Player of the Year Mindset, introducing Miles Novy-Hildesley from Lincoln H.S.

This week on the show, we sit down with Portland Interscholastic League Player of the Year Miles Novy-Hildesley of Lincoln High School, alongside his first-year head coach Kalin Walling—a Lincoln alum who returned home after playing and coaching at the collegiate level in California.

Miles shares his full basketball journey, from his early days in the game to the adversity that nearly derailed it all—a serious shoulder injury and surgery during his junior year. In a powerful comeback story, he opens up about the physical and mental grind of recovery, what it took to return stronger, and how that resilience helped propel him to one of the top honors in Portland high school basketball. Now, he’s taking the next step—heading to MIT to continue his academic and athletic career.

Coach Walling offers a unique perspective, reflecting on his first season leading the program and what it meant to guide a player like Miles. He also shares practical, grounded advice for parents and young athletes on developing discipline, embracing adversity, and building the kind of work ethic that sets players apart.

This episode is about perseverance, leadership, and what it really takes to turn setbacks into defining moments.

www.pilhalloffame.org

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:10

Welcome back to the 12 and 32 podcast. We're excited to be here today in another great episode highlighting Portland's athletes and stories that inspire the next generation. Today's episode is a special one. We've got Lincoln High School's head basketball coach, Calen Walling, with us, along with Portland Interscholactic League Player of the Year, Miles Novi Hills this lady. Miles is headed to MIT to continue both his academic and basketball career, and his story is exactly what we love to highlight: hard work, discipline, and doing things the right way, both on and off the court.

SPEAKER_02 0:46

Okay, Miles, let's start with you. Can you take us a little bit back? When did you first start playing basketball and when did it become important in your life?

SPEAKER_00 0:55

Yeah, I mean, I remember really clearly some of the first games I played in was at this church league, and my mom was actually coaching the team. She played semi-professionally, so she was always really into basketball, and I think that was definitely something that made me interested in the sport and made me want to try it out. And it just brought me a ton of joy. I remember being a tiny kid. I think this may have been when I was like five or six, and I was playing in these games and just having a great time. And then by the time I was probably eight, I definitely started to take it more seriously and started playing with a little bit of an AU program. I played at the Beaverton Hoop for a little while, and then I played with Clutch Players, a club that is is no longer around, and that was, I think, when it kind of started becoming something super important, like eight to ten. I started taking it a lot more seriously, working out more in the summer, and just yeah, playing with that club pretty much year-round, whether it was in-games or just practices.

SPEAKER_02 1:50

Okay, uh following up on that, Coach said that you and some of your teammates played together when you were growing up since you were even young.

SPEAKER_00 1:58

Yeah, for sure. We had this team called Blitz, and it was actually coached by one of my good friends' dads, Trevor Kaffee. And so I did play with them some. I also played with that team Clutch some of the time, but it was definitely something that the whole friend group was really interested in. Every single day at recess, we'd go out, play basketball some of the time. I'd practice with that team Blitz, and so yeah, it's definitely been something that I feel like is a big part of the the Lincoln community and my group of friends, which has been super fun. And then this senior year, getting to play with a lot of them who I've played with since I was really in elementary school was a great time.

SPEAKER_02 2:30

That's great. Was there a moment when you realized I could be pretty good at this?

SPEAKER_00 2:36

I mean, I honestly think that came a lot later. Like when I was younger, I felt like I was a good basketball player, was something I really enjoyed, and I enjoyed all of the stuff it brought me, just like the opportunities to work out, get in better shape, and I did love the sport, and then I think sophomore year when I started playing varsity and I also grew a fair bit, got a little bit more athletic, I started to realize it was definitely something I could be good at. And from the beginning I did have the goal of playing in college, but I think when I realized I was actually gonna get pretty good at basketball, it was more into high school freshman sophomore year.

SPEAKER_02 3:12

Okay, let's look at that. Can you be more specific about this? Uh what areas did did you start working on to improve as you got older? What were the areas?

SPEAKER_00 3:22

Yeah, it was so I was playing for players only at this time, maybe freshman sophomore year. I think this summer going into my freshman year is when I started with them. And the head coach there, Marquise, really encouraged me to start working on my athleticism even more than I already had. My parents had me lifting when I was pretty young, but he introduced me to rogue performance therapy, and they're a group in Tiger who does a lot of training, and so I started focusing a ton on just working on my athleticism, working on my body, and I think that helped a lot, especially with that transition into high school from more playing in middle school and with younger kids to be able to keep up on the court physically. And then also we did a ton of skill work with that program with players only and getting to play in higher-level tournaments, I think, helped a lot.

