TNCSSP S4 EP 151 | Former UNC/WNBA Star, Tierra Ruffin-Pratt | March 26, 2025

Join the TNCSSP for our interview with former WNBA star, Tierra Ruffin-Pratt!!!#tncssp #wheresportsandconvoscollide #dopesportspodcast #wnba #tierraruffinpratt #basketball #unc

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to the No Catch Sports Show podcast with sports
and convos Collide. I'm your host, Kobe Turner aka to Kobra.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
Welcome to the No Cat Sports Shows. We're Old Dog
and Kobe or like Man. We got Johnny Gill and
Bobby Brown.

Speaker 3 (00:27):
They deeper right now, so we don't know where they're at.

Speaker 2 (00:31):
But it's your boy, Old Dog AKA. Oh what's up
with you?

Speaker 1 (00:38):
Because ain't nothing because over man, trying to get through
this work week. But you know all this, good man,
we were back here live and for the fact, ready
for this great show that we got in store for
our viewers and listeners.

Speaker 3 (00:53):
No doubt, always got a good show, always got a
good show.

Speaker 2 (00:57):
You know that for sure.

Speaker 1 (00:58):
Yes, yes, sir, you think about those marsh Man, this
games so far, it's been.

Speaker 2 (01:03):
A great tournament. Man. I love I love.

Speaker 1 (01:10):
I love the I mean.

Speaker 2 (01:12):
I just I love it. I mean you got a
couple of upsets there.

Speaker 3 (01:17):
Excuse me. I thought Saint Johns was gonna little at
least make it to the Sweet sixteen.

Speaker 2 (01:22):
Yeah that that knocked, you know, knocked it out a
little bit. Man.

Speaker 3 (01:26):
Shout out to the SEC and basketball what they also
they letting it be known dude, They're not just a
football conference.

Speaker 2 (01:36):
We basketball too.

Speaker 1 (01:39):
Yeah. They they what they broke the record. They got
fourteen teams into the tournament.

Speaker 3 (01:44):
That's come on, and and I mean they got into
the sweet sixteen, but they got six.

Speaker 1 (01:52):
Yeah, so crazy, just yeah, just under half of those teams. Yep.

Speaker 3 (02:01):
Shout out to the SEC man, it's been some good
It's been some good, bump man.

Speaker 2 (02:05):
I'm anxious to see.

Speaker 3 (02:07):
I'm anxious to see how these this Sweet sixteen going,
you know.

Speaker 2 (02:13):
Play except out shout out to the women's tournament.

Speaker 3 (02:16):
Oh man, God, taking my hat off real quick to
Juju Man. Thoughts and prayers to her and her family
and her team. Whoever is a part of her team
has to understand they gotta be there through it all.
So she gonna need all our prayers and everything. Uh.

(02:37):
The ACL is definitely a tough injury to come back from,
especially when you're having something so in the season, right.
It's difference if you have it early in the season
and then she come back man late in the season,
so you know, she's not gonna have the surgery and
then all that stuff. So she probably won't play again
until probably next year. The end of this if she

(02:59):
plays at all next So I know they have advanced medicine.

Speaker 2 (03:02):
Trust me, I know about all about that and stuff
like that.

Speaker 3 (03:05):
But shout out to her and her team and wishing
them nothing but a healthy recovery. But with that being said,
Yukon women is balling going crazy Maryland, both Maryland teams
and the Sweet sixteen. How about that University of Marylando.

Speaker 2 (03:22):
Good bump man. It's a great time of year. Man.
I love what you think.

Speaker 1 (03:26):
Yeah, yeah, no, I agree with you, and I think
the the women's game is exciting me just as much
as the men's game. I think I watched probably more
women n Cuba games than I have on the men's side,
because I think they talked about it last week. They
have like the marquee names, like the names that you

(03:47):
know that game like the men. They got some ballers,
don't get me wrong, but they don't have those marquee
names where you like, I'm a turn to and watch
this team because such and such playing for him. You know,
of course, you know the you know the boy from
Duke and and stuff like that. But if you go overall,
you you really don't you really don't have a connection

(04:09):
with the players on the men's side like you do
with the women's side. But I agree with you, man.
I watched that game, the USC game and when that
play happened with with Juju and they showed it the
slow motion. Now I knew, uh, I knew that that
wasn't good news. I just saw the way her knee
move man, that was that was just sad. Man. She

(04:31):
she's my.

Speaker 2 (04:34):
Yeah, we we are.

Speaker 3 (04:35):
We are athletes, so we know, you know, we don't
see a bunch of them, you know what I mean,
so we know what it looks like or whatever.

Speaker 2 (04:41):
I just wish she would have gave the ball up.

Speaker 3 (04:44):
It was a girl in front of her to her left,
get a ball up, I mean, not not. You know,
she's probably done that same move a thouand sometimes one hundred,
one hundred dollars sometimes damn, I wish she would have
just passed the ball ahead, you know, and it was
somebody out in front of him, you know what I mean,
And you know, yeah, it wouldn't have happened, but damn.

Speaker 2 (05:07):
Just get it, you know, somebody out in front of you,
and give it up. Get the ball up, you know
what I mean.

Speaker 3 (05:12):
Sometimes you don't ever know, but you know, Page, shout
out to Yukon went Page and and Fudd they done
went through a cl injuries and bounce back and what
Pages Backham is doing.

Speaker 2 (05:24):
Now that's that's what it's about.

Speaker 3 (05:26):
So she gotta look and see you know, people who
have bounced back from a cl injuries.

Speaker 2 (05:32):
And come back and did what they supposed to do.
So she'll be good.

Speaker 3 (05:35):
She out there with USC, that's something in LA some
of the best doctors in the world.

Speaker 1 (05:40):
So she's gonna be strepsed, Yeah, for sure. And shout
out to Yukon women. They they look strong, man. I
think that's who I'm riding with for the rest of
the tournament. Now I had USC at first, but you know,
obviously with Juju and not playing, I don't think they
can win it at all. But uh, you looking strong, Azy,

(06:01):
Fudd back healthy, she looks She's looking good. So so
I'm just I'm excited to see the rest of the tournament,
but not more excited than I am about our uh
our guests that we have.

Speaker 2 (06:14):
For right to bring us right to our guests.

Speaker 1 (06:18):
Yeah, absolutely so. So tonight's guest is a legendary basketball
player from Alexandria, Virginia, where she was a high school
All Region, All State, All men, and All Americans including
McDonald's All American out of TC Williams High School.

Speaker 2 (06:34):
Oh, so she went to TC. She didn't go to
the Alexander what's it called the school.

Speaker 1 (06:40):
Alex City High School. Yeah, she didn't go to She
went to the real school with my.

Speaker 2 (06:47):
Uncles, all my uncles and my dad and now when
the real TV.

Speaker 1 (06:51):
Yeah, okay, So then she took her talent to the
University of North Carolina, where she earned first team ACC
honest before graduate. After graduating from u n C, she
went on to have a seven year w n B
A career with the Washington Mystics and the Los Angeles Sparks. So,

(07:12):
without further ado, welcome to the No Cast Sports show podcast,
Tierra Rough and Crap.

Speaker 3 (07:20):
Yeah, what's happening?

Speaker 1 (07:30):
Uh yeah, good to see you. Finally got you on
the show. You you you know, you've always been at
the top of my list.

Speaker 4 (07:38):
Hey I've been I've been so busy on the move,
back and forth from Portland, DC, Mississippi. I've been on
the move. So it's good to be here. Good to
be on the podcast. We finally finally made it happen.

Speaker 1 (07:51):
Yes, yes, yes, we appreciate you.

Speaker 2 (07:53):
We appreciate you always.

Speaker 1 (07:56):
So let's let's let's jump right into this thing. I
know we have a lot of viewers listeners waiting, waiting
the hair from you. So you know what we like
to do. We like to start at the very beginning.
So TI, if you can tell us like when did
you get into sport? And when did you know basketball
was the sport of that that you wanted to take

(08:18):
and use as a tool to get you to where
you got And last, uh, who was the person that
inspired you to play basketball? Yeah?

Speaker 4 (08:26):
So I started playing when I was six down at
core Kelly Rec Center. My cousin Julian, he he said
he was going out to play basketball at the rec.
So I just kind of followed followed him down there.
We was always there anyway. So he went out to play,
and I decided to go play with him, play with
the boys, basically until I couldn't anymore. They told me

(08:48):
I couldn't play and had to go play with the girls.
They ended up playing. That was at Cork Kelly probably
up until like twelve U or something like that. Ended
up going into the AA circuit playing with a team
called Braddock Road tar Heels, which is which is crazy
because I ended up in North Carolina, but that was
the first AAU team I kind of played on playing

(09:12):
with them, I got seen by the Fairfax Stars, so
I played with the Fairfax Stars for a few years,
but ultimately ended up playing with Boue Williams. Played with
Bou Williams from the time I was thirteen until uh
I graduated high school and then ended up in North Carolina.
Had a good career there and then ended up going

(09:36):
non drafted but playing in the w had eight year career,
six years in DC at home, and then two years
in LA. Uh So, pretty decent career for somebody who
went undrafted. Uhh, that's a great career.

