Ep. 11: Jalen Warley & Braeden Smith – Gonzaga Men’s Basketball

Tarek: Gonzaga University has been to the tournament 26 consecutive times. That's third in the country to Kansas, who's been 35 times in Michigan State. It's more than Duke, it's more than Kentucky, Louisville, you name them all, and Gonzaga's right there. 14 Sweet 16s during that time, including nine in a row. Two Final Fours, and two championship games. It's really remarkable. It's been a remarkable run for this program. Welcome to Y'all Street. Today, I meet with Braeden Smith and Jalen Warley from basketball powerhouse, Gonzaga. So you guys just came here from practice, and there's nothing better after practice than a nice hot steaming cup of coffee. You want a cup of coffee?

Braeden: Sure, yeah.

Jalen: I'll take one, yeah.

Tarek: Awesome. I got you these special coffee cups. I thought Coach Few would like this because you can practice your free throws with marshmallows whenever you get your hot chocolate in the winter up here in the Pacific Northwest. Thank you, Gabby. Coffee cheers to you guys.

Braeden: Cheers.

Tarek: I'm gonna, Mickey, zoom in on that. Look at that, guys. We got the coffee mug with the actual basketball hoop. Very proud of that purchase.

Jalen: It's big time right there.

Tarek: So, Braeden, Jalen, welcome.

Braeden: Thank you for having us.

Tarek: Tell me a little bit about your background, where you're from and how you ended up in the Pacific Northwest at Gonzaga.

Braeden: Okay, yeah, I'll start. I'm from Seattle, Washington to start. I went to high school at Seattle Prep, played basketball and football there, and then I committed to Colgate University, went out there, upstate New York, very far from home, played two years there, had a great time, went to March Madness twice, and entered the transfer portal after my sophomore year, and ended up coming to Gonzaga. I registered this past year, which was not easy, but I think I learned a lot and got a lot better from it, and so that's why I'm here now.

Tarek: So there's about 100 questions in that small segment right there, but I wanna hear from you, Jalen. What's your background?

Jalen: Yeah, I'm kind of the opposite. So I'm originally from the East Coast. I went to Westtown, and then I did three years at Florida State. I did about six months at the University of Virginia, and then I decided to hit the transfer portal in December. So I've been in Spokane since January, first time on the West Coast. And yeah, registering definitely wasn't easy. Definitely enjoyable with B. Smith just going in every day, working for something beyond this season and keeping the goal in mind. And it was a really good experience being able to go to March Madness for the first time this year in Gonzaga, so it was really cool.

Video Clip: By O'Meara, Miller with a height advantage on Cleveland. Back door, Worley, and one. Fletcher's bench is insistent that the pass landed out of bounds. Worley on the drive and a chance at three, and Brad Brownell is steaming. Worley picked it and lays it in.

Tarek: So you're being humble because you came out of high school as one of the top recruits in the country, a top 40 five-star recruit. I wanna hear from both of you what your high school experience was like. So were you always just phenomenal basketball players, playing with your friends at home, and then you get into high school, did you start as freshmen? Walk me through that experience.

Braeden: Yeah, so I was fortunate enough to play four years of varsity basketball and three years of varsity football.

Tarek: I knew- Now, when you were a freshman, how tall were you?

Braeden: Maybe like five, eight, maybe.

Tarek: And you were on varsity.

Braeden: Yes, yeah. And so I knew pretty much my whole life that I wanted to play college basketball, but I was good enough at football to keep playing in case something didn't work out for basketball. So I was offering my size and being a little bit smaller. And then, but yeah, I knew the whole time I was gonna go play college basketball. So Colgate offered me going into my senior year. I also had University of Portland and UC Davis, but Colgate, great education. And they had won two in a row, I think, Patriot League titles at the time. So winning program, I enjoyed my visit and there are great people over there. So it's a pretty easy decision for me.

Tarek: So that was easy. You knew pretty early on.

Braeden: Not a lot going on.

Tarek: And in high school, were you just kind of like the big man on campus, doing varsity basketball and varsity football?

Braeden: There's some other great athletes at Seattle Prep. So I wasn't like an anomaly or anything like that.