SPEAKER_02 4:07

Were you always one of the top players, or did that come later and what separated you?

SPEAKER_00 4:12

Uh, my freshman year, we had a really, really good team. I think they might have even got third. Um, and so I wasn't really playing varsity. We would scrimmage with JV occasionally as the freshman team, and so I definitely don't think I got a lot of exposure to the state. I played well in AAU, but not exceptionally. And then sophomore year, I started to definitely start playing better, played on varsity, swung at the beginning of the year, and then by the end of the year I was starting on varsity and getting solid minutes, and so I think some of the rankings started to come along then, but not even a ton. And then junior year I was really looking forward to as like a big year to break out, and I know we might talk about that later, but ended up breaking my shoulder and not really having a junior year.

SPEAKER_02 4:56

Well, that was the next question I was gonna ask you, talking about some of the challenges maybe that you've uh had to overcome here in your high school career. Can you talk a little bit about what happened with your shoulder your junior year?

SPEAKER_00 5:06

Yeah, absolutely. So in hindsight, it's a little bit of a funny story, or not funny, just ironic how perfect the timing was. But we were at the Barlow Jamboree, which is literally not even, it doesn't go towards rankings. It pretty much means nothing other than people just getting a chance to get on the court, see how other teams are looking. And I went up for a dunk, I got my legs taken out from under me, and I really just landed on that right shoulder and like the right side of my head, like pretty much fully upside down. And so it ended up dislocating, tearing the labrum, and tearing a couple other ligaments in there. And so I ended up needing surgery, and it was about a six to eight month recovery before I could play again. So, yeah, that was definitely, I would say, the biggest single challenge I faced in in my high school career.

SPEAKER_02 5:51

Well, that sounds like quite the uh quite the comeback, and so uh we're proud of you for doing that. That's great.

SPEAKER_03 5:57

Coach Wally, you uh you kind of had a front row seat to part of this journey. Coming into Lincoln as a new head coach, what stood out to you right away about Miles?

SPEAKER_01 6:09

Um I think you can see the work that he talked about putting in when he was younger. I mean, he when you meet him, uh he stands over you. So um, you know, he he has this um this physical presence, you know, he's a strong kid. Um but I think this the thing that that separates him that stood out to me uh was like just the way he carries himself, the way he communicates, having to go through that injury recovery process, I think forced him to kind of grow up and mature. He obviously had to take his recovery really seriously. Obviously, you know, he was already in good shape, so you know, he he already had a sense of what taking care of his body was like. But um, you know, when I met him, having heard that, you know, hey, this is your best player, and then finally getting to meet him, um, just a really good feeling, like, oh man, this is this is gonna be so fun. Like, I'm so excited. What what a great opportunity for me as a first year coach to have this seemingly very reliable, important person in the in the organization. So, yeah, really respectful, communicates well, thinks highly of himself. And, you know, we were joking before we got on here, like he's saying, hey, you know, maybe I'll just see if I can go out for the NFL. Like he, you know, he he has the the athleticism of a professional athlete, so um, you know, you can't tell quite by looking at him, but when you you you could guess that maybe he would have that, and then when you watch him play, uh you see that he does he does have this sort of freakish level of athleticism that yeah, that's it's hard to miss.

SPEAKER_03 7:40

No question. Uh I just mentioned Miles, and and uh it's obvious to us you got the charisma that Jeff and I have seen over the decades that just stands out. And sometimes it's you know, we've kind of noticed on the podcast, it's just some a lot of it is just maturity. It comes in an athletic form and it comes in uh just personal development form. So, you know, aside from that, you know, what makes Miles different, not just as a player, but how about his leadership skills and and what do you think he's gonna expect as freshman uh in college next year as he walks into a into uh you know an experienced program?

SPEAKER_01 8:14

I mean, I hope it's not gonna be easy for him, you know, just because uh, you know, I really uh appreciate this young man and and look forward to hearing uh and witnessing the growth that he's gonna go through over the next 12 months as he pursues his basketball career. After being in the gym with him every day, six days a week for you know five months or whatever, um he's gonna be able to handle it, whatever it is. I wouldn't say that it's been you know, this year was not easy for him, you know. Nobody who who expects to get double and triple teamed every time they touch the ball would say, like, yeah, this is gonna be easy. But um having witnessed the way he he dealt with uh issues um, you know, that that come up just throughout the course of the season, I'm really excited for him. Um, you know, he does have this I can do anything mindset that's that's probably gonna help separate him from some people even at that level, I would I would suggest. And and that, you know, he's a great teammate, he has a great great leadership mindset, um, he works really hard and takes care of his body, and so anybody at any level, he's a good pickup. So excited for him, excited for that program.

