Building A Winning Culture- Samiya Steele Interview

You think you want to win a state championship and get to call yourself a division one athlete but are you willing to pay the cost?
I talked Samiya who won pretty much everything there was to win at the high school level but hit a major challenge when she got to college and had to figure things out

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Transcript

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SPEAKER_06 0:00

What does it mean to be successful? Like, really think about that. We say we want to be successful, but uh we don't actually sit down and picture what that really means to actually be successful. So I want you to think about it for a second and think what does it actually mean for you to be successful. We all think of, you know, in high school, we want to win state champion. We all want to be the state champion. It sounds good. And we want to get in a position to be able to have a scholarship, preferably D one, you know, but want to be able to say my college is paid for through me playing sports. And once you get that idea of what success actually is and what that looks like, what that means for you, next think about what it's going to cost you. What is the sacrifice along the way to actually get there? The early nights, I mean the early mornings, the late nights, missing on a couple events here and there with friends, missing on a couple events here and there with your family. Getting in shots on a day that you don't have practice. Coach says, Oh, we won't have practice today. Are you still gonna go train? Still gonna work out. Somebody have to drag it to the gym. These are all the things that take to be successful. And my next guest somebody has gone through this. She played her hairs green, won multiple state championships. She's been at the highest out of what a high school athlete wants to have. On the back side of being able to uh say she won or earned a scholarship at D1 school, she had to overcome a couple of obstacles after a certain point. She had to wonder if it's worth it to actually get these things that she thought was going to be success. So I'm gonna ask you again what does success mean to you? Hopefully, by the end of this interview, you'll be able to grasp and understand some of the costs that go into being successful and you really understand do you want to play that same cost? Does it mean the same thing to you to achieve what it means to be successful?

SPEAKER_02 1:52

So thank you guys for tuning in. Enjoy the episode.

SPEAKER_06 1:58

Yo, welcome in to the B Ball Jones Podcast. The goal of this podcast and my business is to bridge the gap, to fuel hoop dreams, and to impact realities on the court and beyond. Thank you for tuning in. Hope you enjoy. Yo, what's going on, everybody? Welcome into the episode of the B-Ball Jones Podcast. I am here with another special guest, another Hooper. And she has like a pretty impressive resume, guys. Like she she can talk her talk when it comes to this resume talk. She's up to help people. Um I'm not gonna get into that right now. Right now, I'm gonna introduce introduce you guys to Miss Steele. How are you doing, Miss Maya?

SPEAKER_01 2:36

I'm good. Thank you for asking.

SPEAKER_06 2:39

I'm glad you're here, man. I want you to uh start this episode off just getting us um aware of who we're in the presence of. Like run us through a little bit of your resume and your career, what you've done so far with your basketball life right now.

SPEAKER_05 2:58

Okay, um, I'm smile still. I've been playing basketball probably since I was like 12 or 13. So really not that long for real. I played at Hazel Green High School, it's in Huntsville, Alabama, Meridianville area. Um, I started all I started from my sophomore year all the way up to my senior year. Um sophomore year, I played with all four seniors, so I really didn't have to do that much. But when it got to junior year, um oh, we won the championship that year also. I won the state championship all four years at high school. Um when it got to my junior year, I started winning all-state and you know, all the little accolades or whatever. And then when I got to my senior year, I won Miss Alabama and Gatorade Player of Alabama. And then I got recruited. Um I didn't really have that many offers to be honest, when I first got to my senior year. And then when I committed to state, finally, colleges were calling, but at that time I had already committed and I was like, I'm gonna stick to what the the college that had been with me the whole time. So I committed there. And then I ended up I had I had a pretty good year there. I did get start 27 out of the 28 games, and I did pretty good. I also was playing with the four other seniors on the team also last year, and then um I transferred here to Jacksonville State, so that's where I am now.

SPEAKER_06 4:26

Hmm. I like how you just kind of like almost forgot that you won state every year and you kind of just like ran over that real fast.

SPEAKER_05 4:34

Like Yeah, sometimes I do be forgetting. Like, like a lot of my accolades and stuff though, I don't just like say it all the time. Like if someone asks me if I play basketball, unless they know that I've won stuff, I don't just tell them.

SPEAKER_06 4:48

Why not?

SPEAKER_05 4:50

Um, I think it's because people start to just ask a bunch of questions about it, and I really just I don't I guess I just like to I just like to stay humble about a lot of stuff that I do. So like, yeah, that's like a big it's a big deal to me at the same time, but at the same time it's like I still have more to do. Like it's it's what I did and I uh it paid off for all the work that I did put in high put in in high school, but like I like to think of what I'm doing now. So like I'll talk about it here and there, but it's I just don't just talk about it everywhere I go.

SPEAKER_06 5:21

I respect that. Um but this is like the wrong time to be humble because I'm gonna have you talk your stuff. So you're gonna have to you're gonna have to come out of that for like a good 60 minutes and just gotta be straight. It's let everybody know, like, yo, I am her. Like I've done all these things. Like, y'all gotta get on my level. Maybe not to that extreme, but you know, somewhere along those lines was just like letting people know who you are for real, for real. Um because a four-time state champ isn't anything to just gloss over. I'm not saying that from like an arrogance standpoint, but just from like how many people can say that? Like, how many people can say they made it to state, let alone to final four or that level, regionals or whatever? Like a lot of players can't say they did that in their four years, let alone be at that place and to win four times. So like I wish I could look that up. Like, how many players can say they've done that? And that's like probably historic on its own. Um when you think about it from that perspective, what does that mean to you?

SPEAKER_05 6:24

Um, when I think about it like that, it it does mean a lot, but but also I feel like all the work that we did put in at Hazel Green, like winning Four State Championship, that was the outcome you wanted. Like, if I didn't win like this championship, I feel like that whole season would have been like a waste of time for me. Because it was like that was our outcome. Like when we would win regionals and final fours, like it if you would have been at the games when we won it. You know how like other teams when they win though those like Final Four regional games, it's like still like a lot of them are crying or whatever. It's just like we go to the next thing because like that wasn't like what our big outcome was for us. So I think also like by my second time I got used to like okay, this is this is original in the final four, that's just a game.

SPEAKER_01 7:10

It's just a regular game. Like the big picture was the championship for us.

SPEAKER_05 7:16

But yeah, like being able to say that I didn't want win force championships is like I do love being able to say that because I know a lot of people didn't.

SPEAKER_06 7:28

So the culture at Hazel Green, I know it gotta be different because y'all like it's ridiculous what y'all doing up there.

SPEAKER_05 7:34

Yeah, um it it's so much different, and and I think that I didn't appreciate really appreciate it until I did get away from it and come to college and like experience, you know, all the different people that have came from different other high schools that didn't have the same culture as us. Like sometimes that gets really hard because it's like I have ingrained in me like how how it works and how it's supposed to be like, you know, to get to that place and how easy it is, and then other people are coming from different places where it's like they were by themselves and doing it by themselves. Like my as a team, our team like really knew their roles and took it on and we like cared for each other, like actually cared for each other all the time. So I feel like that family base, it really helped it. So like going to last year at Alabama State, it was so hard for me because as a freshman, I've been I have been playing starting as a point guard for Coach Miller three years out of my four years and playing with him my whole four years. So like as a freshman going to a new system with a new coach with new players that came from all everywhere, like that really mentally it was so hard because it was like, dang, like you can really see that culture and how tight your team is and everything, like that's that takes a big toll on you. So I really didn't appreciate it until I did get away from it. I'm like, I really wish I could go back and still play like how we played at Hazel Green. But it was a learning experience, and I'm glad that I still I'm glad that I understand like how how the culture how culture should be though, because it's like I can take that with me.

SPEAKER_06 9:05

Explain Hazel Green culture and what you um learn from your coach and everything up there.

SPEAKER_05 9:12

Um, well I would explain it, it's a family, like down to from the players to Coach Miller to the parents. They all it's everything's a family. Like the parents have to help just as much as we are, and they understand how much we have to be at practice, how much we were at practice, and they they they let Coach Miller do what he needed to do, and then we had to buy in. And I feel like that like goes with a lot. Like it once the parents look, you know, like they kind of just give us to Coach Miller. So at the same time, okay, our parents are understanding, so at the same time, we're just we're just have to buy in at the same time. And once you finally buy in and understand like what he's trying to do and how how he talks to you and like what he's really meaning, everyone like just gets on one accord, like it's one system, like everyone's on one system really ahead of me. And it's like you're just with your sisters, you know what they're gonna do, you know what you're gonna do, you you have their back through everything, even outside of the court. Like we hung out with each other outside of the court. I we didn't have any other friends for real. Well, we did, but we didn't talk to them or hang out with them. So it's like we're with each other all the time, and I feel like that's a big thing while playing on the court too. You have to have that bond for real, for outside of just not just on the court, but outside of the court. So, like when you do get on the court, I know she has my back. I know she's there for me, I know she's gonna do this, I know she knows how I know how to play and how what I'm gonna do in this situation. So I feel like the culture at Hazel Green it's just family, everything about it is family.