Tarek: Okay, all right. And Jalen, how about you? What was your experience like?

Jalen: Yeah, so my experience, I decided, I did four years at Westtown. I came in at 5'10", going into high school.

Tarek: Which is tall for a freshman.

Jalen: Yeah, yeah, yeah. But at the school that I was at, we had like three or four college and NBA prospects who winded up going to the NBA. So my high school coach was kind of like, you can come here, but you're gonna be sitting the bench for your entire freshman year and maybe your sophomore year. So it was a play of like worrying about my development and continuing to get better. And I'm really fortunate that it worked out, but it was, I grew from 5'10 to 6'2 as a sophomore, then from 6'2 to 6'4 my junior year. And my junior year is when my recruitment in college, colleges started to really start recruiting me hard. And I winded up really deciding between Florida State, Oregon and the University of Virginia, which was hard for me because I couldn't take any visits during COVID. So I had to kind of do the Zoom call situation and you know, like do like a Google search of like how the campus looked and what majors they had. So yeah, it was a unique experience for sure.

Tarek: Yeah, that's, I imagine that's tough. Share with me your greatest high school memory from playing basketball.

Braeden: Pretty cool memory. Junior year, we were playing in the Metro League title game for our league championship that year. There was no state tournament. So it was kind of like, this is it. And we ended up winning against our rival O'Day. And so that was a pretty good memory.

Tarek: Was it rare that you beat O'Day?

Braeden: Yeah, they're pretty good. They had a Apollo Bancaro those first couple of years.

Tarek: What was it like playing against him?

Braeden: I mean, he's an incredible player. Obviously now you see he's been really talented, great hard worker and not easy to guard. So, but it was fun, you know.

Tarek: Is it strange for you to see NBA players and tell your friends, yeah, I played against him or I played against him?

Braeden: Not strange. I think it's pretty cool. My friends would be like, oh wow, really? But just growing up in an environment like Seattle where there's a lot of really good talent and I mean, a couple, a handful of NBA players, it's a pretty cool opportunity to compete against them.

Tarek: Yeah, that's neat. And you, Jalen?

Jalen: Yeah, I would say my junior year winning a state title, it was like a unique path because we had leading up until the state final game, we had two buzzer beaters in the rounds before and we were kind of heavy favorites in those games. So it was like a gauntlet to get there. So like the relief of winning it and having all my teammates there with me was a really special moment.

Tarek: That's great. You mentioned that you were going through the recruitment process during COVID. Now, NIL, the NIL ruling came out, I think in 2021. So was that part of your recruitment process or not anything anybody ever spoke about? It was just the conventional, you get an offer, a full ride, and you just kind of work your way through school that way. Is that what the recruitment experience was like?

Jalen: Yeah, so like the recruitment process had no NIL involved. And actually the summer that I got on campus is when the rule had changed. But it was not much in the landscape really changed. It was more so like different situations where maybe you might be able to get a coupon to a sandwich shop down the store or be able to get a free t-shirt, but it was more of like- Sweet coffee mug. You know what I mean? Things like that, right? And it was like a more of a community NIL opportunities versus now it's like completely changed. So yeah, I feel like I was on both sides. Like I was there before NIL and now I'm here during it.

Tarek: And how about for you, Brandon? When did you come out?

Braeden: Class of 2022. So NIL was a thing, but at Colgate, not a lot going on there.

Tarek: There's not a lot of money there.

Braeden: It wasn't a big pitch, no.

Tarek: Okay. How has that changed things? What have you observed?

Braeden: You wanna take that?

Jalen: Yeah, yeah. NIL, I think like speaking individually, I think you said something about a brand and I think whether we know it or we don't, we are building our own brands. And so, we have to always keep that in mind and just think about what type of brand do we wanna build. And I think from like the landscape, I feel like there's a lot of business aspects that go into it. Like agents are involved in different things in the process.

Tarek: So- You have an agent now.

Jalen: Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it's cool because we're now getting different opportunities and we're getting different things that can really help our family and take care of the people around us. But it is kind of has a business aspect to it that I can say when I first came into college, it didn't feel as much as a business, even though the NCAA has always been a multi-million, billion dollar business, but it definitely has changed with NIL.