SPEAKER_03 9:20

So, you know, back to your program. You know, you've got a year into this, uh decent year. Has he impacted the culture? Do you think it's gonna have a a lasting couple years in terms of uh how it affects practice, off season, those kind of things?

SPEAKER_01 9:37

I mean, we miss him already, you know, and his group of peers that he mentioned too, you know, we had nine seniors. I don't I don't want to speak for him. Seemed like it was easy for him to be a leader in that context because he, you know, he knew all those guys really well, and he and as a program and as an individual, he had some some lofty goals that uh I think we reached almost all of them. We wanted to make it to the child center, fell a little bit short. Um but um yeah.

SPEAKER_03 10:02

What did the what did the group as a whole show you this year about Lincoln and the community and and your basketball future?

SPEAKER_01 10:08

I think that people just want to be part of something, you know, and it's like uh people sort of started to come out of the woodwork and and offer help and they were excited that I got there. I mean, not not just the kids, but the the community, the parents, the administrators. Uh we have an awesome principal, Peyton. Like everyone was just really welcoming, and so it just made me feel confident that I could just get in the gym and get to work, and you know, the in terms of establishing a culture, like I don't know how much of an impact, you know, a lasting impact necessarily Miles himself will have, but it was a great year, and if you know he definitely gives us a a chance to build some momentum off of what we did this year. So part of that is like trying to convince these guys to stay in the gym, you know. So like making sure that they know that we appreciate them for all their work and that they're always welcome, and you know, we want to try to create this sense of community and culture that it's like you know, Lincoln has had a rich basketball culture. The PIL has you know has um lots of stories that you that you could go to over time, and and we just want to bring it back and um you know feel like feel like we were part of that. The PIL had six teams that went to the uh playoffs and um two teams that went to the child center, Benson and Grant, did really well. So I was excited for them. And we we played them really well, uh, beat Benson at home. Uh could have beat Grant, you know, if uh I'd done a better job of trying to figure out how to keep Miles out of foul trouble. Um but yeah, just really exciting, really great first year, lots to build on, but uh there's no way to make up you know for losing a guy like this and and uh his peers that were with him on the ride.

SPEAKER_03 11:46

Coach, you bleed Cardinal Red, you played there in the late 90s, coached very competitive youth ball, and coached college-level ball in California. For the younger players listening, what habits separate players like Miles from everyone else?

SPEAKER_01 12:02

Yeah, I think taking ownership over your own development is is an important aspect of it, and that's something that you know Miles had goals and he was clear on the things that he was good at and and things he wanted to improve. And so, you know, I think the curiosity, the um just the ownership over, you know, this is something I want to be good at, and and and knowing where you're at in the development of all these skills. Like we know about we know that basketball takes all of these you know complex skill sets. Um you know, playing defense is a lot different from you know handling the ball or shooting the ball and variety of shots, different skill sets in that. So um I think that kids that just you know um give themselves the room to make mistakes and knowing that that's that that that's part of how you grow, that you know, basketball takes failure to get better or perceived failure. So I think the kids that um that just stick to it, that love it, that are comfortable enough in in the mindset of like, man, this next one's in, or you know, um I just gotta get back out there. And I also think that kids that do multiple activities, there's a lot of evidence showing that sport specialization from a young age that had kind of become very popular is is possibly not the best thing. So, you know, kids can get burnt out, and and you know, cross-training is a real thing, you know, not just physically but mentally. Um so this year, you know, a a couple of the key players, Miles Cousin, Harlan, Zach Davenport, Quinn, Quinn Hanson, they're all soccer players, you know, and and multi-sport athletes, but um their spatial awareness, their you know, their ability to function as a team player, I think that that those other other sports really help them. So both of those things. Give yourself space to make mistakes, be invested in your own uh development, and then uh having a healthy balance of other activities that you do.

SPEAKER_02 13:52

I like it. That's awesome, coach. It's uh you're saying all the right things. And get off your phone. Stay off your phone. Miles. Okay, Miles, your coach had a lot of nice things to say about you. Uh let's take a look from your end uh about some of those things. Uh question to you. MIT is obviously one of the top academic institutions you know in the world, literally. When did this become or when did this school become a goal for you or talk about that decision?

