CIAC Glory Days
The CIAC Glory Days podcast immerses listeners into the world of high school athletics. Explore the purpose and impact of interscholastic athletics on student-athletes as administrators, coaches, players, officials, parents, and State Athletic Association staff take listeners on a journey from tryouts to championships.
CIAC Glory Days
Glory Days Podcast S2:E4 - Abdou Toure, Landon Krygier, and Coach Jason Shea - Notre Dame West Haven's Boys Basketball State Champions🏀🏆
CIAC Glory Days Podcast host Jada Mirabelle sits down with Notre Dame West Haven’s Division I Basketball State Champions Abdou Toure, Landon Krygier, and Head Coach Jason Shea! Tune in to hear what fuels the incredible success of these two players and what finally clicked to earn Notre Dame its first-ever Boys Basketball State Championship title. 🏀🏆
Welcome to CIC's Glory Days podcast. I'm your host, jada Maribel, and today I'm joined by the 2024 Division I Boys Basketball State Champions, notre Dame West Haven. I'm joined by Green Knights head coach Jason Shea and two incredibly talented players, landon Krieger and Abdu Torre. Thank you all for joining me today. I'm so excited to have you here on to the podcast.
Speaker 2:Thank you, thanks for having us.
Speaker 1:Notre Dame Basketball had an amazing 2024 season, a perfect 20-0 record to secure the first ever boys basketball state championship for the school. Dude, I probably don't have to give you much of an introduction because you are a nationally known, currently ranked number 13 in the country, jumping 137 spots from last year. Last season you've earned all state and all conference honors the Connecticut Max Preps Player of the Year, the Game Time CT Player of the Year and the SCC Player of the Year. And of course we can't forget the countless amount of Division I offers that you've received Same a few. You've gotten them from Providence, yale, bryant, rutgers, stanford, you're at Arkansas, arizona. The list goes on and on. But besides your incredible talent, what else has helped fuel you to create the success as only a junior in high school?
Speaker 3:I'll say my family and my work ethic in the gym.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'll say my family and my work ethic in the gym. Yeah, you have an awesome family foundation. Your dad's your biggest fan out there at the club, but that's so important.
Speaker 4:That really helps create you as a strong athlete. It does.
Speaker 1:And how do you deal with all those eyes on you and all of that attention? How do you maintain composure and focus?
Speaker 3:Really just play basketball. That's really how you just maintain it. Just keep playing basketball, do what you've been doing the whole time. Yeah, it's that simple just just that simple.
Speaker 1:Everything else out and just play basketball. The ball in the hoop, that's all it is. And, landon, you're also one of the top players in New England and Connecticut, ranked number 11 in the Connecticut class of 2026, earning all conference honors last season. And when you're out there on the court, it's so clear to see the love and the passion that you have for the game. In those moments, when it comes down to the wire, you always pull through and there's no better example of your playing style than in that state semi-final game at the University of Hartford against Notre Dame Fairfield, when you hit that three-point buzzer beater to tie it up and send it into overtime. And I'm gonna have to put the clip in because it was just incredible. People have got to watch it.
Speaker 4:The energy was just off the charts.
Speaker 1:Trey Krieger gets a shot off. It's good overtime, landon Krieger at the buzzer. So tell us a little bit about that moment. What was racing through your mind and how did you stay focused to hit that shot and let the pressure get to you?
Speaker 2:I mean, I just we just wanted to win as a group, so much like like you could just tell all of us were so invested in winning and it was just like great moment, honestly, to like to feel the reward that we're going to the state championship after that. In the moment I wasn't thinking like too hard really it was mostly after the game and stuff.
Speaker 1:You just, like he said, you just went out there and put the ball in the hoop that's the trick. So did you guys plan that play? You passed it to him to hit the three.
Speaker 3:No, the play was for me to come off the screen and shoot the ball, but I saw that there was two people on me, so I just pivoted, passed it to Landon and he hit the shot.
