Welcome, welcome, welcome to the second episode
of It's More Than a Game podcast. And let me
tell you, I am extremely blessed and very happy
that I made the decision to start this podcast
because it's just a platform for me to build
a community, right? I really enjoy mentorship.
I really enjoy leadership. And with my experience
through the game, You know, having played for
a very long time, reaching my goal of playing
at the Division I level, it gives me the chance
to really help the younger generation and provide
guidance, sound guidance, on how to navigate
the ins and outs of the game and really just
to facilitate engagement. conversation about
the games the the highs the lows the you know
the the bad times the the boring times the hard
times i think it's important for us as athletes
who have been through it to curate this this
community this trusted community for anyone involved
in the game and that's players and it's not just
subject to players only coaches trainers parents
Whoever it may be, it's important to create this
community for the younger generation of hoopers,
because in the state of basketball today, there
are a lot of politics. There's always been politics,
but there are a lot of politics more so now than
ever, simply because of, for an example, NIL,
right? There is so much politics in the game
that it's hard for the younger generation to
navigate all of this and to kind of vet who really
cares about them, who really cares about their
journey, who really cares about their personal
development. Because the unfortunate nature of
the game today, there are leechers, there are
people who are out there to take advantage of
these kids. to take them off of the journey that
these kids want to go to. So this is the platform
that I get to use to really kind of deep dive
into different topics around the game. If you
enjoyed the podcast, whether you listened on
Spotify, Apple Podcast, or you watched the video
on YouTube, you got to see my pretty face. As
always, let me know, provide feedback, right?
Because this is supposed to be for you, whoever
you are watching this, this is supposed to be
for you. And if there are some topics or some
things that we would like you want to discuss,
then just let me know. And I'll definitely be
sure to implement that into future episodes.
OK, I'm on I'm on platforms. Right. I'm trying
to grow this community. Right. So we have this
podcast, like I mentioned, Spotify, Apple podcast.
It's on YouTube. I also have a tick tock. My
tick tock is more so for players. It allows me
to to really kind of just be real. No editing,
no formality, really, but just to kind of speak
my mind. I can answer questions. I can answer
DMs, comments. More so focused on player development
and growth through the game. Right. Because,
again, there's a lot that goes on with the game.
And for the younger generation of hoopers, it
allows me to impart wisdom. You know, I played
the game for a very long time. And that's what
that allows me to do. I'm also on Instagram.
Sorry, backtrack to TikTok. If you care to follow
my TikTok, it is jlove22ihoop. If you also search
Elite Fit Connect, you should be able to find
me. Again, my face is there, so go follow me
there. I have an Instagram, Elite Fit Connect.
twitter youtube again elite fit connect so if
you if you care to go follow me the more the
merrier repost share comment like up to you but
that's going to help me grow this community that
i think is very important for the game okay This
is exciting, right? This is episode two. And
today I really want to focus on the process of
the game, falling in love with the process, right?
Even when progress feels invisible, it's important,
right? It's a grind. It's a grind. It's a grind.
It's a grind. Everybody loves highlights. Everybody
loves the highlights. You know, I grew up on
the ball is life culture, right? Graduated high
school in 2011. Okay. um i don't know if you
remember but they still make them now but the
ball is life mixtapes one of the best mixtapes
ever was john wall right you have a kill car
um who else who else who else i'm blanking austin
rivers so many mixtapes out there and we just
love that we consume that because we got to see
the best of some of these great players to ever
play the game but what it doesn't show is the
low moments the grind the hustle the struggle
the pain the sweat the tears the blood the amount
of time it takes to get to that level to the
tippy top to make it to the league right they
don't show that and i think it's important for
us as the leaders And, you know, I'm not saying
I'm not trying to put myself on a pedestal, but,
you know, I have the experience to to understand
that what you see on TV or on YouTube or social
media, whatever it may be. It's not necessarily
reality. It's not. And I'm just being real. OK,
so let me ask you this. What are some of the
things that you might not see behind the scenes?
