WalkieTalkieZ Podcast

Zone 1 of WTZ Podcast, host Noah Buono dives in the role reversal of LeBron having a great supporting cast that's helping increase this Laker team's postseason success and Curry all of a sudden not having as great of a supporting cast as we're used to seeing.  Noah also dives into LeBron's foot problem, Lakers closing this series out in 5, how he has been on the Philly train all year, Steve Kerr and Darvin Ham's chess match on the Warriors offensive strategies vs. the Lakers defensive strategies to limit Curry and why Jordan Poole's Game 1 shot was actually a better shot than Steph Curry's Game 4 shot. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Terzian is the owner and co-founder of The h.wood Group, which is an LA based hospitality & lifestyle marketing company with an iconic portfolio of luxury nightlife and restaurant venues. John was a former USC Football walk-on back in the early 2000's. He joins the show to discuss the direct correlation his walk-on journey has had with his current successes. John and Noah discuss: - Being tormented as a walk-on - Friendship with Drake - Working for Kobe Bryant's agent - Skill that propelled him most - Law School teaching him to speak - His failures then vs. now ...Book recommendations....Studying entrepreneurs....Having a foundation....Finding stability....Paul Hackett/Pete Carrol....& so much more! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rudy and Noah dive into all things involved with the making of the movie "Rudy"! Things like: - Where the inspiration to sell there film came from - How he got the writer of Hoosiers & ND on board - How much he sold the script for - His involvement with the making of the movie - Casting the movie - Joe Montana's negative comments about the movie ....5 best sports movies.....5 pillars of being a walk-on....Brian Kelly & Lou Holtz...& so much more! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rudy Ruettiger, the inspiration behind one of the greatest sports movies in history ... the movie "RUDY", joins the podcast to talk about his journey as a walk-on and the successes that followed. A former walk-on for the Notre Dame Football program from 1974 to 1976, Rudy is the epitome of what walk-ons represent and what walk-ons around the world embody. In PT.1, Rudy & Noah discuss: - 27 years to play 27 seconds - How being dyslexic impacted Rudy - Why forgiving is the secret sauce - Mistreatment he dealt with - Being around winners & who the real losers are - Developing charter schools for skillsets -Stigma around walk-ons ....Quotes from Sylvester Stallone & Kobe Bryant about Rudy....getting rid of doubt & fear.....clearing your mind from the clutter.....getting a gameplan.....& so much more! PT.2 to follow next week with more about the making of the movie "RUDY" and how it all came together....his role on the set of the movie....interasctions with actor Sean Astin.....debunking comments from Joe Montana about the movie....current ND football state.....Brian Kelly leaving....so much more! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Part 2, Brad & Noah talk about: - Kentucky's dribble drive offense - Tyler Herro's storm into the NBA - Brad's best teammate at UK - Brad's work with Sahvir Wheeler - His time as a GA at UK & new role at LIU Brooklyn - Young coaches finding their coaching voice ....Losing to 15 seed St. Peter's...Best rapper at basketball...Current best player in the NBA...and so much more! Video Highlights of every episode: Twitter / IG / TikTok - @WTZPodcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EP #15 PT. 1 | Brad Calipari - Former University of Kentucky Walk-on | Episode Description: Brad Calipari, a former 3 year player for the University of Kentucky Men's Basketball team. Brad, son of legendary coach, John Calipari, walked on for his dad's team at Kentucky from 2016-2019. Played 2 seasons at Detroit Mercy from 2019-2021 before taking a Graduate Assistant Coaching position at Kentucky during the 2022 season and is now the Special Assistant to the Head Coach at LIU Brooklyn. In Part 1, Brad and Noah talk about: - If Coach Cal forced him to play hoops - Core values Coach Cal instilled in him growing up - Dynamic of being coached by his Dad at a school like Kentucky - 13 former Kentucky teammates in the NBA - What bothers him most about being known as Coach Cal's son - Expanding his basketball knowledge & seeing different styles of play - How he's taken advantage of the opportunities Coach Cal has given him ... and so much more! More on Part 2, coming next week! Video Highlights of every episode: Twitter / IG / TikTok - @WTZPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Conor Glennon, current walk-on for the University of