Episode Transcript
[00:00:02] Speaker A: Welcome to the Canadian Basketball show, your go to spot for the latest news stories and analysis on Canadian basketball. I'm your host Lee Ban Osmond. This past week I was in Chicago, Illinois for the NBA draft combine and following two of the Canadians in the NBA job process, Kitchener's Will Riley and Aurora's own Ryan Nemhard. Shout out to Ryan. I've been butchering Aurora all week, man. That town of 60,000, man. I don't know who the hell came up with the name Aurora, man, but shout out to her. I think it's Latin. So Ryan, Ryan. Shout out to Ryan. He's been putting on for Aurora for quite some time. Him and his brother Andrew Nemhardt of the Indiana Pacers actually got to have a one on one interview, an exclusive with Ryan, sit down with him for quite a while at the combine, talk about his journey from going to high school basketball at Mount Vert, playing with Scotty Barnes and company, his college career at Gonzaga breaking records and what his pre draft process has been like. He's going to be working out for about 15 different NBA teams in the next few weeks. So we'll get into all of that and what he's looking to show teams and yeah, I'll bring you that interview in the second half. But before that interview, I was inside the lottery room and got to witness firsthand the the Dallas mavericks land the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. I can't believe I'm saying that. The funny thing is I made a joke with somebody the day before, like imagine if Dallas got the first round pick.
Insane. There was so much anxiety before the picks were read. A lot of players futures are obviously decided based off these lottery balls. And when the top three was revealed and it was Dallas, San Antonio and Philly, everyone was shocked. Everyone was looking around to each other like what the hell is happening? I was sitting next to some players that are likely going to get drafted in the first round the 2025 NBA Draft and they were like, what on earth just happened? The rich really just got richer. Victor Wyama doesn't need more help. This guy's probably going to be one of the greatest players of all time.
And now you add a top two pick with that insane. Dallas just traded Luka Doncic and now get Cooper flag as a prize because of all the injuries they dealt with.
And right after the picks were announced, everyone was just talking to each other. Everyone was like this is rigged. A lot of people in the room thought this was rigged. This is a, a prize For Dallas because they traded Luka to la.
That's what a lot of people were saying. I'm just telling you what people are saying in the room, which is insane. Obviously, it's kind of like a secretive process, very bulletproof. Everyone that's in the room that got to watch it firsthand will tell you it's not rigged, but that's a sentiment. That's a sentiment from people watching it live.
And then Philadelphia, the other team that gets a top three pick, I think a lot of people didn't want to see them move up. And they ended up with a top three pick that you're adding with Joel Embiid, Paul George, Tyrese Maxey, and we'll see what they do with the pick, right? Obviously, they could trade it. Who knows? But you can't script this, man. You really can't script those top three teams getting the picks.
And the Toronto Raptors end up with the ninth pick. They fall two spots, man, it was tough. A lot of people.
I haven't seen this many people invested in where the Raptors might land the lottery.
And talang with the 9th pick was kind of obviously underwhelming. Messiah Jerry spoke right after the lottery odds, and he gave a. I feel like a classic Masai quote. He said, DeMar DeRozan, Tracy McGrady, Jakob Hurtl, we'll be fine. I guarantee you we'll be fine.
Um, so, yeah, the Raptors have the ninth pick, man. The one team. I think you never know what they're thinking. They do a good job making every agent prospect, every team I feel like I've spoke to feel like they're going to get drafted by the Raptors, which results in you never really knowing what they're going to do, what they're thinking.
I've heard they really like Derrick Queen. I've heard they really like Colin Murray Boyles. I've heard Vijay Edgecomb, they really like Barbara. But obviously now they're not in the top four, top five range. So it'll be interesting what they do. But basically everyone, they're interested in everyone, which is so hard to decipher what they're actually thinking. I actually spoke with some of the prospects in the rapper's range of the ninth pick. I spoke with Derrick Queen, which I feel really bad because I put out a quote, not realizing that it was going to make him look bad, and a lot of people responded very negatively to that quote. He received a lot of backlash. He gave a fun quote when I tell you, like, he wasn't serious.
