October 10, 2025 • 10 mins
The fifth year senior battling to overcome concussions and provide leadership for the Huskies
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Sub coach.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
Hello, you guys have your first exhibition on Monday.
Speaker 3 (00:06):
Is how are you feeling getting this team to actually,
you know, play as an actual opponent. Yeah, it's exciting.
It's early, so it's exciting to kind of be able
to get the team like together and have like a
real opponent. We don't usually get to play this early
and kind of see what all the things we need
to work on, So it's exciting.
Speaker 4 (00:25):
What's the biggest adjustment Carolina newcomers have to make when
they come to Yukon, even if they're transfers and they've
been around, because obviously the urgency here is a little
different probably than there's some of these places. So what's
the biggest adjustment.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
They have to be I think just the standard here
is so different than anywhere else. I mean obviously out
of high school, but especially any other school. You know,
people come here and like, I've never worked this hard.
I've never no not like you know, I've never had
this much expected of me. And so I think just
the expectation that every little thing matters. I don't think
(01:01):
anywhere else really pays attention to.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
That level of detail like we do.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
So I would say that just like the work ethic
and just paying attention to the little things.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
What are Sarah has handled that?
Speaker 3 (01:12):
Williams, I'm sorry, She's handled it really well. I think
when she came in you could tell that she was
like ready to get going and she wanted to help
our team. And you know, she was obviously not new
to college basketball, so she had experience, but she was
new to everything that was here, and she definitely was
able to balance that of like knowing that you know,
she had the confidence.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Of she had played at a high level, played.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
In the Big Ten, but still it was new for
her here, so just being able to learn and I
think she's.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Done really well.
Speaker 4 (01:41):
Where do you see Blacka's experienced the most and how
she plays, I mean she's played with older woman, more physicality.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Where do you see that in her game?
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Yeah, definitely the physicality to come in as a freshman
and be able to take hits like she has or
take bumps like the way that she has and just
like the next play. I think she doesn't let a
lot of times, you know, younger players come in or
freshmen come in and they let the little things kind
of keep them down or any little thing the coach
says or something like, you know, you can see it
(02:08):
faster at them. But she kind of has this good
sense of just letting things roll off her back.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
I don't know if.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
She's actually letting it roll off her back, but it
seems like she is, and she's able to, you know,
actually move on to the next play.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
Forget he said it left.
Speaker 5 (02:22):
Somebody said, you and Sarah and Blanker are calling yourself
the hybrid.
Speaker 6 (02:26):
What does that mean?
Speaker 1 (02:27):
What is that kind of practice group like for you guys?
Speaker 3 (02:31):
And that kind of started this summer because we a
lot of times, like we'll do guard workouts, but then well,
Sarah will mostly was mostly with the post and then
every once in a while she jumped down with the guards,
and I was mostly with the guards, and I would
jump down with the posts, and so then we kind
of started doing our workouts together. And then when Blanca
came in, she obviously joined that fold. So then we
(02:52):
started calling ourselves the hybrids with Jamel and it's it's
just fun to be able to have that type of
versatility and to be able to, you know, the three
of us can play on the outside, we can play
on the inside, and you can get a different look
no matter what. And it's fun to kind of have
our own little group because we're not guards the outpost.
Speaker 6 (03:10):
What's it like to balance all the things that you're balancing?
You're going to have more of a leadership role this year.
Someone called you a mom just now and just you know,
you're working to get your game back to where it was,
and how are you able to balance all of these
different things right now?
