October 8, 2023 • 44 mins
Doug is joined by NC state Point Guard Michael O’Connell to discuss getting recruited as an 8th grade lacrosse player by Maryland, his decision to play basketball at Stanford, why he chose NC State as his grad transfer destination, his expectations for the season, and if he would consider transferring again.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Hey, what, I'm welcome in. I'm Doug Gottlie. This is
All Ball. Got a great guest on this podcast, so
as we would creep closer to college basketball season, we
have a lot of interesting stories and if you have one,
or if you are one, hit me in the DMS. Dude,
I'm on X all the time. When I say X,
(00:27):
you know it's Twitter. Whatever. Anyway, my guest in this
All Ball is Michael O'Connell. Now you're like, who's that?
How do I know that name? Well, there's lots of
people with that name. This one in particular was an
absolute superstar, absolute superstar. Michael O'Connor was as a lacrosse player.
(00:48):
In fact, his brother played lacrosse at Maryland. He committed
as an eighth grader to playing lacrosse at Maryland. How
do you become the starting point guard of Stanford? And
oh yeah, by the way, how do you end up
up at NC State? It's all part of this week's
All Ball. Take a listen. Okay, so obviously athletic family, right,
(01:13):
you grew up in where in New York? Lowland, New York? Okay,
so Long Island is home to a lot of things,
but it is the lacrosse mecca of the of the universe?
Is that accurate? I?
Speaker 2 (01:29):
You know what, I'd be confident in saying that we
got a lot of great players that have come out
and went to college and done some great things.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
So I'll take pride in that one. Yeah. Okay, So,
like you're growing up, you're I don't know, twelve years old.
Twelve year old Michael Connell, what is your sports calendar
like in terms of what sports you're playing? Twelve years old?
I mean I was involved in a lot of sports.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
I was playing basketball, football, lacrosse, baseball, soccer.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
I even wrestled for a little bit.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
So I mean day to day I was pretty busy
with either different workouts, practices, and on the weekend just
going back and forth from playing, you know, two lacrosse
games in the morning to two basketball games in the
afternoon or all just constant sports and constant chaos in
a sense. But that was great, Yeah, and it's helped
me developed all my skills to this day.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
So so when did you kind of when did you
cut it down? When did you start to kind of specialize?
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Yeah, I think I think high school I kind of
I cut it down to the three sports basketball, football,
lacrosse and just kind of focus on those because they
were all different seasons for like for school at least,
so I just I'm mainly focused on those two, and
then after my sophomore year, I focused more on just
basketball lacrosse to finish out high school.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
What's the lacrosse's club season like? Or what what's what's
club lacrosse like? Club lacrosse is all year round.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
There is really no like off season in a sense
because even in even in the winter, your training constantly.
That's when a lot of the practices are and there's
a lot of indoor stuff and there's like more individual training.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
But fall you got a few tournaments.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
Spring you have a lot of tournaments, and then even
the summer you're going to different tournaments and showcases and
things like that.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
So it's definitely an all around your sport. What position
in football football is quarterback? Yeah? Your quarterback? Point guard?
And then what's what position did you play in lacrosse?
I was in midfielder for lacrosse, Okay, So and is
that like the most glamorous position like quarterback and point
guard is? Uh?
Speaker 2 (03:35):
It depends what you ask, but I'd probably say, attack
is a little more of that because you're more of
a goalscorer midfield that you're playing more offense and defense,
and so it depends what you're asking, but probably attack
is a little more of the glamorous like highlights assist
than goal scoring.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Okay, So what were you actually best at? Were you
better at lacrosse than at basketball or were you better
at basketball lacrosse? Tough question. I don't I don't really know.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
I mean, it's such a such a different, different pool
of players, it's hard to really compare and where I
was at. But maybe basketball I would say I was
definitely better at There's just a lot more people playing basketball,
so it's a lot more competitive.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
But I'll go with I was a again. And maybe
this is just you know, having lived in Connecticut and
known a little bit about lacrosse game, like, it does
feel like locally it would be you know, it would
be kind of you know, nationally, obviously more guys play basketball,
(04:38):
but locally, you know, it feels like that's super super
high level. Right, Okay, But what's more, what was more
fun to play?
Speaker 2 (04:50):
That's again that's another tough question. I mean, it's they're
such close to. I mean, they have their differences, but
they're such close games that they're I mean, I love
playing both. I mean I wish I could play both
in college. That would have been a great thing to do.
I mean, it was hard to give up lacrosse. But
I don't know if I can really pinpoint which one
is more fun to play. That's really a tough question.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Okay, So could you, like you originally committed to Maryland
to play lacrosse. When was that.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
I committed. It was the summer going into freshman year
of high school, so I was committed a little after
eighth grade.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Eighth grader and you commit to Maryland lacrosse where your
brother played, yep, So what was what was that process? Like?
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Yeah, that was I mean that was just the like
the kind of the culture of lacrosse at the time
before they changed the rule to now. I think it's
they can't contact you until like the June first to
junior or something like that. But I mean that was
just that was the reality of it. That you know,
at all of your tournaments seventh grade, they were watching you.
Eighth grade they were watching a lot more because that
summer going into high school, a lot of people started to,
(05:54):
you know, get recruited heavy, and then they sort of
have offers thrown out towards them. So it was definitely
interesting because I mean, I knew where I was going
to college too as I was figuring out where I
was going to high school, So it was definitely something
that it was great.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
I mean, I can't complain.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
I was committed to one of the best, if not
the best lacrosse schools in the nation at the time,
So it was a great feel for sure.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
Take take me through the process of deciding on a
high school. What was that like. It was definitely tough.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
But my local local private school is Shamu High School
and it's five minutes from my house. My brother went
there and they have the great lacrosse. They're known for
great lacrosse. And then the basketball program was pretty good too,
so and then I ended up coaching staff there obviously
through my brother, and it just felt like the right fit.
Great education, good basketball, great lacrosse. So it just felt
(06:45):
like the right, great situation, right fit, especially being that
close to my house.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
So when you're when you're like a high school freshman
and you're committed to Marilyn Lacrosse did you have a
target on your back when you're playing early in high school?
I would say I would say little bit.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
You know, guys are definitely gunning for you, trying to
prove themselves that if oh, this guy's committed to Maryland,
I should be committed to a school or committed to
Maryland to something like that. But I think also the
kids I was playing in high school with were also
on my travel team growing up, and they were also
getting a lot of looks, and some of them were
even they were even going on their visits and getting
committed a little bit after. So it wasn't it wasn't
(07:22):
too too much of that, but you definitely seen when
you went to like the tournaments and showcases that kids
were had a little bit had a little more of
an edge towards you when they were playing you.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
So when did you decide, Hey, maybe I don't want
to play lacrosse in college.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
Yeah, I don't. I don't know if it was ever
I don't want to play. It was just the opportunity
for basketball, and that kind of that kind of came
late after. I mean probably it was COVID. It was
like the COVID summer when it first hit. I just
graduated where I was in the midst of graduating, and
there was everything going on. They had kids from getting
(08:01):
an extra year of eligibility, so the freshman class was
getting an extra year coming back. There's a new class
coming in, especially for lacrosse, so there's gonna be lots
of people. I mean, it was gonna be the team's
gonna be Usually they're like fifty sixty guys. Now they're
gonna be close to like seventy.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
And up. So it was it was an interesting decision
at the time.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
There's a lot going on, especially during COVID, but I
got the opportunity to coach, reached out to my high
school coach from Stanford, and I had the opportunity to
play college basketball, and especially at you know, one of
the top universities in the country and then maybe even
the world. So it's it's kind of hard to pass
up on that, especially as sad to say, it's sports
do end at one point, but your education and your
relationships last forever.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
So why I go to Blair because you mentioned Shamanan
right down the street.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
But then you go to Blair, Why, I mean, just
the opportunity there for basketball lacrosse. It was just felt
right at the time. Yeah, at the time, it was
a good opportunity for me. I know, my coaches from
my Shama are pretty they're kind of pushing me to
kind of go way too. Oh they were, Yeah, they
were super supportive. I mean, I'm still close to them
till this day. I talked to them all the time.
(09:05):
I was actually just texting texting both of them yesterday,
I think or two days ago. So, I mean they've
been super grated through everything there, and they were, Yeah,
they were super helpful and positive towards me making the
jump and taking that next step towards Blair and then
I did. I was. I mean, I'm super grateful for
that opportunity for basketball across and then just the relationships
I've built to this day.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
So you're in so you're so, you're in Jersey, You're
two weeks in your lacrosseas I just get down with
hoops and what do you like? What do you remember?
I'll give you my personal and then you can take
me through yours. So I was the day before I
had guest hosted Colin Calvert's show Good and I remember
(09:48):
walking out today it's on the Fox Lot. It's a
big like TV set. I remember walking out and one
of the guys is like, he's not he's kind of
an executive, but he's really connector between the executives and
the shows. And I was like, you know, I kind
of think we need to talk about this coronavirus thing.
He's like, dude, we're a sports show. Like people don't
(10:11):
want bad news. I was like, yeah, but I don't know,
like everybody's saying it's going to start to affect sports
at some point. He's like, well, when that happens, we'll
talk about it. Right. I literally I walk out there,
and then that night was the Rudy Gobert thing, right,
and then they and the gang got canceled. The night
before was the Rudy Gobert thing whatever with the microphone,
(10:31):
and then or maybe I don't know, then the game
gets canceled. And then I'm driving to Lax and this
is like all time I'm a dumbass type of thing
where I'm driving and I get a text from my
boss because I'm going to cover the Big Ten tournament
and it says turn around, and I thought my boss
(10:52):
was behind me in the car, behind me. Where are
you like, no Big ten tournament's been canceled, Like no,
I was just watching the Big Eastern of it first half,
you know, because they played one half of a game
John's game. Right, Yeah, I was. I was at that game.
I was at that game. Good, right, because you're now
your dad went to Saint John's.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
Right, Yeah, my brother, my brother was actually yeah, he
was a part of the team at the time.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
Oh okay, okay, so so yeah, I mean it's the
craziest shit ever. Yeah, all right, So where were you
when things started to shut down?
