November 21, 2025 • 37 mins
Coach Gottlieb breaks down the good and bad from his Green Bay team’s tough OT road loss to Minnesota and previews their next matchup with Yale.
Then, he’s joined by his 29-year old Center Remel Bethea to discuss his unique path to DI basketball from growing up in Maryland, his experience serving in the Navy, and his love of NBA 2K, and decision to pursue basketball in his late 20’s.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Hey, what up. Welcome in from Paradise. This is All Ball.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
I'm Doug Gottlieb, and today's All Ball is going to
focus part one of Vermel Pathea and Ramel is a
young man who I think you've probably all heard about,
or read about, or wondered about. He's twenty nine years old.
He's a sophomore, and you'll hear his story before we
get to that. Just a quick update. We released the
(00:35):
All Ball, the last All Ball with Nico Medvet, head
coach of Minnesota, and then we played them to overtime.
Really proud of my group in that the things that
we have been emphasizing and things that we've needed to
get from them, we thought, by and large we got.
You know, I played my returners and I have four
(00:56):
returners and one who red shirted, actually two red shirted,
ones a walk on, but one was a walk on.
We gave a scholarship to in Kate Wilkins, and what
we think as everybody in college basketball to connectivity at
this time of year is just gigantic. We played the
most connecting guys, the guys who are the most physical.
We had to match the physicality of Minnesota, who look
(01:18):
they're they're not where they want to be just yet,
but they are extremely physical, very good rebounding team, and
we took them in overtime. We competed with them, got
to make three throws, got to get a couple more stops.
But we're also able to change defenses and maintain our
our aggressiveness.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Se Yeah, that's like the big.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Fear when my staff was like, hey, coach, we need
to put in the zone. Absolutely, I agree, but we
need to put in the zone that we can rebound
out of. We need to put in the zone that
we can come out of and still play high quality
man a man defense, and we need to put in
a zone that works for our personnel.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
I think that's a big thing.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
But I also want to share with you two quick
It goes one from the game. So coaching at Minnesota,
you're up kind of on that stage, right, and every
player who walks in there, and we've gotten this from
fans like wow, that makes me think somebody's going to
fall off the ledge.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
And you know the.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Point I've made is I've done this with houses, right,
Like when we bought a house in Oklahoma City, our
first home, I remember saying, well, this house has been
here since nineteen thirty seven, No tornado's knocked it down.
Seems like a pretty good place to buy. You use
that with the Minnesota. Hey, when you're playing at the barn,
that gim has been open for ninety seven years. If
(02:35):
they've maintained this elevated court and no one sued and won,
it means it's got to be safe enough for you.
Other anecdote I will I will share with you is
how something's going to be when it's very, very different.
And when you're coaching at Minnesota, the players and your
assistant coaches are actually below you, so you kind of
think you won't be able to hear them or have
(02:56):
a connection with them, as you do feel like it's
just you and ten players, kind of like the Final
Four right where you had the two coaches and the
ten players out there and nobody else.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
But because Minnesota.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Has the benches so close to the court, that guys
are up, you know, basically laying on the court, smacking
the table, smacking the wood, and they actually provide a
lot of.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
Energy for your team.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Additionally, the acoustics or such where I actually could hear
every one of my assistants and had to tell the
players to make sure that they said something say it
in unison, because otherwise you can hear every different little
individual voice. Last thing is this, And I do think
we're in this group of like two hundred schools where
(03:42):
you know, we're playing competition that technically is above us,
financially in many places is above us, and so we're
trying to compete, but we're also trying to figure.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
Out our team for conference playing.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
And you see a lot of kind of wonky results
where you know, I've obviously Scott Crosses a hell.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Of a coach. He's a tremendous coach, going back to
his days at Darlington.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
And you look at Troy beat in San Diego State
nearly beating USC and kind of what they're doing there,
and you end up, without knowing any of their players,
cheering for those guys because they, like you, are a
lower mid major.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
Collecting checks and just trying to collect wins.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
And we felt that even playing against Minnesota, how many
texts or tweets you get from people going like, hey,
we're out here cheering for you. We don't know you,
but everybody's cheering for the little guy we play Yale tonight.
James Jones is an unbelievable coach. Obviously, once he started
to build it, he knew. You know, it takes you
a while to figure out what you need how to
recruit at your program. But I'll share with you this story.
(04:43):
Sky Yettan, who's now at UC San Diego, is a
dear friend of mine. Of course, he's the defensive coordinator
going BA a couple of years ago at Princeton. So
I called him and I said, hey, man, what's your
advice on playing Yale?
Speaker 1 (04:54):
His advice was, don't.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
I love that?
Speaker 1 (04:59):
Don't They're awesome? Thousands amazing. We agree.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
The last thing is this. You know, you tell kids
they're all on their own journey. They're all on their
own path. And I want you to listen to Ramelbathea
because you know, when you're twenty nine and you decide
to play for me, so people are paying attention to you,
when if you're at any other school at our level,
(05:24):
no one's paying attention to box scores or how much
you're playing, on what you're doing. And I probably did
him a disservice starting him against Kansas. My thought was
that if I didn't start him, he might be deflated
by the idea of hey, I've tried all this, I've
tried for this long and I just, you know, you
(05:44):
want to see a little bit.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
Of payback for it, you know. And he didn't play well.
He was a little overwhelmed. He played against and he'll.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Talk about it Flory Padunga, who is a younger, slightly
more athletic, but a more experience as a basketball player
version of Ramel And I could tell just watching him
play and watching him on tape that there was times
that was in that game in which he got deflated
and defeated and didn't understand why things weren't easier. And
(06:14):
we had told him how hard it was going to be.
And I barely played against Minnesota. He played a little
bit against Saint Thomas. But I do think that as
the season comes back to kind of our level, we developed,
develop and right he'll still be a weapon for us.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
He just needs experience.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
And the hard part about gaining experience is we're trying
to compete to win. This is not that we want
to develop. You can't necessarily develop at that's this level
of games, if that makes any sense to you. But
I want you to listen to his story. He wanted
to come on the pot. We're gonna have all my
players on the pod this year. It's all part of
(06:51):
the player. But Ramel said, hey, you know everybody tells
my story. Nobody tells him right. So I said, well,
if you want to tell it right, you tell me
how you want to do it. He said, I want
to come on your podcast. But the part that I
knew but has been kind of reinstalled in my brain
is at the end of the day, they're just kids.
(07:14):
And I know you're saying he's twenty nine years old,
he's an adult, but if you listen to his life story,
he hasn't experienced any of this. It's a little bit
like you guys remember in Sin No Man. You've seen
in Sino Man, Where isn't it was? It was like
frozen because of uh, he's like frozen in time. He's
(07:38):
like a Neanderthal man who's frozen in time and everything
is new to him, like literally everything, or he's in
a like he was in a cocoon, or he's in
a colma and now, all of a sudden, because he's
twenty nine years old, our expectations of him are to
be this mature, ex military adult when he's just as
(08:01):
curious as any freshman.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
This is all as new to him as is any freshman,
and just like freshmen, it takes time. They're going to
have ups and downs.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
They're just gonna be the missing of home, the missing
of easier times, the missing of easier basketball, and the
questioning of what am I actually doing.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
I went through it.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
He played college basketball, played any college sport. Actually, even
as a college student. I think most people go through.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
Right, there's the initial you're away from home.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
It's fun, you know, no parents, no guidelines, Let's just
go out have a good time.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
In this case, you're playing basketball. Life is good.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
But then when it gets real to you, everybody gets
homesick on some level.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
So take a list through mel Story Part one and
tell what you think.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
In the meantime, check us out tonight today one thirty
Island time that we take on the Yale Bulldogs and
we'll see just how much we've grown up from a
really disappointing performance against Saint Thomas. But of course that
was mired by the loss of Donchell Hewlett, who was
trending towards being a starting caliber point guard. But we
(09:06):
showed up and played with great toughness and intensity against Minnesota.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
And Yale's probably a little bit better than Minnesota.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
They're a top one hundred, top seventy five team picked
to win the IVY League would be.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
A great challenge.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
So we're gonna drop one of these today and try
drop part two tomorrow as we'll recap the game and
look forward to whomever we play. But in the meantime,
here's Ramel bethea sophomore. He's a veteran at a lum
of Mira Costa Junior College in California, and he's our
sophomore center at Green Bad.
Speaker 4 (09:40):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at foxsports Radio
dot com and within the iHeartRadio app search FSR to
listen live.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
I haven't want to do this pod with you for
a long time, but it was more kind of you
volunteering it up right.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Don't want to force you to do it. Yeah, tell
a little nutter, shorty.
Speaker 5 (10:03):
So you grew up where I grew up in for Washington, Maryland.
That's a nice little area in Maryland right outside of DC.
Never quiet kid, I was shy playing video games. That
was like my liking coming up, but neighborhood kids, so
basketball was a thing that we did. You know, basketball,
(10:25):
backyard football?
Speaker 3 (10:27):
So I would you play backyard football?
Speaker 2 (10:29):
Did you play quarter because like there's all time quarterback
was a wide receiver.
Speaker 5 (10:34):
We would I would go like wide receiver a little bit.
I was catching the ball and falling to the ground
because I was always like real small, but I can catch,
so I want to get.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
So you were small as a kid. So wait, mom
and dad together in your homework?
Speaker 6 (10:50):
Yeah, both parents?
Speaker 3 (10:52):
What did what did your dad do for a living?
Speaker 5 (10:54):
My dad he drove trucks, so he was like a
truck driver at barber so he was he did like
the state line truck driving, so he would he'll be
gone a lot. But he also would like get us
involved and stuff like that. But he was always there.
My mom was like a receptionist, so she worked best
jobs and just a working family.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
Okay, so how big how tall is your mom? I
told your dad?
Speaker 6 (11:20):
My mom is five eight five nine and my dad
is six four.
Speaker 3 (11:24):
Okay she your dad's taller.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
But you were always a little growing up, right, Yeah,
gir also young too.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
Didn't you graduate in high school seventeen.