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Yeah, it's definitely a lot. I think.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
I take a lot of pride in the leader, my
leadership role and just being able to be someone that
they can all go to.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
And the mom thing.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
I definitely would not have expected that to have come
from me, because you know, when I was a freshman,
a na was a mom and was I would never
have thought that that would.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
Have been me.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
And then it kind of just evolved and now I
do take a lot of pride in it. And I
like to be the person that you know, if they
need anything, they can come to and my door is
always open.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
You know.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
My mom called me the other day and she's like,
I'm surprised no one else is in your bed. Like
all the kids are always just like jumping around or
they'll be like, sayha, to my mom. So I think
I like that just to have that, but you know,
it also is a good distraction for a lot of
the things that I'm you know, dealing with. So to
have that and then bounce that with, you know, coming back,
it's kind of a good mix.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Coach he constantly talks about you in a day to
day kind of qualifier. Do you feel like you're pushing
me envelope and getting a little beyond that where you're
streaming together a week or two weeks and feeling really good.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Yeah, I'm definitely feeling the best that I've felt. I
think that it's kind of hard to get too caught
up in that type of stuff or get too kind of,
you know, optimistic because of just how things have gone.
But I think for me, I've just kind of always
focused on keeping it day to day and just because
I just don't really know kind of with my condition
(04:51):
what day.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
To day really looks like.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
But this is the most that I've been involved since
probably I took the time off of my junior year.
So you know, I'm doing everything that did everything all summer,
I'm participating in everything right now. So I'm definitely making
a lot of progress.
Speaker 4 (05:08):
Do you feel like the rest might be coming off
your game a little bit after not playing for so long.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
Yeah, there's definitely that that, you know, it's it's an adjustment,
and you know, having been out even though I have
been here for now five years, I haven't been on
the court. So it's like now trying to get back
integrated into, you know, everything that they're doing. And you
know a lot of these people like I haven't really
played with even though I've been here with them, So
just trying to, you know, get back to myself. And
(05:34):
I feel like for the longest time, I was so
focused on just surviving when I was on the floor
and just like trying to prove that I could be
out there, And now I'm trying to focus on, you know,
getting back to my own self and getting back to
those old tendencies that I have.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
What's what's the emotion? Is it exciting to feel the
way you do right now? Is it emotional for you?
I mean, what what do you How do you feel?
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Yeah, it's exciting. But again I try.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
Not to get too high or too low because I
think sometimes that can that can't affect you know, how
I feel, because if I'm you know, Okay, I'm good,
I'm cleared, I'm cured, everything's fine, and then you know,
you have something happens, then it's you know, kind of
spirals downhill or if you know, something happens, I don't
want to stay there.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
I want to like know that I can you know,
move on from it.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
So it's definitely exciting, but I try to keep it
all level and just try not to get too high
too low.
Speaker 5 (06:26):
How has the leadership stuff evolved for you coming from
kind of leading from the bench to now being on
the floor and navigating that.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
Yeah, I think it started out because I wanted to
still have an impact when I was out and the
way that I could do that was you know, being
a voice and you know, reacting to things that I see.
So I think now being able to play, it's definitely
helped me to kind of still have an impact because
you know, obviously there are times where I'm not always
involved in stuff, so to be able to still have
(06:54):
that and then now when you're playing, you're way more
involved and you're way more you know, integrated in the
stuff that we do, So I think it really helps easier.
Speaker 4 (07:02):
The fifth years year, where have you seen her leadership
growth too.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
Yeah, we were just talking about this. It's crazy, you
know how far we've both come here. You know, we've
been through a lot of stuff together and separately, but
we've always helped each other get through it. And you know,
when we first came in, we were both really quiet,
and that's kind.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
Of her style of leadership is just all.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Like lead by example, and I think that everybody follows
her lead and everybody you know, looks to her. And
I think this year she's really been trying and making
a concerted effort to you know, use her voice because
I always tell her, like if you say something like
everybody will look. It doesn't matter what you say because
you have that voice and you have that presence. So
(07:44):
I think she's really grown in that sense. And you
know we have we're good with, you know, being able
to bounce off each other and you know, work together.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
What are your hopes to get out of the exhibition game,
either personally or as a team. What are you looking
forward to?
Speaker 3 (07:59):
I think just you know, getting on the floor and
playing another team. You know, we've been playing against each
other or the practice guys for it feels like so
long now, So just to have another opponent and be
able to see what we can work on and something
that you can't. You know, when we play against each other,
we play against the practice guys, you can pretty much
control it like you don't. It's not as you know,
sporadic as like a regular game.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
You don't know what they're gonna run. They don't know
we're gonna run. So it's kind of it's more exciting that.
