My parents graduated from here.
So, you know, as a as a young kid, you know,
my dad would bring me back to games
where it was Garfield versus Franklin.
And that was my true first love of,
like, basketball. You know,
it wasn't the Bulls and Michael Jordan.
It was just local hoops with Jason Terry
going at it against the Boston brothers.
And that's where I fell
in love with basketball.
And, you know, I would tell my dad,
I want to play golf.
I want to play a Garfield.
And at that time, he never said anything
about graduating from Garfield.
You know, I was just a little kid.
So I was like older and started
to hear more stories.
I have to ask my
dad, did you, did you go to Garfield?
And he's like, yeah,
I played at that school you loved.
So he was just really coiling
that way. And then he told me, my mom did.
And and and after that,
me and my brother kind of just knew
we're going to go to that school.
So, you know, this school did a
lot for me personally, you know,
not just, you know, on the court,
but academically, you know,
helping me get through my sats and
getting into the University of Washington.
So I just feel like I'm a part of it.
How special. I mean cause anybody talks
about you mentioned Garfield, Franklin.
I mean I think a sonics and I think
yeah yeah Seattle basketball is
it is you know what everything kind of
been on the Internet now or social media.
You know the kids don't know how we used
to do things back in my day you know
my freshman year was 98 and I I tell
him like after a big game you know the
next morning we ran to the newspapers
so like when we my mom would take us
to school in the morning you know we
will stop at that stop at the store.
We can go in there and get a,
a paper for 1/4.
And the first thing we do is go to
the sports section and we try to see
who got the headliner, you know,
because we knew render beach play,
Franklin play.
You know, if we didn't play one another,
we were always wondering like who got the,
the, the big write up.
And, you know,
we'll look at the score boxes and
that was like the biggest thing in
the world to make the newspaper.
I remember cutting them out and
putting them on my wall or,
you know,
calling my grandma and telling her I cut one
out for you or she would call me and say,
hey, I got the paper this morning,
you know, if you want the extra 1 come up,
come by and grab it.
So, you know, that was really special.
Ham and you know now I'm coaching
and and I'm a part of these guys.
It's funny because you know I look
at film and stuff on the Internet
and you know some of the other
coaches are semi highlights of of
of my games when I played in high
school and I'm like
man they got this tape,
somebody recorded this.
So it's really cool and really
special to to to kind of you know
show the guys when I play and then
show them now that they're playing and
kind of just have that bond with them.
It's interesting you mentioned Jamal.
I remember sitting down with him at
Rainier Beach and we talked about from
college to the NBA and all the success
and he says some of his favorite
memories were rookie of the Year.
Yeah, success. Yeah. I mean
echo that or. Yeah. You know, no he,
you know we speak about that
when we when we talk and you know
have been really really close
friends for for a number of years.
But you know I remember even
in the NBA you know like a fan
would acts like so what's your?
One, you know, favorite moment.
And I would always go back to
like my high school experiences.
But, you know,
to the fan that meets you as a professional,
they don't, you know,
quite know your high school days,
especially not the same way they do
now because you can kind of track a
guy's career back just looking them up.
But I would always want to tell them about
like a a game down at key arena. You know,
we beat Franklin and it was like televised.
And I was just like the greatest
experience of my life.
But I have to like,
think and go, OK, hold on.
Let me maybe tell you about it.
Go whenever you dub or tell you about one.
That was my rookie year in Portland.
But the truth is,
is those games that, you know,
I played in high school against
Mount Vernon at the Key arena,
you know, we had a hoopfest
right here against Franklin.
We had a great game against
Jalen Stewart's dad,
Logic and Roger for Rainier Beach.
I mean classic games,
you know,
and and
some of them, you know,
we won most of them. We lost a
couple. But to be a part of them,
it was like really, really special,
you know, playing out in Tacoma
Dome against false and you know,
they're the top team and we're the
top team is like I can remember
those games like it was yesterday.
I remember what I ate.
I remember how we got off.
The bus and went into the arena
and it was a game we lost.
So I never watched the film of the game,
but I can remember everything
leading up to it.
I remember, you know, my emotions after it.
I missed two free throws late in the game,
so those moments stick just as
much as anything I ever did
at the professional level.
So it's really cool.
And Jamal saying that I
know exactly what he means.
And and give that to these kids.
And took a lot of this
away from these guys, yeah.
You've been through the highest peak,
but to tell these kids,
you know, enjoy these moments
and work hard while you're here.
