Player Perspectives on the Youth Basketball Experience

Welcome to our Junior NBA Conference. Thanks to our friends at Under Armour. We are really delighted to have so many of you here with us. And to start things off, here to join us, we have the Hall of Famer, Cheryl Swoops. She was the first player. Yes, you should. You're Cheryl Swoops, you should feel the love. First player to be signed in the WNBA. Three-time WNBA MVP, and was named one of the league's top 15 players of all time. We also have, on the far end here, NBA champion, Rip Hamilton. Best known for his nine-year stint with the Pistons, where he was a three-time All-Star. Helped lead the Pistons to six straight Eastern Conference finals appearances, back-to-back NBA finals appearances, and their best record in franchise history, and of course, the 2004 NBA championship. And we're also joined by two impressive young people, the Junior NBA court leaders who are members of an exclusive group of elite athletes in high school basketball players that are identified for their character, intellectual curiosity, and leadership skills off the court. We have Bryson Tucker, the star, as you guys saw at the beginning, of Under Armour's Protect This House campaign. He is also a rare top-rank high school athlete who doesn't play travel or AAU basketball. So, yes, that's saying something today. We're also joined by Kendall Dudley, the winner of the Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award at the 2022 ESPYs. And, already making history as the first female athlete to commit on ESPN as she's heading to UCLA as a five-star recruit in 2024. So, as I mentioned, an impressive panel and a lot to get into, but let's start with Sheryl and Rip, and just the perspective of your journey to greatness, which both of you achieved at every level. And Sheryl, let's start with you. How did your youth experience impact your professional career? I know that's a big question, but what's the first thing that comes to mind? Even though it was a long time ago, opportunity, just to be able to play the game, to travel, to do the things that I enjoy doing. And when I look back on my career when I was their age and how I got started, just the fact that I had opportunity to travel, to play, and it was very different than it is today. But, obviously, just being in a space where I was comfortable, I loved doing what I did, and people really appreciated it. I think it was because of that fire and that passion I had, it drove me to continue to work on my game and get better so that I could have opportunities that I have today. And I wanna implore Kendall and Bryson, you guys hop in. I mean, you have an opportunity to pick the brains of Cheryl, and I'm just here as a traffic cop. So you please join in on the conversation. But Rip, your journey, what's something that comes to mind from playing youth basketball to all the way winning an NBA champion? First of all, go UConn, too. Another NCAA championship, so gotta throw that out there, too. My bad. Right? He had to get that in there. But my youth experience was very special. I grew up in a small town, Coastville, Pennsylvania, 11,000 people. This was before the social media era. So in my town, I thought I was really good, but didn't understand that the world was bigger than the three-mile radius that I lived in. But grew up with a group of friends, fell in love with a game at a young age, had a lot of great coaches that were able to lead me to a great journey, a great path. AAU was very different than what it is today. So I didn't start playing AAU basketball until I was in 11th grade. And during that time, one of my best friends, God rest his soul, Kobe Bryant, that's when we became really close together. And I started to understand the other side, right? Just understanding that, hey, you know what, there was other kids out there that was just as good as me. And I knew I had to work extra hard to get to my goals, which was playing college basketball, making it to the NBA. But my foundation was awesome. Great parents, mom and dad that supported me, took me all across the country, traveling, that was very special. But it was more about the game, the basketball. That's what I fell in love with. That was my journey. That was my escape from reality. And I feel as though it was very special, and it led me to where I'm at today. And we've had a lot of conversations today just about the community around successful people. Are there coaches or positive adult role models who come to mind when you think back about your youth journey? Yeah, for me, it was a guy named Ricky Hicks. He was a guy in our community at the time. He would take about 15 kids when I was probably like 12, 13 years old, wake us all up at seven o'clock in the morning, didn't come in a room and say, all right, you know what, that kid got talent. Oh, he can play. But just giving us another opportunity to stay off the streets, give us some guidance when a lot of us came from fatherless homes. So he was a guy that really was like a mentor to us. And he was my trainer from I was 15 years old all the way until I retired from the game of basketball. Now in this new era of basketball, there's trainers, great trainers all across the country, but usually guys move from trainer to trainer. But he was one of my best mentors, but also one of my best guy that I looked up to, but also taught me the game and play it the right way. And I think that's a good example that you don't necessarily have to have a starring role in someone's life to have a major impact on someone like an NBA champion. Cheryl, is