Speaker 2 (09:52):
But you went so fast. Hold up, we gotta we
gotta take it. We gotta take our time.

Speaker 4 (09:57):
We got some. I just.

Speaker 3 (10:03):
So you got so when you went So what was
TC Did you get recruited? Like like you said, you
was playing in the AAU shirt, So I'm pretty sure
all the schools started to try to come after you
to go to high school and maybe one of the
you know, the private schools. Did you get recruited by
any other private schools, did they try to come get you?

Speaker 4 (10:24):
Yeah, so a few different high schools tried to get me.
Mac Namara, okay, of course, Saint Stephen's and uh and
those schools in Alexandria tried to get me. But I
was one of them kids that was like, nah, I'm
gonna I'm gonna just stay public, like I'm was like,

(10:46):
wanted me to go private for a while. And then
when my high school coach decided to come over to T. C. Williams,
he just asked her to give give them one year
with me, and if he didn't think, if she didn't
think he can make me better and make me good
enough to go to the college level, than I Okay,

(11:08):
So ended up staying there. I just knew once I
started playing, I didn't want to make that transfer to
a private school. So I ended up staying at TC
my whole career. I went through three or four different
high school coaches at TC while I was there.

Speaker 2 (11:26):
Wow.

Speaker 4 (11:28):
But all in all, like I had already pretty much
had a name for myself at a pretty young age,
so for me, it didn't matter what high school I
went to. I played for the best AAU program in
Virginia with Williams. So the high school didn't really matter
because I was getting the looks during AAU season I
was playing. I was the youngest person to ever played

(11:50):
for Bool William's elite team, so I was getting I
was being able to play with Monica Write and Jessica
Brielan and all those kids who is three and four
years older than me. I'm already getting looked at by colleges,
so when we were on those those AU circuit games,
like I was getting noticed too. I think I got

(12:11):
my first college offering like six or seventh grade from UVA.

Speaker 2 (12:15):
Uh.

Speaker 4 (12:16):
So I was already pretty much out there for at
a young age, So the high school really didn't matter
as long as I was supposed to do on the circuit.

Speaker 2 (12:24):
There you go. That's what's up. That's what's up all
our listeners and viewers.

Speaker 3 (12:29):
Do you hear that you can still go public school
and they gonna come find you.

Speaker 2 (12:33):
If you do what you're supposed to do.

Speaker 4 (12:37):
You anyway?

Speaker 3 (12:38):
Yeah, if you can bump, you can bump right no
matter where you are, for sure.

Speaker 2 (12:43):
That's what's up.

Speaker 1 (12:45):
And T when was that moment for you where where
it kind of hit you that damn, I'm nice in basketball,
like I could, I might can do some things with
the basketball. I might can go far, go to college,
go to w n b A, whatever the case may be.
When did that movement hit you.

Speaker 4 (13:02):
I think it was around like like seventh or eighth grade.
Sixth or seventh grade. First, when I started playing with
the Fairfax Stars, we already had a bunch of people
looking at us then. But then when I was able
to go play for Bou Williams, and Williams was acting
my mom like I need to see her birth certificate
because it ain't no way she the age that you're
telling me she is. That's when I knew I was

(13:23):
I was all right. I knew I was going to
be able to like compete at the next level. For me,
it was taking a level by level. Of course, your
dream is always to play play professionally. But if I
could just make it from middle school to high school,
high school to college, I was cool. So when I
started getting them looks and those views from them college coaches,

(13:45):
I knew I was gonna be already be able to
make it to the next level and then ultimately the WNBA.

Speaker 1 (13:51):
Yeah, and in high school, when you came out, you
guys had a really good class of ball players out
of the Northern Virginia area, Like, can you tell us
who was like your biggest rivalries in terms of team
and biggest rivalry in terms of one one particular player.

Speaker 4 (14:14):
I think in Northern Virginia, by the time I got
to high school, it wasn't really no rivalries because we
was just winning everything in the in the district, So
that part was pretty easy. Once we got into like
regions and states, it was a little bit different cause
it was it was better teams out there. So I

(14:36):
would say are in district, rival was always like hate,
like Hayfield or West Springfield, those two teams are always
teams like we bumped against. And then like within the region,
Edison always was a team that gave us a good run.
But outside of that, Uh, we played against Potomac Woodbridge

(14:56):
a couple of times. One of my good friends, Lynetta
Kaser played there. We played against Oakden when Jasmine Thomas
was there. We played against Forest Park back when uh,
Danny Jackson and Monica Wright was there. So I kind
of competed against everybody who was anybody that pretty much
came out of Virginia. Whether I was playing against them

(15:18):
in high school or against them in AU or with
them in AU. So when it came to that, it
was it was always all love from from anybody in Virginia.
We all just wanted to kind of make it, make
it to the next level.

Speaker 2 (15:32):
That's what's up. So let me ask you something.

Speaker 3 (15:34):
So for a lot of times, I know, for speaking
for the for the for the Fellas and back in
our days, myself, even though I was from Maryland, I
was born in you know, all my family right there
from Alexandria. A lot of times, you know, you got
such a you got that sort of I don't know,
I don't what what what do I call it?

Speaker 4 (15:55):
Coole?

Speaker 3 (15:56):
You have that that stereotype about Virginia ballplayers. Right, So
it's like when you go in the d NV especially right,
not not worldwide, but you know, not around the states,
but when you go across the bridge to Maryland or
when you you know, from Maryland you go to d C,
they think you so, you know what I mean, they.

Speaker 2 (16:16):
Think is it the same thing?

Speaker 3 (16:18):
And girls and women's basketball, like you know, they like
she played out Virginia.

Speaker 2 (16:23):
Ain't no really, ain't no bump out there? Or is
it is it like, is it like?

Speaker 3 (16:27):
Nah, it's just what respected all throughout Maryland, Northern Virginia
and DC.

Speaker 1 (16:32):
Nah.

Speaker 4 (16:32):
I don't think it's as bad on the women's side
as it is. We had some we had some dogs
come out of Virginia, so on the women's side, So
I don't think anybody really could say it wasn't no
no dogs coming out of Virginia on the women's side.

Speaker 1 (16:49):
Uh.

Speaker 4 (16:50):
So it's different on the women's side than it is
on the men. But I know for sure just knowing
some of the guys that came out of Virginia. Yeah,
when you go across that bridge, they gonna always say
you weak. They say that they.

Speaker 3 (17:04):
Yeah, they say that till you give them forty or football.

Speaker 2 (17:08):
I run past a few motherfuckers and then I.

Speaker 3 (17:10):
Tell like, oh, yeah, you know, you know, you get
you got about one seventy five on five carriage.

Speaker 2 (17:16):
Or something, you know football, right, could they get their
halftime like ship party?

Speaker 4 (17:22):
Oh well, we're going out of the game.

Speaker 5 (17:24):
It's but I just wanted to know, you know, because
it's such a but it's crazy because you said you
do know some of your friends, so I guess it's
so it's still from way back and even before we
were coming up, you know, that was the stereotype.

Speaker 3 (17:39):
And it's still like that to this day, you know
what I mean. It's a shame, but it's like like,
you know, we but but it's cool because they put
that hunger in you and it makes you go out
and want to you know, get the respect first from home.

Speaker 2 (17:51):
Yeah, you know, matter where you're from, you know what
I mean, Maryland, d C.

Speaker 3 (17:55):
Or Northern Virginia, you know what I mean a lot
of times, so you know, that's I think that's when
thing that makes that d MV you can tell with
somebody from that area because they play with such a
you know, tenactity and the hunger, whether it's on the
women's side or the men's side, you know what I mean.

Speaker 4 (18:11):
So that kind of helps when you going uh to
different places. Yeah, because when you're going out to different
states in different parts of the country and they see
that d m V tag on you, they know it's
a different type of bump they come together and just

(18:31):
be from DC, Maryland, Virginia. They think that's all the
same place.

Speaker 2 (18:35):
Yeah, for sure, for sure.

Speaker 4 (18:37):
We compete within our within ourselves at home. But when
you can take it on the road and we become one.
It's hard to stop.

Speaker 2 (18:44):
No question, no question solute. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (18:48):
So so t Obviously, you were one of the top
nationally ranked players in the country. I mean I've seen
anything from you being number one to three somewhere and
that within that range. When did you get that national exposure.
Was it from AAU like you mentioned, or did you
go to like, you know, I know on the guys side,

(19:08):
we go to Nike camp, Ordida's camp, stuff like that.
So was it was it a camp where you first
kind of caught the attention of everyone in the country.

Speaker 4 (19:19):
Nah, For me, it was playing AAU. I think I was.
I was playing with the Fairfax Stars, and that's when
I kind of first started getting noticed. But once I
got with Boo, that just blew up. So when I
started playing with Boo, that's when I started getting ranked
and all of that. But I think that time around that,

(19:39):
like eighth ninth grade, that's when I started really like
getting noticed. I didn't go to a bunch of camps
growing up. I think the only real camps I went
to was like I went to one, maybe two Nike
camps and then a USA Basketball camp. Those is the
only three camps I went to growing up. For me,
I just don't even go to no more camp ship

(20:01):
if you go to them.

Speaker 2 (20:05):
Same dance, football, n.

