Speaker 1: It was just so different, you know, Like I said,
Speaker 1: I've never received a FaceTime call from a coach for
Speaker 1: the first time, and to get the call, but then also,
Speaker 1: like she'd always talked about how like my reactions to
Speaker 1: seeing him and like hearing like the University of Kentucky,
Speaker 1: like it was different than hearing all the other schools,
Speaker 1: you know, and that's kind of like when I first
Speaker 1: like I had always known that, you know, I was
Speaker 1: waiting for that phone call I wanted to hear from
Speaker 1: from this university, but to actually like have it happen
Speaker 1: and experienced.
Speaker 2: That moment, like it was, it was unbelievable and it
Speaker 2: was different.
Speaker 3: Is that I don't know, get you guys more excited
Speaker 3: that they're like embracing that, and you guys kind of
Speaker 3: have fun and it's almost like you have these inside jokes. Yeah,
Speaker 3: but then they get put on social media and everybody
Speaker 3: can kind of have.
Speaker 2: Fun with you.
Speaker 1: It's definitely fun because like like you get to look
Speaker 1: at them and what they're doing on social media and
Speaker 1: it's like, man, they're just like us, you know, like
Speaker 1: they're just they're super excited to be here, you know,
Speaker 1: they want to take everybody in.
Speaker 2: They want to see what BBN is about.
Speaker 3: How does it feel knowing that you know, your pictures
Speaker 3: this team will be next to pictures of those teams
Speaker 3: around this facility someday.
Speaker 2: Honestly, it's crazy.
Speaker 1: I haven't even thought about that, but just the thought
Speaker 1: of it now, like it's really it's unreal, you know,
Speaker 1: because when when I first came from my visit, like
Speaker 1: that's one of the first things you see and you're
Speaker 1: just like wow, like this is like you're really here.
Speaker 2: You know, it's the historic place that you've.
Speaker 1: Always dreamt about being at and you see all that
Speaker 1: in its motivation. But then, like you said, like one
Speaker 1: day we'll be up there too, So that's crazy to
Speaker 1: think about.
Speaker 3: Welcome into another episode of Behind Kentucky Basketball. I'm your
Speaker 3: host Michelle Knezevic joined with Kobe Bret Kobe, Welcome.
Speaker 4: To the pod.
Speaker 2: Thank you, thank you, pleasure. It's pleasure to be here a.
Speaker 4: Little early this morning. You have your coffee yet.
Speaker 2: Ready to get I'm not a coffee guy.
Speaker 4: I'm not a coffee guy.
Speaker 1: I'm gonna go with some water. Just wake up, take
Speaker 1: a shower, and get my day going.
Speaker 2: I don't need coffee, Okay.
Speaker 3: Better than me and probably must have society. Not a
Speaker 3: comp person doesn't even need caffeine. Well, first off, Kobe
Speaker 3: coming off Big Blue mannis, I've been asking everybody about this.
Speaker 3: What was it like entering Reparina for the first time.
Speaker 3: I think it's incredible that you brought the Dominican Republic
Speaker 3: flag out.
Speaker 4: Why did you choose to do that? And what was
Speaker 4: that moment like for you?
Speaker 2: Man?
Speaker 1: It was honestly, it was unreal Like I think there
Speaker 1: was a lot of nerves going into it, just because
Speaker 1: you kind of don't really know what to expect, you know,
Speaker 1: you never really put in that stage, and then to
Speaker 1: finally be in it, it was just, man, it was
Speaker 1: a great experience, unbelievable. Definitely had to bring on my flag,
Speaker 1: like you said, just to show a little bit of
Speaker 1: my culture where I come from, represent my country and
Speaker 1: my family.
Speaker 2: So that was big for me.
Speaker 1: That was huge for me, and it was fun to
Speaker 1: see that a lot of people actually liked it and
Speaker 1: enjoyed it, So it was really fun.
Speaker 3: What was it like maybe getting prepared for that moment
Speaker 3: with your other teammates.
Speaker 4: Lamon comes out rapping.
Speaker 3: Everybody had their own song, Curz dancing, to Single.
Speaker 4: Ladies, which is like probably going to be a meme forever.
