EP #3 | Walk-on to Scholarship: Shavar Reynolds - Seton Hall / Monmouth University Men's Basketball | - WalkieTalkieZ Podcast

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Walkie Talkies is a production of I Heart Radio and
the College Athletes Network. Hello, Yeah, what's up everybody? This

(00:24):
is Walkie Talkies Podcast. Welcome back to episode three here
on the College Athletes Network, featured on I Heart Radio
with the coolest walk on in the country. I'm your host,
Noah Bono. First and foremost, please make sure you are
subscribed to Walkie Talkies Podcast on the I Heart Radio
app or whichever app you listen to your podcast on.
This way that you don't miss any episodes. You could

(00:45):
be notified every time we drop, which will be weekly.
All right, now let's get into it. Let me first
start off by saying, this is one of my favorite
episodes I've ever done. And it's not just because of
the story. The story is great, but it's more so
because of the guest. And once you listen to him speak,
I think you'll know a little bit more of what
I'm talking about. So today's guest name is Chavar Reynolds.
Javar is a New Jersey native and played basketball for

(01:06):
Seaton Hall for four years from two thousand seventeen to
two thousand twenty one before transferring and doing his postgraduate
at Mammouth University down on the Jersey Shore. And let
me just say, Chavarre's journey is amazing. He went from
walk on at Seaton Hall is freshman year to the
literal starting point guard there by his senior year. I mean,
the climb and the progression that he made year in,
year out is nothing short of remarkable. So this episode

(01:29):
is very chronological from the start of his college journey
and how he was able to get his foot in
the door at Seaton Hall all the way up to
his decision to leave Seaton Hall and go to Mamouth University.
And something to keep in mind is this conversation between
Chavarn and I was recorded in early November before season
tipped off, so we'll be looking ahead in the interview
when we get to his reasoning for why he decided

(01:50):
to go to Mammoth and what he hoped to accomplish
in his last season. They're really kind of foreshadowing what's
to come. So make sure you stay to the end
after I wrap up with Chavar, and you can hear
me tie the end of the story altogether. Now that
the season is officially over, Uh, there's really some fascinating
irony in the story and just a full circle moment
for Chavar with how his career ended. So make sure

(02:11):
you stay tuned to the end to hear all of that.
Also in this episode, chav Oar hits on the politics
and college basketball and what it was like playing alongside
Seaton Hall legend Miles Powell and just how much he
helped his game with them battling in practice. Like I said,
this episode will always be one of my favorites that
I've done. You know, the story and journey itself is amazing,
but really it's more about Chavar himself. Like I said,

(02:32):
after listening to him talk, it becomes a no brainer
as to why he was able to achieve everything he achieved.
To see him knock down that walk on barrier and
get that scholarship, it was special. So I want you
all to hear about it. And um, you know, I
think it will hit with you guys the same way
it hit with me. Um. So again, make sure you
stay tuned to the end so you can hear me
kind of wrap up the full circle moment um and

(02:55):
yet let's get into it. Here's my full conversation with
former Seaton Hall and mom at Universe City basketball player
Chavar Reynolds. So you started off at your prep school
after senior year in high school. How did the walk
on opportunity come about for you at Seen Hall after
the prep year? So I did my prep year Covenant
uh covering to college prep with Ian turn Ball. He

(03:18):
had a connection with Shaheen Halloway, so I think I
was watching. I was to See Hall one day. I
was like, I can play there, So I told my
coach and then he was. He was skeptical at first,
he was, are you sure you think I was. I'm
telling you I could play there. I'll prove it to you.
But this is like in the beginning. So as time
goes on, getting close to the end of the season,

(03:40):
he called me Wednesday night, he tells me, I they're
playing They're playing pick up tomorrow. That's your opportunity tomorrow.
I said bet. It was the next that next day, Thursday,
and around like twelve, I think. So how the connection
happened was my coach Turnball. He was good friends with
sine Heen and then she she Halloway. He told us
told me to come up from that pick up. So
I go up there, I go up there about probably

(04:03):
like thirty minutes earlier. For everybody gets up some I'm
up there shooting around as everybody's coming up. You got
ish coming up e. G. H. Romero gives actually on
his visit that day. Uh. Then Angel, all those guys
you all come up and then UH pick teams. I
want teams with Angel. Uh and we start off and
get the tip first sussession come off a screen and

(04:26):
Angel head of floater, all right, good day, keep playing,
keep playing. I think I missed my two next shots,
my two next threes. After that, I heat up off
from three. I heat up from three. If I hit
like three threes, I gained one of them. Then after that,
just can't roll it and just rolling and rolling. And
you know, at the end of the day, Uh, coach

(04:47):
really comes up to me telling you you're good, You're
you can come, You're on the team. No tryal know nothing.
And from there that's how that was the start of
the journey. Did you kind of always have during that
prep year Seaton Hall in your back pocket? You know
that that was my what's my coach told me he
had had that connect there. I was, I was, so,
did you have any other luks? After I could have

(05:09):
I could have did a mid major. I could have
did I could have been a mid major. I could
have had a cool reach out some schools, But I wasn't.
I didn't. I didn't think I live major and I
wasn't gonna settle Forth. Yeah. Now I always wondered that
because I remember I was my freshman year. So when
I saw you were going to seton Hall, I'm like,
I mean, he definitely had to have some sort of
low mid major schools that were coming after him, especially

(05:29):
he took an extra year after high school. Um, so
when you took that, there was no guarantee though, of
a scholarship going to be waiting for you, maybe the
following year, the year after. Like you took that with
just low expectations and trusted that your work would eventually
pay off. Oh yeah, it was all bet to myself.
There was no there was no expect there was no
talking scholarship next year. He was like, oh, no, you're walking,

(05:50):
that's it. But like, I guess originally they didn't know.
I guess they didn't expect me to have that determination.
So I think, like I might have called him at
Garden getting because it's probably like this gig going hard?
What is he trying to? Like not a not a
traditional walk on. But during the early parts of that
freshman year, did you feel like there was actually gonna
be a good opportunity for you to maybe earn a

(06:12):
scholarship or where there some where it was like this
is a little unlikely, but it's it's always debt. You
know that, it's always doubt you definitely, it's always gonna
be that doubt, in that lingering what if. But I
just trusted in my work, like that's all you can do,
because if you don't, you're gonna go crazy. You're gonna
go crazy thinking about it every day. You're gonna go
crazy trying to appease and trying to do the right thing.

(06:34):
All this time, I would just I was just like,
I'm gonna focus on the work. I'm gonna just be
in the gym all day every day. I'm gonna find
each day whenever I can, and that's it. I'm gonna
just I just depended on my work. Shot each day.
I was getting five hundred shots of probably every day,
trying to make a hundred each spot each like threes
because like most of my freshman year, I was catching shoot.

