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Remember when your sport was just fun? No stress, no ranking spot on the line, no pressure from internal or external sources... just pure and natural fun.

In today's episode, I sit down with Sion James, whose name you may recognize as part of the starting five from this past season's Duke men's basketball team. Sion helped lead the team to an overall 35 wins to 4 losses on the season, an Atlantic Coast Conference Title, a #1 ranking spot in the AP top 25 men’s basketball poll, AND a place in the NCAA Tournament Final Four.

Just this month he graduated with his masters degree and is now preparing for the 2025 NBA draft.

Sion's successful career thus far has not been one without the stressors and pressures of any other elite-level athlete. However, it's his mindset and his approach to those things that truly makes him so refreshing. He often reminds himself to take a step back and remember why he started playing basketball in the first place: because it's fun. It sounds so simple, but as any competitive athlete knows, at times it's anything but.

By growing himself outside of the court through his academics and most notably through his community service efforts, he has become secure in himself as a human, thus making it easier for him to separate who he is as a person from his results on the court. When he does feel any self-doubt or anxiety build, he takes it back to the basics, and prioritizes actions over feelings. He reminds himself to just keep showing up and doing the work, one foot forward, one at a time.

Piece by Piece:

00:00 Intro

03:55 Reflecting on the NBA Draft Combine

08:20 "My parents basically forced me to play"

11:12 How Sion handled the inevitable stress of the college recruiting process

19:03 Sion highlights his "just get to work" mentality + his parent's influence

22:30 Embracing the highs and the lows of college basketball

26:00 How community service put everything into perspective

30:50 How knowing his worth and his value affected his decision to play a 5th year of college basketball

34:08 "It truly never got old" - Sion on playing for Duke

37:06 Game time nerves + playing in front of 70,000 people during the NCAA final four

42:30 Taking away distractions + seeing the game for what it is

47:00 Sion shares his thoughts on Coach Scheyer calling him the "connector" on the team

48:55 Duke basketball traditions go CRAZY

52:08 Next steps before the NBA draft

53:57 Sion's message to his younger self

Episode Resources:

Sion James | Instagram

Sion James Foundation | Website

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In today's episode, we get personal. I share the story of my collegiate junior year, when I found myself battling both physical and mental pain. Having played through years of injuries and convincing myself I could push past the hurt, eventually my body and my brain had had enough, and my mental and emotional health took a major hit. My downward spiral led me down a dangerous rabbit hole and severely damaged my relationship with my sport and with myself as a person. All my value and self-worth was placed into tennis, and now, during a pivotal time when it felt like my body was failing me, I felt like I was left with nothing.

Even though what I talk about in this episode happened over 3 years ago, it’s still so raw for me to say it out loud. I found myself getting very emotional during certain parts. But ya know what? That’s what this podcast is all about- vulnerability makes you stronger, not weaker. And the only way to heal and to grow is to talk about what’s really going on, to face reality; to not be scared of the obstacles and hurdles in our path, but to embrace them head-on, even if it makes us really, really, reaaallllllyyy uncomfortable.

In this episode I also talk about the importance of getting help from a trusted source. If you are currently struggling and feel like you have nowhere to turn, think of someone that you really trust, and I urge you to please reach out to them. If you feel like you don't have someone you feel comfortable going to, do not hesitate to reach out to me. If you know me personally, shoot me a text. If you don't have my number, send me a message on Instagram (@snarkyclarky). We're all in this together, and everyone deserves having someone in their corner so they don't have to stand alone.

Content Warning: This episode does discuss certain topics related to mental health that may be sensitive to some listeners.

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Welcome back to this week's episode!!

I'm joined by one of my very good friends Sorrell Brown, former wide receiver for the Tulane University football team.

Sorrell suffered two different injuries early on during his time at Tulane, both of which kept him out of the game he loved. Despite all his efforts to get himself back and stronger than before, team doctors no longer had any answers for his knee pain and he was medically disqualified.

However, even though he had to step away from a sport that was practically his whole world for most of his life, Sorrell knew he was going to be okay. How? He knew there was more to Sorrell Brown than just football. During his initial injuries that kept him off the field, he challenged himself to go outside his comfort zone and try new things. He discovered new aspects of himself and new passions he never knew existed.

Sorrell is someone who has always inspired me, specifically because he is always trying to grow and better himself as a person. He taught me how important it is to have a life and find purpose outside of my sport.

Post-grad, he followed his entrepreneurial spirit and love for helping others and started his own design-build construction business servicing the New Orleans region. Go Sorrell!!

Follow Sorrell on IG: @sorrellbrown86

Check out Sorrell's Business: @rellestaterenovations

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Email: team@suckituppod.com