KJ Live - Lloyd-Webster

All a? Well, Man, I appreciate you for having me man in a long time coming. Man, you know in on here with a l A city legend, man, somebody that I have a great deal of respect for it and look up too. So and I'm just I'm streaming humble today. Well man, I appreciate you, brother for making the time. Bro, I've been watching you. We we we we reconnected. Uh several years ago. I don't know if

you remember Man University High School. I think it was might have been a um, you know, hoop master's situation up there. I don't I don't know what it was, but we had reconnected it. I think my son was like a sophomore or junior in high school. But it was fun to reconnect with you. I was kind of there before you had got the King Drew job. Man. I was always interested because you always were a basketball dude. Man. Your knowledge of the game, your command of the game,

and just you knew everything we were talking about. Man, you knew about everything that I that I knew about I was wondering. Man, just talk a little bit about your background, your beginnings, you know, the foundation of Lloyd Webster in this in this hoop game. Yeah, Man, you know I started out like most guys planning at the planning at the park, you know, and a lot of older guys you're like, Man, you don't mind thinging, you know down there, down low, and you you know, you

sacrifice the body a lot. You know, you might, you know, trying to go play a little higher level, man, trying for the squad or something. By the time, man, I was living in Compton and my grandmother lived in Rental, Diminus. But back back then, you know, there was a lot of invisible lines that would keep you going to a secular school. So where she lived that when my mom ended up moving to that school, was banning, so we

can only go to banking. But my mom at the time was working for the district, so she ended up getting me and permitted to It's in Carson High School. So that was when my boys in middle school. Would you know, they would be like, hey, man, the bees and seeds are trying out. You know, let's go see if we can get on the bees and see squad and you know that we can make that. We know we can get on the tape before, you know, because we were hearing all of this stuff about dudes and Carson.

I think at the time they had like Rudy Washington, Kyrie stay and lead, you know, eyes up there, so you know we'll be hearing about it. Like man, you know six and eleven. Back then, I was probably like five ten. I wasn't here. I was nowhere near six ft yet. So I'm like, man, you know, this dude's a giant. Let me make sure I'm ready for that,

you know. But you know, and you know how it is in there, But guys are gonna pump you up the making thinking the next Jordan, and you're like, man, you know, so try that out with the bees and seas as an eighth grader and coach was like, man, you don't need to be here, you guys need to try out with the j B at varsity. Ended up

doing that. Uh that was like you know in the early nineties three and UM made the JV squad And yeah, that was my first beginning of playing who you know at Carson and then you know, got in some trouble at Carson. Um I had to you know, got an o t out fitt stuff in Narbonne recruited to go to the Mingus Hills by coach you know, yeah getting you know what, I was not a classroom guys. I not have grades. One of the reasons why I had to leave Carson because all I did was playing ditch.

I mean, what what what's going on? But why I want to know why. There was about five or five thousand students of Carson, and I mean like Carson was like a mini Balling Hills man or you know, you know, like man, you know the influx of over there in that area. I mean, I'm gonna tell you, man, some of the finest of dimes man coming through there. So and and let me you know, it's very easily influenced at Carson at that particular time. You know, there was

a lot going on. The football was blowing up one in the ninety four. That was actually when I had to transfer out. So you know, I played my my season, my JV season there and ended up finishing out playing War and Norvine after my transferred. So but still would still late you know, Chris Song Dorsey and yeah, still did all of those things. And you know, there was so much talent back there. Man, basketball was so different.

I sell the kids all the time. You had six ten centers in high school and I played what I mean, you had real true position players. The city was kind of like how everybody glorifies the Southern Section that was city basketball, Like everybody had a future pro. Everybody had a future All American. Yeah, it was that it was loaded, and so you know, I think like at the time, I didn't really recognize the college smiths that I had made to even just be a recruit in the area.

I kind of downplayed that, like away was it be one man that was nothing, you know what I mean. So I kind of just you know, I took it for granted and I went to Juco route. You know, played a couple of years of Juco Harbor, West l A. And and then you know what, I was done playing juco um a referee at the time my mom was dating, was like, hey man, you know, if you if you don't love a sport like that anymore, you don't have

anything to get to it. Just stop playing. And that kind of got me to thinking, like, do I really love this game the way I you know, I think I do? Or do I just really do it because you know it's fun? And you know which which one was it? Though? Did you did you love the game? I mean, because obviously you let the game because you're you're a coach, So did you you just didn't like the Was it the process of being a player? The commitment,

the expectations? Talk to me? Yeah, I think that as a young man, you know, if I could look back, you know, and and and really reflect, I didn't have the guidance that a lot of guys had. They had that father figure that reminded them that all opportunities you have to take advantage of. And for me, I was always one of those guys, like because of that whole pressure that you get as a young black male in the inner city community, you kind of get that pressure

like you gotta be top or nothing. You don't get the opportunity to be second place. So, you know, D two n ai A opportunities like that, they didn't really like, nobody really cared about I have. But he's walking away from those all the time and choosing other avenues. That's that's wild because you would think that somebody that's coming out the hood, that people were big up the fact that he's continuing his education, that he's going to college.

Never mind you if it's a D two n i A or Juko, why do you think that mentality was so prevalent in your in your neighborhood. You know, when I think about it, I think a lot of it have to do with the pressure of the community, because you know, the press of the community is always you know, if you don't if you don't make it to the

top level athlete, then you kind of failed. You know, you didn't you kind of let the neighborhood down and let yourself down, and let your family down because there's so many people that are that's and then you and with that pressure comes the pressure to perform. And a lot of times it was the times when you didn't perform to your best that you started to be believed like, well that that's what D two is, if that makes sense.