(06:56):
I played a little point guard, but I wasn't ready
for that high major point. Yeah, I played a little
pointer but most of the time I was where I
was eating. That was defensively and shooting like I was
I was, I was not. I was not gonna shot
down and then I'm picking you full forward. So that's
that's where I depended on. That's where I ate at,
and that's so in terms of that, I was just

(07:18):
focusing on that. I was like, just control what you
can and then from there, I just wanted to make
sure I walked away from the situation saying with no no, like, damn,
I should have went harder, but damn I should have this, sir.
I make sure like when I left, there was nothing
they could say on my end that I did not do.
I mean, obviously, when you were on the scout team
that freshman year, you were playing defense against him, You're
playing offense against them. So when they saw like, oh,

(07:41):
he maybe is like a really good on ball defender,
he actually can knock down open threes, dished two guys
like has a good i Q probably started to build
up for coach Willard and the rest of the guys
like vark and kind of he can kind of play
with us. Um, But did you when do you feel
like the coaches kind of picked up on that for
you during that year? Uh? I think when I think

(08:02):
I used to I used to be playing and like
I would see like whether we started trying to incorporate
you more. When the when the coaches pay attention to
you as we'll walk on, that's when you know, like okay,
I might he's he's talking to me more today, were
like he's putting in body. He gave me, like he's
telling me to do stuff instead of just sitting there
just like interesting. And then I think I had one

(08:24):
day one day, I think I had a good day
and he was telling he says he said. I can't
remember exactly what he said. He was like, damn, I
can't remember fully was said, but like it was it
was one of those like oh he's saying there about
me from there and like I was seeing like oh,
I can play here, I can do this, and he

(08:47):
gave me a little bit of confidence. But just with
those little like those little compliments like just keep doing
what you're doing or focus on this, and then you
would I would try to I'm looking at him like
so as he gave me a bootprint or I'm just
out same thing with your teammates. So I feel like
you kind of earned their respect pretty quickly during maybe
if you were there in the summer during that time,

(09:07):
and then they kind of were like, yo, Trevarkan, he
can hang with us. It's not like he's just some
dude here happy to be part of the team. Like
he can. He's actually coming for some of our spots,
you know. Yeah, I don't know if they I don't
know if they knew like I was coming for these spots.
But I definitely do think I earned their respect because
I didn't. Honestly, I didn't. I didn't come there. I
knew when I came there, I couldn't be on a

(09:29):
friend mentality. I couldn't be on trying to be buddy
buddy or everybody like you guys, anybody's seen all that
year like I was very isolated, like I was one thing,
that's it I was. I didn't. I wasn't trying to
be your friend, because if I was your friend, we
would have I'm trying to take you. I'm trying to
take you ship. I'm trying to eat you food or
your plate. I ain't wanna lie. So somebody who is

(09:50):
somebody who had to give this food take it. So
I came in there mindset like, no, I'm here for
one goal. Yeah, friends, there's no nice play, there's nothing
like I gotta get this. I have to do. So
as you embraced that mindset, you still had to kind
of understand You're on the bottom of the totem pole
and your ship came last, regardless of how you felt.

(10:10):
So did you know what to expect as a freshman
walk on? Did you kind of understand what the role
was gonna be like and where you were at on
that totem pole that first year, New New New, exactly
what it is going to be, exactly how it's gonna feel.
But it's totally different when you feel it, you actually
feel it, when you actually get to that feeling. I
knew it was gonna be a culture shock. I've been

(10:31):
I've been the star player of my whole life for
the most I've been the best of my teams. And
now I'm going all the way from the top to
the and that's the bottom. We all know. If you
walk on the bottom, the bottom here you point the bottom.
M there's a zero respect there. You have to earn
and take every bit of it, and you still get

(10:52):
disrespected at that. So I knew coming in it was
gonna be already knew it was gonna be hard. That's
why I put myself in that mindset, like no matter
what the state that just keep working dependently because that's
all you can do. Like I said, it would drive
you crazy because it's a whole it's a totally different
change from your whole life. Your whole life. You've been
catered to here on no he's and then now you
the bottom. Don't nobody care about you, Anybody worried about you.

(11:16):
You're talking worry about you. You don't need any worry
about Yeah, No, I mean did you feel like you
were getting disrespected there during certain moments just because of
your position on the team, And it kind of comes
just comes with the territory. So it was that kind
of happening for you a little bit. It was a
bunch of times it was probe the whole year, like
who who's Who's played on? Okay, but like you can't,

(11:40):
like I said, you can't get called if you get
caught up you'll go crazy because there's no you can't
there's no explanation for it. Like, yes, I can show
you I'm killing him. You see it, and we know
what's going on. But he's on scholarship. What I'm saying,
he got the politics so like and then they had
to understand in the game. And that's how that's how

(12:01):
this go, Like that's just how it goes. Like you
gotta you gotta by your time, keep keep swimming in
the system, keep your head down. My cools used to
say Tony games like Bob and weave the system. Just
keep bobbing and weave and that's all you really can
do because and the day you wasn't if you've been there,
you know you're not beating the system. You're not beating
the system. I think it's I think it's meant for

(12:22):
it not to be beaten. But you beat it. I
mean you beat it. You ended up you're victorious, and
the walking started off. Wanted to get a scholarship, like
I only took you one year, which is like I
always find it crazy because you're at a biggie school,
Seaton Hall, Like you don't really see that that often
football it's a lot more common where a walk on
works their way up to a scholarship. You know, look

(12:42):
at Baker Mayfield end up, you know, number one overall pick,
Like that's stupid. You're never gonna see a basketball walk
on beyond the number one NBA draft pick. But you
know you did it one year. You did it at
a high major school. I mean, you said you're being
disrespected all that, But what was maybe some of the
hardest things you had to go through that year specifically
because you're walk on. Just just the mental toll it was.

(13:05):
That's really the biggest thing. You know, when you're working
on your hardest and you see it paying off on
the quarter, but then there's nothing behind it. You feel me,
there's no yeah, there's there's no there's no oh here
you go for all your hard work. No, it's I see,
you'd be working hard, all right, Yeah, he worked hard. Okay.

(13:27):
It's the mental toll, I think, because you do the
same thing every day and you're not seeing the fruits
of your labor. And that's the biggest thing because with
this is a long game. And like I think I
didn't understand it until after because I got caught up
numerous times I'll just come in that That would be
the numerous days I would come in, I'll just be
what am I doing? What am I doing? Like I

(13:48):
could do whatever I want, I'm still not get an opportunity,
So what am I doing? And but then those days,
those days and I had to dig the deepest. But
I will come in like you could see it all
my face, you can see all my energy. I'm like,
what am I doing this for at this point? Because
I'm doing everything, like I'm showing you everything, I'm giving
you all our guy, and it seems like it's not enough.
So that's when when I had to really realize, like

(14:11):
this is a long game, and like right now you
have to control what you kept because if you try
to get caught up and everything, you're going to lose
your month. What were some of the moments that were
going on there that we're making you come in with
that bad energy and that like you know, I gotta
dig deeper today. I'm not I'm not really here today,
Like what were some of the was it sitting out
of drills? Was it being told to get the funk

(14:31):
off the court? Like when you were you know, you
thought you were doing just fine. What what moments kind
of helped propel it to be like yeah, I'm I'm
not feeling it today. Oh yeah, like uh, the day
like you just said, the days you had to sit
out and then like the yelling doesn't matter. You can
tell me get up as cool, but like you gotta
sit out because I'm good. You can say whatever you

(14:52):
want to me. You're not gonna hurt me. You're not
gonna stop me. I'm gonna do what I do. But
when you take them, you take the ball away from me.
You know what I'm saying, essentially just sitting there all practice,
and I know I should not be sitting here all practice.
That's when the days used to be like, all right,
I don't know what else thinking wants for me, so
I don't like And that's when I that addedude. I

(15:12):
used to oh, I used to be so mad, and
I like it would be from as soon as I
wake up, like I gotta deal with this BS. But
then you'd be like, I can't think like that when
we gotta have you just do what you dude. You
knew I had to keep telling myself. You knew it
would be like this, So don't don't try to don't
try to get upset. Now, you knew what you was
walking yourself into, and that was my elatest thing. I

(15:35):
knew what the situation was, But when you go through it,
it's a totally different ball, hotly totally because you can't
feel it until you're actually in it. When you feel that,
when you feel like you're doing this shift for no reason,
or like you feel like you're putting all this work
in with no no fruition to it, it's like it's

(15:56):
the feeling you like, yeah, really be ask yourself that
do I really want to do this? M But I'm
still asking myself that ship right now? Um? Alright, So
towards the end of that year, you kind of started
building yourself a name in that program, and then you
went into Coach Willard's office towards the end of the

(16:17):
year and you said like, hey, Coach, like, I'm I
can't afford to pay for school next year. And what
kind of transpired after that conversation from his end year
end and ultimately ended up happening. We came in, we
had our end of the year meetings, came in talking
He's like, you're doing you know, the basic basic conversation,
and he was like, uh, I'm I'm walking to the meeting, like,

(16:39):
I bet I'm gonna tell him just get me to
a school. I'm good here. You know what I'm saying. You,
I know you're not gonna give me. It's okay, as
lone as I know I deserved it. I'm good. So
I'm going in there ready black, Okay, So I appreciate you.
Could you help me get you another school? But before
I even got to that, he was he was chilling.
He like, he paused, he was talking. He looked away.