Speaker 4 (20:10):
Yeah, that was the only camps I went to. I
ain't go to know, like you know a lot of
people go to these college camps and like exposure camps,
Like I didn't go to none of those. I only
went to literally those three camps. And that's because, like,
once you get getting noticed and Nike trying to bring
you to those top those camps were the top players.
And in USA basketball, of course top players going to
those camps. So once you get invited to those things,

(20:34):
like you don't really got to go to a whole
bunch of other stuff.

Speaker 2 (20:37):
No question, no question.

Speaker 3 (20:40):
Did you have so okay, so you're going through TC,
you you did, like when you can't.

Speaker 2 (20:46):
Did you play all four years?

Speaker 3 (20:47):
I not just for our listeners, if you all four
years on varsity?

Speaker 4 (20:53):
Yeah? So, And in Virginia we didn't have like a
middle school league. Eighth grade you could play high school,
but you could only play freshman on JV. So my
eighth grade year I played JV and then the rest
of my four years I played Okay, cool.

Speaker 3 (21:10):
So when you when you came in as a freshman
or you know what I mean, whatever the occasion, did
you have sort of that junior or senior that sort
of took you, you know, under her wing and short
of showed you the road. So you just came in
and was like, nah, they was hating on you, so
you had to go ahead and bust the ass and
drop buckets or nah.

Speaker 4 (21:31):
Everybody pretty much embraced me from a young age, so
I didn't really have that uh moment where people was
like hating on me because I think when in our
freshman year, I think it was maybe three or four
of us that were freshmen playing on varsity. Oh okay,
we had a pretty decent, uh decent class that stick

(21:55):
stuck together from eighth grade all the way up Okay
together like all four or five years in high school.
So we had a pretty decent, like core group of
players that was together. And then my upper classmen were cool.
They just wanted to win. So if that meant don't
meet the ball every time down the court, they was
gonna throw it to me. If that meant to do

(22:15):
other things, play defense and that type of stuff, they
were gonna do it. Because they just wanted to win.
We didn't have a bunch of like selfish or hating
people on our team.

Speaker 1 (22:23):
When I played.

Speaker 4 (22:24):
And I don't know if that was just because it
was everybody knew who I was coming up, or people
just wanted to win like I never had. And maybe
it might have been behind the scenes, but it was
never like outright in my face like Peyton, because it
was so much you can hate on because I was
doing what I was supposed to do on my end.

Speaker 1 (22:45):
There you go, there, you go as you should, as
you should, and you know what, I think your style
of play might have helped with that as well, because
you know, when I yeah, you know, oh dog, when
I left high school, I didn't go back to watching
or high school games. It took it took some special
people to get me to go back to a high school.

(23:05):
And I was at most of Tea's games, and and
she had this all around game. I mean, she would
fill up the stat sheet simple doubles like like it
wasn't nothing. So when you're playing that style of ball
and you're getting everybody involved, plus you still being the
alpha dog and getting the buckets too, everybody feel inclusive.
So I think your style of play definitely helped with

(23:27):
that camaraderie with your team.

Speaker 4 (23:29):
Oh yeah, for sure, because a lot of times they
used to tell me I passed the ball too much,
like I needed to go score the ball more. Yeah,
the easier if I can get people involved, because in
the second half, it's like, all right, this is the
time I got to really turn it first half buckets
to make it easier for me that other people got

(23:50):
to be guarded. That's what I'm gonna do. So by
the time the fourth quarter came, they already knew that
the ball was going to me. Most of the time. Anyway,
it was like you got a score, like, ain't no
passing the ball around no more at a certain point, no.

Speaker 2 (24:06):
Question, no question. Talk talk to our listeners. If you
was a little bit about you know, your recruitment process.
I know you.

Speaker 3 (24:13):
You said you got your first letter as a freshman
from UVA. Can you tell us a little bit of
a little bit more about some of your recruitment process
and what made you decide on North Carolina Besides a yeah.

Speaker 4 (24:30):
Yeah, I was recruited recruited by it like damn near
every college in the country. I don't think it was
like one college that didn't like recruit me. It's funny
because my older sister went to Norfolk State and I
told her, like, I'm going to Norfolk State, like that's
when you went there. I was going there, and she
was like, hell, no, you can't go there. You don't

(24:50):
get my school under investigation. Yeah, big time to go
to Norfolk State. So that was who I said that
I was going to go to. But but you know,
like like you said, I was too uh too advanced,
too skilled to go to Norfolk State. But Uva was
my first visit, I mean, my first letter that I got,

(25:13):
and then they just kind of started rolling in after that,
uh got to my junior year. Going into senior year,
I took four official visits North Carolina, Duke, Rutgers, and
then Uva. And I really loved all those schools. It's
crazy because people think it's crazy that I went to you,

(25:34):
I mean went to Duke and North Carolina. But a
lot of my a lot of my friends when we
were like coming up and talking about the recruit process,
a lot of us wanted to go to Duke so
that we just loved the coach there. When when we
were coming up coach Coach g was there when we
were when we were getting recruited all the way up

(25:56):
until probably my junior year of high school up leaving
leaving Dukes. So that kind of opened the door for
for other schools. And in North Carolina they just blew
like they just blew everybody away on our on my
home visits, all my family was there, uh, and then

(26:17):
my official visit was amazing and I probably had the
best time at North Carolina. I knew some players there already.
Some of my old AAU teammates was already there playing there.

Speaker 2 (26:28):
Who who's there if you don't mind, like who was
who was playing there? If you can you tell some.

Speaker 4 (26:34):
Yeah, I played with Jessica Breelan and Shayla White, with
Boo Williams, who was played in Virginia too. She played
with the Fairfax Stars. She was there as well. So
I knew a good amount of people there ready, and
nobody really played my position, So it wasn't like I

(26:54):
was going in there like trying to compete with people
already knew. It was just going there to like play
with people that I had already played with that already.
But I really loved u v A. Like they had
Monica right there. They had Arianna Moore there, so they
had some people there that I played with or like
kind of idolized MONI was like that that person that

(27:16):
I looked up to out of Virginia. Y uh, those
two they recruited me heavy, and I really loved UVA.
But it was just a toss up decision between the two.
And the way came in was just crazy. And they
all my family like locked in before they had me

(27:39):
locked in and sold. But everything else kind of just
fell into place once I took my official visit.

Speaker 3 (27:47):
Yeah, Charlottesville, the Chapel Hill, that's a no brain, no
disrespected Shawlotteville.

Speaker 2 (27:55):
You know, we got went to u v A.

Speaker 3 (27:58):
But what we're talking about, see what we're talking about?

Speaker 2 (28:06):
You know, come on, man, what we're talking about?

Speaker 4 (28:17):
Alright? No, I know you, I know you w in that.

Speaker 3 (28:21):
Locker room and seeing all that display, them jays and.

Speaker 4 (28:24):
All they bring, all the j's out and all of that.
They're gonna have you hooked.

Speaker 2 (28:29):
Man. It's tough to Yeah, it's tough to man. I
can only imagine.

Speaker 3 (28:34):
But you said, wait man, you said fourth fis you
said North Carolina?

Speaker 4 (28:38):
Do U b A and Ruggers bro Yeah, Rutgers was
that was a different place. But coach Stringer, she's she
was an amazing coach. Yeah, a black woman doing it.
So you know, it was just a different time then.

(28:59):
And they had some players already there that was like
in my position and kind of win to me not
going there. But you know, I program and they got
some some legends that come out of that that came
out of that program.

Speaker 2 (29:13):
Gotcha, no dope.

Speaker 1 (29:16):
Look so t once you got once you got there,
you got your North Carolina As a freshman, how was
the transition going from high school to college? That did it?

Speaker 2 (29:26):
Uh?

Speaker 1 (29:27):
Did you hit the ground running? Did you take your
little bumps and bruises? How how did that first that
freshman year go for you?

Speaker 4 (29:36):
I mean I played, I played decent minutes, but it
was it was definitely a transition, like going from being
being that star player and the best player to kind
of being just a number, you know what I'm saying,
because everybody there was the best player or the star
player where they played at. But I caught on fast.

(29:59):
I think once I got used to the to the
condition and stuff like that, I was all right and
I could kind of fit in anywhere. It was just
how I played. I was already like super aggressive. I
was already a defensive minded player that could score. So
I think that helped me get on the floor quicker

(30:20):
because I did. I was willing to do whatever it
took the to get on the floor, whether that was
played defense, just be a be a player that was
sitting in the corner while the other players kind of
kind of scored all the points, go rebound, do all
the dirty work. I was willing to do that at

(30:41):
an early age, and at UH as a freshman, So
getting getting down and dirty that helped me get on
the floor floor quicker than some others may have.

Speaker 2 (30:52):
Nice stoff.

Speaker 1 (30:58):
So t win. So you was at Carolina for four years,
when when did you say, Okay, it's time for me
to take a leadership role and you know, be the
person that kind of carries my team to any type
of success.