Speaker 6 (08:23):
Way as a baller, getting on the court and getting
those minutes is sort of you forward, what's it going
to mean to you to get on the court and
experience those minutes again as a baller.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
Yeah, I just keep saying, you know, I just want
to be able to impact my team.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
And I think throughout.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
My recovery, I didn't know if I was going to
come back, so I've worked so hard to you know,
get to this point that I'm not exactly just cool
with saying where I'm at.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
So I think just being able to make.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
An impact any way I can, just like you said,
as a basketball player, as a competitor, there's nothing like
actually playing and actually contributing, especially after being hurt on the.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
Sideline and everything I went through. It's it's definitely exciting.
Speaker 5 (09:05):
I just talked about Sarah Strong getting more vocal this year.
Just what kind of difference have you seen in her
from freshman to sophomore year.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
Yeah, she's similar to Asy where her style is more
to sleep by example. But I think this year, and
we've definitely had conversations about it, and I've challenged her
to again, when you say something, everybody will look, and
she's kind of thought, well, you know, I'm still.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
An underclassman and whatever.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
But I'm like, but you're still so strong, Like you're
still like everybody's gonna look when you say something, everybody's
gonna listen. You like, earn that respect from everybody. You're
not just anybody saying something. So I think that she's
really taken that and been able to really lead her group.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
You mean you got pretty close while you guys were
both out.
Speaker 6 (09:43):
What's it like to see her get so excited.
Speaker 4 (09:45):
To play again and have that timeline be like, you know,
three days from now.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
Yeah. Yeah, I'm so excited for her.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
She's been through a lot, obviously in the last few years,
and having been so close, I've seen, you know, all
the ups and downs, so she's had to go through
and so for her to just even just get her
in practice consistently, I find myself just watching her and
like so excited that she gets to actually play, and
she's so athletic, she's so explosive, and you know, she
has such an impact when she's out there, So just
(10:12):
to get her to play in a real game and
wear the uniform again, it's, you know, it's the little
things that are really exciting else
Sub coach.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
Hello, you guys have your first exhibition on Monday.
Speaker 3 (00:06):
Is how are you feeling getting this team to actually,
you know, play as an actual opponent. Yeah, it's exciting.
It's early, so it's exciting to kind of be able
to get the team like together and have like a
real opponent. We don't usually get to play this early
and kind of see what all the things we need
to work on, So it's exciting.
Speaker 4 (00:25):
What's the biggest adjustment Carolina newcomers have to make when
they come to Yukon, even if they're transfers and they've
been around, because obviously the urgency here is a little
different probably than there's some of these places. So what's
the biggest adjustment.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
They have to be I think just the standard here
is so different than anywhere else. I mean obviously out
of high school, but especially any other school. You know,
people come here and like, I've never worked this hard.
I've never no not like you know, I've never had
this much expected of me. And so I think just
the expectation that every little thing matters. I don't think
(01:01):
anywhere else really pays attention to.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
That level of detail like we do.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
So I would say that just like the work ethic
and just paying attention to the little things.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
What are Sarah has handled that?
Speaker 3 (01:12):
Williams, I'm sorry, She's handled it really well. I think
when she came in you could tell that she was
like ready to get going and she wanted to help
our team. And you know, she was obviously not new
to college basketball, so she had experience, but she was
new to everything that was here, and she definitely was
able to balance that of like knowing that you know,
she had the confidence.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Of she had played at a high level, played.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
In the Big Ten, but still it was new for
her here, so just being able to learn and I
think she's.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Done really well.
Speaker 4 (01:41):
Where do you see Blacka's experienced the most and how
she plays, I mean she's played with older woman, more physicality.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Where do you see that in her game?
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Yeah, definitely the physicality to come in as a freshman
and be able to take hits like she has or
take bumps like the way that she has and just
like the next play. I think she doesn't let a
lot of times, you know, younger players come in or
freshmen come in and they let the little things kind
of keep them down or any little thing the coach
says or something like, you know, you can see it
(02:08):
faster at them. But she kind of has this good
sense of just letting things roll off her back.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
I don't know if.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
She's actually letting it roll off her back, but it
seems like she is, and she's able to, you know,
actually move on to the next play.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
Forget he said it left.