Speaker 3: How fun was that creating a unique entrance for each
Speaker 3: one of you?
Speaker 1: It was just fun because like everybody got to see,
Speaker 1: like what happened when we all came out and everything.
Speaker 1: But I feel like it was so much fun just
Speaker 1: behind the scenes in the locker room, you know, everybody
Speaker 1: playing their song a little bit, dancing, trying to like
Speaker 1: see what they're gonna do for their entrants and stuff,
Speaker 1: and so we all got to get a little glimpse
Speaker 1: of Kurr in this song and everything before it actually happens.
Speaker 1: So it was just fun, you know, just to see
Speaker 1: everybody come out of their show and just beat themselves.
Speaker 3: And then Jackson, you know, you have Jackson vlogging on
Speaker 3: the on the camera, lamont rapping, Kurr dancing to single Ladies,
Speaker 3: you bringing out the flag.
Speaker 4: Everybody their own unique thing.
Speaker 3: How fun is it to show all your personalities? I mean,
Speaker 3: you have a head coach personality is larger than life
Speaker 3: but also enhances you all to be yourself.
Speaker 2: Man, It's I love it, I really do it.
Speaker 1: It's fun, like for myself, but also to see, like
Speaker 1: the other guys just like you said, and that's something
Speaker 1: that Coach Pope like he emphasized es He's like, man like,
Speaker 1: be yourself, like show a part of you that you
Speaker 1: want to share with BBN well like like they're gonna
Speaker 1: love it. And so that's kind of what opened my
Speaker 1: eyes to be like, let me, let me try this,
Speaker 1: you know, let them see where I'm from and kind
Speaker 1: of like what we do out there. And then you know, Jack's,
Speaker 1: like you said, with his camera, you know, coming out
Speaker 1: of his shows too, just showing what he likes to do.
Speaker 1: And Kurb being Kerr because I think everybody knows that
Speaker 1: that's exactly who he is.
Speaker 2: He doesn't hide it.
Speaker 1: But you know, just a bunch of the other guys too,
Speaker 1: Like they all did their own thing and they had
Speaker 1: fun with it, and we all enjoy seeing each other.
Speaker 3: So the fan base and all of us are, you know,
Speaker 3: counting down the days until we get to see this team.
Speaker 4: Live and action in reperena.
Speaker 3: But to see all of those personalities and the confidence
Speaker 3: right right showing your personality, you gotta have a lot
Speaker 3: of confidence, you know. How has that translated for you
Speaker 3: all on the court behind the scenes, and maybe is it?
Speaker 3: Is it different than any other group you've played before.
Speaker 1: With Kobe, It's definitely different, just because I feel like
Speaker 1: I feel like every single player on our team is different.
Speaker 1: You know, like they're their own person their own personality,
Speaker 1: and it just like we joe very well together, you know,
Speaker 1: and you kind of see it on the court, like
Speaker 1: even after Big Blue Man, this is kind of like
Speaker 1: we know more about each other, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1: So when we get on the court, it's just a
Speaker 1: lot more fun, you know, like we play with each
Speaker 1: other and stuff. But when it's time to you know,
Speaker 1: get serious and business is business as usual. So but
Speaker 1: you know, it's always fun to get to know your
Speaker 1: brother a little bit.
Speaker 4: More business as usual.
Speaker 3: Andrew Carr said, to watch you do shooting drills in
Speaker 3: practice is probably one of the coolest things because we
Speaker 3: all know that you're quite the sharp shooter. You know,
Speaker 3: almost fifty percent from three last year in all of
Speaker 3: college basketball. It is the highest market in NCAA in
Speaker 3: six seasons, just under fifty percent.
Speaker 4: Did you know that I actually did not learning something new?
Speaker 4: Every day we love it we go.
Speaker 3: So BBN is very excited to see you live in action.
Speaker 3: Andrew Carr said, like you see what somebody could do
Speaker 3: on the court, but then to watch him in practice focus,
Speaker 3: you know, drill after drill after drill.
Speaker 4: To hear him say that, Like, does that get you hired?
Speaker 2: Yeah? For sure?