Speaker 4 (31:14):
I think by by sophomore year, I was kind of
helping lead the team my junior year. The summer before
my junior year, I UH tore my labor so I
had to have surgery and missed the first half of
my junior year, all all the conference games. I missed

(31:34):
came back I think first game acc play and kind
of helped lead the team as best I could that year.
But my senior year, I was kind of doing it
doing it all. I think in my four years at Carolina,
I played every position with center. I started off my
freshman year playing playing a four. I was like an
undersize four. By my senior year, I was playing point guard.

(31:57):
So for me, it was like whatever the team needed,
I was gonna do. Uh. My senior year, like I said,
I was playing point guard and I definitely wasn't a
point guard. But I had a lot of people like
helped me through it. Like our assistant coach he was
I was in a film room with him almost every
day just learning uh, different ways to be a good
point guard. Not even talk to Ivory Ladder my senior

(32:19):
year on like how to be a be a good
point guard and help get others involved and all of that,
keep the keep the game tempo going, getting the ball
in the right places. So I had some good people
to help kind of mold mold me to the end
of my senior year and then uh into my professional career.

Speaker 2 (32:41):
That's okay, that's all. That's all.

Speaker 3 (32:45):
Hold on code, I got I got a question about
this North Carolina shit.

Speaker 2 (32:51):
Dang tell me.

Speaker 3 (32:55):
I know you got the North Carolina to do big rivalry,
but I listened to and tell somebody maybe our listened
to and viewers let them know about maybe another rivalry that.

Speaker 2 (33:05):
You had in the you know, within the like, yeah,
you got.

Speaker 3 (33:08):
The team North Carolina and Duke, but did you have
any like rivalries or a little personal ribberries like in
in like the a y'all was still in the A
C C.

Speaker 2 (33:17):
Right in the A C C.

Speaker 3 (33:20):
Also, that'st besides Chapel Hill, was it the Dean Dome?

Speaker 4 (33:26):
We played? We put in Carmichael. My first year and
a half we played in the Dean Dome, and then
by the rest of my career we played in Carmichael,
Michael Jordan played, and then the Dean after Okay, it
was too small for pulling there.

Speaker 3 (33:45):
It tells I want to know another like what you're
all besides your home you know obviously Dan jone another
place that you like It is crazy as far as
on campus atmosphere for women's you know, for women basketball.

Speaker 4 (34:01):
So when I played, of course Duke Duke, the Duke
North Carolina rivalry, it don't matter what year it is,
it's gonna be fild up for for that game. Men women,
It didn't matter. N C State was always good too,
Like that was always like a rivalry game too, Like

(34:22):
I leave out in C State and it's just say
it's Duke North Carolina. But n C State was starting
to get back good because they was good before I
went to college, but they were starting to come back
alive in those years that I was in college as well.
So I think those two were probably like the biggest
rivalry games. Uh. And then Georgia Tech was always pretty

(34:45):
like scrappy too, so we always they always gave us
some good good run when I played.

Speaker 3 (34:51):
Okay, okay, that's what's up? And what and what what
besides Carolina your favorite.

Speaker 2 (35:01):
Stay arena or whatever it's called the playing.

Speaker 4 (35:06):
Uh, I mean it didn't. I didn't. It didn't really
matter where I played. I love playing at Duke just
because of the atmosphere. It was small. It felt like
the fans were right there on top of you.

Speaker 3 (35:17):
Got so everybody said yeah, gosh, everybody said that about
a CC that everybody say Duke, yeah, got go ahead, Cole.

Speaker 1 (35:28):
And Tee with just being marsh maness can you talk
to our viewers and listens about your experience playing in
the n C Double A Tournament and maybe some of
your best moments in the n C Double A Tournament.

Speaker 4 (35:40):
Yeah, I think we made it three out of three
out of my four years. I don't think we made
it my junior year, the year I didn't play half
the season, but every other year I think we made it.
I think my deepest run maybe Sweet sixteen. We made
it Sweet sixteen a couple of years. But it was
always fun. Like now you you on the big stage.

(36:01):
The ACC was like one of the better conferences, probably
the best conference when I was playing. So if you could,
if you can compete in the a CC, you could
kind of compete anywhere. When I was playing, Yukon was
was kind of the team to beat, Like they was
winning damn near every every every year, every other year
or something like that.

Speaker 3 (36:20):
So the big scision, the keys yourself, what's up?

Speaker 4 (36:25):
Yeah, So playing playing in the n cub A Tournament
that was one of the that was one of the
best times of the year. You could you get to
compete against people from other conferences. You get to compete
against some of the best teams in the country. So
that's where you kind of major major name if you
weren't already big time. Uh, that's where people kind of

(36:46):
got to notice you. That's where people uh got their
w n b A contracts made if they wasn't already
being drafted or being looked at. So that's where you
can kind of make an for yourself towards the end
of the season and people got to know who you
work because those games were on TV, and a lot

(37:07):
of women's basketball games weren't on TV back then, so
that's why you kind of got seen a little bit more.

Speaker 1 (37:15):
Yeah. So, so like personally, for you, what was your
best moment in the tournament? If it's something that you
can go back and recall, like you was like, wow,
this this was a special moment for me.

Speaker 4 (37:27):
I think it was probably my It was my senior year,
probably our first game in the n C DOUBLEA Tournament.
My senior year, we played you Albany. I probably have
one of my career nights. I think I had like
thirty nine or something like that against them. Well, that
was probably one of my best best games. But I

(37:49):
think my sophomore year I had a really good game
against Stanford in the NC Double A Tournament. I think
that was that sweet sixteen game that maated too, So
probably those two games are probably the two most memorable
that I can kind of think of off the top
of my head.

Speaker 1 (38:07):
Yeah, man, I saw a crazy start of yours from
I think it was your sophomore year at Carolina and
you guys played three games in the tournament that year,
but you know, you only played twenty minutes per game,
but you was after and just under eleven point shooting
fifty two percent. From the film, like, damn, get my girl,

(38:27):
like ten twelve more minutes she putting up twenty seven people.

Speaker 4 (38:33):
Man, I'm like, we had a good team that year.
We had a good team that year, so I ain't
really have to play a whole bunch of minutes. And
I probably wasn't in the best shape at that time,
so twenty minutes was probably good enough tutes at that time.

Speaker 3 (38:50):
Wait to keep it a buck to be honest, way
to be honest.

Speaker 1 (38:55):
Well, look, but you also have his nine rebounds.

Speaker 4 (39:00):
Yeah. See, when you got to be the main score,
you gotta find get involved, and that's the way you're
gonna stay on the court. So if I could go
rebound I'm gonna get a little couple of putbacks, you know,
I'm gona I'm gonna get a couple of rebound outlets,
fast passage from full court layups. Like that's why I
may my money in college rebounded, right, right.

Speaker 3 (39:22):
But let me as some going back a little bit
to your recruitment process.

Speaker 2 (39:27):
I didn't hear you say University of Maryland.

Speaker 3 (39:31):
University, because University of Maryland they pretty much had.

Speaker 4 (39:34):
I don't.

Speaker 2 (39:35):
I'm trying to think when you what year did you
come out of high school?

Speaker 1 (39:38):
Again?

Speaker 4 (39:38):
Oh?

Speaker 2 (39:39):
Nine?

Speaker 4 (39:40):
They didn't.

Speaker 2 (39:40):
Was the was the lady there?

Speaker 4 (39:43):
Yeah, Brenda Freeze was there when I was. She one
of my one of my good friends, went to Maryland.
She went the year before me. Leannetti Kosa, she played
in Maryland.

Speaker 2 (39:52):
Right.

Speaker 4 (39:53):
I didn't want to be super close to home, Like
I wanted to close enough to where like my family
could get to me if they needed to. I can
get home if needed to.

Speaker 2 (40:02):
I didn't like forty five Okay, yeah.

Speaker 3 (40:06):
Okay, got you, Okay, okay, So you let her know
from the beginning, I'm good on y'all.

Speaker 4 (40:13):
College probably like tenth eleventh grade. I was like, all right, yeah,
I'm probably not about to come here.

Speaker 2 (40:20):
Okay, all right? Cool. I was like, I just thought
about that.

Speaker 3 (40:22):
I'm like, man, they've pretty much been having a solid
women's basket.

Speaker 4 (40:26):
They was winning.

Speaker 2 (40:29):
Yeah they won it one year. I forgot what you was.

Speaker 4 (40:33):
Yeah, they was winning.

Speaker 2 (40:34):
Okay, all right, cool, all right, cool, that's what's up.

Speaker 1 (40:37):
Go ahead, cool, my back team with with this with
the environment in the n C double A, now with
the n L, how do you think you would I mean,
what you think about what.

Speaker 4 (40:51):
I would have stayed at home if if they had
n I L. I would have made a lot of
money at home back then.

Speaker 2 (40:58):
Oh yeah, would have been in Charlotte had.

Speaker 4 (41:03):
Definitely I was. I was just talking about that with
my with my wife, like she played at Mississippi State,
stayed at home, and she was like, man, if I
would have if n IO is happening right now, I
would have made a killing. I said, yeah, I know,
And I would have did something completely different. I would
have stayed right at home just like you did and
been making the killing to these kids making millions. I

(41:25):
did one of the millions. Huh u.