Speaker 5 (02:22):
Somebody said, you and Sarah and Blanker are calling yourself
the hybrid.
Speaker 6 (02:26):
What does that mean?
Speaker 1 (02:27):
What is that kind of practice group like for you guys?
Speaker 3 (02:31):
And that kind of started this summer because we a
lot of times, like we'll do guard workouts, but then well,
Sarah will mostly was mostly with the post and then
every once in a while she jumped down with the guards,
and I was mostly with the guards, and I would
jump down with the posts, and so then we kind
of started doing our workouts together. And then when Blanca
came in, she obviously joined that fold. So then we
(02:52):
started calling ourselves the hybrids with Jamel and it's it's
just fun to be able to have that type of
versatility and to be able to, you know, the three
of us can play on the outside, we can play
on the inside, and you can get a different look
no matter what. And it's fun to kind of have
our own little group because we're not guards the outpost.
Speaker 6 (03:10):
What's it like to balance all the things that you're balancing?
You're going to have more of a leadership role this year.
Someone called you a mom just now and just you know,
you're working to get your game back to where it was,
and how are you able to balance all of these
different things right now?
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Yeah, it's definitely a lot. I think.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
I take a lot of pride in the leader, my
leadership role and just being able to be someone that
they can all go to.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
And the mom thing.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
I definitely would not have expected that to have come
from me, because you know, when I was a freshman,
a na was a mom and was I would never
have thought that that would.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
Have been me.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
And then it kind of just evolved and now I
do take a lot of pride in it. And I
like to be the person that you know, if they
need anything, they can come to and my door is
always open.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
You know.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
My mom called me the other day and she's like,
I'm surprised no one else is in your bed. Like
all the kids are always just like jumping around or
they'll be like, sayha, to my mom. So I think
I like that just to have that, but you know,
it also is a good distraction for a lot of
the things that I'm you know, dealing with. So to
have that and then bounce that with, you know, coming back,
it's kind of a good mix.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Coach he constantly talks about you in a day to
day kind of qualifier. Do you feel like you're pushing
me envelope and getting a little beyond that where you're
streaming together a week or two weeks and feeling really good.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Yeah, I'm definitely feeling the best that I've felt. I
think that it's kind of hard to get too caught
up in that type of stuff or get too kind of,
you know, optimistic because of just how things have gone.
But I think for me, I've just kind of always
focused on keeping it day to day and just because
I just don't really know kind of with my condition
(04:51):
what day.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
To day really looks like.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
But this is the most that I've been involved since
probably I took the time off of my junior year.
So you know, I'm doing everything that did everything all summer,
I'm participating in everything right now. So I'm definitely making
a lot of progress.
Speaker 4 (05:08):
Do you feel like the rest might be coming off
your game a little bit after not playing for so long.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
Yeah, there's definitely that that, you know, it's it's an adjustment,
and you know, having been out even though I have
been here for now five years, I haven't been on
the court. So it's like now trying to get back
integrated into, you know, everything that they're doing. And you
know a lot of these people like I haven't really
played with even though I've been here with them, So
just trying to, you know, get back to myself. And
(05:34):
I feel like for the longest time, I was so
focused on just surviving when I was on the floor
and just like trying to prove that I could be
out there, And now I'm trying to focus on, you know,
getting back to my own self and getting back to
those old tendencies that I have.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
What's what's the emotion? Is it exciting to feel the
way you do right now? Is it emotional for you?
I mean, what what do you How do you feel?
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Yeah, it's exciting. But again I try.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
Not to get too high or too low because I
think sometimes that can that can't affect you know, how
I feel, because if I'm you know, Okay, I'm good,
I'm cleared, I'm cured, everything's fine, and then you know,
you have something happens, then it's you know, kind of
spirals downhill or if you know, something happens, I don't
want to stay there.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
I want to like know that I can you know,
move on from it.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
So it's definitely exciting, but I try to keep it
all level and just try not to get too high
too low.