Yeah. And have that experience and and,
you know, I always felt like when I played,
you know, I wish I could have
went back and said, damn,
I wish I could have did things different.
You know, my, my coach was good.
He had a good coach,
but I felt like I wasn't mature at that time.
You know, not not as a person.
I was always a good person.
But my basketball game, you know,
I didn't take it serious because
for me being a 1617 year old kid.
It wasn't the NBA because it
just wasn't that close to us.
It was like, man, you know,
I just wanna, you know,
get my grades and maybe go to college where.
So I I didn't take things as serious as
one day I can be a rookie of the year.
You know, I didn't even think that far ahead.
So I always said, you know,
once I got through my plan days,
I want to go back and help young kids
maximize their time in high school.
And it's great because now with
these guys I can talk to Jalen
Stewart about foul trouble.
You know, I found out of,
you know, my, my senior year,
I found out of the game and and I
always wished that I would have,
you know, maybe.
How to Double team and reached
and you know even coached and
Tari Eason a couple of years ago.
First state tournament game I was
telling him don't get in foul trouble.
That's the only way this team beat
is if you get in foul trouble.
And in the first quarter he got two fouls.
I'm thinking
holy crap, now it's a game.
So. Kind of crazy about
his jealous story. Here he
is a freshman. He ends up
making three threes in a row.
We separate and we win the game fairly easy.
And now things come, you know, 360,
he's the senior and I'm telling
him, hey, let's stay out of foul trouble.
So, you know, I always thought
I was talented in high school,
but it was like, man, those little,
you know, Nuggets of of, you know,
my coach told me, but I didn't
quite know him as a player.
They knew me. They know me as a player.
So they're always kind of a
little bit open to listening.
So it's really cool to be a part
of those moments, you know?
Help them prepare for games,
talking to them about how they need to eat.
I understand they're not pros,
they're not gonna be able
to eat the best every day.
But on game days, night before games,
try to hydrate just little Nuggets like that.
Being calm and and and crunch time,
trying to tell them hey long game,
even though it's we may be losing,
maybe winning 4 minutes left
is a lot of basketball,
so it's just really great for me
to to be able to be a part of that.
How many did you guys win when you were.
I didn't win any state championships.
Yeah so that's that's that's
part of my being back here.
We lost to false false.
They false and Lincoln.
Yeah false and Lincoln. Yeah.
So that that's a big part of me
being back here and you know we
won two state championships and and
I played three years of varsity.
So always said I gotta I got to
get those back to the school.
I should have won. I mean I again you
never say you should have but I had
teams that were good enough to to win state
championships and I felt like I was a.
Not a disappointment but you know I will
say after I finished up at Garfield I
wanted to to make the school proud because
I wasn't able to do it by, you know,
crowning it with a championship. So
doing it as a coach has been really fun.
But but it is, it is something that
that I don't want to say I regret,
but it is the one thing that I go man,
I got a lot of cool things
basketball wise, but that's one
that that really sticks at me.
You look so calm and cool.
You just, you know, you done
all the work you need to do.
You know you never done all
the work. But we will work
in practice.
I'm big on coaching and practice.
We work. I talk a lot.
I'm out there, you know,
I'm sweating after practice.
I try to get involved,
interact with the guys
and then the games.
I try to get a feel for how my team
is playing. You know, if, if, if,
if we come to timeouts and I and I
sense the guys more need the break,
then they need me talking and
trying to Draw Something up,
then I'll back off and say they're not
getting much from me drawing this play up.
And as they're playing, you know,
I try to let them figure it out.
That's what the season's about.
You know, I can try to get out
there and talk to him and yell,
but at the end of the day,
I like when they can start to figure it out.
And you can see it as a coach.
Like, OK, they call your sets,
call your place, call your defenses.
And as the season goes on, we'll add to that.
Best practices come in.
So even like a day like today,
we're gonna work on some things
that I didn't feel we did,
you know well enough in our
past game and we'll work at it.
We're gonna work.
We'll work for about an hour
and a half and then you know,
our next game.
The guys go out there and
try to implement it.
And the biggest thing is I try to stay calm.
I again, I play.
So I know how sometimes if a coach
seems excited or a little worried
that can rub off on you guys.
And I try to be calm and relax and
and hope that rubs off on my guys.
The answer really is.
We've got 4 kids.
Yeah, you don't have to coach.
Yeah, probably going up the high
level and get a job in the year.
College. Why here?
Why now is this is this.
Yeah you know getting back I've obviously
yeah it's always giving
back but when I when I played even
through high school it was about me.