Like when you didn't, when you weren't on the level of someone who was going to be the one that was gonna go, that was when you was kind of looked at as you know, you you're the failure in the area, like you was used as the person that people were saying on all you remember someone so man,

they underachieved, they didn't get it done. A lot of guys in the community like that, they had the potential to be something great but instead kind of kind of got you know, second and third place, and they eventually got subbed out because they just didn't want to keep going because they couldn't handle you know, all of the scrutiny that was around. You know, you go to the local barber shop on what you're doing now, man, I'm going up in you. Oh man, you man, you were

supposed to be doing this man, while you're not. And when that So that's what led me to the coaching. But end up happening was and it's a crazy little you know, life's are tripped men. You know, it's just a crazy twiss to how things came about the coaching. But my I was seeing a dating the ref at the time. I was kind of figuring out, I'm gonna transfer playing the little Jewicoke did a little Jewicoke thing, um,

and I ended up transferring along Beach State. At the time, it was it was right after so Morgan coach Morgan Hromycuse from Syracuse coach Morgan coach Bargain was the assistant coach. Um there was and I know the other two because what I'm gonna take you What end up happening was I transferred there and a buddy of mine said, you need to become a pete you know, a kininesiology major, but just like an exercise science major. Hard major for sure. Right.

So I'm taking these classes. Um, everything's doing great. Uh. And I would notice that a lot of times the guys were practicing the gold mine. You know, I'll come by boxing. Man. I started copping in the pickup with him, man whooping, and the guys was like, man, I mane, you can hoop. And I made a lot of friends there, and through those friends, those friends led to networking in Long Beach Unified in place like that. So my first uh, stop was at Mayfair High School. So I started at

Mayfair with with the with the children's brothers there. You know, I want to say one was and one wasn't think one that graduated. And I started out there on frosts off and that was when my my mom's reference said, hey, there's an opportunity for you at L. A. Marshall. So when I went to L. A. Marshall at the time, it was it was a coach there. His name was Rod Tangent. Rod Angie was the head coach at Guardina

where we played. He was actually the Asian guy that was at Gardena when we played, and he actually was assistant coach with coach and I at the need Hills. So when I shared the story, he says, okay, I remember coach and I recruiting you in high school. We had a little connection there. I was with him for about four years in the Northern League, which is like Franklin Marshall, Lincoln Wilson, Eagle Rock on that side of town.

So you you understand where I was at. So I got a lot of my you know, coaching fundamentals and background from coach Coach TANGI was still on my staff. So so you're come from that Davia Night tree, come from that tree, from that tree, um, you know, and coach and I is very much connected in that community where I you know, being at Fremont uh during that time. And then of course guys have had a lot of offsprings,

you know, nephews and cousins and they're all connected. And he's actually come in a few times and actually assisted with the program as laid you know so foundation and has helped us out, um you know, just mentoring the guys. So he's coming in several times and mentoring our guys. And uh, the likes of Fidelis Sokarak who's at birth Ridge now, Coachyakamatu is at Santa Clara, Haleb leccown who's

at Eastern Carolina. We got ethelberta Num who's at uh Talladega, which is an Alabama it's top n Ai n Ai school. And I know exactly who Ethew Burn is because he played He played in the real Run this summer and I was and I was actually I did a couple of games on the mic over there, and I remember that name, so I saw ethel Berg get down a

little bit. I was wondering where he came from. So if you remember Ethel Bird, he's the one that that that hit the buzzer beater UH for the championship in two thousand and eighteen when we won that Van Nuys against Van Eyes, the moment hit, the hit the he's the He's the all time hero, that's right, no matter where when he shows up, the King Drew you know, you know whatever. I'm yeah, legendary man and UH one of the most excited games I have a coached in

my career. 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. Well, let me ask you this, all this experience and mentoring, you hear about it a lot. You hear about coaches that are you know, come from or stem from a

certain treat. Just talk a little bit with more specifics about the influence that UM you and I and coach you worked with their Gardina had on you as far as for your basketball philosophy, game planning, program building, or any of those type of basketball related items. I think the thing that I liked about UM the way that they kind of taught our me coming under them and their umbrella was the fact that they spent a lot

of times um character assessing the kids. They were big on kids that played basketball outside of you know, practice, But we do, right. The rat that is what they call it, you know, the first thing they say about a kid when they assess him, and so he's not a rat because when you're a rat, you find ways to win games. You know, you are hustle a guy, you are muscle a guy. You out you you play with a guy's head. You know, you understand that talking

is a part of the game. So you talking to the guy all the time, and the guy's not used to it because he's never seen a player like that. That's a rat just around again, you just out of like being a street guy. You can't take a guy, you know, some guy in the area where there's no crime and take him to an area with his crime. He's gonna vote, he's not gonna be able to understand what's going on. So it's kind of similar to like taking a guy that's a rat and then introducing them

to a guy that has no experience. You know, that's just no substitute for a guy that's a rat, and it helped them. But they're teaching because a guy that's a rat, he gets it right away. Oh the same on Ballline. Oh you just show me something now, I'm gonna get all these steals. A rat is gonna you know, a guy that knows the game and can I set the game, He's gonna understand that right away because he

has a field. You know, this is not a great field. Um. I think that that's where coach and n i success came when he was at the Medias Hills for all those years. Um, and even with coach Tang, we've had our success because he was also able to recognize a kid that actually had it. You know, you either have it or you don't. And that's the problem with sports. You know a lot of times we can see something and we can say, wow, you know that kid could be something. But how many times have that that Have

we've seen a guy like that? Well a lot of times. You know these kids, You see a kid, you see something in the kid, but he doesn't see it in himself, so he doesn't necessarily believe in it. But you see it, We see it. We're basketball people, and then he doesn't have the as you mentioned earlier, sometimes that guidance man, the guidance that voicing his ear to to kind of keep him on the right path. A lot of times

