in that, like he wants like everyone to think of him like you

know what, Okay, that's a defensive guy. So he takes pride in d And like you know, he'll tell you sometimes, tell something, Tell me I'm tired, man, Like you know, my in my in my in my little minutes that I'm playing, I'm tired. I'm running around like crazy, you know what I mean. So he's really pushing himself defensively, which I don't believe a lot of guys in the

NBA do. I feel Evan does the same. I feel they both do the same um and that's a good uniqueness about those two young players that are gonna really give them a chance moving forward because their offensive games will evolved as well, you know what I mean. Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of our shows at Fox sports Radio dot com and within the I Heart Radio app search f

s R to listen live. Do you guys confident magic do things or have like emphasis on defense, or do you bring in people to kind of show pros or anything like that when you work with Biggs while they're in your program, or is it something because I've noticed if you look at, you know, some of your top guys right that are either in the NBA or college.

I throw two names out there in college that I was about to but go ahead, go ahead, Ariy and Jalen Clark bas the two I was gonna talk about because you're talking, You're you're talking about to arguably two of the most underrated players in America and two of arguably two of like the most impactful players in all of the country talking about Jalen Clark for a second. When he came in in u c l A. The expectations of him were still kind of in the air.

People didn't really realize the full spectrum, the full scope of what this kid has the offer. Now we get to see it. I want to know about his mentality. Why is he such a dog? Then he's a dog and always has been broke? Has he? He? And about Jay Rock? Bro about Jay Rock? I ride with Jay Rock. Let me let me look, man. I had to tell Mick Cronin. I told Mick, I said, Mick, this guy

is your type of God. Trust me. When they were they're recruiting him, kind of you know, it was up in the air, wasn't so they weren't so sheriff because remember you know they didn't sign him too late and senior year and I but I was pressing him the whole time, like Jalen and you are matchmate in heaven. He's a Cincinnati guy, you know what I'm saying, Hey guy? So you know, finally they did their homework and research and it worked out. And um, I'll tell you this man,

and I was talking, I was in error Zona. Two weeks ago with Daylyn, me and Dyln were having dinner. Me, Dalen Ray r V two and his brother Andy were at dinner and weird I was talking about how it's crazy because on that team they played together. Remember so I don't know if you know, but that year Van got hurt at USA basketball. It was his back. Evan didn't play in that summer. He played, didn't play at all in the summer. So our team we were without

Edam Mobili and without Johnny Jus. So our headliners were Daylyn, Terry, Jalen Clark, Taboozo Agbo who's that Texas Day And we had to move a bunch of the young kids up. We moved up Dyaling, we moved Dylan Andrews up, he's the ninth grader. We moved on U C. L A. Obviously, So with my point in telling you that that team early when when Evan played the spring, I think we lost. We were twenty two and one. We only lost one game that spring, so we were on track of being

the best team in the country again. Or remember the year before was the undisputed year with On Yucca and Jared Lucas and everybody else. We still had. We had most of those players back. We had a lot of them back. We had him, we had Daal, and we had Clark because Clarks on that team. To those guys are all back, jusang he was back. Those guys are all coming back. So we expected to have the similar type of year. Evan goes down, Johnny um uh Re classes goes through Kentucky UM. So we have what we

have now. People don't understand we had an unbelievable run that summer with those kids, Like we only lost one. You know, we lost two games that summer. We lost in the Leade eight two team loaded in Virginia and UM in um Birmingham, and then we lost to Southern Assault in the championship with Harrison Harrison Ingram because we lost to them in the championship by one point. We had the ball with ten seconds to go, Chabouzo lost his shoe. All hate to do is get foul. Are

are the shot we should want that? But what my point is this, we were one We were one bad possession away from winning it from winning it again back to back without Evan and without Johnny, because they're both. That's what I was talking to Dalon about that because that shows to you how good those two were really were. So listen, we we go to the championship, we lose the championship by one. Then we go to Dino's this tournament that has other Nike teams, Um Expressions and and Rotary,

and we win that. We blow everybody out in the tournament. We won that term we blew everybody out like we played one team. Um, I'm not even say that. I don't want embarrass them, but um, that had two guys that are in the NBA right now, one who's a lottery pick. We wont buy thirty game like that. That's how Jalen Clark and j and we only have seven players. I had a whip Jalen Clark, and this shows how good those two really were. And that's what we talked.