Speaker 6 (11:30):
So I graduate. Yeah, I graduated at seventeen.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Okay, okay, So did you play organized sports as a
little kid.
Speaker 5 (11:40):
So when I growing up, my dad like young we
played like I played like a year of football, two
years of football Boys and Girls Club, and then I
played a year of basketball boys and Girls Club, probably
around the age of like probably like eleven or twelve,
did that. After that, my dad he was big into boxing.
So growing up I used to be like a little
(12:00):
boxer for long.
Speaker 3 (12:01):
Whoa whoa, whoa whoa.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
We had no idea that. So somebody throws hands, we
should get behind me. You have the reach on dudes. Yeah,
and you would be in a super low weight class too.
Speaker 5 (12:13):
Yeah, And that's so okay. So that's why I actually stopped.
So I actually boxed for about like six years and
after certainly I want to say my sophomore year at
high school, I was like six two, but I'm like
one hundred and thirty pounds at six two, and then
it was like, no one's in my weight class, So
I started getting exhibition fights, wasn't going to my record,
(12:35):
So it was kind of getting to the point where
it was like I couldn't get any fights. So I
kind of after that it was just like I was
done with sports, like in general, like, but boxing was
the main one out of everything I did.
Speaker 6 (12:49):
So what high school is this from the high school
and for Washington, Maryland.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
So nobody was like, hey man, you played a little
bit growing up. You're kind of kind of tallish. I mean,
I know you may think you're a small in personal now,
but like small in high school. It's like, hey, bro,
you should play some hood.
Speaker 6 (13:03):
So actually we did. So I was in gym class
and stuff.
Speaker 5 (13:08):
I'm I always kind of been like athletic, so I'm
in the gym Duncan and like our basketball culture was
like our one of my teachers was like an English
teacher and he taught me. He was like, well, you
should try ol for the basketball team and stuff like that.
So it was during training camp I went and uh,
in school, I kind of had bad grades. So what
kind of messed me up was he called everyone that
(13:29):
had bad grades down during training camp for basketball to
get ready for tryouts to the football field and we
had a duck walk the whole football field and then
I couldn't do I was just like, nah, I'm not
doing this. And that kind of killed it. Like I
wish I would have stuck through it in person. But
I didn't come from like a sport family, like like
I said, my family worked and stuff like that, so
I didn't really have no one to push me. So
(13:51):
once he had us out there, it was actually barre
crawl in the football field.
Speaker 6 (13:55):
I never came back.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
And then that just it's funny because now you love
You're like you're like the first one. Okay, So so
you go through high school and what was the plan?
Like you're in high school, like I always want to
go to college. I want to go to work. There's
(14:17):
something you always want to do. Did you want to
get back into boxing?
Speaker 3 (14:20):
Like what was what was the plan?
Speaker 5 (14:22):
So at the high school, like I said, come forwar,
working family, I didn't care what I want to do.
I just didn't want to rush back into school. So
I didn't want to go to college. Like straight out
of high school, I wanted to work for some reason.
I wanted to have my own money, work and stuff
like that. So I graduated high school in twenty fourteen.
Everyone keeps thinkings twenty thirteen. I graduated in twenty fourteen,
(14:43):
and I moved out of my parents'.
Speaker 6 (14:45):
House to live with my auntie.
Speaker 5 (14:47):
And basically like at that time period, I was working,
like at the high school. I took like a two
a two year break and just working from little jobs
from like Target Harris.
Speaker 3 (15:01):
Hold on, hold what Target? What did you do?
Speaker 5 (15:03):
I was just we called it hard line, So I
was just filling shelves and stuff like that.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
Okay, how many days a week?
Speaker 5 (15:11):
Oh man, I was doing like I want to say,
just I was right under full time.
Speaker 6 (15:15):
So I was doing like thirty hours a week.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
What do you what did you make an hour?
Speaker 5 (15:19):
I think like nine seventy five At that time period,
like minimum wage everywhere was just nine dollars.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
So okay, so you're making nine an hour, you're working thirties.
What do you do with the rest of your time?
Speaker 6 (15:29):
Video games?
Speaker 3 (15:31):
What's your what's your gaming system of choice?
Speaker 5 (15:34):
Eights box? And I played at that time. I was
addicted to two K. Like my mom used to hate it.
Speaker 3 (15:40):
Every parent hates it.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
Okay, So, but you do know you look like one
of the created characters, right, yeah? Yeah, So did you
play with a guy who looked like you look or
did you play with a certain team or guy, like
what was your jam.
Speaker 5 (15:54):
I always went for like the skinny link linky tall dude.
Speaker 3 (15:58):
So yeah, like Kevin d that's your guy. Yeah, he's
the Maryland guy that I'll make.
Speaker 6 (16:03):
Yeah, so that's that's the kind of style.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
So, like, how good are you, like, like right.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Now when you playing the guys on the team in
two K? Do you just dominate?
Speaker 5 (16:13):
I think I'm like so at that. I was so
good at two K, but I haven't played it in
a long time. I switched over to Call of Duty now,
but I just feel like I made my name in
the two K world when I was playing two K.
I even think that like my delusion. So I don't
think these guys to mess with me.
Speaker 6 (16:29):
To this day. You know, I don't play it right now.
I think I can hop on and just beat all
of them.
Speaker 3 (16:32):
So were you ranked?
Speaker 6 (16:34):
I used to play like it's.
Speaker 5 (16:35):
A game old called like stage and stuff like that,
but I was so we don't It wasn't like ranking system.
It was if you were known in the community. So
I was pretty known in the in the two K
community at that time.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
So known two K community guy that comes with a
lot of perks, I'm sure. Yeah, Okay, So, so you're
stocking shelves at Target.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
What was the next job?
Speaker 6 (16:57):
I went to Dunkin Donuts?
Speaker 3 (16:59):
Would you do with duncan?
Speaker 6 (17:00):
Oh? My god, I was cooking.
Speaker 5 (17:01):
I was making wake up raps, making coffee at like
and I'm six' five just standing behind the.
Speaker 6 (17:07):
Counter LIKE i, said all these HEIGHTS i don't think
are tall at the.
Speaker 5 (17:10):
Time so like WHEN i say sixty three and six
'y five and stuff like, That i'm just Thinking i'm.
Speaker 6 (17:14):
Regular i'm normal.
Speaker 5 (17:15):
Height but people are coming up to me, Like, yo
do you play. Basketball i'm, like, No i'm, working you
know WHAT i mean. That it never was like basketball
was not like that's my dad played, basketball SO i
used to watch him play, basketball like at the at
the men's leagues and stuff like. That SO i kind
of always was like around, basketball BUT i just it
(17:35):
wasn't my. Thing but just working and playing video games
for like those two two and a half.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
Years that's a. Grinder you're grinding if you're making wake up.
Raps wakeup wraps are, bombed, dude really. Good you gotta
have the maple who? Bacon oh, man that's. Amazing that's
like the second greatest practice. Shot you have the greatest,
practice shoot is, forever, Right Nick Griddle griddle IS i
(18:00):
ain't gonna.
Speaker 3 (18:01):
Fine you can work a dunk you can Own Duncan.
Dnuts you'd Like, yeah mc girdles really. Good it's, really
really really. Good.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
Okay so so you're working At Duncan tina get.
Speaker 3 (18:10):
Dunkin then what it's.
Speaker 6 (18:11):
Called it's Called Harris.
Speaker 5 (18:12):
Theater it's like a it's like a you, know like
different areas have different main food, stores like grocery stores
and stuff like. That For virginia they have like place Called.
Harris it's like wholes. Food it's like Whole. Foods. OKAY
i was working there and that's actually WHERE i met
the recruiter.
Speaker 6 (18:33):
To like kind of like jump start my.
Speaker 3 (18:34):
Life, okay so what were you doing At Harris.
Speaker 6 (18:38):
Theater shelves same? Thing so is that? Overnight, NO i
was doing it during the day.
Speaker 5 (18:44):
Time so my main thing WAS i was working in,
produce so putting up, fruits vegetables and stuff like, that
making sure they, fresh rotating them, out and then just
helping out any in all the other. Departments, okay what
year is? This Twenty THIS i gotta be like. TWENTY
i want to say twenty, seventeen twenty.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
Eighteen, so, uh tell me about when the marine recruiter
first came.
Speaker 5 (19:10):
In, well, basically she was doing her job AND i
was doing my, job BUT.
Speaker 6 (19:15):
I thought she was on.
Speaker 5 (19:15):
Break so she's seeing me and not even like just
how my height and everything that. Didn't she's just trying
to just get someone to get. In so she got.
Me she basically got me in the doors of.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
Like hold, on hold, on, hold what were you'res? Like
skipping a whole bunch? Here first of, all answered the big,
question was she? Hot is that is that?
Speaker 6 (19:34):
Part? Yeah that's what that's that's that's.
Speaker 3 (19:36):
What did is, right that's very.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
Smart started a, conversation, right, Right so, so so what
what was your riz like at the?
Speaker 5 (19:45):
TIME i ain'd no. RISK i didn't at. ALL i
didn't have no. Risks LIKE i, SAID i was in
the house gamer skinny out of.
Speaker 3 (19:54):
It you, like, hey you want to come over and
play TWO? K.
Speaker 6 (19:56):
Yeah that's not how it.
Speaker 5 (19:57):
Worked that WAS i, mean she got a whole, career
she got a whole career that wasn't gonna.
Speaker 3 (20:02):
Work so and then she was in was she in full?
Speaker 6 (20:05):
Uniform she was in full? Uniform, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
Okay so you go over to kind of holler, her
and she starts, like, hey you ever thought about joining?
Speaker 3 (20:13):
Her how did the?
Speaker 6 (20:14):
Gown she, so, yeah she we.
Speaker 5 (20:17):
Were it might have been a conversation started with my
height at the, time six. Files she probably seen my
height and then probably asked me, that and then one
thing led to. ANOTHER i probably asked her about her,
job and she basically gave me like the rundown of
the military and basically starting starting a, career you know
WHAT i.
