Coach Gottlieb gives his takeaways following a 2-1 road trip to St. Thomas, including huge wins over U Mass and Iona and loss to tourney champ Yale.
Then, Doug concludes his discussion with his 29-year old Center Remel Bethea on discovering his love of hoops during his Navy service, the challenges he faces as a DI late bloomer, the lessons he learned after being overwhelmed against Kansas, where he needs to improve the most, and his big picture hoop goals.
Subscribe NOW to get all the latest All Ball Podcasts! #douggottliebshow
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Hey, what up? Welcome in. I'm Doug Gottlieb. BIZ is
All Ball.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
This is part two of our talk with Ramel Bethea,
who's my sophomore, twenty nine year old center from miracast
To Community College in San Diego, California. And I think
you're really gonna enjoy us as we dig deep into
the emotions that he deals with when he goes through
social media. Before we do quick update on our team.
(00:33):
We are back from the US Virgin Islands and it
was a successful trip. We lost to a pre season
Ivy League favorite, Yale, who end up winning the tournament.
We cut their lead to two with twenty nine seconds
to go, but couldn't close the deal.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
They're very, very good.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
We missed him many free throws, colled too many three pointers.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
They took advantage we could not.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
We end up losing by six, having to foul late
in the game, and then we bounced back though with
two wins over Frank Martin's team, where I was incredibly
proud of our team or the resilience and probably the
toughness that UMass plays with. They challenge us in the
places that we were weaknessed last year, which was rebounding,
in turnovers, and just like the Yale game, we were
(01:14):
right there and competitive with rebounding. In terms of thing
we beat them on the boards and might have one
more turnover they did. And then we beat Iona and
at thirteen of offensive rebounds and only five turnovers. So
the improvement isn't just in the final score. The improvement
is in those little areas, those micro areas that we
(01:34):
had to get better at, both with personnel and coaching
in the offseason. So I'm super proud of our group.
Ramel played some and at a huge block shot against Iona,
came in late in the game and gave us big
minutes against hu Mass.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
But he's growing, he's learning.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
And just imagine if you were thrust into Division one
college environment, whatever sport you played, and he only played
one year of retrue organized basketball or organized football or
organized baseball, it would be different. It would be a
tough learning curve. And that's what he's going through. So
let's catch up.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
This is part two of our conversation with Romelbethet.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
So you go to Virginia and then what's your day
like when you're in the Navy, when you're when you're
when you're there's a fancy term for it, but you're
a mechanical engineer.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Yeah, well yeah, machine is making we call mmmm is
like the urt thing EMM.
Speaker 4 (02:34):
Yeah. So at this point when I first got to.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
My ship, the ship was planned to go on his
last underway, which means his last time ever going to
see for a good amount of time.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
So I got lucky.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
So I only did like twenty one days out at sea,
but I did it as soon as I got to
my ship. Like, so, when I got to my ship,
we went to the to see for twenty one days,
came back.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
So what do you do when you guys have to see?
What are you doing? What?
Speaker 3 (03:03):
I was basically getting my qualifications because I was new,
So I was basically chaperone and like people date, but
my job was I was chaperon, like under people that
we worked on all the auxiliary equipment on the ship.
Speaker 4 (03:14):
So AC's the steaming heat.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
The galley, the galley equipment, hydraulic system, stuff like that.
So I was getting qualifications to to learn how to
do that type of stuff.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Now can you do that now on your own or
do you still need somebody to go like, hey do this?
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Do this? Do this, then you can do it.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
If it's like steam auxiliary piping type of stuff, I
can pretty much do it on my own. I just
need like a PMS like or like an MRC we
call it. It's something thats just like teach you step
by step how you do it.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
You are do you realize?
Speaker 2 (03:45):
You realize you talking about the PRS and the all
these different letters. That's like, that's like when I start
throwing LINGO at you and you're like, I haven't know
what you're talking about.
Speaker 4 (03:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
Yeah, So it's like the best way to describe my
job is like if you order something from Amazon, I
want to see like a desk or something like that,
and it comes with like those things that take you
step by step each thing.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
That's basically what my job was for, like auxiliary equipment.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
So when I go to Ikea when we get back
from our trip, I'm gonna call you and be like,
hey man, I keep put together this death easy.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
I loved it reminds but I just put up something
and it reminded me of being in the military because
you have to do it step by step. You can't
miss no steps or you could get in trouble if
you do missus step in the milit on that. Yeah,
it's like life or death reading those are like life
and death in the military.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
Did you ever were you ever in combat?
Speaker 4 (04:35):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (04:36):
No, I didn't do combat. My rate was in I
didn't I was not expeditionary, So my rate is split
up in half. So half of people can go expeditionary
is where they tag alongside of those people that do combat.
But mine's I was just strictly on the ship. So
we hear, we hear the bombs and stuff going off.
We hear the jets on the on the on the
flight deck and stuff like that, but we don't actually.
Speaker 4 (04:56):
Deal with that.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Well, if you heard the bombs going off though, then
you were in were you like did you get to
go anywhere where there was bombs and shit going on.
Speaker 4 (05:04):
So on ship? Uh?
Speaker 3 (05:06):
So, like they call them trial runs, like trial runs.
So basically it's like we're going to water and the
higher up. So like the jet people that they want,
they getting their calls also, So that's them getting their
calls is when they we go out there and they
just do like little explosion testings and stuff like that.
So that's where we were on My ship was like
in its rebuilding phase. It was it was getting out
(05:29):
of condition for a minute. So I heard like the
fake fake bombs and the actual.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
Exactly exercises.
Speaker 4 (05:38):
Exactly.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
Okay, So when was the time that you started picking
up picking up the basketball and like the rec center?
Speaker 1 (05:46):
When when did that happen?
Speaker 3 (05:48):
So what happened first was I started lifting weights. I
wish I could show you a picture. I might have
to find a picture I can show you. Oh my god,
you wouldn't even believe it. It was me, But I'm
still skinny, but I was waved skinnier skinnier. So I
started lifting weights. I found liking the lifting weights. In
the midst of all of this, I'm like six six
x seven. So every day people are telling me like, yo,
(06:10):
can you not even know? At this time, I didn't
know what like a good basketball player was.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
I thought I was.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
Also, I thought I was good at the time, but
now what I see now is like you were terrible.
Speaker 4 (06:21):
But I was like, people like, yo, can you play basketball?
At this time time? I guess I can't play basketball?
But I never played for anyone.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
So I'm going to the right doing little things and
I'm always, like I said, I've been athletics. So I'm
dunking the ball just naturally dunking the ball, jumping high,
blocking shots and stuff like that. But I'm not putting
the ball on the ground. Like I can't shoot. I
can't really dribble left the right. I might can go
straight up and down, but I can't dribble left the right,
between the legs, none of that stuff. So I just
became known for just dunking and blocking shots in the military.
(06:51):
So eventually I met people because during COVID year, we
got a wave of like a lot of people lost
their jobs. We joined the military, like even like people
like professional overseas basketball players showing the military. So people,
just people, just my head alone got me in the
doors of conversation and people saying do you play basketball?
Speaker 1 (07:12):
And then so, then when did you start playing for
the Navy, like inner real.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
Team twenty twenty two, I started hooping. And then so
three years after I joined it, do you guys have practice?
We actually did have practice, but it was nothing like
there was nothing like practice now. Though it was nothing
like practice now.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
It wasn't like our first practice when you're like, holy man,
why did I get myself.
Speaker 4 (07:36):
Into Yeah, that's it.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
Look the look I just I gotta tell you to
look at your face was like.
Speaker 4 (07:43):
Oh oh man.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
I think I was more surprised about, like I'm not
the only like real athlete out here, like because in
the military, like you get the dudes that play basketball
back in the day, so when they see me, they like,
oh my god. But these like my teammates and stuff
like that. I've never been around a group of guys
that's all been like this.
Speaker 4 (08:04):
They love it, like you know what I mean. So
I was shocked at everything.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Now when did you When did you first start to think, hey,
I could do this, Like in junior college or in college.
Speaker 3 (08:16):
For the most part, I always been like ah, I
always not I'm not gonna say I never been like humble,
but I just like I just went with the flow.
So I thought everyone was just like saying like little
things like trying to make me feel good, like yo,
why you don't play for a team or why you
don't whatever.
