10/25/2018 Georgetown's Jessie Govan Talks to Jarod Hector About Being Coached By Patrick Ewing (Video)Read Now
Georgetown Hoyas big man Jessie Govan talks about coming back to school to play for head coach and Hoyas legend, Patrick Ewing.
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8/13/2018 Jarod Hector Talks to Heather Zuhlke, Season 5 Co-Executive Producer For Starz Series Power (Video)Read Now
The Starz prestige drama Power has been entertaining fans for five seasons and continues to shock and amaze. I sat down with Heather Zuhlke, the co-executive producer during season 5 and we discussed all the things that makes this show so great!
6/30/2018 Lolo Jones on Why People Should Appreciate Natural Muscular Bodies as Much as Kim Kardashian Created Bodies (Video)Read Now
ESPN the Magazine celebrated the 10 year anniversary of its famed BODY issue on Thursday at the Hearst building in NYC. On hand were BODY 10 issue athletes, Saquon Barkley, Greg Norman, Adam Rippon and Lolo Jones who posed in the inaugural BODY issue.
Editor in Chief Alison Overholt engaged the athletes in a lively discussion about their experiences posing for the magazine. A common misconception by most people is that elite athletes would love to show off their bodies and be completely comfortable posing nude. At one point Overholt asked the athletes if there was any trepidation about posing. There were varying answers, with Barkley and Norman being the most confident; Norman even saying he practices in the nude so he wasn’t too concerned. But the one thing all the athletes could agree on was that the shoot is very vulnerable and the ESPN photo crew made them all feel very safe. As the only woman on the panel, Jones spoke up about the standards of beauty women are often pressured to buy in and live up to. She said she is not always comfortable and wishes she could change things about her body. During one particular moment, she talked about curves being an accepted standard of beauty for women and that she doesn’t have any. She referenced someone on Instagram commenting on a workout picture she posted, the commenter said she should do more deep squats to get a bigger butt. The assembled crowd gasped. Jones said, “I do a lot of deep squats. I can deep squat 400 pounds, more than your average man. I just don’t have a butt. That’s how my body is.” Jones’ fellow panelists and the audience really connected with her honesty and willingness to share something personal that may make her insecure. Prior to the panel, I had the chance to speak to Jones and she talked about these same topics and the importance of ESPN doing the BODY issue and how it is helping to change the standards of beauty, particularly for women. 3/5/2018 Randolph Childress on Whether His Crossover in 1995 ACC Tournament on Jeff McInnis Was More Disrespectful Than James Harden’s on Wesley Johnson (Video)Read Now
The 2018 ACC Tournament tips off this week at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Virginia and Duke are the top 2 seeds and have earned double byes, which means they won’t play until Thursday. BSO will be on hand all week to bring you the sights and sounds of the premiere conference tournament in college basketball.
On Monday, several of the teams got a little light shooting work done and familiarized themselves with the arena. Head coach Danny Manning and his Wake Forest Deamon Deacons were one of the teams to take the floor late in the afternoon. Following the shootaround, we caught up with Associate Head Coach Randolph Childress. Childress is a Wake legend. The 1995 All-American, 2X All-ACC player, and 1995 ACC tournament MVP averaged 18.4 ppg over his career. During that ’95 season and ACC tourney run, Childress and sophomore big man Tim Duncan led Wake to the tournament title. Childress averaged 35.7 points and 7 assists per game. The run was punctuated with a defining finals win over North Carolina, where he scored 37 points, dished out 7 assists, and hit a game-winning jumper with 4 seconds left in overtime. The defining moment of the game was Childress dribbling the ball on the left wing being guarded by UNC’s Jeff McInnis. Childress goes into his crossover dribble to shake McInnis. McInnis falls and Childress motions to him to get up and then buries the three. It’s one of those plays you always remember and is the stuff of ACC and college hoops legend. See my full interview with Childress below, we talk about Wake’s mindset coming into the tournament, what he was thinking about when he made that move in 1995, and whether or not his move or James Harden’s crossover on Wesley Johnson was more disrespectful. 2/4/2018 Bucks John Henson Talks to Jarod Hector on What Playing For Jason Kidd Was Like And The Team's Chances at a Deep Playoff Run (Video)Read Now