SPEAKER_02 10:46

So, okay. That's what Hazel Green had.

SPEAKER_06 10:51

When you got to state and it wasn't like that, how how were you able or what you what did you do to try to ingrain some of that at state?

SPEAKER_05 11:03

Okay, so when I first got to state, I can definitely say I was very quiet and I guess you could say timid, but I think it was more because I was looking at it as I'm 18 years old, what am I gonna do telling a 25-year-old what to do? Like how how it's supposed to be, and that really got to me. And and also I'm a point guard, so it's like I I'm supposed to be telling them what to do and how to do it, but like that, it got really hard for me at the same time. So, and then it got to the point where Coach Jackson would like tell me, Hey, you came from a winning system, you know how you're supposed to do, like you have to tell people, but I think that was the hardest thing for me, and it's still kind of hard for me now at the school I'm at now because it's like I'm new and I'm also still the youngest on the team. So it's like at some points, it's like I know I should be saying this or I could be saying this to help, but it's like at the same time, are they really gonna listen? Do people want to listen? And then so that gets really hard, and that's how it really was at stake because some some would listen, you know, and some really uh so I think at the same time you just have to you every when you get to like this level, not everybody is gonna be willing to listen. So I feel like it it takes pieces. So if you can get one person, then people will follow. So one person at a time, two people. So I think last year it was just the people that I knew I was gonna play with the most. I just had to really learn how they were gonna play. They had to learn how I was gonna play. And I tried to talk to them as much as I could outside, build that bond outside of just off the outside of the court so they knew who I was as a person. So it's like when I'm talking to you a certain way, you know, you know how I'm saying it and what I really meant by it and stuff like that. But it's hard, it's so much harder in college. Come it's just a bunch of different females coming from all over different places, and so everyone has their own experiences from high school, and so they come in with a different mindset, and so it's hard sometimes to get everybody to buy in, I feel like.

SPEAKER_06 13:09

Do you feel like you were kind of uh I don't want to say handicapped, that's probably like the best I could think of right now. Kind of handicapped with the way Hazel Green was as far as um the expectations you all had. So you you had a certain expectations, like it was championship or nothing else, and the system was kind of built up for you, and you guys kind of had a clear understanding from when you're to the next, to the next. Yes, you had plants to graduate and move, whatever, but you still understood, okay, this piece moves here, she's gonna do this now, and so you didn't have to do as much. Do you feel like that possibly handicapped you moving into college?

SPEAKER_05 13:46

Honestly, yeah, after when I first got to state, and I I think I had I had a conversation with my dad, and I was like, I really feel like since my since I was young, and I did start off with them older players, like I knew what I was supposed to do. And I I didn't have to like not that I didn't have to work and build my own way through all of it, but it was like I I had a role model in front of me to show me, okay, this is how you're supposed to do it, and this is what you're supposed to do. So as I got older, I was the role model in front of all of them. So like it was like I knew what I was supposed to do. They knew what they were supposed to do because I've been doing it for so long. So when I did get to college, I did feel like it was like starting all over again with, but this time with older people, but it's like at the same time, sometimes they didn't know what they were doing. So it was like now I'm really just kind of going on my own, how how I did stuff at Hazel Green, but not at the same time having to do stuff the way that uh like the coach in college is wanted, or how my pla how my teammates in college do things. So yeah, I feel like at first it was it was really big, like it was really big for me, and it was hard to transition, especially Hazel Green. I think I lost three games the whole time I've been at Hazel Green. So when we started losing in college, I was like, I I don't know how to take this. Like I don't like this isn't this isn't for me. I don't and so that like that took such a toll on me. I remember when when we were at I was at State SWAT, we were playing all these at you know, state plays all these big schools, like we played Texas, you uh Texas Tech, Mississippi State, Auburn, like all back to back. And we were just losing. And mind you, and now I haven't never, I don't I never lost, but we were losing by 30, 20. And I was like, I I don't know. I don't know how I don't know how to take it. I remember calling my mom one day, I was just crying. I was like, mom, I don't, I have never felt the way I felt feel right now losing. And I was like, I I and I I kept telling her, I was like, I wish I was back at Hazel Green. And she was like, it's just a learning process. And like now, when we lose, I'm like, okay, I know this is getting us better for you know the next when we play our conferences or our next game or whatever. But my freshman year, no, I I think I wanted to quit so fast. I was because you know at Hazel Green, even if we did win, we still we still were learning from what we did because we knew we could have done better. But it's like when I first started hitting all them L's, I was like, I've never like this is just so new to me. I just I didn't know how to comprehend or how to make my mind like wrap around it.

SPEAKER_06 16:26

I think that's it's funny, but it's not funny. Um because you hear of guys who had a similar experience and it's like uh they went to some program like a Gonzaga or a Villanova and similar experience where you might have lost like five games all season, and then you're a high pick, so you end up going to you know one of the worst teams in the league, and the next thing you know, it's a 10-game losing streak, and then you get a couple wins, and it's a five-game losing streak, and it's like, bro, we just lost many games in a row that I just lost in college altogether in my four years.

SPEAKER_01 16:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 17:00

Explain that feeling. Like, what how how did you feel to like have a losing streak that equaled the amount of loss that you had in four years? How did that feel though?

SPEAKER_05 17:12

I honestly the worst. Like I I like, and then I would go back to thinking I I understand how those teams felt every time they had to play us because I was like, I I hate this because you know, in high school, it's like whatever, they lost, it's they'll play again. But no, it's like I like I could not get used to that. I finally did get used to it. It's like, okay, I know we're gonna play again, we're gonna play again. But it's like since I had never lost before, just L after L after L. And then people, then people from home would text me, hey, y'all one, I I hated texting them, no, we lost. I hated sending that because I never have done that before. And then having to tell them scores, I was like, don't even ask me. I I was like, I I just can't. So at one point, every time, every time after the game, I'd just be like, it don't matter, it doesn't matter somewhere you're playing again, you're playing again, you're playing again, you're playing. I just had to keep reminding myself, you're gonna play again, you're gonna play. And then when you lose, it's like you only look at the negative things that happen in the game instead of we did do good in these parts. And it's like when you win, you can look at the positive more. But I feel like now though, since since I've played more in college, it's like, okay, we did lose, but we are getting better. Like it's progress. But last year, no, definitely. But I still don't like just losing game after game after game. I still don't like that. But I feel like I have gotten mentally stronger at okay, it's it's it's a loss, but you're just gonna live. Cause no. I feel like athletes don't just like taking an L is so hard because I feel like you just put in so much work to just go lose. And I think that was the thing. Like, I'm putting in all this work, and uh, we're going to lose by fifth, 40, 30.

SPEAKER_01 18:54

Like, no, no, I just couldn't do it.

SPEAKER_06 18:58

Yo, you got me when you say this what the other teams must feel like. That's funny, man.

SPEAKER_05 19:03

Yeah, I did. I thought about that. I caught I I think I talked to my teammate when she was still at Hazel Green, and I was like, I feel bad for them teams that we be beating like that because on the other side, like, no, then you don't want to tell nobody. I didn't even care how good the team we played was. Like when we played Texas, I know they're so good, but like I still did not even want to tell them the sort of that game. I was like, I don't even care how good they are.

SPEAKER_06 19:28

Yeah. I think that's um it's funny, but I can understand, and I think it's honestly a good thing. Um because you going back to the league, you have a lot of guys who, you know, like I said before, they come full of a villain over or whoever, and they're used to winning, then they get in a situation where it's it's not winning, this exact opposite. And for right now, you're still young. This is like, you know, a year and a half, I guess you can say, removed from hazel green. And so to be at this point now and still have the mindset is the most important thing because you can get in that new culture, that new environment, and it's like you that's kind of like your average now. That's like the hazel green expectations was here and your mindset is still here, but being down here in this culture with L after L can get your mindset back down. So, how did you like not let your mindset dip to where this is my new norm and expectations?

SPEAKER_05 20:28

Um, I think, okay, well, last year I got into a funk after we started losing, and I was like, you know what, this is this is just what it is. But then I remember talking to my mom, and she was like, uh, learning to lose is better because then when you win, you're gonna appreciate it more. And I was like, you know, that is so true. And I think I just had to learn to, okay, we're playing, we're playing so we're playing so much better competition, I guess, like I would say. So it's at the same time, I know, I know what it takes for us to win. So it's just every game, it's it was just that part of getting closer to okay, I know, I know what what it what it takes, and we're getting closer to the goal of what it takes, so I know we could do better. And every game last season, I could say we were getting we as a team, we were getting so much better, like movement, talking to each other, everything. So it was just little by little. And I think it's just having the patience to understand that it's a process and it's gonna come. Because at Hazel Green, you know, everybody there there was always older people ahead of you that knew what they were doing. So if only one or two people had to just come in and buy in, that's so much easier than 13 new people coming from different areas. So I had to just think about okay, if I'm not if I, me, and two other people came from like winning programs and they know how it takes, that's so much harder than only three people. Knowing it versus seven of us knowing it and only two people having to learn it. So I just had to tell myself like it is a process.