Speaker 4 (08:30):
I'm like, bro this time, Like I'm twenty three. Bro,
I'm old.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
I don't want to do that. I'm not doing that,
Like I missed my college days already. I'm twenty three,
twenty four, I'm old twenty five.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
I'm old. It is what it is until.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
It just got It got with women at a point
time because at this time I'm doing it for fun,
but I'm also getting better and people are seeing how
better I'm getting. Yep, So it just got woman to
the point where it's like my contract is running out.
Like I said, I didn't go to college after high school,
so it really was let me go to school to
learn a new trade so I could survive in the
(09:07):
civilian world. And if basketball works out, it works out,
you know what I mean. That's what it really came down.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
You actually have You actually have the benefit that other
people don't have, which is you have a fallback of
real jobs and a real chance if this thing doesn't
doesn't hit.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
What about your story is most mistold?
Speaker 4 (09:29):
The thing about my story that's most mistold. I feel
like it's people.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
Some people see my highlights and see like my talents
of just my natural talents, and they just they I
hear people are like, are you going to the NBA
next year? Like are you going to drafted or stuff
like that, or like people just take my age and
they think I should automatically dominate, Like oh, he's twenty nine.
I know he's going out there and kill those kids. Man,
(09:53):
these dude they've been hooping longer than me. So I
like I'm in People forget that, like they forget the
part of the story where like I started late and
not like in late, it was like three years ago.
Speaker 4 (10:04):
That's late like for me. Yeah, so people, I think.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
I think, here's what people think. This is what I think.
Speaker 4 (10:09):
I think.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
I think they think you played basketball your whole life.
Then you joined the then you you again, I'm telling
you what people think. Then you couldn't get a division
on scholarship. So then you joined the Navy. And then
after being the Navy and you're dominating due to the Navy.
Now you come back, go to junior college. Then you'll
go to college.
Speaker 4 (10:26):
Right.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
Yeah, there's exactly what I think they think too, And
that is the it gets to me mad a little bit.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
Well again, this is it's really interesting. Like I don't
act like I'm not the sage giver of wisdom, but
when we first talked, I told you, and it's really
interesting that like you got to run your own race,
you know, you got to shut out the world and
you got to understand it's going to be hard. Right,
There's gonna be days where where it feels like I
(10:52):
should quit this thing, this is not for me, and
then there's gonna be days.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
Like I can do this forever.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
Yeah, it's not actually that much different than than than
me with that with coaching, where I always thought I
should do this, I've always kind of done it on
the side. You know, I grew up in I grew
up obviously a different household than you. I grew up
in a in a coach's household. My dad was a coach,
my brother's a coach, whatever. But still it's the it's you.
(11:18):
Just it's a real hard thing because you are You
strike me as two things, strike me as very curious, right,
Like I noticed again, I'm not a stalker, but I
follow you on IG so I noticed that, like you don't,
you're not You're really exploring Wisconsin. You've been to Madison,
right like You're like, and everywhere we go you find
(11:38):
something interesting. I'm much the same way, like I can.
It's like the guys ask me all the time about
all these cities, like I've been to all of them, and.
Speaker 1 (11:45):
I can tell you something interesting about all of them.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
And I love walking around and discovering new things. But
I also think that you are and and don't take
this in any of the I mean, you can take
it out or you want to take it, but.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
You care what people think.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
Yeah, you know, And there is a certain amount of
like almost aspert like lack of empathy.
Speaker 1 (12:09):
You have to have her or feelings. You have to
have to to do what you're.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
Trying to do. Yeah, you know, because nobody knows. Nobody
knows any of this, doesn't They just don't. They just
they think that people that they think that we as
coaches just go say, hey, go set a ball screen
right there, roll hoop and go play and then and
then whoever the better one is.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
It works, And there's like so much more to it than.
Speaker 4 (12:32):
That, right more.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
You know, you have a son, you have you know,
you have all these other You're you're in college for
the first time, you're in Wisconsin for the first time,
you're playing for me for the first time, you're playing
real college basketball for the first time.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
You're going to practice real practice for the first time.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
You know, traveling plenty, And it's not like the other
teams like hey, oh you haven't played for a while,
don't worry about it. Well, let's get a couple of dunks.
Let's get going.
Speaker 4 (12:55):
Right in facts.
Speaker 3 (12:57):
Literally those are just like let's that's even like in
Juka my coach. It's people this and also like they
don't understand, like it's a learning curve also too, like
from my military ball to even not even military ball,
just like recreational like La fitness or with all these
that's not college that's not Division one college basketball at all.
(13:18):
Like like if you tell me to go in the
gym play pickup ball with all like these like Division
one players all these things, I'm like you, I'm gonna
fit in just like this pickup ball.
Speaker 4 (13:26):
But it's so much.
Speaker 3 (13:27):
More with with learning how to actually play basketball, which
you know, I mean like I mean, but athleticism, I
love it. It got me a long way, but now
it's time to actually learn how to play basketball because
it's ways where you could.
Speaker 4 (13:43):
You don't have to be the most athletic at the
division to Division one, you could.
Speaker 3 (13:46):
You could do a lot of different things to be here,
and you might get past that dude that he's just
more athletic than you.
Speaker 5 (13:53):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Fox Sports
Radio dot com and within the iHeartRadio app search f
s R to listen live.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
Do you have the patience for that?
Speaker 3 (14:07):
I feel like I do. I have to tell myself
I do in the midst of the moment. You know,
everybody in the midst you have to. I look back
on a lot of things I do.
Speaker 4 (14:18):
And I have to.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
Then then that's when I tell myself, like, you got it,
Just be more patient. You're you're you're you're worrying about
the outside and that's forcing you to think it for
like you're not going to a certain pace, but you're you're.
Y'all do a good job of telling me that to
my teammates, my coaches, like you're doing what you're doing fine,
you mean, y'all try to.
Speaker 4 (14:36):
Get me to to listen.
Speaker 2 (14:39):
Here here's the again. I'm I'm probably over sharing. Okay,
I have the same thing. Right, you get all the
pressure from people. They don't realize how hard like for our.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
Level, right we're playing. We're underdogs in all of.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
These games, right, so they don't they so because of
my name and things that I've done or whatever, that
when we lose becomes a big your thing, right, So
I have to have the patience with myself, the patients
and building a team the patients and building a program
to understand where we are and where we're going. And
you're kind of got to be the same way. Yeah,
(15:12):
I want to ask you about the Kansas game. Okay,
first again, before we get to the game, what was
that like? Again, you're not you were a college basketball
fan growing.
Speaker 4 (15:20):
Up, right? Two k guy?
Speaker 1 (15:22):
Yeah, what was it like to walk into that full arena?
Speaker 4 (15:27):
It just it was just it was amazing. I can't
even explain it.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
It just felt like everything hit me all at once,
like my whole life just hit me, like what I'm doing,
Like I'm really here, Like that's that's the moment. I like,
I felt like that, like my past is I have different.
I've been through so many different obstacles of life. To
walk through that Iran and see like this is where
I'm at, Like everything hit me, Like the people that
was telling me like yo, you could play Division one,
(15:52):
you could do.
Speaker 4 (15:53):
And me walking in there, it just it's like it
was it was amazing.
Speaker 2 (15:56):
Okay, So you struggled, I think with emotions, but they
were really good. How did you feel after the game.
Speaker 3 (16:04):
After the game, Oh my god, I felt I felt
really really bad. I felt, to be honest, I'm not
even sugar. I felt so bad, man. I felt like
I just felt like I was.
Speaker 4 (16:15):
I felt like.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
You can say it, okay, I'm not just That was.
Speaker 4 (16:21):
The first time I've got in the game.
Speaker 3 (16:22):
And it's crazy too because I was telling myself and
I was having flashbacks about this game because when I
walk on the court, I'm all, I'm I'm knowing like
I might be I might could jump the highest thing
the court like all these things. That was like one
of the worst first times I've gotten the court and
I just the but dunga dude. I just was looking
at him at all because he was doing every like
(16:43):
everything that I thought like I was the best at
he was doing it, and I felt kind of like
defenseless out there a little bit. But it was just like, row,
this is your this is your first test, you know
what I mean, Like you he's been doing this.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
Did you allow yourself to feel like a failure.