there a coach that comes to mind for you or mentor? Yeah, I think for me, I started playing when I was seven. And back then, growing up in West Texas, we had what we call little dribblers. And we travel, but not like they do today. And I remember a guy, his name was Tim Melcher. I remember he came to my house and had a conversation with my mom about why I should play basketball. Because my mom at first was like, oh no, basketball, it's for boys. My daughter's not gonna play. And Tim Melcher came to my house, had a conversation with my mom, and said, you know, Miss Swoops, there's something special in your daughter, something I see, but my mom gave him all kinds of hell. Like, why am I gonna let my daughter play with you, for you, who's gonna take care of her when you're on the road? So the fact that he won her over and she allowed me to do it, just really showed me how committed he was to wanting to help me grow in the game and just giving me opportunity to do something I never even knew existed, to be able to travel to so many different places. And a lot like Rip, I grew up in a very small town, and I could never find enough girls that were interested in playing basketball. So I grew up playing with the guys, but when I started playing little dribblers with Tim, that was my eye-opening moment. Like, reality hit, like, you're not as good as you think you are. So just the growth of me going from playing ball at the age of seven, thinking that, even at the age of seven, that I was pretty good, but then I'm playing against girls who are 10, 11, 12. And for me, that was my moment where it became real of, you gotta work. Like, you gotta put the work in if you want to do this and you wanna be good at it. I just was having flashbacks, like, my childhood. If there were no Cheryl Swoops, would I still be this person who loves basketball as much as you? You had such a, no, I mean, your basketball shoe, which, by the way, I'm still trying to find some more, and I'm like, was my first basketball shoe that, like, a real basketball shoe, not like, you know. Mine, too. A fake basketball. Mine, too. So, thank you to, you know, that mentor of yours. So, I do wanna turn to just, you know, our bright young minds we have here in Kendall and Bryson. First rip, I mean, like, what's your advice that comes to mind when young people ask you, like, how can I have a career like you? Maybe you can kind of direct it towards them. Yeah, first of all, for Bryson, I know he ain't pick a university, man. You might wanna think about the University of Connecticut. I'm gonna throw that out there. But my advice would be to enjoy the ride, enjoy the journey. It's a lot of things that's gonna be coming at you guys, and understand that it's about the game, right? You fell in love with the game for a certain reason. Keep your mind on that, right? Because this is a different world now, especially with social media, and now where youth sports is at. And from what I hear, you ain't never played AAU basketball, which is crazy to me now, just knowing the impact that that has on kids. And I always was a big believer, cream always rise to the top. If you're good, they're gonna find you. And you gambled with that. That was very special, so that lets me know you're not caught up on what everybody else thinks, and what everybody else is doing. So continuously be a leader, like what you are, because now in this story that I'm learning about you, I'm able to go back and tell my kids, because even though I'm Rip Hamilton the basketball player, they still look at me as just dad, and I don't know nothing. So for me to be able to go back and tell that story is very inspirational to me, and especially to all the young kids. So keep believing in what you do. Stay in love with the game, because the game can do a lot of special things for you. Me and Cheryl can testify to that. So just keep that going. Bryson, I'm curious though, just what was your mindset of not doing travel AU? Can you tell that story, and how you found success in your journey? Well, I like to work. So I feel after high school, we really came into like the work period. Like the AU, that's a lot of games. Me and my father, we call it selfish work, because you get all the shots, you're doing all the running, everything's for you. So you're developing that way. And then when we came out against all the AU kids, we're like, I'm fresh, I'm not playing all these games. So we came out and we were like on top. That's how it really helped out. And I know Cheryl that you can attest to sticking to your guns is part of figuring out like your journey. You got to figure out your own path, but what's your best advice that you give young people? I mean, Rip hit the nail on the head. Just everything he said, I absolutely agree with that. And I know he's giving a shout out to Connecticut. Kendall already committed to UCLA. I was gonna give Dawn Staley, I was gonna put her out there. But anyway, there is a transfer portal. No, I'm kidding. I'm kidding. Kidding y'all. That's a big thing too, Cheryl. You know that. Everybody doing that now. We won't even go there. I'm kidding. I like Corey Close. Just like Dawn a little better. Anyway. Yeah, you know, I would just say to add a little bit to what Rip said was, just be you, right? There's so much going on in this world. And I say for me, fortunately, we didn't have social media like they do today, because it allowed me to just focus on me and my goals and where I was trying to get to. And I would just say, just continue to do, obviously, you have parents who get it and understand, but