Tarek: Does it feel like college is more business oriented for guys like you who are playing D1 versus the academic aspect of college? Is it almost like, I guess from the outside looking in, it seems like it's the minor leagues for professional sports. And kind of the schooling piece of it is maybe secondary or supplemental to what is sort of the primary ambition, which is obviously to go pro. Would you say that that's accurate?

Braeden: I would say that that is a pretty accurate description. I feel like, especially right now in college sports, like the main topic is NIL. Whereas a couple of years ago, 10, 15 years ago, it was about the development process and gaining education and going through that whole process where now it's like, well, how much money is this player getting paid? What is this guy getting and stuff like that? And so I think it definitely has shifted. I think it's important to still focus on the academic part of your college journey. But I do think that the mindset has shifted as a whole for college sports.

Tarek: Is that tough for you guys to see other guys that you've played with and maybe they get more money than you or this one gets less money than you? And is there this inherent competition over the dollars? What is that like? What's that experience like?

Braeden: For me personally, I wouldn't say so. I know that everyone's kind of running their own race and everyone's going through their own journey. So I don't really focus too much on what someone else is getting or what someone else doesn't have. I just know I'm fortunate enough to be here and be in a position to where I can help my family in situations, but also still focus on the academic piece and just enjoy my college experience as best as I can.

Jalen: Yeah, I think for me, I don't look at it from a competitive standpoint of who's making money in comparison, but I think for having a lot of high-level friends who play at the major sports level, it's just really cool to see, I feel like, them get rewarded for how much hard work they've put in. I know a good amount of people who have done some really cool things for them and their family with the NIL money that they're receiving. So to hear these stories and to hear that the NIL isn't necessarily a competitive thing, but more so just sometimes a sense of relief for some kids because it can really, like this NIL money can really change their situation that they're in.

Tarek: Yeah, a total game changer, especially for the vast majority of athletes who don't go pro. This is at least a window of time where they can earn some really life-changing money. I'm curious, when I went through high school and college, we did not have social media. And I see on social media now, young people your age, 18, 19, 20, 21. And in your case, you have a huge following. Gonzaga's a massive basketball program. I would say it's a blue blood program now. All of the players that come through there have big followings. How is it for you guys managing the fame and I can go online and Google you guys and see your highlight videos. And there are people that talk about you and I'm sure you have Instagram or Facebook. What is it like for you guys just kind of dealing with those things?

Braeden: When you first kind of come around and you start seeing your name everywhere, it's cool. It's different, especially like me. I was not highly recruited. I went to a small school in Colgate. And so I first got to GU and you see your name everywhere, it's kind of cool. But I kind of have an understanding now that good or bad, whatever's out there, it's poison. So I try and stay off of social media as best as I can.

Video Clip: Every second, they're not getting that. Smith cuts in, fades away, and a great shot. Back of Smith, oh, leaps by. Kick the ball out of Braden Smith's hands. Here's Smith, lays it in on that little floater. You just have an exceptional game.

Braeden: Because you see something and now that's in your head, if it's good or bad. And so I just try and stay off of it as much as I can and focus on the people who I care about, what they're saying, and not really strangers.

Tarek: Yeah. How are you handling it, Jalen?

Jalen: Yeah, I think our age group is in this unique place with social media because we didn't necessarily grow up with social media. And I have younger siblings who have had social media since they were four and five years old. So I remember being outside and not being on screens and phones and social media. So it's a little bit easier for me to not focus on social media as much. But I fear for the next generation growing up, having Instagram since you're eight, nine years old and that's kind of all you're accustomed to, definitely will be tough. But I feel like, specifically me, I grew up in a good situation where the internet and social media wasn't a main focus. So it's kind of been easy to tune it out and keep the main thing the main thing.