You know my parents did everything they
could to to make sure my basketball
dreams and I can succeed and and and
chase my dreams as much as possible.
Then I go to college and it's the
same thing it's all about me.
So I told myself when I made it to the
NBA that once I'm done planning the pros
and I have my son into my rookie year
I said that I want to be a part of my.
Kids life and and and be like my
mom and dad was towards me so who
cares if I was an All-Star or Richard
the year I'm financially OK to be
there for my children and that was
always how my parents taught me.
You know you you have your kids
you got to be there for them and I
never want to be like that dad from
a distance I want to to be hands on.
So
it was hard. I didn't think
I would stop playing at 28
that was an adjustment but I thought once
I cleared that hurdle you know mentally
I got back to my goal of. Man, OK,
I don't wanna coach that higher level.
My son's a sophomore in high school.
I wanna, you know, I like coming to
the gym and seeing him after school,
going through practices,
watching him in open gym.
My daughters in 8th grade.
I can watch her play in her games
and I don't have a commitment.
To my goal or my dream, you know,
I still was having a great time
coaching high school basketball and and
accomplishing those goals at this level.
But the next level would be more
of a a time crunch and I feel like
I'll be kind of putting myself first
again and I don't want to do that.
I enjoy being there for them,
you know, every step of the way
from that 28 year old.
Complaints of the best.
Probably didn't get it then.
Yeah, probably get it now don't
you? Ohh yeah yeah it's. It's just maturity.
But that comes with, you know,
time experience, answered prayer, right?
Yeah, exactly. You know, it's again,
it was at that time it was hard.
But, you know, a couple of veterans
would tell me they said, hey, man,
doesn't matter if you retire at 28 or 38,
it's hard to walk away from the gang.
I think people see that with the Tom Brady.
You know, it's hard to walk away from it.
We've done it our whole life.
But like I said,
once I did clear that hurdle in my
first year coaching Nathan Hale,
I asked Coach Romar.
I said, hey, man.
Does it feel as good winning as
a coach like it did as a player
because all it feels good as a player,
like you never did the work.
He's like no. But it's close.
And I was like alright,
I said I'm gonna check back
with you after the season and
it didn't even take that long.
We want a big game down in Portland.
And I was sweating and I gave
him a bear hug and I said coach,
remember what we talked about?
And he said Nah,
we talked about a lot what I said
it feels just as good as a coach
if I was playing.
And he said you're right.
So it does feel good.
I saw it feels great. I mean,
that moment of winning that championship,
I felt like I was a player
and he said it was close.
I didn't feel a difference.
I mean, it felt just as good
getting my team ready, winning.
Then if I was actually out
there making the shots,
it was, it was really special.
It was a player.
You're gonna lose as a coach,
you gotta lose, but you can't.
You're not losing those.
Yeah, I lost, you know.
What's? What's been your?
I wouldn't. I don't know.
I I would say good players.
You know, you gotta have good players.
I think anybody who coaches knows that,
you know, we all want to see
my word with these geniuses.
You gotta have some guys I can go.
I've been fortunate to have guys that can go.
I've been really,
really good with surrounding myself with
good coaches and guys that have experience,
especially like my first year.
You know, I want to get guys around me
that actually have done it and then help,
you know, bring me along and
I would say to this point.
I don't. I want my team
to play well. I mean there's there's
there's games that I'm upset and we win,
but it's like I'm going home. Like
I feel like a loss,
like we didn't play well.
So my goal going out there
every game is not necessarily to win,
but practice to prepare well.
And then in the games play well because
I can deal with a loss if we play well.
I can handle that.
Hey, that team was good.
They beat us. But I hate not
playing well or not being prepared.
So it's like I go home and I'm watching film,
I'm sitting in the car
line picking up my kids.
Wasn't found.
It's like trying to make sure I
get my my team every advantage
they can to go out there and win.
But it's my goal isn't like
when you know even as a player
always told my told my teammates
it's gonna be about you guys.
I feel like if I can make you
guys better it's gonna help me be
a winner as a as an individual.
So me putting the effort into them and
putting the effort into getting better.
Hopefully that leads to wins and
not necessarily necessarily say it.
You know what's our record.
You know am I winning.
It's just not am I getting better
am I improving and hopefully
that's rubbing off on them.
Well I guess it is.
They're doing pretty well.
They're doing really well
and you are a big piece of the
puzzle here, but long before you
even stepped on the court here,
yeah, it's big time.