Speaker 2 (11:26):
I mean, I guess that's the perfect example. I was
at that Saint John's game. I forgot who they were playing,
but I remember I went up to get like snacks
and like a drink at halftime, and as we're about
to come down, and they just said games canceled, got
to go home, and I was we were just like
what And then the whole place, the whole place, everyone
had to leave, and I just went home. And then
(11:47):
everything began to really shut down from there, from all
the sports seasons and the tournaments.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
And stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
Then it was it was just wild because it's just
like everything just stopped and everything just ended.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Like that, did you go to Blair to get your stuff?
Did you just stay home? Like? What'd you do?
Speaker 2 (12:01):
So I was and I was home for a little bit.
They wouldn't let anyone on campus. I was able to go.
I think like a month and a half later. I
had to make sure obviously I was wearing a mask.
I was away from everyone and kind of just went in,
cleared out my stuff, and then.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
Just left there was That was it? So what did
you do? Like, what were you what were you doing
during your days when things were shut down?
Speaker 2 (12:22):
I was mostly just in my driveway just I had
a hoop in my drive so I would just be
like outside shooting. I'd go in my backyard and like
work out with my brother. That was That was kind
of the things we had to do, you know, I
mean playing games aside, like card games or video games
with each other.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
Like there was not a lot to do.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
But at the same time, I was also trying to
figure out my next move for college. And that's that's
when obviously I commit to Stanford.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
And then so who, so who is who reached out?
Who called you first?
Speaker 2 (12:49):
I reached out to me. He was Adam Cohen. He's
currently coaching at the Xavier right now. He reached out
and he was like, hey, man, we're super interested. I'd
love to like build a connection and start talking more.
And then that was like the first call initially, and
then we began to call, I think every two days
something like that. He was just checking in talking about
I want to get on a whole zoom call with
the whole coaching staff, get you on a call with
(13:11):
the coach house. And then because I couldn't go on
a visit, that was a tough thing because obviously, yeah,
you were allowed to really travel like that. I had
to do like a zoom visit FaceTime showing me around campus.
And then I committed, and then it was going out
there I think early August.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
So you you get out there early August, but things
are still and it's northern California, still kind of shut down.
What was that was that first year experience? Like on
the farm?
Speaker 2 (13:42):
Yeah, it was interesting. I first I first got out there.
I went a little early too, just to kind of
get a better feel for everything, even though it was
shut down.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
And two of my.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
Other freshman classmates at the time, one was already out there,
one was coming out there with me, But we were
in a hotel right next to campus where not see
each other. Weren't really like we weren't really hard to
hang out. We could grab food, but it had to
be outside if we're eating together, and we were doing
we were doing workouts, and we were doing weights because
you were allowed with the time if it was outdoors.
(14:12):
So we were on like random outdoor courts on campus
that were like some of them were slanted, some of
the rims were tilted, like getting shots up.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
And then the team finally came a full team and then.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
We did the same thing, but we were actually practicing
on tennis courts outdoors. They brought the hoops out on
the tennis courts, so it would be in the early
mornings before it got really hot, and then later at
night we'd do like workouts and that was pretty much
a whole like preseason and like fullball.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
What was so? What was that? What was the school
experience like at Stanford during that first year.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
I mean, it's it's not what you expect obviously it
would be in a freshman college because everything was online.
No one was on campus really besides the athletes that
were there. People that like worked at the university, so
it almost seemed like a ghost town a lot of
the year until the springtime when people were allowed to
back on campus, so then it started to fill up
a little bit, but not too much, but it was
(15:08):
I mean, it's just like a ghost town, is the
best way to explain it, because no one's there. It's
a huge campus and just like no one walking around
or no one driving around.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
Right, and it's just it's a beautiful campus and super cool,
especially when everybody's there. Yeah, right, Okay, So then fast
forward to your second year and then what's that like
when all of a sudden you're at the same place,
but now it's actually popular. Yeah, I mean it was incredible.
Speaker 2 (15:33):
I mean it's a beautiful campus, beautiful area, and now
you get to see more and have that more of
a feel of like college life where you're walking around
seeing people, meeting people and classes, shitting next to people,
introducing yourself, kind of building those relationships, which is like
one of the good things about college. You know, it's
great in all to play obviously play basketball and get an.
Speaker 1 (15:51):
Education, but you love to meet people.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
You love to build those relationships and have that like
human interaction, which was nice after a year of just
being quarantined in your room day.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
Was there ever a point where you're like, man, you
can play lacrosse? No, No, I mean, listen, I was
super grateful I'm doing.
Speaker 2 (16:10):
I'm playing a college sport at a university where I'm
getting a great education. So it's kind of hard to
be like down to myself during while during COVID, I mean,
I was looking at the upside of it is, you know,
I had this opportunity that not a lot of people
are going to have, So I'm just going to make
the most of it, even if that's a little bit.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
Right now, Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk
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FSR to listen live.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
You mentioned the education piece, and it's interesting because it's
always something that's that drove me and I do think
it's a huge but in this era of college athletics,
it's not. It's never been focused on by some people.
It really feels like it gets minimized. But you live
(17:02):
the reality to it. Right in reality, what what percentage like?
Stanford feels like a place where most of those guys
are in it for they want to hoop, maybe maybe
make some money playing hoop, but also the education and
connections piece is important. What's the reality to it when
you're at Stanford in terms of valuing that education piece. Yeah,
(17:24):
I mean I think I think you hit it right
the head.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
That's people are there because they love basketball, but at
the same time they realize best is not gonna last
forever and they want to be as best prepared as
they can be for the future. And I mean there's
so many different like Avenue because you can go in
terms of like majors and stuff like that, if it's
finance or economics or computer science, stuff like that. So
(17:50):
the guys coming in, we're interested in those things, and
this is a great school that had had that to
offer while also playing powerfy basketball at the highest level.
So you were just you're surrounded by people that love
that and want to be a part of that, even
if it's really tough at times to balance those lifestyles,
but you're surrounded by people that want to do that,
So it makes it a little easier when you're in it.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
Once you guys went back on campus, what percentage of
your classes were in person? What percentage were online.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
When you're at Stanford, I think once they established we
were back on campus, obviously ninety percent of the classes
were in person. We just had to make sure we
were a lot of people had a six more spaced out,
or you were like wearing masks in classic the typical
things you got to do. But they tried to They
tried to make sure like you were getting that real
experience and everything you were paying for in the sense
(18:39):
that you're going to be in class. You there's a
professor in front of you in e lecture hall taking
notes kind of thing like that.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
So so you in terms of prioritizing time and academics,
what's it like because I bring it up because there's
a lot of college basketball players and I'm sure now
at NC State where those dudes that ever step on
aug right, it's all online. So you can you know,
you can go to the academic center, or you can
(19:05):
do it from your from your dorm or from your apartment,
and you can fit in your day and you can
have your workouts and your practice and all that other stuff.
But at Stanford, and this is I think the big
challenge to Stanford, Northwestern, Duke, Notre dame like, hey man,
we're doing real classes, we got real homework. You got
to really how did you prioritize your time? What was it?
(19:26):
What was the day?
Speaker 2 (19:27):
Like, Yeah, I mean a lot of your a lot
of your obviously your school working class work was going
to be based around basketball and your schedule. So once
you once the coaches establish what you're gonna be doing
for the weight room, conditioningwise, and then obviously on the
court stuff or you're in film, then you were able
to enroll in classes, figure out around that schedule what
you can take, what you couldn't. But your days were
(19:48):
pretty much basketball in school. Social life was minimized in
a sense, like you definitely still had some, but it
wasn't It wasn't easy to really have a big social life.
If you wanted to excel on the court and in
the classroom, you know, you had to you got to
give up something a little bit, and that was kind
of what a lot of us had to do for
(20:09):
like right now, it might not be what you want
to do, but in the long run, it's the best option.
So like you're waking up, going to practice early in
the morning, then you're going to class, then you're getting
food and then in between your next lift or work out,
you're doing homework or you're you know, studying for your exam.
Speaker 1 (20:26):
Go in your lift or work out, leave it doing
more work.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
I mean, that's just it was just a constant back
and forth between you know, basketball and education.
Speaker 1 (20:35):
Had you ever been on a team that lost before? No,
not that I can say. So what's that like? I mean,
obviously it's it's not it's not ideal. It's not what
you want.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
I mean, you winning. Everyone wants to win, and that's
what you're there to do, is just you know, win
games and play your best game. But at the same time,
you got to realize it's not like you're playing at
a local you know, in a local gym.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
You're playing them, dude, I understand. But like I had
never lost before I went to Note. I went to
Notre Dame my freshman year, and you know, we end
up tied for last in the New Big East that
first year in the Big East. You know, we're well
below five hundred. I think we're like ninety eighteen or something.
I mean, it was, it was it was rough and again,
(21:24):
like you come from I mean, like all of us
come from high school programs where you're losing two or
three for you know, max seven or eight games in
the year. Emotionally, what what what was that? What was
that like for you as the team's point guard espec.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
Yeah, I mean I take it. You definitely take a
lot of ownership for it. I mean as as like
the team point guard and leader out there. You you know,
you take a lot of You carry a lot of
that weight on your shoulders when you're trying to get
your team to win and over that hump of you know,
you might lose.
Speaker 1 (21:53):
Two games in a row. But the thing is you can't.
Speaker 2 (21:55):
You can't really you can't really let it affect your
next play in your next game. If I if I
sit there and just soul ca and be like, who
was me? You know, life's hard to be lost two games,
then we're never getting it. We're never winning another game,
especially if I'm the point guard and the leader on
the team. So especially being in that position, I got
to be the one who's you know, more confident. I
got to be uplifting guys when they're down, Like I
(22:16):
gotta I gotta not worry about myself that much. I
got to worry about the rest of the team and
everyone else in the sense of if I just sit
there and focus on myself, other guys are gonna do
the same thing and we're all just gonna we're just
going to collapse. But I had to make sure even
when tough times, I'm looking out towards the other guys
that hey, man, you're good. Let's get the next one.