Tarek: That's great. I wanna talk about Gonzaga for a minute. When I was in college, Gonzaga was like the bracket buster school. It was small, kind of mid-major, usually came out of nowhere, well-coached, and would surprise a lot of people. As I was mentioning a few moments ago, Gonzaga's a blue blood now. They're recruiting the best talent in the country. They compete with all the best programs. Some stats that I think are noteworthy, especially for the listeners. So Gonzaga University's been to the tournament 26 consecutive times. That's third in the country to Kansas, who's been 35 times in Michigan State. It's more than Duke, it's more than Kentucky, Louisville, you name them all, and Gonzaga's right there. 14 Sweet 16s during that time, including nine in a row. Two Final Fours and two championship games. It's really remarkable. It's been a remarkable run for this program with a lot of NBA players rolling through the program as well. That's a testament to great coaching, great recruiting, great players. I'm interested this year in particular, there's been a lot of turnover, a lot of guys left. There were seniors that left the program. There've been a lot of transfers coming in. There's some change. You got two guys that were here last year that are sort of the anchors. I actually met those guys last week, by the way. But there's a lot of change coming. Walk me through this coming season. What are the team goals? What are your individual goals? What do you see as the prospects for the group?

Jalen: Yeah, well, kind of to talk about the history of it, I think what stuck out to me, because I kind of learned about Gonzaga within the last six months.

Tarek: Really?

Jalen: Well, up close, because I just visited in December and things like that when I was in the transfer portal. So the biggest thing that stuck out to me was just a culture. And a culture is built not just by the head coach, but down to the strength coach and the managers and the grad assistants. So I would say culture is probably the biggest thing that's been consistent with them. And Coach Few preaches about it all the time, like how important culture is.

Tarek: Can you give me some examples of how the culture is unique from past experiences?

Jalen: Yeah, I would just say the healthy level of competition that we have and the level of, we talk about how we can compete, and then the very next second we get off the floor, we can all go to Chipotle together and we can all go watch a movie together. Like that's very special, especially in the era of NIL, where people do have the option to be more about themselves and be about the team. But I feel like it's so unique to have a situation where we're gonna be competitors, but then as soon as the game's over, we're all smiles and we'll have a 40 minute conversation with you. It's not just about me, me, me, it's a culture that has been built way before we got here. So it was just really cool to see that grow.

Tarek: That's great. Building off of that, like- And you had the red shirt here, so you didn't even have the chance to, you were practicing with the team, but you didn't have the chance to play in any of the games.

Braeden: No, so it was definitely a great learning experience for me. But building off what Jalen just said about the culture and what you talked about the history, this past summer, with all these new players that we got coming in, like we're taking time to learn about the history and the culture and the players that came before us and the privilege that it is to be here and what comes with that. And so that's been really cool for us, just to have a better understanding of the shoulders that we're standing on and what we're trying to continue to do for this program. And so that's been great. And yeah, last year I registered here and I got to be a part of the practices and travel and see how we do things here. And the culture is definitely special and the people here are definitely special. So it's been great and definitely a privilege.

Tarek: What are your ambitions for the season? You think you have what it takes to win the championship?

Jalen: Oh, definitely. I think what's cool about being at Gonzaga is our goal is to meet the standard that they do year in and year out. The goal is to continue to build our own sweet 16 streak, to build our own final four streak, to get to the championship and get over that hump. Like what's unique about it is we don't have to, I mean, winning a national championship would be a first, but there's not too many firsts that we can do. We can just continue to build a stronger, they talk about leaving the Jersey better than when you picked it up. So just keeping that as the goal and a lot of great things can happen if we just stick to that Gonzaga standard.

Tarek: How competitive have the practices been?

Braeden: Very competitive. As far as effort and energy, every single player, every day is bringing it. And everyone wants to win every drill. So that's been really cool to be a part of. And if we're doing a defensive drill and someone scores and they try to rotate the group, the team that just got scored on is like, no, we gotta get a stop. And I think that those little things carry over into later down the year, taking that pride and that competitive spirit with this group has been great.

Tarek: I'm always curious, what is the nutrition program like for you guys? I remember being in school and just eating trash every single day. So I imagine that it's a little bit different for you guys.

Braeden: Yeah, not quite trash. We're very fortunate to have a pretty good meal plan. A lot of people take care of us. And so typically have a smoothie or a breakfast sandwich ready for us in the morning with a lunch post-practice.

Tarek: What is a typical lunch for you guys?