SPEAKER_00 14:20

Yeah, for sure. I mean, I think I always knew, like I said earlier, that I wanted to play basketball in college, but I also knew that I was gonna have the option academically to go to a pretty good school, and so I decided from early on that I wanted basketball to help me with that and help me get into a school where I was pushing the edge of what I was capable of academically, and then obviously also getting the opportunity to play basketball in college, and so I think I kind of looked at the two things as combined to where could this potentially get me, and so especially when I broke my shoulder and started thinking about from a recruiting perspective, like not playing junior year is obviously a challenge, and so I reached out to MIT and we ended up having a good conversation on text with the head coach at the time, Larry Anderson, and got on a Zoom pretty quickly after that. And so I think just knowing that basketball wasn't kind of gonna be the end-all be-all for my college experience, like I wanted it to combine with the academics was super important for that school in particular becoming one of my goals and somewhere where I really wanted to go.

SPEAKER_02 15:23

That's awesome. Can you explain a little bit uh during your years here at Lincoln, uh, how are you able to balance the academics and the athletics? Because you're obviously a high-level athlete, like coaches alluded to, but also academics, you have to be at the top of your class as well. So how are you able to balance that, those two?

SPEAKER_00 15:40

Yeah, for sure. I mean, I think that was one of the biggest challenges, and I I also feel like I was able to have a lot of fun in my high school experience. So I think it was very challenging with academics coming into Lincoln from West Sylvan because you're going from not necessarily taking the most challenging classes. I was in some advanced classes in middle school, but going to the full IB program where a lot of the classes you're taking are college-level classes or even second-year college classes in some cases. It's obviously a big step up from middle school. And so I think something that was important for me was just really planning out my time and thinking at the beginning of a day, like what are all the things that I want to get done today? And so then having a better sense of where am I headed with these 14 hours, 16 hours that I'm awake was super helpful. And I think it's a lot, it's a lot more simple, but it is challenging than people think, just to try and decide what you want to do with your day, even writing it down, like some of the times in my notes app on my phone or just in a journal at the beginning of the day, I'd be like, okay, here are the eight productive things I want to do. And a lot of the time they're not too lofty, you know, like you have a lot of time in the day, and so getting those things done was often possible. And I think taking it just one day at a time, what do I need to focus on? I think sometimes with the academics, I'd be too focused on one class, you know, so it's hard to not not overfocus on one thing and when you have a lot of things going on, and so I think a big part of it for me was just writing things down and making sure I wasn't getting overly drawn into basketball or overly drawn into one class, but trying to balance all of those things at the same time.

SPEAKER_02 17:19

Well, that sounds like a really good plan. Uh, this next question uh I want to talk ask you is uh comes from my wife who's listened to our first two podcasts and tell me you didn't ask them what they want to do after they get out of college. So this is for you, Mary. So, what are you gonna study at MIT and what do you hope to do post-college? What's your career path?

SPEAKER_00 17:39

Yeah, for sure. I'm actually an undecided major, and I'm really looking forward to my freshman year just taking a bunch of different classes and trying to find out more about what I'm interested in. But one thing that I have definitely been considering, and it's interesting we talked about a knee surgery before we got on live here, but is medicine. And so I shadowed a surgeon earlier this year and watched a shoulder replacement. He was actually my shoulder surgeon. Yeah, Aaron Schwartz, he actually is an amazing doctor, and like I said, I shadowed with him. I've met with him about a couple other much more minor injuries, and super appreciate all of his effort on the surgery and just staying connected with me afterwards and helping me with other things that came up. So absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 18:18

Yes, Doctor, thank you for helping Miles get and stay healthy.

SPEAKER_03 18:22

So, Miles, did the D1 thing ever get in the head or ever I mean, where did where did that play in these last months and years?

SPEAKER_00 18:31

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I think in all honesty, that was kind of the goal from the beginning, and I do feel like the shoulder injury really threw a wrench in that, and so I started looking more at the D3 option, the high academic option. And I think, you know, it's it's obviously something when when you're growing up, you're thinking, okay, if I'm playing college basketball, I'm playing D1, and then you sort of learn about different levels and different advantages of different levels. And it was one thing that my club coach that I mentioned, Marquise Matthews, actually really helped with was just talking about, okay, if these are your goals and this is where you want to be, you should probably look at other levels. And because he would always meet with the players, even from when we were really young, and just say, Are you interested in playing college basketball? And if they said yes, which was me and a couple of my friends, he would just sit us down and talk to us a ton about the different levels, what it could look like, what it might look like, and what you needed to do to get there. And so I think the D1 stuff was something I was absolutely interested in, and I feel really great about where I ended up with the combination of academics and athletics. And so yeah.