Speaker 3 (17:03):
I didn't allow myself to, but it was sometime I
was just like just round down moments and then I
have to pick myself back up.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
Yeah. No, it was. I think it was hard for
all of you guys.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
I think you know again, I think some of it
was the successful. Lot of it was maybe a mistake
in that just you know, it kills your confidence because
you think they're.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
Not all like that, Not all nights are going to
be like that.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
They're really good and they're really athletic, and it was.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
It was a hard one for us.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
The The upside to it is nothing's going to be
as difficult the rest of the year. The downside to
it is it because it's Kansas, because it's your first one,
because it was the first game of the year, you
feel like everybody's paying attention, and.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
You know that's That's the real challenge.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
To to doing this, and really it's to doing anything,
but especially doing this, is can you get your self
up after however you want to termament not succeeding after failing,
and still push to go and go like I'm gonna
get there.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
I'm just not there yet. I'm gonna get there. I'm
not just that, I'm just not there yet. It's hard. Look,
I dude, I struggle with the same.
Speaker 2 (18:15):
I don't necessarily have a crisis in confidence, but there
are times in which I'm like, holy cow, are we
ever going to get this thing going right? And then
all of a sudden we play well and we're close,
and I'm like, all right, I'm back, I'm in.
Speaker 1 (18:27):
We're fine, you know, common goal. But I do feel
like your.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
Internal struggles were a little struggle with confidence. I think
that that was a hard night for you, and.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
I think it. I think it it.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
It reverberated for a couple of weeks, and I think
you're just now sort of coming out of it, if
that makes sense.
Speaker 4 (18:48):
Yeah. Yeah, I learned a lots in that game.
Speaker 3 (18:52):
I learned a lot just my approach to things that
even like the seriousness of the details, just paying attention
more so that they've told me a lot.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
Yeah, you know what it is.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
We need to have the step by step thing on
the sheet for you, like the IKEA thing like you
have the military.
Speaker 3 (19:12):
You grew up. Any steps in the military that show
money if you screw up on the steps, we can
do that.
Speaker 1 (19:20):
We can.
Speaker 4 (19:23):
Do that at all.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
Okay, what's the one thing that you want people to
know that they don't know about you? Doesn't have to
be about your story. It to be about you or
be about how it feels to be you. What do
you want people to know?
Speaker 4 (19:40):
Man? I want people to know that it's my life.
Speaker 3 (19:45):
I'm not I don't like people trying to make it
seem like I'm doing something wrong or I don't the negativity.
I'm gonna just tone that out because I'm I'm in
a position where I set myself up from when I
joined the military to now where I'm comfortab, I'm living comfortable,
I'm taking care of my son, I'm enjoying. I'm enjoying
every step of this journey, from on the basketball for
(20:07):
it to the adventure that it takes me, to the
friends to everything is I'm I don't know. I feel
like people when people say something negative, I feel like
they're trying to make it seem like I'm.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
No, here's what it does. Now Again, I truly believe this.
You know, I don't agree with everything Lebron said. Yeah,
but there were times in which she said he's I
think he said something like, you know, people basically talk
shout him because they're living miserable lives and they want
to bring you to their level. Yeah right, yeah, And
so so here's what I want you to know, and
(20:40):
I want people to know. And it's really like, I
know you want to do the pod because you want
people to know the reality of your story. Didn't play
basketball except pick up and one year growing up right,
grew late, super awkward, body, kind of grew into it late,
all those things, and you want them to get the
facts straight. And what I want you to know is one,
I love it. I'd love to being part of this journey.
(21:03):
And and what happens is this is a big thing,
especially in basketball, but it's true in most things in life,
is we.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
Want to rush the process. Yeah, there's there's just no
rushing it. There just isn't.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
And if anybody thinks when we don't play you, or
we play you less than they think we should play you, whatever,
it has nothing to do with anything other than we
just don't think you're ready right now. We're trying to
help us win games, but that doesn't mean that we're
out on ramel Bethea.
Speaker 4 (21:33):
Right.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
You actually have three years if you want to play
for us, and we will probably fight for a fourth
if you want.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
And I'm here for I'm here for all of it
or any of it.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
And and the thing I can tell you as a
coach that I've seen is one you work really really
hard in your jump shot. We've actually had conversations about, hey,
we should probably let Bramel shoot a couple of times, right,
because he's always like see this, I see this, And
you're only shooting when you're on a scout team. You
fire that bitch up when you're like, yeah, ain't shooting
that shit.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
But it will slow down for you, okay.
Speaker 2 (22:06):
You're basically a college freshman, like a freshman basketa player,
and most freshmen it's way too fast for they're they're
completely overwhelmed. They thought they knew something and they didn't.
They're physically not ready for it all of the things.
And the only thing that's keeping people from thinking that
of you is that you're twenty nine years old.
Speaker 4 (22:26):
Literally.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
It's literally the only thing right, literally the only only
thing so and that you can't control nor should you
care about it because it's not anybody else's journey. But
I you know again, that's my my thing to you
is like I get it. I feel when your confidence
is up and your confidence is down with questions whatever,
(22:47):
and my thing is just just keep going, you know,
it's the life lesson. Just keep going. You're on the
right path. Everybody likes you, believes in you, and we're
just again it's just like anything else. We're just trying
to figure out what works for each group for during
the game, and how how we can make you better
on a daily basis, and and you know, you know,
(23:11):
we're invested in you the person and you the player,
and like I know, I'm not going to bring up
his name, your roommate. He's he's the guy we all
think it's talent enough to play. We got to get
him to where we think he's playing how we want
to play, or he starts playing. Because when you it's
it's just like you described in putting something in the military.
If you cut a corner, it may work, but eventually
(23:33):
there's gonna be a leak, and it's gonna be.
Speaker 3 (23:35):
Really really bad.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
You know, it's gonna be really really bad. So does
your son know what you're doing?
Speaker 4 (23:42):
Right? I think he does.
Speaker 3 (23:43):
He's been, he's been, he's been there front the beginning too,
because LOOKI I didn't start playing basketball until I have
my son, and that was like my way to cope
with like just the stresses of my life changing. Like
I just started once I have my son. I started
playing basketball, I started meeting friends, and that's that's from
the whole family started coming in that basketball.
Speaker 4 (24:03):
I mean, it wasn't there for me when I was
growing up as a.
Speaker 3 (24:05):
Kid, like how some of these other uh, these other
dudes are, but like basketball changed my life and it
kind of like was my coping mechanism to like me
being away from home, me finding a family, we founding
a friend group in the military.
Speaker 4 (24:18):
So, uh, he's been there the whole time.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
So now what you got to do is that thing
coping mechanism.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
H that's how all of us and I would guess
most of your teammates you asked them when they're having
a bad day, they just go in there and shoot
yet in their rip shots and and it gets you
away from the world.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
I've always I mean, that's always been basketball to me.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
Like I didn't have like a tough upbringing, but my
dad was not My dad was not easy and it
is not easy to do all the things that I
was able to do. And my coping mechanism was just
I just want to go to the gym and just
shoot and not and tune out the world, you know,
or play it. And when you play a game, if
you think about it, within all those stresses of playing
a game, did you once think about anything outside of basketball?
Speaker 4 (25:00):
No?
Speaker 2 (25:01):
No, that's the power to sport. The power sport is
everybody in there is thinking about just the sport and
then for you, you're not thinking about any grades, home, family, girls, problem.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
It all disappears, you know. So, uh, that's that's the
cool part of it. What has been?
Speaker 2 (25:21):
If Kansas was the toughest game, what has what has
been in this short period of time lust together? What's
been the most enjoyable part of it?
Speaker 4 (25:29):
Oh?
Speaker 5 (25:29):
Man?
Speaker 4 (25:30):
The team events like like compared to the table say like,
it's a family thing, Like we do everything. You do
everything together with people you work with.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
So like the team events like the thing I like
the most. During summertime, we used to go paintball.
Speaker 4 (25:43):
Was amazing. That was part of one of the first.
Speaker 1 (25:45):
Time that was so cool. We gotta do that.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
We gotta do that again, the paintball and that was
like the dad was fun. I don't golf at all,
but that golf outing was fun.
Speaker 4 (25:57):
It's just it's you don't.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
You don't golf at all. I can vouch it. You
are the worst golfer i've ever seen ever. But why
why haven't we had a two K tournament?
Speaker 3 (26:10):
We should do that because I think a lot of
the guys play two K, like almost all of the guys.