Jalen: It's usually, so our nutrition, they kind of map out our calories ahead of time. So it's normally like what we call like a complete meal. So whether it's pasta with an addition of protein where that's chicken or different things. So what's really cool is we kind of just get to show up and eat, but we always know it's what we need like to replenish our body, meet the right amount of calories and things like that. So we kind of just get a new meal every day and the rest is taken care of, the hard work is.

Tarek: When does the heavy travel begin? Is that like September, October timeframe?

Braeden: Like for game, like travel?

Tarek: Once your season starts, because I know that you have like the Maui Invitational and you're traveling to the East Coast. And I mean, the travel is pretty intense.

Braeden: It's usually a non-conference like early November and December. That's usually, because then like conference play a little closer for the rest of the games, but non-conference usually a bit of travel.

Tarek: Yeah. What is that experience like for you guys with school as well? I mean, you still got classes and you gotta take exams and how do you balance all of that?

Jalen: I think it's just kind of another version of time management. You know, we kind of have to do that even with our sport. Like, you know, how much time am I spending in the gym? How much time am I eating right? Just like for the basketball aspect, but it's kind of just another thing you add into that equation, like giving yourself enough time to do your schoolwork and to be prepared for quizzes and tests like that, so.

Tarek: I mean, you've been in school for a number of years now. So what have you learned? What's different than your freshman year?

Jalen: Ooh, procrastination. Like I definitely learned like, just do it right the first time. Like if I have 45 minutes, just take that 45 minutes to do it versus banking on the future version of myself doing it while my back's against the wall. So that's, I think the faster you do it and if you do it the first time, it saves the drama on the back end, so.

Tarek: Yeah, what was your biggest distraction? Video games?

Jalen: That's up there for sure. And I'm like very fortunate. I've liked all the teams I've been on. So like, I could be hanging out in my teammate's room and next thing you know, we're like three hours later. Like, because we're just having fun playing video games, talking, you know, like, even like competing, like playing pool or paint, like just like you get lost, like lose track of time sometimes, especially like when you have some really good guys around you.

Tarek: Yeah. How about you?

Braeden: Procrastination is definitely something that I struggled with early on. I remember my first fall semester at Colgate, definitely was a learning curve for me and definitely got better about time management, just trying to knock out little things at a time if I can. If I have 20 minutes in the locker room, you know, let me get started on a reading or let me see what assignments I have and kind of open them up and get prepared so that when I come back later at night, I can just get to work. So procrastination is something that was a struggle early on and something that I got better at over time.

Tarek: What was the biggest surprise for you moving to the East and what's been the biggest surprise for you moving out here to the Pacific Northwest?

Braeden: Everything starts so late out East. Like, it was brutal. Like, I remember like NBA games, if it's like a double header, it's like 7:30 and 10:30. And like, I'm up at 1 a.m. watching these games and not going to bed till 1:30 - 2 o'clock. So that was a big adjustment for me. Yeah, so I'm glad to be back West.

Tarek: NFL doesn't start until 1 p.m. on the East Coast.

Braeden: Exactly, yeah. Yeah, like Sunday, yeah, that was tough too. Because I was used to like waking up at 10, got breakfast, the game starting, like football all day long. So that was an adjustment, time zones adjustment.

Jalen: Yeah, I will say that's one of my favorite things about the West Coast is being able to watch all the games that you want at a reasonable time. Yeah, I think maybe it also could just be like where I've been on the West Coast, but originally from Philadelphia, like I felt like a bunch of states were like kind of all on top of each other. Like I could go to New York, New Jersey, and it's all within like a two hour drive more so. And they're like, you know, completely different states with their own thing going on. Or like go to Maryland or like Virginia. Like it's all kind of tight knit a little bit. And being here, it's kind of feels like you're, we have our own little community, which has been a cool adjustment for me. Like just like, you know, the outside and trees and mountains and scenery. So it's been things I've never seen before. So it's been pretty cool to check it out.