continue to focus on you and what's important to you and what matters to you. And no matter what, continue to stay true to who you are and what you believe in. And I just think if you do those things, and that's not just in basketball, that's life, right? You continue to do those things, the sky is the limit, the world is yours, and you can go make some amazing things happen. And look, I guess, you know, the bottom line is like always the roadmap returns to who you are at the core. But Cheryl mentioned, it's a different time, you know, with social media, even with the Transfer Portal or NIL, there's just a lot, you know, that young athletes have to go through, even you winning an ESPY, making your announcement on ESPN, being the first one ever. How do you balance it all? I know it's an everyday process, but you know, how do you approach just how much you give the public and how much you're figuring out on your own what your future looks like? Well, I think for me, like, all these accolades and things that I've accomplished, it's all been through things that I've loved. Like, I love playing the game, and this has all just been a side effect of it. So, you know, I think that all the things that I've accomplished and all that, it doesn't really come to my mind as much, because I'm just doing what I love, and if I continue to do it, you know, I'll be surrounded by great people, like, you know, Cheryl and Richard, so. I just continue doing what I love. Bryce, I do want to ask, how was shooting that commercial that we all saw at the beginning? What was that experience like for you? It was a great experience, even though, like, it was all separate. So, like, Kelsey shot hers in a different gym. Steph, as you saw, he shot it in the Oracle, and then the team, they were at their home gym. So it was an amazing experience. And, you know, a lot of your life has been about basketball, but that is not who you are as a whole. How would you describe just, you know, what it's been like finding your voice and your passion beyond basketball? What has that been like for you? It's been big because, as you know, I don't play AAU, so there's been some kickback from that. So just having to just go over that and just keep going through all this stuff, and then I think it makes your voice louder. Like he said, he didn't know how it happened, so just telling my story more and more, people would, like, start to understand it. And part of the reason why you all are, you know, junior NBA court, you know, leaders is because of your impact, you know, in the community. What are some of the things, Kendall, that you're involved in? I know you're a part of the Sports Mom Foundation, and what led you to want to get involved in, you know, organizations that help and outreach to communities and also use sports? Well, my mom coached in high school basketball, and I was always surrounded by the players, and they've been my big sisters, and I think they were the ones that kind of led me to continue to play basketball, and the impact they had made me want to have an impact on other younger athletes and female athletes. So anything I can do to either just build their confidence or, you know, help grow the game, I've always found a like towards it. So, you know, going through Sports Mom, where we mentor young girls and give free gear and free tournament fees paid for, anything that we can do to help grow the game and create this larger community for the more younger girls playing is the best thing I could do. Cheryl, you literally changed the game for women's basketball. I mean, I mentioned, you know, your shoe and being the first woman to be signed to the WNBA, but what do you think of how the landscape has changed specifically like NALs for college athletes and how it's, the pros and cons you see for the future of these young athletes? Y'all, I'm hot. I saw you laughing at my fan. I'm sorry. Yeah, I've really changed things. Listen, you know, earlier I mentioned, fortunately for me and Rip, we didn't have social media the way they have it today, but at the same time, I'm like, if we would have, listen, I would have stacked up on some NIL deals. We know that. I would have tried. We already know. No, I would have tried. Here's what I think. Don't worry about it. I think it's good and there's part of me that's like, at least on the women's side, I think it's sad when college players, I'm okay, Cassidy, that college players are making more money than a professional WNBA player. It doesn't make sense to me, but with that being said, I'm all for anybody, everybody getting their bag, but to me, there's some type of an excitement about becoming a professional athlete and when you're in college and nowadays, it's like all kinds of NIL deals, so you're making crazy money. I look at it and I say, what's the challenge to wanna leave school and become a professional athlete? And I'm saying on the women's side because it's very apparent and I think anybody in this room could talk about like Angel Reese is everywhere, right? After LSU winning, she's everywhere with NIL deals, which is great, but I look at that and I say, what's it gonna be like for her when she does enter the W, when she goes to the W, becoming a professional athlete? So I just think we have to find a way to, you can't really monitor it, but you have to find a way to balance it, I guess, per se, going from college to the pros because I think there has to be an adjustment, there has to be an excitement about it. I sat here and Kendall walked in with her orange hoodie and I immediately got excited about like, this is