The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Brooklyn Nets Sunday afternoon in Brooklyn 109-94. The Nets dug an early hole, giving up 36 first-quarter points and falling behind by 21 points at halftime. They mounted a comeback in the third led by Caris LeVert and their second unit, cutting the lead to 9 at one point. But ultimately the Bucks were too much. Their length and ability to attack the boards were a problem for the Nets all game. Wile Eric Bledsoe led the Bucks with 28 points, on 12-20 shooting from the field; it was 5th-year big man John Henson who was an irritant on both ends of the floor. Henson finished with 19 points, a game-high 18 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson praised the Bucks power forward in his post-game comments saying:
It starts with downhill penetration. They get into the teeth of your defense, they throw it up, we go to block it and Henson is right there to clean it up and he's really good and opportunistic at finding the right areas when they do drive. The Bucks improved to 29-23 and currently sit in the 5th spot in the eastern conference playoff race. They are only a game and a half out of the third spot and the two teams in front of them, Washington and Cleveland, are dealing with injuries and in the case of the Cavaliers a dysfunctional locker room as well. The trade deadline is coming up on Thursday and the Bucks could definitely use another shooter. They'll be without Malcolm Brogdon for 6-8 weeks as he recovers from a quad injury, though they did get Jabari Parker back. Parker played 17 minutes against the Nets and scored 11 points. He's on a minutes restriction until he gets his conditioning and "basketball legs" back under him, but he looked really good and was physical and showed good explosion. Look for the Bucks to potentially make a move as they look to improve on last year's playoff performance. They lost to the Raptors in the first round in six games. It was their second playoff appearance in three seasons. But this team is improved and have a bonafide MVP candidate in Giannis Antetokounmpo. It is time for them to make the next leap and advance in the postseason. Their postseason success was no doubt a major factor in the organization deciding to fire Jason Kidd a few weeks ago as head coach. Now the team will have to show consistency, particularly late in games in their offensive execution and defensive discipline. Henson is a key for the Bucks on both ends. His ability to rim run, offensive rebound, put back shots, faceup and knock-down 15-18 footers, and protect the rim on defense is critical to their success. Prior to the game, Henson talked about the switch from Jason Kidd to Joe Prunty and what it was like playing for a hall of fame point guard. He also talked about consistency as he and the team head into the all-star break and what they need to do to make a deep playoff run this year. See the full interview with John Henson. 12/23/2017 Nets Rookie Jarrett Allen Talks to Jarod Hector About Life in the NBA & Playing Like Clint Capela (Video)Read Now
The Brooklyn Nets defeated the Washington Wizards for the second time in 11 days, 119-84. The Nets received contributions from up and down the roster, with six players finishing in double digits scoring. One of those players in double figures was rookie Jarrett Allen.
The former Texas Longhorn finished with 10 points and 6 rebounds in 18 minutes of action. Allen has been a bright spot for the Nets this season and has become a fan favorite. He is part of the new wave of big men essential to succeed in today’s NBA. The league no longer relies on dominant low post big men who get the ball fed to them in the post and back defenders down. Today’s game is spread pick and roll, pace and space. If you are a “big man” you either need to be a stretch that can put the ball on the floor and shoot from deep or a big time rim protector on defense and elite rim runner and pick and roll partner on offense. Allen has a high basketball IQ, understands nuances in the pick and roll and really has a toughness and motor for scoring at the rim. After the game Allen talked about modeling his game after Clint Capela. The Rockets big man is a great rim runner, excels in the pick and roll, rebounds and block shots. You can see elements of Capela’s game with Allen. If he turns into Capella that’d be great development for Brooklyn and would help their chances of making the playoffs. But Allen wants more, he believes Capela is the starting point and he can expand his game as he matures. 12/20/2017 Kings Rookie Justin Jackson Talks to Jarod Hector About Adjusting to the NBA And His UNC TarHeels (Video)Read Now
The Sacramento Kings were in Brooklyn on Wednesday night to take on the Nets on the second night of a back to back on their east coast road trip. The Kings blitzed the Nets early, scoring 36 points in the first quarter and never looking back. Despite the win, the Kings appear destined for the draft lottery yet again. The thing about being in the draft lottery is your team has a lot of young talent, and if developed properly your team could be a contender in the future. A bright spot for the Kings is rookie Justin Jackson. The former TarHeel forward is adjusting to life in the NBA and sees what his comp can be.