Tarek: Nice. So I wanna come back to money again. And it's something that we talk a lot about, obviously on Y'all Street. And, you know, I remember thinking back to my high school years, I worked at McDonald's. My first job, I was making $4.25 an hour. I did that for two summers. And then during college, I worked at a sewage treatment plant in the summertime, not making a whole lot of money. I recently had an interview with the actor David Henry, and he talked about, you know, childhood actors who, you know, from the time they're 9, 10, 11 years old are making in some cases, millions of dollars. And I'm really interested what it's gotta be like for you guys, you know, coming into, you know, a little bit of money. And, you know, how do you handle it? How do you manage it? Do you have coaching? You know, are you taking any classes to, you know, think through, you know, how best to use the money? Are you spending it? Or how do you think about money?

Jalen: I would say for me, when I was at the University of Virginia, we had a financial literacy class, which was cool. Because for the most part, like understanding money, I was more so of a whatever I need type of situation. Like I try to, you know, prioritize things that are important to me or my family, or that will, you know, help me with basketball or things like that. But for the most part, the school still takes care of it. Like we get catered meals and stuff like that. So like a lot of that money we can kind of save because a lot of our needs are met. But it was really cool, like learning about financial literacy, how like that money can also make money for you. And like, I think we talked about like different ways of investing money and things like that. So it was like, it was a whole new world for me when I first learned about it. Like, you know, the different opportunities you can have if you're very smart about your money and what you invest in and how you save and the certain percentage you should save of each check, like what should go to savings and, you know, like, you know, future retirement funds and stuff like that. So it's been like a, with getting real money that we've learned about the real, like behind the scenes of how to best, you know, capitalize off of that.

Braeden: Yeah, building off that, my parents have been really helpful in that role of, you know, understanding money and how to take care of it. And fortunate enough to set up investments and try and get that going as early as you can. And also spend, like Jay said, spend what you need. And obviously I have my moments of a little expenditure, but try and keep those to a minimum and just definitely take care of it and try and build on it as best I can.

Tarek: Yeah, it's interesting, you know, NIL, name, image, and likeness, you know, we were talking a little bit beforehand about brand and, you know, capitalizing on your personal brand. Ultimately that's what NIL is. And I didn't mention this to you guys beforehand, but many moons ago, I was on a television show, The Apprentice. And when I came off of that show, there was a very narrow and short window of time to capitalize on the popularity of that show. And I use that as an opportunity to start a company because you're getting, you know, all of this free marketing and free publicity. Do you ever think, I mean, both of you guys are extremely accomplished. And, you know, I mean, I didn't mention this earlier, but you were the Patriot Conference Player of the Year from, or Patriot League Player of the Year when you were at Colgate. You know, you're likely to be the starting point guard for one of the top programs in the country. Like, what is it, do you think at all about, you know, if I don't make it to the pros, is there an opportunity here to capitalize on this brand recognition that I'm going to be creating as I'm growing on national television, what the next steps might be? Now, obviously, if you go pro, then that'll just, you know, continue on and on afterwards. And it might not even matter because you'll be making so much money then. But if that doesn't work out, do you think about ways to capitalize on that experience?

Jalen: I feel like you kind of have to, just like the world we're in. And I always like go back to social media and I think about influencers and like how a lot of their life is centered around like building their brand and capitalizing off of it. I think like the coolest part about NIL to me has been like the community aspect of it. Like, it's been really cool to like go back and shoot hoops with kids in elementary school and remember being in their position. And like, I don't know if that's necessarily capitalizing off your brand, but I also do enjoy the authentic aspect of just like being in the community and meeting these people who like are shell-shocked to see you because they've loved Gonzaga for 25 plus years. And they're like telling me about the first Gonzaga game they went to, like, it's just a surreal experience because like, yes, we're the ones experiencing it, but it goes so deep beyond us because they've been waiting for a moment like this their whole time they've been supporting Gonzaga. So it's just been like, like when I think about building my brand, I think about the genuine experiences I've had, like because of the brand that I, you know, with Gonzaga and everything like that, so.

Braeden: I think that's a good point. Like building your brand and also building connections. Like, I don't know, as far as like maximizing my brand, I'm thinking about money or all that. Like I would think more so about those connections and those relationships that, you know, being this magician has allowed me to obtain. And so that's kind of more where my mindset is as far as like maximizing my brand in that sense.

