I am the creator of “The Untold Part of Basketball.” I decided to develop this podcast as it speaks to my background and interests. I started playing basketball in middle school for fun but developed a more serious commitment to the sport in 9th grade when I joined the LREI team and The City AAU team. I continued to play until 11th grade and had planned to play all four years of high school but this past year’s season was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Additionally, I helped coach the VCS basketball team (where I went to middle school) during the spring of 2019. As a player and basketball enthusiast, I have consumed media about the sport for years. However, I noticed a gap in the diversity of perspectives portrayed on the sport and thus, I developed this podcast which investigates the youth point of view on basketball.
In each episode of “The Untold Part of Basketball,” I interview either a youth basketball player or a coach who works with students. I wanted to learn more about their perspective and give the listener a unique take on basketball that they likely have not heard before. Any basketball enthusiast follows the most recent NBA news but I also believe that the sport contributes to our society in a broader sense. When listening and editing the interviews, I reflected on the way the sport builds community and gives student players the opportunity to gain useful skills such as discipline and the ability to value teamwork. The coaches in particular, discussed their desire to help their students become more valuable members of their community, whether they continued their basketball career after school or not. I hope that anyone who listens to my podcast will walk away with an appreciation for those character-building aspects of the sport along with their interest in pro basketball news.
As I developed my podcast idea, I researched and took inspiration from two key sources: Sports Analyst Adrian Wojnarowski’s podcast, “Woj Pod,” and the documentary, “The City Hoops.” I chose Wojnarowski’s podcast which discusses the players’ careers but in a very different stage than the players I interviewed. Before I started this project, I enjoyed listening to his podcast because I am interested in learning more about NBA players. When listening to “Woj Pod” I felt inspired to emulate the way Wojnarowski delivers his questions as he discusses basketball while facilitating engaging conversation with the interviewee. In addition to Wojnarowski’s podcast, I watched the documentary “The City Hoops” to gain a more community-based view on the sport. “The City Hoops” explores basketball solely from the youth’s perspective and how the game has affected their lives on a more personal level. Both sources inspired me and shaped my podcast.
After some trial and error, I came up with an effective system for creating and producing “The Untold Part of Basketball:” I organized the interviews, wrote the questions, recorded the interview, and finally, edited the material. Each interview brought new insights and challenges that I did not foresee. Editing in particular took a lot longer than I originally thought. However, I enjoyed the process as I learned something new from each interviewee and deepened my appreciation and love for basketball. I feel satisfied knowing that I put hard work and detailed thought into my project. I hope you enjoy listening to “The Untold Part of Basketball.”