I can't imagine something like they're playing against the best guys in the country and they were supposed role guys or whatever else, but they're smacking everybody. Yeah, but it's but that's that style to those dudes. They have size, then they play a certain type of game too, as far as they go hard when you have energy and motor. And then two couple that with lytticism length like you.

I mean, that's like, man, you stand out. I mean the thing that stands up to me about Jalen also is when I'm seeing them up so you know, during the course of the game, you say, like basketball game, you'll see him work down wall, You'll see him work midposts. You'll see him not down at three or two. You'll

see him running the pick and roll up high. I don't know if I've ever seen I tried to say, you know, I know I was pretty first of all, but the pick and roll up high part where he's bringing the ball up full court initiating the offense during the course of the game, that's unbelievable. I mean, he does literally everything and they're defensively tope. You see him out there guarding the point, He'll pin some stuff on

the glass. He's I mean, he's been really an exciting revelation for you sell a basketball and it is a Compton Magic. Dude, do you feel like you're guys that have that played for Compton Magic. You feel like they played with a sort of a sense of pride or extra bit of a chip that they're actually they're representing where they come from. Compton Magic. I think I think so, and I really think that all the guys were talking

about at some point in their career were undervalued. And that's the thing, Like I'm telling you even Van was undervalued. I'm just being honestly on Yaka was undervalued. Those guys I know are blue chip players in high school. But remember when they first came was and I was talking to I was in the SC game last night. Before the game, me and the cole Mobili were talking about this. Me and the Cole Mobili were talking about how when the kids were young, when they're in the eighth ninth grade,

they were nobody's all of them, like none of them. Remember, I'm gonna tell you who the guys were. When those guys are coming up Cash just Stanley, Cody, Riley, those were the top ranked kids. They were number one, you know, those those are the blue chippers, you know what I mean. Our kids were the second group of kids. So it's like they've all been in a place of being severely undervalued at some point. And I think that's a good driver.

You know what I mean, fact fact, And I think that I mean again, and remember too, you know, we have a lot of connective tissue on social media, so our kids motivate each other, like all those kids, like they're watching what everyone's doing, and everybody loves each other. But it's even though they love each other, you know, he's doing this, I'm trying to do this like you know, even when I was in there, I was in Arizona

State to see them. I played U C l A and I ran into Neil at a breakfast spot and Dayalen had just played well and they were talking about how he's the ultimate blue guy in the country. And I was telling Neil before you know, before Geno exploded. I was like, look, Neil, like this is like Daylas laying the blueprint for us too. Like Jayleen is gonna get to the NBA the same way now maybe I mean, like the same way he's gonna get there, Like he can do the same thing that Daylas doing. Daylans made

it sexy, did not I have to score? It's crazy, It's crazy. That's amazing. It's amazing that the NBA guys love daln Lo Hun Like it's gonna get interested. Who they who do they compareing to her? Who do they give you kind of a comp when they talk about when they ask you, when they talk about dayling to you, who do they come from to do? To them? They don't even have that yet, like they're just trying to figure. They just go like where this he's came out of nowhere?

You know what I mean? And I think it's kind of like for me, could it be Rande House Jefferson, But I mean it's not too. I don't think so, because I know I know Rande too, and I know Daylyn because Daylyn, listen, remember we played Dale at the point, Dale the point guard. They don't point. He played point for us strictly point like nothing else like they play him on. They play him kind of just as a as an all over god over. But like Daylan's that's trade.