When I asked him, like, what have you heard about Toronto? He said, I heard it's nice, but I also heard they got the worst taxes. Also, he was joking. He was literally joking. It was a funny joke. I wish I could capture it on video just so you could see. Like, it was not intended with malice. Like, he was actually just playfully joking. And I think he'll fit honestly pretty well with what the Raptors culture is building. Like, you have Scotty Barnes, all this young guys coming up. I think he just fits in perfectly. He's a guy that has a bubbly personality. Just talking with him.
Maryland guy. So Derrick Queen, really good passer too. So I really like Derrick Queen. I think he's a good option for the Raptors. At 9, Colin Murray Boyles was another player that I spoke to and just sounds very mature. Like, I asked him, what have you, what do you know about the rafters? And this guy gave me like a whole paragraph essay, background research. Like, this guy does his homework. Like, he knew about obviously, the Brian Ingram trade, how he's been out for a while, knows about how they were building, this basic stuff that you're like, okay, this guy, you wouldn't really know or think that prospects kind of do their homework like this. And he sounds like mature beyond his years, man. So Colin Mary Ball is another option for the rappers. Kamal Moloch, obviously a big name that a lot of people have been connecting to the Raptors, obviously. I think it's because of his roots from Basketball Without Borders, all that kind of stuff. Obviously Masai has deep ties there and Kaman was probably the only prospect. And I give him credit for this, not saying who he was talking to, what teams he's interviewing with, working out for. Like, he's very smart. So come on, I give you a shout out to him.
Just Barry, also just like, intelligent. Some teams don't even like when you tell the media what interviews you've had because they know they can't trust you at that point.
So he was one of the only guys I think I spoke to that didn't reveal who they interviewed with. So shout out to Kaman Molo watch another guy, Jeremiah Fears. I spoke with him briefly. He said he's heard a lot about Toronto, loves the city, but they're kind of going for specific player. But he said he would love to work out for Toronto. So Jeremiah Fears, obviously the Raptors are kind of clogged up at point guard. They got Emmanuel Quickley, they got Jamal Shed. It's kind of going to be tough to hard to crack that rotation. But Fears is a dynamic point guard man. So maybe, maybe he'll be there for the Raptors at number nine.
But yeah, if you want to check out a lot of those quotes and prospects I spoke to kind of in the rapper's range, go tap in with me on social media. Leadbandstart1 but for the show this week, like I told you, I've been following closely two Canadians that were at the NBA draft combine, Will Riley and Ryan Nemhard.
Ryan had I think one of the best weeks at the combine. He wasn't originally even selected for the combine. He had to earn earn his way through a G League elite camp and he did. So he was one of five players to earn a call up and shot the ball really well. Really well shot 73% in all the combine drills according to ESPN's Jonathan Cavone. And NBA teams that I spoke with were really, really impressed. Every team is going to offer him a two way at least and for him I think it's just about leveraging that into an actual contract and trying to get drafted.
Like I said, he's going to work out for 15 different NBA teams that I spoke with. But one team I spoke with with a late second round pick was so impressed with how he controlled the game in those scrimmages that they were like we might even draft him at this point. But obviously it's going to be based on how he works out with the team and kind of who's available at that range if they like a prospect better or not. But Ryan, Ryan is a really man and he measured well too. I think he's six foot. So Ryan is a player that I think every team would love to have on the roster. So Ryan Nemhardt shout out to Ryan Will Riley, obviously another player I've been following really closely. He measured really well also at the combine. He's grown now, is now 6.9 and it's still growing which is crazy. I think he was like 6 foot 8 at the nicube Summit last year. Now he's I think he might end up at 6 foot 10 like it's insane. And he shot the ball pretty decent in the drills. Finished high for first in the shooting off the dribble drill hitting 26 out of 30 shots and was a projected first round picks. Teams that I spoke with in the lottery with a top 14 pick. We're all raving about Riley and I don't know, we'll see. He might end up a lottery pick man. Teams that had picks in the 20s that I spoke to were like, I don't know if he'll still be there by the time we have a pick.