dudes lose motivation because they don't have that. You know, Bundini Brown, if you will, you know Mohammad Ali's hype man. You know, you always need that hype guy, that that makes you believe, believe in yourself, believing your game. Man, it sounds like, you know, people in the neighborhood that you grew up in, they it was a double as source. So you know why, when the going was good, they make you feel great. But when the going gets tough

a little bit, they're gonna be your biggest detractions. And that's okay, I feel like, and you tell me from wrong here. Did that type of surrounding an atmosphere, man, Did that make you stronger in the sense that you you feel you feel like you could pretty much take anything or deal with anything. Yeah, you know what it did, because at some point you have to realize that you can't let people control you, you know, you know, they can't rest spacing your head, you know, And that's exactly

what was happening at that time. And like I said, a lot of that happened because uh, lack of a father figure. You know, I didn't have a mail, and you know, of course my mother would tell me, oh, you know, but when you listen to your mom, you know, you know, you're saying, Mom, you don't really understand, because these dudes really coming hard. You know, you know she understood. But you know a lot of times where we think

when we're young, is I'm the one doing this. I'm the one running these laps and running these seventeens and playing in these games where I relied on to get twenty and thirty and you know what I mean, And and you know, get this look and this opportunity because I remember I ended up going to Superstars camp as a bar yeah, as a junior, going to be a singer, and you know that was where everybody was at, you know, and and that's when you start to realize, you know

what I mean, I'm not as good as I thought I was. You know what I'm saying, Man, it's a trip. It's a trip when you go and see all how many ball players are really out there, and it's and this dudes that be good that you never heard of. They'd be good. They're tall. He's like, God, damn, who is this? You know this crazy? Shoot? Good shoot? I remember I went to Superstars cap Man. It was this dude named Sean Pennington from Hayward, California. Bro. He looked

like l J. Larry Johnson. Bro. He was out here when million he had to. He had the s curl like Tommy Davids back in the day. He had the nice s curl. This dude was up in here win million. I mean absolutely turned it out. But it opens your eyes and let you know, it gives you a good

gage on where you stand. And for me, I know when I got back to the crib and I was running hills, I was doing all kind of stuff working out on the track, I was extra motivated because of that experience right right, and and I think that that did that for me. But it also bought a reality that you know, maybe I need to be more realistic about my basketball journey or I'm at it's a tough. That's a tough. That's a tough And that was that

was that was kind of an eye opener. I think that what I tell the kids now that they have that we didn't have. Is that opportunity only came once. Now every year you look forward to AU season where you have this four or five six months just you see everybody. If you want to see him, you have a choice. Just that was you know what we call that. It was a suicide mission. He was going there one

way and you was gonna come back another way. I mean it was either gonna go there and be that be him or he was gonna come back and be a fan like because you know my boy who passed away and he was solid in high school, Jason Hodges. You know, you know there's a buddy of mine with the Pedro right after Raymond Tuch, he came. His roommate at camp was Jason Terry j And that was when I started to say, danger is that If that's what high major is, I need to go work my ass off.

I got a lot of work to do. And j t ended up doing some great things as we all we both know. And uh, after l. A. Marshall, where did you move on to or what was your next stop in your coaches coaching journey man? Great question? Um. After Marshall, I ended up getting the teaching job so at the time, man, it was so crazy because it was kind of like when that you know, it was like that stage where that was when they just started to just drag teachers, you know, you know, especially in

l A Unified. Oh you know, oh, a lot of underachieving students, yeah scores and you know, they were making teachers take two years extra bits. Uh And I think they still do that. But it was just a lot of crazy things went on, and there were not a lot of jobs. So you know, when there's not a lot of jobs, where do you go to the roughest area. I went right over there to Sampedro and Imperial and uh I put my term my resume and the goppers and uh got a job there in uh oh six

oh seven. And when I got the job there, I served the year before I sewed, before I actually um got the job. There's a guy there by the name of Mr Curry. He's a legendary guy, k c that's what everybody called him. And he used to coach a verb and he knew d d A d A knows coach very well. And he had a little connections and he told me that he had an opportunity for us of Holly Hollywood High School. So we ended up I ended up coaching the year at Hollywood. While I'm coaching

at Hollywood. At the time, they had a tournament at Washington they used to have coach j used to put it on and Locke was there. So Lock seeing me, and somebody kind of introduced me to the coach at the times named Stephen Mennicks, and he said, man, you you the teacher that I've heard heard about the teachers

that college that coaches. He's like, man, I'm ready to resign here, and they're gonna make me the a b over Green Dot because at the time Locke was turning into Green Dot and going away from the district and returning the charter. Like, they're gonna make me a d over these charter schools, and I'm gonna need somebody to replace me. He's like, hop on with me for a year and then I'm gonna, you know, give you, you know,

handing the job. So I coached with him after Hollywood from o eight to oh nine, and then I was at Hollywood from I mean Hollywood. I was at Locked from that time oh eight oh nine all the way to two thousand and fourteen. While I resigned and that was when I had day Beyond Draper at a lock who ended up playing at FIU and at Low Valley. It was a big time star. Man six seven PG was recruited by s c CAL Washington State, Oregon State came in my practice. Man, I was crazy bring having

those coaches. Ben Johnson who was assistant at Washington State at the time, he came down to practice. Uh So, Man Draper was a big time Draper actually plays in Brazil now. He's been a proteer now for about six seven years, so he's he's doing great. So that was like my first star player in the Coliseum League. It was I had Draper there who ended up in f I had Michael Shavers who ended up playing at UH Eastern Illinois. And then when you when look when you