He's a great passer. He's on his hands great you you know, so, I think um, and I think they show they show enough of that where people can see that a little bit. But that's really a strength, Like his strength is, you know, with the ball in his hands, seeing people, finding people, and obviously being all those great glue traits, being a great teammate, being a great kid is length. And now the thing that I think is really intrigued people as he's become more explosive. Mm hm, oh,

you know what I mean. Yeah, So it's it's it's exciting these kids, man, both those kids. I get so excited about both of those kids because I feel like I saw that coming. I didn't see it. Daylon's coming as soon and Jalen's coming as soon. I knew Jalens would come when all these dudes left, you see legs. I think I thought next year Jalen would just go crazy because he'd had the roadway with the other guys gone,

you know what I mean, Yeah, a longer leash. But you know, as glad that wick Mick saw the light, you know what I'm saying, quick and early. You're now he's getting super burned. But she still. I mean, there's Isaiah Mobley at s C, who was one of the you know, best all around talents in all of college basketball.

Timmy Allen down in Texas Jusang obviously U c l A. So I mean, do you feel like, with so many guys in college that eventually make the league, do you feel like people view you you guys sort of have a bulls eye now on your chest that you might have not had before the summer ten thousand and eighteen or is it the same? Remember I'm gonna go back. So two thousand and ten, we were we had Johnny Carson, gave York, Isaiah Austin, Norville Pale, Wesley Saunders, a Skia booker,

Mike Caffey, and our team was the best team. Well there's two teams. It was us in the open Soldiers. So everyone wants to see that game because because they had Nick Johnson, they had um, oh gosh, I can't I can't remember the kids they had, but they had they had um, Aaron Gordon, I want to say Aaron Gordon at the time. But they had a whip to like, so they had like six or sept that We had our group. They had their group, and you know, obviously

we were dominating in Indidas. They were dominated Nike, and um, we were we were tagged back then, I mean like we were. We were just remember we're coming off we had that year. The year before we had Alan Crab and Bryce Jones, Richard Solomon. The year before we had Joe Burton, Xavier Thames. So that that two thousand eight year submitted we made the championship. That year we would triple overtime against grass Roots Canada with Tristan Thompson, Brady

has slip Um, Dwight pale Um. So we that year two thousand and eight when we made the championship and that game with the triple overtime, that was the point where I feel like we became March. Then two thousand nine, crab Um Kareem Jamaar Deonte Burton, Like, we have three Conference players of the Year on that team, you know what I mean, the Whack Player Year, the Big Sky Player of the Year, in the PAC twelve Player of

the Year, and you had three. I thought I saw somewhere you had three at the top leading scorer in the Pack and the PAC ten one year Roberto joh and one more player. You had like one, two and three. We're all kinds and like we're already having like it down when we were holding it down. Is like the underdog cute team. You know, we're kind of still the underdog, but we put the work. Yeah, we had great players. Though we had great we were we were we were

on the Pack twelve. We had to pack to a Freshman of the year, pack to a player of the year. You know, we were we were doing some noise in the pack swell back then with some some of our guys. But you know, I would say back to your original question with um the way our guys go back to that question again, so I can I can, ye know. It was just like, I mean, you feel like people coming at you guys more now or less or is it are you in different Were they coming at you

with the same Veracini furiosity as they were now? They're crazy because now we're social media. Back then there wasn't my social media, so now it's like social media. But the reality of it is, Chris, we got a formula, man, like the people ain't just me. It's like I got people in my group like that. They all have their own context too, and and everyone is really working their ass off for kids. So you'll see me like last night I was a senior night with Timmy Allen, you

know what I mean. Like and then not last night, night before last, and then last night I fly back home, I go straight to the game with Dalen and Isaiah. But my point to you is that there's things that we're doing, um functionally behind closed doors that I feel, uh helps our kids once they get to college. See, I think a lot of guys in AU they play games, they go and listen. I'm never gonna fall anyone for helping kids, you know what I mean, anyone who is