Hey we lost this game was bounce back and kind
(22:36):
of being a leader in that sense and just helping
lead guys through the darkness.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
What is the best thing about playing for Stanford.
Speaker 2 (22:47):
I mean, there's a lot of great things, but I
would say I would say just the chemistry we had.
I think I don't know if I played on a
lot of teams that had chemistry close to it or
like it. We were. We just knew exactly what each other,
I like to do, where we want to get shots.
We played well together, We communicated extremely well. No one
ever took anything personal. No one was like if I
(23:08):
was yelling at him to you know, next time, cut
back the door or something like.
Speaker 1 (23:11):
No one took up personal.
Speaker 2 (23:12):
We knew where we were coming from, and it was
coming from a place that we all want to win
and we need to work together to achieve that. So
I think our chemistry and the way we communicated was
one of the best things we had on the court.
Speaker 1 (23:26):
So you graduated in the spring, yes, okay. So you
graduate and you got a world of possibilities. Right, I'm
sure you can go and get a job. You could
probably go and continue playing somewhere overseas and start making
some cash. You go to do La Cross, okay, or
you can go play basketball. Take me through the process
(23:48):
of how you decided to keep playing basketball.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
Yeah, I guess, just like I said before, one day
it ends, and it's hard. It's hard to know that
when I still got guess in the tank, that i'd
just be walking away from it.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
Wait, whould you lose you last year in the in
the pack Feld Tournament Arizona? Okay? So you lose to
Arizona games over right? Like in your mind at that point,
what what what's your thought process on other than I
got to get back home right whatever? Like you what
were you actually thinking? I don't know if there was
one specific memory.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
I guess it was just the fact that you know,
you got to keep working and just get better. I mean,
there's no there's nothing really.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
I know, but you could. You could have gone back, right, Yeah,
could have gone back. Okay, you could you could again
lacrosse whatever, Like, are you thinking like, did I gotta
get out of here, I can get I gotta try
something different. Were you thinking I got it, maybe I'll
do lacrosse. Are you thinking maybe I'll take some time off?
Like what were you really?
Speaker 2 (24:43):
Oh no, No, At the moment, it was more just like
we were we were so close, like towards this end,
like we got to get better. That was it. I
mean there was no there was no thought like outside
of Stanford or basketball. I mean it was you know,
we we struggled throughout the year and no one ever
wants to do that. You know. We we beat we
won the first game where like close game with Arizona.
(25:03):
We obviously beat them during the year, and I was
just took on and said, like I need to get
better personally for us not to have this feeling again
this early in the season.
Speaker 1 (25:12):
So okay, So then what was what? What what made
you make the decision to put yourself in the portal?
Speaker 2 (25:19):
Yeah, I think one of the biggest things was like
I had the chance to graduate and then just you know,
taking that next step coming a little closer to home
I've been. I've been on the other coast for three years,
haven't really seen my family much. I haven't seen friends
really at all. I think that was just, you know,
the opportunity for that. It's tough to have, you know,
(25:39):
it's great to have one of my last year or
two that if I can have people I now care
about closer to me and at my games, something great
and then just a new opportunity.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
So did you do an actual visit this time or
you do another zoom?
Speaker 2 (25:52):
No, I did an actual visit. I came out. I
don't remember the exact date, but I came to campus
on like a Friday morning, stayed through the weekend, and
I just it was I just it felt it felt right,
you know that everything from the play style, the coaching,
the facilities, the campus, it just it felt like the
right fit for me.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
Yeah, but there's no like you're talking polar opposites, right,
I mean, you go from the farm, which is beautiful, isolated,
private northern California, to stage school, middle of a big city,
right down the road from down the road from Duke,
which is a lot more like a Stanford, right and
everything is everything is different. What's that adjustment like considering
(26:34):
it's so different even though it's in the same sport
at the same level.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
I mean, you just got to like just embracing where
you are. You know, it's not not comparing, like really
comparing the campuses. I feel like if I get caught
up and comparing, oh the Stanford, this campus is better
than this and this or this program is better than this,
like you fall into that like cycle of just negative thoughts,
but just being like grateful for where I am in
the sense of like, well, I'm at a new opportunity
(26:59):
state school, like more kids on campus, you know, bigger
camaraderie around sports and things like that. So it was
just being grateful for I am at the moment.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
Okay, what what's what's it like team wise, what's what's
that group like? Because also different from Stanford is now
you have a lot of guys that are, you know,
moving in moving out Stanford. Obviously there's not as much
movement with the portal. What's that been like being a
new guy but also having other new guys around.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
Yeah, I think having a lot of new guys honestly
has made it a little easier because if you're if
you're coming into a team that already has twelve dudes
a all know each other, have been hanging out for
two or three years, you feel like the auto man
out a little bit. But coming into a team where
everyone's new, then from day one you're you're you're almost
forced into building relationships because you're going to be asking
(27:51):
questions about where it guys are from, what their programmers like,
you know, what they're like kind of thing. And since
everyone's constantly doing that because we have I think eight
new guys, it makes it a little easier I think,
honestly than coming to a team that's already been established
for a few years.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
What's the most enjoyable part of NC State so far
to you?
Speaker 2 (28:13):
I think campus life has honestly been super nice in
the sense of the support around sports is it feels
a little bigger and from like the fan base and
actual students.
Speaker 1 (28:24):
I think that's been really nice.
Speaker 2 (28:25):
Where Stanford, they had to we had pretty good support,
but kids were a little more focused on They were
focused on like their school and their startups and stuff
like that.
Speaker 1 (28:32):
Where the Stanford, I know, the Stanford thing is weird
because if you go back to when I was playing,
that was the best basketball environment in the Pac twelve.
It really was.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
It was great.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
And overall, as you know, the Olympic sports are still
an incredibly high level, but it just feels like everybody
kind of does their own thing now, right whereas now
you're at a state school where it's all about state,
all about the sports and people. Is that is that fair?
You lived it, I'm just kind of an observe No. No,
(29:04):
you know, you're definitely right.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
I think like one of my one of my roommates
this past year at Stanford, he was working on the startup.
So he came to I think maybe one game throughout
the whole year, and he like would keep up to
date with the box scores, but he's like he's worrying
about doing his startup that He's like, I'm not going
to go to a sports game, which is.
Speaker 1 (29:22):
I mean super What was the start What was the startup?
Speaker 2 (29:25):
I don't even I don't remember. Something like private equity firms.
He was trying to build like spreadsheets for them to
make it much easier to organize everything. I think it's
still in the works right now, but but yeah, that's
that's what a lot of kids are doing. So they're
putting all their time and focus and empstace on that.
They're not going to come to games sometimes where kids
could be doing that here, but there's a lot more
focus on like going to the games, you know, and
(29:47):
stuff like that.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
Uh okay, So a successful season for you looks like.
Speaker 2 (29:53):
What successful season for me is helping lead the team
March Madness. I haven't been there yet. It's been a
dream mind since I was a little kid. I don't
care how I have to do it, but getting it
there is going to be That's a successful season for me.
Speaker 1 (30:12):
Okay, have you thought of what it's gonna be like
to play at Cameron? You thought of what it would
be like to play in Chapel Hill or here's another
one lacrosse guy you thought it was. I don't know
if you guys play at Syracuse this year, but in
the Dome as well. I'm excited, like you got you
(30:32):
got some some big check marks in terms of places
people would most want to play.
Speaker 2 (30:36):
Oh yeah, yeah, no, I mean I'm super excited. These
are the school especially being for the East Coast. He
grew up watching, you know, I mean everyone watches these
big schools. But I'm saying, especially being for these coasts,
these games are on times you can watch them, so
I'm excited for him. I can't wait to, you know,
get in those environments and just get lost in the
game and the place going nuts and all these different things.
But I'm definitely excited for all these just to be
(30:59):
at all these different, you know, places and programs and
experience their environments.
Speaker 1 (31:04):
NC State was a surprise team last year. What do
you feel like your crew this year? So far, we
have I think we can be really good. We have
a lot of talent.
Speaker 2 (31:15):
A lot of the guys on the team can really
score the ball, really make plays. We just got to
make sure we consistently put it together. I think that's
going to be our biggest thing. But we have a
lot of talent. So obviously you said, I don't know
the other schools, but I think we could be really good.
Speaker 1 (31:30):
It does feel like for you that's a better This
is a really good fit, right because it's not that
you can't score, but what you do best is lead, defend.
You know, you can make shots, but you can set
everybody up and let and kind of be the guy
that has no ego right about how you do it,
(31:51):
and you have guys that have scores egos which you
have to have. Your still have to score points to win.
But it feels like fit wise again, and I'm just
looking at this roster from thirty thousand feet. It feels
like that role really fits what you can automatically bring
and you've already done it. Is that how it feels
to you?
Speaker 2 (32:09):
One hundred percent? I think that was, you know. One
of the reasons I made the decision is we play
a fast filming offense, high pick and roll ball screens
and go make a play. And I think that's one
thing I've always been at least proud of myself and
is being able to make a play off that ball
screen and make the right read, whether it's getting my
little shot or you know, help side slides over your
skipping the ball the opposite corner, all these different things.
(32:32):
So yeah, I think I think it does. It is
a good fit for me, I think, and I hope.
So now you can play two years right, yep, two
years left? Okay, can you move again? Like, what's the
would you.
Speaker 1 (32:46):
Have to get in a graduate degree? What would it?
I'm not chasing at it. At NC State. But what
would the process be like so you wouldn't have to
have a found appeal for next year?
Speaker 2 (32:57):
Honestly, honestly, I don't know how work because I mean
I'm not I'm not looking to leave and I don't
have any plans to leave. I don't even know like
how that process goes for transferring like two times?
Speaker 1 (33:08):
Right, so you got to you got two years left?
What's with? What's what was your undergraduate degree in economics? Okay?
Speaker 4 (33:17):
So then what's your master's going to be in? I'm
trying to get into the NBA program here. You haven't
gotten in, no, because I was late to the transfer portal,
So I've just been taking classes like towards so when
I get in, I can already have classes.