When you're trying to improve your game or get
to the next level and reach your goals. There
are weeks when you might feel like you're putting
in all the effort in the world and nothing is
happening. Nothing is happening. That's when
most people quit. That's when most people get
discouraged. That's when people convince themselves
that maybe this isn't for me. Sometimes it's
valid. Sometimes you need to go through all the
struggles to realize that maybe this isn't the
route that I need to go to. Maybe I need to deviate
a little bit. Maybe basketball isn't what I need
to be doing for the rest of my life. But again,
basketball is a great tool for life. But I'm
here to tell you that's exactly when the process
is working. You just can't see it. You just can't
see it. I'm telling you. This is when we get
into the topic of basketball politics, the reality
of basketball politics. There's there's always
been politics way back in the day to now and
the future of basketball. There has always been
politics. There will always be politics. Sometimes
a less talented player will get the looks. I
dealt with that, you know, I dealt with that.
Growing up in the game, right? There might be
teammates that you play with that get that starting
spot, that get that starting position. They may
be getting the camera, the lights, right? And
everybody knows or you know that you put in way
more work. You put in the grind, the hustle,
the work ethic, all that good stuff, right? You
put in way more into the game. And it might even
show on the court. But because of politics, that
teammate might get those opportunities that you
want. They might get the looks that you're looking
for. They might get those scholarship offers
that you've been praying for. That's just politics.
Those are the things that you cannot control.
And the last thing that you need to do as a player...
Even if you're a parent, right, you need to understand
that there are so many things in basketball,
in sports, in life that you cannot control. So
the worst thing that you can do is just waste
time harboring over all of that and trying to
manipulate what people think about you or your
child so that you can get those opportunities.
But it's impossible. You're wasting your time.
You're wasting your effort. What you can do,
focus on the things that you can't control, right?
Stuff like that can eat you alive if you let
it. I promise you it can. But focusing on what's
out of your control will only drain your energy,
okay? And that's just, again, the politics of
hoops, of basketball. You can't control it, but
you can control your consistency. There's a topic
that I want to talk about. There's a concept
called the law of thirds. Right. And so basic
math. Right. You have three thirds in a whole.
So we're splitting that whole into three thirds.
And each of those thirds represent a certain
piece of your journey, a certain aspect of what
you might experience through your journey. Right.
And we're going to relate this to basketball,
obviously. But this is. Important for everything
else, for your for life, for your career, for
your relationships, family, friends, anything.
The law of thirds is real. OK, so so what is
the law of thirds? I'll explain it. Right. So
the first third will support you no matter what.
OK, this is honestly like what we all hope for
in whatever we do. Right. These are the wins.
The calls from the recruiters that we're looking
for from the schools that we're looking for.
These are, you know, earning that starting starting
position on the varsity squad or on, you know,
the college team. That's it's the success. It's
what brings the happiness. It's what brings validation.
Right. So that's the first third. The second
third is. The the doubt, the the negatives, right?
The pain, the struggle. The times where, like
I said, you might be putting all this work, but
the progress is invisible. You're not getting
any validation. It might seem like you're failing.
And this is where people quit. This is where
people give up. This is where people. Start to
doubt themselves and start looking elsewhere
because they're not getting the satisfaction
that they want. They're not seeing the success.
They're not getting those opportunities that
they hope for. That's a third, but everybody
goes through that. OK, the final third is just
the mundane, the boring time when. And when it
comes to basketball, I like to think of when
you're doing that detailed work where it's not
necessarily hard. It's just boring. Right. You're
going to the gym every day and you put up 100,
100 shots. You should be putting away more than
100 shots. You're putting up 500 to 1000 shots
a day over and over and over again. Sometimes
it can be boring. It can drive you insane. But
that is a very important third that you have
to go through. I think a perfect example is myself
through Elite Fit Connect. Especially in the
beginning stages, even now, it's hard to feel
validated when you're starting a company, when
you're trying to earn approval from whether it's
your customers, your audience, people like you.