Following the game Jackson talked about the importance of learning from the veterans on his team, who he sees as someone to pattern his game after, and predictions for his UNC TarHeels.
The New York Giants defeated the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The 12-9 OT victory, was just the team’s second in a disastrous season. The Giants have been plagued with injuries, poor play, and what was called by many including head coach Ben McAdoo, inconsistent effort. Things have gotten so bad in New Jersey it’s safe to wonder whether or not McAdoo has lost the locker room. Two players on the defensive side of the ball, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, and Janoris ‘Jackrabbit’ Jenkins were suspended earlier in the year. Then there was the anonymous report from a player inside the Giants locker room that said the team had quit after the blowout loss to Rams.
It’s likely the Giants will make some changes at season’s end. But there is no guarantee. Owner John Mara is famous for stability and the franchise often opts for patience and long-term over immediate changes and a shakeup. But something needs to change as the team, despite Sunday’s win, is not very good and there are major talent holes across the roster. One bright spot has been the play of rookie TE Evan Engram. With the injuries to Odell Beckham Jr, Brandon Marshall, and Sterling Shepard, he has taken on a lot of the receiving duties. Quarterback Eli Manning is leaning heavily on the rookie. He is still learning, so there are mistakes but Engram is being forged through the fire this season. Following the game I asked Engram about the importance of the win given the tumultuous week and all the noise surrounding the team. Engram said, “it’s unbelievable and felt good.” You could see the relief on his face. NFL teams only play 16 games and to put your body through that physical toll and not see results manifest on the scoreboard, can be extremely deflating. The Giants are 2-8 with 6 games remaining, there may not be many wins left on the schedule but they will savor this one.
The Brooklyn Nets defeated the Utah Jazz tonight at Barclays Center 118-107. Earlier in the day, the team learned that it will be without starting guard D’Angelo Russell for an unspecified amount of time after he underwent arthroscopic knee surgery that morning.
The Nets looked good for most of the game against a Jazz team dealing with its own injuries, no Rudy Gobert or Ricky Rubio. Brooklyn looked crisp with their ball movement and finished the game with a season high 27 assists against only 11 turnovers. First year Nets player Allen Crabbe had his best game for his new team finishing with 18 points. Following the game Crabbe talked about his role on the team with D’Angelo being out, how he is adjusting to a new system, and why he needs to assert himself more in games. He also talked about the balance between going 1on1 and playing within the flow and team concept. 10/20/2017 Caris LeVert Talks to Jarod Hector About Life Without Jeremy Lin And If Nets Are Best Team in NYCRead Now
The Brooklyn Nets won their home opener Friday night defeating the Indiana Pacers, 126-121. The Nets battled extremely hard and there were signs of some of the problems that plagued them last year being a thing of the past. They finished possessions, and were able to push the pace off makes and misses. The season got off to a rocky start Wednesday night when the Nets lost to the Pacers and lost starting point guard Jeremy Lin to a season ending torn patella tendon. Friday’s win was a nice way to end the night after receiving the positive news that Lin had successful surgery.
But the season must go on and the Nets must have different players step up to fill the void left by Lin. GM Sean Marks may consider applying for the disabled player exception to help fill the need, but the roster has guys that need to step up. Friday night, Spencer Dinwiddie and Trevor Booker were big contributors. So to was second year guard Caris LeVert who was a +12, scored 9 points, and had 2 steals. With Lin gone for the year starting guard D’Angelo Russell will take on more of a scoring load and he is equipped to do so. But guys like Dinwiddie and LeVert will need to continue to step up and do what they are capable of. Following the game I spoke to Caris about the win, his slow start after spraining his ankle in training camp, and what the team can do without Jeremy Lin. I also asked Caris if the Nets will be the best team in NYC this season.
Nets HC Kenny Atkinson while happy with the win sees a lot of room for improvement. This is a new group and with Lin out for the year, they need to develop a continuity on the offensive end. Defense was the story though from both LeVert and Atkinson, as the Nets have given up an average of 130 points in their first two games.
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