SPEAKER_06 22:10

Talk to me about the work that went in um at Hazel Green, because you mentioned it twice about the work that went behind the success and the culture that went into it. Describe the work to me that went into all that success.

SPEAKER_05 22:24

Um, well we practiced with Coach Miller, I I would say like sometimes four or three hours. I think if we got out under two hours, that was like amazing. It was like, oh, it was it's amazing. And and then we'd have to go in the mornings not with him. We'd have to have practices not with him. And and that kind of got to that was a regular for me. Like he he didn't have to really like say when when we needed to go in by ourselves. At some point, it just got to y'all we're going in, we're doing this. On the weekends, we'd be there, on our off days, we'd be there. So it was never really an opt at Hazel Green. It felt like a job for real. And so, like, um, if they could add the college rules to high school, that's what they need to do. Because Coach Miller would leak keep us in the gym all day for real if he could. But I think it it just got to also where where we'd work so much at the same time, though, Coach Miller wouldn't really have to yell as much. He wouldn't have to tell us, like, you know, all this stuff, because we knew what was expected at the same time. So it was like we were in the gym 24-7 with him or without him. It was just all day, every day. If you if you if you if a regular student walked past and they heard they knew it was us in the gym. The boys know it's us in the gym. They they go to practice, be out of practice, and we'd be practicing before them still be in practice. So it was just like we just stay all day, every day, stay an hour after practice because we gotta do some more stuff and we can't leave till we finish this, finish that. But I'd say it paid off. It definitely paid off. So that's why I said with you, we've if we didn't win the championship, I I told them la my senior year, if we didn't win, I would stay in my room the whole rest of school because that would have been just like a whole waste of time for real.

SPEAKER_01 24:15

It was just so much.

SPEAKER_06 24:24

Hey, hold on, hold on, time out, time out real quick. We're gonna get back to the episode. I know you're enjoying it, I know you're enjoying the show, but I need you to help me real quick and to make sure that this episode can grow, make sure this podcast show can grow overall, and you can keep getting great guests like this. Make sure that you subscribe and follow along. So if you watch right now on YouTube, help me out by hitting the subscribe button. Okay, go ahead and do it real quick. If you're listening in your car, chill out for a second. Um, if you're on Apple or on Spotify, just like when you get a moment, hit the follow button, but not right now while you're driving. If you're working out or something, or you're still in your room, then go ahead and subscribe with me. Like, help me help you. Okay. But thank you for watching. I really appreciate you. Uh, I'm gonna stop interrupting. Just give me to the episode. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 25:10

I'm gonna say that question before the end.

SPEAKER_06 25:12

Um yeah, because that's interesting. Talk to me about your leadership though, throughout this. Um, like you said before, sophomore year. You were starting with seniors and then you ran into that situation again at state. Talk to me about your leadership from freshman and sophomore year, beginning out with that, you know, after PG, you know, running the game. And how did you develop and grow and change to where you are right now?

SPEAKER_01 25:38

Um, like start from high school.

SPEAKER_06 25:42

Yeah, so when you were the freshman and sophomore high school, how did it you know develop?

SPEAKER_05 25:46

Freshman year, I I played both JV and varsity. So, you know, my freshman year, I didn't really have to say that much when I was on varsity because it was still like, okay, she's the baby of the team. But then when it got to my sophomore year, I was playing with four seniors, so I still didn't really have to say that much, but at the same time, I was still having to direct the team because I was a point guard. So I feel like they made that easier for me because they allowed me to talk and allowed me to tell them stuff. So by my junior year, the team was still older than me, my junior year, because all of them were still seniors when I was a junior. But I feel like that year is when I had to take over, so it's easier. But I feel like also in practice, Coach Miller will say stuff to you, but in practice, it's more of us talking to each other and us telling each other what's wrong. The most coach Miller would say to you is take off, run. If you mess up, go run, or most of that. But as like for him coaching in practice, it's us saying something. If somebody has an attitude, we have to say something to them. If somebody's doing this, we have to say something to them. And if we're not saying anything, that's when we get in trouble the most. So I feel like in practice and being able to hold your teammate accountable and practice and then listen to you, it it helped uh so much more when you got in the game. And and being able to talk and practice like that and someone be able to say something back to me, it was much easier because they trust me, I trust them. And I feel like it it just went hand in hand. So by senior year, it was easy. And I feel like everyone also respected. I I think I feel like I had that respect as a teammate and as a player for Coach Miller and as a teammate for my teammates that it was easy for them to just listen. And then when I got to my freshman year, it's like, okay, everybody has accolades, everybody has this, everybody has that. And um, it was a little hard in my freshman year of college because Coach Jackson would like always say everything that I had done. And so I feel like at the same time, like at the same time, I was like, ugh, I don't always want them just to think of me like that. I just want to be their teammate. And so I at first it was kind of hard, but I I feel like that with that team, by like the middle of the year, they also like as a as a person, they really respected me and they understood, and I and they also could say things to me at the same time. So by middle of the year, I I was able to step up more and save some say things more, but it still was hard for me because I am a people pleaser really bad, and I don't like confrontation and I don't like when my teammates are arguing, I don't like when they don't like me. So being in college, it was really hard because like that's all day, every single day. And so it's like I sometimes I was like, I can't, I can't say anything. And then here right now, I I would say I don't really be saying that much for real. Like I I still have my moments where I have my opinion and I'll I'll say it here and there, but it's not in like that way that it would be at Hazel Green, and I and I know that it should be like that, and I should like you know say some more stuff here and there, but at the same time, I told you that I'm like a people peacher. So if I say something and it seems like someone like didn't like that or had an attitude, I'll be like, okay, I'm not gonna say anything again. So it's really just that that part of me, like right now, still if if nobody's liking you because you're saying something, you just have to get over it because on the court, it's gonna be on the court. Outside of the court, it's gonna be like outside of the court. But again, that goes back to that family culture. Like at Hazel Green, it was that family culture, and we're sisters. And so I say something to you, and we get off the court, you're still not thinking about that. But when you get to like another level, and different people have been around different areas, and maybe at their school they didn't like each other, it's different. So it's like if I say something, I feel like sometimes people will take it off the court, and oh, they're still mad I said that to them on the court. But it's like I'm not thinking about it anymore. But I think it just goes back to that culture thing and how him like ingrained in us, like how it's supposed to be as a team, a family, and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_06 30:02

Describe your leadership style. Um, it sound it sounds a little unique, I can say, because you have the people please decide, but then you do have I think it's because the Hazel Green culture is in you that you have to speak up and say something. So describe your leadership style to me and like what what are you doing now to keep growing it and enhancing it?

SPEAKER_05 30:27

I would say I have a very one-on-one leadership style. Like, like I I feel like to me, I speak to people how they want to be spoken to. Like, yeah, if you don't like being like me forceful speaking to you, I won't. But if you need someone, hey, you're not doing good, hey, do this, do that. I can't do that at the same time. So it's like just however people take it is how how how I usually give it. And then um, I've and I'm not just like allowed, I'm gonna yell at you, I'm gonna cuss you out. I've never been like that. And for a while, like my junior year, that's what Coach Miller wanted. He can he'd bring me in the office and be like, why don't you ever cuss somebody out? No, no, I'm like, Coach Miller, I I don't do that, I'm not like that. But by the middle of the year, he like knew, and and it's really also like it's more of a hey, come on, like you can do it, you know how to do it. You we saw you do it in practice, but it can get to like a point where it's like like I do become like not that positive, soft, like you know, always nice and and can go to a different woman. That's kind of when I just start getting annoyed. But most of the time it's just like I just keep it simple, calm. Hey, you could do this, do that, or you should have done that, or you could have done. It it's more like I would say just calm. I I've never been just that type to just I boss because I don't really like that because I I just would how someone would speak to me and how I would respond is just I feel like how I kind of lead a team at the same time. But I also feel like it takes me a minute because I have to get comfortable like around the people that I'm talking to.

SPEAKER_06 32:03

Yeah. Yeah, I think leadership is very tricky. Um, a lot of people talk about it, but it's still very difficult to actually like apply it and know how to do it because you can say you need to do X, Y, and Z, but then you get in a situation you have to actually do it. Now it's kind of weird because you got different people you have to kind of bend to and like it's so weird. And yeah, I think it was Gary V he said this. He was like, people try to talk about people pleased like it's a bad thing. But it's actually a really good thing as a leader, of course, like he's talking about in a business sense, but I think it can fly in basketball too. That you want the people that's working for you or working with you and around you to be pleased. And as a leader, it's your job to make sure that they have a level of enjoyment throughout the journey, throughout the process. But at the same time, uh within basketball some of the best leaders have a jerk side to them too. So Jordan, uh Chris Paul, Kobe, like they're at your neck about a level, like a standard we're gonna hold ourselves to. And I'll we we can pat you back later, but we're not accepting A, B, and C. We're not gonna do A, B, and C. Um, and I think that's the weird blend that we all have to kind of figure out of the standard we're gonna hold and also making sure everybody's okay on the journey too. Yeah, I feel like it sounds like you're kind of in that space.