Speaker 1 (26:15):
Everybody plays two K.
Speaker 4 (26:17):
We should do.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
Okay, show how confident are you in your game? So
like again, like we got a little time here after Thanksgiving. Okay,
how confident are you in your two K game?
Speaker 3 (26:29):
If you if you have a date that we have,
if we set up a date for the two K tournament,
I'll be ready.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
Problem is like you're just now learning the offense. My bad,
my bad, I've completely forgotten what line is, what real is?
Speaker 1 (26:49):
You know what?
Speaker 4 (26:54):
That's the only basketball I do to get here.
Speaker 3 (26:56):
All I know was pick and roll like hard, hedging hedgie,
which I'll say all these terms, all are saying this
my first stagger I never heard. I knew where Elevator was.
Elevator's playing from Juco. That's like people do that Jucos.
But like all these new ways of playing basketball, these
these verbiages I'll be hearing, they're all new to me
this year.
Speaker 2 (27:17):
Well, I know, and I hope you understand that when
I stop and want to teach you. It's not because
I'm trying. I'm not trying to be a dick. I
mean there's times when I am a.
Speaker 1 (27:25):
Dick, but I'm not trying to. But in this particular time,
I'm not trying.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
I'm just trying to be like I because you would
hate if somebody used like if you use like a
military term and I go like, I have no idea what.
Speaker 4 (27:35):
You're talking about.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
Yeah, yeah, I got nothing nothing, Okay, so uh we
have we now have to.
Speaker 1 (27:43):
I got to put on the schedule two kuram. I
like that. I like that.
Speaker 4 (27:48):
Anything else that's that's pretty That's pretty much it. That's
my whole. That's pretty much now.
Speaker 2 (27:54):
But saya invitational invitation only. Oh we played two K?
Speaker 1 (27:59):
What team are you gonna play with?
Speaker 4 (28:01):
Bucks?
Speaker 2 (28:03):
Wow? The people in Wisconsin are going to love you.
Speaker 4 (28:06):
That's not my favorite team, but that's my that's right.
Speaker 2 (28:12):
Giannis looks like the after picture if you're the before picture, true.
Speaker 4 (28:18):
His his before picture is like me.
Speaker 1 (28:21):
Yes, we gotta we Yeah, we'll have to.
Speaker 2 (28:22):
When you post this, will have to you have to
get me those photos.
Speaker 4 (28:26):
That's only picture. I don't want to be posted no more.
Speaker 2 (28:29):
Right, I'm done, that's so for people don't know, we
won't post a picture.
Speaker 1 (28:35):
There's a picture of Ramel in his uh in his
his greens.
Speaker 4 (28:39):
What are those?
Speaker 1 (28:40):
Were those?
Speaker 4 (28:41):
N my working uniforms?
Speaker 2 (28:44):
And I walked in and we had it up on
on the Veterans Day or the after Veterans Day whatever,
Thank you Ramel, And I just said, man, isis They
must have shipped themselves when they saw that stuff, right,
whatever happened to isis, well, at least.
Speaker 3 (28:57):
That was the most friendliest picture ever.
Speaker 4 (29:05):
Look badass at all?
Speaker 1 (29:06):
I leave.
Speaker 2 (29:08):
So I'm gonna tell you something that that most adults
will will think when they're listening to this, and nobody
will say to you, it is very very brave to
come on the pod and to tell your story, to
allow other people in. But more than anything, to put
yourself out there as a guy who didn't play basketball
really growing up and play dollarge basketball.
Speaker 1 (29:29):
It's brave.
Speaker 4 (29:30):
It's brave.
Speaker 1 (29:31):
So so succeed.
Speaker 2 (29:33):
Or fail in a game, you succeed in life because
you're trying and you keep you keep pushing.
Speaker 1 (29:38):
You're not That's all.
Speaker 4 (29:39):
It is about a lessons more than basketball.
Speaker 2 (29:43):
Okay, So the last thing, what is the clock? And
cross tattoo on your left hand. Explain that one to me?
Speaker 3 (29:49):
Uh, the clock in this one right here is yeah, okay,
so half of my testoos have meaning and the other
half is just for the visuals.
Speaker 1 (29:58):
Okay, which one is that?
Speaker 4 (29:59):
That's what the it's for the visuals?
Speaker 1 (30:02):
But how did who did that one?
Speaker 3 (30:04):
I got bro So my whole body is pretty much tatty.
But I've got my tattoo from Maryland, Virginia?
Speaker 1 (30:12):
Where did you get that one? You don't remember where
you go? Virginia?
Speaker 4 (30:15):
Actually a shipmate, a Navy sailor, my he works with me.
He did.
Speaker 3 (30:20):
He did a couple of my tattoos. He actually is
out the military too. Now he's a veteran. He has
his own shop, so he's doing.
Speaker 1 (30:26):
Good also, so he has done the tattoo show.
Speaker 4 (30:28):
Yeah, he got out the military.
Speaker 1 (30:30):
And how are you talking to that one?
Speaker 2 (30:31):
He's like, man, I got to think put a clock
in her hand with a cross on it?
Speaker 4 (30:36):
I can't. I came to him, I can't. He don't
ask questions. You don't, he don't. He don't ask questions.
You just whatever you like, He'll just he'll do it
for you. So he'll ask questions.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
So what was the inspiration though in the clock and
the Cross.
Speaker 3 (30:49):
I think I was having one of those cravings where
I just needed a tattoo and I had one, already
had my right hand tatty, so I was like, I
need another spot, so let me go to the left.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
I mean, listen to some people with drugs, some people's booze,
some people's women.
Speaker 1 (31:04):
You has tattoos. That's okay, that we all know. We
all know our addition. I mean listen, it could be worse.
Speaker 2 (31:08):
You could want to go and play, you know Texas,
hold them and lose all your live the earnings.
Speaker 4 (31:14):
Yeah that's true.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
But I will tell you that you have an expensive body.
Speaker 2 (31:18):
And that's not a pause. That's in all the tats
on your body. How much how much do you think
you spent overall tattoos?
Speaker 3 (31:24):
They just asked me that to Cave asked me that
I think we we did.
Speaker 4 (31:29):
Like the math feels around like seven thousand. Not bad, yeah,
not that bad.
Speaker 2 (31:35):
Yeah, Hey, get some sleep, let's go in some games.
Thanks for doing this, for setting the record straight, and
for people out there who post all the bullshit. Okay,
I'm telling you right now, turn off your mentions, Oh yeah,
turn off you mentions. Who gives a fuck? Okay, you
(31:55):
have a team and a coaching staff and a whole
fan base said love you. You got all your Navy
shipmates are cheering for you, and nobody else matters. And
your son is sitting there and you're You're the greatest
creation that God ever created you.
Speaker 1 (32:11):
How you think about him is how he thinks about you.
Speaker 2 (32:14):
That's the reality, right, you're his dad, you're playing college basketball,
you're in the military, you're generally a badass.
Speaker 1 (32:21):
So that's all that matters.
Speaker 2 (32:22):
I don't give a shit with somebody on IG says
about your fucking story and.
Speaker 1 (32:26):
There should do Okay, yes, clach Mabby mouth talk to you.
Let I will do more on our team in pods
to come.
Speaker 2 (32:39):
I'll give you a kind of greater sense of Justin Allen,
who's been playing outstanding basketball for US. He had twenty
seven and twenty eight back to back games as he
was named of the all tournament team at.
Speaker 1 (32:51):
The Paradise Sham. His story.
Speaker 2 (32:53):
He's going to join me as well, so too is
Marcus Hall, Preston Rudinger, my whole crew. So we'll cover
all the basketball, but also all of my team. In
the meantime, keep cheering for the Phoenix, keep downloading this pod,
and keep sending me notes as to what you think,
what you like, what you don't at Gatlieb Show on Instagram,
at galleep Show on Twitter or x if you will.
(33:13):
And I don't actually know my handle, but I'll put
it out on TikTok as well. In the meantime, thanks
so much for joining us. Reminder, The Doug Goatlelip Show
airs daily three to five Easter twelve to Pacific POK
Sports Radio, iHeartRadio.