And it's and it's held. Yeah.
You know what do you what do you want.
The secret is for the the legacy
of Garfield basketball just
you know it's just been such a
it's something about the school. Like
I said when I was a kid I didn't
necessarily know my parents had even
went here and played my dad played here.
But it was like when I seen the guys on
the court and the uniform I was like I want
to be a part of like that tradition. And
in the 90s I mean I think they still
have one about 9:10 state championships.
So they have been successful but I didn't
really care about that. It was just.
Man, I want to be part of that.
And then I was like, how older
it was like. I remember talking
with Nate Robinson and, you know,
he wanted to go somewhere where
tradition was starting and building,
and then that was Rainier Beach.
You know, Jamal Crawford arrived and
he comes and now they're going for one
state championship to two and three,
and they built it. And I was like,
I want to be a part of something
that's already established and built.
And then I want this long list of guys and
I want to be a part of that long list.
I don't necessarily have to
be the guy that started it.
And that's just always been my mentality.
Like, man, I I would love to
to be a part of that.
History.
Like you know,
my dad would tell me about all
the old players and the you know,
the Super dogs all the way up to the to
the 8088 dogs I won back-to-back state
championships and that was really cool.
Joyce Walker, you know I remember the,
I think it was.
80 They won the men's and the women's and
I think in 2020 we want men's and women's.
And I was like man,
we gotta get the same picture
they took then now.
So me knowing all that
tradition just helped me.
Just want to be a be a part of it and,
you know the UI was able to go there
and kind of help start something.
But I I was glad that I was able
to be a part of a long history of
things here at Garfield which helped
me make my decision to go to the UW.
I didn't feel like I needed
to do that again in college.
I felt like I don't mind going
in and and kind of help you know,
restart and build something
up. Practice that we we
we see little kids here.
Special is that, yeah.
Having your son and yeah.
Carrying all that.
No, it's, it's it's really
cool because you know,
we drive down 23rd and we used
to pass the school and I would
say that's that's Dad school.
You know, I graduated from there
and now we pass it and they go,
that's BJ school.
I go BJ's and dads. You know it's
it's funny but it's really cool
for me. I feel.
I feel good knowing like he's here
and he's you know, he wears #3,
which was my brother's number.
So he, he know he called.
My brother, he's like, hey, you know,
I'm wearing that #3 like you did.
And it's like, man,
it's that tradition just just makes me feel,
you know, really really special.
And now I got the little ones,
they get to come practice with me
and you know, you can't replace time.
So these moments I get to to share
with them and having them here and
around and and cheering for us.
They got their Garfield sweaters
on game days is.
It means everything to me, you know?
It helped me get past,
you know,
move on from myself and my own goals
as an individual player to cheering for them,
coaching and really rooting
for their success.
There are so many kids every
weekend playing in this,
in this city, in the north.
I mean, basketball has never
been bigger in my mind.
Yeah, yeah, they're packed.
You are arguably the most successful
player ever come out here,
but people love you.
The Garfield Portland you know all
over the place. What's been a key?
The way my parents were? Yeah.
No, I work really hard. You know, my
my mom and my dad are really humble.
You know my mom would always say you know,
never let your ego get too big.
And when I went into coaching she said she,
she told me I was like what
do you think of me coaching.
You know I was a little nervous like
you know I'm going from like this NBA
guy and playing pro to you know people
can look at it like coaching high
school that's kind of a step down.
And. And she said but that's
never been who you are.
You know you never looked at yourself
as a pro being better than anybody
else so why not you know go do
something that you you want to do.
And she said you're going to be good
at it because you don't have a big ego.
And I was like. OK,
I guess that's why be good.
But, you know, it turned
out to kind of be that way.
You know, it kind of me
not having such a ego.
I'm able to listen and learn from
my players and my coaches and I
think it's helped me have success.
But when I was younger, I had heard a
really good compliment and they were like,
you know, bring was a better person.
And he is a a player and he's a good player,
but he's a he's a good person.
And when I heard that,
I wanted to to to make sure I live by that.
I wanted anybody who came into contact
with me to think that or feel that way.
Without me. And I kept trying
to drive to be a better player.
So it's like be a better player,
be a better person,
be a better player,
be a better person.
And that's just kind of the model
I've always wanted to live by.
And now it's coaching,
being a good coach and keep trying to be
a better person to where these kids go.
You know, he's a good coach,
but he's a great guy,
he's a really great guy and you know,
it's it's worked for me and and
hopefully it can continue to.