helping kids, I'm with that. Like, I mean, there's a different level of helping kids, right, anyone's helping kids, I'm great with that. Like whether you're a lower level team, a high level team, whatever it is. But like, I think, the one thing that really really separates what we are compared to most. I'm not gonna say, oh, I'm gonna say most, is that as soon as the ball stops for them in high school, we're just as involved in their transition in college as we are as they are

in high school. And that's why you see a lot of our kids are successful. How So, talk about how you're involved, how you get involved with your guys after they're done whooping. So it's like this, So imagine me. So if I'm in Texas and how many times have I been Timmy's game this year? I don't know. I've been. I was in Texas Gonzaga, I was in Texas Texas Tech. I've been in Austin at least three or four times.

But Obviously when you're doing that, when you're going to shoot around, when you're at team meal, you're developing relationships with those coaching staffs organically. So like at that point, are they rooting for you? Yeah? Probably, you know what I mean? When that code Like at the at the end of the day, like if if if all things are given equal, what's gonna happen? You know what I mean? So is your kids gonna get a little more rope? Probably?

You know, But it is all those relationships building exercises that are going on. However they're going on, whether it's on my dime, however it's happening, or whether it's due to my experience that I've been around forever and known these dudes forever, and they feel comfortable, you know what I mean. Um, but that experience, those level of relationships definitely helps the kids when they go to those coaches, Like I've known mc cronin since remember mccronin coach Ellis

Miles of Louisville in two thousand three. Me and Mick ain't the first row I've known Mick forever. That's that that you bring up a good point about relationships, cultivating relationships and then when you say on your own dime, and a lot of people don't realize that a lot of what you accomplish in basketball, it's a lot of it's based on your own dime, Like you gotta go out and get it. Like you look at some of the top scouts in the world, they are playing for

trips to look the way there. They're paying their own way to rush you to go see some guys to think right up about, you know, put out there on their own time. So that part of it, I feel like is is you know, to be commended. I also noticed and see a lot of activity that you do in the community and on social media, And why is that such an important cause for you? Because you seem that seems to be one of your true passions outside of basketball, right am? I right on? That are my

main passion apply more than basketball? I just you know what, man, As you get older, like I felt like, I think when I got my mid forties I'm fifty two now. When I got my mid forties, I felt like we had done pretty good at basketball. I felt like we were close to being like you know, hey, we've done a good job of kids, and we had our machine is rolling, and I really felt like, you know how much like when I die, like how people are gonna

remember me? Like what you know how it is men Like like people been dying, Like a lot of people in my life been dying, and it's kind of like, Um, you go to the funeral, you know, you cry, you know, and then um, ship people just move on, you know, and it's kind of like, Um, I'm not saying that I want people to lastly remember me, but I want to. I want to have something that people say, you know, ship man, that dude made a difference. And I feel like that's really hard to do. I feel like having

people feel like that, it's really hard to do. Like I feel like you have to do a lot of work for someone to say like that that guy was impactful, you know what I mean. And that's my drive behind the community work is my personal legacy, you know, even though it's it's obviously it's a coupled with count of magic, and it's coupled with hopefully my kids are successful enough for me to have a bigger voice right are, for

me to be able to attach more resources somewhere. It's a men's it's a it's a it's a means to an end, right, So it's like, can I hopefully attached these recent versus and do more work in the community outside of basketball, Like there's so many things that like that I'm trying to do obviously that I can't afford to do at this point, but I'm I'm working on it um to promote that legacy and create that legacy. Man,

It's just it's just and it's an ongoing war. I called because it's like, you know, the war is is to get people in places that me nor you usually can get to to invest in our communities. They you know what I mean. So do you don't know? Listen, community work doesn't necessarily mean you need money because there we do a lot of community projects that don't call for funding. You know, still things you can do that

can help your community without funding. Like we've done diaper drives where we just put on social media like hey, like can you donate diapers and we get like fifty

tho diapers the community organization and Compton. But we've done all kinds of unique book drives, you nique, things that didn't cost much money, but they're still like, you know, the the goal would be I feel to to to get a nice um bag of resources to be able to cultivate your your legacy play in the community, you know, and that's obviously an ongoing battle for anybody trying to do community work. And but I've seen you, um you had you had the Adida's legacy situation a few years ago.