Speaker 3 (20:36):
Mean get her phone? Number that's the big. Question did
you get?
Speaker 5 (20:39):
HER i didn't get her phone, number but she kept it.
Professional she kept it extremely. Professional and, yeah.
Speaker 6 (20:45):
AND i caught the. Signs SO i called the. SIGNS
i was, like, okay.
Speaker 5 (20:48):
Cool but then in the midst of all the conversation
where she was saying did seem like it did seem, Like,
okay that might be a decent opportunity for me to
go out with her.
Speaker 3 (20:58):
Or to go and join the. Marine you want a marine?
Speaker 2 (21:02):
AGAIN i just want to make sure you're, like wait a.
Second she might be into, me like, now, now, Okay
so you go home and you're, like, HEY i cain't
THINK i might want to join The. Marines, yeah what are
your what your parents?
Speaker 6 (21:14):
Say they actually was, like, no you ain't joining the.
Speaker 5 (21:17):
Marine it's like because they thought The marines are like
the Bad i'm.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
Bad as you're like the nicest guy.
Speaker 5 (21:24):
Ever, yeah so they're, LIKE i like the military for,
YOU i mean just step In stone and stuff like,
that BUT i don't think you should do the. Marine
So i'm, Like i'm gonna just keep doing. Marine but
then one thing like to, another the marine, LADY i
had tattoos on my arms and she might have even
seen it when she was talking to, me BUT i
had tattoos on my lower, arm on both my lower.
Arms so ONCE i told her, that then she was, like,
(21:47):
yeah well we at that time they. Weren't they're probably
more lenient on it now BECAUSE i think the numbers
are also there accepting more, stuff but at that time
they were like that that was just a no. No
so she led me to the navys and they just
like it was times where like you go through the
process and they check up on, you make sure you're do.
Anythings but if you don't check up on, them they
(22:08):
kind of kind of forced themselves on, you like, yo
like what's going on so AND i think they get
like some type of not, compensation but like, yeah awards or.
Something so they were like. That it was times WHERE
i WAS i don't know IF i want to do,
it but they kept talking to me to it until
the point where it's Like i'm gonna do. It then
ONCE i finally got to do, It LIKE i, SAID
i was. SKINNY i was like at this, Time i'm
(22:29):
sixty five one hundred and like thirty five pounds When
i'm talking to, them and like people always think about
like overweight is a reason why people can't go to the.
MILITARY i was underweight AND i couldn't get in BECAUSE
i was too, tall too. SKINNY i had TO i
had to be minimums one hundred and fifty five pounds
for my. Height so that process of me joined the
(22:49):
military took extremely, Long like it was like a whole
year process of me trying to gain. Weight AND i
finally got to one hundred and fifty five on the,
DOT i went up.
Speaker 6 (22:59):
There and how old?
Speaker 3 (23:00):
Wait, wait, wait how old Are you're six? Six and
held the one hundred fifty.
Speaker 6 (23:03):
Fine at that, TIME i was two year, process SO
i was, Nineteen.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
No but you were out of that was two years
out of high.
Speaker 5 (23:11):
SCHOOL i was SO i didn't HIT i didn't hit six.
SET i joined the military at sixty. Six, ACTUALLY, ok
so what?
Speaker 3 (23:18):
Year what year is this?
Speaker 6 (23:21):
TWENTY i want to say twenty, sixteen twenty, seventeen.
Speaker 3 (23:25):
Twenty seventeen, meters twenty, nineteen you, joined you?
Speaker 4 (23:27):
Join?
Speaker 6 (23:27):
Yeah, yeah the process was a Long it was a long.
Process LIKE i.
Speaker 2 (23:30):
Said, also so four years after high, School so you're
twenty one years. Old, yeah you're six six and you're
one hundred and fifty.
Speaker 5 (23:37):
Pounds, yeah one hundred and fifty. Five yeah Minimum, wait
the minimum weight was one hundred and fifty five for sixty.
Speaker 3 (23:46):
Six is your pop super?
Speaker 6 (23:48):
Skinny? No actually he's like six four to two he
was like two thirty two.
Speaker 3 (23:53):
Forty your mom's super.
Speaker 5 (23:55):
Skinny she's like five nine one one, forty has four,
females so she's. NOT i, mean it's she's. Skinny but, yeah.
Speaker 3 (24:05):
What what's so is this has always? Been is? It
you don't like to? Eat you just eat? Junk what's
the what's the? Story?
Speaker 5 (24:11):
Uh it's crazy too Because i'm, like low key the
skinniest one in my family from the inner household to
like my, cousins like they're all, pretty like we're all,
slim But i'm like noticeably like. Skinny like my. BROTHER
i have a younger. Brother he's six seven six six six,
seven but he's like two.
Speaker 2 (24:28):
Thirty so you're you're slender up, top but you're built
your legs an.
Speaker 3 (24:33):
Ass you have no app, right that's really where you.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
Have like if you had a normal if you had my,
ass you would weigh two. Thirty, Right that's that's what
it comes down. To, yeah, okay so it takes two
years and finally it's. Time, yeah, okay what's that? Time
like when you're getting ready to go and leave your,
home leave all your jobs and go join the. Navy
(24:58):
what's what's what's those last couple of? Weeks, like, Man
so those last week it was.
Speaker 5 (25:02):
SAD i was kind of scared for the most part
because you just hear the word boot camp and you
just think, like, Oh i'm about to go through.
Speaker 6 (25:10):
Torture so the countdown dates was it was very. Race
it was kind of it was.
Speaker 5 (25:16):
SCARY i DIDN'T i didn't know where my life was
going to go because you know WHAT i, mean once
you join the, military they could take you away from your.
Family you could be across the world from your. Family
SO i didn't know WHERE i was gonna be. At
it was just like a lot of things running through my.
Mom BUT i was just, Like i'm gonna do.
Speaker 6 (25:31):
It so that's what.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
Happened, Okay so they send it To chicago outside Of, chicago.
Speaker 5 (25:36):
Yep outside Of chicago for boot. CAMP i was there
for eight weeks and then at.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
That, way hold on, Wait i'm like this all this
ship is interesting because we don't know anything about.
Speaker 3 (25:46):
It for, you it's your. Life for, me it's like
this is. Fascinated, Okay so how do you get From
maryland To? Chicago they you take a.
Speaker 6 (25:53):
Bush we flew. In they flew us To. Chicago we
flew In. Chicago.
Speaker 2 (25:58):
Okay so when you're, flying are you with guys that
are in your. Company they're gonna be in your in your, Bunk.
Speaker 6 (26:04):
They're going to be there with, you but they might
not be in your your just your. Squadron they might
be with you.
Speaker 2 (26:10):
Indivision this is gonna sound super, childish but you had.
To everybody makes a friend on something like, this like
your first like, friend my First navy. Friend who is
your first navy.
Speaker 5 (26:19):
Friend my First navy. Friend, yeah, maybe and boot camp
was this one. Dude he was from Actually. Baltimore his
name Was. Pew that's the Last, pew like. Pu, yeah
he's From, Baltimore So i'm from D c From. Baltimore
were not, alike but we you, know.
Speaker 6 (26:41):
Black. Dude but he likes skin, though so mm.
Speaker 3 (26:43):
Hmm so he's, soft you know what you're, saying did
you just go?
Speaker 5 (26:46):
White that's What he's a, hard light skin.
Speaker 6 (26:52):
Dude, actually he's like a feisty little pitbull light skin.
Speaker 3 (26:55):
Dude all, right well you're you're the nice, boxer so
who Is i'd be? Remembered, okay so. Tats you have
a lot of. Tats what was your first?
Speaker 5 (27:04):
Tat my first tat was my mom name on my
arm and it's like a small tattoo THAT i paid
probably the most for it because they ripped.
Speaker 6 (27:12):
Me THEY i was a.
Speaker 3 (27:13):
Rookie how much did it cost?
Speaker 6 (27:15):
You four hundred and fifty? Dollars? Wow for thirty minute
tattoo that had?
Speaker 3 (27:21):
Hurt? Yeah that?
Speaker 6 (27:23):
Hurt?
Speaker 3 (27:23):
Yeah and your mom was mad. It she was, like,
wait it's a tattoo of, Me So i'm not that.
Speaker 6 (27:28):
Mad, yeah, yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:29):
Yeah was that the thinking or was it did you
get did you?
Speaker 6 (27:32):
Meet that was me getting in the door BECAUSE i
KNEW i wanted?
Speaker 3 (27:35):
More was you that was your gateway? Drug?
Speaker 6 (27:37):
Yeah that WAS i. WAS i KNEW i was want
to get more on my, own BUT i had to
ease into it with.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
That, okay so uh and then when did it become
kind of your? Thing?
Speaker 6 (27:49):
Immediately LIKE i got?
Speaker 5 (27:50):
IT i was scared, obviously and then ONCE i did,
THAT i had half asleep BEFORE i joined the, military
and then ONCE i got in the, MILITARY i STARTED
i just started getting my.
Speaker 6 (27:59):
Hands and my legs on the side of my necks
how to have the Front BUT i like to sall,
right stuff like.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
That which one hurts the? Most what hurts the?
Speaker 5 (28:07):
Most wing on my legs because there ain't no meat
on the. Bones my legs hurt.
Speaker 3 (28:12):
Them not a meeting your neck, either your neck feels
like it would hurt.
Speaker 5 (28:15):
Too that was like the easiest. ONE i actually feel
asleep on my neck the front part.
Speaker 3 (28:20):
Really, yeah was there was there every thought of like
he is, THIS i might not like this at Fifty, yeah.
Speaker 5 (28:28):
Well, yeah it was, that but it was just Like
i'm gonna JUST i don't.
Speaker 6 (28:34):
KNOW i JUST i just keep getting.
Speaker 3 (28:36):
THEM i don't.
Speaker 5 (28:36):
KNOW i don't know what's those thoughts are, there BUT
i Don't i'm just living day by day AND i,
know Like i'm gonna be.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
Straight that's why you're. NOT i want to not spend
your money. Anymore tattoos save, money to save your money
when you save your. Money so, okay so what's? What
what's wo can't really? Like like everybody pictures full metal.