Speaker 1: That's pretty cool, you know because I'm like when I'm
Speaker 1: in that groove and I'm just working out, like I'm
Speaker 1: just so focused, you know, I'm not really worried about
Speaker 1: like what's going on on the outside, who's watching or
Speaker 1: what's going on. I'm just kind of you know, like
Speaker 1: like I said, just focused on what I'm doing. But
Speaker 1: you know, to hear somebody on my team say that's
Speaker 1: pretty cool, and I could say the same, Like it
Speaker 1: goes around for the whole team, like everybody's locked and
Speaker 1: when they do their thing.
Speaker 2: But it's always good to receive a little comments. I
Speaker 2: appreciate that.
Speaker 3: So how did you get into basketball, Kobe? I know
Speaker 3: you mentioned both your parents are from the Dominican Republic.
Speaker 3: We talked about baseball earlier this season. Obviously baseball is
Speaker 3: extremely popular there. Did you play baseball growing up? Was
Speaker 3: it always basketball? What was that?
Speaker 2: Like?
Speaker 1: I always say for me, it was always basketball, Like
Speaker 1: I always wanted to play ball. They definitely try to
Speaker 1: get me into baseball, which I'm a little surprised about
Speaker 1: because my dad himself played basketball. But I guess just
Speaker 1: everybody around him was like, man like he could be
Speaker 1: a really good pitcher.
Speaker 2: I guess they just saw it in me. And I
Speaker 2: tried it.
Speaker 1: I was pretty good at it, but I just didn't
Speaker 1: like it, didn't have the same love for it. So
Speaker 1: I just always went back to basketball.
Speaker 2: You know.
Speaker 1: I would watch my dad play all day every day,
Speaker 1: and I would just always have the ball with me,
Speaker 1: bouncing around everywhere I went, And like, I just always
Speaker 1: been in love with the game. And since then, you know,
Speaker 1: it's just carried on.
Speaker 3: Was there a player that you remember watching as a
Speaker 3: little kid that helped you love it even more?
Speaker 1: Definitely Kobe Bryant Kitting Yeah, definitely Kobe. And my dad
Speaker 1: was a really big like I mean, he still is
Speaker 1: a big Lakers fan, and so just to watch him
Speaker 1: watch the Lakers, and I wouldn't really pay too much
Speaker 1: sense of the Lakers. I'd just be watching Kobe just
Speaker 1: seeing everything he does. And then all the stories you
Speaker 1: hear about him, you know, like of other players and
Speaker 1: coaches and his mentality and all that kind of stuff.
Speaker 1: Like it just kind of made me grow my love
Speaker 1: for him even more.
Speaker 2: So.
Speaker 3: I think it's really interesting you say that because Kentucky's
Speaker 3: also one of the only schools that is the official
Speaker 3: Mama Seita School where Vanessa Bryant, right, and her daughter
Speaker 3: Gigi and the shoes and the Mama Sita Foundation, Kentucky
Speaker 3: being one of those schools, So having that be a factor,
Speaker 3: and then obviously meeting Coach Pope and Kentucky basketball, having
Speaker 3: maybe all three of those pillars collide and to have
Speaker 3: you here.
Speaker 1: Facts it's crazy really, Like it's like you said, like
Speaker 1: the more like I looked into Kentucky, it was just
Speaker 1: more like like, Wow, this is really the place for me,
Speaker 1: even in ways that like like yeah, it's not that
Speaker 1: important really, but it's still like just another plus for me,
Speaker 1: you know, like, Wow, I'm around, like Kobe Bryant has
Speaker 1: always been my idol and stuff, and he chose Kentucky
Speaker 1: as one of the schools that he wanted to represent
Speaker 1: stuff like that, and so you know, it's it's it's
Speaker 1: a blessing to be here and everything that comes with it,
Speaker 1: and I'm just really excited for.
Speaker 3: This opportunity and I know that Kobe fours, are your favorite.
Speaker 2: Ones playing or no?
Speaker 1: No, honestly, just I love all Kobe's a pretty long list.
Speaker 1: I do like the fourst but I'm probably more of
Speaker 1: a five or six guy for sure. I love five
Speaker 1: or sixes. I hate that they haven't really came out
Speaker 1: with some blue color ways for sixes.
Speaker 4: But you know you're listening.