Speaker 1:It just happened, naturally, and you ended up saying the game to his double overtime and then final score 73-71. But remember I had to leave the game early to head over to our hockey semifinal game and I had left probably like 30 seconds early, like right as the game was ending. As I'm walking out the doors, I remember the crowd was just going crazy and I was like, oh, like Notre Dame-Fairfield must have won, that must have been the game. And then I had DeFeo text me, I had Warwick text me like, oh, landon just hit the three-pointer to tie it up, and the whole way to the hockey game. I was amazed at how you guys pulled through. It showed your determination and the level of teamwork that you guys had last year. You guys you always fought and you always got through it.
Speaker 4:I remember I do hit a free throw with about two tenths of a second in the first overtime.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I missed the first one.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I missed the first one. We'll give you a pass on that Again. To have to hit a shot, a free throw, to tie the game, to set the second overtime, second overtime, you know that's that's a big, that's a big time moment it is. And, uh, you know you felt like after landing shot, there's no way we're gonna lose. But then all of a sudden we're down one again with less than a second for the shot. You're like oh man, this would really be a letdown.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so that sure no, it was amazing.
Speaker 4:And then the last overtime, you know, I thought, uh, we imposed our will a little bit and uh, I know the three that Abdu hit, the pull-up three. That was the moment I'm like, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we got him. I remember you turned around too.
Speaker 4:Because he'd been going to the basket so many times, we had some match-ups that we thought were good for us and then, yeah, finally, I forget who it was. It was Parrish, probably. No, it was.
Speaker 3:Cam.
Speaker 4:Oh, cam, yeah, he backed off, tried to take away the drive and he just pulled up and hit it and it was like yep, we got you guys, and it still really didn't end right there.
Speaker 1:They kept fighting. They're a tough opponent.
Speaker 4:Yeah, they're excellent Like well-coached tough, and you know that's Division I.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you play opponents like that. You got to step it up when you play them, yep. But, you guys pulled through At Mohegan Sun this year for your state championship game. You played St Bernard where you won 52 to 46. And it was a packed house. It was an intense game. You were down in the first quarter and then you eventually picked it back up and it was stressful watching it. I can imagine playing in it or coaching it, but what?
Speaker 3:helped you all get prepared for that moment and how did you come back to eventually gain the lead or the conversations like courtside and during halftime to keep the pace? Well, does it get repaired like the the season. Really, it was like we worked for that for that game. So we just came in a game thinking we already won and just we just play what we just did, what we had to do it's the mindset you go wanting it.
Speaker 1:Who wants it more at the end of the day.
Speaker 4:Yeah, we needed a team effort in that game. You know again, the dude maybe strained something early on like really early in the game and so that hurt us and they played him really well.
Speaker 4:They were very physical the way they guarded him in that game and I thought Landon which people don't realize, but the day before in practice we probably only had 20 minutes of actual live basketball the day before, which is typical of that part of the season, and he just happened to sprain his ankle pretty badly the day before he was able to wrap it up and play. And the plays he made in that game off of the sprained ankle, yeah, there's one take in the second half that just comes to mind where he just went right down the lane. It might have been an and one, but he exploded off that foot. I'm like there's a lot of adrenaline going, so he's not feeling it and he's a tough kid because a lot of kids, with the way his ankle was swollen up, were not playing that game. That showed a lot too. So other guys had to step up in that game and I thought, uh, as a collective unit, right, we? We didn't get 35 from our best player, did that the game before?
Speaker 4:right, you had 9, 10, 11, something like that 12, 12 12 points yeah, so we need a full team effort and we got it in a in a huge game, so that was rewarding as well you couldn't even tell that either of you were injured during that game or no, no, no, I just just had to.
Speaker 2:No, I just had to win it, you just had to win it, you had to win it. It was one last game. We didn't go there for no reason.
Speaker 1:Exactly. So what are some of the key lessons that you all learned from last season?
Speaker 4:You want me to take that?
Speaker 3:Yeah, you can take that.