Memphis Men's Basketball team under Head Coach Penny Hardaway, joins the pod for the 2nd time to talk about his journey within the program and all things Memphis Basketball. Here in PT. 2, Conor talks about:- Building the culture at Memphis - Coach Hardaway finding his niche - What slowed them down during the '21-'22 season - Emoni Bates getting thrown into the fire - Jalen Duren getting drafted.... and so much more! Find us on socials:Twitter: @snowdot3 @wtzpodcast @conorglennon12IG: @_snow.3 @wtzpodcast @conor_glennon12See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Conor Glennon, current walk-on for the University of Memphis Men's Basketball team under Head Coach Penny Hardaway, joins the pod for the 2nd time to talk all things Memphis Basketball. There's a lot going on in the Memphis Basketball world right now and we hit on just about all of it! A 2 part episode with PT. 2 coming next week, Conor talks about: - Being coached by NBA Legends - Earning the respect of those coaches - Winning the NIT in 2021 - The Emoni Bates situation - Jalen Duren getting drafted - The criticism Coach Hardaway faces - Team facing suspension from the infractions case going on - Conor's hustle to find a spot on the team .... and so much more! Find us on socials: Twitter: @snowdot3 @wtzpodcast @conorglennon12 IG: @_snow.3 @wtzpodcast @conor_glennon12 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kyle Vasey, a 5 year long-snapper for the Penn St. Nittany Lions from the start of the 2013 season through the 2018 season, was a walk-on in the program his first 4 years before being awarded a scholarship for his 5th and last season. Kyle talks about: - Working 8pm to 3am to pay rent - The moment he was about to quit the team - The mentality shift he made that propelled him forward - Moment Coach Franklin gave him the scholarship - Signing NFL deal with the Atlanta Falcons ... along with a breakdown of the rules of long-snapping ... growing into his voice ... his take on effort & output ... & so much more!  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's guest is 28 year old, 2x NBA All-Star, 3rd team All-NBA selection, 4x NBA rebounding leader & former #1 player in the country, Andre Drummond. Andre spent one year at UConn and was a walk-on for the team because of his late decision to commit to the school after reclassifying, they given their last scholarship away making a walk-on. Andre and Noah discuss: - 2 hiccups he faced as a walk-on - Playing for 5 teams last 3 szns - Competing against & w/ Embiid - Dre's value in today's NBA - Draymond & the New Media ... and so much more about his time with LeBron in LA, being around the drama in Philly & Brooklyn, going from max contracts to veteran's minimums, and more! WTZ Merch Link: http://crashing-the-boards.creator-spring.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Myles Wheeler, a former walk-on for The University of Oklahoma's Track & Field team, sits down and discusses his journey as a walk-on as a track and field athlete and his current journey in dental school! Myles touches on: - What events he had to run to make the team - What a track walk-on is like - The fulfillment being on the team gave him - Balancing track & pre-dental - Reading 25 books in 2021 Only a 30 minute run time here with Myles and he offered so much great perspective on his journey from track to dental school and the importance of taking advantage of being in your 20's!  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Noah Buono, creator and host of WalkieTalkieZ Podcast, sits down with his sister Gillian, his brother Greg, and his girlfriend Kori, as they reverse the roles and interview Noah on his walk-on journey. The 3 Guest-Star Co-Hosts use their unique perspective's on Noah's journey to guide the conversation and pull out some of the details of Noah's experience. The conversation includes: - Stories of Noah's mistreatment - The mistake he made by walking on - Greg & Noah's time in college together - Team of doctor's supporting Noah through his injury - Noah's mental health battle ... and SO much more! The crew shares so many laughs and jokes about the journey and how the mistake Noah made has turned out to work in his favor! Social Media's: Instagram: @gellybelly91 @korimccullum, @gregoryjames____ @runtheshow.us @_snow.3 Twitter - @TheHoopHerald  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Machaela "Mac" Simmons, was a 3 year walk-on for the Duquesne University Women's Basketball team in the A10 from 2018-2020. After many hardships, constant struggle, unfair treatment and uncontrollable situations thrown at her, she decided to step away from the program. Mac & Noah discuss: - Coaching staff being weird from the start - The lack of respect given to her - Her mental health: wanting to cry all day everyday - Going from validation seeking to believing in herself - Coaches lying to her and leading her on - How she got through it / what she took away from it Mac is currently finishing up her degree in Physical Therapy & runs a newsletter & fitness account called 'GetMactive'. which focuses on connecting people to mindfulness through fitness; which she explains more about in the show. Link to GetMactive pages: https://linktr.ee/getmactive  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

