Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
I was getting good at it, and my girls food
came late and I can't be you know, six four
at like fourteenth plaint socker, so kind of had to
shut that sport down into a basketball most heious.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
What about one thing? I asked a couple of the
other international athletes, this maybe the weirdest food that you
think Americans eat, Like a combination that you're like, what, well, I.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Don't like which is in the locker room, you know,
like the pulk mac and cheese. You know, I'll never
understand how.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
I don't think I've ever met anybody who doesn't like
the little Ready mac and cheeses. Wow, Amari, Wow, that
was just speak cheese, right, Yeah, you're right, I can't
do that. Welcome into the new edition of Behind Kentucky Basketball,
(00:57):
presented by UK Federal Credit Union. Subscribed to Behind Kentucky
Basketball podcast presented by UK Federal Credit Union today, Available
free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, in the official UK
Athletics app. I'm your host Michelle Kenezevek and this week
joined with Amari Williams. Amari, we were just talking about
how tea is so popular and I think one of
the most unique differences between English tea and American tea.
(01:20):
Is you guys put milk in it, so do you
think it's weird that Americans put water in it? We
used too, but like no creamer is what I mean?
Speaker 1 (01:30):
Yeah? I think that is what I've never had tea
and like made by an American something that's something I'm
not going to do.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
You're like, that's not real, it's not real tea. Okay,
So let's talk a little bit about how you grew
up because basketball is not as popular, especially growing up
over in England. So what was that like growing up
for you? Did you play other sports? Did you play
you know, soccer or football? I guess.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
I mean I played well, you guys go suck until
I was about twelve, I think, and then thankfully my
brother he wasn't as good as sucker as I was,
so he was venturing trying to find other sports because
he was told er at a younger age he played basketball.
So you know, me, being young, you always want to
follow your older brother whatever they're doing. So every time
you had a game, I just let you know. I
(02:17):
would always join like the younger teams and just kind
of mess about. I didn't really take it seriously. But
then I was getting good at it and my girls
friend came late and I can't be you know, six
four at like fourteen playing soccer, so kind of had
to shut that sport down and toil basketball most serious.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
So six four at fourteen, yeah, and now you are
standing at seven foot sixteen. Yeah, we'll give you. We'll
give you a couple of inches, right, Yeah. So what
do you think maybe playing soccer at a young age
helped transition into basketball, whether it be you know, just
cardio strength and running kind of to translate into basketball.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
I feel like a lot of coaches said that's why
I'm a good passer, but I don't really see the correlation.
But just I feel like just a lot of decision
making is kind of helps by playing soccer because you
don't really have that much time on the ball as
much as you do in basketball. So I feel like
that's one of the things I know from it.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
So your brother starts to play basketball, you follow in
his footsteps. What is playing basketball? I mean, I know
in America they have obviously AAU. What does it look
like over across the pond? How do you play in leagues?
What do those leagues look like.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
What it always starts with national league is you know,
you just practice twice a week and you just travel
up and down the country on a weekend where it's
a Saturday or a Sunday, and then during the summer
you don't really have you don't really have anything unless
you play national team, which I did from think till
I was fifteen till I was seventeen or eighteen, and
that's only twelve players. Obviously a bunch of players don't
(03:48):
really get that opportunity. So and then once I moved
to college, you had more leagues, like we played a
school league.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
On a Wednesday, Oh okay.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Yeah, which is random. Then were still playing weekends. So
that's what's how it looked today. It wasn't like we
had AAU or anything like that.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
So yeah, you really had to, you know, focus. It's not,
as I guess like over here it's so organized and
you play so many different sports and it's so intense
at such a young age. But you were kind of
able to, you know, try a couple of different sports
and then really figure out that basketball was the one
for you. You played at Drexel, You're coming from Drexel
(04:26):
last couple of years. And I know people love to
talk about offense, but you're absolutely a defensive superstar. One
hundred and eighty six blocks, fifth all time at Drexel,
scored one thousand and eighty one points, seven hundred and
thirty two rebounds, and two time CAA Defensive Player of
the Year. So we need to give some love to
defense here, don't wait.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Sometimes, what is.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
It like for you in a game when you get
a monster block or a huge defensive stop.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
I mean, it's always excited for me. Especially when I
first started out my sophomore year. I didn't really think
I was going to get the award because we finished
I think four or fifth, But you know, I guess
it worked out well. And I think, like not many
people know that rebounding comes into the defensive of ward too.
So just knowing that I can always get a defensive
rebound help my team in that way, that's always something
(05:16):
I look to do.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
How important is that for you and your game? And
do you think maybe the success that you have on
defense can help translate to your offensive game?
Speaker 1 (05:26):
Yeah, I mean defensively. I think I always started out
good defensively because it was you know, as a sophomore,
it's kind of hard to like stay on the court,
especially if you have veteran guys above you. So that
was something I always pride to myself and doing just
to make sure, you know, I'm helping my team in
a good way and I can stay out there. So
I feel like that's just something I've always just kind
of lucked in on, and especially like coming in as
(05:49):
a freshman sophomore, we had an offensive player, not offensive player,
but a first team i'll play called camera winner, and
it's like he was really scoring the ball. So it's like,
you know, you just got to help him in any
way you can. Just that's about it, and just knowing
that you're not really shooting that much, but you can
help the team in other ways.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
We're going to get your spot on the court.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
At a young age, yeah, I was basically Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
So I kind of want to transition into After Drexel,
you enter into the transfer portal and what was that
maybe first conversation like with coach Pope, How did he
reach out to you? And then how did you know
that the fit here at Kentucky was right?