Speaker 2: You're listening for sure for sure.
Speaker 1: But like I said earlier, you know I'm definitely gonna
Speaker 1: be rocking Kobe's the whole year, so you know, the
Speaker 1: stay tuned.
Speaker 2: I got some good stuff in the bag. So okay, so.
Speaker 3: The Kobe Collection, Kobe's Kobe Collection, I mean round twenty
Speaker 3: ish home games, do you.
Speaker 1: Think I think Yeah, Like I said earlier, I'm trying
Speaker 1: to do a different shooper game that might be a
Speaker 1: little harder, but I think I have the right amount
Speaker 1: for it.
Speaker 2: I just gotta you know, we'll see, We'll see what happens.
Speaker 4: Eyes eyes on the shoes, on the shoes. And also
Speaker 4: the three pointers.
Speaker 3: So we talked about you know you're at Dayton, right,
Speaker 3: sharp shooter, you're ender the portal.
Speaker 4: Andrew told us that he.
Speaker 3: Just got a random FaceTime one day from a random number,
Speaker 3: How did you make the connection with coach Pope?
Speaker 4: How did he reach out? And then how did this
Speaker 4: all come fruition?
Speaker 2: It was the exact same thing, random FaceTime coach.
Speaker 4: There you go.
Speaker 1: Thanks, But it's just really funny because you know, going
Speaker 1: through the whole process like that was the first time
Speaker 1: and I think the only time that my first phone
Speaker 1: call from my head coach was through FaceTime, So it
Speaker 1: was just like it was really unique. On his behalf,
Speaker 1: I was a little confused. I saw it was a
Speaker 1: random number, and usually I went and pick up the
Speaker 1: random number through FaceTime, but around that time, obviously a
Speaker 1: lot of coaches were calling, so I was like, Okay,
Speaker 1: maybe it's a coach or something. And I picked up
Speaker 1: and he just had a big smile on his face,
Speaker 1: like super energetic what he is every day. But that
Speaker 1: was my first time experiencing that, you know, seeing him
Speaker 1: and that and that that like just the way he
Speaker 1: is and all that, and it was a lot of fun.
Speaker 3: We're gonna take a pause right here to make sure
Speaker 3: to tell everybody to subscribe to the Kentucky Basketball podcast,
Speaker 3: Right Kobe, everybody subscribe to Behind Kentucky Basketball Podcast, presented
Speaker 3: by UK Federal Credit Union.
Speaker 4: Today it's avail.
Speaker 3: It's available for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and
Speaker 3: the official You Hey Athletics app. I think the fact
Speaker 3: that you know, you enter the transfer port, all you're
Speaker 3: getting all of these phone calls, right, you don't know
Speaker 3: which coach is going to call you, But then to
Speaker 3: have this one specifically stick out a FaceTime clearly, clearly
Speaker 3: it's a trend. I think a couple other players might
Speaker 3: have said that you FaceTime them too.
Speaker 4: So personal.
Speaker 3: Yeah, so personal to want to talk face to face.
Speaker 3: You're obviously in different cities, but to make that first
Speaker 3: I don't know, official introduction as as he's trying to
Speaker 3: get you to come here to Kentucky.
Speaker 4: Where were you?
Speaker 3: Were you home?
Speaker 4: Were you at Dayton? Was family around?
Speaker 2: Yeah?
Speaker 1: I was Actually I was at Dayton and I was
Speaker 1: with my girlfriend at the time, and it was just
Speaker 1: like we talked about it a lot because it was
Speaker 1: just it was just so different, you know, Like I said,
Speaker 1: I've never received a FaceTime call from a coach for
Speaker 1: the first time, and to get the call, but then
Speaker 1: also like she'd always talked about how like my reactions
Speaker 1: to seeing him, and like hearing like the Universe Kentucky,
Speaker 1: Like it was different than hearing all the other schools.
Speaker 1: You know, that's kind of like when I first like
Speaker 1: I had always known that, you know, I was waiting
Speaker 1: for that phone call. I wanted to hear from from
Speaker 1: this university, but to actually like have it happen and
Speaker 1: experienced that moment like it was, it was unbelievable and
Speaker 1: it was different.