Speaker 1 (33:30):
Then, Okay, Like how hard you have a Stanford degree?
Shouldn't be terribly hard? Did you have to take the
l SAT to get a lot of a lot of
NBA programs? You need like work experience heres?
Speaker 2 (33:42):
So obviously I haven't.
Speaker 1 (33:44):
Want to come back. Yeah, So what is NIL like
when you come into a market that hasn't seen you
known you?
Speaker 2 (33:55):
I don't really know, like what other guys at other schools,
like how it works like what the NIL is at
their schools. But I mean, I think are I think
our program here does a pretty good job of trying
to help dudes out and make sure people are able
to capitalize on their their NIL and stuff like that.
So I mean it's been pretty good. Can't really complain.
Speaker 1 (34:13):
Why do you think? Again, and you lived it, why
do you think so many of those elite academic institutions
struggle with getting their own alums to give to the collectives.
Speaker 2 (34:26):
I mean, I guess every every every school is their
own reasoning. I mean, I know some schools have where
if you donate, it doesn't just go to like say,
one sport's collective, it goes to a general collective. So
some people are like, if I'm donating money, I wanted
to go to baseball, but I don't want it to
go to that school or soccer or different things like that.
So I think that kind of deters people from donating
(34:46):
sometimes to the collective.
Speaker 1 (34:48):
But but like but like, but like, look Stanford has
if you just put a pot, if you just put
like income of alums, right, Stanford would kill, Northwestern would kill,
Vanderbilt would kill, Notre Dame would kill. But what you
get when you talk to all those coaches are like
(35:09):
our lums, just they don't give to the level that
a lot of the state schools, the NC States, the
Kansas State, they they don't. I'm just wondering, having lived
in that, why do you think that mentality is as
it is?
Speaker 2 (35:24):
Yeah, I guess also kind of how I was saying.
For I'll give example, like my roommate right has a
startup going, didn't go to any games, so now he
leaves and makes all this money. If he never was
really a fan of basketball, he might feel like, why
am I going to get my money to basketball when
I can give it to maybe a collective for people
to do startups and fun startups and stuff like that.
So I feel like, if you're not at a school
(35:46):
where everyone loves those sports and supports those sports constantly,
especially when they grow up, and now they're away from
it and not even watching or surrounded by it, then
they're gonna be less incentivized to donate lots of money
towards that.
Speaker 1 (35:59):
Is your cross career over.
Speaker 2 (36:04):
Yeah, I mean, I don't know, I don't even know
what I'm gonna be Doing's.
Speaker 1 (36:10):
Let's say two and a half years from now, like
there's Major League across right, like it's a legit thing.
They're like, hey man, how hard is it to pick
up a stick and get back after it?
Speaker 2 (36:21):
Would be playing with the pros, It would be very difficult,
But I think I mean I still right now play
lcross every once in a while, like go out there
and shoot her when I go home, train a little bit,
like and I'm definitely rusty, but after a while I
can get it back. But going down and playing against
the professionals and stuff like that definitely isn't easy. I mean,
these dude's been playing since they're five years old. Then
(36:43):
they're the best in college a lot of them, and
out there the best in like in the world in
the sense playing. So I don't know, I don't know
how easy it'd be just to you know, take a
summer to train and then hop back out there. I mean,
I'd like to have confidence in myself that I could
do it, but I would have to really really see
go train for that one.
Speaker 1 (37:01):
Okay, have you adjusted your diet to a southern lifestyle?
Speaker 2 (37:07):
Uh? Not really. I Mean I'm already pretty restricted with it,
i e. Because I'm gluten free, so it's kind of
hard to embrace, like a little more of the southern
southern meeting, the different things bo when you show up.
Speaker 1 (37:18):
And you say your guting for you, like, they're like, oh,
here we go, dude. From that was in northern California, right,
some of the people for sure like looking at it.
Come on, okay, last thing you mentioned. At some point
basketball starts stops bouncing, Your basketball stops bouncing.
Speaker 2 (37:37):
What are you doing? I would love to get in
the finance field. Finance world, that's kind of something I've
always been interested and looked into when I was growing up,
and then also being surrounded by it growing up socially
going to Sham, I had a lot of people's like
families and parents stuff like that. We're in like the
Wall Street lifestyle and work those businesses like investment banking
(37:58):
or private equity. So that's something I've always kind of
known about and been pretty interested into. I don't know
exactly what I want to get into yet, but I
haven't put too much focus on it, but finance always
kind of been something I've been really interested.
Speaker 1 (38:11):
You've never done an You've never done an internship on
Wall Street?
Speaker 2 (38:15):
No, Because I mean it was kind of either do
an internship and be gone for the summer for basketball
or hoop or hoop. And I wasn't, like I said,
I'm not giving up on the hoop and opportunity when
I have it so.
Speaker 1 (38:25):
So so again, So I'm saying, like five seven years
from now, you're you're like, I'm done with the playing thing.
You're on Wall Street, you know, living living in Manhattan, right,
black suit, white shirt, black pigh That that's the and
then eventually move back to the island. Private equity, a
lot of cars, a lot of houses, you know, all
(38:46):
the things that maybe buy an NBA keey, Like all
these private equity guys are freaking killing it. Used to
be doctors and lawyers. Now it's all private equity money.
That's is that that's the plan, that's the dream. That
sounds like a pretty good and pretty good plan.
Speaker 2 (38:58):
I mean, maybe it'd be a along that path or
maybe you know, if you're off a little bit, But
if that was what I was told I was gonna do,
I can't really complain.
Speaker 1 (39:06):
All right, So, like ax Capital, you know in the
in the shows that you streamed, Okay, give me the
the five favorite shows that you've streamed.
Speaker 2 (39:17):
My number one would definitely be the show called Piky Blinders. Sure, yeah,
it's definitely my number one. Love that show. Watch it
any day of the week. I haven't had many. I'm
working on suits right now. I'm working on that. It's
been pretty good so far. I'm not a big I'm
not a big like series guy. If that, what, are
(39:39):
you a movie guy or what if you're not a
series I'd rather watch a movie than than that. So
I'm more into like, I love a good like Marvel
or DC movie. I just finished like the Batman trilogy again,
I've watched that so many times.
Speaker 1 (39:51):
But the Chris fran Nolan ones, right, not the other ones. Yeah,
Christopher Nolan, for sure. The other ones are junk. The
Chrisopher Nolan onanes are big time. Christopher Nolan's, I would
just say a big time yeah, like, yeah, you're not
watching Batman and Robin like oh and the series for
like ten years. You know what's interesting is I go
to I can watch Guardians of the Galaxy anytime and
(40:14):
enjoy it. That's Guardian's the Galaxy, one, two's good, threes,
It's okay. I don't know. I feel like I feel
like one is a great go to.
Speaker 2 (40:24):
Yeah, a lot of those movies you can just rewatch
and they never get old.
Speaker 1 (40:29):
Yes. And the other part to it, though, is I
feel like, are there really people that read all these
comic books that I missed on, because like, I don't
know anything about any of these characters, but apparently there's
this whole subculture that had the comic book thing. They're like, oh, yeah,
it does this is I have? Do you know anybody
who's actually read the comic books?
Speaker 2 (40:46):
Yeah, so I had. I had one friend in high school.
I can remember where he would after the movie would
first come out. He'd go watch it that night at midnight,
show up to school the next day off of like
three hours of sleep, and he would just vent about
the movie didn't line up with this guy, and then
it was weird how they went this path instead of this,
And I'm like, I haven't even seen the movie, so
you're ruining for me right now. But uh, but yeah,
(41:08):
I've only known one guy who's really stuck to the tea,
read all the comic books, knew every character what they
were supposed to do, and like compared it to the movies.
Speaker 1 (41:16):
By the way, dead cool. I believe is the best
of any of that genre. Like it's that's one of
my favorite movies of all time. Those are you If
you are going to embody one superhero character, Yeah, only one? Yep?
Who would it be? Spider Man? Hands down?
Speaker 2 (41:34):
That's my that's my guy. I love Spider Man.
Speaker 1 (41:38):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (41:38):
I mean, he's just always been like, wasn't big on
you know, we'vealing who he was. He isn't He never
at the beginning he wanted the attention, but then he
kind of gave up on that, and then he's always
just willing to help other people and give up on
you know, his in school he was you know, he
wasn't doing well in school, and he was one of
the smartest guys.
Speaker 1 (41:55):
His sleep and stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (41:57):
He was just super, super selfless and he just he's
just a guy, Like I love that guy.
Speaker 1 (42:03):
This is I believe, you know, this is not a
you're checking him out, but who's your favorite Spider Man?
This is a big thing. Toby Maguire, the original Okay,
gotta go, Okay, I like that, by the way. The
last one, the newest end of the Spider Verse, was awesome.
(42:24):
Took me a while to figure it out. I was like,
what am I even watching? Like, it's like a twenty
minute and I'm older, Like, I'm twenty five years older
than you, so so a lot of this the Spider
verse thing. I was like, wait, well, and then once
I figured out, I was like, oh, yeah, yeah, I
really liked it. And and there's also the soundtrack is outstanding.
Speaker 2 (42:45):
That's yeah, very good.
Speaker 1 (42:47):
Yeah, well listen, I can't wait to see it in
an OLF Pack uniform. I love your story. I appreciate
you joining me and let's catch up as the as
the season wars on. Cool.
Speaker 2 (42:56):
Yeah, for sure, I appreciate you having me on today.
Speaker 1 (43:01):
Man, does that make you a fan of NZ State?
Make you a fan of Michael O'Connell just really at
peace with who he is and what he's decided to
do and how he's decided to do it. Consider Maly
somebody who's gonna watch the Wolf back and root for
him and playing and trying to get the Pack back
to the NCAA tournament. My thanks to Michael O'Connor for
his time. Remember remember you can listen to the Doug
(43:21):
Gotlib Show, its radio show daily three to five Eastern
twelve too Pacific. Also, we have a daily podcast called
in the Bonus Mare. You download this podcast, you can
find it and in regards to this podcast, review it, subscribe, download,
rate it. All those things I think help me make
more money if nothing else, will help your voice be heard.