SPEAKER_05 33:40

Yeah, I feel like as leader, you really do need to be respected. And I feel like the people that you are having to like, you know, lead, tell what to do, they need to be able to say stuff to you also, and and they need to be able to everybody has to be on the same page. It's hard to lead, it's hard to be a leader when everybody's not on the same page because you could be saying something, but if they don't even if they are not even on the same track as you, it's not even applying to them, they're not even listening. So that's kind of that's kind of what it's been like in college. It's like my dad, he's always telling me like you, you know, you're a natural, you're a natural leader, it's just what it's always been. And and I and I've just been telling him like it's hard, but I I think it's I'm starting to realize it's hard because not everybody's on the same page. It was easy to lead a hazel green. Actually, it wasn't easy, but it was easier because everybody is on that same page, everybody knows what they are supposed to be doing. It's just you are helping people stay in track of you know, this is the line and this is what we're staying on.

SPEAKER_06 34:38

Yeah. So how can you apply that now and to make sure everybody's on the same page and going the right direction?

SPEAKER_05 34:47

Um, again, I I think it's I I think now it just takes one at a time. It takes people like, okay, I know that these three people trust me enough to listen. These people these three people can also say something to me. They we have that relationship enough to, okay, it if I can get one at a time, you know, more people will start coming, more people will start doing this. And I I just feel like it takes time and it takes energy, it takes a lot, and um, so I think that's the big thing. And and I think last year and this year, it half of me is like I I know what I'm supposed to be doing, and I need to do it to like, you know, help people do this. But the other half of me is like I don't want to go back to having to lead all of them people because in Hazel Green, I it it just like what I was the person. I I had to do everything. I had to make sure everything was okay. And that was so stressful. Like it was days I just go home and cry because it was like everybody, everybody's emotions and how they're feeling are stuck on me too, because I'm the only person asking, Hey, are you okay? Hey, why are you doing this? Hey, it's this and this and this. And then it also got to the point where Coach Miller would lean on me to do all of that stuff. I'm the first person he calls, hey, why are they acting like this? Hey, why didn't they do in practice good in practice? It even got to like school, to their household, like all of that. And so I I feel like Hazel Green has also like kind of changed the way that I feel when I got to college because it was like, I I don't want to do that again. Like I don't want to have to go through all of that again. And so when I was at stake and and I was going through that little patch of losing, and I wasn't used to that, and I wasn't used to people not liking me, and I wasn't used, well, I I know people didn't like me, Hazel Green, but I I wasn't used to like my teammates not like you know being there for me 24-7, and I wasn't used to okay, um I need to check on these people, but also at the same time I'm struggling, so it was like I I just didn't want to go through all of that again. So hazel green also like added stress to me at in ways that I didn't realize, like because now I will look at things completely different, or I will already be stressing about something on the court or outside of the court with my teammates because I I knew how it was at Hazel Green, and all that pressure that was on me at Hazel Green, like still like to this day is always with me and it's always like causing extra stress. And at state, like I feel like that was a big cause too, because I was still here like Coach Miller in my head do it saying, like, you should need to do this, you need to help this person, you need to help this, you need to help this. And I'm still I was still trying to worry about myself too as a freshman, and I'm in college in a new environment. I'm still trying to have to handle basketball too. And at the same time, Coach Jackson was still putting that that title of somebody, you're leading the team, you need to help lead the team. And I'm like, I'm just I was like, I'm just 18. So it got really hard, and I did like get into I got so depressed, like I would not come out of my room. I I um started having bad anxiety. I I would have anxiety attacks like 24-7. If I had to go to practice, if I woke up and I had to go to practice, I would have an anxiety attack. If I had to be on the court, I I would have an anxiety attack. It just got really bad because I think in the back of my head, I was still thinking of everything from Hazel Green and having to put everything that I learned to what I'm learning now, and it was just really hard.

SPEAKER_02 38:15

That is a lot.

SPEAKER_06 38:16

Um can I give you like a like a something to think about?

unknown 38:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 38:22

You know, kind of moving forward. How much do you know about Kobe? Uh yeah, like I'm a big Kobe guy, so how much do you like?

SPEAKER_02 38:28

Probably not as much as you if you all right, so um there's a tale of two Kobe's.

SPEAKER_06 38:36

There's two different Kobe's in his career. I know it's I know it's eight and twenty-four Kobe, but um eight Kobe was a little bit more arrogant, a little bit more driven of self. Nothing wrong with that. But he was in a position where he could do that. After Shaq left, he was in a position where I'm gonna get here and I don't care if you guys come with me, but I'm gonna get here, and it's gonna be done one way or another. And I'm kind of I follow in the line with that. I'm not a best leader because I do subscribe to like oh the goal has to get done, the job has to be done, and whether you're with me or not doesn't bother me because this thing has to get done. So, like when it comes to the podcast, if you don't want to record, cool. I'll figure something, I'm figuring something out to get the job done. When it comes to basketball, I need to win this game. So whether it's cussing you out, patting you on the back, uh, kissing your knee, kissing your boo-boos, all right, whatever, but we're gonna get this job done. If you don't want to sacrifice and put in the work, I don't care. I'm gonna put in extra shots regardless, with or without you. And over time he adapted to say, well, this hasn't been working, it's pretty tough. It's a lot on me to do. So let me trust Derek Fisher, let me trust Lamar Ola, let me trust Pal Gasol and start to open up a little bit more and tweak my leadership style. And then from there he started to soften up some and readjust how he led. And um I know you said you're uncult uncomfortable with conflict and and having those conversations. But I want you to take that first half of Kobe and say the job has to get done. I don't want to lose. So if that means me having this conversation to get the job done, then so be it. Because the hazel green winning held a level of standard, and you have to hold yourself to that standard now of saying if I want to win, this is what I have to do now. And that means you adapt and adjust to like, okay, if that means I walk to get to the finish line, would I get on a bike to ride the finish line? Doesn't matter. I need to get to the finish line. And so um just like a little two cents on that, man. I'm not saying because I'm not perfect with either. I struggle with conflict because I'm I'm introverted, I don't really like start trouble. I'm same as you have a people pleaser thing to me, and I'll work alone ten times out of ten if I can, but I understand the bigger picture of a win for the team is a win for me too. And so uh just my little two cents on that, man, is just like adapt to where the end goal is the end goal. Uh once we get up on a line on that end goal being here, how we get there as long as we held to this standard, it doesn't matter how we get there at this point. So we're not gonna sink below this standard of what we do and who we are, but how we get there might change. You know, some games you win by defense or you win it by this player scoring. And like for you individually, you might score versus assist or play defense or whatever. As long as you win, you don't care. Like it's dub. Like, hey, you feel me? Like, we just won. It doesn't matter. So same thing with leadership, I challenge you to like think about it like that too. So find that find that space of this is the end goal, whether it's patting you on the back or having that tough conversation one-on-one, get that out there because you want to win more than you want to like be in that comfort zone of I don't want to speak up or I don't want to do this or I don't want to do that. Um just like my little two cents on that, man. If I can help you out a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 42:05

Yeah, you sound just like my dad. Exactly. He just gave me that speech literally the other day.

SPEAKER_06 42:15

I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, so I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 42:18

I think it's a good thing. It's it's wise words.

SPEAKER_02 42:22

Um Okay, I I'll take that, then I appreciate that.

SPEAKER_06 42:31

Um you mentioned um your kind of how like your mental health started to kind of take a hit at some point, um, dealing with the stress and the pressure of Hazel Green and everything that went on there. And you didn't want to go back into that moving to college.

SPEAKER_01 42:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 42:56

What what was like the toll on you? What what was your mental health like while you were in high school?