Jacket uh, right they, picture they, picture they picture metal. Bunks,
(29:03):
yeah picture drill, sergeant know your, names you, know dot,
schucker motherfucker everything?
Speaker 1 (29:09):
Right?
Speaker 6 (29:10):
Yeap and and yes or.
Speaker 3 (29:11):
No you're up early in.
Speaker 2 (29:12):
The morning running doing ship climbing ropes and. Ladders what's
it really?
Speaker 5 (29:17):
Like so it's like that five mornings every, morning five
am for it's eight, weeks so five am everywhere every.
Morning it's no naps throughout the. Day you go to
bed at ten o'clock at night every day for eight.
Weeks so you're on a schedule and just everything is
pretty planned out from day one to the last. Day
(29:41):
just imagine a day of like no breaks is literally it's.
Eating you're drill, drilling your marching your you're learning, history military,
History you're learning military, lingo how they talk like water
fowls are called like scuttle, butts just.
Speaker 6 (29:58):
Like learning the, Galley Like i'm calling it to the.
Galley to these, guys they're, like what is the galley
with the.
Speaker 5 (30:02):
Cafeteria So i'm just learning military, talk learning military. History
you're doing that from five am to ten, pm and that.
Speaker 2 (30:13):
Alone it's just it's just how many how many times
did you call your mom and SAY i want to come?
Speaker 3 (30:18):
Home oh my?
Speaker 5 (30:19):
God the first time you, Don't so you don't get
your first phone call WHEN i went until LIKE i,
THINK i want to, say like four three weeks, in
so you're there for three weeks without nothing like they
might they want to, that they'll go out their way
to mail you like. That but you don't talk to
your people for three weeks or. SOMETHING i want to,
say three or four, weeks you don't get that phone.
Call that first phone. CALL i went in the middle
(30:40):
of the, winter that first phone call we. Had we
had to march all the way to the phone call.
Place it was raining in Like Jane. February it was so,
cold it was. RAINING i just was over, it like over.
IT i hadn't talked to my, family So i'm about,
to but the emotions are building up to make that phone.
Speaker 6 (30:59):
Call WHEN i thought my, PEOPLE i.
Speaker 5 (31:02):
CRIED i was, LIKE i don't know IF i could
DO i DON'T i KNEW i could do, it but
at that, time we're just us marching all way in
the cold weather the.
Speaker 6 (31:09):
RAIN i was just, LIKE i don't know IF i
could do.
Speaker 5 (31:11):
It and they were just telling, me like they're proud of,
me and they HAVE i been getting their letters and
stuff like that and just encourage.
Speaker 1 (31:17):
It BUT i.
Speaker 6 (31:18):
CRIED i was real.
Speaker 3 (31:19):
Emotional they to get done with boot. Camp mm.
Speaker 6 (31:22):
Hmm then what? Happens BASICALLY i go to my school
to teach me my. JOB i learned my job in the.
Military but how did you.
Speaker 3 (31:30):
Know what your job was going to? Be like you
get a letter in the? Mail did they call you?
In like how does it all?
Speaker 5 (31:34):
Work so for The, navy you know before you go
to boot. Camp SO i knew what my job, was
but they tried to put me on a. Submarine SO
i changed my job actually my firstmarine. Exactly so my
first original orders WAS i supposed to do only four
years in the.
Speaker 6 (31:49):
Military and be a logistics specialist on a.
Speaker 5 (31:52):
Submarine and then in the middle of boot camp they
asked everyone for who was a submarine. Rate we're giving
you opportunity to tell as if you actually want to,
go AND i told them, no and why they asked.
Speaker 6 (32:05):
That that's exactly why they asked me that. Question that's
a good.
Speaker 3 (32:09):
QUESTION i don't. Know you don't know. THIS i love.
You oh you Said i'm too. TALL i just don't
feel claustrophobic or.
Speaker 6 (32:17):
Somebody that's exactly WHAT i. TOLD i feel.
Speaker 5 (32:19):
Claustrophobe become too, tall AND i don't think that's the
right thing for. Me they, didn't they didn't question.
Speaker 6 (32:24):
It they gave me a new. Job they only gave
me like three. Options SO i have a, desk.
Speaker 3 (32:30):
Du hure three.
Speaker 5 (32:32):
OPTIONS i was, like they all were in the same.
Category so a fireman in the, military which is A.
Speaker 6 (32:38):
Dc even.
Speaker 5 (32:40):
Machine is, made which is an, engineer and ALSO i
want to, say like AN O s or something like,
that which is operation. Specialist but it SEEMED i WISH
i want chose that, rate but it just seemed it.
Didn't it didn't sound appealing to. Me SO i chose
the engineer. Rate, okay machine is.
Speaker 3 (32:55):
Made so you're a.
Speaker 2 (32:57):
Mechanic, yeah, yeah, Yeah and the way you describe it
to me IS i Don't i'm not really. Mechanic and
just you tell me to turn and wren shall turn
the rent she tell.
Speaker 6 (33:05):
Me literally literally was taking.
Speaker 2 (33:08):
It.
Speaker 3 (33:08):
Okay so so you you get down and they teach
sending your. School where's?
Speaker 6 (33:13):
School uh so for.
Speaker 5 (33:15):
That engineering, mechanic the school is also In. Chicago SO
i stayed and usually they have different basis for your.
School Uh Cali Virginia mons was In. Chicago SO i
did boot camp In chicago AND i did my school In. Chicago,
okay so you.
Speaker 3 (33:30):
Go To chicago and what was your plan at the?
Time how long did you want to do this for?
Speaker 6 (33:35):
IT i wanted. IT i was saying. TWENTY i was,
Like i'm gonna just do it through twenty, years retire
from it through twenty.
Speaker 3 (33:44):
Years, Okay so what's Your how long is the training
of how to do, it how do?
Speaker 6 (33:51):
EVERYTHING i was there for it's like Three it's like
roughly like three, months But mons was like.
Speaker 3 (33:55):
Five and then what is like what's your day?
Speaker 2 (33:59):
Like is it's still to you, know eight in the
morning OR i mean five in the morning or what
time are you getting.
Speaker 5 (34:04):
Up so once you completely boot, camp you're technically like
like part of your in so it gets way more.
Easier now you're living like an actual like person but
kind of like a. Student so it gave like a college.
Environment so you're in, dorms but you have free, time
so you have your classes to certain days and stuff like.
That if you don't have, class then you're basically like
cleaning and stuff throughout the day UNTIL i, say like
(34:27):
two o'clock and then basically you're free for the rest
of the.
Speaker 6 (34:30):
Day so it basically turned into like a college on
campus type.
Speaker 3 (34:33):
Thing and none of this time you're playing.
Speaker 5 (34:35):
Basketball, nope not playing basketball at, all but are you
working at? What i'm not even working, Out i'm not doing.
Nothing i'm Not i'm playing a game the first that's
the first. Thing i've set up my game and my
roommate at the time he had a game, too so
we both playing a game beside each.
Speaker 3 (34:48):
Other so, wait, way so you're you have like a dorm,
room like like college dorm.
Speaker 6 (34:52):
Room, yeah and you're.
Speaker 3 (34:53):
Still in two k this. Time are you're in?
Speaker 6 (34:55):
College now you're in The Navy i'm still on hall
of TWO. K still on TWO k?
Speaker 3 (34:59):
Two CAN i? Sire? Yeah when did you make the
switch to call of?
Speaker 6 (35:02):
DUTY i want to say more.
Speaker 3 (35:07):
Recently you get out of the military and now you
want to be. Military.
Speaker 6 (35:11):
Yeah, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (35:14):
How good are you with a? Gun BECAUSE i know
within basic you do, guns.
Speaker 6 (35:17):
So they HAVE i was like a regular, marksman so
you get ribbons and stuff like. That SO i had a.
Speaker 5 (35:21):
Ribbon some people don't get, ribbons SO i take pride
in THAT i was in an expert and nothing does?
Speaker 3 (35:25):
Everybody does everybody get a ribbon or?
Speaker 2 (35:27):
Everyone so, okay give me give me a sense of
like how far away you can shoot something and and
and and and do well with?
Speaker 5 (35:36):
It in basketball, terms If i'm on one baseline the
other baseline for, SHOOT i THINK i feel like if
you're standing, still even if you if you're standing, Still
i'll definitely could.
Speaker 6 (35:46):
Hit you a couple of. Times, Okay so that's that's
a good that's a.
Speaker 3 (35:49):
Deming do you know how far it is? Baseline the
baseline is that ninety four?
Speaker 5 (35:54):
Feet?
Speaker 3 (35:54):
CORRECT i just like.
Speaker 2 (35:55):
That there you, go ninety four Fifty see we're we're
getting ground.
Speaker 3 (36:00):
There, Okay so when when do you go to your?
Job when three months then you go right to your.
Speaker 5 (36:06):
Job, yeah so they basically like after three months they
tell you like where you're, going so you don't know
where you're. Going SO i finally found out That i'm
going To, Norfolk, virginia which is only like three hours
away from.
Speaker 6 (36:16):
My, house like WHERE i grew up.
Speaker 3 (36:17):
At great were you? HAPPY i?
Speaker 1 (36:20):
Was?
Speaker 6 (36:20):
AH i really kind. OF i wanted to go To.
Cali why did you want to go To?
Speaker 3 (36:25):
Cali even? Then have you ever been at that?
Speaker 5 (36:27):
Point i've never been To, cali BUT i just KNEW
i wanted. To at this, POINT i did boot, Camp
i've been away from.
Speaker 3 (36:33):
FAMILY i.
Speaker 5 (36:34):
DIDN'T i got used to being away from, them SO i.
DIDN'T i just wanted to go for just to enjoy
The West. COAST i Never my first time on the
airplane was to go To. Chicago so at this, POINT
i just want To NOW i want to see the,
world SO i want to just travel at this.
Speaker 6 (36:49):
Point so.
Speaker 1 (36:54):
All, right that's it for part one.