(43:43):
I'm Doug Godlie, Thanks for listening. This is all ball
Hey, what, I'm welcome in. I'm Doug Gottlie. This is
All Ball. Got a great guest on this podcast, so
as we would creep closer to college basketball season, we
have a lot of interesting stories and if you have one,
or if you are one, hit me in the DMS. Dude,
I'm on X all the time. When I say X,
(00:27):
you know it's Twitter. Whatever. Anyway, my guest in this
All Ball is Michael O'Connell. Now you're like, who's that?
How do I know that name? Well, there's lots of
people with that name. This one in particular was an
absolute superstar, absolute superstar. Michael O'Connor was as a lacrosse player.
(00:48):
In fact, his brother played lacrosse at Maryland. He committed
as an eighth grader to playing lacrosse at Maryland. How
do you become the starting point guard of Stanford? And
oh yeah, by the way, how do you end up
up at NC State? It's all part of this week's
All Ball. Take a listen. Okay, so obviously athletic family, right,
(01:13):
you grew up in where in New York? Lowland, New York? Okay,
so Long Island is home to a lot of things,
but it is the lacrosse mecca of the of the universe?
Is that accurate? I?
Speaker 2 (01:29):
You know what, I'd be confident in saying that we
got a lot of great players that have come out
and went to college and done some great things.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
So I'll take pride in that one. Yeah. Okay, So,
like you're growing up, you're I don't know, twelve years old.
Twelve year old Michael Connell, what is your sports calendar
like in terms of what sports you're playing? Twelve years old?
I mean I was involved in a lot of sports.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
I was playing basketball, football, lacrosse, baseball, soccer.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
I even wrestled for a little bit.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
So I mean day to day I was pretty busy
with either different workouts, practices, and on the weekend just
going back and forth from playing, you know, two lacrosse
games in the morning to two basketball games in the
afternoon or all just constant sports and constant chaos in
a sense. But that was great, Yeah, and it's helped
me developed all my skills to this day.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
So so when did you kind of when did you
cut it down? When did you start to kind of specialize?
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Yeah, I think I think high school I kind of
I cut it down to the three sports basketball, football,
lacrosse and just kind of focus on those because they
were all different seasons for like for school at least,
so I just I'm mainly focused on those two, and
then after my sophomore year, I focused more on just
basketball lacrosse to finish out high school.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
What's the lacrosse's club season like? Or what what's what's
club lacrosse like? Club lacrosse is all year round.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
There is really no like off season in a sense
because even in even in the winter, your training constantly.
That's when a lot of the practices are and there's
a lot of indoor stuff and there's like more individual training.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
But fall you got a few tournaments.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
Spring you have a lot of tournaments, and then even
the summer you're going to different tournaments and showcases and
things like that.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
So it's definitely an all around your sport. What position
in football football is quarterback? Yeah? Your quarterback? Point guard?
And then what's what position did you play in lacrosse?
I was in midfielder for lacrosse, Okay, So and is
that like the most glamorous position like quarterback and point
guard is? Uh?
Speaker 2 (03:35):
It depends what you ask, but I'd probably say, attack
is a little more of that because you're more of
a goalscorer midfield that you're playing more offense and defense,
and so it depends what you're asking, but probably attack
is a little more of the glamorous like highlights assist
than goal scoring.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Okay, So what were you actually best at? Were you
better at lacrosse than at basketball or were you better
at basketball lacrosse? Tough question. I don't I don't really know.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
I mean, it's such a such a different, different pool
of players, it's hard to really compare and where I
was at. But maybe basketball I would say I was
definitely better at There's just a lot more people playing basketball,
so it's a lot more competitive.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
But I'll go with I was a again. And maybe
this is just you know, having lived in Connecticut and
known a little bit about lacrosse game, like, it does
feel like locally it would be you know, it would
be kind of you know, nationally, obviously more guys play basketball,
(04:38):
but locally, you know, it feels like that's super super
high level. Right, Okay, But what's more, what was more
fun to play?
Speaker 2 (04:50):
That's again that's another tough question. I mean, it's they're
such close to. I mean, they have their differences, but
they're such close games that they're I mean, I love
playing both. I mean I wish I could play both
in college. That would have been a great thing to do.
I mean, it was hard to give up lacrosse. But
I don't know if I can really pinpoint which one
is more fun to play. That's really a tough question.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Okay, So could you, like you originally committed to Maryland
to play lacrosse. When was that.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
I committed. It was the summer going into freshman year
of high school, so I was committed a little after
eighth grade.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Eighth grader and you commit to Maryland lacrosse where your
brother played, yep, So what was what was that process? Like?
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Yeah, that was I mean that was just the like
the kind of the culture of lacrosse at the time
before they changed the rule to now. I think it's
they can't contact you until like the June first to
junior or something like that. But I mean that was
just that was the reality of it. That you know,
at all of your tournaments seventh grade, they were watching you.
Eighth grade they were watching a lot more because that
summer going into high school, a lot of people started to,
(05:54):
you know, get recruited heavy, and then they sort of
have offers thrown out towards them. So it was definitely
interesting because I mean, I knew where I was going
to college too as I was figuring out where I
was going to high school, So it was definitely something
that it was great.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
I mean, I can't complain.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
I was committed to one of the best, if not
the best lacrosse schools in the nation at the time,
So it was a great feel for sure.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
Take take me through the process of deciding on a
high school. What was that like. It was definitely tough.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
But my local local private school is Shamu High School
and it's five minutes from my house. My brother went
there and they have the great lacrosse. They're known for
great lacrosse. And then the basketball program was pretty good too,
so and then I ended up coaching staff there obviously
through my brother, and it just felt like the right fit.
Great education, good basketball, great lacrosse. So it just felt
(06:45):
like the right, great situation, right fit, especially being that
close to my house.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
So when you're when you're like a high school freshman
and you're committed to Marilyn Lacrosse did you have a
target on your back when you're playing early in high school?
I would say I would say little bit.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
You know, guys are definitely gunning for you, trying to
prove themselves that if oh, this guy's committed to Maryland,
I should be committed to a school or committed to
Maryland to something like that. But I think also the
kids I was playing in high school with were also
on my travel team growing up, and they were also
getting a lot of looks, and some of them were
even they were even going on their visits and getting
committed a little bit after. So it wasn't it wasn't
(07:22):
too too much of that, but you definitely seen when
you went to like the tournaments and showcases that kids
were had a little bit had a little more of
an edge towards you when they were playing you.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
So when did you decide, Hey, maybe I don't want
to play lacrosse in college.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
Yeah, I don't. I don't know if it was ever
I don't want to play. It was just the opportunity
for basketball, and that kind of that kind of came
late after. I mean probably it was COVID. It was
like the COVID summer when it first hit. I just
graduated where I was in the midst of graduating, and
there was everything going on. They had kids from getting
(08:01):
an extra year of eligibility, so the freshman class was
getting an extra year coming back. There's a new class
coming in, especially for lacrosse, so there's gonna be lots
of people. I mean, it was gonna be the team's
gonna be Usually they're like fifty sixty guys. Now they're
gonna be close to like seventy.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
And up. So it was it was an interesting decision
at the time.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
There's a lot going on, especially during COVID, but I
got the opportunity to coach, reached out to my high
school coach from Stanford, and I had the opportunity to
play college basketball, and especially at you know, one of
the top universities in the country and then maybe even
the world. So it's it's kind of hard to pass
up on that, especially as sad to say, it's sports
do end at one point, but your education and your
relationships last forever.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
So why I go to Blair because you mentioned Shamanan
right down the street.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
But then you go to Blair, Why, I mean, just
the opportunity there for basketball lacrosse. It was just felt
right at the time. Yeah, at the time, it was
a good opportunity for me. I know, my coaches from
my Shama are pretty they're kind of pushing me to
kind of go way too. Oh they were, Yeah, they
were super supportive. I mean, I'm still close to them
till this day. I talked to them all the time.
(09:05):
I was actually just texting texting both of them yesterday,
I think or two days ago. So, I mean they've
been super grated through everything there, and they were, Yeah,
they were super helpful and positive towards me making the
jump and taking that next step towards Blair and then
I did. I was. I mean, I'm super grateful for
that opportunity for basketball across and then just the relationships
I've built to this day.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
So you're in so you're so, you're in Jersey, You're
two weeks in your lacrosseas I just get down with
hoops and what do you like? What do you remember?
I'll give you my personal and then you can take
me through yours. So I was the day before I
had guest hosted Colin Calvert's show Good and I remember
(09:48):
walking out today it's on the Fox Lot. It's a
big like TV set. I remember walking out and one
of the guys is like, he's not he's kind of
an executive, but he's really connector between the executives and
the shows. And I was like, you know, I kind
of think we need to talk about this coronavirus thing.
He's like, dude, we're a sports show. Like people don't
(10:11):
want bad news. I was like, yeah, but I don't know,
like everybody's saying it's going to start to affect sports
at some point. He's like, well, when that happens, we'll
talk about it. Right. I literally I walk out there,
and then that night was the Rudy Gobert thing, right,
and then they and the gang got canceled. The night
before was the Rudy Gobert thing whatever with the microphone,
(10:31):
and then or maybe I don't know, then the game
gets canceled. And then I'm driving to Lax and this
is like all time I'm a dumbass type of thing
where I'm driving and I get a text from my
boss because I'm going to cover the Big Ten tournament
and it says turn around, and I thought my boss
(10:52):
was behind me in the car, behind me. Where are
you like, no Big ten tournament's been canceled, Like no,
I was just watching the Big Eastern of it first half,
you know, because they played one half of a game
John's game. Right, Yeah, I was. I was at that game.
I was at that game. Good, right, because you're now
your dad went to Saint John's.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
Right, Yeah, my brother, my brother was actually yeah, he
was a part of the team at the time.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
Oh okay, okay, so so yeah, I mean it's the
craziest shit ever. Yeah, all right, So where were you
when things started to shut down?