7 footer Braden Burke, joins the pod to talk about his college basketball journey.  Braden started on scholarship at Robert Morris University for his freshmen year in 2017 before transferring to Michigan St. University to be a walk-on under Head Coach Tom Izzo the next 3 years.  After MSU, Braden enrolled in Central Michigan & then Oakland on scholarship each of the last two years for post grad years before extenuating circumstances forced him to opt out of playing at both schools The conversation between Braden & Noah is only 60 minutes in length and the breakdown is as follows:  -Why he left RMU & his scholarship after 1 year to be a walk-on at MSU -Entire journey at MSU / scholarship to walk-on dynamic / what changed for him  -Friendship with Jaren Jackson Jr. -Relationship with Coach Izzo / MSU Family atmosphere  -2019 Final Four run -Enrolling @ CMU in 2020 & having to opt out  -Enrolling @ Oakland in 2021 & having to opt out  ..... and so much more in between! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marvin Davies, an Ohio native, is a sophomore walk-on wide receiver for the Buckeyes.  Marv talks about: -Every dynamic as a college football walk-on -Scripted nature of the scout team -Competing against future NFL players  -Differences in treatment scholarship vs walk-ons -Being released from the team then put back on -Where he's currently at with the team  -What he hopes people can take from hearing his story Marvin and Noah draw many parallels from Marv's journey as a football walk-on to Noah's journey as a basketball walk-on. Diving into each topic really opens the conversation up. Lot of inspiration to draw on from Marv's journey. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Matt Leon showed up to Seton Hall's campus in the Fall of 2014 with no guarantee he'd even end up on the baseball team. To eventually become a UNANIMOUS 1st Team All-Big East player his senior year as a closer, where he holds the Seton Hall single-season saves record with 12 .... to then signing a contract with the LA Angels.  Matt's walk-on story entails: - How he tried out for consecutive months leading up to the season - When he found out he made the team  - His battle to be put on scholarship  - Feeling guilty about inquiring for the scholarship that he knew he had earned - What changed for him his senior year that helped him be so dominant on the mound - Signing with the Angels in 2018 & where he's at with his pro career right now Matt and Noah also talk about: what he'd change about the MLB.....what aspiring MLB players do as side jobs to sustain living expenses.....working on his velocity.....his perspective on the journey overall.....and BETTING ON HIMSELF! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jeremy Sallee is currently the Head of Design for PUMAHoops and spent his first year of college playing basketball at Division 3 school Case Western Reserve before walking-on to the University of Akron Men's Basketball team from 2005 through 2008.  Jeremy played in 19 games as a walk-on behind Dru Joyce Jr., the newly-named Associate Head Coach at Duquesne University. Jeremy was given a scholarship the following year, but said it still never really felt like he even had one, leaving a bad taste towards basketball.  Jeremy and Noah also talk about: • Designing shoes for J. Cole and LaMelo Ball  • The drive that being a walk-on gave him  • Playing pick-up with & against LeBron James • How he got the job offer from PUMA & why he chose them  • Finding happiness & handling success Jeremy has 3 degrees in Fashion Design, Graphic Design and Business and has worked for: Ralph Lauren, Reebok and now PUMA. He also is the Founder, Owner and Creative Director of Freeman Platt, a luxury shoe company.  Jeremy's socials : IG - @jeremy.sallee, Twitter - @jermsal10 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Leigh Bodden was a non-scholarship athlete during most of his time at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, a I-AA non-scholarship football program (at the time), before going undrafted in the 2003 NFL Draft. Leigh played 9 years in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions and New England Patriots.  