Speaker 1 (33:26):
I'm Doug Gottlieb. This is all ball
Hey, what up? Welcome in. I'm Doug Gottlieb. BIZ is
All Ball.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
This is part two of our talk with Ramel Bethea,
who's my sophomore, twenty nine year old center from miracast
To Community College in San Diego, California. And I think
you're really gonna enjoy us as we dig deep into
the emotions that he deals with when he goes through
social media. Before we do quick update on our team.
(00:33):
We are back from the US Virgin Islands and it
was a successful trip. We lost to a pre season
Ivy League favorite, Yale, who end up winning the tournament.
We cut their lead to two with twenty nine seconds
to go, but couldn't close the deal.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
They're very, very good.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
We missed him many free throws, colled too many three pointers.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
They took advantage we could not.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
We end up losing by six, having to foul late
in the game, and then we bounced back though with
two wins over Frank Martin's team, where I was incredibly
proud of our team or the resilience and probably the
toughness that UMass plays with. They challenge us in the
places that we were weaknessed last year, which was rebounding,
in turnovers, and just like the Yale game, we were
(01:14):
right there and competitive with rebounding. In terms of thing
we beat them on the boards and might have one
more turnover they did. And then we beat Iona and
at thirteen of offensive rebounds and only five turnovers. So
the improvement isn't just in the final score. The improvement
is in those little areas, those micro areas that we
(01:34):
had to get better at, both with personnel and coaching
in the offseason. So I'm super proud of our group.
Ramel played some and at a huge block shot against Iona,
came in late in the game and gave us big
minutes against hu Mass.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
But he's growing, he's learning.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
And just imagine if you were thrust into Division one
college environment, whatever sport you played, and he only played
one year of retrue organized basketball or organized football or
organized baseball, it would be different. It would be a
tough learning curve. And that's what he's going through. So
let's catch up.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
This is part two of our conversation with Romelbethet.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
So you go to Virginia and then what's your day
like when you're in the Navy, when you're when you're
when you're there's a fancy term for it, but you're
a mechanical engineer.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Yeah, well yeah, machine is making we call mmmm is
like the urt thing EMM.
Speaker 4 (02:34):
Yeah. So at this point when I first got to.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
My ship, the ship was planned to go on his
last underway, which means his last time ever going to
see for a good amount of time.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
So I got lucky.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
So I only did like twenty one days out at sea,
but I did it as soon as I got to
my ship. Like, so, when I got to my ship,
we went to the to see for twenty one days,
came back.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
So what do you do when you guys have to see?
What are you doing? What?
Speaker 3 (03:03):
I was basically getting my qualifications because I was new,
So I was basically chaperone and like people date, but
my job was I was chaperon, like under people that
we worked on all the auxiliary equipment on the ship.
Speaker 4 (03:14):
So AC's the steaming heat.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
The galley, the galley equipment, hydraulic system, stuff like that.
So I was getting qualifications to to learn how to
do that type of stuff.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Now can you do that now on your own or
do you still need somebody to go like, hey do this?
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Do this? Do this, then you can do it.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
If it's like steam auxiliary piping type of stuff, I
can pretty much do it on my own. I just
need like a PMS like or like an MRC we
call it. It's something thats just like teach you step
by step how you do it.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
You are do you realize?
Speaker 2 (03:45):
You realize you talking about the PRS and the all
these different letters. That's like, that's like when I start
throwing LINGO at you and you're like, I haven't know
what you're talking about.
Speaker 4 (03:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
Yeah, So it's like the best way to describe my
job is like if you order something from Amazon, I
want to see like a desk or something like that,
and it comes with like those things that take you
step by step each thing.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
That's basically what my job was for, like auxiliary equipment.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
So when I go to Ikea when we get back
from our trip, I'm gonna call you and be like,
hey man, I keep put together this death easy.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
I loved it reminds but I just put up something
and it reminded me of being in the military because
you have to do it step by step. You can't
miss no steps or you could get in trouble if
you do missus step in the milit on that. Yeah,
it's like life or death reading those are like life
and death in the military.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
Did you ever were you ever in combat?
Speaker 4 (04:35):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (04:36):
No, I didn't do combat. My rate was in I
didn't I was not expeditionary, So my rate is split
up in half. So half of people can go expeditionary
is where they tag alongside of those people that do combat.
But mine's I was just strictly on the ship. So
we hear, we hear the bombs and stuff going off.
We hear the jets on the on the on the
flight deck and stuff like that, but we don't actually.
Speaker 4 (04:56):
Deal with that.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Well, if you heard the bombs going off though, then
you were in were you like did you get to
go anywhere where there was bombs and shit going on.
Speaker 4 (05:04):
So on ship? Uh?
Speaker 3 (05:06):
So, like they call them trial runs, like trial runs.
So basically it's like we're going to water and the
higher up. So like the jet people that they want,
they getting their calls also, So that's them getting their
calls is when they we go out there and they
just do like little explosion testings and stuff like that.
So that's where we were on My ship was like
in its rebuilding phase. It was it was getting out
(05:29):
of condition for a minute. So I heard like the
fake fake bombs and the actual.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
Exactly exercises.
Speaker 4 (05:38):
Exactly.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
Okay, So when was the time that you started picking
up picking up the basketball and like the rec center?
Speaker 1 (05:46):
When when did that happen?
Speaker 3 (05:48):
So what happened first was I started lifting weights. I
wish I could show you a picture. I might have
to find a picture I can show you. Oh my god,
you wouldn't even believe it. It was me, But I'm
still skinny, but I was waved skinnier skinnier. So I
started lifting weights. I found liking the lifting weights. In
the midst of all of this, I'm like six six
x seven. So every day people are telling me like, yo,
(06:10):
can you not even know? At this time, I didn't
know what like a good basketball player was.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
I thought I was.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
Also, I thought I was good at the time, but
now what I see now is like you were terrible.
Speaker 4 (06:21):
But I was like, people like, yo, can you play basketball?
At this time time? I guess I can't play basketball?
But I never played for anyone.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
So I'm going to the right doing little things and
I'm always, like I said, I've been athletics. So I'm
dunking the ball just naturally dunking the ball, jumping high,
blocking shots and stuff like that. But I'm not putting
the ball on the ground. Like I can't shoot. I
can't really dribble left the right. I might can go
straight up and down, but I can't dribble left the right,
between the legs, none of that stuff. So I just
became known for just dunking and blocking shots in the military.
(06:51):
So eventually I met people because during COVID year, we
got a wave of like a lot of people lost
their jobs. We joined the military, like even like people
like professional overseas basketball players showing the military. So people,
just people, just my head alone got me in the
doors of conversation and people saying do you play basketball?
Speaker 1 (07:12):
And then so, then when did you start playing for
the Navy, like inner real.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
Team twenty twenty two, I started hooping. And then so
three years after I joined it, do you guys have practice?
We actually did have practice, but it was nothing like
there was nothing like practice now. Though it was nothing
like practice now.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
It wasn't like our first practice when you're like, holy man,
why did I get myself.
Speaker 4 (07:36):
Into Yeah, that's it.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
Look the look I just I gotta tell you to
look at your face was like.
Speaker 4 (07:43):
Oh oh man.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
I think I was more surprised about, like I'm not
the only like real athlete out here, like because in
the military, like you get the dudes that play basketball
back in the day, so when they see me, they like,
oh my god. But these like my teammates and stuff
like that. I've never been around a group of guys
that's all been like this.
Speaker 4 (08:04):
They love it, like you know what I mean. So
I was shocked at everything.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Now when did you When did you first start to think, hey,
I could do this, Like in junior college or in college.
Speaker 3 (08:16):
For the most part, I always been like ah, I
always not I'm not gonna say I never been like humble,
but I just like I just went with the flow.
So I thought everyone was just like saying like little
things like trying to make me feel good, like yo,
why you don't play for a team or why you
don't whatever.
Speaker 4 (08:30):
I'm like, bro this time, Like I'm twenty three. Bro,
I'm old.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
I don't want to do that. I'm not doing that,
Like I missed my college days already. I'm twenty three,
twenty four, I'm old twenty five.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
I'm old. It is what it is until.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
It just got It got with women at a point
time because at this time I'm doing it for fun,
but I'm also getting better and people are seeing how
better I'm getting. Yep, So it just got woman to
the point where it's like my contract is running out.