our future, she's going to the W but in her mind, I don't know this, she's probably like, I can't wait until I get to college so I can start racking up all these NIL deals. Like, it's great, but I don't know, I think because of that, it's really changed the game and to me, it's taken away from what sports is all about and to me, it's about the competition, it's about the excitement, it's about the friendships, it's just about competing on a completely different level and now you throw tons of money in the mix, it just changes the game. And Rip, I think, you're first. Don't give me my fan. No, girl, you're Sheryl Spooks, I'll hold that fan all day, it's hot up here. Keeping the conversation going. Rip, I think your perspective here would be interesting because in the NBA, it's big business and you've had to manage and balance the competitiveness, the love of the game, but also the business, the contracts, achieving certain milestones in order to get certain things in your contract. When you think about what young people are dealing with at such an early age, your experience in the NBA and how you managed everything that was going in and around you, all the people in your life, what is some advice you can give this audience here who's trying to help influence the young people in making the right decisions, which could go any which way? Yeah, I mean, it's tough. The one thing I always was great at was keeping my circle tight, right? Not letting people infiltrate what I had going on. From, I always went back to my foundation, people that was around me that cared about Rip Hamilton, not Rip Hamilton, the basketball player, right? And I think that was more important to me than anything else because I knew there was gonna be a point in time where the light dims when I'm not playing basketball no more. And I wanted to be able to still lean on the people that really loved and cared about me. And I think that's probably the most important thing. My friends that I went to high school with are still my best friends today. My friends today were the same people that we hung out in Pampers, running around Coastville, Pennsylvania, shooting basketballs. So my support system was always great. In college, it was tough leaving that because again, now you're on your own and now you gotta grow up and now you don't have mom and dad there to kind of like lean on as much. But also it was the best time of my life. Like if I had NIL like a lot of these kids today, I would have stayed in school for four years. That's just the fact of the situation. I sat down with Coach Calhoun and I told him after winning the national championship that I wanted to come back, but he knew the business side, which I didn't understand and I didn't know. So I was able to understand the business part once I got to the league, but it's great that the kids are understanding their brand now, right? And understanding the business side now because there's a lot of horror stories where guys get to the NBA and never had no money before and now all these new people coming in and don't understand that their brand has value outside of what they do on the floor. So for kids to understand their brand now, and I think it's awesome. Sheryl, I think they got to fix that with the girls making more money in college than they do in the WNBA. It's very unfortunate because the goal is to get to play at a professional level and there's nothing more special than being able to throw on a professional jersey. So it's a lot to unpack, but it's important for us like me and Sheryl to kind of give back to the youth and tell our story because a lot of times kids are getting so much misinformation, especially from people that don't know and never been in it. So I always say it's important for us to kind of give back to the youth and tell them about our journey or tell them about our story, especially because we've been in it. And can I add just two things? Of course. So when I mentioned college, right? To me, college has now become, recruiting wise, it's become, well, what type of NIL deal can you get for me? Yeah, I'm hearing that. That's the first thing. Right? It's not choosing a school because that's the right school for you, the right coach for you, the style of play. Those were things that I looked at when I decided on what school I was gonna go to. Like now that is the first question, well, how much money you got? And you know, when I look at- Sometimes those conversations were not done in the open. They were done behind closed doors. Oh yeah, they were under the tailors door. No doubt. So now it's just all out there. Now they could, it's just, you know, you could just put it all out there. So that's where I think, when I say it's changed the game, to me that's where I feel like it's really changed the game from a recruiting standpoint. And when I look at going from college to pros, for me, I didn't sign my first like shoe contract until I was a pro. And that was special to me. That moment was like, oh my goodness, like now I am moving from being a collegiate athlete to a pro and these are some of the perks that comes along with being a pro. And nowadays I look at, you know, a lot of these kids, I mean, they're signing shoe deals in college. And, you know, and I want to say this because people say, man, cause you know, people say this all the time. Like, oh, old school, they get upset that they didn't have what the kids have today. Like, no, because I always say somebody had to be first. Right? So kids today can have more than we had. I just think we have to do a much better job to your point