Speaker 2 (36:58):
This interview With ramelbtha wish just. Luck thanks so much for.
Listening I'm Doug. Gottlieb this Is.
Speaker 3 (37:03):
Elbow yeh
Hey, what up. Welcome in from Paradise. This is All Ball.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
I'm Doug Gottlieb, and today's All Ball is going to
focus part one of Vermel Pathea and Ramel is a
young man who I think you've probably all heard about,
or read about, or wondered about. He's twenty nine years old.
He's a sophomore, and you'll hear his story before we
get to that. Just a quick update. We released the
(00:35):
All Ball, the last All Ball with Nico Medvet, head
coach of Minnesota, and then we played them to overtime.
Really proud of my group in that the things that
we have been emphasizing and things that we've needed to
get from them, we thought, by and large we got.
You know, I played my returners and I have four
(00:56):
returners and one who red shirted, actually two red shirted,
ones a walk on, but one was a walk on.
We gave a scholarship to in Kate Wilkins, and what
we think as everybody in college basketball to connectivity at
this time of year is just gigantic. We played the
most connecting guys, the guys who are the most physical.
We had to match the physicality of Minnesota, who look
(01:18):
they're they're not where they want to be just yet,
but they are extremely physical, very good rebounding team, and
we took them in overtime. We competed with them, got
to make three throws, got to get a couple more stops.
But we're also able to change defenses and maintain our
our aggressiveness.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Se Yeah, that's like the big.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Fear when my staff was like, hey, coach, we need
to put in the zone. Absolutely, I agree, but we
need to put in the zone that we can rebound
out of. We need to put in the zone that
we can come out of and still play high quality
man a man defense, and we need to put in
a zone that works for our personnel.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
I think that's a big thing.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
But I also want to share with you two quick
It goes one from the game. So coaching at Minnesota,
you're up kind of on that stage, right, and every
player who walks in there, and we've gotten this from
fans like wow, that makes me think somebody's going to
fall off the ledge.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
And you know the.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Point I've made is I've done this with houses, right,
Like when we bought a house in Oklahoma City, our
first home, I remember saying, well, this house has been
here since nineteen thirty seven, No tornado's knocked it down.
Seems like a pretty good place to buy. You use
that with the Minnesota. Hey, when you're playing at the barn,
that gim has been open for ninety seven years. If
(02:35):
they've maintained this elevated court and no one sued and won,
it means it's got to be safe enough for you.
Other anecdote I will I will share with you is
how something's going to be when it's very, very different.
And when you're coaching at Minnesota, the players and your
assistant coaches are actually below you, so you kind of
think you won't be able to hear them or have
(02:56):
a connection with them, as you do feel like it's
just you and ten players, kind of like the Final
Four right where you had the two coaches and the
ten players out there and nobody else.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
But because Minnesota.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Has the benches so close to the court, that guys
are up, you know, basically laying on the court, smacking
the table, smacking the wood, and they actually provide a
lot of.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
Energy for your team.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Additionally, the acoustics or such where I actually could hear
every one of my assistants and had to tell the
players to make sure that they said something say it
in unison, because otherwise you can hear every different little
individual voice. Last thing is this, And I do think
we're in this group of like two hundred schools where
(03:42):
you know, we're playing competition that technically is above us,
financially in many places is above us, and so we're
trying to compete, but we're also trying to figure.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
Out our team for conference playing.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
And you see a lot of kind of wonky results
where you know, I've obviously Scott Crosses a hell.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Of a coach. He's a tremendous coach, going back to
his days at Darlington.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
And you look at Troy beat in San Diego State
nearly beating USC and kind of what they're doing there,
and you end up, without knowing any of their players,
cheering for those guys because they, like you, are a
lower mid major.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
Collecting checks and just trying to collect wins.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
And we felt that even playing against Minnesota, how many
texts or tweets you get from people going like, hey,
we're out here cheering for you. We don't know you,
but everybody's cheering for the little guy we play Yale tonight.
James Jones is an unbelievable coach. Obviously, once he started
to build it, he knew. You know, it takes you
a while to figure out what you need how to
recruit at your program. But I'll share with you this story.
(04:43):
Sky Yettan, who's now at UC San Diego, is a
dear friend of mine. Of course, he's the defensive coordinator
going BA a couple of years ago at Princeton. So
I called him and I said, hey, man, what's your
advice on playing Yale?
Speaker 1 (04:54):
His advice was, don't.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
I love that?
Speaker 1 (04:59):
Don't They're awesome? Thousands amazing. We agree.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
The last thing is this. You know, you tell kids
they're all on their own journey. They're all on their
own path. And I want you to listen to Ramelbathea
because you know, when you're twenty nine and you decide
to play for me, so people are paying attention to you,
when if you're at any other school at our level,
(05:24):
no one's paying attention to box scores or how much
you're playing, on what you're doing. And I probably did
him a disservice starting him against Kansas. My thought was
that if I didn't start him, he might be deflated
by the idea of hey, I've tried all this, I've
tried for this long and I just, you know, you
(05:44):
want to see a little bit.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
Of payback for it, you know. And he didn't play well.
He was a little overwhelmed. He played against and he'll.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Talk about it Flory Padunga, who is a younger, slightly
more athletic, but a more experience as a basketball player
version of Ramel And I could tell just watching him
play and watching him on tape that there was times
that was in that game in which he got deflated
and defeated and didn't understand why things weren't easier. And
(06:14):
we had told him how hard it was going to be.
And I barely played against Minnesota. He played a little
bit against Saint Thomas. But I do think that as
the season comes back to kind of our level, we developed,
develop and right he'll still be a weapon for us.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
He just needs experience.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
And the hard part about gaining experience is we're trying
to compete to win. This is not that we want
to develop. You can't necessarily develop at that's this level
of games, if that makes any sense to you. But
I want you to listen to his story. He wanted
to come on the pot. We're gonna have all my
players on the pod this year. It's all part of
(06:51):
the player. But Ramel said, hey, you know everybody tells
my story. Nobody tells him right. So I said, well,
if you want to tell it right, you tell me
how you want to do it. He said, I want
to come on your podcast. But the part that I
knew but has been kind of reinstalled in my brain
is at the end of the day, they're just kids.
(07:14):
And I know you're saying he's twenty nine years old,
he's an adult, but if you listen to his life story,
he hasn't experienced any of this. It's a little bit
like you guys remember in Sin No Man. You've seen
in Sino Man, Where isn't it was? It was like
frozen because of uh, he's like frozen in time. He's
(07:38):
like a Neanderthal man who's frozen in time and everything
is new to him, like literally everything, or he's in
a like he was in a cocoon, or he's in
a colma and now, all of a sudden, because he's
twenty nine years old, our expectations of him are to
be this mature, ex military adult when he's just as
(08:01):
curious as any freshman.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
This is all as new to him as is any freshman,
and just like freshmen, it takes time. They're going to
have ups and downs.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
They're just gonna be the missing of home, the missing
of easier times, the missing of easier basketball, and the
questioning of what am I actually doing.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
I went through it.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
He played college basketball, played any college sport. Actually, even
as a college student. I think most people go through.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
Right, there's the initial you're away from home.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
It's fun, you know, no parents, no guidelines, Let's just
go out have a good time.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
In this case, you're playing basketball. Life is good.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
But then when it gets real to you, everybody gets
homesick on some level.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
So take a list through mel Story Part one and
tell what you think.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
In the meantime, check us out tonight today one thirty
Island time that we take on the Yale Bulldogs and
we'll see just how much we've grown up from a
really disappointing performance against Saint Thomas. But of course that
was mired by the loss of Donchell Hewlett, who was
trending towards being a starting caliber point guard. But we
(09:06):
showed up and played with great toughness and intensity against Minnesota.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
And Yale's probably a little bit better than Minnesota.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
They're a top one hundred, top seventy five team picked
to win the IVY League would be.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
A great challenge.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
So we're gonna drop one of these today and try
drop part two tomorrow as we'll recap the game and
look forward to whomever we play. But in the meantime,
here's Ramel bethea sophomore. He's a veteran at a lum
of Mira Costa Junior College in California, and he's our
sophomore center at Green Bad.
Speaker 4 (09:40):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at foxsports Radio
dot com and within the iHeartRadio app search FSR to
listen live.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
I haven't want to do this pod with you for
a long time, but it was more kind of you
volunteering it up right.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Don't want to force you to do it. Yeah, tell
a little nutter, shorty.
Speaker 5 (10:03):
So you grew up where I grew up in for Washington, Maryland.
That's a nice little area in Maryland right outside of DC.
Never quiet kid, I was shy playing video games. That
was like my liking coming up, but neighborhood kids, so
basketball was a thing that we did. You know, basketball,
(10:25):
backyard football?
Speaker 3 (10:27):
So I would you play backyard football?
Speaker 2 (10:29):
Did you play quarter because like there's all time quarterback
was a wide receiver.
Speaker 5 (10:34):
We would I would go like wide receiver a little bit.
I was catching the ball and falling to the ground
because I was always like real small, but I can catch,
so I want to get.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
So you were small as a kid. So wait, mom
and dad together in your homework?
Speaker 6 (10:50):
Yeah, both parents?
Speaker 3 (10:52):
What did what did your dad do for a living?
Speaker 5 (10:54):
My dad he drove trucks, so he was like a
truck driver at barber so he was he did like
the state line truck driving, so he would he'll be
gone a lot. But he also would like get us
involved and stuff like that. But he was always there.
My mom was like a receptionist, so she worked best
jobs and just a working family.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
Okay, so how big how tall is your mom? I
told your dad?
Speaker 6 (11:20):
My mom is five eight five nine and my dad
is six four.
Speaker 3 (11:24):
Okay she your dad's taller.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
But you were always a little growing up, right, Yeah,
gir also young too.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
Didn't you graduate in high school seventeen.
Speaker 6 (11:30):
So I graduate. Yeah, I graduated at seventeen.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Okay, okay, So did you play organized sports as a
little kid.