Speaker 2 (11:26):
I mean, I guess that's the perfect example. I was
at that Saint John's game. I forgot who they were playing,
but I remember I went up to get like snacks
and like a drink at halftime, and as we're about
to come down, and they just said games canceled, got
to go home, and I was we were just like
what And then the whole place, the whole place, everyone
had to leave, and I just went home. And then
(11:47):
everything began to really shut down from there, from all
the sports seasons and the tournaments.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
And stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
Then it was it was just wild because it's just
like everything just stopped and everything just ended.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Like that, did you go to Blair to get your stuff?
Did you just stay home? Like? What'd you do?
Speaker 2 (12:01):
So I was and I was home for a little bit.
They wouldn't let anyone on campus. I was able to go.
I think like a month and a half later. I
had to make sure obviously I was wearing a mask.
I was away from everyone and kind of just went in,
cleared out my stuff, and then.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
Just left there was That was it? So what did
you do? Like, what were you what were you doing
during your days when things were shut down?
Speaker 2 (12:22):
I was mostly just in my driveway just I had
a hoop in my drive so I would just be
like outside shooting. I'd go in my backyard and like
work out with my brother. That was That was kind
of the things we had to do, you know, I
mean playing games aside, like card games or video games
with each other.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
Like there was not a lot to do.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
But at the same time, I was also trying to
figure out my next move for college. And that's that's
when obviously I commit to Stanford.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
And then so who, so who is who reached out?
Who called you first?
Speaker 2 (12:49):
I reached out to me. He was Adam Cohen. He's
currently coaching at the Xavier right now. He reached out
and he was like, hey, man, we're super interested. I'd
love to like build a connection and start talking more.
And then that was like the first call initially, and
then we began to call, I think every two days
something like that. He was just checking in talking about
I want to get on a whole zoom call with
the whole coaching staff, get you on a call with
(13:11):
the coach house. And then because I couldn't go on
a visit, that was a tough thing because obviously, yeah,
you were allowed to really travel like that. I had
to do like a zoom visit FaceTime showing me around campus.
And then I committed, and then it was going out
there I think early August.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
So you you get out there early August, but things
are still and it's northern California, still kind of shut down.
What was that was that first year experience? Like on
the farm?
Speaker 2 (13:42):
Yeah, it was interesting. I first I first got out there.
I went a little early too, just to kind of
get a better feel for everything, even though it was
shut down.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
And two of my.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
Other freshman classmates at the time, one was already out there,
one was coming out there with me, But we were
in a hotel right next to campus where not see
each other. Weren't really like we weren't really hard to
hang out. We could grab food, but it had to
be outside if we're eating together, and we were doing
we were doing workouts, and we were doing weights because
you were allowed with the time if it was outdoors.
(14:12):
So we were on like random outdoor courts on campus
that were like some of them were slanted, some of
the rims were tilted, like getting shots up.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
And then the team finally came a full team and then.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
We did the same thing, but we were actually practicing
on tennis courts outdoors. They brought the hoops out on
the tennis courts, so it would be in the early
mornings before it got really hot, and then later at
night we'd do like workouts and that was pretty much
a whole like preseason and like fullball.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
What was so? What was that? What was the school
experience like at Stanford during that first year.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
I mean, it's it's not what you expect obviously it
would be in a freshman college because everything was online.
No one was on campus really besides the athletes that
were there. People that like worked at the university, so
it almost seemed like a ghost town a lot of
the year until the springtime when people were allowed to
back on campus, so then it started to fill up
a little bit, but not too much, but it was
(15:08):
I mean, it's just like a ghost town, is the
best way to explain it, because no one's there. It's
a huge campus and just like no one walking around
or no one driving around.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
Right, and it's just it's a beautiful campus and super cool,
especially when everybody's there. Yeah, right, Okay, So then fast
forward to your second year and then what's that like
when all of a sudden you're at the same place,
but now it's actually popular. Yeah, I mean it was incredible.
Speaker 2 (15:33):
I mean it's a beautiful campus, beautiful area, and now
you get to see more and have that more of
a feel of like college life where you're walking around
seeing people, meeting people and classes, shitting next to people,
introducing yourself, kind of building those relationships, which is like
one of the good things about college. You know, it's
great in all to play obviously play basketball and get an.
Speaker 1 (15:51):
Education, but you love to meet people.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
You love to build those relationships and have that like
human interaction, which was nice after a year of just
being quarantined in your room day.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
Was there ever a point where you're like, man, you
can play lacrosse? No, No, I mean, listen, I was
super grateful I'm doing.
Speaker 2 (16:10):
I'm playing a college sport at a university where I'm
getting a great education. So it's kind of hard to
be like down to myself during while during COVID, I mean,
I was looking at the upside of it is, you know,
I had this opportunity that not a lot of people
are going to have, So I'm just going to make
the most of it, even if that's a little bit.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
Right now, Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk
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Speaker 1 (16:41):
You mentioned the education piece, and it's interesting because it's
always something that's that drove me and I do think
it's a huge but in this era of college athletics,
it's not. It's never been focused on by some people.
It really feels like it gets minimized. But you live
(17:02):
the reality to it. Right in reality, what what percentage like?
Stanford feels like a place where most of those guys
are in it for they want to hoop, maybe maybe
make some money playing hoop, but also the education and
connections piece is important. What's the reality to it when
you're at Stanford in terms of valuing that education piece. Yeah,
(17:24):
I mean I think I think you hit it right
the head.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
That's people are there because they love basketball, but at
the same time they realize best is not gonna last
forever and they want to be as best prepared as
they can be for the future. And I mean there's
so many different like Avenue because you can go in
terms of like majors and stuff like that, if it's
finance or economics or computer science, stuff like that. So
(17:50):
the guys coming in, we're interested in those things, and
this is a great school that had had that to
offer while also playing powerfy basketball at the highest level.
So you were just you're surrounded by people that love
that and want to be a part of that, even
if it's really tough at times to balance those lifestyles,
but you're surrounded by people that want to do that,
So it makes it a little easier when you're in it.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
Once you guys went back on campus, what percentage of
your classes were in person? What percentage were online.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
When you're at Stanford, I think once they established we
were back on campus, obviously ninety percent of the classes
were in person. We just had to make sure we
were a lot of people had a six more spaced out,
or you were like wearing masks in classic the typical
things you got to do. But they tried to They
tried to make sure like you were getting that real
experience and everything you were paying for in the sense
(18:39):
that you're going to be in class. You there's a
professor in front of you in e lecture hall taking
notes kind of thing like that.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
So so you in terms of prioritizing time and academics,
what's it like because I bring it up because there's
a lot of college basketball players and I'm sure now
at NC State where those dudes that ever step on
aug right, it's all online. So you can you know,
you can go to the academic center, or you can
(19:05):
do it from your from your dorm or from your apartment,
and you can fit in your day and you can
have your workouts and your practice and all that other stuff.
But at Stanford, and this is I think the big
challenge to Stanford, Northwestern, Duke, Notre dame like, hey man,
we're doing real classes, we got real homework. You got
to really how did you prioritize your time? What was it?
(19:26):
What was the day?
Speaker 2 (19:27):
Like, Yeah, I mean a lot of your a lot
of your obviously your school working class work was going
to be based around basketball and your schedule. So once
you once the coaches establish what you're gonna be doing
for the weight room, conditioningwise, and then obviously on the
court stuff or you're in film, then you were able
to enroll in classes, figure out around that schedule what
you can take, what you couldn't. But your days were
(19:48):
pretty much basketball in school. Social life was minimized in
a sense, like you definitely still had some, but it
wasn't It wasn't easy to really have a big social life.
If you wanted to excel on the court and in
the classroom, you know, you had to you got to
give up something a little bit, and that was kind
of what a lot of us had to do for
(20:09):
like right now, it might not be what you want
to do, but in the long run, it's the best option.
So like you're waking up, going to practice early in
the morning, then you're going to class, then you're getting
food and then in between your next lift or work out,
you're doing homework or you're you know, studying for your exam.
Speaker 1 (20:26):
Go in your lift or work out, leave it doing
more work.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
I mean, that's just it was just a constant back
and forth between you know, basketball and education.
Speaker 1 (20:35):
Had you ever been on a team that lost before? No,
not that I can say. So what's that like? I mean,
obviously it's it's not it's not ideal. It's not what
you want.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
I mean, you winning. Everyone wants to win, and that's
what you're there to do, is just you know, win
games and play your best game. But at the same time,
you got to realize it's not like you're playing at
a local you know, in a local gym.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
You're playing them, dude, I understand. But like I had
never lost before I went to Note. I went to
Notre Dame my freshman year, and you know, we end
up tied for last in the New Big East that
first year in the Big East. You know, we're well
below five hundred. I think we're like ninety eighteen or something.
I mean, it was, it was it was rough and again,
(21:24):
like you come from I mean, like all of us
come from high school programs where you're losing two or
three for you know, max seven or eight games in
the year. Emotionally, what what what was that? What was
that like for you as the team's point guard espec.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
Yeah, I mean I take it. You definitely take a
lot of ownership for it. I mean as as like
the team point guard and leader out there. You you know,
you take a lot of You carry a lot of
that weight on your shoulders when you're trying to get
your team to win and over that hump of you know,
you might lose.
Speaker 1 (21:53):
Two games in a row. But the thing is you can't.
Speaker 2 (21:55):
You can't really you can't really let it affect your
next play in your next game. If I if I
sit there and just soul ca and be like, who
was me? You know, life's hard to be lost two games,
then we're never getting it. We're never winning another game,
especially if I'm the point guard and the leader on
the team. So especially being in that position, I got
to be the one who's you know, more confident. I
got to be uplifting guys when they're down, Like I
(22:16):
gotta I gotta not worry about myself that much. I
got to worry about the rest of the team and
everyone else in the sense of if I just sit
there and focus on myself, other guys are gonna do
the same thing and we're all just gonna we're just
going to collapse. But I had to make sure even
when tough times, I'm looking out towards the other guys
that hey, man, you're good. Let's get the next one.
Hey we lost this game was bounce back and kind
(22:36):
of being a leader in that sense and just helping
lead guys through the darkness.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
What is the best thing about playing for Stanford.