of teaching them the business side of it. And just like you're going to have good things come along, there are going to be bad things that come along with that. And I just want to make sure that our youth and our kids are prepared for everything that's coming with that. Cause everything has been accelerated. You know, it's just, you used to be, you're a rookie in the MBA and that's when you take your courses on how to manage your money and all of that. Now you're like high school students, which that should be taught in school anyways, but that's a different conversation for another day. But Rip, you brought up a point of just like understanding your brand. Like Bryson, like how do you think of your brand and how that's been growing in high school and how that's going to continue to grow in college? How much time do you spend thinking about that? That's a good question. I think about my brand a lot. Cause as she said, you just don't want to jump into bad situations just because they're offering you the most money. Because if you go to that school and you stink it up, that money's just going to go away. So you have to like pick out your situation. Like me personally, I know what I can do. Like I say, I know my worth, but I'm not going to like go over the top just because of the money. So I feel you have to go to the right situation and keep building your brand like that. Kendall, what are your thoughts? Well, for me, it's a little different because I'm just still getting into the process. But I think too, like when I was deciding my choice for UCLA, like NIL really wasn't as much as, it was like in the back, but like through my process and all this, I've kind of just thought of like what I like in qualities and things that I think fit similar to me. So any type of branding or anything like that, I would not do the thing that sounds nice. It's just, I would do things that seem best for me and things that I would want to present and want to sponsor. What were some of the conversations that you had with your parents, your coaches or mentors that led you to your decision? Like, do you remember that conversation and what was it that made you feel confident in your decision to commit to UCLA? Well, I've had people who've like gone there, Kiki Rice goes there and I know I'm familiar with her. So I knew she wasn't going to lie to me, but overall it was just like what was best for me and the opportunities, as we talked about like NIL, but just opportunities that I have at LA. And then the program that fits best and the coaching staff and who's really going to support me on and off the court. So that was my biggest things. I mean, we could have this conversation all day, but I want to wrap it up with, if you two have any questions for these legends up here about, you know, what it takes to accomplish what they both accomplished going forward. Well, I have a question. So what has been the most impactful thing that you've learned being an athlete? Both of you guys. Told you she was special. She's going to take my job one day. Oh, for me it's sacrifices, right? Because when you're young, you know, and you're, I mean, that was a long time ago. You understand that you can't do a lot of the stuff that your friends are doing, right? All the cool stuff, like hanging out and just being the kid because you got goals and aspirations and places that you want to go. So I learned to have sacrifices at a very young age, which was for me, no alcohol, no smoking, stay out, leave the girls alone. The basketball is your girlfriend for me, but understanding that there's a big picture at the end. And I learned how to eat right at a young age, using my body and telling myself that my body is an investment. So what you put in is what you're going to get out. So I didn't get to do all the fun and cool stuff and hanging out and eating crazy and, you know, all the stuff that comes with being a kid, but it made me into the player that I was today. So if anything that I want to give you guys, be willing to sacrifice because you might think you might be missing out on something, but you're really not because all my friends that wanted to do all the cool stuff, they still doing the cool stuff. And they're able to look at me and being like, hey, you know what? I wish I would have locked into my goals and stayed away from all the BS. He's doing cool stuff too though. He's just doing cool stuff with a bag. I think for me- Today I am, I'm retired. I think for me, there's a lot, but I would have to say being a mom, like having my son at the beginning of the WNBA season and now watching him grow. That's why sitting up here with you two, it's like, you know, like, it's like my kids. My son's 25 now and you know, he's doing his own thing. So watching him play professional basketball, but being able to have these conversations and these moments with him, just being able to impact his life from a standpoint of watching women and seeing how incredible we are. And I don't mean just me being his mom, but to be there from day one when I had him and going through the league and everybody holding him and changing diapers and all those things, but for him to now be on his own journey, making his own path, but still have the love and respect for the W and for women, I think just gives me a great sense of pride, but also a great sense of accomplishment and being able to be a working mom, a professional athlete, but also being able to teach him what it means to be a professional athlete. Amazing. We're gonna end it there. Like I said, we can go on and on. Thank you so much. Thank you.