Tarek: When you talk about spending time with children, I immediately think about being a role model. And, you know, there are young basketball players. In fact, Spokane has the big basketball tournament, I think that just happened. And, you know, they see guys like you who are, you know, major players in D1 and they idolize you. What has that experience been like? And has it, does it affect you? Does it make you think about even holding yourself to a higher standard than you otherwise would if you weren't in the spotlight?

Jalen: I think for me, it's like the other side of the coin because I remember being a kid and idolizing these players, like looking up to players and like, you know, thinking they can do no wrong and like imagining myself being in those situations. So yeah, I think it's just been really cool because I've been on the other side of it. So it's, I don't want to ever take that moment for granted even if it's 30 seconds of my day, who knows how, what like type of impact that would have on that kid. So I always try to keep that in mind when I'm having those interactions.

Braeden: Definitely not taking it for granted. And you also think about, hey, like this is their first time meeting me. Like, so like Jay said, 30 seconds, or, you know, it's a first impression. And, you know, like Jay said, I, everyone has thought about, you know, being in this position when you're a kid growing up. And so just acknowledging that and understanding like there are people before you who took time for you or that were good role models for yourself. You just want to do the same thing for the kids that are growing up now.

Tarek: What players did you idolize growing up?

Braeden: Jamal Crawford was big being from the area. Isaiah Thomas being from the area. LeBron is pretty good too. So those are a couple that I think have been good role models for me that I can appreciate.

Jalen: Yeah, I think I idolized LeBron mainly growing up. Like I remember my dad convincing me to like eat healthy and vegetables because he would tell me LeBron would eat that type of stuff. So I was like, you know what?

Tarek: Very convincing.

Jalen: Throw some extra broccoli on my plate. You know, trying to be like LeBron. But even just like, just the guys in my area, like it was the coolest thing to go to a high school game or like to, you know, be able to see them after the game and stuff. Like feeling like they're seven feet tall. Like, so just those little moments I always think about.

Tarek: It says here that in your free time you're interested in woodworking. And that popped off the page. And I'm just curious, like how did you get into that? And when do you have an opportunity to do woodworking?

Jalen: So that is a little outdated because I liked in high school. So we had, there was a period where we had electives and most people would do a different elective like each year, but I really liked woodworking. And I thought the teacher was really, I really liked how he taught and like how he like approached it. So I did, I was one of the only kids in my grade to do the same elective all four years. I did woodworking all four years.

Tarek: So that's incredible. Yeah, it was cool. And what were some of the cool things that you made?

Jalen: I was always trying to be like creative. So I bought, I mean, I created like a table side, like bed side, but it was like, I'd have like a special part for my video game controller. And then the special part for like my Gatorade, like, cause like I would make it like particular to me and what I like would want in my bedroom. So like I had like a little, like a little section for everything. So it was, yeah.

Tarek: And did you get to use different types of wood, like purple hard?

Jalen: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I got to like sand different things. We had people come in and like show us like the different quality of wood. And like, if you want to give it like a stained look and stuff like that. So yeah, I enjoyed all four years of doing it.

Tarek: And it says here that you're just a film junkie. Now you just, you're 100% basketball all the time. Is that accurate or you have other hobbies?

Braeden: I do like film. I do like watching basketball. Other hobbies I would say, I've gotten into building Lego sets over the last year, year and a half. That's been nice to get off technology, take some time and work on building a nice piece. I also really enjoy watching movies or shows. So that's kind of how I spend my downtime.

Tarek: So what are the movies you're watching today? Or shows that you like?

Braeden: Movies I'm watching today, I just went and saw F1.

Tarek: How was that?

Braeden: It was incredible. Yeah, very good film. If you haven't seen it, you gotta go see it. And then some shows, I just finished watching Oppenheimer not too long ago, which I heard was really good. And then watching it was great. So those are a couple that I've been on recently that I think are pretty good.

Tarek: I actually just met a guy here in North Idaho that knew Oppenheimer. And his dad worked pretty closely with him in Los Alamos, which is super interesting. How about you?

Jalen: Hobbies?