(17:01):
He was like, I'm thinking about to give you a scholarship.
I was like, this is very unexpected. I'm just sitting
there stare like oh. He just he was just like
it was a pause, like a movie pause, thinking about
giving you a scholarship. I'm like, oh, the whole mood changed.
I told you. I was going in there like I'm
just about to get to another school, and we're good, right,

(17:23):
I'm good. I learned everything I need to learn here.
And then when he said that, everything changed. It was
you could have you could have heard pen drop in there.
He was like, I don't know yet, I'm a thinking
on the weekend, but I think I'm gonna give you
a scholarsh and I was just I was like, oh, okay, okay.
Then I left called my mom and Dad told him
and I was just like he said, he's gonna let

(17:44):
me know a weekend over the over this weekend. But yeah,
I didn't really have much to say. It was just
like when you when you find out you did it,
that's the biggest that's yeah, you find out you did it.
Like when you achieve a gool you set and you
like you finally get there. It's probably one of the
best feelings ever, especially when it's a goal such as that.

(18:06):
Like it's so it's like the probability really isn't there.
You really you really beat those odds, bro, you really
You're just like, there's no way all this work paid
off because you have all them days and you're like,
this ship is not paying off, man, like this in
no way all there's there's no way. And then it happens,
and it just it happens that quick. You know what

(18:28):
they say, life happens like that, But it happens like
that and it just changes and that happened. I was
just in such other just just like disbelief. And I
think that's what my full confidence, like believing in itself
is when it took off. Did he may actually make
you wait a couple of days before like maybe finalizing
thing like yo, here's your scholarship. It kept me with

(18:51):
all we have all my toes, right, Yeah, I thought
I was good, but he has me on my toes. Yeah,
there's no way he If he comes in off and
he says to you, I'm thinking about giving you one,
he would not. I know he's not sunked up like
that the toilet. I don't think any coach would be
that crazy like that would be. That's what I was younger.
I was like, oh yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure, I

(19:14):
was younger. I'm like, no, I don't know. I know
he Eastern from under Man. I was happy and ship
when I heard from the distance because I don't even know.
If you remember, we grew up playing at St. Dominic's together.
You would come to Manchester things like seventh grade. You're
always a year older than me, and I remember my
parents would always be like, who's the kid with that
smooth looking jumper? Like, and we were young, we were smaller,

(19:36):
we were like four or five six like, and then
we played a couple of times in high school. So
when I saw like you got the scholarship, I'm like,
I'm in the say I was in the same position,
so I'm like, like, I'm happy as hell for him,
but I could go get mine, you know. So it
was always very motivating for me to see, like, Okay,
it's it's not impossible. Like I know exactly what he
went through for that journey and it's not impossible. So

(19:57):
you know, it was just cool watching that from Afar,
especially because yeah, man, no problem, it was. It was special,
you know because, like I said, the basketball world, you
don't see it that often, so um to see it
and to see, if you know, somebody from the short conference,
someone from around my way, accomplished what I was already
in the midst of trying to accomplish. Like I'm like, damn, bro,
this ship is not impossible. I know how how damn

(20:20):
hard it is and how often it feels impossible. But
when you see someone breakthrough the barrier, man special and whatever.
It is. So leading up to the scholarship, still on
your freshman year, what kind of work are you putting
in specifically your freshman year that you figured you needed
to work on to get that scholarship that was gonna
help you put put you in front of other guys
on your team. Uh. The shooting. I made sure my

(20:42):
shot was at its peak and when I catch it,
when I catch this, when I catch this ball, it's
going down fifty six, especially in the corners. I was
a corner assassin. And you know college basketball, you you
see if you can not corner shots, now, yeah, that's
that's a job. That's a rule. So that's why I
used to be I knocked wanted. I used to get
those shots up in the corner every day to make

(21:03):
sure because I used to see I used to when
maybe he was playing. I was like, all right, where
am I getting my most shots. I'm not getting them
at the top of the key, not really getting them
at the wing or the elbow elbow extended. I'm more
on the forty five. I'm on the forty five to
the to the corner right, So I'm getting shots up
at this corner. So I'm gonna make sure when I
get this pass, each time I get it, it's gonna
make sure that when I shoot, They'm like, don't leave

(21:25):
him over. So they started getting that point where it
was like I don't help off, but I'm a knock
this now. And also really uh, I had to really
focus on my handles because that that college pressure Dino
was that could mean guaranteed he was twenty two. Yeah
he was, he'll pressure me. I'm I'm trying to put

(21:48):
on my hip. He had grown man trap put on
my hip. So that was the biggest thing. Getting my
handles right and really really locking in and really learning
how to bring the ball up with pressure and learning
how to bring the ball with pressu R and also
getting the set or come off a screen, setting up
the screens better. Just really learned in the college game.
So everything I was learning to practice, I would go
practice by myself. So when we learned, like when we

(22:11):
was learned like going off screens, off the ball, and
on ball, I will get a chair, I would come down.
I would bring my man. Even with this career or
see a little bit below, bring them off. I had
to work on that every day because when we was playing,
it wasn't correlated, so I was out. I got to
make sure. You know, as a walk on, you gotta
make sure you're damn there perfect. Everything has to be
damning the perfect who those mistakes. Everybody else makes sense

(22:35):
just what it is job I wanted to. I put
mysel eyes still in practice. I like, in practicing on myself,
I would try to practice perfect, even though I know
it's not attainable. I'm gonna make sure I'm as perfect
as I can be, because or I'm not messing up.
The more I'm showing I can do these little things.
You know, that's all coaches look for, it to look
for the little things. If I could do those little
I'm gonna draw that much more attention. So let me

(22:56):
just keep all these little things while also making sure
I handle my responsibility on the grand aspect. Learning the
game of college basketball is hard. There's there's no other
word about it. Like that ship is hard. It's different.
It's very complex, especially when you get around good coaches
who are really seeing things differently. So where do you
feel like your knowledge of the game was at going
into that year. Did you feel like you made a

(23:17):
big there's a big learning curve for you or was
it kind of like small things you picked up on, Like, oh, okay,
I already knew the foundation of that, but now I
know you know a little bit more, how to ice
a ball screen, hedge a ball screen, um, things like that,
and then you know all the little intricacies that go
into it. Did you feel like you already had a
good understanding of it, or that freshman year when you

(23:38):
saw something there was a lot of like, oh, that's
the first time I've ever seen that, and then built
from there. Yeah, you, uh, I have good at i Q,
but I understand basketball. But like the you know, to
lose ice in the screen, reading the screen. Uh, one
foot in the paint if you on backside, one foot
in the pink, back side. Um tag you know, pick
and rolls. Ain't teasing to pick rolls in high school?