Because it's a process. There's a lot of processes
that go into building a company, building technology
into something that I've done for so long, playing
basketball, right? And there's a lot of doubts.
There's a lot of negativity that I might go through,
but that's just the way it is. I've made calls
after calls after calls on getting investments.
There are times where I feel ignored. There are
times where I might feel discouraged because
someone might not want to talk about what I'm
doing, or they might not necessarily believe
in what I'm doing, or they actually validate
me in some sense, but it's not enough to get
those investments, right? That's been a journey
in itself. But on the flip side, the great thing
about what I'm doing is the direct interaction
with coaches and trainers and even players. Because
I hear about the stories, the ups and downs of
just the business of training athletes or the
business of maintaining or retaining athletes.
When I talk about a tool or a solution on how
we can better the community and allow coaches
and trainers to spend more time on the floor
developing players versus spending time managing
admin tasks, scheduling, payments, communication,
on the phone all the time, trying to handle the
books, putting people on the calendar. that's
the third that gives me the validation that wants
me to keep going, right? And then there's the
third that's just boring, right? Like, you know,
after recording this video, right, I have to
edit. I have to go through the process of making
sure that the video is good, making sure that
the audio is good, making sure that I'm not saying
anything crazy or, you know, Making sure I don't
go on these long tangents and, you know, just
editing accordingly. Right. But that's the process.
It might be boring, but I also understand that
there there will be a reward after it. Or I might
see the negatives from it. Right. It's just it
depends. Right. But that's just the process.
Right. And that's taught me that my energy has
to go towards. what i believe in towards the
people that i believe in who have like values
who have the same vision who want to see my success
and vice versa obviously because eventually the
neutral ones notice and the doubters they don't
matter i just don't care i'm not in the business
of trying to prove you wrong or trying to prove
people who don't believe in me wrong okay the
people that believe in me the ones who want to
see success that's the reason why I do this.
Because if you believe in what I do, then I'm
always going to believe in you. And it's just
mutually beneficial. At the end of the day, you
have to feed the believers, ignore the doubters,
and win over the neutrals with your consistency,
with the hustle, with the grind. And that's really
what the law of thirds is. And I really suggest
that you implement that or you take that in and
make sure that you understand that you're going
to go through a row. You're going to be riding
a roller coaster, right? You're going to go through
the highs, the lows, you're going to go through
the boring and the mundane time. So that that's
the law of thirds. And I hope, I hope I explained
that well. Okay. The, the next thing that I want
to make sure that you understand is that, and
I mentioned this early on in the video or in
this podcast, right? That sometimes you could
be the most talented individual on the court,
but You might not see anything from it, right?
But I will say that talent will get you noticed.
Talent will get your names ringing in the tabloids,
on the blogs, in the recruiting services, all
that stuff, right? Talent is going to get you
noticed, but your circle will get you those opportunities.
And when I talk about this circle, right, building
a circle, it's really just your network. Your
network can include anything and everything between
your coaches, trainers, parents, teammates, recruiters,
scouts, really anybody involved in the game.
That is your circle. And your circle is going
to be the difference of being in the right runs
or being in the right tournaments or missing
those showcases. those events that actually matter
okay so let's let's take a deep dive into the
aau scene right so again i was a class of 2011
out of high school and during my time it was
more or less about the team that you played for
the tournaments that you were in okay i want
to say before that Before by time, it was more
so just being able to produce and your stats
would be able to tell your story and people would
find you. When I grew up in the game, when I
came up in the game, right, it was about showing
out in those tournaments, right? Being on a team
that could get you into the right environment
and your coach could vouch for you. And all you
had to do was grasp those opportunities and just
ball out. because there were going to be people
out there watching. And then once you start balling
out, you're consistent, you're showcasing your
ability, your skills, your name will start ringing
a bell and people are going to be like, did y
'all see so -and -so balling last night? Dropped
a 30 -piece, double -double, triple -double,
beat so -and -so. You got to keep your eyes on
him. That dude is nice. That dude is cold. That
dude is cold -blooded, right? That was my time.