I've seen you do food drives. Yeah, I'm still going. I've seen you do different food drives around the holidays, and I don't know if it was a Turkey giving away. You're giving away clothes, you're giving away all types of stuff, and you're passing out stuff. But the thing I love about it you get all your kids involved, all the guys in the magic get an idea, in a sense of perspective of what it's like not to have. You're now balancing this life of glorious a you high level

hoops with a dose of reality on occasion. Why do you feel like that's important to expose the kids too to well, I want to say something. I hope you can see this. I don't know it gonna work. If I do this, you're just showing to the to the screen. We can probably see it. Happy to be home, Happy, to be with us, you know, helping out the Salvation Army. I am. The kids are competent, born and raised. Baby, yes, baby, look at look at Asaiah, look at your yes on

the on the screen. We have a video of some community where they took the competent managed it. Look you every ninth grade Salvation Army. That's a competent Yeah, yeah, for sure. Now that's good stuff to look Brade, that's good stuff. No, absolutely that and that it's our kids have been there, like it's not like we're just talking it like that's a video when those kids were young. Those kids were like in the ninth grade, nine, eighth,

ninth grade back then, and their families were there. They were there, and I think even regardless of nowadays, I don't feel like I feel like most of our kids aren't in those type of situations. They're just not right. So it's really important that they see it. My initial competent kids were all in that situation when I was

first and competent, I everybody was in that situation. And then obviously, um as we graduated to the more current times, UM, I feel like most people are in a little bit better situations, um um, but still it's it's very important that you remind them of how fortunate they are, whatever level of fortunate they are, you know. Always, Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of our shows at Fox sports Radio dot com and within the I Heart Radio app search f

s R to listen live. You've been in the game a long time time, my man, and you're responsible sitting a lot of kids to college. You've been dealing with these coaches and the recruiting side of things, UH since the nineties and probably earlier than that. Actually, I don't want to date you, but um, what do you think about Let me ask you this. Do you think that the n i L, the transfer portal and the ability to reclassify is is good for the game or it

is hurting the game college basketball? I don't know the answer to that. Obviously, the pandemic is changed the landscape immensely because obviously teams want to be older, you know. And it's funny because I watched UH Texas Baylor the other night and Baylor won a national championship last year, replaced their backcourt with a Ken Joe and the other kid who so John the green hair for him too. And there's another backcourt kid who came from a smaller

school who's really ninety in that game. But we really replaced their back court and are capable of having a run again. Absolutely, Now can you do that high school players? They got Kiante George coming in possibly, but probably the answer is, I don't know. You know, so that portal has made a lot of the bigger schools and the schools that would normally recruit a top level high school player or even get a high school player late, like those high school players have no opportunities. At the end,

you're gonna see prep schools blossom. You're gonna see all that happened because dude is going to be older. Basically, the high school kid that the super the senior, the five star senior is looked at a little bit uh less favorably than say an older kid that has some college basketball experience, or a prep school kid that is a little bit older nineteen and has a year again on the prep circuit. Why why those kids? Why is that better? I don't think I don't think it's affective

that the the elite, the super eleague kid. I think it's the kid below that, right, the super eleague kid from one of twenty I think is still fine. The guys are gonna do that. But when it gets to the level below that, it gets dicey, because who are you gonna pick from a portal guy who's averaged twenty and been through it at the college level or a high school guy who's questionable and in his transition, you

know what I mean? Like that's that? I mean, like you're gonna go with the older guy, you know, and that before like Juco guys you know obviously aren't sexy. Portal guys are when you can transfer to bionable right away, like you you can really watching guys better work at

whatever school he was. You see a lot of these lower level guys that lower Division one schools that are transferring up and having huge success because they're fucking good players, you know what I mean, two players all over the place, and they probably are better than some of the players

you recruited that you just didn't see it. You know, there's so many of them, Like I'm gonna use a kid for example, like he's gonna go to New Mexico's names Donovan Dent and Donovan dn plays for Corona Centennial and Donovan Dent a bad dude, like he's gonna go to New Mexico and impact right away, Like he's gonna be on the floor right away, and people are gonna say, well, who the hell is that? And that happens, you know, but how do you how do you discern the right fit?