talk like to have players. I want people in my artists to understand this and understand where Locke is, to understand what Gompers is. Understand just kind of the type of guys were talking about. It's on the east side of Los Angeles, so it's it's in probably one of the most destitute areas of the city. It's a school that is under resource underserved obviously, and you and you took a job at a school without a lot of resources. How difficult was that to coach, to develop players and

to build a winner. In a situation like that, it brings me, It brings you, It brings you back to what we talked about in the beginning. You know, it's like I've really discovered how I really love a game, and therefore it gave me this certain love for those

kids because I just wanted to see them succeed. So it kind of like I just became they became like my offspring in a sense, because I just wanted to see them be successful when I've seen the potential and I told them, hey, have you fore we follow this blueprint, we're gonna have a honest success, and you're gonna have a lot of success because guess what, people on this side of town, they're not supposed to get out. And those kids took that conversation and they motivated them, and

they just took it and ran with it. You know. Don Weppo had a son who played a door seat, and I had a kid on the team in two thousand uh two thousand and ten, two thousand eleven. His name was uhlp uh Edward Talbert and he had never dunked in the game and uh Don's son was big time. End up playing in lamar Man. This kid picks up a loose ball, goes down the floor and Don's son jumped and he jumped and he dumped on his son. And they came up with me after the game. He said,

who is that kid? And I said, that's Edward. They're like, man, well, what are you doing over here? And that was you know, and that was just simple, just let's get in the weight room. That's work. Let's work. Let's work, because we've got to outwork people. And I think that the kids had that David and Gelive approach like but people don't understand about David. And the story of David is that before he even fought Goliath, he had already killed the lion and the bear. So killing the liab with the

sings sling shode was nothing. He had already killed two other beasts, but you know with the sling side. So I'm really big on mental, you know, the mental aspect of the life. Nobody can attack your peace unless you let them. And each of those kids that everything is starting in their mind and they got to play with their hearts. That's just what I preached. I don't care about who we have to go take down, who we

have to play. I think that if you can teach kids that they have to be have a mental approach and play with their heart. Man, if you don't have those type of guys, then't you know it's hard to coach. Well, you're you're developing mens. You give them some skills, tools that they can use for the rest of their life. So it's not just about this game or the sport.

What you're teaching them is hard when the time, when times are tough, the tough get going, and that is it sounds like a cliche, but that's just the reality of the people that make it. In the people that don't, it's it's either you do or you don't. So either like you say, like people, you know, someone's gonna control your thinking or control your circumstances, tell you what you're gonna be, or you're gonna be who you want to be. And that's that's just the bottom line with with with

it all. Man. When you at Lock, when you guys had that success and you started getting players, were were their thoughts at any point in that journey at Lock where you're like, man, I need to move on something bigger. My talents will be already to sort of graduate onto something else. Was there a time with that or or would you had been contented standing a lot twenty some years? You know, Man, that's a great question because basketball, but

it comes down to coaching. It's so political. Um because for me it's hard because I'm a teacher, so I've got I've invested so much time in the l A unified. I'm kind of you know, I'm kind of on defence at times because I'm like, if I leave this community and I gotta deal with starting all over with tenure and what if I don't what if they don't like me there? And now I get fired and now I'm only scrambling and I left fifteen years of service behind. So yeah, at at the time then I would think

that a lot. But but the problem was that when I say a lot, the first thing people think I was, Oh, you were with the bad kids or you were kids that don't listen. How would you work with these great kids? You probably would be too tough on them. M You know, it looked at me more as a villain instead of

an asset. So I interviewed for several jobs, but when I would mention where I was coming from, they kind of would kind of ton of death there to it because they thought that I worked with gang members, guys that you know. Even when I was mentioned to them players, they were missing to me, like, oh, coach, we heard about that player. We heard he had, you know, some behavior problems. We heard about the time when you guys

had the Royal Rumba with Crimshaw. Because while I was there in my chair, we had a water coach water Coach. I remember the video. I remember the video. Somebody had the video. Yeah, yeah, we had the Royal Rumba with

with we have with with Crisshaw. So I had a lot of things going, you know with so Bob Rappy Tayson was out there as the you know, because the other day somebody mentioned that because we had a little thing going on at Westminster where when the king Do kids tried to get half and I didn't move, and they said, oh man, and ain't the that ain't the web,

That ain't the lock web. He would have been clearing the floor out, you know, running all over the place for those days and past you know, so going into some of these opportunities that I thought I shouldn't have should have got it, I didn't because you know, I had this reputation of, you know, being kind of like a no nonsense, in your face type of guy that would challenge not only uh my players, but even the opponent.

You know, when I kind of thought that they were on the line, you know you could have you know, you could you know, you kind of I would tell her. You know I have problems with coaches where I would tell them, you know, you kind of created this because you could have kind of let you know, kind of could have let up off. You know, you know, you got the kids chief shotting. You don't think these kids from the East Side go cheap. You know, you bring that to them. You know, you bring that over there,