Speaker 3 (41:28):
Already they set themselves up before they even come out
of school. So regardless whether they make it to the
pros or not. If they do well in college, and dude,
they're supposed to do. You know, they could use that
money that they got in n I L and put
it in up whatever they want to, you know, go
to you know what I'm saying, after sports so exactly.

Speaker 1 (41:47):
Yeah, right, Ray, stay lucky with the n L. When
I was there, I would have acted the food already
acted the food had money. That money in my coach face, like.

Speaker 2 (42:06):
Speaking acting a food real quick.

Speaker 3 (42:08):
Giving a shout out to some of our new listeners
and viewers. My man leave from the from from the
from the work. I got him tune and their team
watching the show. This is first time watching the show.
I said, we got a big town ball on. So
he watching the show. He just hit me and said salute.
So yeah, I got my boy Lee on there and
he hey, you talk about crashing. He keeps me from

(42:29):
crashing out at the job that you know your boy Wow,
So he was like, he was like, nephew, you gotta relax, man,
you gotta relax. So yeah, shout out to my boy
Lee and Colin. You already know what it is. I'll
see you whatever, but go ahead.

Speaker 1 (42:45):
Yeah. So so We know you're a supporter at the
n L, and I think we all are. What about
the transfer portal? What would you what's your thoughts on
the portal and what you would what have you? You
thelized portal if it was available for you when it's
at USC.

Speaker 4 (43:02):
I think the portal has gotten a little bit out
of hand, but you know n IL has made it
that way. If you can go to one school, make
three four hundred thousand transfer, make five hundred thousand, forget,
make it a meal, like I get it. But sometimes
I think it could make it hard for basketball in general,
just because nobody's staying at one school for four years

(43:25):
or even two years. I haven't seen kids go to
three or four different schools throughout their career. So I
think it kind of hurts hurts basketball in a way,
or hurts sports in general in a way, just because
nobody's like committed to one school. It's really about who
can pay me the most money now, So in that sense,

(43:47):
it kind of hurts because you can't really get a
feel for like a team or a school in just
one year. For me, we built we built that relationship
and that camaraderie over three and four years of playing together.
So I think that that's where you kind of lose.

(44:08):
You lose out because you make some of your best
you meet some of your best friends, and you make
some of your best relationships in college. So you kind
of lose that if you're like jumping schools every year.
But like I said, I get it, you're gonna follow
the money. But if you love the game, the money
gonna follow you, and if you're good enough, the money

(44:30):
gonna follow you anyway, just because that's just what it is.
You're basing the money off of your name, and I
know certain schools got more money than others, but you
will make that decision in the upfront versus switching schools
three or four times. So I'm not the biggest fan
of the transfer portal, but I understand it, like I

(44:50):
understand why the kids are jumping in it. But you
kind of lose out. Sometimes you think you're gonna you're
gonna go into the portal and and get more money
or being a better situation than Sometimes you end up
in a worse situation than you than you started with.

Speaker 1 (45:06):
Yeah. Yeah, And as a as a fan, I mean
I think I would have utilized it if if I
was still a college ball player, because I think it's
some some players, it's beneficial to them, but as a
fan watching, like if you're a fan of a specific
school or whatever the case may be, it's kind of hard.
You know, in twenty twenty four, you were, you were great,

(45:30):
you were top ten, Final four, and then twenty twenty
five your best three full players gone, and you're like, damn,
we ain't even make the tournament. So you know, from
that aspect, I don't like the transfer portal. And I'm
looking at my alma mater, Dayton. You know, they was,
you know they I think they went to Sweet sixteen
last year and they started off good this year. But

(45:53):
I'm like, damn, they their best two players. I'm watching
one play for Kentucky, Toby Bread, and then I'm glad
he left though because he almost broke my three point record,
but I'm glad. I'm glad that Nigga left. And then
and then the boy kobe Els at Oklahoma. I'm like, damn,

(46:15):
they had those two. That was their two best players.
You you know, you may be seeing them still in
the tournament, whatever the case may be, but yeah, yeah, me.

Speaker 3 (46:23):
And Major just can't keep up with that that checked
that them them big time. Yeah, yeah, no, disrespected dating.
I ain't trying to call him, but you know, yeah
they can't keep up, you know, but that show that
type of you know, with that type of bread.

Speaker 2 (46:40):
So especially know Oklahoma or Kentucky. Right, yeah, you're talking. Yeah,
we need to.

Speaker 1 (46:48):
Say yeah, yeah, hey, hey, enough said what do we
talk about? What do we talk about so so so team?
Now we we had your senior year at UNC. You know,
you had a great career, first team on a c C. Uh,

(47:11):
what what do you start hearing about w n B
A and your draft position? Because it's kind of hard
for me to believe somebody come from UNC and to
do what you've done there in your in your four
years and being first team on a c C to
not get drafted, that's that's blasphemy.

Speaker 2 (47:29):
Man.

Speaker 4 (47:30):
Yeah, I mean my stock, I think my stock kind
of dropped when I got hurt my junior year. I
had a decent like finished to my junior year and
I had a pretty good senior year. But my my
class was was deep. A lot of players that that
came out in my draft were talented, and then a

(47:50):
lot of players played well. Like I said, in the
n C Double A tournament, and their names rung a
lot of bells, uh so that kind of helped them too.
I would say when I didn't get drafted, it was
like heartbreaking, but I think it was the best. It
ended up being one of the best things for me

(48:11):
because I was able to go home and play. Like
I talked to Mike Mike Tebow right after the draft,
not even not even twenty minutes after the draft, and
he like, we want you to come to training camp.
He was the only thing I need from you to come.
When you come to training camp, you gotta drop some
weight and then you gotta work on your three point shot.

(48:32):
And I was like, all right, bet. I had a
few weeks just to kind of train at North Carolina,
work on my strength conditioning coach, work on my one
of my assistant coaches, and just kind of grind out
for a few weeks before camp and ended up going
to camp. I made a list of like everybody who

(48:53):
all the players who who were like guaranteed pretty much
it's only a few players that was like on guarantee
con track, and then the players that were drafted. I
just made a list like who could be cut and
then I just went at every one of them players
every day like all right, I'm not you not gonna

(49:13):
outwork me. I'm not gonna I'm not gonna come in
and do anything different than what I do as a player.
I'm not trying to do the extra stuff. We already got.
Same thing. How it was when I went into Carolina,
how I went into my Buo Williams tey. We already
got scores, we already got main players, we already got
top four draft picks on a team. So I don't
have to be that person that come in and try

(49:35):
to score and do that type of stuff. So I
just went in and did all the little stuff I played.
I played defense crazy, I rebounded crazy, and then I
just made a name for myself that way and ended
up just checking everybody off the list, check it off
the list, checking off the lift to the last day,
it was just me and one other girl left that

(49:56):
I knew could be cut and I knew we ain't
need no post players. She was a post player, and
I was like, oh yeah, I got this. Day before
the last day of camp, Mike walked up to me
and was like, look, it's only you and one other
person left here that's gonna be cut and he was like,
you're going you moving into your apartment today. That's how
he told me that I was making a team.

Speaker 2 (50:18):
That's dope.

Speaker 4 (50:19):
It was just some I had some great vets. Like
luckily I ended up playing with ire Latta after I
had talked to her throughout my whole senior year about
being a point guard. And then Monique Curry. Those two
kind of just took me under their wing.

Speaker 2 (50:34):
Uh.

Speaker 4 (50:35):
And even though me and Mo played the same position,
she still was like a great vet and a person
who kind of like wanted to see me do well.
I guess just being from the d M.

Speaker 2 (50:46):
B areabah sure.

Speaker 4 (50:51):
So so those two were great vets my like to
me my my first year in the league, my rookie year,
and then throughout my career. Those two were kind of
there pretty much the whole time I was in d C.
I think up until my last few years, MO wasn't there,
but my first three years or so, MO was there
and Ivery was there pretty much the whole time I

(51:13):
was there as well. So those two just kind of
helped help me just become a great pro and just
learn how to how to navigate the w NBA League.

Speaker 2 (51:25):
That's why I was getting ready. That's my next question.

Speaker 3 (51:27):
I was going to ask you, how as far as
the organization, how'd you like playing for the organization?

Speaker 2 (51:32):
Uh?

Speaker 3 (51:33):
And just the whole from every everybody from Soshia Uh,
shout out to my big sis, I see it.

Speaker 4 (51:40):
I love it.

Speaker 2 (51:41):
You know, do nothing happened?

Speaker 3 (51:43):
Well back then, it did nothing happen without side uh
in that whole organization, to you know, coach and stuff
like that.

Speaker 2 (51:50):
And you know one of the things that you said
you wanted.

Speaker 3 (51:53):
To get away from home in college, how didn't feel
when you started your pro career being at the crib?

Speaker 4 (51:59):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (51:59):
It was. It was.

Speaker 4 (52:00):
It was the best place for me to be at
that time, at that point in my life. When I
ended up making a team in DC. My cousin who
helped me get to playing basketball, he got killed. So
it was just it was the best place for me
to be at that at that time in my in
my life, in my career. And I loved playing at home.

(52:22):
My family was at every home game. They didn't make games.
I had at least ten people, ten plus people at
every game. So it was a blessing to be able
to like play professionally at home. I think for college
you want to get away because you want to be able.