So it'll be really interesting. I'll have a story on Will Riley's journey from growing up in Kitchener to going the Phelps school in Pennsylvania to making a name for himself on the AU scene, to his time at Illinois.
A whole background story, profile, story, feature story, whatever you want to call it, on Will coming out in the Toronto Star sometime soon.
So I'm really excited to bring you that and really touch on just Will Riley's work ethic. That's all I'll tell you for now.
But really excited. These two Canadians, Will Riley, man, I think if a team gets him in the first round, maybe later in the first round, they're going to be laughing. I think they're going to be laughing just based off this guy's work ethic.
But yeah, that's been my time at the combine. A lot of chatter. It's been really cool. Just networking with a lot of people, chatting with a lot of people.
[00:11:05] Speaker B: And.
[00:11:05] Speaker A: Yeah, it's been a very fun week. I was here for a week, probably should have left early, but it was. I can't. I got some good chicken parm too. Y' all know me, man. RPM Italian fed your boy well.
And yeah, I had, I think I had chicken parm maybe like three, four times out of the whole week, man. It was delicious. Delicious, man. Chicago top tier chicken parm. That's all I gotta say. But for the interview with Ryan, we actually did the interview before he got the invite to the combine. So you'll hear in this interview with Ryan questions before he even got an invite to the combine. So be prepared for that. I think it's a really good interview. Kind of opened up a lot. So I'm excited to bring you that. Just we talk about obviously his time playing for Canada basketball too in the U19 levels. But yeah, Ryan, a name people should know, should follow.
And yeah, one of the best point guards, one of the best point guards coming out right now. But I'll take a quick little break and bring you that interview with my guy, Ryan Nemhard. You're listening to the Canadian Basketball Show. I'll be right back.
Welcome back to the K and Basketball Show. We're in Chicago for the NBA draft combine this week and I'm joined by a special guest. Led the NCAA in assist this past season. Is the best passer, I would say in the 2025 NBA draft class my guy, Ryan Nemhard. Welcome to the show. How you doing, boss?
[00:12:40] Speaker B: I'm good, man. Thank you for having me, bro. It's happy to be here.
[00:12:42] Speaker A: How's Chicago been treating you so far?
[00:12:44] Speaker B: Been good, man. You know, getting out here. Been here for a little while doing all the testing and everything. So it's been good to get my feet wet and get some games under my belt and be able to show all the work I've been putting in these few weeks.
[00:12:56] Speaker A: I ran into you and your pops yesterday. I told you yesterday. Go get some Italian food. Did you see?
[00:13:00] Speaker B: We did actually. We went to Paisano's, got some pizza. We should have went to this other place my coach was telling me about, but we got some solid pizza.
[00:13:09] Speaker A: You like chicken parm?
[00:13:10] Speaker B: I could rock with chicken parm for sure.
[00:13:12] Speaker A: I'm gonna put you on some recommendations after.
[00:13:14] Speaker B: Say no more.
[00:13:14] Speaker A: Well, you're deep now in the pre drive process. What's that been like? What's your day to day like and where are you working out before coming to Chicago? Tell me just about your day to day process.
[00:13:24] Speaker B: Yeah, so we're Life Sports agency. We're out working on LA lmu.
So basically we wake up in the morning, probably like 7, 7:30, head to our workout place where we lift and get our recovery and get all the stuff we need to be feeling good. So we get that out the way. We're working on a lot of quickness and movement stuff.
Then we head to the gym, usually get a pretty hard workout in for like an hour, hour and a half.
And then after that we go home, chill for a little bit, take a nap, maybe watch some of the NBA games that are going on. And then we usually come night, get some more shots up. So it's definitely a grind. But I feel like we got a lot of good dudes in our agency that are all about hoops and I think it's probably one of the best agencies for sure.
[00:14:10] Speaker A: Yeah, we've been seeing. I feel like in the first few days, just the G League elite camp. What's been your favorite part? Just about the pre draft process for you.
[00:14:17] Speaker B: I think just working on my game, being able to do some stuff that I didn't do in college and expand my game, expand my horizon and just be a better basketball player, you know, I love hoops, I love getting better.