You're gonna get what you come for. So it was tired and that was it. You know, so you understand how I go. 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. But where where Isn't it a trip? Though? That if you take us when we grew up our era. We

grew up in the person you just described. Somebody that's in your face, somebody that was passionate about his job, didn't take stuff, you know, that type of I wouldn't say disciplinarian, but that type of mentor. That was the mentors that I grew up with, a Crenshaw that I was around my entire life with my dad, his friends, people here, you know, people that you know, talk to me sternly in my face, told me the truth and

didn't pull no punches. But it's it's such it's such a trip to see that that type of mentor would be viewed as a villain nowadays or you know in the future. You know that type of person now or your personality it's just too tough. You know, you you don't acquiesca enough. You don't like, you know, fit in with the crew. I mean it's like, wait a second, hold on, man, Like, do you want to what do you want in this position? Do you want somebody that's gonna,

you know, basically be a yes minute. Do you want somebody that's gonna stand on his own and his awn't own too, and believe and stand for something? Uh? So so anyway, I find that really want I want to talk to you about that because it's kind of off the subject, but I want to give a different assessment of what you're saying, and it's kind of goes to

the NBA level. Break it down, let's talk about it real quick, because I think that it even happens because like sometimes I think in my you know, with the background that I have and some of the success I've had and being around a lot of good people like you uh eto uh d a uh like people that have really in this basketball world. You know, they know

what's going on and know what time it is. Yeah, are in the rooms with these people that make some of these decisions to give people opportunities to make you know, good money. Fact, they go to that guy when things fail. They searched for that guy. You know, you ever watch those movies where that guys were tired, that used to just kill stuff like a Rambo over there somewhere in

a in a in a cabinet and just chilling. When things go bad, they fine get him the kind of like Boston, you know, when Brad Stevens couldn't get things done because they're six seven guys looking at him like, man, you ainte telling us not to control those dudes. Look what happens They bring in the guy that can see what seven you know, God, that's in your face. Then on the back side, he had other issues. That's the

thing that I look at. I'm flawed. I come with stuff and can't you accept that when I come through that door? Are you willing to say, hey, we we know that you do X, y Z, but we're willing to tolerate that if you can get us to this level. I think a lot of time that's where we kind of get that, you know, the whole down, you know, the kind of like no, don't we get we get lets they say they play us down. He's capable, but this is what you have to deal with. So then

you get pushed to the left. Although I feel like I am able and capable to do some of these high profile jobs, I think that I still have to work on other aspects of my professionalism just to at least be able to tolerate some of the things that come with those jobs. Yeah, there are things that come with those jobs that you have to be able to look at except and then kind of turning back on you know, and not have kind of like a voice

on it, you know. No, Yeah, and that's that's part of it, is maturity, and the other part of it is figuring out if that's you know, what you want to you know, be involved with, Like do I want to be that guy that spent twenty years here, turned my head and a bunch of stuff, had to adjust and edit my personality pretty much beat somebody that I wasn't for twenty years, just so I can hold onto this check, get this little notoriety, have these accolades, get

this retirement. I mean, it's just it's it's it happens

all the time. It's a choice that people make. You've seen people O. G. S people before us, and they're gonna be people after us, and then everyone has to make that choice, you know what I'm saying with absolutely, So getting back to what you were talking about with me being a lock, you know, when I was at Lock, when I was getting ready to leave, was how I got connected to who you know very much well, one of your guys, one of your dogs that was in

the fight back then, the Maria Jones. You know, I was able to connect the Maria with of course, how did you get connected to the Maria. So you know, you know another Chris saw Krueger who would probably getting mad if I mentioned it. So I'm just gonna say his initials on here because he he doesn't like to that. Everybody doesn't like to take credit for things with d H. Okay, So d H is the one. Okay, that's what I called my neighborhood here bro find me this local talent

to me. So d H brought the mar to me and me and the Maria, you know, we established a really good relationship while I was at Lock, and uh, you know he we ended up being able to bring him over to Narbonne when I resigned, because although I resigned, I resigned because I had a family matter to having. My grandparents had passed apart, and that was my mom's parents and she was going through it and I had to be there for her family and things like that.

So I didn't want to still be connected coaching, and I wanted to help Themorrow. So I went to Narbonne for those three years and we had some success were you know, actually came with us. Remember I don't know if you remember that. Yeah, I love it. I love I love that team Jamal Hicks. That's it was, y'all beefy. But for those that are familiar with Maria Da Maria Jones went to um Or Roberts, so he and Juco.

But god, that guy's story is so was so amazing because remember De Mario had some initial challenges academically, overcame them, became was eligible. Was like city player of the year just came out of nowhere. One year varsity basketball absolutely turned it out. And then with the Juco route and then you know, I looked then I look up. I swear man, it was like I hadn't heard what was doing for a couple of years and I look up

and he had grabbed seventeen rebounds in the battle. I was like, wait, it was like, you know, Farl Roberts. I was like, DeMar, yeah, man, one of my all time favorite kids. Man, one of my all time favorite kids and was a part of us. Some great things have happened there with all the n C double, a run with the team, you know, the first title, so things that will always be there twenty years, thirty years,

forty years. And he got his degree. I mean he got his degree and and about to get up a Master's anybody to get a masters in the veggest, right, I mean, come on, come on, you don't get no better than that story. That's the story. I need to get his but on here because that's the bottoms of the forties. Man to the to the top of the hill and still and truly someone that came from from that, straight from that without the mud mom, truly trut out the mud dad, straight out the mud man. Lost both

of them lost still, but still kept it moving. He's still stud tall, you know. And uh, does it give you a special sense of satisfaction when you were able to influence the lives of somebody like a Maria or somebody like a Fidelist or any any of your players? Yeah? Doesn't really? Is that why you do it with? You know, I do. I do it for that, but I also

do it for the satisfactor. And I'm knowing that. You know, I've always felt like you earn your stripes here because it's temporary to get to the next level, which is you know, we we we know having our hell you know you are, how you live here is how you graduate to the next level. And I just believe in services kJ That's why It's always loved when I see you because your service at a point, you service to Mario.