I mean as a as as the director when you're when you got your guys that are getting recruited, how do you sit down with them guys and what does the conversation go like when you're talking about fit in a particular school, coaching style, etcetera. So you know, for me, it depends on your level of talent. But my selfis like I had a meeting with one of the better parents, is a kind of a freshman on Sunday night, and

I was recruited and I had a little computer. I was talking to him and um, you know my I said, listen for me. Like, as I'm recruiting a kid, I'm like, hey, you know, like you, I feel like he has a chance to be one of the pillars of our program. And the pillars of our program have all been getting drafted. I mean, you know, I mean like that, that's how me. Having this conversation with you lets you know that you're different,

because I and I feel that you're different. And my speech to him was like, listen, it's like we have a group of kids and we're trying to we're trying to get the most we can out of everybody's brand one through nine, one through eight, one through nine, whatever that is. And selfishly, you're gonna make wanna make sure that your kid gets what he needs to get you wanna.

You're gonna want to maximize everything he can give you, whether it's he's gonna be a high level college player or a high level pro whatever it is he's gonna be, whatever it is his talents are gonna take him to. We want to be able to maximize that, right, And there's so many things that go into that equation. Parents don't quite understand that. They think it's just like, oh,

we're gonna go play and my kids nice. No, you know, I'm on the phone with like Paul being Cardi and Eric Bossi and giving you that lane just in case that lane opens up for you. Right then, hopefully you're a kid who will have choice, and by choice, I mean when you go to college, you want to go to school where whatever level that is, where you have a chance to play right away. If you're not playing right away, it's tough. It's tough. I'm not saying going

against not you. You know you're fighting and all that. I'm I'm cool, but but but you do wanna All the things that we're doing are to leverage you to get on the floor as fast as you can. That's the player right unless you're ever Mulbi. Now I'm trying

to play you in the league. Like there's different levels of this, but you have to have these conversations early, Prince, you know what I mean that is there special and do you have the conversation with these elite kids about leads like the G League overseas or the Overtime Elite League as a potential option to continue their basketball playing career.

Having that, we have a kid in called Pete right now who's gonna who I believe will be number I believe in my experience, he's like Tod's gotta get better and he's got to work like everybody else. But I believe has a chance to be one of the top players regards to class. Where is he from Hawaii? From Arizona, Arizona. Okay, and you're saying, so what you're saying that he has some opportunities or you have this conversation with him, because the opportunity to be the best player in the country

regards the class. That's who it is. He continues to develop at the rate he has been developing, like he's gonna be a super special player and already happen those conversations with his parents and what's that? I mean, what's what's that? And they got a guy like yourself. What is your sort of advice or how do you advise parents that are in that position? That's a unique position. You have a league that's paying high school kids a

hundred thousand, You got the G League. I don't know what there to more than that, more than that depending on who you are. And then you have college for you know, you can get your education paid for. How do you direct or how do you advise? I'll say advice. The problem with him is he's on he just turned fifteen, he's fourteen yea and we just turned fifteen. But he's six eight to twenty athletics. Hell, he's like he's special.