I love seeing the progress I can make. So definitely, honestly, working out and working on my game is my favorite part.
[00:14:34] Speaker A: Yeah, you didn't get a direct invite to the combine, but first you're playing in the G League elite camp. I was shocked when I saw that you're working your way to get an invite. Tell me, when you found that out, what was your reaction?
[00:14:47] Speaker B: Yeah, obviously a little disappointed at first.
That's what you wanted to do. You wanted to have a chance to reach your goals and be drafted on draft night. But at the end of the day, it's not something you could pout about or put your head down and give up about. At the end of the day, there. There's still teams that would like you, and you don't need every single team to like. You just need a few.
So you continue to work and you do whatever you need to do to reach your. Reach your dreams and goals. And I'm glad to be able to compete here. I'm blessed to be in this position, and I don't take nothing for granted.
[00:15:19] Speaker A: What's been your mindset going into this week?
[00:15:22] Speaker B: I'm just trying to show teams what I could do, show them some stuff they didn't see in college. I'm trying to be.
Be a good defender, get under guys, make it tough on them.
Trying to run a team like I feel like I have the past four years and show some of my scoring ability. So I think a lot of these teams know me a little bit, and it's just good to get out here and show them a different side of me.
[00:15:44] Speaker A: What's that different side, you would say?
[00:15:46] Speaker B: Just kind of what I. What I just talked about, just that. Defending, trying to get under guys and make it tough on guys, be able to pick up full court and make it tough on those guys. I've obviously a smaller guard, so I'm going to have to do a lot of those little things to make an impact and impact winning at a high level.
[00:16:01] Speaker A: I see you draw a charge. Yeah, I see you.
[00:16:05] Speaker B: I see you. Yeah.
[00:16:06] Speaker A: Everyone I've talked to this week is like they're praying to be on your team. Just so, like, you'll make them look good.
[00:16:13] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:16:14] Speaker A: When you hear that, what are your thoughts?
[00:16:15] Speaker B: Yeah, I feel like it's a testament to what I've done throughout my four years. You know, that's love. It's love that guys see me and know that they're gonna get good looks and good shots. And I pride myself on trying to make guys better.
So it's a blessing to be known as a guy that gets guys in better positions.
[00:16:34] Speaker A: You're interviewing with a bunch of teams. What do you want them to know about you? Maybe personally, professionally, what Kind of questions. Have they been asking you too? What was that like?
[00:16:42] Speaker B: Yeah, they asked a lot of the same questions. You know, they just want to kind of get to know you. They ask some interesting questions just to pick your brain, see how you're going to answer some of them. So I think it's been good, though. I feel like I could articulate myself pretty well and show my basketball IQ in the meetings.
So I don't mind them. I don't really get too nervous about those things and I feel like those all went really well and a good conversation.
[00:17:08] Speaker A: Someone told me prior, sometimes teams like to throw people off, ask most the wildest question in their life, facts, anything like that. You don't have to say.
[00:17:18] Speaker B: I haven't got no crazy ones. Honestly. I got like, what makes you uncomfortable? Or like, what was. What's your. What type of superhero would you be if you're a superhero?
[00:17:25] Speaker A: But what is that?
[00:17:26] Speaker B: I'll be Batman. Probably rocking with Batman for sure. Why Batman? I'm just rocking with him, you know, he's a billionaire. He just sav at night. So I'm rocking with. I'm rocking with him. Hell yeah.
[00:17:37] Speaker A: I want to go on the record and say you and your bro are probably the first and the last Hoopers. El Kamata, Aurora.
Someone proved me wrong. I would love to see it, but tell me, what was it like growing up there and the hidden stuff. I feel like people don't know much about that area.
[00:17:54] Speaker B: It was good, man.
It was real fun.
It's like a suburban area, but this is a lot of trees, a lot of grass, a lot of stuff like that where you could just be a kid and have fun, play soccer, play basketball. We had a net on our driveway, so it was a lot of fun. We knew everybody in the city or in the town.