Speaker 4:Key lessons you two are taking it after about that.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I'll just put one foot in front of the other. Don't get ahead of ourselves. I thought we always said that the main goal and I think I do said in a ton of interviews was winning the state championship. We won our third straight league championship. That was great. It's a goal of ours every year. But just putting one foot in front of the other. You know practice at a time. You know all the cliches that are real if you actually live them out. You know all the cliches that are real If you actually live them out. You know we just got to keep working hard, but these guys have already done it. They've had a great offseason. You know. Obviously he's blown up on the you know from the World Cup and everything else. That's been amazing. And this guy's gotten a lot better too. And that number 11 ranking's wrong. So if he's not top three in the state, then we're not top three as a team. He's a top three player in the state period. He's gotten a lot better. So people are going to find that out as well.
Speaker 1:And so are the rest of our team.
Speaker 3:What are your two Alpha? I learned like, don't ever give up, yeah. And I remember in the Notre Dame Fairfield game, once Landon hit that shot, I was in the huddle. I was like, nah, we're not losing this game, we're not losing man. We didn't come here for no reason. Yeah, so never give up?
Speaker 1:Nope, never give up, always keep fighting.
Speaker 2:No, I think I definitely learned, like, if you really like set a goal and do what's needed to reach it, like you can actually accomplish that.
Speaker 3:Like we go so hard to practice every day. Yeah, those are great takeaways. So how do each of you prepare mentally and physically?
Speaker 1:for a game. How do you get into that winning mindset I?
Speaker 3:was? I don't really know, you don't know. No, I don't, I don't like mentally, I just like. So I'm always nervous, like every time during a national anthem I just get in a game.
Speaker 2:It just, it's just regular just into the game every single game game, reminding myself like prior games and all that stuff just keep my nerves down.
Speaker 1:So you're not anyone who has like the strict routines before a game. No superstitions.
Speaker 3:No.
Speaker 2:No superstitions, no, I just play basketball and stuff.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you just go out there and play.
Speaker 4:I think Coach Griff does a great job too yeah. Part of our job as coaches, and the job that I delegate to Coach Griff is probably I mean, obviously for me he's going to be the best assistant in the state, but he handles pregame from the bus to what these guys are eating, to what these guys what time they're getting dressed, and he takes a lot of the thinking out of it for them. I think that's important.
Speaker 1:He's awesome.
Speaker 4:He does a tremendous job. So when you have that going, these guys don't have to think as much, and these two and the rest of our team as well. They just love basketball so much. I think that's part of the reason they don't feel as, even though they might think they feel a little pressure, they really don't. And the last thing is preparation takes care of pressure a lot of times.
Speaker 4:Very true, you're in the gym enough. You're working hard enough, like Landon said, hard in practice. We play a hard schedule. You know we're as prepared as you can be for the moment and then you know, like we said, and then then just let, let's just see what happens and don't worry about it. That's how you got to approach it very true.
Speaker 1:You know what you're capable of as individual athletes. What does training look like for you in the off season?
Speaker 2:a lot of the time in the gym with drew roberts. Shout out drew roberts, best trainer in the state. Not even close.
Speaker 1:He does a lot of training with both of you right.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that helps to put in those extra hours on the offseason.
Speaker 3:And the after school with Coach Jason too.
Speaker 1:Also the plyometrics and the weight room. That's like strength training.
Speaker 3:Yeah, strength training and all of that.
Speaker 4:Of course we got to work with these guys a little bit. We did the overseas trip as well as well.
Speaker 1:So that was cool, you know opportunity to work with them there. You had a really eventful summer. You got to go over to poland to play in the vertical hoops euro cup. Yeah, of course you guys came out triumphant. You won that title as well barely.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that was the closest one, it was live streaming that one too.
Speaker 1:So tell us a little bit about that experience and what it was like to play basketball overseas, because a lot of high school teams aren't fortunate enough to be able to say that yeah, poland.
Speaker 3:poland was a good experience playing against different competition from a different country. It was really a good experience and winning the championship with the seniors for the last time.