Speaker 5 (06:26):
How has the leadership stuff evolved for you coming from
kind of leading from the bench to now being on
the floor and navigating that.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
Yeah, I think it started out because I wanted to
still have an impact when I was out and the
way that I could do that was you know, being
a voice and you know, reacting to things that I see.
So I think now being able to play, it's definitely
helped me to kind of still have an impact because
you know, obviously there are times where I'm not always
involved in stuff, so to be able to still have
(06:54):
that and then now when you're playing, you're way more
involved and you're way more you know, integrated in the
stuff that we do, So I think it really helps easier.
Speaker 4 (07:02):
The fifth years year, where have you seen her leadership
growth too.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
Yeah, we were just talking about this. It's crazy, you
know how far we've both come here. You know, we've
been through a lot of stuff together and separately, but
we've always helped each other get through it. And you know,
when we first came in, we were both really quiet,
and that's kind.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
Of her style of leadership is just all.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Like lead by example, and I think that everybody follows
her lead and everybody you know, looks to her. And
I think this year she's really been trying and making
a concerted effort to you know, use her voice because
I always tell her, like if you say something like
everybody will look. It doesn't matter what you say because
you have that voice and you have that presence. So
(07:44):
I think she's really grown in that sense. And you
know we have we're good with, you know, being able
to bounce off each other and you know, work together.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
What are your hopes to get out of the exhibition game,
either personally or as a team. What are you looking
forward to?
Speaker 3 (07:59):
I think just you know, getting on the floor and
playing another team. You know, we've been playing against each
other or the practice guys for it feels like so
long now, So just to have another opponent and be
able to see what we can work on and something
that you can't. You know, when we play against each other,
we play against the practice guys, you can pretty much
control it like you don't. It's not as you know,
sporadic as like a regular game.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
You don't know what they're gonna run. They don't know
we're gonna run. So it's kind of it's more exciting that.
Speaker 6 (08:23):
Way as a baller, getting on the court and getting
those minutes is sort of you forward, what's it going
to mean to you to get on the court and
experience those minutes again as a baller.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
Yeah, I just keep saying, you know, I just want
to be able to impact my team.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
And I think throughout.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
My recovery, I didn't know if I was going to
come back, so I've worked so hard to you know,
get to this point that I'm not exactly just cool
with saying where I'm at.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
So I think just being able to make.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
An impact any way I can, just like you said,
as a basketball player, as a competitor, there's nothing like
actually playing and actually contributing, especially after being hurt on the.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
Sideline and everything I went through. It's it's definitely exciting.
Speaker 5 (09:05):
I just talked about Sarah Strong getting more vocal this year.
Just what kind of difference have you seen in her
from freshman to sophomore year.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
Yeah, she's similar to Asy where her style is more
to sleep by example. But I think this year, and
we've definitely had conversations about it, and I've challenged her
to again, when you say something, everybody will look, and
she's kind of thought, well, you know, I'm still.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
An underclassman and whatever.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
But I'm like, but you're still so strong, Like you're
still like everybody's gonna look when you say something, everybody's
gonna listen. You like, earn that respect from everybody. You're
not just anybody saying something. So I think that she's
really taken that and been able to really lead her group.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
You mean you got pretty close while you guys were
both out.
Speaker 6 (09:43):
What's it like to see her get so excited.
Speaker 4 (09:45):
To play again and have that timeline be like, you know,
three days from now.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
Yeah. Yeah, I'm so excited for her.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
She's been through a lot, obviously in the last few years,
and having been so close, I've seen, you know, all
the ups and downs, so she's had to go through
and so for her to just even just get her
in practice consistently, I find myself just watching her and
like so excited that she gets to actually play, and
she's so athletic, she's so explosive, and you know, she
has such an impact when she's out there, So just
(10:12):
to get her to play in a real game and
wear the uniform again, it's, you know, it's the little
things that are really exciting else
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It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.
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