You've helped out with his recruitment and getting them connected to and I hope I can say this on here. You know, of course, of course you did him connected to laughing and and and being being kind of like a vessel for an underdog. You know, a kid that kind of got this service through this thing. And uh, you know, you motivate me because if I don't have that connection to you, or we don't have that type

of love for each other, that never happens. You see more guys that turn their death ear on those type of situations than guys that are winning to chump in. We talked about that with like guys Carl Lewis or people turn their back on those potential great grade success stories, then they then they gravitate towards it. And that's why I'm still a Kingdre. People don't know a lot about Kendrew. You know, I gotta say this on the air here. One thing is you don't get a recruited Kendrew. You

get a ninth grader. So the only recruit you can really get is a a top ninth grader, which is very difficult to get in this air. And why can't you get a recruit into Keydrew siver on the like laces they go off system where if you are not Yeah, if you have you have to have sibling credit. Um, you have to you have to be in a cohort as a come into school and leave the school. The same answer. So it's very rare that you can be a tenth grader enter the core because you missed a

portion of what they have. Whether there are better in their curriculum being a medical magnet, wow, we don't. So the success that we've had and I'll tell these tell the kids, and being able to even get a kid to be a Division one player is far very difficult. There's no athletic period there, there's one gym there, there's not multiple ways to develop, you know, the way I would like to. So, so let me ask you this. So it's a medical magnet school? Is the curriculum, King Drew?

Is it? So? The ones of your players, the classes that they're taking. It's pretty difficult in a sense because that very rigorous. Uh damn. Most of the students you know, they're gonna they're gonna definitely be academically inclined, not necessarily athletically incline. If you can get and athletically and academic student student in that school, it's probably a kid that probably wouldn't have went to like Harvard, Westlake or because

that's how academically is there. You know, Like, I have a kid there and I'm not gonna say that he's struggling, but I'm gonna say he's being a child less if that makes sense? Where you know, where he can go to? Maybe I would say Narva and just probably just sit here and I'll be like, man, what are you doing? You know? You know there it's kind of like you know, did you do? You know? As a as opposed to he's not doesn't have enough work, he has too much work.

He if he doesn't stay on top of it, it's gonna pile up and it's gonna basically overwhelmed him. You know. So yeah, it's difficently So tell you the story for that is so Kirk, here's a primary example. But that's what Kirk. When he was a senior Stanford call, he was playing out of his mind. You know, remember how you talking about the two hand volleyball blob. Remember how he was this plan this, he was playing his mind. Then we went on that state run. Well we ended up.

Then they're coming with him one game of going to Sacramento and then the COVID hit right that hit. It made him recruitment blow up because everybody started thinking about the what if you know, what if this? What if that? You know? So because they because Reggie wanted to take him on the y not team at the time, it called me and said, hey, well but we you this

thing don't play out. I want I want Fadellas. So Stanford called and to tell you about the how crazy it is if Fordellas was at Washington with the Stanford because it's transcript with a body probably been crazy. All a's maybe a couple of bees. Kim Drew he had too many seeds. He had a p classes but he had seeds like man because we love to touch him. But he got too many seeds. The school won't a man because in order for Stanford the Gaina Scholarship, you

have to be admitting into the university. So then guess what coach Gibb you know it sounds that Navy he called because they were thinking King Drew. This is a kid that's gonna have uh, you know, immacing and transcript and touch him. That's how he ended up in north Ridge, you know. Uh and the same thing. You know, we're dealt with the you know, we dealt with that with Kocy a little bit. The academic rigor. You know, we're dealt with that with You have to take those type

of classes to be take there like that. Remember how I was telling you the core, Oh, the Core. So you're you're signing up to take the class. You know, can you slapping? Yeah, telling you man, it's slapping up there. You you can play around with it, you know. You you give your food because it's kind of like a it's kind of like a public private school because you know, you got the uniform, you got the nice academic rigor, you know, and it's and it's not in the greatest area,

but the school is safe. They have a no tolerance for everything, you know, drugs, fighting, you know, you do anything out of here, there's no Oh, you know, we're gonna give you another chance. You fight, yaut It called doing this y'all. So you know, it's just in that regard, any kid could go there because if you don't follow

the guidelines you know you're going. So I just wanted to make sure that I said that on this, you know, on your show, just letting people know the success we had has just been it's been really really a Keen Drew kid. It hasn't been he went and got this guy. That not not not that I'm knocking any coach that has that, you know, amenity to do that. 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. Now, we're not not we're not knocking that. But there's also something special about developing a kid from ninth grade on. It's spending those every day for four years and then you guys are winning the championship. You guys are you know, close to winning the City Open Division championship with kids that are basically homegrown talent, right that have that have been all together.

So there's a special sense of satisfaction to that. We don't knock you know, the guys that go get them dogs. I just want to make sure that. But we're big up, but we're big up the Lloyd Websters of the city, of the state of the country that are able to do more with less. So and that's something that I saw firsthand, Lloyd. So look, man, when you first got the job at King Drew, was it two thousand seventeen seasons?

So that season, so I remember, I was doing the real Run Fall League with d ed Linwood, and I remember, you know King Drew. I had never heard of the school. I knew you were coaching, so I was trying to load you up with matchups. You're bringing through the whole program, varsity h j V. I think, you know, maybe and then freshman, yeah, I did. Yeah, if we were and we were more three courts. But I what I remember about you in that program, you had already were instilling discipline.

You guys were creating sort of a reputation, in forming an identity for yourselves. Even back then some of them, you know, you get blown out a lot of the games, but then there's then later like week three, you guys were starting to get in games. Stuff was like you know that that that margin was closed and closed. Then you start snapping some foods, you start knocking off, chipping off some foods like yeah, heat over there at all and act like, yeah, you know it wasn't because the

second week was now now heat over there. Man. It was a great fight. That was That was man, you know. And that's why I say, you know, a lot of the building of the program came with the resources and the and the networking and the good friends and I

made over the years. I don't think that that that just suc sess comes with without having people that kind of like appreciate what you do and they think of you when they want good sound people to come around it, because you know, that's a great venue you guys actually had there, and we didn't want people that are gonna come in and create a great environment in that venue. You don't want people are gonna come and tear it down.