Speaker 5 (11:40):
So when I growing up, my dad like young we
played like I played like a year of football, two
years of football Boys and Girls Club, and then I
played a year of basketball boys and Girls Club, probably
around the age of like probably like eleven or twelve,
did that. After that, my dad he was big into boxing.
So growing up I used to be like a little
(12:00):
boxer for long.
Speaker 3 (12:01):
Whoa whoa, whoa whoa.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
We had no idea that. So somebody throws hands, we
should get behind me. You have the reach on dudes. Yeah,
and you would be in a super low weight class too.
Speaker 5 (12:13):
Yeah, And that's so okay. So that's why I actually stopped.
So I actually boxed for about like six years and
after certainly I want to say my sophomore year at
high school, I was like six two, but I'm like
one hundred and thirty pounds at six two, and then
it was like, no one's in my weight class, So
I started getting exhibition fights, wasn't going to my record,
(12:35):
So it was kind of getting to the point where
it was like I couldn't get any fights. So I
kind of after that it was just like I was
done with sports, like in general, like, but boxing was
the main one out of everything I did.
Speaker 6 (12:49):
So what high school is this from the high school
and for Washington, Maryland.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
So nobody was like, hey man, you played a little
bit growing up. You're kind of kind of tallish. I mean,
I know you may think you're a small in personal now,
but like small in high school. It's like, hey, bro,
you should play some hood.
Speaker 6 (13:03):
So actually we did. So I was in gym class
and stuff.
Speaker 5 (13:08):
I'm I always kind of been like athletic, so I'm
in the gym Duncan and like our basketball culture was
like our one of my teachers was like an English
teacher and he taught me. He was like, well, you
should try ol for the basketball team and stuff like that.
So it was during training camp I went and uh,
in school, I kind of had bad grades. So what
kind of messed me up was he called everyone that
(13:29):
had bad grades down during training camp for basketball to
get ready for tryouts to the football field and we
had a duck walk the whole football field and then
I couldn't do I was just like, nah, I'm not
doing this. And that kind of killed it. Like I
wish I would have stuck through it in person. But
I didn't come from like a sport family, like like
I said, my family worked and stuff like that, so
I didn't really have no one to push me. So
(13:51):
once he had us out there, it was actually barre
crawl in the football field.
Speaker 6 (13:55):
I never came back.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
And then that just it's funny because now you love
You're like you're like the first one. Okay, So so
you go through high school and what was the plan?
Like you're in high school, like I always want to
go to college. I want to go to work. There's
(14:17):
something you always want to do. Did you want to
get back into boxing?
Speaker 3 (14:20):
Like what was what was the plan?
Speaker 5 (14:22):
So at the high school, like I said, come forwar,
working family, I didn't care what I want to do.
I just didn't want to rush back into school. So
I didn't want to go to college. Like straight out
of high school, I wanted to work for some reason.
I wanted to have my own money, work and stuff
like that. So I graduated high school in twenty fourteen.
Everyone keeps thinkings twenty thirteen. I graduated in twenty fourteen,
(14:43):
and I moved out of my parents'.
Speaker 6 (14:45):
House to live with my auntie.
Speaker 5 (14:47):
And basically like at that time period, I was working,
like at the high school. I took like a two
a two year break and just working from little jobs
from like Target Harris.
Speaker 3 (15:01):
Hold on, hold what Target? What did you do?
Speaker 5 (15:03):
I was just we called it hard line, So I
was just filling shelves and stuff like that.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
Okay, how many days a week?
Speaker 5 (15:11):
Oh man, I was doing like I want to say,
just I was right under full time.
Speaker 6 (15:15):
So I was doing like thirty hours a week.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
What do you what did you make an hour?
Speaker 5 (15:19):
I think like nine seventy five At that time period,
like minimum wage everywhere was just nine dollars.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
So okay, so you're making nine an hour, you're working thirties.
What do you do with the rest of your time?
Speaker 6 (15:29):
Video games?
Speaker 3 (15:31):
What's your what's your gaming system of choice?
Speaker 5 (15:34):
Eights box? And I played at that time. I was
addicted to two K. Like my mom used to hate it.
Speaker 3 (15:40):
Every parent hates it.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
Okay, So, but you do know you look like one
of the created characters, right, yeah? Yeah, So did you
play with a guy who looked like you look or
did you play with a certain team or guy, like
what was your jam.
Speaker 5 (15:54):
I always went for like the skinny link linky tall dude.
Speaker 3 (15:58):
So yeah, like Kevin d that's your guy. Yeah, he's
the Maryland guy that I'll make.
Speaker 6 (16:03):
Yeah, so that's that's the kind of style.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
So, like, how good are you, like, like right.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Now when you playing the guys on the team in
two K? Do you just dominate?
Speaker 5 (16:13):
I think I'm like so at that. I was so
good at two K, but I haven't played it in
a long time. I switched over to Call of Duty now,
but I just feel like I made my name in
the two K world when I was playing two K.
I even think that like my delusion. So I don't
think these guys to mess with me.
Speaker 6 (16:29):
To this day. You know, I don't play it right now.
I think I can hop on and just beat all
of them.
Speaker 3 (16:32):
So were you ranked?
Speaker 6 (16:34):
I used to play like it's.
Speaker 5 (16:35):
A game old called like stage and stuff like that,
but I was so we don't It wasn't like ranking system.
It was if you were known in the community. So
I was pretty known in the in the two K
community at that time.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
So known two K community guy that comes with a
lot of perks, I'm sure. Yeah, Okay, So, so you're
stocking shelves at Target.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
What was the next job?
Speaker 6 (16:57):
I went to Dunkin Donuts?
Speaker 3 (16:59):
Would you do with duncan?
Speaker 6 (17:00):
Oh? My god, I was cooking.
Speaker 5 (17:01):
I was making wake up raps, making coffee at like
and I'm six' five just standing behind the.
Speaker 6 (17:07):
Counter LIKE i, said all these HEIGHTS i don't think
are tall at the.
Speaker 5 (17:10):
Time so like WHEN i say sixty three and six
'y five and stuff like, That i'm just Thinking i'm.
Speaker 6 (17:14):
Regular i'm normal.
Speaker 5 (17:15):
Height but people are coming up to me, Like, yo
do you play. Basketball i'm, like, No i'm, working you
know WHAT i mean. That it never was like basketball
was not like that's my dad played, basketball SO i
used to watch him play, basketball like at the at
the men's leagues and stuff like. That SO i kind
of always was like around, basketball BUT i just it
(17:35):
wasn't my. Thing but just working and playing video games
for like those two two and a half.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
Years that's a. Grinder you're grinding if you're making wake up.
Raps wakeup wraps are, bombed, dude really. Good you gotta
have the maple who? Bacon oh, man that's. Amazing that's
like the second greatest practice. Shot you have the greatest,
practice shoot is, forever, Right Nick Griddle griddle IS i
(18:00):
ain't gonna.
Speaker 3 (18:01):
Fine you can work a dunk you can Own Duncan.
Dnuts you'd Like, yeah mc girdles really. Good it's, really
really really. Good.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
Okay so so you're working At Duncan tina get.
Speaker 3 (18:10):
Dunkin then what it's.
Speaker 6 (18:11):
Called it's Called Harris.
Speaker 5 (18:12):
Theater it's like a it's like a you, know like
different areas have different main food, stores like grocery stores
and stuff like. That For virginia they have like place Called.
Harris it's like wholes. Food it's like Whole. Foods. OKAY
i was working there and that's actually WHERE i met
the recruiter.
Speaker 6 (18:33):
To like kind of like jump start my.
Speaker 3 (18:34):
Life, okay so what were you doing At Harris.
Speaker 6 (18:38):
Theater shelves same? Thing so is that? Overnight, NO i
was doing it during the day.
Speaker 5 (18:44):
Time so my main thing WAS i was working in,
produce so putting up, fruits vegetables and stuff like, that
making sure they, fresh rotating them, out and then just
helping out any in all the other. Departments, okay what
year is? This Twenty THIS i gotta be like. TWENTY
i want to say twenty, seventeen twenty.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
Eighteen, so, uh tell me about when the marine recruiter
first came.
Speaker 5 (19:10):
In, well, basically she was doing her job AND i
was doing my, job BUT.
Speaker 6 (19:15):
I thought she was on.
Speaker 5 (19:15):
Break so she's seeing me and not even like just
how my height and everything that. Didn't she's just trying
to just get someone to get. In so she got.
Me she basically got me in the doors of.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
Like hold, on hold, on, hold what were you'res? Like
skipping a whole bunch? Here first of, all answered the big,
question was she? Hot is that is that?
Speaker 6 (19:34):
Part? Yeah that's what that's that's that's.
Speaker 3 (19:36):
What did is, right that's very.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
Smart started a, conversation, right, Right so, so so what
what was your riz like at the?
Speaker 5 (19:45):
TIME i ain'd no. RISK i didn't at. ALL i
didn't have no. Risks LIKE i, SAID i was in
the house gamer skinny out of.
Speaker 3 (19:54):
It you, like, hey you want to come over and
play TWO? K.
Speaker 6 (19:56):
Yeah that's not how it.
Speaker 5 (19:57):
Worked that WAS i, mean she got a whole, career
she got a whole career that wasn't gonna.
Speaker 3 (20:02):
Work so and then she was in was she in full?
Speaker 6 (20:05):
Uniform she was in full? Uniform, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
Okay so you go over to kind of holler, her
and she starts, like, hey you ever thought about joining?
Speaker 3 (20:13):
Her how did the?
Speaker 6 (20:14):
Gown she, so, yeah she we.
Speaker 5 (20:17):
Were it might have been a conversation started with my
height at the, time six. Files she probably seen my
height and then probably asked me, that and then one
thing led to. ANOTHER i probably asked her about her,
job and she basically gave me like the rundown of
the military and basically starting starting a, career you know
WHAT i.
Speaker 3 (20:36):
Mean get her phone? Number that's the big. Question did
you get?
Speaker 5 (20:39):
HER i didn't get her phone, number but she kept it.
Professional she kept it extremely. Professional and, yeah.