On Episode 13, Leigh & Noah talk about the underdog mentality and the mindset it took for Leigh to go from not even playing football his freshman year of HS, to signing million dollar deals in the NFL. Speaking about his: confidence starting at a young age...seeking out crazy challenges...self-assessing himself...questioning if he'd make it...keeping the faith and so much more! Noah & Leigh talk about:  - How being crazy worked for him - Eagerness to learn  - Financial literacy / financial freedom / building a team - What clicks in the pro's mind at a young age - Sustaining the mindset through the ups & downs - Beating the odds of being non-scholarship & undrafted  - What he would tell himself to eliminate his doubt & fears  - Advice he'd give to someone who has played a sport their whole life and is now approaching the end  Time Log  0:00 - 3:25 - Noah's Intro 3:25 -  37:25 - Leigh's story / Mindset / Underdog mentality & perspective 37:25 - 1:07:45 - "Quick" Hitters - Memory of Brady & Belichick.....One fun moment about 0-16 season in Detroit....Moment w/ Deion Sanders....Being released by Pats.....What receiver in his era did he check the best....and a few more! 1:07:45  - 1:15:25 - Extra Leigh & Noah candid convo / Leigh's Commencement Speech / Noah's Outro  - Leigh scared to tried out for football freshmen yr of HS - How Noah got Leigh on the pod See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

THE UNDERDOG! Shavar Reynolds, was a former walk-on at Seton Hall University in 2017, before earning himself a scholarship after his freshman year in the program. Each year he slowly climbed the ladder at Seton Hall; going from freshmen walk-on, to sophomore year on scholarship, to 6th man and main defensive stopper junior year, to starting point guard senior year. Shavar speaks with charisma, confidence and the ultimate belief in himself throughout the episode about his journey from the underdog walk-on to the scholarship player who showed he really belonged there and how that all unfolded for him. Shavar talks about the differences between being a walk-on and a scholarship player and what changed for him, hitting the buzzer beater vs. St. Johns; as well as how much being around Myles Powell helped his game, his decision to transfer to Monmouth University for his 5th year, his goal to play in the NBA and what NBA player he models his game after the most! Make sure to listen to the intro so you can hear the story be tied together in the outro to hear how Shavar's lone season with Monmouth came to a close, by host, Noah Buono. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On episode 2 of WalkieTalkieZ podcast, host, Noah Buono, sits down with Mike Lukashewich, a 2-year walk-on for the Minnesota Gophers Men's Basketball team, under Head Coach Rich Pitino during the 2015 and 2016 seasons, who had to earn his walk-on stripes the hard way.  Mike wasn't a preferred walk-on, as he was never recruited by the program. He earned his stripes at the open tryout held during the Fall semester of his freshmen year.  Mike and Noah talk about:- Mike's journey in joining the team in the middle of the season as a freshmen- The appreciation of the relationships made with teammates and coaches (Rich Pitino)- Mike's stigma on walk-ons- The depth of understanding what the walk-on experience can be like for some - His takeaways from the walk-on role and the mentality it's given him Mike has a degree in Sports Management and after some time working as a marketing coordinator at X-Games, he is now a digital marketing agent at Homestead Studio in his hometown of Wisconsin! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Matt Ferris was a walk-on for the Wisconsin Badgers from 2014-2018, when they were magnetic to wins and success; beating 38-0 Kentucky in the Final Four before eventually losing to Duke in the National Championship. He was apart of two more Sweet 16 teams the following two years as well; which he talks all about! Matt also talks about:  How he got his walk-on spot at Wisconsin & coming into the program fresh off their first    Final 4 appearance His journey as a walk-on and the kind of role he played on these winning teams Being a net-positive for the team The positive stigma around walk-ons Hardest part for him as a walk-on Playing Willie Cauley-Stein on the scout team before the Kentucky game What he would do if he had NIL & what advice he'd give current college athletes with NIL His choice not to pursue a career in coaching His recruiting pitch for why a recruit should go to Wisconsin So much more awesome inside college basketball stories and perspective! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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