And I want to say now and again, I could be wrong,
but this is just from me talking to folks, seeing
what's going on. It's about who you know. There
are a lot of kids playing the game of basketball.
There are a lot of kids playing the game of basketball.
Most of those kids want to make it. They want
to get as high as they can in the game. But the
higher you go, the less opportunities you'll
find. And it's truly about who you know, who's
in your circle. And so I say that to say, the
younger you are, the better. The younger you
are, the better. You get a head start into making
sure that you are on the right teams. You have
the right coaches who have all these contacts
who have the credibility to get you to where
you want to get to. You're playing with the right
players. You're going to the right showcases
to the right events. Maybe you're on an EYBL
team. The Puma, Reeboks, Adidas, whatever it
may be, so you can be in front of all these college
coaches, these scouts. OK. Back in high school,
right. You know, I thoroughly enjoyed my high
school school ball experience, but I don't think
my high school experience was the right experience
for me simply because I don't think my coach.
necessarily prioritized getting us to that next
level and i don't say that in a negative i don't
say that you know to throw them on the bus right
it's just people have their different philosophies
okay but i knew that i wanted to go play at the
division one level and i just honestly don't
think that a that my coach helped me you know
get there right I heavily relied on AAU because
I knew that AAU was such a you know good environment
to be in to get my name out there and play in
the right tournaments and play some of the best
players right I played against a lot of players
so the AAU was just my main bread and butter
I thoroughly enjoyed high school because I got
to play against Some of my I got to play with
some of my best friends and we played together
for so long, you know, we were subjectively successful.
We won some games where we were busting the clock
on most teams. And I had a blast. I had a blast
playing, you know, on that team. But all that
to say, right, is you have to make sure that
the people that are around you. care about you
and they can help you get to where you want to
get to okay so if you're young if you're a young
player navigating this space right you just have
to do your due diligence and make sure that you're
you're vetting right you're vetting these people
you're vetting your coaches the trainers right
making sure they they're they have the right
credentials making sure that they have the contacts
they built a rapport So that way, when you are
producing, they can be like, they can go to,
you know, your local school or D2, D3, or JUCO,
NAIA, or shoot, if you're good enough, a blue
blood and be like, hey, I got this player for
you. I got someone who's been grinding their
butt off. Come check them out. I promise you,
I won't disappoint you. Okay, so you just have
to, you just have to do your due diligence and
make sure that the people in your circle are
going to vouch for you. Because, again, I've
seen hoopers with less talent get opportunities
because their circle worked harder than the player
did. So that's the biggest advice when it comes
to circles and your network. Your circle at the
end of the day is your cheat code. So build it
wisely. Now, when I talk about this network and
I think about me and my circle. I have a vision
of building a solid community of coaches and
trainers to make sure that the younger generation
is not done dirty. There are a lot of people
who should not be coaching or training, and I
just want to kind of alleviate that, right? I
had a conversation with someone in my area, a
local trainer. He focuses a lot on football.
But we talked about the importance of community.
OK, we want to build a space where athletes can
share their experiences. They can get guidance
and have mentors. Mentorship is so important.
And I wish I had access to this when I was younger.
You know, I had a good community. Don't get me
wrong, but I wish I had access to players. coaches
and other trainers that have done it before who
have experienced it because one, that would give
me more clarity on what I need to do to get to
where I need to. I become more educated on the
process of navigating the recruiting experience,
right? Understanding that it might be important
to vet those college coaches to make sure that
you're going somewhere that is built for you.
That those coaches will actually do you right
and not take advantage of you and make sure that
you're in the right situation. Right. That community
is very important because we consume a lot. We
consume social media. We consume YouTube videos.
