High School Basketball Happenings

Zain Motani
  • 3.7 (11)
  • SPORTS

ESPN's National Director of High School Recruiting Paul Biancardi and High School Basketball Enthusiast Zain Motani discuss all the key happenings in the high school basketball world.

  1. Interview with Dr. Karissa Niehoff - NIL for High Schoolers and High School Shot Clocks Status Update

    05/30/2022

    Interview with Dr. Karissa Niehoff - NIL for High Schoolers and High School Shot Clocks Status Update

    In this episode, Paul and Zain connect with Dr. Karissa Niehoff for a continuation of the conversation they had in July. Dr. Niehoff is the executive director of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).  The NFHS is the organization that writes the rules of competition for most high school sports and activities in the US.  It has almost 8MM athletes under its purview. Dr. Niehoff talks about: What has her excited and concerned for the further rollout of the high school shot clock What the primary challenges are of rolling out the shot clock to more states  How the NFHS and states think about if a shot clock rollout is successful Her thoughts on how the first 10 months of NIL have played out at the college level The fragmentation that exists at the high school level from an NIL perspective What her favorite NIL activities to this point have been You can follow Dr. Niehoff on Twitter at @KarissaNFHS and the NFHS at @NFHS_Org

    34 min
  2. Interview with Ron Holland, the #4 Ranked Player in the Class of 2023 Rankings

    05/20/2022

    Interview with Ron Holland, the #4 Ranked Player in the Class of 2023 Rankings

    Paul and Zain connect with Duncanville High School and Drive Nation star forward Ron Holland. Ron is the #4 ranked prospect in the ESPN Top 100 Class of 2023 Rankings and recently announced his final list of top schools: Houston, UCLA, Arkansas, Texas, Memphis, Auburn, Kentucky, and the G League. Ron talks about: Duncanville's seemingly impenetrable defense Who he thinks will go #1 overall in the NBA Draft The genesis of his incessant motor The culture at Duncanville high school (beyond basketball)  What it's like in a Coach Peavy practice What factors will determine where he ends up playing after high school You can follow Ron on Instagram @_ronhoops and on Twitter @ron2kholland

    15 min

  3. 12/09/2021

    Interview with Cason Wallace, Kentucky Signee and the #9 Ranked Player in the Class of 2022 Rankings

    Paul and Zain connect with Richardson High School and Pro Skills EYBL Star Cason Wallace. Cason is the #9 ranked prospect in the ESPN  Class of 2022 Rankings and is signed to play his college basketball at Kentucky. Cason talks about: Richardson's big win over #1 ranked Arizona Compass Why he committed to Kentucky and his conversations with Coach Calipari The flood of basketball talent in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area in the Class of 2022 His focus and proficiency on the mid-range jumper Who would win a one-on-one game between him and his brother Keaton Wallace You can follow Cason on Instagram @cason.wallace and on Twitter @wallace_cason

    11 min

  4. 11/18/2021

    Interview with the 4-Star Point Guard and Stanford Commit – Isa Silva

    4-Star point guard and Stanford commit Isa Silva (#49 in the ESPN Top 100 for the Class of 2021) joins Paul and Zain on this episode of the High School Basketball Happenings podcast to talk about: - How he has been staying in shape during the quarantine - Who else he is recruiting to Stanford - Where his next level passing capabilities come from and tips to become a great passer - How he remains grounded even as his followers and views grow - What's one thing non-basketball related that he's been intentional about getting better at during the quarantine - What NBA players he studies You can follow Isa on Twitter at @isilv3 and Instagram at @air_isa

    22 min
  5. Interview with Jared McCain - #29 Ranked Player in the Class of 2023 Rankings

    11/05/2021

    Interview with Jared McCain - #29 Ranked Player in the Class of 2023 Rankings

    Paul and Zain connect with Centennial High School and Team Why Not star guard Jared McCain. Jared is the #29 ranked prospect in the ESPN Top 60 Class of 2023 Rankings and holds offers from Stanford, Duke, and Gonzaga, and more. Jared talks about: The experience playing for the CIF championship in front of LeBron and Drake The experience of being in the Peach Jam Bubble and playing 14 games over 14 days Where his head is at with the recruiting process His vision boards - some of the goals he has achieved and some of the goals he would like to achieve How his Corona Centennial team is going to have to approach the season differently now that they have more of a bulls-eye on its back His huge social media followings and how he thinks about producing high quality content New skills and hobbies he has picked up during quarantine You can follow Jared on Instagram @jmccain24, TikTok @Jaredmccain24 and on Twitter @J_mccain_24

    15 min
  6. Interview with Dereck Lively II - #2 Ranked Player in the Class of 2022 Rankings

    10/01/2021

    Interview with Dereck Lively II - #2 Ranked Player in the Class of 2022 Rankings

    Paul and Zain connect with Westtown School and Team Final star center Dereck Lively II. Dereck is the #2 ranked prospect in the ESPN Top 100 Class of 2022 Rankings and recently committed to play his college basketball at Duke. Dereck talks about: Why he chose to commit to Duke What influence his mom had on his game The support from Duke nation he has had since committing The hardest thing about being 7'2 Winning Peach Jam with Team Final  Playing with Jalen Duren  What the off-court experience at Peach Jam was like  What advice he would offer to other top recruits going through the recruiting process You can follow Dereck on Instagram @derecklively and on Twitter @dereckl41

    9 min
  7. Interview with Nick Smith Jr - #6 Ranked Player in the Class of 2022 Rankings

    09/01/2021

    Interview with Nick Smith Jr - #6 Ranked Player in the Class of 2022 Rankings

    Paul and Zain connect with North Little Rock and Bradley Beal Elite guard Nick Smith Jr. Nick is the #6 ranked prospect in the ESPN Top 100 Class of 2022 Rankings and holds offers from Kansas, UNC, Auburn, Arkansas, and Alabama among others. Nick talks about: - The Peach Jam championship against Team Final - What the Peach Jam experience was like off-the court - Latest on his recruiting and Memphis entering the fold - If he (and other players) look at the rankings You can follow Nick on Instagram @lif3nick and on Twitter @ntsmith1402

    13 min
  8. Interview with Dariq Whitehead - #4 Ranked Player in the Class of 2022 Rankings

    08/14/2021

    Interview with Dariq Whitehead - #4 Ranked Player in the Class of 2022 Rankings

    Paul and Zain connect with Montverde Academy and Team Durant star small forward, Dariq Whitehead. Dariq is the #4 ranked prospect in the ESPN Top 100 Class of 2022 Rankings and recently committed to play his college basketball at Duke. Dariq talks about: - How Montverde’s 2020, 2021, and 2022 teams compare to each other - How the EYBL Peach Jam experience was not too different than what he experienced at Montverde his junior year - His background as a football player and when he decided to give up football to focus on basketball - What Olympic sport he believes he could be serviceable in and what Olympic sport he stands no chance in - The genesis of his nickname You can follow Dariq on Instagram @_riqwhitehead2 and on Twitter @dariq_whitehead

    14 min
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Ratings & Reviews

3.7
out of 5
11 Ratings

About

ESPN's National Director of High School Recruiting Paul Biancardi and High School Basketball Enthusiast Zain Motani discuss all the key happenings in the high school basketball world.

Information

  • Creator
    Zain Motani
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2022
  • Episodes
    51
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 239821