SPEAKER_05 43:01

So my sophomore year, I went home crying to my mom every single day, I think. Every single day. Because I I had never experienced, I feel like, a coach like Coach Miller. And and I I was still young, sophomore, what are you like 14, 13, 14, something 14, 15, something like that? So I was still trying to like understand, okay, i is basketball this serious to me where I want to go through putting in all this work, not having a social life, not having um, like all I have time to do is go home, do my homework. I don't have anything else. Like I have to make time for that. So sophomore year, it was hard. Um, junior year, I um I I feel like I I started getting a little better. It was um oh no. Junior year I tore my meniscus. So I was not able to practice for like the whole season. summer. So I I was scared. I was like, um, okay, this is the year we're gonna mess it up. This is the year we're not gonna because you know at that point I think it was already it was still three, three, three times in a row that Hazel Green had won. So when I tore it, I I kinda went down down mentally because I was I was thinking of what would come and I wasn't like just in the present. So when I came back, you know, I worked like 10 times harder. I got back, we ended up winning that year. Senior year, it was me and I think three freshmen and another a senior and no something. They were all younger than me. And it was it was still added pressure, added pressure, pressure of winning, pressure of being perfect, pressure of doing this, pressure of doing that, pressure of all of this. And I I feel like at the same time in high school I was worried about everybody else and how they would perform and how if they didn't perform good it was going to be my fault. If they didn't do this, it was going to be my fault. Everything was going to be my fault. And if if like they weren't doing good mentally it's it's my fault because my you haven't checked on them somebody you haven't done this. So I I kind of got to a point where I put everybody ahead of me. Everybody was ahead of me. I I mean in basketball I was still I would still go in I would still do what I had to do to um you know I would get my extra shots up I would get my extra workouts in and stuff. But at the same time I was still like hey you need to come with me. It it was always me worried about someone else and what they had to do. So it it was always just me thinking about um hey I I already know they're gonna ask me to do this so let me just go ahead and do it. It it was me always thinking about somebody else and what I could be helping somebody else with not it was never me. So when I get to when I got to college I was still like that because I had been doing it for so long. And and in my senior year I I had like signs of anxiety but it wasn't ever really bad. Like you know I get stressed out and I'd freak out and stuff but it was just like okay I probably just I'm just stressing and you know my mom didn't really know that much about it at that time so she really thought it was just you know I'm stressing because I do I was always in the gym with my team coach Miller's really hard on you you know so it was just like the basic just athlete so sh it wasn't really big and you know at that time see nobody really talked about like athletes mental health that big you know it just started getting like popular like a a year ago or two years ago. So when I got to college it was still the same way I put everybody before me and basketball was before me everything was before me. So it got to a point where when we were losing and I was still putting everybody before me it was like I'm I'm not doing my job anymore. We're losing so I'm I'm not succeeding at my job anymore. Because when I did my job good we were winning. So it was like I I I I felt that I'm not I I'm not doing what I'm supposed to be doing. So what is my point of playing if if we're losing I can't help for us to win so I just felt like I wasn't doing anything right. So it got to the point where I like told my mom was like I I really don't I don't have the love for the sport that much to just keep coming here and having to be perfect for everybody while I'm coming back and and crying every day. I'm coming back and stressing myself out when I'm by myself but I have to go put on a smile in front of everybody else because I'm that person people look at to keep them motivated to keep them happy to push them and keep going and so that got really hard for me. So I I just started having anxiety attacks because I was always like thinking I had to be perfect. I always thought that I needed to be helping somebody else when really I just I needed my help myself. So anxiety led to depression I would sit in my room I would sit in my room all day until I had to go to the gym. When I was in the gym uh the gym became a trigger for me like when I would walk into the gym at one point I would have panic attacks every time I went in like I would have to go and calm myself down before I just started freaking out because the gym became just such a trigger point for me because it was like I'm I'm not I'm not doing what I'm supposed to be good at and it's helping the team win. So them loss like the losses really took like a toll on me because it was like this is it just felt like that that's what my purpose was to help some help a team win. I have to be perfect. I have to make sure everybody else is okay. So in college I just got hardened it just sent me into a big depression I was depressed for like months I uh one day I my mom just came and got me I had to go home I went to the doctor I actually had to get put on medicine for my anxiety because it had just gotten so bad. And so I that's really a big reason why I had to leave state because you know just I a new environment I feel like was best for me at the time like it was really nothing wrong with state it was just like at my freshman year just was not a good start for me. And so it like you know sometimes you just have to take yourself out of an environment and start over. So I feel like this year has been a lot better. Like I don't like the losing but I feel like I can I control my mental space better to know that okay we're losing but it's not all my fault. Yeah I don't have to be perfect all the time like I don't have to be that way and I I don't just because someone else is doing something like it's it's not my fault. And I feel like that's a big thing that I did I can say that is a negative thing that I did get from Hazel Green is I always thought I had to be on top A plus being perfect making sure everyone else is perfect that I never really got that chance to understand myself and understand and tell myself mentally like you don't have to be that way. When your mom came and got you was that your mental rock bottom for you yeah I I remember I was I I was sitting in my room I think that week I had had a panic attack every single day but it was um we had played I I think it we played maybe on like a Monday and I was doing amazing in our game like I I think at halftime I had a 16 something points and when we went to the locker room I just had a panic attack and I was like everything's great every like the game's going well like I didn't know I didn't know what was wrong but it was really because I I never take I I never I don't take breaks enough for myself to really like be in the moment. So it was like I was pushing everything I was pushing everything that I was feeling to the back. I was pushing everything I was like somebody just just play just play just play knowing like I didn't feel good about myself knowing that I wasn't doing anything. So after that moment I think every single day that week I probably I had an anxiety attack or or something was wrong. It was like something kept going wrong and then we played Jackson uh Jackson State and we lost um we lost really bad really bad and so when we lost that game it it just it just kept it just kept going down and so uh I think it was maybe two more days and my one of my teammates had came in my room and I couldn't even talk to her like every word I would try to say I would just break down and I was like I I don't know what's wrong. I don't know what it is. So my mom had just called my coach and she was like I'm com I'm coming to get her because I I couldn't answer the phone for my parents I didn't want to talk to them I didn't want to I didn't want to be around anyone talk to anyone because I I couldn't understand what was wrong with myself and and I and I'm also the type of person where I don't like people thinking there's something wrong with me because I don't want people to think they have to help me because I am the helper. So at that point it was like my mom didn't know what to do because I'm not responding well I'm not responding to anybody because it's like I can fix myself and so but I couldn't yeah I couldn't and I think that's what was making it worse. So yeah when she did come and get me that's when it was like just I I was at the worst I've ever been I I never like I would never want to be like that again. And so yeah when she did come get me that's when I just had to go to the doctor and stuff. And I would say that it's it's gotten so much better but yeah and that's when I really like that's when it really hit me like this mental health is so is so frill because you would think like the most the person that is always like you know perfect great that's that's the people that really be struggling because it's just hard because you don't want people thinking there's something wrong with you. And then when I was having the anxiety attacks and I was de I was sad. I was like I why am I I don't want to sound crazy. I don't want people thinking I'm crazy. Like that's just the word that kept coming in my head is is crazy. People are gonna think you're crazy. You're you're this you have all you have all this great stuff going for you. I mean I I'm in college I'm getting my college paid for I did all of that stuff in high school you have all these names behind you what what do you have to be upset for? What do you have to be stressing for? And that's all that kept c running through my head all the time.

SPEAKER_06 53:12

So I remember um thinking through what is failure. And like we you hear a lot of failures and stuff people say this person's a failure this team failed and at some point you know they say one of the greatest fears is the fear of failure. And I thought about that one day and I was thinking through how I failed a lot. I missed a lot of times and I wasn't afraid of it. And I really thought through the times I was kind of like worried about the failure and it was really it wasn't the failure itself it was how other people would look at me because of the failure. It was the the public fear of failure. The private fear of failure is nothing that's I I mess up something all right cool nobody saw that whatever but then you mess up publicly now it's the judgment or the shame or the opinions coming at you now is where that feel actually comes from. And I feel like uh blending the people pleaser in you with the standard and pressure you felt from Hazel Green and the habits kind of built up with your leadership all kind of came to a point where you were like you don't know how to function how to move now. So the losses or that failure wasn't the losses itself wasn't a thing because you internalized everything is what kind of put you to that state. So at what point or not what point but like what was the thing that you started to do to like okay let me climb myself out of this hole now into readjust things so I can start moving forward now.

SPEAKER_05 54:55

Um well I I would say um coming back coming coming back was still hard because now it's everybody knows what was wrong with me. So now everybody's just like are you okay are you okay are you okay are you okay and so coming back was hard. I would say that I I feel like mm the medicine that I did have to take at the same time it it did help more. But at the same time I I found things outside of basketball like to be my let go to be that heyah you you don't have to be perfect. And and it and it also got to the point where I had to um I got really close with one of my teammates last year and and I had to tell her like I had to tell exactly how I feel exactly how things make me feel so when I did get to that point she could just remind me because sometimes I just feel like I do need that reminder somebody you don't you don't have to be perfect. You don't have to be like that. And it would just calm me down like you know you're right because it is that it is that perfect and I don't like people thinking that I'm messing up. You're right with the failure like it was more of people are thinking I'm messing up not me because okay I you're I mess up okay whatever I'll fix it. But someone else thinking I mess up it's it's so much different. So it was like I I just needed that reminder so you don't have to be perfect and and I did last year during that time I feel like I I got had to get closer with God myself and mentally that changed a lot for me too. So I would say getting closer with him helped and I just had to find something else to do outside of basketball because it was it was basketball school my room that's that's all I did when I first got to school. It that's all that's all it was so it it was like a circle that those were the three the school and basketball is what stresses me out but that's all that I did. That's all that I was around. So I never got out of the circle of everything that was piled on top of me to just relax. So I think that was a big thing that I had to do too when I came back was just I not always revolve myself around the court and my teammates and all of that stuff.