We watch TikToks and Instagram and we see a lot
of things that have nothing to do with us. But
we want that because it looks good. Right. But
most of these players that have made it, they
have a great community. They have a solid foundation
of people who care about them and who truly,
truly want the best for them. Right. And that's
what I'm trying to build. And as far as my company,
Elite Fit Connect, I want to work with like minded
individuals, leaders and sports and people who
just care about. This young generation of athletes,
basketball, football, volleyball, soccer, lacrosse,
whatever it may be. Right. It's important that
this community is built for these young players.
OK. It's not always going to be sunshine. Right.
You're going to go through injuries. Right. You
might have an injury that sets you back. Shoot.
I hurt my knee senior year of high school and
I was scared out of my mind that. I was not going
to be able to go play college basketball. And
I did my best to, whether it was the right decision
or not, I did my best to kind of hide it because
I didn't want my recruiting stock to go down.
You know, there was a lot of adversity that I
was already going through to get my name out
there, to get noticed that I was a good player.
And so the last thing that I wanted was my injury
to prevent me from reaching my goal of playing
Division I basketball. Then there's politics.
Again, something that I went through. From the
beginning stages of playing all the way through
college. It's just something that you cannot
escape. There's burnout. The burnout is real.
The repetition, the grind, the hard work of trying
to improve your game. Trying to make sure that
you're the best you can be so that you can compete
with some of the best players. Sometimes... That
can burn you out. Physically and mentally. Mentally,
maybe more than physically. And I truly believe
that kids need support when they're going through
these things, right? And I talked about before
in the last episode how when I left the game,
I kind of lost myself. And my wife helped me
out of a dark place. after I stopped playing
the game, right? And that just shows or it just
truly emulate the power of community, okay? And
I remember a point in time when I was questioning
my college career and what I wanted out the game.
And I remember my coach, my AAU coach, rest in
peace, Tim, Coach Tim, and such a great coach.
Probably the best coach that I ever had, truly,
because he cared so much about the players. He
cared like his life depended on it. And I remember
I was just going through a rough time my sophomore
year and and I'm laying in my dorm, just chilling.
And he hits me up and he calls me and simply
he just asks, what's going on? How are you doing?
Almost perfect timing, the most perfect timing.
And I told him, I'm like, hey, I don't know if
I can do this. This is hard. It's not rainbows.
It's not sunshine. I'm struggling, you know,
because I was going through an injury. I wouldn't
say my relationship with my coach was the best,
my head coach in college. I lost playing time.
I lost my starting position. So I was going through
it. Because I spent so much time in the game
that that's all I knew, pretty much. And through
that conversation, he and I, that was the first
time I ever told him what I was going through.
And he was like, there are coaches that want
you. Behind the scenes, he was doing whatever
he needed to do to make sure that I was still
going to get those opportunities if I decided.
not to play for West Point if I wanted to leave
and go to another school. And he gave me that
opportunity. He gave me the ultimatum of like,
hey, if you're not having a good time, if you
don't want to play at West Point anymore, I got
some coaches that want to see if you can still
do it. Ultimately, you know, I decided to stick
around West Point and just stop playing. That
just, again, proves that. community is so important
because if you have a great community you're
going to have solid people around you and those
those people in your circle and your network
are going to work for you even when you don't
ask for it when you least expect it okay and
and that is why mentorship and community can
carry players when their own confidence fades
right And this is exactly why I built Elite Fit
Connect. I don't even think I have to say it
again, but I just want to build a community for
this young generation so that they can navigate
the ins and outs and everything that comes with
the work and the grind of basketball and trying
to get to that next level. On the technical side,
this platform is going to give coaches and trainers...