Speaker 1 (52:37):
To go at the food.

Speaker 4 (52:39):
And for sure time you get out of college, it's like, oh,
now like I'm playing professionally, everybody want to play at
home when they playing pro Like giving playing a w
NBA playing for a team that's ten minutes from the crib,
like it was kind of the best thing, best thing
for me, and I couldn't act better career. I could

(53:00):
ask for a better staff that I played for or
a better organization to play for it because everybody within
that organization I still kind of have half tied to.
I still talk to Mike and Eric Tebow. I still
talk the sage every now and then I talked every now,
so I'm still kind of tapped in with those guys.
And I think that that you build those those relationships

(53:23):
and those bonds with those people. Uh, they just want
to see you do well. Yeah, because it's business at
the end of the day, and people people really don't
understand that. So when when teams trade a player, they
they they don't really get mad at the team like
they do is if a player just leaves, but that
the day you got to realize it's a business. People

(53:44):
trying to feed their their family, feed themselves. But if
you're in an organization like I was in d C,
I couldn't ask for a better organization and start my career,
my career.

Speaker 2 (53:55):
That's what's up. Awesome.

Speaker 1 (53:57):
Oh that was the same time. I know, I was
at almost every home game. You know, my company got
a sweet sweet on seventeen, I was there and you
and my daughters that came with me every game, got
them excited. I finally got them on the basketball court
up like you do. Because I mean they would even
ask me if it's t playing today and we'll go

(54:21):
to the game. But when you were tired, they retired.

Speaker 4 (54:29):
Man, not.

Speaker 1 (54:37):
For sure. So so talk to us about your decision
leaving the Washington Mystics organization and going out to the
West coast.

Speaker 4 (54:45):
To l a man. That was that was a tough
one for me. I thought I would never leave DC.
I thought I was gonna play my whole, uh my
whole career there. But I think I kind of just
was at a point, like we were. We just were
at a point in my career where DC was going
a different direction and I just had to figure out

(55:06):
like a way that I wanted to go because I
still wanted to play. I would my rookie year, we
played pretty much equal minutes with the starters coming off
the bench as rookie, So I was starting by my
second year, halfway through my second year, and I pretty
much started all the way up to the sixth year,
and then I wasn't playing as much, so they felt

(55:29):
like they needed to make a decision not to play
me as much. And then I had to make a
decision to figure out where I could go to kind
of continue to play. But I never thought it would
be LA. Like I always said, I never wanted to
go out west and play. But I talked to Alena
Beard and she was one of my idols in the league,

(55:50):
like I kind of modeled tried to model my game
after hers, just the way she kind of played defense
and all of that type of stuff. So I talked
to her and she told me the same thing. She
was like, I play in DC, and I said the
same thing, I never go play in LA. She was like,
you just got to give it a chance. And I
was like, you know what, why not go play in LA.

(56:12):
I'm be playing behind at least i'ma be playing behind
Alaane the Beard. I can learn as much as I
possibly can. She was towards the end of her career anyway,
but I can learn as much as I can, and
so I decided to go out there, and I think
it was one of the best decisions I made. And
the crazy thing is is Elna ended up getting hurt
in training camp, So I ended up starting going out

(56:34):
there and I wasn't even expecting that, but I had
her in my ear pretty much the whole season, and
I got to learn so much from her throughout that season.
I was there in LA my first season, and it
was just one of the best decisions I could have made,
Like as a pro, kind of venturing out for the
first time, going through free agency and all of that.

(56:58):
I think LA was just the place I kind of
ended up, uh feeling the most at home. Like I
played with some some greats. I played with Candis Parker, Goomac,
Chelsea Gray, Like you couldn't asked for a better team
that I played with that year. So I think it
ended up being a great decision for me to go

(57:19):
out there and play in l A.

Speaker 3 (57:21):
How did y'all do that year when you went out
to l A, Like, did y'all make it to the
to the final?

Speaker 4 (57:28):
Back to the semi finals that year? Okay, both years
I played in l A.

Speaker 2 (57:33):
Okay, that's what's up.

Speaker 1 (57:36):
And we glossed over the fact we we forgot to
even mention you. You helped carry out Washington Mystics team
to to the finals.

Speaker 4 (57:43):
Yeah, my my last year there, we went to the finals.
The year I left, they.

Speaker 1 (57:46):
Wanted Yeah, dang, it's all good.

Speaker 4 (57:52):
I feel like I helped.

Speaker 2 (57:54):
Yeah, I'm gonna say you.

Speaker 4 (57:55):
Yeah, my first year in d C, the year before that,
they was god awful. So I feel like we helped
helped create that culture with Mike, he brought in some
great players. Yeah, he changed the narrative there. So now
they become one of the one of the best teams
in the league. Yeah, and we'll see where they kind

(58:15):
of go from there. They had some injuries last year.
I always want to see them do well in d C.

Speaker 3 (58:20):
Speaking of you know, you being a vet vet and everything,
how do you feel about the w n b A,
especially with them getting ready thinking about maybe doing a lockout.
I mean, I know you, I know obviously you still
follow it, and you know, obviously they have the margaining
agreement and you know, former players and stuff like that.

(58:41):
Are you happy with you know how things have gotten better?
But you're like, well, I'm happy, but nah, they need
to get like.

Speaker 4 (58:49):
That they got, they gotta pay them. They gotta pay
the women more money. They not asking for millions of dollars.
They're not asking for NBA money. They just asking for
for their revenue share, and the percent the same percentage
as the men, which is cool, like and and if
they gotta do a lockout, so be it, Like that's
just what they gotta be. If if that's how they

(59:09):
that's what you gotta do to get them to respect you.
And you gotta remember like you're the product for real.
So if it ain't no players playing, like, ain't no league, right,
So they're gonna respect them one way or another. And
I think they're doing a great job, especially nekao ka
uh she the president of the players associated. She's doing

(59:31):
she's always in a great job kind of bringing things,
uh for a circle and doing the right thing for
the players. Uh So if they gotta if they gotta
lock out, that that's just what it is. Until they
paid up their money or getting what they deserve. They
they you gotta do what you gotta do.

Speaker 2 (59:49):
That's right.

Speaker 1 (59:51):
I'm sure it helps that. You know, a lot of
the women in the w are making a line of
bread outside.

Speaker 4 (59:58):
The W No, don't. If they already making some money,
they they don't mind sit, know, especially if it's going
to help them in the long run. They got these
TV deals and all of that stuff. Yes, it's it's
crazy that they're not making more money. Luckily, they was

(01:00:19):
flying private last year, so that was an upgrade. Uh,
they increased the salaries and stuff for the last couple
of years. So they're doing They're doing what they're supposed
to do, and it's just going to continue to grow.
Like when you got big name players coming into the league.
It's just going to continue to continue to help the
league grow, just bringing more viewership with this like social

(01:00:41):
media era. Uh, because the w n b A always
has has had like great players. You always had top dogs.
You You've seen Diane Trossi, Canas Parker come through the league,
Sam on Augustus, and you still have great players in
the league now. So these younger kids who are more
visible and you're able to see them more on social media,

(01:01:04):
and they're given more WNBA and they're giving more college
women's teams TV time. If that's what it takes to
bring more viewership to the league, so be it. Use
use them the way the league is going to use
them anyway. So you just take what you can and
continue to try to grow the league for the next generation,

(01:01:26):
because it may not be this group of players that
see the money coming in, but in five, ten, ten years,
we still want the league to be thriving and growing, no.

Speaker 2 (01:01:36):
Question, no question, that's what's up.

Speaker 1 (01:01:40):
So team, what what led to your decision to ultimately
retire from the w NBA.

Speaker 4 (01:01:49):
So when I was playing, I also played overseas, like
in the off season. So when I was playing in
Israel my last year, I had a heart problem and
they could have came from COVID, it could have came
from the vaccine, and I probably could have continued to
play after everything was cured. But when they told me
I had that heart stuff going on, I was like, nah,

(01:02:12):
I'd rather lived than hoop. So I think that's what
ultimately led to my decision to retire. But like I said,
the doctor said, I could have could have came back
and played after but I just didn't want to like
risk it. It was too much going on with COVID
and players being having these heart issues pop up after

(01:02:36):
COVID and after taking those vaccines. So I think that
was kind of an ultimate decision to kind of just.

Speaker 1 (01:02:42):
Hang it up.

Speaker 4 (01:02:43):
And I was towards the end of my career anyway.
In my mind, I just wanted to play ten years
in the W, ten years pro and then kind of
transition into something else. Now I got to nine years pro,
eight years in the W. I don't think that's that's
a bad career.

Speaker 2 (01:03:00):
That's a great career. This is great.

Speaker 3 (01:03:04):
Two years is good any type of professional get you
getting paid to play something that we love and we
did as a kid.

Speaker 4 (01:03:13):
What you talking about and the fact that you.

Speaker 3 (01:03:16):
Did it at the highest level with the best of
the best, Come on, man, yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:03:24):
Sure, So so speaking of that to you, you've been
playing basketball since six seven years old. It's something you've
been doing all your life, all the way through the
high school range, college ranks to the professionals. And then
when you, you know, announce your retirement. How was that
transition of leaving the game of basketball and now you

(01:03:44):
have to start your second chapter so to speak.