SPEAKER_06 57:06

Did you change anything uh basketball wise like anything with the teammates or anything like that?

SPEAKER_05 57:12

Um I feel like I I I feel like I still communicated the same way I would say that I I still talk the same way but at the same time I feel like I just let things also be like I I at some point last year it did get to a point where I was just like if that's how they're gonna act or play or if I say something and that's how it's gonna be this how it's gonna be and I I feel like that's kind of why I am like how I am um right now like I do still understand I still all I still do have all the leadership skills I had before and I still do know that I could put them in place. But at the same time it's like I feel like when I do get to that point where I know that everybody looks at me this way, that's when I start putting added pressure on myself. So it's like at the same time like at this point I am right now it it's like I I do want to I do want to do more in in that aspect of communicating with my team but at the same time I I'm s it it does get kind of I do get kind of worried because I know how I do start acting or how I do my mental just starts getting when it does get to that place. So I think at last year I just had to I had to step back. I I I still was saying what I needed to say but I had to step back and say you know not everything has to be on me. Not I don't always have to be saying this or doing that. Like not everything has to be and not everything has to be that way.

SPEAKER_06 58:44

Yeah I'm glad you said that because that um this is guy who uh talks a lot about leadership and he said you know a lot of leaders the worst sign of a leader is when things live and die with them. But a great leader makes other leaders around them. They pass the baton onto the next leader and um that can possibly be the next move for your leadership is where yes you might be the front facing leader. You might be the face of whatever leadership is for the team but it can be some level of delegation to like hey I'm taking care of the guards you take care of the bigs I'm taking care of this half of the team you carry you take care of that half of the team and or to where hey today I need you to like make sure we on point with this. You know what I mean? So just have pockets and moments to where it's team accountability and not just Samaya accountability for the team. Um I was actually telling uh the guys I was coaching they had practices like when a player messes up it's not that player's fault. It's your fault. Because now we all look bad coaches included.

SPEAKER_00 59:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 59:53

Because we tell the guys we're doing X, Y, and Z if if somebody's outside looking in this team looks bad. Coach what are you doing out here? So it doesn't matter that it was their fault. Everybody inside knows it's that player's fault. But we all look bad now. And so I hold them accountable to hold your other accountable so if Samaya messes up it's on her teammate to check her. It's not Samaya's fault that I mean it's not on Samaiya to check everybody on the team. So um that's something that I've been learning through myself of like I'm not like a I don't like to be baby I don't like for you to be micromanaging me and I like to do that to other people. So I kind of learned to have a level of like a standard and accountability to where you're checking yourself and we can check each other and it's not like a a a babying thing because I don't like doing that. And so now you know if you're messing up I care about these five things if we don't mess up these five things we're cool. Outside of this I'll give you a little leeway. We're not messing up these five and so you can kind of figure it out for yourself where okay this is working this isn't working. We're not gonna do this. Like if we do these five things you know what's up like come on fam like really like you did that now I gotta say something too yeah or that the teammate next to you know so you can kind of figure that out to where it's not all the weight on you and you're still being a leader just not a hundred feet of the load on you kind of share that load um so do you feel like there's something you could kind of like look into that could cut probably help you out?

SPEAKER_05 1:01:25

Yeah I I definitely feel like that's that's actually like a really good idea. I feel like yeah I feel like especially on the team we're on now it is I feel like everyone should kind of be you know like not everybody is a leader but everyone has a say so you know every everyone should be able to hold someone accountable but at the same time I I feel like it is kind of hard when not everybody respects everybody. That's when it gets to like you know the difficult part. But I do agree that I feel like it is it it is way easier when it's it's more than just one person.

SPEAKER_06 1:02:01

Yeah. Because you don't want to have all that weight on you. Especially when you when you said like you said before you had the breakdown you had your lowest point you had that valley um so now it's just like really setting guards and like bumpers in case like hey I'm not gonna go here again. So I start hitting this wall I'm bouncing back off because it's not all that weight on me now. And it's like I have teammates to help me out and kind of share some of this load. So I think that's something you can kind of do man and just just kind of keep yourself in the same space to where the team can perform a little bit better because it's not all the weight on you so now you're performing basketball wise and mentally and in school now because you have a little bit less weight on you now. So hopefully I can help you out. Um dang I forgot my question is gonna be a good one too dang made me forget dang Samaya made me forget my question what you doing man I forgot what we're talking about I remember you said you're gonna wait you should have you should have written it down no I still remember that I got two more I do want to ask you later but it's another one I like thought of when you were speaking but I forgot that one you're gonna remember it and I'll hopefully it comes back yeah hopefully but um all right okay another timeout okay look if you got to this point you have to be enjoying the episode like you have to at this point in the episode you're enjoying it so help me help you just if if you're on Apple right now and you're on and you're on your phone okay just take your phone press the subscribe button it's right there just do that with me even if on your laptop take your mouse boom click over boom do your thing now you subscribe now you linked in because you don't want to miss the next great episode that I have but doing stuff like this helps the episode grow makes the show grow and the podcast grow to I can keep getting great guests keep doing great interviews so if you listen on Apple or Spotify take a second look at your phone press the follow button okay and share with the friend the two because you'll find a value in this you want to have this conversation with your friends so they can have the same value.

SPEAKER_05 1:04:03

Now the whole basketball community can grow all right thank you for listening so far I'm gonna get out your way that you get back to the episode appreciate you I'm gonna do that one next um through all the work you've put in to be at this point where you're at now and do the highs and the lows the you know the early gym hours before school after school probably during school knowing how you know high school stuff gets in the breakdown at state the loss all the losing streaks would you say everything has been worth it at this point um right now right now at this moment if you ask me I I would tell you yes if you would have asked me like last year I I in my senior year I honestly I honestly would have probably told you no my senior year and last year I definitely fell out of love with basketball it was just me playing because what else am I gonna do? Like I I felt like if if I quit if I were to quit basketball my freshman year or last year I felt like I wouldn't have been Samai anymore. Because it's like if you ask someone Samai oh yeah Hazel Green basketball I felt like basketball was my identity and so freshman through soft fr uh senior and sophomore year I definitely would have told you it was not worth it but there was no other choice for me to make because it it it did get just so stressful and hard it was like this isn't fun for me anymore. This is a job this is like this is I I'm just doing this to please everybody else. I'm doing this because I I don't want to let down people. That's what it got to and so now it's now it is I am I am starting to You know, I'm doing this because that little girl that played, she loved she loved that sport when she first played it. And now I'm starting to get back to, okay, yeah, that's why I'm playing. Because that one time I did play, I did love, like I did love basketball. And it is getting back to that where it's starting to be more fun again. And I and I do enjoy it. But I I feel like honestly, a lot of athletes go through that moment of I don't think I love my sport anymore. Like, and it's because like it's hard. It's hard just having to feel like you have to be perfect and excelling in school and at the same time still have still trying to make that social life. So it does get hard where it's like, why am I doing this? Or but if I but if I quit, who am I then? So it was like that moment of okay, Samara, just keep going because hopefully, you know, you you're gonna remember why you're playing. And and I am starting to do, I am starting to realize that now. So now I would tell you, yes, everything's been worth it. It it did get to a point where I had to, I had to just mentally tell myself every day, like one day, one day you're gonna be back to a point where somebody's it's gonna be worth it again. But that little that span of time when it wasn't, it was so hard. And I I do feel like a big reason of of of why I um felt like a failure is because uh the biggest reason last year was I really felt like I was letting down my my parents if I were to quit basketball. That that was the biggest thing for me. And like I never really felt like I was letting down my teammates. Like it like that never was a thing for me. Every time I would think about like not doing good in basketball or not excelling in this or not excelling in this or not being who the best I was, it always came down to my parents. Like I'm I'm letting them down. It's what it always was. And so it did get to a point where I finally didn't have to have that conversation with them. I was like, I I think I put added stress on myself because like I feel like I'm letting you guys down. So it did get to a point where they had a conversation with me and they was like, I we don't expect you to be perfect, we don't always expect you to do all of these things, and and they never, they never have communicated that with me of we want you to do this, we want you to do that. But I also feel like it's just how I grew up, I always did excel and I always was good at this and I always did great at this, and I always did so when I got to that point of oh, I'm not I'm not doing good anymore, what are they gonna think about me? And so it it got to a point where I was like, I don't think this is worth it, but I I'm letting down everybody else. But now I would definitely tell you, yes, everything's been worth it. And I'm glad, I'm glad that I had to, I'm glad I went to I'm glad I went to Hazel Green to understand how it's supposed to win and understand how to win and understand how how how things are supposed to go, even in like the real world, how how to work with people in different aspects and how to get them to listen to you. And then I'm glad I went to state where I wasn't an environment where I could go through that um having to understand how it felt when not everybody gets along, not everybody does this, not everybody, uh not everybody's gonna want to listen to you, want to be your friend, want to do this, want to be perfect with you. Like, not everybody's gonna want that. And I'm and I'm honestly grateful for going through the little depressive episode I did go to go through, going through that, having to deal with my anxiety and things because now I feel like I am able to help other athletes, even my teammates now. Like, I'm able to help, like, hey, I I know what you're feeling. I I've gone through that too, even outside of just the sports, just people going through that. I I'm able to actually understand that deeply because I went through that myself. So I feel like everything that I have gone through, everything's been worth it, and everything's been a plan. I feel like everything that I've gone through, going to state everything, it was like God's plan of He's putting me in places to help other people, not just from basketball, just helping people in life in general.