(24:00):
Then hell out tagging, tagging, edging, getting over the ball screen,
but making sure that when I get over the ball screen,
having my hands up so he can't get the easy
pass thrown back past. Like it was. It was the details.
I understood the game of basketball, but those college you know,
the college details. You know, stay in the corner, don't

(24:21):
don't lift too early, king the post man. Yeah, all
those little things. Probably thousands somebody could read a book
on every little movement that a college coach wants from you.
And that's another thing. High school basketball. They need to
teach better Like I didn't. We didn't know the things.
But yeah, if I could go to my FRep school,
I would have not been prepared. What Sorry, he the

(24:41):
one that taught me my pick a roup. That's why
I'm so good to pick a roup now. He's one
to talk. And even when then, that's why I was like,
I didn't get it. I didn't get what he was
saying either. He kept saying I was just gonna do this.
College is gonna do this. But I'm like, when they
do this, when we ever enough, we get that every
pay um. This story is juicy. I told you I

(25:03):
can't wait for more when we come back. Stay put
to hear Chavar talk about what changed for him once
he got a scholarship and what the one obvious difference
is from being a walk on or a scholarship player.
You won't want to miss it. Also, in the meantime,
you can follow me on social media at snow dot
three or follow Walkie Talkies at w t Z podcast
on TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter. All right, stay put, We'll

(25:25):
be right back. Walkie Talkies podcast on the College Athletes
Network is back with your host me Noah bull No.
Make sure you're subscribed to the show so you don't
miss any episodes and let's bring back in Chavar. So
after getting the scholarship, life changed completely and probably many facets.
The most important one was getting your tuition paid for,

(25:46):
getting your school, your books, all that housing, everything covered.
But aside from that, in terms of relationships with your coaches,
your teammates, and then on the basketball court, what else
changed for you from a walk on to a scholarship player.
Explain the differences that maybe people don't know. You've lift
both sides of the coin, so just talk about what
those two sides were like and how it was different.

(26:07):
Just in one year, everything was completely different for you
in a much more positive manner. I would assume. Yeah,
the biggest thing was, you know, now they care, like
now you care. Now everybody cares. Now everybody's not even
like they didn't care before, but like you're you're a
priority now. So now instead of it, now what are
you doing get in the drill or now when you're
doing the drill, now they're trying to correct you every time.

(26:29):
Now they're trying to I know, no, let's get in
the gym. Now they tell you to get in the gym.
Now they hey, let's do let's work with this today
or let's do this now. You just now you're in
the game plan. So that's the biggest change because now
you're now you're a part of it. Now you're really you.
We all know you're a part of it. Now you're
really a part of You're Yeah, you're about to get minutes.

(26:51):
So what are you wanna do? And now they're they're
concerned about you. Which school looked like now they asked
about school. I was I was naturally this student, but
like anybody asked on school, good times. But now it's
you're good, that's good, all right? Now you Jim, you
got the gym. Okay, doing this? You got now. So
now you're give them questions you would never asked before.

(27:11):
And now he really worrying now you yet now he's
just caring. Bro. They just not even not thinking about you,
texting you what you do? What's going on? You're good?
He doesn't need that. Uh. And then you know all
the other things. Scholarships now, free books, so and make
sure you get the class. Now now he's worried about
you getting the class. What I'm saying a little bit,

(27:32):
it's everything I mean, because they now see, Okay, well
he's got way more value to us now than he
did before, So we're gonna invest the same energy at
the same time and to him that we do and
our other twelve guys. Verse the guy that isn't that's
paying his own way to be here. It's a little
like it makes sense, but in my mind it's always like,
shouldn't you care for the dude that's paying there, like

(27:54):
on his own just as much, you know, because he's
literally putting himself in debt, paying his own way whatever
it is he doing to be there. Like regardless of
if he doesn't have as much value like you let
him be on the team, he or she is still
here every day doing what these guys are doing. So
I just feel like the equality and I don't mean
to use that, I use that term lightly, but it

(28:15):
really it's it's not the same, but in a sense
like it needs to become a priority of like these
dudes are here doing everything that we're doing, Like there's
no reason that I check up on him less than
I check up on this guy. Just because he scores
twenty a night for me, you know what I mean,
I understand, but like that's just how this that's how
this life go. You know, that is how it goes.
But you know, one day we'll we'll we've seen the

(28:36):
sides of the coin. So it's it's on us to
be the be the changers of it. So one day hopefully,
you know, So you explain some differences, which I think
are cool because the day to day is a little
bit it's the same, but it's a little bit different
because now you're being catered to way more and there's
just so much more coming at you. And honestly, your
role is more important. As a scholarship, that's just what

(28:58):
it is. Like you're gonna get in the game. There's
a guarantee. So your second year, like you didn't waste
any time, Like you came in you and went from
walk on to scholarship, and that that first year on
a scholarship, you didn't play a ton. You were getting
spotty minutes. But I mean, I literally will never forget this.
I don't. I didn't. I wasn't watching a ton of
college basketball, but we were at VCU. I was still

(29:20):
that rider my second year and I were in the
hotel whatever. We had practice that night, and we're just
watching the St. John Con hallgame. St. John's is eleven,
and oh it's the first game in the Big East,
and we're just like whatever, Like, you know, I don't
even know what was going on in the game, but
I wasn't not that interested. I just didn't I had something,
maybe I had some homework, but I didn't give a ship.
And then I see like, oh, there's like a minute left.

(29:42):
Let me pick my head up, and I just see
you drill this buzzer beater and I'm like you, no
fucking way, bro, Like no way. And I was going, bro,
I was I'm a kid, you not me. And my
roommate j R. We were in that room going nuts
because obviously anytime you see a buzzer beater, it's like,
holy sh it, that was sick. But I saw you
hit it, and I knew that you're prior you were

(30:02):
doing the walk on thing. I'm like, this motherfucker really
just had a full, full blown, full circle moment. Like
how surreal was that feeling? How fulfilling and rewarding was
that moment for you? Yeah, that's a that's the one
you just People ask me that all the time, like
it's that's that's what life's about. For those filings, those

(30:22):
uh those like damn, like look at it, look at
us now, Like nobody sees all that pain. Nobody seeing
the pain, Like nobody's seeing those months months have going
through it, talking to my parents, all that grinding and
the gym. Is nobody seeing those hours. And then when
the shot dropped, I was just like, oh wow, this

(30:46):
life is very interesting, Like this is this is crazy,
like I put it. I think that was the moment
I realized anything is possible. Like, let I never we
talked about hidden game winners, you know everybody, if I
had again whatever, I never can say that. I talked
about hitting the game winner at the buzzard front of

(31:06):
thousands of people and a high major game on national TV.
I couldn't. I talked about it. Did I believe it? No,
not whatsoever. So when it happened, bro, You're just like,
this is a movie. This is a movie. It's no way,
there's no way, it's all this is just ended. Like bro,
that's that feelings I can't. People tell me all the time.

(31:28):
It's surreal. It's undescribable. I don't it's so it felt
so I don't even want to say good because like
it was past that. It was a sense of like
it was more inner in turners of wow, like you
know sometimes you gotta pat yourself on the back like
that was. That was like you did, you did what
you had to do, like give yourself, like give yourself

(31:50):
a round of flows like that was the That was
the biggest thing. I mean being at home too. You
guys were at Seaton Hall, so you got to do
it in front of all the fans that kind of
knew like, oh, this kid was a walk on. And
then to even have the trust to be in the
game at the end, he just I don't know a
big man's name, but he kicked it out to you
and just yeah, he just put it up like I'll

(32:15):
never forget the image of my head. And then I'm like,
oh yeah. Right after, I'm like, yeah, we're gonna see
this for days like and and the walk on stuff
is gonna come out. People are gonna know about Sevar,
They're gonna hear about like how this kid that just
drilled this cold blooded buzzer beater against an undefeated team.
Like I'm gonna start knowing this name a little bit. Um.
And then that same year you guys played. I don't

(32:36):
want to bring up a little I don't want to
bring up the loss, but I have to in the
Big East Championship, um, and you know, just playing at
Madison Square Garden, like that's what the Big East, where
the Big East is. Like you were in that. You
were in the mecca of basketball like that we all
dream of. Even when you go to the games and watch,
You're just like, this is this is just different, different
being in that environment, but you're in the center of

(32:56):
it playing the biggest, one of the biggest stages in
college basketball was a Big East tournament, the championship game,
and um, you know being there, tough loss by two points,
but just talk about you know, being able to really
experience all of that, all those kind of things. There
was four years with that game in particular. Uh that
uh that Nova Nova game start from a year that

(33:17):
was a good one. Just yeah, like you said, just
the whole experience of it. Uh. The year before I
was walking on So I was there, but you feel
I wasn't there. But now I'm here, I'm checking in.
And then when you check in as a whole, that's
just a whole, another film on top of it. You
just like damn now playing a Big East tournament in
Mad Square Garden like crazy life, life is crazy, Like

(33:40):
you google from you go from playing at Manchester. You
know a lot of people I was saying, doing like
you the man you're checking in that Mad Square Garden,
thousands of people in a in a historic arena, in
a historic tournament that has years of history, Like yeah,
I mean, is a blessing? Bles? What do you feel like?