Speaker 6 (20:45):
AND i caught the. Signs SO i called the. SIGNS
i was, like, okay.
Speaker 5 (20:48):
Cool but then in the midst of all the conversation
where she was saying did seem like it did seem, Like,
okay that might be a decent opportunity for me to
go out with her.
Speaker 3 (20:58):
Or to go and join the. Marine you want a marine?
Speaker 2 (21:02):
AGAIN i just want to make sure you're, like wait a.
Second she might be into, me like, now, now, Okay
so you go home and you're, like, HEY i cain't
THINK i might want to join The. Marines, yeah what are
your what your parents?
Speaker 6 (21:14):
Say they actually was, like, no you ain't joining the.
Speaker 5 (21:17):
Marine it's like because they thought The marines are like
the Bad i'm.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
Bad as you're like the nicest guy.
Speaker 5 (21:24):
Ever, yeah so they're, LIKE i like the military for,
YOU i mean just step In stone and stuff like,
that BUT i don't think you should do the. Marine
So i'm, Like i'm gonna just keep doing. Marine but
then one thing like to, another the marine, LADY i
had tattoos on my arms and she might have even
seen it when she was talking to, me BUT i
had tattoos on my lower, arm on both my lower.
Arms so ONCE i told her, that then she was, like,
(21:47):
yeah well we at that time they. Weren't they're probably
more lenient on it now BECAUSE i think the numbers
are also there accepting more, stuff but at that time
they were like that that was just a no. No
so she led me to the navys and they just
like it was times where like you go through the
process and they check up on, you make sure you're do.
Anythings but if you don't check up on, them they
(22:08):
kind of kind of forced themselves on, you like, yo
like what's going on so AND i think they get
like some type of not, compensation but like, yeah awards or.
Something so they were like. That it was times WHERE
i WAS i don't know IF i want to do,
it but they kept talking to me to it until
the point where it's Like i'm gonna do. It then
ONCE i finally got to do, It LIKE i, SAID
i was. SKINNY i was like at this, Time i'm
(22:29):
sixty five one hundred and like thirty five pounds When
i'm talking to, them and like people always think about
like overweight is a reason why people can't go to the.
MILITARY i was underweight AND i couldn't get in BECAUSE
i was too, tall too. SKINNY i had TO i
had to be minimums one hundred and fifty five pounds
for my. Height so that process of me joined the
(22:49):
military took extremely, Long like it was like a whole
year process of me trying to gain. Weight AND i
finally got to one hundred and fifty five on the,
DOT i went up.
Speaker 6 (22:59):
There and how old?
Speaker 3 (23:00):
Wait, wait, wait how old Are you're six? Six and
held the one hundred fifty.
Speaker 6 (23:03):
Fine at that, TIME i was two year, process SO
i was, Nineteen.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
No but you were out of that was two years
out of high.
Speaker 5 (23:11):
SCHOOL i was SO i didn't HIT i didn't hit six.
SET i joined the military at sixty. Six, ACTUALLY, ok
so what?
Speaker 3 (23:18):
Year what year is this?
Speaker 6 (23:21):
TWENTY i want to say twenty, sixteen twenty, seventeen.
Speaker 3 (23:25):
Twenty seventeen, meters twenty, nineteen you, joined you?
Speaker 4 (23:27):
Join?
Speaker 6 (23:27):
Yeah, yeah the process was a Long it was a long.
Process LIKE i.
Speaker 2 (23:30):
Said, also so four years after high, School so you're
twenty one years. Old, yeah you're six six and you're
one hundred and fifty.
Speaker 5 (23:37):
Pounds, yeah one hundred and fifty. Five yeah Minimum, wait
the minimum weight was one hundred and fifty five for sixty.
Speaker 3 (23:46):
Six is your pop super?
Speaker 6 (23:48):
Skinny? No actually he's like six four to two he
was like two thirty two.
Speaker 3 (23:53):
Forty your mom's super.
Speaker 5 (23:55):
Skinny she's like five nine one one, forty has four,
females so she's. NOT i, mean it's she's. Skinny but, yeah.
Speaker 3 (24:05):
What what's so is this has always? Been is? It
you don't like to? Eat you just eat? Junk what's
the what's the? Story?
Speaker 5 (24:11):
Uh it's crazy too Because i'm, like low key the
skinniest one in my family from the inner household to
like my, cousins like they're all, pretty like we're all,
slim But i'm like noticeably like. Skinny like my. BROTHER
i have a younger. Brother he's six seven six six six,
seven but he's like two.
Speaker 2 (24:28):
Thirty so you're you're slender up, top but you're built
your legs an.
Speaker 3 (24:33):
Ass you have no app, right that's really where you.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
Have like if you had a normal if you had my,
ass you would weigh two. Thirty, Right that's that's what
it comes down. To, yeah, okay so it takes two
years and finally it's. Time, yeah, okay what's that? Time
like when you're getting ready to go and leave your,
home leave all your jobs and go join the. Navy
(24:58):
what's what's what's those last couple of? Weeks, like, Man
so those last week it was.
Speaker 5 (25:02):
SAD i was kind of scared for the most part
because you just hear the word boot camp and you
just think, like, Oh i'm about to go through.
Speaker 6 (25:10):
Torture so the countdown dates was it was very. Race
it was kind of it was.
Speaker 5 (25:16):
SCARY i DIDN'T i didn't know where my life was
going to go because you know WHAT i, mean once
you join the, military they could take you away from your.
Family you could be across the world from your. Family
SO i didn't know WHERE i was gonna be. At
it was just like a lot of things running through my.
Mom BUT i was just, Like i'm gonna do.
Speaker 6 (25:31):
It so that's what.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
Happened, Okay so they send it To chicago outside Of, chicago.
Speaker 5 (25:36):
Yep outside Of chicago for boot. CAMP i was there
for eight weeks and then at.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
That, way hold on, Wait i'm like this all this
ship is interesting because we don't know anything about.
Speaker 3 (25:46):
It for, you it's your. Life for, me it's like
this is. Fascinated, Okay so how do you get From
maryland To? Chicago they you take a.
Speaker 6 (25:53):
Bush we flew. In they flew us To. Chicago we
flew In. Chicago.
Speaker 2 (25:58):
Okay so when you're, flying are you with guys that
are in your. Company they're gonna be in your in your, Bunk.
Speaker 6 (26:04):
They're going to be there with, you but they might
not be in your your just your. Squadron they might
be with you.
Speaker 2 (26:10):
Indivision this is gonna sound super, childish but you had.
To everybody makes a friend on something like, this like
your first like, friend my First navy. Friend who is
your first navy.
Speaker 5 (26:19):
Friend my First navy. Friend, yeah, maybe and boot camp
was this one. Dude he was from Actually. Baltimore his
name Was. Pew that's the Last, pew like. Pu, yeah
he's From, Baltimore So i'm from D c From. Baltimore
were not, alike but we you, know.
Speaker 6 (26:41):
Black. Dude but he likes skin, though so mm.
Speaker 3 (26:43):
Hmm so he's, soft you know what you're, saying did
you just go?
Speaker 5 (26:46):
White that's What he's a, hard light skin.
Speaker 6 (26:52):
Dude, actually he's like a feisty little pitbull light skin.
Speaker 3 (26:55):
Dude all, right well you're you're the nice, boxer so
who Is i'd be? Remembered, okay so. Tats you have
a lot of. Tats what was your first?
Speaker 5 (27:04):
Tat my first tat was my mom name on my
arm and it's like a small tattoo THAT i paid
probably the most for it because they ripped.
Speaker 6 (27:12):
Me THEY i was a.
Speaker 3 (27:13):
Rookie how much did it cost?
Speaker 6 (27:15):
You four hundred and fifty? Dollars? Wow for thirty minute
tattoo that had?
Speaker 3 (27:21):
Hurt? Yeah that?
Speaker 6 (27:23):
Hurt?
Speaker 3 (27:23):
Yeah and your mom was mad. It she was, like,
wait it's a tattoo of, Me So i'm not that.
Speaker 6 (27:28):
Mad, yeah, yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:29):
Yeah was that the thinking or was it did you
get did you?
Speaker 6 (27:32):
Meet that was me getting in the door BECAUSE i
KNEW i wanted?
Speaker 3 (27:35):
More was you that was your gateway? Drug?
Speaker 6 (27:37):
Yeah that WAS i. WAS i KNEW i was want
to get more on my, own BUT i had to
ease into it with.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
That, okay so uh and then when did it become
kind of your? Thing?
Speaker 6 (27:49):
Immediately LIKE i got?
Speaker 5 (27:50):
IT i was scared, obviously and then ONCE i did,
THAT i had half asleep BEFORE i joined the, military
and then ONCE i got in the, MILITARY i STARTED
i just started getting my.
Speaker 6 (27:59):
Hands and my legs on the side of my necks
how to have the Front BUT i like to sall,
right stuff like.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
That which one hurts the? Most what hurts the?
Speaker 5 (28:07):
Most wing on my legs because there ain't no meat
on the. Bones my legs hurt.
Speaker 3 (28:12):
Them not a meeting your neck, either your neck feels
like it would hurt.
Speaker 5 (28:15):
Too that was like the easiest. ONE i actually feel
asleep on my neck the front part.
Speaker 3 (28:20):
Really, yeah was there was there every thought of like
he is, THIS i might not like this at Fifty, yeah.
Speaker 5 (28:28):
Well, yeah it was, that but it was just Like
i'm gonna JUST i don't.
Speaker 6 (28:34):
KNOW i JUST i just keep getting.
Speaker 3 (28:36):
THEM i don't.
Speaker 5 (28:36):
KNOW i don't know what's those thoughts are, there BUT
i Don't i'm just living day by day AND i,
know Like i'm gonna be.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
Straight that's why you're. NOT i want to not spend
your money. Anymore tattoos save, money to save your money
when you save your. Money so, okay so what's? What
what's wo can't really? Like like everybody pictures full metal.
Jacket uh, right they, picture they, picture they picture metal. Bunks,
(29:03):
yeah picture drill, sergeant know your, names you, know dot,
schucker motherfucker everything?