Tarek: No, like movies, things that you're watching these days.

Jalen: I remember Creed. I rewatched Creed recently.

Tarek: That'll get you fired up for the basketball season.

Jalen: Some Philly roots in it too. Yeah, whatever Netflix show is normally trending at the moment, I'll usually go check it out. But yeah, Creed's the one that sticks out to me in my mind recently.

Tarek: Let's close with this question. What are your personal goals for this coming year?

Braeden: Personal goals? Always to be the best version of myself. Now that looks like being a great teammate, a great leader on the floor, being able to compete at all times, making sure that the team is organized and set and winning games. Like that's what it's about. And so those are my goals, but mainly to be the best version of myself day in, day out, be consistent.

Jalen: Yeah, I think one of my main goals is to kind of take a jump as a leader as well. I think it's a unique situation where I haven't been here for too long, but that doesn't mean that I can't still be one of a great leader and a great teammate. So I'm challenging myself, especially being an older guy, to kind of put myself in a little bit uncomfortable situation and continue to be a great leader. And one thing that I've also been focusing on is just being a very disruptive defender, try to be one of the best defenders in the country. And hopefully that will pour energy into my team into helping us win a lot of basketball games.

Tarek: I lied, I have another question. Since you talk about leadership, I am interested in that growth process. I mean, when you first went to college as a freshman, I mean, would you consider yourself to be a little bit more introverted or extroverted, or you're like a rah-rah kind of guy, or who are some leaders that you've been around that have inspired you? Why have they inspired you? And maybe you can talk a little bit about Coach Few's leadership. There's a lot there.

Jalen: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't think I'm an introvert. I would say I'm closer to extrovert. I think going into college, my freshman year, I really focused on being a great listener and a great follower, someone who can hear things and do it the very first time I'm hearing it, kind of be a sponge, which to be a great leader, you have to be a great follower first a lot of times. So I feel like that has kind of set me up in terms of my development as a leader. I think it's just continuing to add new aspects, like continuing to put myself in uncomfortable situations. I think naturally I enjoy being a leader and I enjoy trying to get the best out of all the people around me, but sometimes you have to be the one who speaks up when it's an uncomfortable moment, or you have to be the one, like sometimes it may sound a little corny when you say it, like it's okay because your ultimate goal is to be a great leader, but to inspire yourself and everybody else. So being okay with those uncomfortable moments and just like continuing to build the ability to be a leader in all different teams and environments, I just continue to work on that.

Braeden: Going into college for me, like in high school, I would say, I was quite vocal of a leader, but going into my freshman year, I was on a pretty veteran team. And so kind of like Jalen, I just wanted to come in and absorb as much as I could. And be there for those guys and listen to them. And a great leader that we had that year was Tucker Richardson, who ended up one player of the year that year. And he was a great leader for me because he was very good at leading by example, which is something that I think I had to work on at that time. And so being able to witness him and see how he works, helped me gain that perspective and helped me in the leadership in that way. And then as far as Coach Few and his leadership, I think he does a great job in his leadership by always challenging. Like he's always trying to push his players to that extra gear. Obviously he knows what it takes. He's been around the best of the best and he's seen everything. So I think he does a great job of finding ways to push his players and make us better and yeah.

Tarek: You know, we just met a few minutes before we started recording here and just in the short time we've been together, I'm already big fans of both of you guys. And I know anybody that's listening is gonna be interested in following your journey this year. Where can they follow you? I mean, I know you're not on social media a whole lot, but do you have an Instagram or something where people can follow and track your progress throughout the year?

Jalen: Yeah, mainly Instagram. Definitely will like throughout the season, stuff like that, like the moments and things like that will be updated there. Usually use that as my main social media platform.

Tarek: Great.

Braeden: Yeah, same here, Instagram. That's about it for me. So yeah.

Tarek: Perfect, I'm gonna jump on right now and follow you guys. Jalen, Braeden, thank you so much for joining me on Y'all Street and best of luck to you. I hope you guys win the championship this year.

Braeden: Thank you, appreciate it. Thanks for having us. Thank you for the mug as well. Appreciate it.

Tarek: You're welcome.