Speaker 2:It was tough with Colin and Tim and Jack and Justin.
Speaker 1:Playing with the seniors for the last time. Yeah, what a way to finish the season. You get to play in Poland with the seniors.
Speaker 4:It's awesome, I'm happy we did it the way we did it. We kept our roster from the end of the season instead of making it, you know, like the seniors were done and moving on.
Speaker 4:I thought that was more special to go with those guys and kind of make it the final part, the chapter for that group. Didn't know when we planned that we would have won a state championship and gone undefeated and then it actually had more pressure in Poland. Because we're like we can't lose now, because if we lose one of these games does it even count, but they pull it out by a point against Zalgiris, which is one of the top club teams from Lithuania.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was an awesome way to finish the story of the first state championship year. So what were all your favorite parts about the trip? It could be something about the games or about the region. What was your favorite part?
Speaker 3:I'm a little into it. I know it's not the food.
Speaker 2:My favorite part was probably just like Becoming closer with all my teammates, especially like Abdu and Kyle and stuff. We spent a lot of time together Like share the journey and stuff.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'll say the same thing and I'll say probably winning the championship. And all the fans there. The fans were nice there. They were all friendly. All the pulling kids, it was cool there.
Speaker 1:The crowds looked awesome when you were dunking over Tim.
Speaker 3:In the dunk contest. Yeah, he had the Jada Bird Media shirt on. It was cool. The crowds looked awesome when you were dunking over.
Speaker 4:Tim, we were really lucky that we had a tour guide assigned to us, and so part of the idea of the educational trip is no-transcript, and so for every place that we went we had a tour guide with us same one. But he popped out of nowhere. Sometimes we didn't even know he was coming. We did it the second day we went to the castle. Remember that we were on the bus.
Speaker 4:And all of a sudden we're just driving and he just popped up out of nowhere. He had gotten on the bus midway through. We didn't even know he was on the bus, it was like at a. So we don't know how that worked, but it was kind of funny and these guys were like, oh no, Because it was a lot of information. And on the way back, the AC on the bus broke and we were in traffic.
Speaker 3:And then, all of a sudden, he stood up and he's still trying to give us little tidbits. And we're like we don't need that right now.
Speaker 4:It's all good, but he was a nice guy. Those kind of moments are good memories because they're funny.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, and these guys did learn a lot and it was a cultural experience. Yeah, those are the running jokes you have from trips. Yeah, it looked like you guys did so much all the places that you visited. Yeah, that's awesome.
Speaker 3:I went to a pro game too.
Speaker 4:Oh, you did, yeah. Yeah, we're not going to Poland to go to a zoo, we go to a rock zoo. It's a better zoo.
Speaker 3:Zoos are fun though.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they are fun, but there are a lot of zoos around here. The boat ride was fun.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, the boat ride was fun too. Did you see any like cool fish?
Speaker 3:No, there was no fish. No, no, that's it. There's five rivers that surround.
Speaker 1:Wroclaw Rolcloth, it's definitely.
Speaker 4:Rosloff, something like that, rosloff Anyway, we'll put close captioning on that. Yeah, still not underwater, so that's good. Okay, well, that's good yeah.
Speaker 1:In this season you have some other big tournaments coming up. You're playing in the Kingdom of the Sun in Ocala, Florida, in December, which is a pretty top-notch tournament it's hard to get a spot in and balding hoop hall classic. So are those? Is your strategy heading into those games different than regular season games? Because how do you prepare to play against teams you don't really know too much about but you know they're a good team?
Speaker 4:well, hopefully I'll get eyes on them before we play them. The hard part is it's four days in a row in florida and that is a very hard tournament to get into and it's kind of like a stepping stone as well. So next year we've also been invited the next season to beach ball, which is is in Myrtle Beach.
Speaker 1:Oh good.