Like I said, I didn't go to college after high school,
so it really was let me go to school to
learn a new trade so I could survive in the
(09:07):
civilian world. And if basketball works out, it works out,
you know what I mean. That's what it really came down.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
You actually have You actually have the benefit that other
people don't have, which is you have a fallback of
real jobs and a real chance if this thing doesn't
doesn't hit.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
What about your story is most mistold?
Speaker 4 (09:29):
The thing about my story that's most mistold. I feel
like it's people.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
Some people see my highlights and see like my talents
of just my natural talents, and they just they I
hear people are like, are you going to the NBA
next year? Like are you going to drafted or stuff
like that, or like people just take my age and
they think I should automatically dominate, Like oh, he's twenty nine.
I know he's going out there and kill those kids. Man,
(09:53):
these dude they've been hooping longer than me. So I
like I'm in People forget that, like they forget the
part of the story where like I started late and
not like in late, it was like three years ago.
Speaker 4 (10:04):
That's late like for me. Yeah, so people, I think.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
I think, here's what people think. This is what I think.
Speaker 4 (10:09):
I think.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
I think they think you played basketball your whole life.
Then you joined the then you you again, I'm telling
you what people think. Then you couldn't get a division
on scholarship. So then you joined the Navy. And then
after being the Navy and you're dominating due to the Navy.
Now you come back, go to junior college. Then you'll
go to college.
Speaker 4 (10:26):
Right.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
Yeah, there's exactly what I think they think too, And
that is the it gets to me mad a little bit.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
Well again, this is it's really interesting. Like I don't
act like I'm not the sage giver of wisdom, but
when we first talked, I told you, and it's really
interesting that like you got to run your own race,
you know, you got to shut out the world and
you got to understand it's going to be hard. Right,
There's gonna be days where where it feels like I
(10:52):
should quit this thing, this is not for me, and
then there's gonna be days.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
Like I can do this forever.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
Yeah, it's not actually that much different than than than
me with that with coaching, where I always thought I
should do this, I've always kind of done it on
the side. You know, I grew up in I grew
up obviously a different household than you. I grew up
in a in a coach's household. My dad was a coach,
my brother's a coach, whatever. But still it's the it's you.
(11:18):
Just it's a real hard thing because you are You
strike me as two things, strike me as very curious, right,
Like I noticed again, I'm not a stalker, but I
follow you on IG so I noticed that, like you don't,
you're not You're really exploring Wisconsin. You've been to Madison,
right like You're like, and everywhere we go you find
(11:38):
something interesting. I'm much the same way, like I can.
It's like the guys ask me all the time about
all these cities, like I've been to all of them, and.
Speaker 1 (11:45):
I can tell you something interesting about all of them.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
And I love walking around and discovering new things. But
I also think that you are and and don't take
this in any of the I mean, you can take
it out or you want to take it, but.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
You care what people think.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
Yeah, you know, And there is a certain amount of
like almost aspert like lack of empathy.
Speaker 1 (12:09):
You have to have her or feelings. You have to
have to to do what you're.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
Trying to do. Yeah, you know, because nobody knows. Nobody
knows any of this, doesn't They just don't. They just
they think that people that they think that we as
coaches just go say, hey, go set a ball screen
right there, roll hoop and go play and then and
then whoever the better one is.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
It works, And there's like so much more to it than.
Speaker 4 (12:32):
That, right more.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
You know, you have a son, you have you know,
you have all these other You're you're in college for
the first time, you're in Wisconsin for the first time,
you're playing for me for the first time, you're playing
real college basketball for the first time.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
You're going to practice real practice for the first time.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
You know, traveling plenty, And it's not like the other
teams like hey, oh you haven't played for a while,
don't worry about it. Well, let's get a couple of dunks.
Let's get going.
Speaker 4 (12:55):
Right in facts.
Speaker 3 (12:57):
Literally those are just like let's that's even like in
Juka my coach. It's people this and also like they
don't understand, like it's a learning curve also too, like
from my military ball to even not even military ball,
just like recreational like La fitness or with all these
that's not college that's not Division one college basketball at all.
(13:18):
Like like if you tell me to go in the
gym play pickup ball with all like these like Division
one players all these things, I'm like you, I'm gonna
fit in just like this pickup ball.
Speaker 4 (13:26):
But it's so much.
Speaker 3 (13:27):
More with with learning how to actually play basketball, which
you know, I mean like I mean, but athleticism, I
love it. It got me a long way, but now
it's time to actually learn how to play basketball because
it's ways where you could.
Speaker 4 (13:43):
You don't have to be the most athletic at the
division to Division one, you could.
Speaker 3 (13:46):
You could do a lot of different things to be here,
and you might get past that dude that he's just
more athletic than you.
Speaker 5 (13:53):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Fox Sports
Radio dot com and within the iHeartRadio app search f
s R to listen live.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
Do you have the patience for that?
Speaker 3 (14:07):
I feel like I do. I have to tell myself
I do in the midst of the moment. You know,
everybody in the midst you have to. I look back
on a lot of things I do.
Speaker 4 (14:18):
And I have to.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
Then then that's when I tell myself, like, you got it,
Just be more patient. You're you're you're you're worrying about
the outside and that's forcing you to think it for
like you're not going to a certain pace, but you're you're.
Y'all do a good job of telling me that to
my teammates, my coaches, like you're doing what you're doing fine,
you mean, y'all try to.
Speaker 4 (14:36):
Get me to to listen.
Speaker 2 (14:39):
Here here's the again. I'm I'm probably over sharing. Okay,
I have the same thing. Right, you get all the
pressure from people. They don't realize how hard like for our.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
Level, right we're playing. We're underdogs in all of.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
These games, right, so they don't they so because of
my name and things that I've done or whatever, that
when we lose becomes a big your thing, right, So
I have to have the patience with myself, the patients
and building a team the patients and building a program
to understand where we are and where we're going. And
you're kind of got to be the same way. Yeah,
(15:12):
I want to ask you about the Kansas game. Okay,
first again, before we get to the game, what was
that like? Again, you're not you were a college basketball
fan growing.
Speaker 4 (15:20):
Up, right? Two k guy?
Speaker 1 (15:22):
Yeah, what was it like to walk into that full arena?
Speaker 4 (15:27):
It just it was just it was amazing. I can't
even explain it.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
It just felt like everything hit me all at once,
like my whole life just hit me, like what I'm doing,
Like I'm really here, Like that's that's the moment. I like,
I felt like that, like my past is I have different.
I've been through so many different obstacles of life. To
walk through that Iran and see like this is where
I'm at, Like everything hit me, Like the people that
was telling me like yo, you could play Division one,
(15:52):
you could do.
Speaker 4 (15:53):
And me walking in there, it just it's like it
was it was amazing.
Speaker 2 (15:56):
Okay, So you struggled, I think with emotions, but they
were really good. How did you feel after the game.
Speaker 3 (16:04):
After the game, Oh my god, I felt I felt
really really bad. I felt, to be honest, I'm not
even sugar. I felt so bad, man. I felt like
I just felt like I was.
Speaker 4 (16:15):
I felt like.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
You can say it, okay, I'm not just That was.
Speaker 4 (16:21):
The first time I've got in the game.
Speaker 3 (16:22):
And it's crazy too because I was telling myself and
I was having flashbacks about this game because when I
walk on the court, I'm all, I'm I'm knowing like
I might be I might could jump the highest thing
the court like all these things. That was like one
of the worst first times I've gotten the court and
I just the but dunga dude. I just was looking
at him at all because he was doing every like
(16:43):
everything that I thought like I was the best at
he was doing it, and I felt kind of like
defenseless out there a little bit. But it was just like, row,
this is your this is your first test, you know
what I mean, Like you he's been doing this.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
Did you allow yourself to feel like a failure.
Speaker 3 (17:03):
I didn't allow myself to, but it was sometime I
was just like just round down moments and then I
have to pick myself back up.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
Yeah. No, it was. I think it was hard for
all of you guys.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
I think you know again, I think some of it
was the successful. Lot of it was maybe a mistake
in that just you know, it kills your confidence because
you think they're.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
Not all like that, Not all nights are going to
be like that.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
They're really good and they're really athletic, and it was.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
It was a hard one for us.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
The The upside to it is nothing's going to be
as difficult the rest of the year. The downside to
it is it because it's Kansas, because it's your first one,
because it was the first game of the year, you
feel like everybody's paying attention, and.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
You know that's That's the real challenge.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
To to doing this, and really it's to doing anything,
but especially doing this, is can you get your self
up after however you want to termament not succeeding after failing,
and still push to go and go like I'm gonna
get there.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
I'm just not there yet. I'm gonna get there. I'm
not just that, I'm just not there yet. It's hard. Look,
I dude, I struggle with the same.