SPEAKER_06 1:09:55

Yeah, that's dope, man, because a lot of times players hit that wall or they hit that that rock bottom and they don't bounce back out and they don't um recover well and get to a place where they can start you know getting back into it. Some people fall out of love with the game and they never get back into it. So I'm glad you're there. Um I remember my question now, so I'm gonna ask this now. Um what did you kind of change or add to your life? Like you said, it was homeschooling basketball, and that was like your circle of life. Um, Lion King. It's funny. Um you weren't supposed to laugh. Um so what did you add to your life at that point to kind of spice it up and kind of like get you on track mentally?

SPEAKER_05 1:10:40

Um last year I started doing podcasts. I um not with other people, but I I would talk myself. I would just talk. I would talk about different scriptures, I would talk about what I was going through through the day, I would talk about how how I feel like God's plan is working for me. I I would talk about my mental health. I would give stories of like myself because I feel like um I feel like at that time last year, people didn't really see me as for for who I was. It was just basketball, somebody's basketball, somebody's this, somebody's that. So I I feel like really, really doing something else and talking about myself outside of just basketball really helped me and and to know that other people were listening or other people were going through the same thing, or other people were behind me, understanding, okay, I we get it. We get seeing that other people knew that I that I wasn't this perfect person, and actually seeing it with my own eyes helped me because I feel like even if people did tell me, hey, we don't expect you to do this, you don't like I mean uh it was still like that process in my head, like you're saying that, but you don't mean it. And so me just being able to talk everything that I was feeling and going through and being able to do those things helped me. And then um that that got really busy. But then when I got here to state, I have now started um videos where I interviewed different athletes and I just talk about their journey through their sports, how they felt, um, just how they felt going through all of their sports, their sports journey outside of their sports, just to know get get to know the athlete outside of the athlete. And and so doing all of those things, like just being able to talk to different people and and just putting it out there, that's really helped me because I feel like at the same time, it's still me being the helper I am, but at the same time, I I'm doing it for me at the same time. So it's it's kind of I'm getting both both parts done, and so I really feel like that helps me.

SPEAKER_06 1:12:40

That's dope, man. I didn't know you were podcasting. You should have told me, man. I don't know.

SPEAKER_05 1:12:44

Yeah, I haven't posted a video.

SPEAKER_06 1:12:45

I'm doing my podcast.

SPEAKER_05 1:12:46

I know, but I haven't posted a video on there in a long time because I'll be getting sidetracked. So I just I just started that other little JSU sports spotlight thing, but that's been fun. I've done like maybe four so far because I just started it, but that's that's been fun and having to just think about different stuff like that.

SPEAKER_06 1:13:03

So yeah, that's dope, man. So uh y'all gotta check that out, man. I'm gonna have to look into it and see what you're doing over there, man. Um I think I'm gonna wrap it up on this note. Everything you've been through at Hazel Green with the highs and lows of state and being at this position you're not at you right now with uh Jacksonville, what does success mean to you?

SPEAKER_01 1:13:30

That's a good question. Um success to me I feel like it is now I feel like success to me is being able to say that I have grown from what I started with.

SPEAKER_05 1:13:47

I if you would have asked me at Hazel Green, I think it would have been getting to that final goal. But now it's I I have a goal and I do set it, but I like to look at where I where I was when I did set that goal to where I am now. Because sometimes you know it takes longer to meet it. It takes longer to meet that goal. You're wherever you wanted to be, it takes longer. And you have to look at where you're at now. And I feel like a lot of people do get stuck in that. I don't I still don't have this. I'm still not where I'm where I want to be. But it's like where you were when you first when you first did have that goal, did want to be where you are, you've you've grown so much from that now. So I I I think success for me now is just being able to say that I have grown, that I have changed, that I am getting closer to that where I want to be. Because I I feel like to me, I I'm never always gonna be where I want to be because of just how how I always like things to be. So to me, it's just being able to say that I have grown from where I was when I first said what I wanted to do, or when I first was doing something that I wanted to do. Just being able to say that I I have grown as a person changed, my mindset's changed, everything that I was doing before is just different now.

SPEAKER_06 1:14:58

I love that answer. Um mainly because that goes in line with like what my brain is about. You feel me? It's progress the only goal. Um is it's really just removing that end goal that we all think we have and like throwing that completely away. Like you don't even have that goal anymore. And the goal now is to just make progress. Like the goal is to just get better. Be better today than I was yesterday, better tomorrow than I was today. And over time you start making more tweaks, you make more adjustments. So, okay, we lost by 50. Sheesh, that's tough. Okay, cool. The goal is not to win anymore. Forget that. The goal's not to win. Can we lose by less?

SPEAKER_01 1:15:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 1:15:39

Okay, we made progress. Lost by 30. Okay, we did something better. All right, cool. Can we lose by 15 next game? All right, cool. Now let's make it more competitive. Can we lose by less than 10? All right, okay, now we're in the game. Now we're looking to get a win. Now we're looking to do better. But if you try to go from losing by 50 to getting a win, yeah, it's looking real hard. But you make the baby steps, you make start making more progress to that goal. Now you can start redefining what success is. So yeah, you're going to lose a streak, but shoot. We internally we've had success now because the goal is to not lose by 50 again. We're not doing that. Okay, the goal is just to make progress. Can we clean up these specific things? We're gonna we lost by 50 because we had dumb turnovers, we missed easy layups and wins free throws. That's pretty much any team they'll say that, you know, uh that's like the uh holy trendy of how to lose a game. You feel me? So if you can clean up these three, all right, cool. And for me personally, the funniest coaches and the best coaches are the ones that say, if we do A, B, and C right, we're gonna win this game, but win it by this amount. And when you see you do or don't do these things and they're exactly right, that's the funniest thing. I did that one time. I'm not talking about, I'm not that great of a coach, so don't try to put me up there. But it is cool when you be like, all right, if we can do these three things, I guarantee we'll win by about 12. And then you lose by eight and you start playing it back. How many free throws did you miss? You missed two. How many free throws did you miss? She missed one. How many free throws did you miss? You missed one. I said, if we did everything right, we would have won by twelve. We only uh had eight, so we were full short we would have won the game. And it's like, dang. And that's like a uh snaps or like a small piece of what progress is on the goal is. It's about taking the right steps to get better and go towards your goal. So forget about trying to win the game, it's about doing these right things to make the progress to get better to that goal. So um small little, you know, plug in there. Yeah, feel me. It's like uh I love that definition. I really like that a lot because it takes away the mental angst and like the mental pressure of everything you want to do and get towards now. So um I'm really happy for you, man. I'm glad you're in a better mental state. Um, I'm glad that you're you're you're changing your perspective and how you see the game and see yourself and see life. So um I hope that the people got it more of a glimpse into who you are, your journey in your life, so now they can see you more as a human being and not just a basketball player. So um anything else you want to give the people before we get out of here?

SPEAKER_01 1:18:16

Um No, probably just life is hard, just you gotta keep going.

SPEAKER_05 1:18:22

It's it's tricky. I feel like everybody's gonna grow differently and at different paces. It's just learning to accept that and learning to accept how you are then and how you were now, and just learning to accept that everyone's mental aspects are different, everyone looks at things differently. You just have to see that not everybody's the same, so you have you have to learn differently and you have to be willing to change and be willing to look at things differently.

SPEAKER_04 1:18:47

So, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 1:18:50

Well, ladies and gentlemen, you heard it from her. You guys need to change your perspective, and um, you know, you learn and grow from there. So if you guys want to learn and grow a little bit more, you guys can learn how to press that subscribe button below. If you're on YouTube, that'll be you're not supposed to laugh. You learn to hit that subscribe button below. Let me get my corny jokes off, okay? Let me just this is like my this is my entertainment during the interview, so I just be like super corny. And it's like my whole spiel. I don't know why I do it, but I like it, so that's why. Um, yeah. Learn to hit the subscribe button below. Um, all all of her fans, y'all like be a fan of this podcast now. Cause she dropped a whole lot of games. Like that's a good one. Yeah, and I think you dropped some follow JSU Sportlight.

SPEAKER_01 1:19:33

JSU Sports Spotlight. Follow.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:38

Do it, you feel me?