Speaker 1 (06:30):
Well, he was actually recruiting me from when he was
at BYU, so I had a zoom call with him
during my spring break. I know the staff was on there,
you know, Coach Cordy was on there, Centaur was on there,
so even like coach Rubinson was on there too, So
it was just kind of figure out Howard famous system,
you know, a passing big that's what they had last year,
so I could kind of see myself doing the same things.
(06:53):
And then on a week later, I think he got
the job. He was meant to come out to see
me anyway, but a week later he got the job
here and I seen him in his Kentucky uniform for
the first time, which was surreal just knowing that, you know,
he's claimed to this school and he's still recruiting me
the same way he was. And then I went on
my visit and went to Keylan's and everything and seeing
the facilities, and yeah, I knew it was a good fit,
(07:14):
so committed.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
How much did you know about Kentucky. I mean, I
know you've played college basketball here for the last couple
of years now, but the brand of Kentucky and how
much did you learn maybe just being in the college
basketball world over the last couple of years and now
playing here.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
Yeah, I mean even growing up, you knew about Kentucky
and back back home in England we only have ESPN.
You don't have like ESPN two, ESPNU and all that,
so you know, we only seen a certain amount of
cottage games and they made sure to have Kentucky is
one of those schools always on there, so everyone kind
of knew about it, especially my last four years is
you know, just seeing like a bunch of teams of
(07:50):
my conference played him, and I always hoped I would
be able to play against him too. So it's great
I get to come to Rope because Kentucky and my
chest root than another school.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
So yeah, not coming in as a way too, coming
in as the home team and having that crowd around
you talk about a home court, Yeah for sure. So okay,
we're gonna stop really quick for one more read and
then we're going to go through some English terms that Amari.
You're gonna let us know what they mean or if
people actually use them. So make sure to subscribe to
Behind Behind Kentucky Basketball podcast, presented by UK Federal Credit
(08:21):
Union Today. It's available free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio,
and the official UK Athletics app. Okay, so I did
a quick google, Amari. You're not allowed to laugh if
I pronounce them wrong. And we're gonna have fun with this.
You're gonna tell us what they mean and if people
actually use them. Are you ready to go?
Speaker 1 (08:40):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (08:40):
Okay a bloke.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
A bloke is like like a friend or a man
or something like that.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
I think so, yeah, like a like a man a dude.
That was kind of the definition. I'm not sure if
I'm going to say this one right? Knackered? Okay, how
did I you the good? How do you say? Okay,
we got it? We got I was worried about that one.
Throwing a wobbly.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
Is that like throwing a tantrum? I've never heard that
one though.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
Look at him from oh we're three for three or
three for three? Grafting?
Speaker 1 (09:17):
Oh like walking hud?
Speaker 2 (09:21):
Okay, maybe I got a different definition. Yeah, okay, there
you go. Yeah, like like building a relationship, flirting is
what came up, but I guess grafting.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
They use it a Love Island a lot. That's why it.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Was like, Amari Williams, are you a Love Island fan?
Speaker 1 (09:36):
Yeah? I do, be watching it every every year every summer.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Do you have the Banta.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Yeah, I wouldn't say that, but I do be watching it.
I've been watching it since I was like fourteen.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Okay, so it just kind of made well, I don't
want to say, just made its way over here, but
became really famous in America the UK version, and a
lot of what made it famous is the different words,
like the slang words that we use. So now banter
is a part of my full time vocabulary. So describe
(10:07):
banter like jokes like yeah, like have a chat type
of humor. There you go, pied off.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
And I love Adam time. If someone stops talking to.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
You rejected, Yeah, there you go, gutted like upset upset,
there you go. And then last one I've got for
you gob smacked shoked. Yes I didn't write the definition,
but I'm going to guarantee that you're right.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
On that one.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
I say shucked, Okay, you did? I think? He How
many did I have? One? Two, three, seven out of seven?
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Thank you?
Speaker 2 (10:48):
You got it? Okay? And then lastly, what are some
like foods that you miss here?
Speaker 1 (10:55):
I'll just say all the types of candy like.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
Harry brows, Oh I got to see.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
Chocolate, things like that. I've got badsweet tooth.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
Sometimes can you amazon them?
Speaker 1 (11:04):
Yeah, there's like a website with just like strictly for
British food. But I'll say, like in food terms, I'll
say like baked beans and things like that.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
See that that is that's a breakfast over there, isn't it? Yeah?
What about one thing I asked a couple of the
other international athletes says, maybe the weirdest food that you
think Americans eat like a combination that you're like, what.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
Like ready made sandwiches. It's like a yeah, it's like
a sandwich in a way.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
And maybe just that we have a lot of frozen foods, yeah,
too many.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
Even the when I don't like which is in the
locker room, you know, like the punk mac and cheese.
I never I'll never understand how.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
I don't think I've ever met anybody who doesn't like
the little ready mac and cheeses. Wow, Amari, Wow, that means.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
It's fake cheese.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
Right, Yeah, you're right.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
I can't do that.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
You're right, that's fair. That's fair. So you're English candies
and baked beans. Okay, that's fair. That's an interesting combo,
but we'll go with it. Amari, Thank you so much
for hopping on here today. Did you have fun? You
have fun? Okay? And do we give you a little
taste of home? Okay? Awesome, awesome, Amari Well, Amari Williams,
thanks so much for joining us this week on Behind
(12:21):
Kentucky Basketball.