My dad knows everybody in the town, so it was fun, man. It was kind of nice to be away from the city and be able to go there and see our friends when we played basketball and played sports. But it's kind of nice to get away and just do our own thing in a small little town. So we got some pride from coming from Aurora for sure.
[00:18:27] Speaker A: My question is, do you claim it, though, when someone asks you that's not from Canada, where are you from? Toronto.
[00:18:32] Speaker B: I just say Toronto. I'm just like, yo, I know you don't even know what Aurora is. So it's like the closest thing I could say is Toronto. But no, I might have to start claiming it soon.
[00:18:41] Speaker A: You proud of the roots? I'm hearing you talk about it.
Tell me about the age you left to go play at. Bound for. When did that happen and how did it happen?
[00:18:49] Speaker B: Yeah, I think I left at like 15 or 16 after my first year. Went to Vaughn Secondary for a year.
I loved it. I loved it. That's probably like the most fun year I ever had. Like in school. Like I enjoyed going to school. All my men's were there. It was just.
It's a good environment. It was fun to be there. But yeah, I just wanted to do the prep school route. My brother obviously did it and then I was interested to take that route and I think it was good for me. I think I was a little.
I wasn't as good as he was my freshman year I was still good but I just don't think I was as good as he was. So I think I needed that extra year and played with some great players down there. It was a hell of a team we had. And Coach Boyle is I think second to none in terms of the high school game and getting guys to, to the, to the big leagues.
[00:19:34] Speaker A: Yeah. I want to want you to see the record 2020. Mount Ver. 2024. Mount Ver.
[00:19:39] Speaker B: 2020 for sure. No doubt.
[00:19:41] Speaker A: I don't think people realize that's Scotty, that's K, that's you, that's Caleb Houston, Darren Sharpe. I don't know if I'm forgetting Moses.
[00:19:47] Speaker B: Moody, Lance of Love, Derrick Whitehead. Like Zeb Jackson.
We were like that.
[00:19:52] Speaker A: But. But give credit to 2024 Cooper Liam.
[00:19:56] Speaker B: Yeah, their freshman class is nice for sure. I'll give you that.
[00:19:59] Speaker A: Four first round picks for sure.
[00:20:00] Speaker B: We have four too though. Okay, we have four and we had Caleb who's damn near. We had actually six. Like Caleb was almost a first rounder. Yeah. And Derrick Whitehead was a first rounder.
So.
[00:20:11] Speaker A: So what are your thoughts when you hear the comparison?
[00:20:13] Speaker B: I mean yeah, obviously they're going to be there because they were a great team but. And they went undefeated just like us. But I think we were just too dominant at that level. We beat Everybody by like 30, 20.
I'm sure they beat a lot of teams by a lot too but I just think we're a little more dominant for sure. And deeper.
[00:20:32] Speaker A: What are your thoughts on the Chino Hills come?
No chance.
[00:20:35] Speaker B: No chance, no chance. They beat like a monver team. That was good but. Nah, no chance, no chance. They're good though. Good squad though for sure.
[00:20:44] Speaker A: You keep in touch with those guys. Scotty and Toronto obviously flourishing. What was he like in high School.
[00:20:49] Speaker B: Good dude, just same way he is now. Kind of what you see, just goofy clown like always trying to joke around especially when we're in high school, just all together in dorms and stuff. So those were some of the most fun times of my life.
Good dudes, man. So I. We don't talk all the time but you know we'll hit each other up here and there. I've hung out with Scotty when I went back for the reunion in Orlando so it was a lot of fun.
[00:21:10] Speaker A: I want to ask you about another squad you played on. What do you remember about the 2021 FIBA U19 Team Canada basketball.
You, Ben Mathurin, Zach Eaddy Omax Prosper, Caleb Houston, Charles Bediako, Elijah Fisher, Kyle Duke.
I'm forgetting other guys but you guys end up winning bronze at the World Cup. Tell me about that squad when you look back at it now.
[00:21:32] Speaker B: And that was a hell of a team. You know we had a bunch of. Bunch of. Some of my best friends were on that team like Kyle. Kyle Duke's one of my best friends. Enoch is. I'm really close with. And I met Caleb Houston. I roomed with him at Mon Verse so a lot of those guys are really good friends. Got close with Ben Mather a little bit there too. So I think it was just a great team. Obviously a bunch of guys in the league now. A bunch of guys playing high level basketball.