And that's what I appreciated about, you know why when you were there and the things that you were doing, and you and d A and Coach Crow and that he still does. You know, those environments, man, those make guys they understanding and then and it builds a great reputation that will last a lifetime. And that's why I was so adamant about getting on this show, just because you know, we have a relationship man, and stands back

beyond the Marier. You know Mac Compton magic movie over there, with with with with you, with you, with your son, that some great things, you know. Proud of that young man as well. Has you know, been on a nice little journey of his um and uh, you know, like I said, man, I just his his props. Man, you know what I mean. Proud of you, man, But I'm proud of you and I appreciate that where but I'm

proud of you. Man. I wanted to just just talk about the satisfaction man of and I know it was a little bit of sweet last year because to get all the way to the mountaintop and then not to not to achieve the ultimate goal. But you guys didn't. You guys had an amazing showing throughout the entire situation. Talk about though the kids Caleb account was was there was there a disappointment or was there a sense of satisfaction after losing in the city championship last year? You know,

calib Accounms is really just a special player. He's like a once in a lifetime type of player. You know, he came there highly touted. You know, the King Drew and I was just blessed to have him for four years. I just I just can't say enough about him. You know, he's not one of those you know, you know our coaches, they oh, he's just I'm not about to say he's he's he does he did everything right. But I talked about.

What I talk about is like our relationship, like we had a certain level of understandings or whatever I needed for him to do, even if it was something that was gonna hurt him, he knew that it was gonna be in his best interest, so he trusted. Those relationships are just so much better than the ones we have to struggle with somebody because they don't believe what she's

said is true. And that's the only reason why I'm thinking the end we had that success because I want to those type of coaches where you say to me, and we were in a championship, I'm gonna say to you, well, let's go do it, and I'm gonna do everything in my power to put you in position. So Canna put the work in as a player, and I put the work in as a coach, And my job as a coach was to make those other guys believe in his vision. And once they realized, oh he is the one, this

is the way that we need to go. I think that what happens though, And you know this as a player, you've been in these positions. I just you know, I've I've watched you. You know, as a player, you know, um, somebody else has a step up. There's always another long hero. You know, if you talk about the Lakers, you're gonna talk about Shack and Kobe, but then you're gonna bring up Fisher. Sorry, sorry, So I think that that's what

happened this season. We just never had another guy that was gonna separate himself from to be the next guy or the guy that was gonna you know that that guys will remember him, but you gotta remember that kid in the championship. It's just gonna always be came of accounting what didn't happen. You know, we had a couple of guys step up periodically, but never to the point of where we would have been able to take that championship without Caleb. Happened like forty or something crazy, and

then that's having a crazy defensive game. You know what we did come back and he was capable of the definitely capable, But you know what happened during that game, but I don't remember. I don't remember. There was a kid and he's gonna be really good that about three year his name was Donald Thompson. Light skinned. Kid hit about two three threes in the corner when he had about end up, but he ended up with twenty. It

was a portion of the game. He probably hit like two back to back threes and we cut it to like probably like about eight. It was about four or thirty four left, and Jacob came down caleus brother and he tried to go underneath instead of kicking it back out, and that would have put us down five for the warning because the momentum, you know, basketball, is that moment. They would have went down and they would have felt that pressure as they used to say that booty get tight.

It would have ended up doing something crazy and we would have went back and cut into two. What she cult of the two and you gotta start like the count you know what time? You know, that's when we kid the whole time. All of those games came down to the fourth quarter. He at his age, we was down six with about three thirty left, right, I said, you know what, man, it's been a great season. Man, I love you guys. Garless. That little dude said what we he was we what came out? Stole the ball?

He went down like he was gonna go to the basket. Pomp back out, three down, came back down again, deal, come back down down the three ball tied it up. Now we tied up. Crowd how his own hushbold, what just happened? And guess what that was? Like two thirty left to go in the game and its signed up, So it's like zero zero. Here we go. Now that's still lay up. Step back for another three, go up, it's over. He's start, he's around there. We do you

know we have to go over the town. Oh they dick A J. Johnson and and the big lefty you know, yeah, he was cold and they had another little nothing little slicer and diicer. Oh. I'm like, man, you know, let's see what happens. You know, they come out on fire twelve on't run boom, they pin pinned down a j. They crowd said, who's King Drew? Who's King Drew? Sudden he started do you high screening? They seen anohing woom. He started looking at them talking to the boom doing

the Kobe. The know he comes, they see y'all know, man, I got me up six three to go. Then we went up twelve. We got crazy. They were so concerned. Man, we came up at a point. I mean, once we reversed the ball, guys can just walk to the basket. We just had guys, they just got They had like three guys trying to guard. He need just out there and then he just you know, he's a point guard. So he just cutting cut through the your gap and boom, I'm gonna got cutting him. Yeah. Man, that was the

number one seed seed. But I don't think people talking about enough is we took out the number one seed. People would never really understand that cage. How difficult that we didn't take it. We didn't meet at the house at the house house there. They were number one seed and we took them out at their house. That's a huge win. In front of the head coach from Cow that's a huge win. Yeah, he was there. He's like, man, you got tough man. You know. I don't know if

you know that guy used to be at Georgia. Yeah, Mark, Mark Fox, there you go, that's his name. That's it. So So how do you after last season's sort of just hyes, how do you come down to earth and prepare for this season life without Mr lacun Bro. How do you again get back to where you were last year? Win the commers in the league and then win or at least making fun of for the city. Man, that's gonna be tough. It was tough last year. It's never easy.