(34:04):
You know, being I would say back in high school,
short conference is not a big pond. So you were
probably big fish little pond. Probably felt really good every day,
you know, w O b M tournament, all those kind
of little moments you had, But then you really you
keep climbing the ladder, going up, up, up, and you
hit the buzzer beater. You're playing in the Big East
Championship game. You're playing on a national stage almost every

(34:26):
game against top tier team's, high level talent. Like you
were no longer big fish in a little pond. You were,
in a sense medium big fish in a big pond.
Like you had you had reached it. Don't you know,
I don't. I mean, I guess you can. You're on
seating hall, you are big fish. But I just mean
in terms of where you were at, where you probably
felt personally, like was the moment ever, I don't. I know.

(34:47):
I'm not gonna ask that the moment was never too
big for you. I already know that, but was just
was just seeing all of that, like was it ever
like ship I'm really here, or like I really made
this climb, this transition, this progression. You know? Now, I
was I was a little fishing a big big ass
that's a big as pu. Yeah, I was definitely a

(35:08):
little fish. I ain't even gonna don't even I've a
lot of myself. I was a little fish, So I
was boring the side of two years ago on I
was a little fish stuff. But uh, definitely I agree
on terms of it would be moments like wow, like
but I mean personally, I love those movies because I
find out a lot about myself. So I I love
when we're on national TV playing against a ring team.

(35:29):
So whether I was the player sophomore year or my
senior junior, I still I still go out there. I'm
gonna play hard. And I'm very confident in myself. I
never I don't care who we are, who's out there.
I know for a fact the work I put in,
and I know many people were not equal to work
I put it. People when you can be as publicized
as you want, you can have all the politics, mind
your name and of the day, I know it comes

(35:51):
down to this court, and I know not many people
work hard and what I what I do, and especially
my my role back then, all I had to do
was play deef and sometimes I had to bring the
ball up and I'm shooting the corner three You think
I can't be the best at that. It's not got
the whole way to the team, mush. I gotta take
the show. I gotta create. I had to do three jobs,
three things, and I will bear. When you got ten

(36:15):
things to be responsible for, It's like, all right, the
pressure is on, but you had three things that were
pretty much in your control. Same shot every time, Guard
as hard as I can and maybe dribble the ball
up and get us into an action. Doesn't sound too bad.
I have one of the best stars in the cush
for two years. Who do you think he was referring to? Well,
I'll tell you he was talking about Miles Powell and
before we get to hear how cool it was for

(36:36):
Chavar to play with Miles Powell and what that was like,
we got a quick break, but when we come back,
Chavar will tell us exactly what it was like playing
and competing with Miles Powell and going up against him
in practice. Really cool stuff. But yeah, in the meantime,
you can follow me on social media at snow dot
three on Twitter and Instagram, or you can follow Walkie
Talkies Podcast on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok at w t

(37:00):
Easy Podcast. All right, folks, will be right back and
walking talking. His podcast on the College Athletes Network is
back with your host myself, Noah Bono. Please make sure
you are subscribed to the show so you don't miss
any episodes. God forbid, we would hate to have that happened.
All right, and let's get back to it. Sivar talking

(37:21):
about that talk about what playing with Miles Bowels was
like and just what that did for your game and
being around him every day, that that kind of talent
me and went out of every day every single especially
his dreaming year. Myself in here every day in practice
every day in practice, were going at it every single day.
He's the reason why my defense is so what it
is now because guarding him one of the most difficult things.

(37:44):
He's the real bucket. Like he's a bucket. Nobody says,
I haven't seen too much. It's been days where he
had me like, oh nah, can I really defend? And
I he had me like can I really defend? Because
I would have hand and all that. He's still hitting shot.
It's been I remember one day since he gave me
three in a row and I was like, oh nah.

(38:06):
But it was playing with him, especially his junior junior.
He's the best playing the country. I don't care nobody
says there was. I think he was. It's no to
be about who was the best, even best offensive player,
not a problem. He was the best player in college
iant period. The way he impacted the games, the way
he changed the game so quick, and especially when last

(38:27):
he minute. He was the best crunch time player. It
was every fucking game You're like, Okay, where's Myles? Oh
there is, there's the shot. You were the only person
who stole one moment from him. You were the only one. Dude.
He was that year he was. It was a different level.
He was at a different level. You could see even

(38:49):
Prancice us always say like, ain't nobody mess with me
right now, Like I ain't got out of the way,
how confident on myself. There's nobody messing with me, right
I just tell him like I got you, but he
got you. Got to see, like firsthand from someone of
that caliber, like what it takes to be that that
high level. You know what goes into it, what his
mindset is like every day. And I'm sure you played

(39:10):
two or three years with him, so I'm sure you
picked up on that quickly and just took it for
yourself and was like, oh, ship, this is how, this
is how Miles plays, and this is why he's so good.
I'm taking this into my game right now. There's no
time to wait. He was just feiless. He was feiless,
He hurt, he was a dog, and he put the working.
I told you that the junior or Miles was different.

(39:30):
You can even watch that. You'd be like, oh my gosh,
like he was going all this and to see everything
they happened, and like still seeing like seeing him do
all that and like seeing him not get drafted, and
I was just or not even be considered. I was
just like, what I remember making a tweet when that
happened because I was tight about it. I I literally

(39:50):
used to watch you guys seating Hall games. You were
on the team, Miles is on the team. One of
my old teammates is like best friends with Miles Pouse.
I'm like, yo, I'm you know, and I just like
the vibe of Seating Hall, like I'm from Jersey. It
was a Jersey school, and I remember making a tweet.
I don't know if I should regret this tweet now,
but I'm like, why the fund is Nico Mannion ahead
of Miles Powell in the draft? Blah blah. I don't
remember exactly what I said, but I was. I put

(40:12):
two tweets in the thread because I'm just like, make
it makes sense kind of thing. I don't understand how
a dude that carried his college basketball team for three
or four years to Big East championships and all these
big time games and tournament wins, like, and he shoots like,
he shoots it like you would want an NBA player
to shoot it, like, regardless of maybe the defense isn't there.
There's plenty of dudes in the NBA that don't guard

(40:34):
and get plenty of time. So I'm just like confused
every day, like, well, what's it gonna take for him
to get in the league? Like I saw him do this,
and it's still not good enough for those suits up
in the sweets, Like it just never made sense to me. Bro. Yeah,
that's where you think, like, damn, if he did all
it is, like what about the rest of us, if
he struggled, if they trying to say all this about him,

(40:57):
But he's gonna be good. He's going to show people,
really so what he got with. Yeah, so you did
four years of Seton Hall and now you're taking advantage
very luckily of your free COVID year. We're in a
we're in a time of college basketball where we get
a free year from COVID. There's no more transfer rules
where you gotta sit out, so realistically, like you're getting

(41:18):
an untraditional five years to play five years, like normally
it's five years to play four. Obviously your first year
walk On didn't really play that much regardless, you were
still eligible. We got in a couple of games. So
taking advantage of the COVID year and you're going even
closer to home, back to Momouth University, and after being
a starter last year at Seton Hall, like seven points

(41:39):
four sists really like coming into yourself and your role.
What went into that decision to leave Seaton Hall and
the Big East to go down to a lower level
in the Metro Atlantic Conference Athletic Conference and kind of
play lower just it was my clock there. I think
I did everything I had to do this, you know, personally.
Obviously I didn't get the accolades, but me going there