SPEAKER_03 19:36

Good. So uh I looked online, they got 13 or 15 players returning at MIT. Um what tell us about the basketball program there and what attracted you to it, and uh what what you know kind of anticipate what your uh what your challenges are gonna be there.

SPEAKER_00 19:53

Yeah, for sure. I mean, I remember when I visited this fall, I was able to get in some open runs with the guys, and it was really just a very supportive environment and competitive, which I appreciated. The the pace of play was quick, and so it was definitely fun to be able to hoop with them and get to know them a little better. I think we also have it's been an interesting situation with recruitment because originally I was recruited by Larry Anderson, and now the new coach, Coach Dunn, I've had a lot of great conversations with him. And so as far as challenges, I feel really good about anything that's coming up, just talking with all the staff and some of the players about how supportive of a community it is, which is obviously something I'm gonna need with the increased academic pressure and starting to play college basketball. So I feel really good about going into that challenge with the community and the coaching staff. They all seem very supportive.

SPEAKER_03 20:45

Yeah, and family on the other side of the of the of the continent.

SPEAKER_00 20:49

For sure.

SPEAKER_02 20:49

Yeah. Okay, Miles, let's uh give you a chance here to to uh be a coach yourself. Uh if you could talk directly to like a 10-year-old in the Portland area basketball player, what would you tell them to help guide them or help inspire them?

SPEAKER_00 21:03

For sure. I mean, I think the most important thing is sort of setting those long-term goals and really deciding, okay, in eight years when I'm going to college, what do I want it to look like and what's the most important thing to me? And it doesn't have to be, oh, I want to play at a high academic school. It could absolutely be I want to play at the highest level of basketball and and get that aspect out of my basketball career. And so I think just deciding what you feel like is the most important thing for you and what you're gonna feel good about in eight years is super important, and then using all of your resources that you possibly can once you've decided that for yourself to help you. So for me in my younger years, that was definitely the clutch players' club program and then the players only club program, and talking to those coaches about how can I develop, how do you see me achieving these goals, and also my parents always supported me a ton along the way, whether that's financially with basketball, I mean it's certainly. Not the cheapest sport to get this training and play club basketball, and also just supporting me a ton emotionally and mentally with all the challenges with school. And so I think, yeah, the biggest thing is taking a lot of time, and that could even just be over a week sitting down and really thinking about what you want it to look like in eight years and deciding, and then trying to use your entire network and talking to your parents, talking to people you're close to about how you think you can achieve that, and then listening to them because they've experienced a lot more than you have.

SPEAKER_02 22:29

Wow, what a great plan. The the preparation and just the coordination and then just the inspiration that you have talk about with your notes and things is amazing. So here's your chance to tell us and tell the listeners, what has basketball given you just beyond the game itself? Maybe your team, maybe the whole situation at Lincoln, your club. What has basketball meant to you and given you?

SPEAKER_00 22:52

Yeah, for sure. I mean, it's interesting you asked that question because in the early years it was super frustrating. Like I had a lot of times where I'd feel a little bit lost on the court and not feel like I knew exactly what I was doing, and talked, I mean, and this is a long time ago when I was maybe eight, nine, and ten, and talking with my parents about is this the right sport for me? And so I'm so grateful that I continued with that challenge and had the support of everyone around me to continue. And so I think one of the biggest things it's given me is just that that mentality that Coach Walling did talk about of just like, I really do feel like I can do anything, and that happened from it being super hard with basketball and super frustrating at times, to then this year just feeling like I get so much joy from all the work I've put in and all those relationships that basketball has helped me build, whether it's at the rogue training facility that I was talking about earlier with all my friends that I've trained with there since maybe three or four years ago, and just from all around the Portland area, and my boys that I've known since elementary school I've been playing with. So just that feeling that even if something's super frustrating, you gotta persevere, you gotta keep going if it's something you care about, and that'll end up bringing you a ton of joy. I think that helped a lot with my shoulder recovery as well.