Speaker 4:That's one of the top three tournaments in the country for high school teams, so that's really a great opportunity. So you're taking these steps to play national schedule. But the first team, winter Haven, was 27-2 last year and they lost in the semifinals in the Class 7A Florida State Championships to the Boozer Twins at Columbus. Is it Columbus? I think it's Columbus. Yeah, I think that's their school. So you know. And then the next game will be win or lose.
Speaker 4:We'll either play against Gibbs, who I think won the six-day state championship in Florida, or a team out of Tennessee, and I forget their name right now, but they've won four of the last nine state titles in Tennessee. So those first two games, the opponents are ridiculously good, but it's hard to prepare for all of them because it's a four-day tournament, so you don't know who you're after game one, true? So we'll have three scouts going there. We'll definitely have three scouts. We'll probably do a fourth scout on St Thomas Aquinas, on the other side of the bracket I think that's the top team on the other side. Because we're not going there just to show up. We, because we're not going there just to show up, we're going to go there at 9.30 am on December 27th to win game one, and Winter Haven won this tournament last year.
Speaker 4:So, we play the defending this tournament champions in round one.
Speaker 1:Starting off at the top. Yeah, get you ready, though, for the rest of the season.
Speaker 4:Knock off the best game, one, and the rest will be history, that's going to be our goal, that'll be really fun to do on Christmas break, most definitely.
Speaker 1:So I know the team lost a few key starting players from last season. What's the strategy heading into this season to mesh new players?
Speaker 4:into the roles of veteran players. I think it's not going to be too difficult with this group. We lose a few starters, an all-stater to transfer, and we love Trav he did such a great job for him. Wish him the best of luck this year but we have a lot of guys who were off the bench last year who have experience right, and they've worked so hard. You know, the biggest issue I have is I've got too many guys who are ready to play, probably so just sharing some of those minutes to get around, but I don't see a problem with us being ready to play or to replace the guys we have and have lost. Those guys were great, and I think, though, that we could be even better this year and, yeah, I think the maturity of our team and these guys having all the minutes that they have will be just fine with that.
Speaker 1:So you have a fairly young team this year. There's no seniors on the roster, besides, of course, the number one manager in the state, dom White he's the best so how will you all work together to fill the absence of senior leadership that was so strong last year with Tim and Colin?
Speaker 2:I mean, I feel like me and Abdu and uh Quincy, we have a lot more experience than like most like upcoming juniors because, we've been playing since we were freshmen so we got to see it with like Makai and Taj and kind of learn from a bunch of good guys. True.
Speaker 1:You've seen a lot throughout the years to learn from.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So what games are you most looking forward to this season?
Speaker 3:and which ones do you?
Speaker 1:think are going to be the biggest challenges.
Speaker 3:I'm looking forward to the Florida games the most. That's really when I play, because that's what Coach is saying the most competitions.
Speaker 1:That's what you're most excited for To get to play your best. Yeah.
Speaker 2:I'm excited for the playoffs, really Mostly just for the playoff time. You guys are really skipping ahead.
Speaker 4:Let's focus on Richfield, game one His sights are set. He already knows you're going to be there. No, but that's what they should be excited about. I want these guys to be excited about playoffs. We're doing the trip to Florida. This is a basketball trip. We're going to really challenge ourselves.
Speaker 2:Business trip yeah it's Springfield.
Speaker 4:Hoopaw is always a great one, but for me the focus is the Ridgefield and these guys already know it is. They've been in the semifinals two straight years and that first game, I'm positive, will be sold out. I think a lot of our games will be sold out, but that Ridgefield is a tough place to play in the FCAC. They've won like five out of six FCAC championships. They'll have whatever they fit in the gym. I'm guessing it's probably 2,500, maybe 3,000. They will have every bit of that in the gym. So I think that already is a great experience for all of our guys. Some guys will be playing varsity for the first time. You come out with 2,000 people really going against you and those are the toughest places and moments to play in. So we're going to get a crash course in pressure basketball day one. So I'm looking forward to that and seeing how everybody responds, because I'm pretty confident we're going to respond well and then we'll see what the result is, because they're capable of beating us for sure.