Speaker 2 (22:47):
I mean, there's a lot of great things, but I
would say I would say just the chemistry we had.
I think I don't know if I played on a
lot of teams that had chemistry close to it or
like it. We were. We just knew exactly what each other,
I like to do, where we want to get shots.
We played well together, We communicated extremely well. No one
ever took anything personal. No one was like if I
(23:08):
was yelling at him to you know, next time, cut
back the door or something like.
Speaker 1 (23:11):
No one took up personal.
Speaker 2 (23:12):
We knew where we were coming from, and it was
coming from a place that we all want to win
and we need to work together to achieve that. So
I think our chemistry and the way we communicated was
one of the best things we had on the court.
Speaker 1 (23:26):
So you graduated in the spring, yes, okay. So you
graduate and you got a world of possibilities. Right, I'm
sure you can go and get a job. You could
probably go and continue playing somewhere overseas and start making
some cash. You go to do La Cross, okay, or
you can go play basketball. Take me through the process
(23:48):
of how you decided to keep playing basketball.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
Yeah, I guess, just like I said before, one day
it ends, and it's hard. It's hard to know that
when I still got guess in the tank, that i'd
just be walking away from it.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
Wait, whould you lose you last year in the in
the pack Feld Tournament Arizona? Okay? So you lose to
Arizona games over right? Like in your mind at that point,
what what what's your thought process on other than I
got to get back home right whatever? Like you what
were you actually thinking? I don't know if there was
one specific memory.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
I guess it was just the fact that you know,
you got to keep working and just get better. I mean,
there's no there's nothing really.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
I know, but you could. You could have gone back, right, Yeah,
could have gone back. Okay, you could you could again
lacrosse whatever, Like, are you thinking like, did I gotta
get out of here, I can get I gotta try
something different. Were you thinking I got it, maybe I'll
do lacrosse. Are you thinking maybe I'll take some time off?
Like what were you really?
Speaker 2 (24:43):
Oh no, No, At the moment, it was more just like
we were we were so close, like towards this end,
like we got to get better. That was it. I
mean there was no there was no thought like outside
of Stanford or basketball. I mean it was you know,
we we struggled throughout the year and no one ever
wants to do that. You know. We we beat we
won the first game where like close game with Arizona.
(25:03):
We obviously beat them during the year, and I was
just took on and said, like I need to get
better personally for us not to have this feeling again
this early in the season.
Speaker 1 (25:12):
So okay, So then what was what? What what made
you make the decision to put yourself in the portal?
Speaker 2 (25:19):
Yeah, I think one of the biggest things was like
I had the chance to graduate and then just you know,
taking that next step coming a little closer to home
I've been. I've been on the other coast for three years,
haven't really seen my family much. I haven't seen friends
really at all. I think that was just, you know,
the opportunity for that. It's tough to have, you know,
(25:39):
it's great to have one of my last year or
two that if I can have people I now care
about closer to me and at my games, something great
and then just a new opportunity.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
So did you do an actual visit this time or
you do another zoom?
Speaker 2 (25:52):
No, I did an actual visit. I came out. I
don't remember the exact date, but I came to campus
on like a Friday morning, stayed through the weekend, and
I just it was I just it felt it felt right,
you know that everything from the play style, the coaching,
the facilities, the campus, it just it felt like the
right fit for me.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
Yeah, but there's no like you're talking polar opposites, right,
I mean, you go from the farm, which is beautiful, isolated,
private northern California, to stage school, middle of a big city,
right down the road from down the road from Duke,
which is a lot more like a Stanford, right and
everything is everything is different. What's that adjustment like considering
(26:34):
it's so different even though it's in the same sport
at the same level.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
I mean, you just got to like just embracing where
you are. You know, it's not not comparing, like really
comparing the campuses. I feel like if I get caught
up and comparing, oh the Stanford, this campus is better
than this and this or this program is better than this,
like you fall into that like cycle of just negative thoughts,
but just being like grateful for where I am in
the sense of like, well, I'm at a new opportunity
(26:59):
state school, like more kids on campus, you know, bigger
camaraderie around sports and things like that. So it was
just being grateful for I am at the moment.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
Okay, what what's what's it like team wise, what's what's
that group like? Because also different from Stanford is now
you have a lot of guys that are, you know,
moving in moving out Stanford. Obviously there's not as much
movement with the portal. What's that been like being a
new guy but also having other new guys around.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
Yeah, I think having a lot of new guys honestly
has made it a little easier because if you're if
you're coming into a team that already has twelve dudes
a all know each other, have been hanging out for
two or three years, you feel like the auto man
out a little bit. But coming into a team where
everyone's new, then from day one you're you're you're almost
forced into building relationships because you're going to be asking
(27:51):
questions about where it guys are from, what their programmers like,
you know, what they're like kind of thing. And since
everyone's constantly doing that because we have I think eight
new guys, it makes it a little easier I think,
honestly than coming to a team that's already been established
for a few years.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
What's the most enjoyable part of NC State so far
to you?
Speaker 2 (28:13):
I think campus life has honestly been super nice in
the sense of the support around sports is it feels
a little bigger and from like the fan base and
actual students.
Speaker 1 (28:24):
I think that's been really nice.
Speaker 2 (28:25):
Where Stanford, they had to we had pretty good support,
but kids were a little more focused on They were
focused on like their school and their startups and stuff
like that.
Speaker 1 (28:32):
Where the Stanford, I know, the Stanford thing is weird
because if you go back to when I was playing,
that was the best basketball environment in the Pac twelve.
It really was.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
It was great.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
And overall, as you know, the Olympic sports are still
an incredibly high level, but it just feels like everybody
kind of does their own thing now, right whereas now
you're at a state school where it's all about state,
all about the sports and people. Is that is that fair?
You lived it, I'm just kind of an observe No. No,
(29:04):
you know, you're definitely right.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
I think like one of my one of my roommates
this past year at Stanford, he was working on the startup.
So he came to I think maybe one game throughout
the whole year, and he like would keep up to
date with the box scores, but he's like he's worrying
about doing his startup that He's like, I'm not going
to go to a sports game, which is.
Speaker 1 (29:22):
I mean super What was the start What was the startup?
Speaker 2 (29:25):
I don't even I don't remember. Something like private equity firms.
He was trying to build like spreadsheets for them to
make it much easier to organize everything. I think it's
still in the works right now, but but yeah, that's
that's what a lot of kids are doing. So they're
putting all their time and focus and empstace on that.
They're not going to come to games sometimes where kids
could be doing that here, but there's a lot more
focus on like going to the games, you know, and
(29:47):
stuff like that.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
Uh okay, So a successful season for you looks like.
Speaker 2 (29:53):
What successful season for me is helping lead the team
March Madness. I haven't been there yet. It's been a
dream mind since I was a little kid. I don't
care how I have to do it, but getting it
there is going to be That's a successful season for me.
Speaker 1 (30:12):
Okay, have you thought of what it's gonna be like
to play at Cameron? You thought of what it would
be like to play in Chapel Hill or here's another
one lacrosse guy you thought it was. I don't know
if you guys play at Syracuse this year, but in
the Dome as well. I'm excited, like you got you
(30:32):
got some some big check marks in terms of places
people would most want to play.
Speaker 2 (30:36):
Oh yeah, yeah, no, I mean I'm super excited. These
are the school especially being for the East Coast. He
grew up watching, you know, I mean everyone watches these
big schools. But I'm saying, especially being for these coasts,
these games are on times you can watch them, so
I'm excited for him. I can't wait to, you know,
get in those environments and just get lost in the
game and the place going nuts and all these different things.
But I'm definitely excited for all these just to be
(30:59):
at all these different, you know, places and programs and
experience their environments.
Speaker 1 (31:04):
NC State was a surprise team last year. What do
you feel like your crew this year? So far, we
have I think we can be really good. We have
a lot of talent.
Speaker 2 (31:15):
A lot of the guys on the team can really
score the ball, really make plays. We just got to
make sure we consistently put it together. I think that's
going to be our biggest thing. But we have a
lot of talent. So obviously you said, I don't know
the other schools, but I think we could be really good.
Speaker 1 (31:30):
It does feel like for you that's a better This
is a really good fit, right because it's not that
you can't score, but what you do best is lead, defend.
You know, you can make shots, but you can set
everybody up and let and kind of be the guy
that has no ego right about how you do it,
(31:51):
and you have guys that have scores egos which you
have to have. Your still have to score points to win.
But it feels like fit wise again, and I'm just
looking at this roster from thirty thousand feet. It feels
like that role really fits what you can automatically bring
and you've already done it. Is that how it feels
to you?
Speaker 2 (32:09):
One hundred percent? I think that was, you know. One
of the reasons I made the decision is we play
a fast filming offense, high pick and roll ball screens
and go make a play. And I think that's one
thing I've always been at least proud of myself and
is being able to make a play off that ball
screen and make the right read, whether it's getting my
little shot or you know, help side slides over your
skipping the ball the opposite corner, all these different things.
(32:32):
So yeah, I think I think it does. It is
a good fit for me, I think, and I hope.
So now you can play two years right, yep, two
years left? Okay, can you move again? Like, what's the
would you.
Speaker 1 (32:46):
Have to get in a graduate degree? What would it?
I'm not chasing at it. At NC State. But what
would the process be like so you wouldn't have to
have a found appeal for next year?
Speaker 2 (32:57):
Honestly, honestly, I don't know how work because I mean
I'm not I'm not looking to leave and I don't
have any plans to leave. I don't even know like
how that process goes for transferring like two times?
Speaker 1 (33:08):
Right, so you got to you got two years left?
What's with? What's what was your undergraduate degree in economics? Okay?
Speaker 4 (33:17):
So then what's your master's going to be in? I'm
trying to get into the NBA program here. You haven't
gotten in, no, because I was late to the transfer portal,
So I've just been taking classes like towards so when
I get in, I can already have classes.
Speaker 1 (33:30):
Then, Okay, Like how hard you have a Stanford degree?
Shouldn't be terribly hard? Did you have to take the
l SAT to get a lot of a lot of
NBA programs? You need like work experience heres?