Speaker 3: When did you pull the like sit up fixed, you know,
Speaker 3: like you should be quiet, like you know, and like
Speaker 3: get all like professionally. I always think of like how
Speaker 3: zoom has become professional meetings nowadays post COVID, Like did
Speaker 3: you kind.
Speaker 4: Of like freshen up the room or sit up when
Speaker 4: you entered the phone.
Speaker 1: It was definitely before the phone call, I had to
Speaker 1: get everything situate. I was like, hold on, I don't
Speaker 1: know what's going on, but it could be something good.
Speaker 1: So and then once I picked up, I was ready
Speaker 1: to go, but I was just like I was surprised, honestly,
Speaker 1: you know, I never liked picking up a FaceTime call
Speaker 1: with things going on. I had to pick around me,
Speaker 1: so I try to get everything settled down, and then
Speaker 1: once I saw it was him, I was like, oh damn,
Speaker 1: like it's really him, you know, it's really the University
Speaker 1: of Kentucky and from there the rest is history.
Speaker 3: We talked about the personalities on this team, the FaceTime
Speaker 3: sort of coach, his personality, the fact that he had
Speaker 3: to build this whole roster the last couple of months.
Speaker 3: You know, you're finally heading into the season to be
Speaker 3: one of those pillars right on the roster, and to
Speaker 3: see all of these other names from around the college
Speaker 3: basketball world, you know a mont at San Diego State,
Speaker 3: Andrew Carr at Wake Forest, you know Mario Williams at Drexel.
Speaker 3: See all these names and guys that you've probably seen
Speaker 3: in the college basketball space. To then come here, I'll
Speaker 3: be practicing on the same team. What was that like
Speaker 3: to watch on TV? I mean, Lamon shot right, the
Speaker 3: buzzer beater in the Final four.
Speaker 4: Now you're playing with him.
Speaker 1: Is honestly, like it's so crazy, just because, like, first
Speaker 1: of all, I feel like the coaches have to like
Speaker 1: a crazy, unbelievable job because like you said, they didn't
Speaker 1: have much time, but they got all the right pieces,
Speaker 1: you know, and it's like you with time you get
Speaker 1: to see how these pieces like really fit into what
Speaker 1: they're trying to do and what we're trying to do
Speaker 1: as a team.
Speaker 2: So been really cool to see that.
Speaker 1: And then obviously, like you said too, like as you
Speaker 1: play college basketball, you're always watching other games and stuff
Speaker 1: and you're seeing other players and you never think like, oh, wow,
Speaker 1: like that dude's going to be my teammate. Yeah, and
Speaker 1: to like to see it happen now and to be
Speaker 1: on the core with them every day, and it's like
Speaker 1: it just feels normal, you know what I mean. But
Speaker 1: a couple of months ago, it was like, man, like
Speaker 1: this is crazy. I've never played I've never even been
Speaker 1: in the same court as these people every day in
Speaker 1: my life.
Speaker 2: And now I'll see them as my brothers and you
Speaker 2: know we're going to be going to wards together soon
Speaker 2: and all that. It's just a lot of fun.
Speaker 3: And then another I guess trend. You know, you're seeing
Speaker 3: the coaches recruiting all the time, whether it be building
Speaker 3: this roster, but Alvin Brooks doing the nog room with
Speaker 3: defeat on the plane, does that like, I don't know,
Speaker 3: get you guys more excited that they're like embracing that,
Speaker 3: and you guys kind of have fun and it's almost
Speaker 3: like you have these inside jokes, but then they get
Speaker 3: put on social media and everybody can kind of have.
Speaker 4: Fun with you.
Speaker 1: It's definitely fun because like like you get to look
Speaker 1: at them and what they're doing on social media and
Speaker 1: it's like, man, they're just like us, you know, like
Speaker 1: they're just they're super excited to be here. You know,
Speaker 1: they want to take everybody in. They want to see
Speaker 1: what BBN is about, and like this is all new
Speaker 1: for all of us. You know, we're going through all
Speaker 1: this for the first time together, and it's just fun
Speaker 1: like going looking around the room and seeing like everybody's
Speaker 1: going through the same journey, you know what I mean,
Speaker 1: and they're embracing it and having fun with it, and
Speaker 1: I think that's the right way to do it.