Speaker 1:They're a really good team, very good team. You guys have a lot of experience playing in those high-pressure moments in the big crowds, so that should help at least.
Speaker 4:Yeah, we'll be right, these guys are not afraid of the lights.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so if you ought to choose one motto or one mantra for this next season, what would it be? I know last season was locked in. As it says on the rings, I'm the only one wrapping them today.
Speaker 4:That was our bad. You were supposed to give us a reminder I feel terrible. I look for any excuse to wear it.
Speaker 1:I know it's okay, I've got it on. What's the motto going to be for this season?
Speaker 3:I'll probably never give up. Never give up, yeah.
Speaker 2:That's good, I'll say run it back. I guess.
Speaker 1:Do it again. Run it back, run it back. Let's do it Okay.
Speaker 4:I'm not going to stick to this. I think for me it's just stay hungry. But they seem like the guys have already done that, still hungry. We've been working so hard. These guys have not dropped off at all in that regard. So I'm not even.
Speaker 4:I think if these guys were in and out or halfway in in the offseason after a state championship, you know or if these two guys who get a lot of attention you know we're a different way. They're both very humble and they're good people I'd be concerned about all of that and a big letdown in the season. There's no guarantee we win it again, but these guys are still hungry for more and I think that's going to be our focus, just to make sure we stay that way throughout the year. So when we get to the end in the playoffs, you know we're ready to make our mark, because this group you said we don't have any seniors this group has an opportunity To be one of the best groups over the next two years, which would be three years ever in CIAC basketball. You know, some chance to do something special. There's so much along the way that has to go right for that to happen, but that opportunity is there and then we'll see what happens with that opportunity.
Speaker 1:With a younger team you have that opportunity to really build it up and have it for a few years. How did you come up with Locked In last year? Did you have a team vote or did you just?
Speaker 4:These guys said it all the time. I just said let's put it on a shirt.
Speaker 1:You guys had locked it on the shirts during the postseason too.
Speaker 4:Yeah, the warm-up shirts. I remember that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so, as the current reigning Division, I champions, if you had to share a piece of advice to fellow athletes and fellow coaches, what would it be?
Speaker 3:Like I said, never give up, never give up, never give up.
Speaker 1:You should get that on a shirt, not sure you keep saying that, yeah, never give up.
Speaker 3:it's very true, though, if you know there's many times we were down in games and we didn't give up, like we just kept fighting no, you guys always fought yeah it was clear to see that's good.
Speaker 2:No, I think something I would let them know would be like the work will show, like if you really consistently put in the work, like you'll see the results yeah awesome.
Speaker 4:But be patient, you know. Deal with tough, tough situations, the right. You know we've had tough situations in the past, whether it's in a game or outside of the game. I know last year we went to Boston and we had that really tough first game against a team from New Jersey.
Speaker 3:You guys remember that.
Speaker 4:And he sprained his ankle late and you were having probably your best third quarter of the season. I don't think you played that well, like that consistently, until the state playoffs again.
Speaker 4:Yeah when you had the game against WCA and then the next game where you really got going like that. I mean you had a lot of great games, but those just stand out. And you were doing that in Boston and then he sprained his ankle and Went down and then the other guys stepped up again. And that's where you learn your lessons in a season, when you that's why you challenge yourselves in season, because when you get to the state finals and you tweak your groin early.
Speaker 4:We have experience. We played a really good team that was very similar to St Bernard Big physical team, but we'd experienced that. Whether you guys knew it or not, we'd experienced it and we felt comfortable. So just stay patient and learn from those tough situations and then, if you can do that the right way, it's going to benefit you in the long run.
Speaker 1:Yeah, those are all really great pieces of advice, so now we're going to head into some rapid questions. These are a surprise, so first thing that comes to your mind, that's the answer. All right, landon.
Speaker 4:Oh, Landon's first Okay.
Speaker 1:Landon game winning shot or game saving block.
Speaker 2:Definitely game-winning shot. Definitely game-winning shot.