So the problem is is that Obviously when you're that good, everyone's calling them already like the people are already like happening, you know what I mean, it's you've got to get ahead of it. That's not I mean, like all those people that you're talking about business for them, for me like a glorified hobby that I've been able to do

and survive. For them, it's like their job, right, So they're trying to get ahead of this thing I'm not gonna name, like all the other people, like the agencies and the money guys and all these type of things, like it's it's already happening if you don't jump ahead of it. It's like you know, in a n i L has gave those guys the roadway for that to

be okay, and it isn't fascinating. It's fascinating to see that how the n i L has been working, especially for these big, big agencies and certain companies that are allowed to have an n i L sort of wing or section in their agency as the grooming ground obviously to try to retain some of the services. So that's fascinating. But to as we're talking about all this stuff, you know, college basketball, I'm thinking back to what two thousand nineteen

to college basketball scandal. Do you feel like the fallout from the scandal has changed the way businesses operated in college basketball or is it relatively unaffected despite the two thousand and nineteen scandal. I'm bothered by because you know, obviously Tony Blinds a friend of mine to coach my team this year day eighteen. Yeah, Like for me, it's like it's like you did that. All that happened because

they spent so much money. I'm trying to catch somebody, like they're trying to bait everybody, you know what I mean. And then now it doesn't matter, like those guys all lost their careers and lives. Nothing really changed for a year later. It's a mean nothing. That's it's terrible. It's terrible.

And I know Book and all the guys are it's terrible, Like irregardless of of how people look at what happened, it's like them singling out those four black dudes and and and when come on, man, like just come on. And then now a year later, everything is legal, like they you can pay a player. Yeah, it's it's it's it's a it's it's almost surreal. It's almost surreal because this is because I had a book on the show, and and you know book, you know, he's a straight shooter.

He was just talking about how he was just trying to, you know, do what he could to take care of the kids, help and these are kids that were going without. It's not like these are kids that just had surplus of three sources and their daddy playing in the league and they got all this type of money and books want to us. Absolutely, he's he's a real He's what about all these other guys, Like, you know what I mean, It's like, come on, bro, Yeah, yeah, that they picked

the they picked, they picked the dudes. It's just it's it's it's it's crazy, man, I just it's it's really unfortunate. It is it is time means everything really unfortunate. Um. The great thing is is Tony show clauses up in a couple of in a year and I had like, you know, Tony will get back in Um yeah, he just he just won uh the section championship at St. Bernard's Right. Oh, he's awesome, man, He's an awesome, awesome dude. At the end of the day, man, he's gonna be

a shiny star. I don't think that's gonna I don't think it might be. It might have been at the time of Crutch, but you know, maybe at as he moves forward, it will be a blessing. And finally, and finally, finally, my man, I just wanted to I know, I know you've got a million things to do. I got you on here a little long, but I wanted to ask you about the n C Double A Tournament March Madness and just get your You know, I know you've got a lot of guys in the tournament, so we won't

hold your answer against you. Who you like to make it to the final four this year? The teams? Who's your final four? Hey, Arizona, Texas, U C l A, Texas and USC that's my four? And get and guess what I'm gonna be the Chris Johnson correspondent. Hey, we are excited about that. Last year I asked locker Rooms, Third Dinners inside a Chris Johnson Live, Toby Toby and Chris Johnson Live. Hey, wait, baby, you're looking forward to it. It's gonna be popping this March atop. Thank you so much,

my man, for joining the show. Bro appreciate you, and we're gonna get it cracking. This march Man is my correspondent. I say something, no, brother, Chris Johnson fans, Hey, y'all gotta give my guy his flowers. Chris Johnson. I'm so proud this dude and how post she's become and just taking this whole platform from really from no thing. I think he was in his apartment just like pandemic, you know, like talk And I told Chris, I said, yo, I said, you're like you got a career, Like you're good, Like

you need to be on TV or something. I know you used to be on T You're on TV. You were doing something a little bit a little bit on TV. But like I really saw your talent in this, even though I think you just did it because you loved it and you did it because you know what, I'm gonna do something different and make a difference or whatever. But like, kudos where you're bringing this thing, man, because I think you got a real big future in this.

I appreciate you, my brother, ladies and gentlemen. He took ludu Emma