You know, it's not easy. It's it's there's no but man, I lay my hat on what Floyd Mayweather and and and you know, and Baltimore Ravens and and all these other top top you know, teams that live their legacy behind defense. I lay my hat on that. I don't believe that you when it comes down to a war, it's them dudes is willing to get dirty. It's nothing more dairy than defense. Hardcore. You can you can, you can. You can turn a lot of guys off being physically

defensively on this old school like that. Man. I remember Chris all games. Man. You know what, when I remember playing, we played the time to play Christial you know that would be on the schedule. I tell kids back when we play, we only played seventeen games a year. You know, I've got to get to play twenty eight. They don't believe that. Like if you try the kid kJ that you want to play seventeen games. Actually, how did you get to u c L A player? Don't even saying

that's how we was hoping. That's how we was hoping. We was hoping. That's even team game was in blood like he was doing. So what I remember all the time is how much you heard after those games as it was physical. And I tell the kids all the time, I said, that's what people remember after the fight, the recovery. Think about it when you're fighting. It's when you wake up. That's what you said. I want to fight that dude no more. I hope I don't never see him again,

you know what I mean. But you don't think about that when you're fighting. You know what I mean, You're just trying to win. It's after you start saying, damn, I gotta not right here, Hey, I gotta no not back here, start feeling stuff. You didn't know, my arm kind of feel kind of funny, man, swinging it were wrong way, you know. So that's the type of things that I tell the kids. If it hurts, you know, you've been effective. That's not hurt you. Then you didn't

do anything. You just out there going through the motions. If you don't hurt after a basketball game, kJ, you didn't do that, what did you do? Like if you don't feel no pain, you don't gotta scratch, you don't got a little not you don't got a little You didn't really get in the fight. Yeah, you're not doing something. You're you're not in the mix. And that's the hardest

thing to tell these players. Now, you want to know the hardest thing it is to tell these guys as a coach, you can never ever ever that's your effort. You can't measure it. You can't measure effort because your effort in my effort is different, your idea of effort, year, your idea, you know what I mean. Like everybody has this perception of I'm doing hard. You are to play with a dude like that, and you are not going hard.

You are you are not. You will tell you they go to stop it, dude, you already know you know you just had to do. They used to just hang out right there at the top and just guard the top so you can take off a I'm kidding out here, Bro, you ain't doing nothing. You know what you're doing this standing in front and let the guy go by. We're playing all the d you know, So just saying I just say that the same like kids just believe they

play so hard. Now, man, I bet you if you talk to some of these guys after these games and you interviewed them, he say, hey, let me talk to for hello on the on the scull of one and tea, and how hard you think you played? I guarantee you they're gonna say a team. They're not gonna And if you tell them but I'm getting you're five, man, they're gonna say, are you crazy? Man? Hater? You're hating hut out to like Mikey or tell that to these guys that are Feenis Man, they think you're crazy, you know.

And and and a lot of people will say, man, don't they just don't believe a lot of these guys play hard. You know, they just don't. I don't. I don't really see kids playing as hard as I used to. You know, I used to see kids that really really played hard. They may have not has been as talented, but they definitely played the game hard. Yeah, I can agree these guys nowadays, they got all the bills and whistles, they got the skill set, they got the between the legs,

behind the back step back trip. But but but but they you know, do they are they tired? Are they do they have to come out? Do they have to come out the game because they are just going so hard that they just need to blow or they coming out the game because you know they just chilling. I'll tell you what. The kid, a kid that plays hard. H this kid, Marcus Adams out of North Bonne. I don't know if you see he plays hard. He plays hard. Absolutely that that kid plays hard. Bro Man, I'm gonna

tell you right now. And he's dangerous. And I had to call Coach Hill the other day and uh say, man, you know Coach Hill have been riding the raven about himself somebody right because you know he he had he had left it came back. I saw that. So you know, he'll been telling guys about him, you know, and uh, the E took a liking to him early, you know, because you know that you know He'll and the are pretty close, and he took a liking to him early and saying, you know, you know, coach, I believe it,

and you know the rest is history. So the A gonna laugh. You know, yeah, the A already knew what time it was. You know what I'm saying something, And you're talking about a guy that you know, no nobody has done more in the community than than d A. Man. Shout out the d A. Anthony Linkston. Yes, sir, the man big time in the community. Yeah, he loves he does it for the love man. He he doesn't care. He didn't care about anything but helping. I mean, he's

a he's a great influence. He's somebody that we all looked up to, a big old g that does things the right way and keeps it real at the same time. That's what I love about d A all the time, man, all the time. Man. And guess what, man, all right, A man of his word. Facts you're not don't don't don't don't don't don't, don't don't go at d A. If you're not a man of your word, Yeah, get

the shout. I'll tell you guys out there, man, let let the O g B. If you're not a man of your word, let the use We all let you go. Sure we keep that you know all right, you know, yeah, yeah for sure, Man, protect the a well coach Webb. Man, I appreciate you taking the time today brother to hop on kJ live. Man. It's been a true honor blessing to talk to you today. Bro. I love this conversation

and uh, I love what you're doing. Man. I love the commitment that you have to teach you that you have to the game and that you have to catch to help him the next generation kids. Man, It definitely it definitely resonates and you we can really sense that you truly mean every word you say, my brother, Man, I appreciate the conwerse kJ Man. Thanks for having me, Man, and you know already know, Man, I'm a sieve you down on line champion, Yes, sir, I appreciate you, ladies

and gentlemen. Lloyd Webster signing off Man, much love, peace,