Speaker 1:Abdu game-winning shot or poster dunk.
Speaker 3:Poster dunk. No, no, no, game-winning, game-winning shot.
Speaker 1:There you go. That's a good answer, Coach J favorite player and team growing up.
Speaker 4:Michael Jordan Bulls.
Speaker 1:Landon biggest basketball influence.
Speaker 2:My grandfather.
Speaker 1:Abdu basketball GOAT.
Speaker 4:LeBron James coach a any game day superstitions? No, no, I don't have any game day situation. Uh, superstition, I need to. I need to leave work a little bit early maybe, just to get my mind right. You know, maybe a half an hour or 10 minutes you used to share, you know, office space you were close by, yeah. I always knew when it was game day but that's not a superstition, it's just a process.
Speaker 1:You'd watch film in the morning or the day before, and then yep, landon, pregame hype song.
Speaker 2:Anything by Lil Baby.
Speaker 1:Abdu, if you could only eat one food for an entire year, what would it?
Speaker 3:be Fried chicken.
Speaker 1:Can't go wrong with that, Coach J. Best piece of advice you've ever received.
Speaker 4:That can't go wrong with that coach a best piece of advice you've ever received. That's a tough one. My grandfather, uh, always said you know, do your best to help other people out. He was. He was a guy who like volunteered his time, you know, for the last 15, 20 years of his life. And then, you know, he always said, like when you get to a point where you could just do that and help other people out, this that was good advice because it's more rewarding yeah, that's very true, lando.
Speaker 1:You're gonna like this one favorite sneaker favorite sneaker to a point where you could just do that and help other people out. That was good advice, because it's more rewarding.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's very true, lando, you're going to like this one Favorite sneaker. Favorite sneaker I'll probably have to say, like the classic Air Force is just wear it with everything.
Speaker 1:Can't go wrong.
Speaker 2:There's a lot of sneakers.
Speaker 1:I like Abdu favorite movie.
Speaker 3:Home Alone.
Speaker 1:Home Alone.
Speaker 3:That's funny.
Speaker 4:I didn't expect that Coach J, who do you think is the best coach in the NBA right?
Speaker 1:now man, why do I get all the tough ones you?
Speaker 4:get the thinkers. Probably. Greg Popovich didn't retire yet, did he? No, he's still a coach. No, he's probably still the best coach. His personnel has gone down a little bit, but I think he's still the best coach.
Speaker 1:Okay, landon, funniest player on the team.
Speaker 2:Funniest player on the team. I would have to give it to Colin, because he was the funniest player on the team. But this year, I mean, it's still up for grabs outside.
Speaker 4:Might be you.
Speaker 1:Maybe I'm going to give myself the title. Now You're taking over for Colin.
Speaker 3:Got to.
Speaker 1:Abdu favorite basketball memory.
Speaker 3:I'll say Notre Dame Fairfield. No, not Fairfield. When I dunked on the kid freshman year.
Speaker 2:Fairfield Prep, yeah, fairfield Prep, the home game. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that was a good one, that was a good one.
Speaker 1:So you can all chime in on this Top five basketball players of all time LeBron.
Speaker 4:First, really disagree. It might be a debate there.
Speaker 1:Wait, LeBron and Jordan are number one, number two, it depends on years Three. All time.
Speaker 3:Kobe, it doesn't have to be current. Kobe.
Speaker 1:Kobe's definitely top five yeah.
Speaker 3:Kobe has to be up there, kobe's top five.
Speaker 4:Those three are all absolutely top five.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:What about Steph Curry, though? What about Steph Curry? No, no, no.
Speaker 3:No, no, steph, no. What about Steph Curry, though? What about?
Speaker 4:Steph Curry no, no, no, no. I don't think, I don't think you could say that, hmm, there's gonna be some guys before I Mean you are how far back doing ago. You guys are gonna think that I'm like dating myself, but because these are not my generation, but you, you know, bill Russell, no, what about Will Chamberlain?