Speaker 4 (01:03:48):
I mean it was I think it was easier than
I thought it would be. And it was only easier
than I thought it was because my wife was still playing,
so I was still able to be around the game.
I was still able to be at the at the
games like in w NBA arenas, and then I transitioned
to go working Nike, so I was still around sport anyway,

(01:04:10):
So I think that helped too. So I didn't really
miss it my first I want to say, like my
first like year year or two, because she was my
wife was still playing. But I think I started to
miss it more this year than anything because my wife
is coaching at Mississippi State and I've been able to

(01:04:31):
like be around the game a lot more than up close,
like in practices and stuff watching and then on the
road and stuff going to games, and I think that
that part of it I missed, that, like team camaraderie
and like being around and having your teammates, that that
part of the game I missed more than like actually
playing it. So I think I think this year was

(01:04:53):
the year I was like, damn, I actually kind of
miss it a bit, But the transition was smooth, like
I straight from playing to Nike. So it wasn't no
like sitting down and not having no money coming in,
no income or figuring out what I wanted to do.
I kind of had the best transition I could have
possibly had, just going from one day next.

Speaker 3 (01:05:16):
Hold on, hold on, we're not just going, We're not
just going just skip and just say you shaid, I
went from playing in the w n B A to
no disrespect converts violence.

Speaker 1 (01:05:30):
You went, that's.

Speaker 2 (01:05:35):
That's all I do, Jordan. You know that's the best
of the bat.

Speaker 4 (01:05:44):
Yeah, it couldn't have happened. It couldn't have been a
smoother or better chance other than going to being able
to coach uh somewhere where I played, whether it's at
my alma mater in North Carolina or somewhere pro So,
I don't think it could have been a better a
better situation than going into Nike.

Speaker 3 (01:06:06):
Do you did you have to go to But you
did say that in early you said, I go up
to the campus up there in Oregon.

Speaker 4 (01:06:12):
Huh. Yeah, I've been living out in Oregon since what
twenty twenty two?

Speaker 3 (01:06:17):
Nice, nice, beautiful campus. Got a chance to visit, got yeah,
got a chance to visit. Well, when it's not seven.
Yeah there you man, it's tough on them. But my
what I og our big brother, Sean Springs, who played
in Seattle back in the day. He was one of

(01:06:38):
the first people to go to Nike and test the
vapor Cleat. So when vapor Cleat came out years and
years ago, two thousand and one to whatever, ninety nine,
two thousand, whatever it was, they flew him down and
I was able to go with him to the actual
campus and see the campus for the first time. And uh,
they let him, they made they let him test out

(01:06:59):
that vapor to shoot him and a couple other players
or whatever.

Speaker 2 (01:07:02):
Man it was. And I know it's nothing like.

Speaker 3 (01:07:05):
That now you're talking about twenty twenty some years ago,
but just to see it then back then it was
it was awesome.

Speaker 4 (01:07:12):
Awesome. They still do. They still do some tests and
stuff on new products coming out. So yeah, that's always
a cool thing to be a part of.

Speaker 2 (01:07:21):
Yeah, for sure, that's awesome.

Speaker 1 (01:07:23):
Salute salute O g Fredo said Tel Tierra I wear
signs ten and a half.

Speaker 2 (01:07:31):
Oh gee, what's up?

Speaker 4 (01:07:32):
Freight up?

Speaker 2 (01:07:36):
That's up?

Speaker 1 (01:07:38):
Yeah for sure. So just transitioning we we in marsh
Madness who who you like with players? Are you watching
how you think your your tar heel is.

Speaker 2 (01:07:51):
Going to do?

Speaker 4 (01:07:52):
Man, I'm a fan of the game, so I just
like to see good basketball. Like it was tough. I
was at the game, uh the other day when Juju
went down there is playing against my wife's team. They
so it was hard to see her kind of go
down as one of the best basketball players in college
basketball right now. But you know, it's a basketball play,

(01:08:14):
like it happens. Plenty of players just go down from uh,
just basketball players.

Speaker 3 (01:08:21):
Uh.

Speaker 4 (01:08:22):
But as long as we can see good games, I'm cool.
I don't really care who win. I hope my Atario
is of course win, just being an alumni. But there's
some great teams out there. You got South Carolina, Yukon,
Texas like those I watched Texas play all year just
being being able to see like SEC games up coach

(01:08:43):
and they coached by a good coach, just like South Carolina.
And of course you can never count out Yukon with Gino,
and they got some great players that are all all
playing at at a high level right now. And then
you got U c. L A, like you got those
teams out west. People on the USC out because Juju
got hurt. But the way I seen them play against

(01:09:04):
Mississippi State once she went down, they look they still
look like applying the fourteen without her.

Speaker 3 (01:09:12):
So they got the other freshmen. Yeah, they got the
other fresh ball. I mean they got the freshmen and
not the other frost. Juju a sophomore, but they got
that first.

Speaker 1 (01:09:19):
I think she's a freshman sophomore that earthIn or something
like that. She played the forefront or yeah.

Speaker 4 (01:09:26):
Yeah, yeah, she's tough, so I wouldn't count them out either.
So it's gonna be a lot of good games this weekend,
and we're gonna see a lot of good basketball on
the women's side. So I'm excited. I'm of course I'm
rooting for my my, my tar Heels. But like I said,
there's some great teams. I love watching uh Cara Cara

(01:09:47):
make the Duke team back to bring them back to
where where they are and where they were, so always
salute somebody I played with and seeing them succeed. So,
like I said, it's gonna be some great games. It's
gonna be interesting to see who who wins.

Speaker 1 (01:10:06):
Yeah you right, us c still did look good. I
was like, damn, I thought the gap was going to
close a little bit the other night, but.

Speaker 4 (01:10:14):
That they look good. They still look good without bringing
break to them. But I think with Juju going down,
that's gonna bring that team a lot closer together and
and people people forget they still got players on that team.
So don't count them out. They got they gotta. They
got a good little run to the to the final four.

Speaker 1 (01:10:38):
Uh yeah, yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:10:40):
I think one of my one of my good one
of my good friends, his niece was at North Carolina,
but she transferred and that Oregon they.

Speaker 2 (01:10:51):
Yeah, it's.

Speaker 4 (01:10:55):
That portal will do it to you.

Speaker 2 (01:10:57):
Yeah, they was killing that North Carolina. They had a
great run. She was all doing her thing.

Speaker 4 (01:11:08):
Yeah, she played well at Orgon this year too, followed
her career a little bit at Organ. But Carolina is
still playing well and they still they still so you
can't complain.

Speaker 2 (01:11:21):
Yep.

Speaker 1 (01:11:22):
Yeah, yeah, I had U s C is winning it all.
But my only thing I think without Juju, I don't
know if they can beat Ukon. I think they need
her to beat you Kon.

Speaker 4 (01:11:34):
That's gonna be the test. Yeah, I think they'll win
the next game. I think they got Kansas State. I
think they got a good chance of beating Kansas State.
Then they got Yukon. Uh, we'll see. Like I think
it's gonna be. I don't think it's gonna be a blowout.
I think it'll be a good game even without Juju.
But like you said, they got they got Paide, they
got asy, they got some they got Sarah Sarah strong,

(01:11:58):
like they got player. Is that's that's that you gotta
be able to compete with. But like I said, I
wouldn't count usc out. I think they gotta They think
they got a good team, and I think they their
coach will figure it out.

Speaker 2 (01:12:11):
Mm hmmm. Is she gonna figure it out next year?

Speaker 4 (01:12:15):
Yeah? That interesting part, Like that's gonna that's gonna be
where it gets hard. He I think he may be
able to come back another year. I'm not one hundred
percent sure, but I'm sure she's gonna leave and go
pro after this year, and that'll leave a gap, especially
if Juju isn't back healthy for the next season.

Speaker 2 (01:12:34):
Yeah, that's what sure.

Speaker 1 (01:12:36):
So because that's the portion of the show man, we
gotta we gotta do rapid fire before we let you
get out of head. You guys, I know you guys
have five questions for We're gonna try to make it
as difficult as possible, but they typically not.

Speaker 2 (01:12:55):
They really be he yeah, yeah, they ain't. You stand
with me, You got.

Speaker 1 (01:13:05):
All right? So so we'll start off with with this.
When we'll warm you up, start bench or cut canvas Parker,
Lisa Leslie, Asia Wilson.

Speaker 4 (01:13:18):
Oh, start start Candas. Then Asia, Oh.

Speaker 1 (01:13:40):
She's gonna cut the legend.

Speaker 4 (01:13:43):
I'm telling you that's that's you got legends. But you
you got you got some legends along with that legend,
because I think can go down as one of the
greatest players that ever played the game of basketball. So
even though like she played, what Willisa Leslie? And I'm
sure she will give Lise Leslie her flowers and I
do too, I said, but but I watched I watched

(01:14:06):
Kandas up close, and Kandas is a different breeding same
with Asia. Like not people could can do what Asian
has been doing in the league over the last few years.

Speaker 1 (01:14:18):
Yeah, that's tough, Cuse that's true.