(42:00):
wasn't for the accolades. Me it was more of a
personal journey in terms of seeing where I was at
in terms of who I am and what am I
made of and what I really want to do with this.
So I think seeing Hall was a grateful opportunity, blessed
opportunity out for everything grateful for. But I think that
was just the stepping stone of what I would say,

(42:20):
stepping stone and beginning of my real journey in life
seeing Hall. Without this experience, I wouldn't be the person
I am. I wouldn't have the mindset I have now
and all the things I think about and want to
do now. Without seeing Hall. I think, though we want
all the accolades and the accomplishments and the first team
and the best player defensive player, to like, what I've

(42:41):
learned about myself and just about life from there is
I think that was the real purpose of it. So
I think I learned everything I need to learn there.
So I think it was time to really go on
and see what I can do now, see what see
what another set of challenges could do for me. What
I'm saying that wasn't the general That wasn't just the
only reason, but I think that was one of the
biggest ones. It was at that time to spread wings

(43:03):
and let's go somewhere else. Let's try Let's see what else?
What else is out there? Is everything just like this
or is it different? I think for a change because
mom is always on the radar? Was it always like
I mean, I know where we're from. Obviously it's ideal
to want to play there, But what about Rutgers Princeton.
There's other d ones. If you were trying to stay
in Jersey, I don't know if that's what your main
focus was was standing. Yeah, I wanted to stay closer

(43:26):
to the East coast, but uh, the Rutgers. Rutgers was
that they probably wouldn't agree. That's just politic politics is
a big tenantive than all politics. Time for that. But uh,
I would say, Mama is on my radar way before,
like my prep school seen Hall didn't work out. I
was gonna tell my coach, like a call Mama, let's
see what we can get him. I go in and

(43:46):
work out with him. I shown what was going on
and we will go. But uh, I think uh I
told King about that too. Actually, now, I was like,
you didn't even recruit me when I came out late
and I've seen it was on your team. I couldn't
mean we'll talk about that. But I was only my
radar because I knew King. He was always when I
used to go there and play pickup, he was always
the guy I was just like. And then I used

(44:08):
to watch him a little bit. No I can play,
he left. He let him play. He let him play free,
let him play within themselves. Yeah, he gives a lot
of freedom. And I used to see that even off
like just watching film and watching them play like, he
gives a lot of freedom. I like that, and he
looks like he was januine dude and like many people
like that. So Mom, was always on my radar, even
after my freshman year from uh my walk layer. I

(44:31):
was like, I was gonna tell him that you can
talk to Mama, that you can get me there. Mama.
King Ray has always been players coach. Everybody that talks
about him is like, yeah, I play for him, Like
great guy. He just understands that. I mean, we got
I got to play against him four different times to
coach against us. So they're just seeing his vibe, his energy,
the way he relates to the players. He was joking

(44:52):
around with dudes on my team that he had recruited
in the past, like just shooting the ship, being funny,
and I'm like, yeah, he's cool people. Just who is he?
Just a good where I ask you the next question
though about Mama. You brought up the politics a couple
of times, and since we're on that sort of topic,
just tell me what you think about the politics, how
you feel about him? What do you think the political

(45:14):
part of this game, especially in college basketball, really is
trying some light baby, where to start? Uh? This worlds
about its words about who you know? You can't you
didn't work hard. You can work as hard as you can,
but you gotta know somebody because a lot of a
lot of people were giving a lot of days. Everybody's given.
It's not earned. Not many people are earning anymore. But

(45:34):
that's what the people that earn it. That's why it's
such a big separation. You can see it. You can
see people that even it was given to because it
always never works out fully. But the people where they
earned it and it always works out. Fred van Fleet,
he had to earn it. But now you can't question that.
Fred van Fleet cannot play the game of basketball, but
he had earned that. Like you said, Bigger Mail, Bigger Mayfield,

(45:57):
before he went through trying tribulation got to worry. You
got to it was earned. Everything he got was earned.
There was nothing given. Nothing he got was given to him.
So I think that was the nowadays, everybody's giving it.
I know him, boom, so let's go here, you go here,
I gotta connect there. I oh, y'all go here, Oh God,
I know him. Yeah, let's go there there. It's all

(46:19):
everything is given, bro, everything's hand out. But I would
say to the people whoever is watching, and don't worry
about politics. At the end of the day. If you
are like that and you put that work in. Somebody's
gonna notice because people, it's a small it's a small
ratio of real, but there's real out there, and the

(46:40):
real will will see you eventually. You just had to
keep going because it's a harder out for the thorough
ones because you have to for you to be thorough,
you have to go through things to make sure that
you are thorough, because only thorough dudes know the struggle
of really being up there and being Greek. Feel me,
I got a couple of people listening, are gonna love
that that struggle. Don't don't worry about the struggle, the

(47:02):
politics and all that. If you really put in that work,
you'll see it because you're gonna see them same dudes
in the gym and you're gonna play them. And I'm like, oh,
you just know, people, I really do this. You just
know people were talking at your resources like we're talking
at your resources and that's all it's been for me.
Like for me, that was my whole college career. Like

(47:22):
you know, we don't have I didn't have the politics
like people knew me. But like to you, if we
get in personal, I'm seeing these dudes and I'm like, oh,
you really can't. Okay, they said you were stopping the country.
Oh you okay, Oh I'm good. I'm right where I
need to be. I just need resources. Resources. We're in

(47:43):
a whole different ball game. So that really is So
if anybody watching the politics, it's gonna don't get me wrong,
it's gonna get on your nerves and it's going to
bother you. But the real noo, the real see the real.
So just stick stay true to you and stay true
to the ground, and they play the real play the
political game way better, way more fair, and they keep
it more, keep it more, even with everybody. It's not

(48:04):
about you, know what I mean. So I love that.
I can't wait to put that one out there. It's
just true, bro, It's it's true, and there's there's no
arguing that. There's no rationale for that. So when you
decided to go to Mama's, like I said, it's a
lower level school, I don't know how. I mean, obviously,
you go from a power five, power six conference down
to you know, a mid major. It's not that it's
a big deal, but it's like spotlight won't be on

(48:25):
you as much. You will be playing against I mean,
now you're a little bit older than everybody too, so
you're definitely gonna have an advantage, especially experience wise leadership wise.
Is that something that played into it or you kind
of just it doesn't matter because I'm trying to figure
out that decision based on your goals, Like you took
that route Big East school and then you go down
to this level when you probably could have stayed relatively

(48:46):
at a higher level and really tried to, you know,
expose maybe some higher level talent your last year, because
that's what people That's what Scotts want to see, you know,
is like, well, who's he doing it against? He's putting
up these numbers, but what kind of competition is he
playing against? So where's your head at with that? In
the sense that like, you're gonna play your game wherever
you are, but now they're gonna be playing your game
against you know what someone consider a little bit less

(49:08):
talented conference and players and teams. What do you think
about that? I just wanted to place where I could
I can beat me because people haven't seen real me yet.
I wouldn't, uh, I would say, because people have no
idea what I can really do, and they've seen the
defensive side they've seen, but people haven't seen my totality

(49:29):
of my game. So I wanted my biggest decision want
to make sure I was in the rate system, right culture,
right coaching staff for me to be the best version
of myself. So I thought when I talked to King,
you know, just clicking, It was clicking, like, Okay, I
like this, dude. I watched the film seeing the way
they play, They get out and go they who he
lets he let you play. If you can play, let

(49:49):
you play. So I think that was the biggest thing
going into it. I wanted to show. I wanted to
get to a spot where I could beat your far
because you don't have to worry about me not putting
any work. You have to worry about me goofing off
or bs and No, we all know my goal. You know,
we all know what I'm trying to get. We all
know what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to win
when win games and win championships to get to where