Speaker 3:Oh, 100 points in a game. Yeah, wood chamberlain is up there, well.
Speaker 4:Kareem. All the time we score, until the brawl about Katie. Yeah, katie's like the best to me, the best offensive player.
Speaker 3:Yeah, ever, except for when B's gonna be up there like not better than Jordan, but yeah when Benyama going to be up there in the next few years.
Speaker 4:Not better than Jordan but yeah, yeah, not yet.
Speaker 3:Wimby is going to be up there in the next few years.
Speaker 4:We'll see. He's got a ways to go. Shaq's got to be one of the most impactful players.
Speaker 3:Well, I just met Shaq.
Speaker 4:I know that. That's why I'm surprised you didn't even mention it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Shaq's good, so that's just it's all over, we're all over the place.
Speaker 2:We mentioned a few.
Speaker 1:Landon deep threes or highlight reel assists.
Speaker 2:Deep threes or highlight reel assists. Highlight reel assists.
Speaker 3:Abdu athlete that you love to watch from a different sport.
Speaker 1:I'll probably say Travis Hunter, coach Shea, one song that you know all the words to, Chicken Fried.
Speaker 4:Zac Brown Band.
Speaker 1:I'm not singing it favorite workout, least favorite workout to do favorite workout definitely getting shots up.
Speaker 2:Least favorite workout like squats, anything like that coach griff sprints oh, that's a good one all right no, that's, I just helped you on that.
Speaker 3:Abdu best celebration on the court uh, I'll probably say looking at the ball or looking like mad when I dunk it after coach a favorite gym or court to play at notre dame easy true player, player and coach notre dame true, yeah, because you have both sides of that, landon.
Speaker 1:Besides winning the championship, what was your favorite moment from last season?
Speaker 2:my favorite moment from, I would say, the pol Poland trip. But would that count as a season?
Speaker 1:I think so yeah.
Speaker 2:Maybe, yeah, I'll probably say the Poland trip with all the guys. That was a good experience.
Speaker 1:That was fun, Abdu. How old were you when you first started playing basketball?
Speaker 3:As young as I can remember. I don't even remember.
Speaker 1:Little Okay Kouch. What do you like most about your team?
Speaker 4:Just hanging out with them. They're fun to hang out with, as they really are, just a fun group.
Speaker 1:Awesome group of guys yeah.
Speaker 4:I miss hanging. I miss when the season ends. I get upset, not because we lose or we win, just I miss hanging out with them, yes.
Speaker 1:And now last one. This is a tough question, probably the toughest one you've ever been asked. Favorite Notre Dame sports photographer.
Speaker 2:Nah, definitely Jada Bird. Jada Bird. So you're saying, if you didn't answer that I was going to have to cut it out?
Speaker 1:Okay, so, lastly, on the Glory Days podcast, we always like to wrap up by asking our guests what do you think?
Speaker 3:the purpose of high school sports is To develop, to get into college. Mm-hmm yeah.
Speaker 1:Mentally and physically yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean, I just think like compete against like the other local kids and see how you stack up.
Speaker 4:I mean this could be a long answer, but it's about experience. Sports teach values that you can't teach as effectively in the classroom or anywhere else, because you have the ability to hold guys accountable. So when you're trying to teach things, ultimately it comes down to everybody wants to play, everybody wants playing time, get on the court, and so you're trying to teach guys something. You're trying to teach things. Ultimately it comes down to everybody wants to play, everybody wants playing time, get on the court, and so you're trying to teach guys something. You're trying to teach them to do better in the classroom. You're trying to teach them how to behave properly. You know just how to be good people. Having sport as a motivating factor to encourage them to do that. I don't know if there's many places that high school-age student-athletes have that'll do it better than athletics.
Speaker 1:It really helps make you a well-rounded person.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, thank you guys for joining me today. It was awesome, we had a great conversation and I wish you the best of luck in this upcoming season. I hope you're able to come out with another championship.
Speaker 2:Thanks for having us. Thank you.