time back so they can spend more time on the
floor because they just care so much about the
game and about player development and seeing
the success of these kids right this will create
safe circles where integrity matters because
i do think where the state of basketball is we're
kind of on the on the cusp of losing that integrity
and the ethics of the game um and you know i've
sat with coaches who told me that they spend
more time on the nuances of the admin the administrative
task of you know building a training business
or a coaching business right and when i talk
about giving time back to them so they can spend
more time on the floor i want to do that for
them i want to say like hey you know i have this
platform where you can just streamline all that
stuff to the point of where you don't even have
to worry about it. And it all does it itself
so you can spend more time on the floor. And
that's what I want to fix. And again, it goes
back to the community, building a solid foundation
of trusted coaches and trainers to spend more
time on the floor with kids, right? Because at
the end of the day, your environment matters
as much as your effort, as much as your gift
of playing the game, right? And Elite Fit Connect,
EFC, we are trying to reshape that environment,
okay? So, as a player, as a young player trying
to make it, what can you do to navigate all of
this? First, you have to set your standards.
Set your standards. You are going to be your
biggest critique. And that can also be to a fault.
But you have to set the standards because without
those standards, there's going to be no growth.
There's going to be no development. Set those
standards, right? Every day when you wake up,
have one daily action no matter what, okay? For
me today, I woke up and said, I am going to record
this podcast today because it needs to be done.
Because I have an opinion, but I have a voice
that can be used to... positively affect the
younger generation of hoopers okay so every day
that you wake up set that standard set those
expectations so you can continue on your journey
okay the second thing is the thirds check i talked
about the um the power of thirds or the law of
thirds right so write down who's in each third
for you right now okay if there's someone out
there that's helping you reach your success,
write that name down. If there's someone out
there that's, you know, maybe pushing you through
those boring times, the mundane times where it
might seem like it doesn't matter, write that
name down, okay? If there's someone out there
who's the reason for the highs or the lows, right,
the struggle, the hard times, write that name
down. OK, that's going to help you just identify.
One, what season you're going through, maybe,
but to also who's involved in which third. And
that can lead that leads into your network, your
circle. And so with that, you need to audit your
circle. Do your due diligence and make sure that
the right people are in your circle. When you
go work out, who's in the gym with you? OK, what
group chats are you in? When you go play pickup,
who what other players are in those pickup runs?
Do they make you better? Do they challenge you?
Do they push you? Do they motivate you? Do they
inspire you? OK, so do that audit check. to make
sure that your circle is tight, okay? Please,
please, please. If you don't journal, I highly
suggest that you do journal. Go buy a notebook
or we're all addicted to this right here. So
open that notepad, your notes app, right? And
I want you to write down three times where you
felt invisible or where you felt invisible progress
in your life, okay? What was it? What was the
result of it? So what came after it? And what
did you do to build towards it? Right. What led
you to that moment? OK, so so do that. Do that
journaling journaling exercise. I do think that's
going to do wonders for you. OK, it's all about
reflection here. Understanding where you are
at now. How did you get there and what you can
do to turn that around if you need to. OK. We
talked a lot. We talked a lot. So I think I want
to close here. I think today's podcast was good
for me because a lot of things run through my
mind. So it's hard for me to make sure that I
don't just go on these tangents and I don't really
talk about things that don't necessarily matter
to you. But in my head, you know, I'm doing my
own reflection right now. Okay. But in that right,
you need to understand that progress will always
feel invisible before it shows up. And if you
can love the process in the dark, you're going
to shine through. I promise you, you're going
to shine when the lights come on. Right. So don't
waste your time fighting politics. You're going
to waste your time. It's inevitable. Politics
are politics. Don't waste your energy feeding
doubters. The ones that bring you down or talk
mess about you who just don't believe in you.
Right. Build your standards, set your own expectations,
build your circle, your close knit network, right?
Build that community because at the end of the
day, it's more than a game. It's about life.
And if you're watching this, if you made it this
far in the podcast, audio, video, whatever, again,
I really appreciate you spending your time with
me and can't wait to see you next week. It's
been a pleasure. It's more than a game podcast
hosted by Jalen. Peace.