Speaker 3: So you're all year one together, Kentucky. What are your
Speaker 3: you know, personal goals? I can imagine team goal number
Speaker 3: nine right. Everybody talks about it, sure, But for you
Speaker 3: personally this year, like how do you want to grow?
Speaker 4: How have you talked to coach Pope about.
Speaker 3: How you can grow personally in your game?
Speaker 2: Yeah?
Speaker 1: For me, I think like my goal I have a
Speaker 1: go every single day and that's just like to get
Speaker 1: the to become the best version of myself that I
Speaker 1: can every single day. You know, just keep like it's
Speaker 1: not going to happen today or tomorrow, but with time, hopefully,
Speaker 1: you know, I'm getting closer and closer. And the coaches,
Speaker 1: they do a great job of pushing every single one
Speaker 1: of us. So when I step on the court, like,
Speaker 1: I know for sure that they're going to push me
Speaker 1: to be the best that I can that day. And
Speaker 1: for me, it's just like about trying to become a
Speaker 1: better leader Vocally. I feel like I've always been a
Speaker 1: pretty good leader by example, but doing it vocally is
Speaker 1: definitely different. So doing that and they're just becoming a
Speaker 1: better defender, you know, that's something that nowadays, well always
Speaker 1: you got to be able to play on both sides,
Speaker 1: and so that's something that I've definitely been taking and
Speaker 1: I'm just trying to get better at.
Speaker 3: What about I mean you talked about earlier of the
Speaker 3: way of Kentucky. You talk about the pedigree in the
Speaker 3: basketball program here, having coach Pope play here and he
Speaker 3: can kind of tell you what it was like for him.
Speaker 3: Was there a team or a player Kentucky specific that
Speaker 3: you remember a tournament run and you remember a specific
Speaker 3: player that you loved watching.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I always say Carl Towns, you know, just because
Speaker 1: we come from similar backgrounds. And then I always mentioned
Speaker 1: Devin Booker as well. He's my favorite player still, And
Speaker 1: they played on the same teams together, and they went
Speaker 1: on a crazy run and unfortunately it didn't end the
Speaker 1: way you know, we all wanted it to, but they
Speaker 1: still did something that was like never really seen before,
Speaker 1: you know, during that time. And then they went thirty
Speaker 1: three and oh or thirty two and oh and then
Speaker 1: lost in the final four.
Speaker 4: I mean one of the most yeah, insane college basketball.
Speaker 3: I think it was thirty eight and one, thirty eight
Speaker 3: and one including that's crazy. That is crazy, including postseason.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's something that I feel like nowadays you'll never
Speaker 1: see again. You know, like it's really hard for teams
Speaker 1: to go a whole year without losing and then losing
Speaker 1: in the final four or something like that. But man, yeah,
Speaker 1: that was a crazy run.
Speaker 2: That they had.
Speaker 3: How does it feel knowing that, you know, your pictures
Speaker 3: this team will be next to pictures of those teams
Speaker 3: around this facility someday.
Speaker 2: Honestly, it's crazy.
Speaker 1: I haven't even thought about that, but just the thought
Speaker 1: of it now, like it's really it's unreal, you know
Speaker 1: because when I first came from my visit, like that's
Speaker 1: one of the first as you see and you're just
Speaker 1: like wow, like this is like you're really here.
Speaker 2: You know.
Speaker 1: It's a historic place that you've always dreamt about being
Speaker 1: at and you see all that in this motivation. But then,
Speaker 1: like you said, like one day we'll be up there too,
Speaker 1: So that's crazy to think about.
Speaker 3: Well, the jerseys already and you're suiting up in just
Speaker 3: a couple of weeks. Get ready, Kobe, Well you survived your.
Speaker 4: First episode Behind Kentucky Basketball.
Speaker 3: Let's go, Coby did it awesome? Behind Kentucky Basketball podcast.
Speaker 3: Make sure a subscribe to Behind Kentucky Basketball podcast, presented
Speaker 3: by the UK Federal Credit Union today. It's available for
Speaker 3: free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and the official UK
Speaker 3: Athletics out