SPEAKER_02 24:07

Awesome, great. Okay, coach, here's your chance to give us some input and your perspective on what young players or what your players now you have or in the in the younger posts. What should they spend more time focusing on? You kind of alluded to it earlier, but we'd love to hear your perspective on uh what they should look at.

SPEAKER_01 24:26

He's not ex he's not obsessed with social media, he's not always on his phone. Um we made we made a rule that uh no no phones in the gym, no phones on the bus. And um, you know, some of his peers I'd have to remind them, but but never him. Um so I think that um you know Miles is different. You know, I think that people should write down their goals and have you know try to visualize this the things that they want out of activities, but I think that there's also just a little, you know, it's a game, and we want people to have fun with it and just um do it as an as an experience to to just learn about themselves. You know, that's that's one of the reasons that I love playing still, is that you know the way I respond to things gives me a glimpse into who I am and how I'm reacting to the things that that are happening in my environment. So uh for kids, just get out and play, you know. I mean, you know, the culture of of basketball, of pick-up basketball is is a lot different. Um, you know, so just the more kids can get outside, get in the gym, get shots up, and just just interact and play with one another. Um, you know, I think that that's really important.

SPEAKER_02 25:37

So thanks for your perspective.

SPEAKER_03 25:39

Well, today's episode is brought to you by the barbers, the old-fashioned barber experience with a sports twist. With 30 locations near you, book your haircut today at the barbersonline.com. All right, gentlemen, we're finishing up here with a quick rapid fire, a new segment we call The Barbers Hot Seat. Miles, you're first, you're up. What's your favorite player growing up?

SPEAKER_00 26:02

I'd have to say Anthony Edwards. I mean, super athletic guy, and I've been watching him since he was playing in college, and I just felt like a lot of the stuff in his game and how his game has developed has been inspiring to me as I go forward. I mean, originally in high school he was definitely more of just like a raw athlete talent, and now in the NBA you see him averaging 30 and scoring from everywhere. So yeah, that's that's my reasoning.

SPEAKER_03 26:28

Perfect. Next one. What's uh the favorite, your favorite gym to play in in Portland?

SPEAKER_00 26:33

I'd have to say the PAC, the Portland Athletic Club. It's where a guy named Juma Kamara used to train, but it's actually closed down recently. So my second favorite that's still open is the Mac, just somewhere I've gone with my friends a ton to play. Sorry, I thought we were talking about non-school gyms, but yes. If Lincoln's included, absolutely Lincoln, I'd love to play comeback. Coach Wally actually knows this. I always felt like I shot better at home.

SPEAKER_03 27:00

So don't worry, Coach, I don't miss at home. There's always that floor, that background, that lighting, that rim that you just felt like you could hit it, right? Yeah, absolutely. That's what you're doing.

SPEAKER_00 27:09

No, I thought we were talking about memories here, but yes, Lincoln 100%.

SPEAKER_02 27:14

Okay, uh coach, uh, one word to describe this 2025, 2026 team. One word.

SPEAKER_01 27:26

Deep. They were a deep team across the board. Miles is probably like, who's gonna be out there with me tonight? And I'm like, we'll see. We'll see once we get going. Yeah, deep team. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_02 27:36

That's great. That's it. Okay, what excites you most about next season?

SPEAKER_01 27:41

I guess, you know, without this guy in uh, you know, not in the way, I would love to have him in the way again. You know, I guess uh it'll be on me and and the coaching staff and and the kids to to see if we can continue to develop this identity of just a hard-nosed defensive team. Um we obviously we won't have the same size and athleticism. So I think that we're gonna have to really continue to uh they did a good job this year and I'm looking for more of that, but just really want a a gritty, uh fast-paced, tough team that you know, so that when they leave they can say what Miles said, which is like I feel like having gone through this experience showed me that I can deal with anything that comes my way. So um looking forward to it, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 28:26

Awesome. Back to Miles. One word to describe your game.

SPEAKER_00 28:31

I would say energy. Yeah, I don't know. I definitely felt like this year I could have worked on my conditioning a little more, but I think just playing with a lot of energy has always been something I care a ton about, and also just having positive energy around my teammates. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 28:48

Miles and Coach Walling, this is what it's all about Lincoln basketball, doing it the right way. Miles, we're excited to follow your journey, MIT. And coach, we're looking forward to what's ahead of Lincoln. Congratulations on that. And to all the young athletes listening, this is your blueprint for success. Hard work, discipline, commitment in the classroom, and on the court. Thanks again for joining us, and we'll see you next time on the 12 and 32 podcast.