(50:11):
we have to get to all to me to Grant
and we're all trying to get to the big stage.
So I want to be able to present what can
really do because people right now, people think I'm I'm
a good player, and there's nothing wrong with that. I
know myself. I ain't gonna say too much, but my
biggest thing is I wanted to be able to show

(50:31):
people who should bar is because I know for a
fact people think they know what type of player I am,
and you have no idea. Let me cut you off
because I'll just say it for you, like I see,
uh at least a fifteen points per game seven eight
assists to three steals kind of guy. And you, especially
at this level, like you're too hard to get by
your strong guard. You got, you can get off the ground,

(50:54):
You're athletic, you can shoot it, you got to pull
up game. I'm sure you're finishing has gotten better, but
I just know from your progression, that growth that I've
seen over especially you know, if you've ever been seven
points forces at a big East school and you don't
even really have probably a full green light to kind
of play your game, play how you would want to play,
and you transition into a system where that's now going

(51:16):
to be the case. Yeah, I think people are going
to be very surprised. I'm gonna just say that for
everybody because I I just see it you know, when
you listen to someone talk, you hear their persona, their confidence,
and just what what's driving them? What's that driving force?
It hits a little bit different. So I could see
that Mama's gonna be I knew like wherever you went,
Mama's was gonna be or the school was gonna be

(51:36):
in good hands. But Mama says, definitely seems like a
right fit because, like the thing about leaving somewhere and
going somewhere else is you want to step out of
your comfort zone a little bit so that you can
still continue to grow. So you are, but at the
same time, there's still some comfort ability there because you
know people, you're closer to home, you know, King Rice,
Like you're in an environment where it's like, okay, it's new,
but it's not new to the point where you know,

(51:56):
I'm in Omaha, Nebraska fucking by myself, you know what
I mean, Like you got some familiarity there, and that
was the biggest thing as well as just it felt
like the best fit because, like you said, you always
need you always have discomfort because you need room with growth.
So with this this game, a new role, So like
my new role and figuring that out right now. But
also you don't want to be stuck, like you just

(52:17):
said in Nebraska by yourself trying to figure out this
new role, also not being comfortable whatsoever. Yes, it's gonna
help you grow, but we it's when you're left. I
don't I don't need I don't need that much discomfort.
I still need to be at a level of like
I'm good. I need to focus on this, and that's
what I'm focusing all right now. So we're going on
getting better, filling your figuring out this role and trying

(52:38):
to help this team win as many games we can't
get to the championships and get to win the championships
since we can for sure, So overall, what do you
hope to accomplish? And obviously a championship win the MAC
get to the tournament, but beyond this season for yourself,
I would assume, But I'm gonna ask you're looking at
a pro career. I don't know if you're really gonna
shoot for the n b A or just maybe kind
of go overseas coaching, Like where's your head at once

(53:00):
this last year of eligibility runs out? On what you
want to do? Oh you know NBA dreams. But right now,
I'm just worried about this right now, worry about winning, winning, winning,
trying to help these dudes be the best person of themselves,
also be or for these guys, trying to teach them
some things as well. But you know, yeah, we draw

(53:20):
him for the top. That's all we reached for sure.
I wasn't expecting any other answer other than that, we're
trying to win many championships we can and try to
get to this deportament. That's it. But I don't really
I don't want to boost your ego too much. But like,
real deal, when you're good at two things, like really
good at two things, the way you are, which is
shooting the ball like spot up threes, and the way

(53:43):
you defend, there's not much more that people really need
to see. Like, regardless of you you're under six foot,
you're six ft right six to you ain't no six
too bro, get out of here, um, But now man
like you, Like I said, I don't want to boost
your ego too much, and I know you're not a
big headed person so it won't. But I just feel
like when you have two elements to your game that

(54:05):
are really coveted as an NBA UH scout and what
they're looking for, like you shoot the ball really well
and you defend at a high level. Like if you
had to compare one person that you would model your
game after, who do you who do you think it
would be? Uh? I can't say I modeled after one player.
I take. I take so much from everybody. I watched

(54:26):
so many people like who I say, like, I'm similar
to it? Right now? I hope you say who I'm thinking? Oh, okay,
I was thinking. Uh. I was thinking Davian Mitchell from UH.
I like him to Baylor, and I saw a lot

(54:46):
of similarities when I saw him Garden and George and stuff.
I'm like, I don't know, man, he's got I don't
know how tall he is. He might actually be even
shorter than you. But I'm like, this is this is
kind of this a var a little bit like him.
I watched him a lot. I actually watch this stuff
because I like him, and I do like that comparison.
I do like that comparison as well. Drew. I've really
grown up because I used to watch the Drew and

(55:07):
I've seen that Like, no, Drew is tough, but like
he never usually got the recognition them. I've really started
watching how he plays in He's probably one of the
few Anbators that picks up full court and he has
he has such a high I que as well because
there's been games he'll be missing, but like you can
see when he's missing, he amplifies his defense in tendency

(55:29):
that much more and he's still impacting, like distributing the ball,
his rebounding and pushing the floor his head and heads
like he's still even if he's three of seventeen in
game seven of you know, the Eastern Conference Semis, like
that motherfucker still put his imprint on that game. That's
where and I think that's where I think I can
compare me and him because I take everything from everybody.

(55:53):
I watched Dame, I watched Steph, I watched Marcus Smart
who also like as well, Marcus murt Uh, Chris Paulo,
I even watch KD, I watch, I watch, I watch
anybody name. I've been watching, Chris Middleton, Devin Booker. Yeah,
there's so many people to learn from. I can't even

(56:14):
say that's what If you want to talk about who
I'm probably most similar to it Drew. But Drew is
the only thing that Drew Drew six four. But in
terms of like if we if I'm talking skill set,
and I think me and him was on the poor
obviously he's been doing it for years. He got But
in terms of that similarities, yeah, I think I think
I just said in tests him defensively, I think I'm
just as witty because he's very witty, he's very smart,

(56:36):
He's he does the little thing, and he's also aggressive
as well. He finds that balance of being too aggressive
and being not not not enough being not aggressive enough.
So I think him and he also can shoot shoot
that thing. He's a very underrated passer as well, and
he doesn't turn the ball over either. Right, great point,
Buck's got lucky at him. So what are what would

(56:58):
you say? Some key takeaways are that you have some
lessons you've learned from that walk on your that have
continued to help you on and off the floor. Uh
the grind. Like I said, like that walking on experience
changed my life in terms of the person I am,
and it taught me what the life's about. Like life's
about doing what you love. It's about chasing the things

(57:18):
you really want most and what mean the most to
you don't, don't live his life. Don't settle. I could
have settled. I could have. I was supposed to go
to Stockton. I was supposed to go to Stockton Hill. No, yeah,
I could have. I could have went to that Stockton averaging.
I told her about sting just thirty ten and tents

(57:39):
to transfer out. But I would have settled. But even
in that decision, I was I was so like, bro,
I can play there, like there's no way I'm about
to settle for this. But that was the biggest thing,
Like it taught me just grind. If you want something,
anything is possible. Any single thing you wanted as possible.
But it's only possible if you work at it. You

(57:59):
have to study what you're doing and then finding the
resources as well, because if you do those things, you
study and you put the work in, the resources come
to you. Like everything in my life, because I worked
hard and I've studied my craft, the resources just came
to me. I started seeing things and people would just
magically appear that I needed. And that's also I'm also
I'm a big believer God, Like God is gonna you

(58:20):
give that full trust and love to him and you'd
be as the best person you possibly can be and
do right, He's gonna fulfill it. He's gonna give you
everything you need. Like, hey gave me literally everything, even
when I thought it could have been something else. He
gave me exactly what I needed. And it maybe took
me time to notice it, but he gave me exactly
what I needed. Every time, you start getting more gratitude,
more appreciation as the years go on and get a