Speaker 2 (33:42):
So obviously I haven't.
Speaker 1 (33:44):
Want to come back. Yeah, So what is NIL like
when you come into a market that hasn't seen you
known you?
Speaker 2 (33:55):
I don't really know, like what other guys at other schools,
like how it works like what the NIL is at
their schools. But I mean, I think are I think
our program here does a pretty good job of trying
to help dudes out and make sure people are able
to capitalize on their their NIL and stuff like that.
So I mean it's been pretty good. Can't really complain.
Speaker 1 (34:13):
Why do you think? Again, and you lived it, why
do you think so many of those elite academic institutions
struggle with getting their own alums to give to the collectives.
Speaker 2 (34:26):
I mean, I guess every every every school is their
own reasoning. I mean, I know some schools have where
if you donate, it doesn't just go to like say,
one sport's collective, it goes to a general collective. So
some people are like, if I'm donating money, I wanted
to go to baseball, but I don't want it to
go to that school or soccer or different things like that.
So I think that kind of deters people from donating
(34:46):
sometimes to the collective.
Speaker 1 (34:48):
But but like but like, but like, look Stanford has
if you just put a pot, if you just put
like income of alums, right, Stanford would kill, Northwestern would kill,
Vanderbilt would kill, Notre Dame would kill. But what you
get when you talk to all those coaches are like
(35:09):
our lums, just they don't give to the level that
a lot of the state schools, the NC States, the
Kansas State, they they don't. I'm just wondering, having lived
in that, why do you think that mentality is as
it is?
Speaker 2 (35:24):
Yeah, I guess also kind of how I was saying.
For I'll give example, like my roommate right has a
startup going, didn't go to any games, so now he
leaves and makes all this money. If he never was
really a fan of basketball, he might feel like, why
am I going to get my money to basketball when
I can give it to maybe a collective for people
to do startups and fun startups and stuff like that.
So I feel like, if you're not at a school
(35:46):
where everyone loves those sports and supports those sports constantly,
especially when they grow up, and now they're away from
it and not even watching or surrounded by it, then
they're gonna be less incentivized to donate lots of money
towards that.
Speaker 1 (35:59):
Is your cross career over.
Speaker 2 (36:04):
Yeah, I mean, I don't know, I don't even know
what I'm gonna be Doing's.
Speaker 1 (36:10):
Let's say two and a half years from now, like
there's Major League across right, like it's a legit thing.
They're like, hey man, how hard is it to pick
up a stick and get back after it?
Speaker 2 (36:21):
Would be playing with the pros, It would be very difficult,
But I think I mean I still right now play
lcross every once in a while, like go out there
and shoot her when I go home, train a little bit,
like and I'm definitely rusty, but after a while I
can get it back. But going down and playing against
the professionals and stuff like that definitely isn't easy. I mean,
these dude's been playing since they're five years old. Then
(36:43):
they're the best in college a lot of them, and
out there the best in like in the world in
the sense playing. So I don't know, I don't know
how easy it'd be just to you know, take a
summer to train and then hop back out there. I mean,
I'd like to have confidence in myself that I could
do it, but I would have to really really see
go train for that one.
Speaker 1 (37:01):
Okay, have you adjusted your diet to a southern lifestyle?
Speaker 2 (37:07):
Uh? Not really. I Mean I'm already pretty restricted with it,
i e. Because I'm gluten free, so it's kind of
hard to embrace, like a little more of the southern
southern meeting, the different things bo when you show up.
Speaker 1 (37:18):
And you say your guting for you, like, they're like, oh,
here we go, dude. From that was in northern California, right,
some of the people for sure like looking at it.
Come on, okay, last thing you mentioned. At some point
basketball starts stops bouncing, Your basketball stops bouncing.
Speaker 2 (37:37):
What are you doing? I would love to get in
the finance field. Finance world, that's kind of something I've
always been interested and looked into when I was growing up,
and then also being surrounded by it growing up socially
going to Sham, I had a lot of people's like
families and parents stuff like that. We're in like the
Wall Street lifestyle and work those businesses like investment banking
(37:58):
or private equity. So that's something I've always kind of
known about and been pretty interested into. I don't know
exactly what I want to get into yet, but I
haven't put too much focus on it, but finance always
kind of been something I've been really interested.
Speaker 1 (38:11):
You've never done an You've never done an internship on
Wall Street?
Speaker 2 (38:15):
No, Because I mean it was kind of either do
an internship and be gone for the summer for basketball
or hoop or hoop. And I wasn't, like I said,
I'm not giving up on the hoop and opportunity when
I have it so.
Speaker 1 (38:25):
So so again, So I'm saying, like five seven years
from now, you're you're like, I'm done with the playing thing.
You're on Wall Street, you know, living living in Manhattan, right,
black suit, white shirt, black pigh That that's the and
then eventually move back to the island. Private equity, a
lot of cars, a lot of houses, you know, all
(38:46):
the things that maybe buy an NBA keey, Like all
these private equity guys are freaking killing it. Used to
be doctors and lawyers. Now it's all private equity money.
That's is that that's the plan, that's the dream. That
sounds like a pretty good and pretty good plan.
Speaker 2 (38:58):
I mean, maybe it'd be a along that path or
maybe you know, if you're off a little bit, But
if that was what I was told I was gonna do,
I can't really complain.
Speaker 1 (39:06):
All right, So, like ax Capital, you know in the
in the shows that you streamed, Okay, give me the
the five favorite shows that you've streamed.
Speaker 2 (39:17):
My number one would definitely be the show called Piky Blinders. Sure, yeah,
it's definitely my number one. Love that show. Watch it
any day of the week. I haven't had many. I'm
working on suits right now. I'm working on that. It's
been pretty good so far. I'm not a big I'm
not a big like series guy. If that, what, are
(39:39):
you a movie guy or what if you're not a
series I'd rather watch a movie than than that. So
I'm more into like, I love a good like Marvel
or DC movie. I just finished like the Batman trilogy again,
I've watched that so many times.
Speaker 1 (39:51):
But the Chris fran Nolan ones, right, not the other ones. Yeah,
Christopher Nolan, for sure. The other ones are junk. The
Chrisopher Nolan onanes are big time. Christopher Nolan's, I would
just say a big time yeah, like, yeah, you're not
watching Batman and Robin like oh and the series for
like ten years. You know what's interesting is I go
to I can watch Guardians of the Galaxy anytime and
(40:14):
enjoy it. That's Guardian's the Galaxy, one, two's good, threes,
It's okay. I don't know. I feel like I feel
like one is a great go to.
Speaker 2 (40:24):
Yeah, a lot of those movies you can just rewatch
and they never get old.
Speaker 1 (40:29):
Yes. And the other part to it, though, is I
feel like, are there really people that read all these
comic books that I missed on, because like, I don't
know anything about any of these characters, but apparently there's
this whole subculture that had the comic book thing. They're like, oh, yeah,
it does this is I have? Do you know anybody
who's actually read the comic books?
Speaker 2 (40:46):
Yeah, so I had. I had one friend in high school.
I can remember where he would after the movie would
first come out. He'd go watch it that night at midnight,
show up to school the next day off of like
three hours of sleep, and he would just vent about
the movie didn't line up with this guy, and then
it was weird how they went this path instead of this,
And I'm like, I haven't even seen the movie, so
you're ruining for me right now. But uh, but yeah,
(41:08):
I've only known one guy who's really stuck to the tea,
read all the comic books, knew every character what they
were supposed to do, and like compared it to the movies.
Speaker 1 (41:16):
By the way, dead cool. I believe is the best
of any of that genre. Like it's that's one of
my favorite movies of all time. Those are you If
you are going to embody one superhero character, Yeah, only one? Yep?
Who would it be? Spider Man? Hands down?
Speaker 2 (41:34):
That's my that's my guy. I love Spider Man.
Speaker 1 (41:38):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (41:38):
I mean, he's just always been like, wasn't big on
you know, we'vealing who he was. He isn't He never
at the beginning he wanted the attention, but then he
kind of gave up on that, and then he's always
just willing to help other people and give up on
you know, his in school he was you know, he
wasn't doing well in school, and he was one of
the smartest guys.
Speaker 1 (41:55):
His sleep and stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (41:57):
He was just super, super selfless and he just he's
just a guy, Like I love that guy.
Speaker 1 (42:03):
This is I believe, you know, this is not a
you're checking him out, but who's your favorite Spider Man?
This is a big thing. Toby Maguire, the original Okay,
gotta go, Okay, I like that, by the way. The
last one, the newest end of the Spider Verse, was awesome.
(42:24):
Took me a while to figure it out. I was like,
what am I even watching? Like, it's like a twenty
minute and I'm older, Like, I'm twenty five years older
than you, so so a lot of this the Spider
verse thing. I was like, wait, well, and then once
I figured out, I was like, oh, yeah, yeah, I
really liked it. And and there's also the soundtrack is outstanding.
Speaker 2 (42:45):
That's yeah, very good.
Speaker 1 (42:47):
Yeah, well listen, I can't wait to see it in
an OLF Pack uniform. I love your story. I appreciate
you joining me and let's catch up as the as
the season wars on. Cool.
Speaker 2 (42:56):
Yeah, for sure, I appreciate you having me on today.
Speaker 1 (43:01):
Man, does that make you a fan of NZ State?
Make you a fan of Michael O'Connell just really at
peace with who he is and what he's decided to
do and how he's decided to do it. Consider Maly
somebody who's gonna watch the Wolf back and root for
him and playing and trying to get the Pack back
to the NCAA tournament. My thanks to Michael O'Connor for
his time. Remember remember you can listen to the Doug
(43:21):
Gotlib Show, its radio show daily three to five Eastern
twelve too Pacific. Also, we have a daily podcast called
in the Bonus Mare. You download this podcast, you can
find it and in regards to this podcast, review it, subscribe, download,
rate it. All those things I think help me make
more money if nothing else, will help your voice be heard.
(43:43):
I'm Doug Godlie, Thanks for listening. This is all ball
Host
Doug Gottlieb
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