Speaker 2 (18:15):
I don't necessarily have a crisis in confidence, but there
are times in which I'm like, holy cow, are we
ever going to get this thing going right? And then
all of a sudden we play well and we're close,
and I'm like, all right, I'm back, I'm in.
Speaker 1 (18:27):
We're fine, you know, common goal. But I do feel
like your.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
Internal struggles were a little struggle with confidence. I think
that that was a hard night for you, and.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
I think it. I think it it.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
It reverberated for a couple of weeks, and I think
you're just now sort of coming out of it, if
that makes sense.
Speaker 4 (18:48):
Yeah. Yeah, I learned a lots in that game.
Speaker 3 (18:52):
I learned a lot just my approach to things that
even like the seriousness of the details, just paying attention
more so that they've told me a lot.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
Yeah, you know what it is.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
We need to have the step by step thing on
the sheet for you, like the IKEA thing like you
have the military.
Speaker 3 (19:12):
You grew up. Any steps in the military that show
money if you screw up on the steps, we can
do that.
Speaker 1 (19:20):
We can.
Speaker 4 (19:23):
Do that at all.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
Okay, what's the one thing that you want people to
know that they don't know about you? Doesn't have to
be about your story. It to be about you or
be about how it feels to be you. What do
you want people to know?
Speaker 4 (19:40):
Man? I want people to know that it's my life.
Speaker 3 (19:45):
I'm not I don't like people trying to make it
seem like I'm doing something wrong or I don't the negativity.
I'm gonna just tone that out because I'm I'm in
a position where I set myself up from when I
joined the military to now where I'm comfortab, I'm living comfortable,
I'm taking care of my son, I'm enjoying. I'm enjoying
every step of this journey, from on the basketball for
(20:07):
it to the adventure that it takes me, to the
friends to everything is I'm I don't know. I feel
like people when people say something negative, I feel like
they're trying to make it seem like I'm.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
No, here's what it does. Now Again, I truly believe this.
You know, I don't agree with everything Lebron said. Yeah,
but there were times in which she said he's I
think he said something like, you know, people basically talk
shout him because they're living miserable lives and they want
to bring you to their level. Yeah right, yeah, And
so so here's what I want you to know, and
(20:40):
I want people to know. And it's really like, I
know you want to do the pod because you want
people to know the reality of your story. Didn't play
basketball except pick up and one year growing up right,
grew late, super awkward, body, kind of grew into it late,
all those things, and you want them to get the
facts straight. And what I want you to know is one,
I love it. I'd love to being part of this journey.
(21:03):
And and what happens is this is a big thing,
especially in basketball, but it's true in most things in life,
is we.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
Want to rush the process. Yeah, there's there's just no
rushing it. There just isn't.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
And if anybody thinks when we don't play you, or
we play you less than they think we should play you, whatever,
it has nothing to do with anything other than we
just don't think you're ready right now. We're trying to
help us win games, but that doesn't mean that we're
out on ramel Bethea.
Speaker 4 (21:33):
Right.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
You actually have three years if you want to play
for us, and we will probably fight for a fourth
if you want.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
And I'm here for I'm here for all of it
or any of it.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
And and the thing I can tell you as a
coach that I've seen is one you work really really
hard in your jump shot. We've actually had conversations about, hey,
we should probably let Bramel shoot a couple of times, right,
because he's always like see this, I see this, And
you're only shooting when you're on a scout team. You
fire that bitch up when you're like, yeah, ain't shooting
that shit.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
But it will slow down for you, okay.
Speaker 2 (22:06):
You're basically a college freshman, like a freshman basketa player,
and most freshmen it's way too fast for they're they're
completely overwhelmed. They thought they knew something and they didn't.
They're physically not ready for it all of the things.
And the only thing that's keeping people from thinking that
of you is that you're twenty nine years old.
Speaker 4 (22:26):
Literally.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
It's literally the only thing right, literally the only only
thing so and that you can't control nor should you
care about it because it's not anybody else's journey. But
I you know again, that's my my thing to you
is like I get it. I feel when your confidence
is up and your confidence is down with questions whatever,
(22:47):
and my thing is just just keep going, you know,
it's the life lesson. Just keep going. You're on the
right path. Everybody likes you, believes in you, and we're
just again it's just like anything else. We're just trying
to figure out what works for each group for during
the game, and how how we can make you better
on a daily basis, and and you know, you know,
(23:11):
we're invested in you the person and you the player,
and like I know, I'm not going to bring up
his name, your roommate. He's he's the guy we all
think it's talent enough to play. We got to get
him to where we think he's playing how we want
to play, or he starts playing. Because when you it's
it's just like you described in putting something in the military.
If you cut a corner, it may work, but eventually
(23:33):
there's gonna be a leak, and it's gonna be.
Speaker 3 (23:35):
Really really bad.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
You know, it's gonna be really really bad. So does
your son know what you're doing?
Speaker 4 (23:42):
Right? I think he does.
Speaker 3 (23:43):
He's been, he's been, he's been there front the beginning too,
because LOOKI I didn't start playing basketball until I have
my son, and that was like my way to cope
with like just the stresses of my life changing. Like
I just started once I have my son. I started
playing basketball, I started meeting friends, and that's that's from
the whole family started coming in that basketball.
Speaker 4 (24:03):
I mean, it wasn't there for me when I was
growing up as a.
Speaker 3 (24:05):
Kid, like how some of these other uh, these other
dudes are, but like basketball changed my life and it
kind of like was my coping mechanism to like me
being away from home, me finding a family, we founding
a friend group in the military.
Speaker 4 (24:18):
So, uh, he's been there the whole time.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
So now what you got to do is that thing
coping mechanism.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
H that's how all of us and I would guess
most of your teammates you asked them when they're having
a bad day, they just go in there and shoot
yet in their rip shots and and it gets you
away from the world.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
I've always I mean, that's always been basketball to me.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
Like I didn't have like a tough upbringing, but my
dad was not My dad was not easy and it
is not easy to do all the things that I
was able to do. And my coping mechanism was just
I just want to go to the gym and just
shoot and not and tune out the world, you know,
or play it. And when you play a game, if
you think about it, within all those stresses of playing
a game, did you once think about anything outside of basketball?
Speaker 4 (25:00):
No?
Speaker 2 (25:01):
No, that's the power to sport. The power sport is
everybody in there is thinking about just the sport and
then for you, you're not thinking about any grades, home, family, girls, problem.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
It all disappears, you know. So, uh, that's that's the
cool part of it. What has been?
Speaker 2 (25:21):
If Kansas was the toughest game, what has what has
been in this short period of time lust together? What's
been the most enjoyable part of it?
Speaker 4 (25:29):
Oh?
Speaker 5 (25:29):
Man?
Speaker 4 (25:30):
The team events like like compared to the table say like,
it's a family thing, Like we do everything. You do
everything together with people you work with.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
So like the team events like the thing I like
the most. During summertime, we used to go paintball.
Speaker 4 (25:43):
Was amazing. That was part of one of the first.
Speaker 1 (25:45):
Time that was so cool. We gotta do that.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
We gotta do that again, the paintball and that was
like the dad was fun. I don't golf at all,
but that golf outing was fun.
Speaker 4 (25:57):
It's just it's you don't.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
You don't golf at all. I can vouch it. You
are the worst golfer i've ever seen ever. But why
why haven't we had a two K tournament?
Speaker 3 (26:10):
We should do that because I think a lot of
the guys play two K, like almost all of the guys.
Speaker 1 (26:15):
Everybody plays two K.
Speaker 4 (26:17):
We should do.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
Okay, show how confident are you in your game? So
like again, like we got a little time here after Thanksgiving. Okay,
how confident are you in your two K game?
Speaker 3 (26:29):
If you if you have a date that we have,
if we set up a date for the two K tournament,
I'll be ready.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
Problem is like you're just now learning the offense. My bad,
my bad, I've completely forgotten what line is, what real is?
Speaker 1 (26:49):
You know what?
Speaker 4 (26:54):
That's the only basketball I do to get here.