(58:42):
little older, a little bit more mature, and it's like,
all right, it wasn't exactly what I wanted, but it
was still something that I got that millions and billions
of others didn't have the opportunity to get. And it's
just it's humbling. Um, what would you say being a
walk on, but being a college athlete in general, considering
you were you're only a walk on for one year.
You don't really know that life for four or five years, thankfully,

(59:04):
but just being a college athlete in general, what it
taught you about life and about yourself that you didn't
know before. Pretty similar to the last one, but just
that grind of college basketball and being in these kind
of systems and just like the regiment, the routine, and
there's so many things that you can pull out of
those experiences. So what do you think let's taught you
about life, about yourself? Well, one is, so I want
to do this. First of all, I want to do

(59:25):
this for my life. This is my career because I
can wake up and work out and get we can
watch the film, we could do anything. We can stretch
and train, we can, we can do beach work out,
we can we can do stairs whatever. It taught me
that I really love this and this is what I
want to do and I will do. But also just
telling me, like the necessities are really having a schedule
and having a routine and staying staying true to your

(59:49):
schedule routine because you schooling basketball is a lot. School sports,
I'm gonna say that sports and general being the student
athletes a lot. You gotta eight am class, then you
gotta go to a workout, and after that then right
back to class at level fifteen to twelve thirty. You
have to eat, then you gotta go get taped for practice.
Then you got to go to practice from two to four,

(01:00:09):
and then after you might have a late night class
at six o'clock, so you have to get another mill
in and then you have to go sit in a
late night class, late night classes or two and a
half to three hours and you have to do that
and then next day you got a d M lift.
So the schedule is crazy and like it's hard to
get and it's the mental part. I think this the
whole thing is the mental. It taught me to be mentally,

(01:00:31):
got me mentally tough. You gotta be ready for anything,
like you gotta be on. You should because if you're not,
you're gonna lack in an area that you do not
need to lack it. So either gonna be school, it's
gonna be on the court. And on the court it
was paying for the school, so you got to make
sure that doesn't lack. Yeah, man, no doubt it's well said.
Um but yeah, let's wrap it up here. Man, thank
you so much for coming on the show. I really

(01:00:52):
appreciate it. Trevar Reynolds, former walk on at Seton Hall University,
turn scholarship player his second year, now player of Mama
University in his last year, taking advantage of his COVID
year major success story. I loved hearing about it, and
I'm sure everybody listening will appreciate his journey, his grind
and his perspective. Because if you're a walk on you
want to get a scholarship, there's a blueprint laid out

(01:01:13):
for you, and Trevar showed what it takes to go
and do that. So shout out to Chavar, ma I
appreciate you coming on the show. Bro. Okay, wait, do
you all remember in my introduction when I was hinting
at the fact that Chavar was a great speaker, had
a ton of great points, a ton of great perspective. Okay, well,
I don't want to say I told you so, but
I told you so. I mean, jeez, like, the guy

(01:01:35):
was great. You just had so much swag and confidence
and just like this unwavering belief in his abilities. And
I don't know, I just love it because it's like,
that's literally that's what you gotta have. That's the mindset
that you've got to have, uh, And so being able
to listen to that it just made it, like I
said in the intro, make all the sense in the
world why he was able to accomplish what he accomplished.
So all right, now let's get into this full circle

(01:01:57):
moment that I mentioned in the introduction. Chavar wrapped up
his fifth and last season as third team All Conference
selection in his conference, averaging fourteen points per game. Now,
I know you remember when I said I thought he'd
averaged fifteen right? Okay, Well I should have put the
prop bed in on Fandel clearly because I would have
cashed out big um. Chavar also talked about his goals
to get the team to the n c A Tournament. Well,

(01:02:19):
here's our real full circle moment. He led his Mama's
team all the way to the conference tournament championship game
and suffered a heartbreaking defeat and none other than who
Shaheen Holloway and the St. Peter's Peacocks. Do you remember
In the beginning of the conversation, Chavar said that his
prep school coach had a connection at Seton Hall. There
was a coach there and that's how he was able

(01:02:40):
to get his opportunity at Seton Hall. Do you remember
who it was with? It was Shaheen Holloway, Remember he
said his name. So at the time of Chavar deciding
to walk on at Seton Hall, Shaheen Holloway was the
associate head coach there under head coach Kevin Willard. Now listen,
I know that it's pretty sad. It's more sad than
happy because Chavar and his team lost. But I didn't

(01:03:00):
say in the intro that this full circle moment was
going to be a happy one. I just said it
was ironic and crazy, and it really is. Like, it's
crazy that that loss that mom Hath suffered to St.
Peter's in the Mack Tournament championship game was the beginning
of St. Peter's Cinderella run all the way into the
Elite eight. So sadly, yes, Chavar's college career came to

(01:03:21):
an end in that game to his former coach. But
it's just ironic and and kind of cool. I don't
know it's cool to me because I have no attachment
to it, but just cool in the sense that it's
the same coach who kind of started Chavar's college basketball
career and being that connection and that tie to his
prep school coach and giving him that opportunity to come
play pick up at Seaton Hall and showcase his abilities.

(01:03:44):
So I just thought that I was really interesting that,
you know, the guy who gave him his first chance
in college also had to be the guy that ended
his career. In a sense, it's not funny. I don't
mean the laugh. I just think the parallel and the
irony of it is it's just crazy, like it's just
small world. What an ironic moment um, you know. And
then we look at what St. Peter's did, and they

(01:04:04):
literally went to the Elite eight, like after they beat Moms,
their next three games they beat number two seed Kentucky,
number seven seed Murray State, who was the game win streak,
and then number three seed per Due. Like what I mean, Yeah,
I know, I don't even know if you're on momos,
like are you are you still sad about your loss?
Like do you think that if your mom is like

(01:04:25):
you go and you win those three games, like I
don't know, probably not like St. Peters was meant to
do that. So if your mom is, are you really
upset that you lost to St. Peters? I know that.
And I'm not even talking about Trevar anymore, Like obviously
he's upset that his career ended. And I know that
those guys. I know a couple of those guys. I
know they all wanted to get to the tournament. Who doesn't.
But I'm just saying like if they're seeing them get
all the way to the Elite eight, Like how upset

(01:04:48):
can you really be when you just watched them beat
you know, an SEC school and a Big ten program,
Like It's just I don't know, I just thought it
was crazy. Uh. And now obviously Shean Holloway after that
Cinderella run and leading those guys at St. Peter's, ironically,
is now the head coach at Seton Hall, his alma
mater where he played at. And the last thing I

(01:05:10):
want to point out that I absolutely love, because I'm
a Jersey guy, is is that this year when St.
Peter's made it into the Sweet sixteen, Um, it was
the first Jersey school to make it to the Sweet
sixteen since the two thousand Seton Hall team made it
to the Sweet sixteen that Sheen Holloway played for. So
I just I love that little fun fact. Uh, Shaneen

(01:05:33):
Halloway has forever goated. Uh he's a new Jersey goat.
But yeah, uh, that is our full circle moment. And
that is a rap four Episode three. Thank you to
everyone who listened and enjoyed. Please make sure you leave
the podcast a review. It does help our little algorithm
game if you give a review, you leave some stars,
you write something you don't have to but I would

(01:05:54):
really appreciate it. And lastly, and most importantly, make sure
you are subscribed to Wakie Tuckies podcast on the Heart
Radio app or whichever app you listen to your podcast
on so you can be notified when episode four comes
out next week. Thank you all, I hope you all enjoyed,
and just remember up you walkie talkies. This is a

(01:06:27):
production of I Heart Radio and the College Athletes Network.
For more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the I
Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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EP #3 | Walk-on to Scholarship: Shavar Reynolds - Seton Hall / Monmouth University Men's Basketball |

Episode Transcript

Host

Noah Buono

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}EP #3 | Walk-on to Scholarship: Shavar Reynolds - Seton Hall / Monmouth University Men's Basketball |