Speaker 3 (01:14:22):
Mine's minds is simple. Are you football any other sports?

Speaker 1 (01:14:30):
Uh?

Speaker 4 (01:14:30):
I watch it, but I'm not like a super frienio.

Speaker 2 (01:14:33):
You're not like other sports. Okay, Michael Jordan's or Lebron.

Speaker 4 (01:14:43):
Ah, But because Lebron, you know he wearried twenty three
and all of that because of cousin Jordan's. But but
what Lebron is done in this league over all these years,
it's it's hard to go against them. He would be
put on a run so crazy to the fact, bro

(01:15:05):
he has the most points in in NBA history, tz
still playing at a high clip and he's forty plus, Like,
come on, let's let's be real. Jordan is a legend,
don't get me wrong, but you will.

Speaker 2 (01:15:21):
With the man on your shirt, Jo.

Speaker 4 (01:15:26):
Have you used to did Jordan? Will Lebron has Duddy?

Speaker 2 (01:15:30):
Jordan didn't have to do a tea.

Speaker 3 (01:15:32):
He was chilling, shooting, playing golf, doing F one formula.

Speaker 4 (01:15:37):
What you're saying, but we're talking about something that will
never be done ever again, what six championship plan tell you?

Speaker 3 (01:15:45):
For many people, gam Michael Jordans was somewhere in the
south of France on his yach chile uh.

Speaker 4 (01:15:55):
Uform But if Jordan could Jordan's still be playing at
four he did so?

Speaker 2 (01:16:02):
She man, she was out the game.

Speaker 1 (01:16:04):
That wasn't Michael, That wasn't That wasn't Mike but what
is incredible?

Speaker 2 (01:16:14):
No no, no, no, no, no, no question.

Speaker 3 (01:16:17):
I'm I'm a Lebron fan, no question about it. But yeah, Mike,
go ahead, go ahead.

Speaker 2 (01:16:23):
Coach.

Speaker 1 (01:16:24):
Mike. Mike is the goat of uniforms and shoes. Salute too.

Speaker 2 (01:16:29):
That's what you go to.

Speaker 3 (01:16:31):
He could go and you and you're not gonna get
me in a little man, It's all good.

Speaker 1 (01:16:37):
He ain't take the bake t.

Speaker 4 (01:16:43):
All right.

Speaker 1 (01:16:43):
I got a I got another start bench cut one. Uh,
Caitlin Clark ju ju page backers.

Speaker 2 (01:16:53):
Mm hmm.

Speaker 4 (01:16:58):
That's a tough one. But right now I will have
to say Kaylen Clark, start, Kayling Clark. Page. I want
to say page, but I love juju. I'm gonna have
to bench juju and cut page.

Speaker 2 (01:17:17):
Mhmm.

Speaker 1 (01:17:19):
Okay, what you got because.

Speaker 2 (01:17:23):
Air force ones.

Speaker 4 (01:17:25):
Or dunks only airport ones I'm wearing is white white dunks,
I can kind of switch the style up, so I'm
gonna go with I'm gonna go with dunks.

Speaker 1 (01:17:41):
Okay, Gosha, name your top five w n b A
players of all.

Speaker 4 (01:17:50):
Time, Maya Moore, Canvas Parker d two.

Speaker 1 (01:18:05):
Uh, the.

Speaker 4 (01:18:11):
Chairl swoops who Okay? And and this is when people
even might think I'm crazy, but Simone Augustus, she was
a monster.

Speaker 3 (01:18:30):
I don't know why people think they they crazy.

Speaker 2 (01:18:34):
They don't know basketball. They don't know basketball for sure.

Speaker 1 (01:18:41):
Go ahead, Coat, all right, I got two more for you.
Best female Titan basketball player Tierra Ruffin Pratt or Kathy Grimes.

Speaker 2 (01:19:00):
Next question.

Speaker 4 (01:19:03):
I love Kathy ground I'm not going.

Speaker 1 (01:19:08):
I just wanted here stand on business letter, stand on business.

Speaker 2 (01:19:16):
That was tough.

Speaker 4 (01:19:18):
I broke the record. So when I think when I
broke the record, I think that solidified me as being
me and the best best female to come out of there.

Speaker 2 (01:19:27):
That's tough. I agree too, that's tough.

Speaker 1 (01:19:33):
Last one, uh and this is what we asked every
d m V legend that comes through, that's a hooper.
So if you could take ten other players besides yourself
from the d m V, I don't care who it is,
high school, college, pro whoever, street ball legends, whatever the

(01:19:53):
case may be, and take them with you to play
at LA Chicago, New York, whatever against the best competition.
And then in the world, who would those ten players
be that you will take with you to go go
to battle?

Speaker 4 (01:20:06):
Then you should you should have gave me this question.
Ahead of time, so I could think.

Speaker 1 (01:20:12):
That's why I gonna put you in that hot seat.

Speaker 4 (01:20:16):
You said some d m V legends.

Speaker 2 (01:20:21):
It don't matter, and it could be before you after
you went out.

Speaker 4 (01:20:26):
Yeah, I'm just trying to think because I'm gonna I'm
gonna just take a bunch of people from like from
my side, like like bogie.

Speaker 1 (01:20:39):
Uh off the my that's two uh.

Speaker 4 (01:20:51):
Jay Moore, little j Yeah. Who else would I take?

Speaker 2 (01:20:59):
Of course?

Speaker 4 (01:21:00):
Shoot?

Speaker 1 (01:21:00):
Cold? Oh Ship.

Speaker 4 (01:21:04):
Decided that I could think of off the top of
my head right like right now.

Speaker 2 (01:21:08):
You gotta be politically correct because he on here.

Speaker 4 (01:21:14):
Cold was cold. Like, I'm just thinking about all VA
guys for real? How many was that?

Speaker 1 (01:21:29):
That's full? I got?

Speaker 4 (01:21:32):
I got some more space outside of me. Uh. I'm
trying to go younger too. Lest think Glenn Andrews was
tough coming coming out of TC.

Speaker 1 (01:21:47):
Shut out Glenn, Uh who else?

Speaker 4 (01:21:56):
Who else? I'm thinking, I'm like blanking on a ladder
that ames right now.

Speaker 1 (01:22:03):
So you got five, give us five.

Speaker 4 (01:22:04):
More and it's a lot.

Speaker 2 (01:22:10):
You need some sub.

Speaker 4 (01:22:13):
I'm going over to the women's side.

Speaker 1 (01:22:16):
Mm hmmm.

Speaker 4 (01:22:17):
I'm gonna bring on the women's side. I'm gonna bring
uh Monica Wright. I'm gonna bring uh Ant the Kaiser.
I'm gonna bring Jazzmine Thomas. I'm this is literally all

(01:22:37):
Va people.

Speaker 2 (01:22:38):
Huh uh huh uh. That's cool.

Speaker 4 (01:22:42):
That's three you need for women. I'm gonna bring Oh
you know who is tough coming up? Dorina Dorina Campbell.

Speaker 1 (01:22:50):
Oh yeah, she went there U c l A and
something U c l A.

Speaker 4 (01:22:55):
She she always gave me a good run in high school.
And then my last one, trying to think of one
more uh young, like a younger somebody younger than me
that came up that was tough. It's a young kid
that that that played Ireton that's going to North Carolina.

(01:23:17):
Her name Nyla Brooks. I think that's her her name.
I'm gonna bring young kids with me. I'll put her
in in the mix.

Speaker 1 (01:23:27):
Okay, that is that? That that's the wild That's yeah,
that's definitely tough too. Well, look, we we at the
end of the show. T Is there any last words
that you would like to say to any any of
our viewers or listeners that may be watching this show.

(01:23:48):
Young kids may win a following your your footsteps to
being an elite athlete student athlete any words that you
would like to to leave them with.

Speaker 4 (01:24:02):
Yeah, for sure. I think the main thing is always
bet on yourself. If you're putting the work in and
you grinding and you're doing the right things, always bet
on yourself and never give up on on your dreams
and what you want to do in life. That's kind
of been my motto. If you if you could, you

(01:24:22):
can dream it, you could do it. So just always
always bet on you and you put in the work.
Everything had kind of comes to fruition.

Speaker 1 (01:24:32):
Yep, yes, sir well, Tim, we wanted to thank you
from the No Cast for Show podcast for joining the show.
It was definitely a pleasure and the honor you know
time coming. This was an awesome show. You're welcome to
come back anytime you family, even if it's just to

(01:24:52):
pop in and talk some ship.

Speaker 2 (01:24:57):
Lebron.

Speaker 4 (01:25:00):
Hey, oh tell your pops. You know your pops who
turned me into a three point shooter.

Speaker 1 (01:25:05):
You know, hey, I remember those days.

Speaker 4 (01:25:12):
At me and tears some days in the gym.

Speaker 2 (01:25:14):
Shout shout out to my uncle Carl. We we love you, We.

Speaker 1 (01:25:19):
Appreciate you, sir. Yes, sir well, thank you for you
as the listeners for rocking with us once again this week.
This was the No Cast Sports Show podcast with Tierra,
Ruff and Pratt. Continue to support us and tune in
each and every week. We're gonna keep bringing you that
heat like always respecting, honor, salute slut,