Speaker 1 (29:09):
Right?
Speaker 6 (29:10):
Yeap and and yes or.
Speaker 3 (29:11):
No you're up early in.
Speaker 2 (29:12):
The morning running doing ship climbing ropes and. Ladders what's
it really?
Speaker 5 (29:17):
Like so it's like that five mornings every, morning five
am for it's eight, weeks so five am everywhere every.
Morning it's no naps throughout the. Day you go to
bed at ten o'clock at night every day for eight.
Weeks so you're on a schedule and just everything is
pretty planned out from day one to the last. Day
(29:41):
just imagine a day of like no breaks is literally it's.
Eating you're drill, drilling your marching your you're learning, history military,
History you're learning military, lingo how they talk like water
fowls are called like scuttle, butts just.
Speaker 6 (29:58):
Like learning the, Galley Like i'm calling it to the.
Galley to these, guys they're, like what is the galley
with the.
Speaker 5 (30:02):
Cafeteria So i'm just learning military, talk learning military. History
you're doing that from five am to ten, pm and that.
Speaker 2 (30:13):
Alone it's just it's just how many how many times
did you call your mom and SAY i want to come?
Speaker 3 (30:18):
Home oh my?
Speaker 5 (30:19):
God the first time you, Don't so you don't get
your first phone call WHEN i went until LIKE i,
THINK i want to, say like four three weeks, in
so you're there for three weeks without nothing like they
might they want to, that they'll go out their way
to mail you like. That but you don't talk to
your people for three weeks or. SOMETHING i want to,
say three or four, weeks you don't get that phone.
Call that first phone. CALL i went in the middle
(30:40):
of the, winter that first phone call we. Had we
had to march all the way to the phone call.
Place it was raining in Like Jane. February it was so,
cold it was. RAINING i just was over, it like over.
IT i hadn't talked to my, family So i'm about,
to but the emotions are building up to make that phone.
Speaker 6 (30:59):
Call WHEN i thought my, PEOPLE i.
Speaker 5 (31:02):
CRIED i was, LIKE i don't know IF i could
DO i DON'T i KNEW i could do, it but
at that, time we're just us marching all way in
the cold weather the.
Speaker 6 (31:09):
RAIN i was just, LIKE i don't know IF i
could do.
Speaker 5 (31:11):
It and they were just telling, me like they're proud of,
me and they HAVE i been getting their letters and
stuff like that and just encourage.
Speaker 1 (31:17):
It BUT i.
Speaker 6 (31:18):
CRIED i was real.
Speaker 3 (31:19):
Emotional they to get done with boot. Camp mm.
Speaker 6 (31:22):
Hmm then what? Happens BASICALLY i go to my school
to teach me my. JOB i learned my job in the.
Military but how did you.
Speaker 3 (31:30):
Know what your job was going to? Be like you
get a letter in the? Mail did they call you?
In like how does it all?
Speaker 5 (31:34):
Work so for The, navy you know before you go
to boot. Camp SO i knew what my job, was
but they tried to put me on a. Submarine SO
i changed my job actually my firstmarine. Exactly so my
first original orders WAS i supposed to do only four
years in the.
Speaker 6 (31:49):
Military and be a logistics specialist on a.
Speaker 5 (31:52):
Submarine and then in the middle of boot camp they
asked everyone for who was a submarine. Rate we're giving
you opportunity to tell as if you actually want to,
go AND i told them, no and why they asked.
Speaker 6 (32:05):
That that's exactly why they asked me that. Question that's
a good.
Speaker 3 (32:09):
QUESTION i don't. Know you don't know. THIS i love.
You oh you Said i'm too. TALL i just don't
feel claustrophobic or.
Speaker 6 (32:17):
Somebody that's exactly WHAT i. TOLD i feel.
Speaker 5 (32:19):
Claustrophobe become too, tall AND i don't think that's the
right thing for. Me they, didn't they didn't question.
Speaker 6 (32:24):
It they gave me a new. Job they only gave
me like three. Options SO i have a, desk.
Speaker 3 (32:30):
Du hure three.
Speaker 5 (32:32):
OPTIONS i was, like they all were in the same.
Category so a fireman in the, military which is A.
Speaker 6 (32:38):
Dc even.
Speaker 5 (32:40):
Machine is, made which is an, engineer and ALSO i
want to, say like AN O s or something like,
that which is operation. Specialist but it SEEMED i WISH
i want chose that, rate but it just seemed it.
Didn't it didn't sound appealing to. Me SO i chose
the engineer. Rate, okay machine is.
Speaker 3 (32:55):
Made so you're a.
Speaker 2 (32:57):
Mechanic, yeah, yeah, Yeah and the way you describe it
to me IS i Don't i'm not really. Mechanic and
just you tell me to turn and wren shall turn
the rent she tell.
Speaker 6 (33:05):
Me literally literally was taking.
Speaker 2 (33:08):
It.
Speaker 3 (33:08):
Okay so so you you get down and they teach
sending your. School where's?
Speaker 6 (33:13):
School uh so for.
Speaker 5 (33:15):
That engineering, mechanic the school is also In. Chicago SO
i stayed and usually they have different basis for your.
School Uh Cali Virginia mons was In. Chicago SO i
did boot camp In chicago AND i did my school In. Chicago,
okay so you.
Speaker 3 (33:30):
Go To chicago and what was your plan at the?
Time how long did you want to do this for?
Speaker 6 (33:35):
IT i wanted. IT i was saying. TWENTY i was,
Like i'm gonna just do it through twenty, years retire
from it through twenty.
Speaker 3 (33:44):
Years, Okay so what's Your how long is the training
of how to do, it how do?
Speaker 6 (33:51):
EVERYTHING i was there for it's like Three it's like
roughly like three, months But mons was like.
Speaker 3 (33:55):
Five and then what is like what's your day?
Speaker 2 (33:59):
Like is it's still to you, know eight in the
morning OR i mean five in the morning or what
time are you getting.
Speaker 5 (34:04):
Up so once you completely boot, camp you're technically like
like part of your in so it gets way more.
Easier now you're living like an actual like person but
kind of like a. Student so it gave like a college.
Environment so you're in, dorms but you have free, time
so you have your classes to certain days and stuff like.
That if you don't have, class then you're basically like
cleaning and stuff throughout the day UNTIL i, say like
(34:27):
two o'clock and then basically you're free for the rest
of the.
Speaker 6 (34:30):
Day so it basically turned into like a college on
campus type.
Speaker 3 (34:33):
Thing and none of this time you're playing.
Speaker 5 (34:35):
Basketball, nope not playing basketball at, all but are you
working at? What i'm not even working, Out i'm not doing.
Nothing i'm Not i'm playing a game the first that's
the first. Thing i've set up my game and my
roommate at the time he had a game, too so
we both playing a game beside each.
Speaker 3 (34:48):
Other so, wait, way so you're you have like a dorm,
room like like college dorm.
Speaker 6 (34:52):
Room, yeah and you're.
Speaker 3 (34:53):
Still in two k this. Time are you're in?
Speaker 6 (34:55):
College now you're in The Navy i'm still on hall
of TWO. K still on TWO k?
Speaker 3 (34:59):
Two CAN i? Sire? Yeah when did you make the
switch to call of?
Speaker 6 (35:02):
DUTY i want to say more.
Speaker 3 (35:07):
Recently you get out of the military and now you
want to be. Military.
Speaker 6 (35:11):
Yeah, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (35:14):
How good are you with a? Gun BECAUSE i know
within basic you do, guns.
Speaker 6 (35:17):
So they HAVE i was like a regular, marksman so
you get ribbons and stuff like. That SO i had a.
Speaker 5 (35:21):
Ribbon some people don't get, ribbons SO i take pride
in THAT i was in an expert and nothing does?
Speaker 3 (35:25):
Everybody does everybody get a ribbon or?
Speaker 2 (35:27):
Everyone so, okay give me give me a sense of
like how far away you can shoot something and and
and and and do well with?
Speaker 5 (35:36):
It in basketball, terms If i'm on one baseline the
other baseline for, SHOOT i THINK i feel like if
you're standing, still even if you if you're standing, Still
i'll definitely could.
Speaker 6 (35:46):
Hit you a couple of. Times, Okay so that's that's
a good that's a.
Speaker 3 (35:49):
Deming do you know how far it is? Baseline the
baseline is that ninety four?
Speaker 5 (35:54):
Feet?
Speaker 3 (35:54):
CORRECT i just like.
Speaker 2 (35:55):
That there you, go ninety four Fifty see we're we're
getting ground.
Speaker 3 (36:00):
There, Okay so when when do you go to your?
Job when three months then you go right to your.
Speaker 5 (36:06):
Job, yeah so they basically like after three months they
tell you like where you're, going so you don't know
where you're. Going SO i finally found out That i'm
going To, Norfolk, virginia which is only like three hours
away from.
Speaker 6 (36:16):
My, house like WHERE i grew up.
Speaker 3 (36:17):
At great were you? HAPPY i?
Speaker 1 (36:20):
Was?
Speaker 6 (36:20):
AH i really kind. OF i wanted to go To.
Cali why did you want to go To?
Speaker 3 (36:25):
Cali even? Then have you ever been at that?
Speaker 5 (36:27):
Point i've never been To, cali BUT i just KNEW
i wanted. To at this, POINT i did boot, Camp
i've been away from.
Speaker 3 (36:33):
FAMILY i.
Speaker 5 (36:34):
DIDN'T i got used to being away from, them SO i.
DIDN'T i just wanted to go for just to enjoy
The West. COAST i Never my first time on the
airplane was to go To. Chicago so at this, POINT
i just want To NOW i want to see the,
world SO i want to just travel at this.
Speaker 6 (36:49):
Point so.
Speaker 1 (36:54):
All, right that's it for part one.
Speaker 2 (36:58):
This interview With ramelbtha wish just. Luck thanks so much for.
Listening I'm Doug. Gottlieb this Is.
Speaker 3 (37:03):
Elbow yeh
Host
Doug Gottlieb
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