Speaker 3 (26:56):
All I know was pick and roll like hard, hedging hedgie,
which I'll say all these terms, all are saying this
my first stagger I never heard. I knew where Elevator was.
Elevator's playing from Juco. That's like people do that Jucos.
But like all these new ways of playing basketball, these
these verbiages I'll be hearing, they're all new to me
this year.
Speaker 2 (27:17):
Well, I know, and I hope you understand that when
I stop and want to teach you. It's not because
I'm trying. I'm not trying to be a dick. I
mean there's times when I am a.
Speaker 1 (27:25):
Dick, but I'm not trying to. But in this particular time,
I'm not trying.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
I'm just trying to be like I because you would
hate if somebody used like if you use like a
military term and I go like, I have no idea what.
Speaker 4 (27:35):
You're talking about.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
Yeah, yeah, I got nothing nothing, Okay, so uh we
have we now have to.
Speaker 1 (27:43):
I got to put on the schedule two kuram. I
like that. I like that.
Speaker 4 (27:48):
Anything else that's that's pretty That's pretty much it. That's
my whole. That's pretty much now.
Speaker 2 (27:54):
But saya invitational invitation only. Oh we played two K?
Speaker 1 (27:59):
What team are you gonna play with?
Speaker 4 (28:01):
Bucks?
Speaker 2 (28:03):
Wow? The people in Wisconsin are going to love you.
Speaker 4 (28:06):
That's not my favorite team, but that's my that's right.
Speaker 2 (28:12):
Giannis looks like the after picture if you're the before picture, true.
Speaker 4 (28:18):
His his before picture is like me.
Speaker 1 (28:21):
Yes, we gotta we Yeah, we'll have to.
Speaker 2 (28:22):
When you post this, will have to you have to
get me those photos.
Speaker 4 (28:26):
That's only picture. I don't want to be posted no more.
Speaker 2 (28:29):
Right, I'm done, that's so for people don't know, we
won't post a picture.
Speaker 1 (28:35):
There's a picture of Ramel in his uh in his
his greens.
Speaker 4 (28:39):
What are those?
Speaker 1 (28:40):
Were those?
Speaker 4 (28:41):
N my working uniforms?
Speaker 2 (28:44):
And I walked in and we had it up on
on the Veterans Day or the after Veterans Day whatever,
Thank you Ramel, And I just said, man, isis They
must have shipped themselves when they saw that stuff, right,
whatever happened to isis, well, at least.
Speaker 3 (28:57):
That was the most friendliest picture ever.
Speaker 4 (29:05):
Look badass at all?
Speaker 1 (29:06):
I leave.
Speaker 2 (29:08):
So I'm gonna tell you something that that most adults
will will think when they're listening to this, and nobody
will say to you, it is very very brave to
come on the pod and to tell your story, to
allow other people in. But more than anything, to put
yourself out there as a guy who didn't play basketball
really growing up and play dollarge basketball.
Speaker 1 (29:29):
It's brave.
Speaker 4 (29:30):
It's brave.
Speaker 1 (29:31):
So so succeed.
Speaker 2 (29:33):
Or fail in a game, you succeed in life because
you're trying and you keep you keep pushing.
Speaker 1 (29:38):
You're not That's all.
Speaker 4 (29:39):
It is about a lessons more than basketball.
Speaker 2 (29:43):
Okay, So the last thing, what is the clock? And
cross tattoo on your left hand. Explain that one to me?
Speaker 3 (29:49):
Uh, the clock in this one right here is yeah, okay,
so half of my testoos have meaning and the other
half is just for the visuals.
Speaker 1 (29:58):
Okay, which one is that?
Speaker 4 (29:59):
That's what the it's for the visuals?
Speaker 1 (30:02):
But how did who did that one?
Speaker 3 (30:04):
I got bro So my whole body is pretty much tatty.
But I've got my tattoo from Maryland, Virginia?
Speaker 1 (30:12):
Where did you get that one? You don't remember where
you go? Virginia?
Speaker 4 (30:15):
Actually a shipmate, a Navy sailor, my he works with me.
He did.
Speaker 3 (30:20):
He did a couple of my tattoos. He actually is
out the military too. Now he's a veteran. He has
his own shop, so he's doing.
Speaker 1 (30:26):
Good also, so he has done the tattoo show.
Speaker 4 (30:28):
Yeah, he got out the military.
Speaker 1 (30:30):
And how are you talking to that one?
Speaker 2 (30:31):
He's like, man, I got to think put a clock
in her hand with a cross on it?
Speaker 4 (30:36):
I can't. I came to him, I can't. He don't
ask questions. You don't, he don't. He don't ask questions.
You just whatever you like, He'll just he'll do it
for you. So he'll ask questions.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
So what was the inspiration though in the clock and
the Cross.
Speaker 3 (30:49):
I think I was having one of those cravings where
I just needed a tattoo and I had one, already
had my right hand tatty, so I was like, I
need another spot, so let me go to the left.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
I mean, listen to some people with drugs, some people's booze,
some people's women.
Speaker 1 (31:04):
You has tattoos. That's okay, that we all know. We
all know our addition. I mean listen, it could be worse.
Speaker 2 (31:08):
You could want to go and play, you know Texas,
hold them and lose all your live the earnings.
Speaker 4 (31:14):
Yeah that's true.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
But I will tell you that you have an expensive body.
Speaker 2 (31:18):
And that's not a pause. That's in all the tats
on your body. How much how much do you think
you spent overall tattoos?
Speaker 3 (31:24):
They just asked me that to Cave asked me that
I think we we did.
Speaker 4 (31:29):
Like the math feels around like seven thousand. Not bad, yeah,
not that bad.
Speaker 2 (31:35):
Yeah, Hey, get some sleep, let's go in some games.
Thanks for doing this, for setting the record straight, and
for people out there who post all the bullshit. Okay,
I'm telling you right now, turn off your mentions, Oh yeah,
turn off you mentions. Who gives a fuck? Okay, you
(31:55):
have a team and a coaching staff and a whole
fan base said love you. You got all your Navy
shipmates are cheering for you, and nobody else matters. And
your son is sitting there and you're You're the greatest
creation that God ever created you.
Speaker 1 (32:11):
How you think about him is how he thinks about you.
Speaker 2 (32:14):
That's the reality, right, you're his dad, you're playing college basketball,
you're in the military, you're generally a badass.
Speaker 1 (32:21):
So that's all that matters.
Speaker 2 (32:22):
I don't give a shit with somebody on IG says
about your fucking story and.
Speaker 1 (32:26):
There should do Okay, yes, clach Mabby mouth talk to you.
Let I will do more on our team in pods
to come.
Speaker 2 (32:39):
I'll give you a kind of greater sense of Justin Allen,
who's been playing outstanding basketball for US. He had twenty
seven and twenty eight back to back games as he
was named of the all tournament team at.
Speaker 1 (32:51):
The Paradise Sham. His story.
Speaker 2 (32:53):
He's going to join me as well, so too is
Marcus Hall, Preston Rudinger, my whole crew. So we'll cover
all the basketball, but also all of my team. In
the meantime, keep cheering for the Phoenix, keep downloading this pod,
and keep sending me notes as to what you think,
what you like, what you don't at Gatlieb Show on Instagram,
at galleep Show on Twitter or x if you will.
(33:13):
And I don't actually know my handle, but I'll put
it out on TikTok as well. In the meantime, thanks
so much for joining us. Reminder, The Doug Goatlelip Show
airs daily three to five Easter twelve to Pacific POK
Sports Radio, iHeartRadio.
Speaker 1 (33:26):
I'm Doug Gottlieb. This is all ball
Host
Doug Gottlieb
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Male Room with Dr. Jesse Mills
As Director of The Men’s Clinic at UCLA, Dr. Jesse Mills has spent his career helping men understand their bodies, their hormones, and their health. Now he’s bringing that expertise to The Male Room — a podcast where data-driven medicine meets common sense. Each episode separates fact from hype, science from snake oil, and gives men the tools to live longer, stronger, and happier lives. With candor, humor, and real-world experience from the exam room and the operating room, Dr. Mills breaks down the latest health headlines, dissects trends, and explains what actually works — and what doesn’t. Smart, straightforward, and entertaining, The Male Room is the show that helps men take charge of their health without the jargon.