SPEAKER_06 1:19:39

Like she said so, so y'all gotta do it now. I didn't say it, she said it. But I co-signed what she said, so follow them too. Like, you gotta do that. So um show some love, you feel me? Just subscribe. That's all it is. Whether you on YouTube, whether you're on Spotify, Apple, or whatever else, just subscribe, follow along. Because you don't want to miss other dope interviews like her. That was a good one. She did her thing. So follow along there. Uh follow her on social media. Um, what's all your socials?

SPEAKER_01 1:20:05

You got you got my Instagram is my underscore still. Pretty sure that's what my TikTok is. I I think that's all of my stuff is the same. Yeah, all of it's the same.

SPEAKER_06 1:20:17

We'll get that taken care of. Yeah, I I have all the stuff below for you guys so you can lock in with her and just let her know like, hey, saw you wanna be by Jones podcast. You are amazing. And go to the games and tell her in person would be even better. Yeah, make a sign, social support.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:32

Make a sign for real.

SPEAKER_06 1:20:33

Yeah. Do that, that'll be fire. Like, if you had you had a signate for you, I know you had to have a sign mate for you, right?

SPEAKER_05 1:20:40

I had a big head one time.

SPEAKER_06 1:20:42

Mom counts, but don't.

SPEAKER_05 1:20:43

I had a big head. I had a big head one time.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:47

Hey, that's fire. You like it?

SPEAKER_01 1:20:50

No. But it was it was cool, I guess.

SPEAKER_06 1:20:56

I don't think I like that if I was me. I feel weird about that. I just like yeah, I feel you on that one. But um, so go to the game, make a sign, not a big head, and just show us some love that way. Don't don't do the big head stuff. Um, just let her know, like, yo, I support you. Glad you're doing well. And you know, show us some love that way. Um, I think that's it. Oh, you can follow me on social media too, or don't you guys show at uh B Ball Jones. I mean, you know, it's cool. I don't feel a way if you don't, because social media is not real.

SPEAKER_01 1:21:27

I don't feel a type of way if you guys don't follow me.

SPEAKER_06 1:21:31

Okay. No, I'm talking about follow me. Just follow her for sure. Like follow you.

SPEAKER_01 1:21:37

You need more followers for real. Then then you're just gonna go big and just start interviewing everybody. So follow you.

SPEAKER_06 1:21:46

It's hard for me to care about social media. Yeah, it's hard for me to care about social media though. Like, I just I try, but then I don't try sometimes, and it's a whole thing. I have to sort through it because I like real life stuff, but you know, I say it, but I tell them they don't have to because I get it. So it's whatever. But if you do, if you do want to follow me, it's B Ball Jones everywhere. It's B-E Ball Jones. I'll pop up. I'm there. That's my name, that's who I am, it's me. So I'm gonna pop up. That's kind of how it works.

SPEAKER_01 1:22:18

Um if you guys follow me, also, you can buy my merch. It's in my bio.

SPEAKER_06 1:22:26

Bro, you slipping. Why did you mean bro? Okay, tell us about the merch.

SPEAKER_01 1:22:30

I have I'm gonna show you.

SPEAKER_05 1:22:31

I'm gonna show you my hoodie. Hold on. Wait, wait, like five seconds.

SPEAKER_06 1:22:34

She's not even she's not even wearing the hoodie, guys. What is okay?

SPEAKER_05 1:22:38

I don't even have it on.

SPEAKER_06 1:22:41

Oh my goodness. You all right. Market okay, I'm gonna give you guys a quick market tip while she's doing that. Marketing one-on-one. Wear your stuff. Okay, as you see, I'm always wearing my stuff. Either it's the Progress T podcast stuff or like my B-Ball Jones stuff. Very rarely do I wear something else outside of those things. Very rarely. I'm not ripping up the brands to start paying me for real. Um, but wear your stuff, guys. Or have it very like available to get because this is very poor marketing for her brand. I don't know why she did that. She should have just matter of fact, now I'm I'm charging her for a manager's fee.

SPEAKER_01 1:23:12

You know, because she's I don't know why I didn't wear it, because I think I don't even know where it is at.

SPEAKER_06 1:23:20

That's even worse. Like, how do you okay? That's that's sad.

SPEAKER_01 1:23:25

Well, we've been gone for we've been gone for so long, and I've just lost everything.

SPEAKER_06 1:23:30

Uh I don't want to hear this. This sounds like a very poor excuse. Um, yeah. She's gonna get a uh an invoice for my manager to fee because this is bad. I'm gonna start coaching her. When she started doing better, guys know that my coaching skills kicked in and I'm I've changed up a market on how to be presentable for your brand. Like you you can't be slipping without your brain to my wearing clothing brand.

SPEAKER_01 1:23:55

So it is. It that is I don't know.

SPEAKER_05 1:23:59

I think my I think I I think my teammate has it. Okay, well, it's it's in my bio, guys, so you really don't even need to see it right now. It's just gonna be a surprise when it's when you see it in my bio.

SPEAKER_01 1:24:16

Because it's in my bio and it's pinned.

SPEAKER_06 1:24:22

That's funny. But I guess it's gonna be a surprise.

SPEAKER_05 1:24:25

I can just tell you it says it says be you and it has my name on the thing. Because be you, be yourself, and that's it's really big for me because I had to learn to just be myself and be who I was. So we have hoodies, um, shirts, and the little sweater things without the hoodie.

SPEAKER_01 1:24:47

It's in my bio, everybody. You didn't get to see it here, so just go click on there so you can see it.

SPEAKER_02 1:24:56

I'm sorry, y'all.

SPEAKER_06 1:24:58

I'm I'm so sorry she's not presentable here. She's gonna come to the the uh marketing school of Z Ball Jones, and when she like presents better, just let just know that she came to my school and she's gonna do better now. Yeah, we did so good. We did so good. You are amazing. This was an awesome interview, and you wait till the end to just like back.

SPEAKER_05 1:25:22

I really forgot. I was like, you know what? Maybe I should have said something about that.

SPEAKER_01 1:25:28

I forgot.

SPEAKER_02 1:25:30

Oh man, but it's okay.

SPEAKER_06 1:25:35

I'm gonna I'm gonna help you out. I'm gonna find something and I'm gonna throw it in here somewhere. So good. You can find it.

SPEAKER_01 1:25:41

It's all it's on my Instagram, it's pinned.

SPEAKER_06 1:25:45

I'm gonna have it in the link below. Y'all find the link below.

SPEAKER_01 1:25:47

That is so crazy. I can't even find it.

SPEAKER_06 1:25:53

I'm sorry, y'all. Y'all just wasted so much time hearing me rattle on about her while she couldn't find it. So oh man. She did so well, guys, and she waited to the end, it's kind of like she took 10 steps forward and like three steps back right there.

SPEAKER_05 1:26:08

No, that was a great example of not everybody is perfect.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:12

You lose you lose something sometimes.

SPEAKER_06 1:26:19

You're trying to recover, but it's it's not working for me. It's no.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:23

It's okay. Just put it in the bio.

SPEAKER_06 1:26:25

No.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:26

Just put it in the bio.

SPEAKER_06 1:26:27

I will. I'm gonna have it below, guys. She this is this is what teamwork is, okay? It's not all on her. I step up, I step to the plate, and I have her out. She she ain't the ball ain't any hitting for it's clinging off the rim pretty hard. So I'm just coming in. You know, she can't drop 20 tonight, so I'm stepping up right now. I'm adding a couple extra. I usually average 10, but now I gotta put up 15 because she's slipping a little bit. So we got the teamwork here for you guys. So I appreciate it. It's gonna be below. I want to support her. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I got you, man. So um you want to show some love, show some support. In spite of her poor marketing skills, we're gonna like support her anyway, and you let her know that I want to okay. I want to be me as well as you be you.

SPEAKER_01 1:27:10

That was that was good.

SPEAKER_06 1:27:11

I said it right. Hey 90 uh 2% on every sale that comes here now. Um I appreciate that. Yeah, man, show us some love in spite of the support marketing exhibit that we got for like the past five minutes. Um it's a nice message. Hopefully, it's a nice design. We don't know because not prepared, but we'll find out. We'll find out together. Like you said, it's a surprise. So I hope you guys enjoy surprises. If not, I don't know what to tell you. Um, my shirt's not a surprise. You see, I got two designs. So this is one of them. You know, I'm prepared, unlike other people. So you guys can, you know, um buy both of them, buy mine, buy hers, and just be a big buying, happy family. And uh, what else do you have to share? Oh, every Friday, I like the mental game. You know, it's important for Hoopers. We just talked about her mental health and everything. Uh, I like talking about that on every Friday. It's called Hoop Gems. Just like a quick five minutes of your time. Either give you mental how-to's or something to kind of change your perspective around the game, see things a little bit differently, or a little inspiration, motivation to get you on about your day. So if you guys enjoy that, which you should, because why not? It's gonna help you be a better hooper. Tune in every Friday, listen to it, and just be more amazing, make more progress throughout your life. And so that's it. Um, thank you guys for watching. Thank you guys for listening. Appreciate you for coming on, Miss Steele. Um and that's it, man. Hopefully, see y'all again next week. See ya.