Obviously we wanted to get the goal but we fell a little bit short. But I think that's one of the best U19 Canadian teams for sure. I think we're like the second team to. To medal U19 so credit to credit to those guys and what they're still doing now.
[00:22:11] Speaker A: Were you talking to Ramon as he was coaching the G League team? He's coaching the U19 team. Any advice? Because I'll be honest since you guys there really hasn't been much success.
Do you look at it and be like we were just that special.
[00:22:25] Speaker B: We were good, we were good. Like if you really like Ben and Zach are both lotto Ilmax is late first, Caleb's late early second. So we're really good. Honestly I think people underestimate how talented we were and how good we were and we still could have had Shadyn on that team. We could have had Primo on that team. Like you know we were really talented. I'm not saying those guys can't go get it done because they can but.
And I'm rooting for them to get it done but we're a talented Squad, but they could do it. They just got to play the right basketball.
[00:22:59] Speaker A: What's it like for you seeing talking those guys make it to the league and now yourself in this position?
[00:23:04] Speaker B: Yeah, I think it's good, man. I'm happy for those guys. Obviously their dreams come true. I've been around them since junior academy. Young kids played against them, Team Ontario, team Quebec.
So I'm happy for them. And also it just gives you like yo, I'm right there with those guys.
I played against them on the same team as them and I'm right there. So it gives you some promise going forward. Yeah.
[00:23:27] Speaker A: You were at Creighton first and then transferred to Gonzaga. Tell me about the move behind that and what made Gonzaga a good fit.
[00:23:34] Speaker B: Yeah, I think Gonzaga was just the right, right, right spot at that time. I need something new. And they, they checked all the boxes. Fewy and me had a great relationship like he said we would.
They gave me the ball and they, they put the ball in my hands and trusted me through thick and thin. So I love Gonzaga. I'm blessed that I got a chance to go there and be a part of the culture and the zag family and that's something that lasts forever and will be a lifetime thing.
[00:24:01] Speaker A: What was their pitch to you? Did it take much convincing? Obviously played into, right?
[00:24:05] Speaker B: Yeah. I mean honestly I knew everything about Gonzaga so it wasn't like I went on like a one day visit there and I was like. It was just me and Fewy just talked about some stuff and the rest of the coaching staff and we talked mainly strictly basketball.
It was a tough decision though. It was between them and Arizona and Tommy Lloyd was at Arizona so it was tough.
But ultimately I felt like Fewy had the most confidence in me. Yeah.
[00:24:31] Speaker A: Talking about Fewy, that's Mark Few that don't know head coach at Gonzaga. Tell me about your guys relationship. What was that dynamic like? It seemed like at points, you know what coaches have to like instructor, point guard to do a lot of stuff. It seemed like he just had to chill back. A lot of times. When you run the show, what was that dynamic like?
[00:24:49] Speaker B: Yeah, I think that's, that's first of all that's built in our relationship, you know, that's built in our off court relationship.
He always has us over to the house and lake house and we chill on his lake and we hang out with him. We get to know him as a person before anything. Him and his family are great and he just started having trust in me, you know, he trusted me with the Ball in my hands. He knew I was gonna make the right decisions. And obviously he gives me pointers and tips here and there, but at the end of the day, he's like, yo, you're the guy I trust. You go out there and play your game and we're going to live or die with how you do it.
[00:25:21] Speaker A: How would you describe your two years there?
[00:25:23] Speaker B: Great two years. Honestly, I wouldn't change it for the world, obviously. I wish we could have won a little bit more and get that first natty for the program, but met some great guys, built some great relationships, had a lot of fun in Spokane.
Love the fans out there, love the people and the relationships I made. So yeah, it was a hell of a two years.
[00:25:45] Speaker A: Conference tournament champs.
What was it like winning that? And do you have a favorite moment in college?
[00:25:51] Speaker B: Yeah, that's probably one of my favorite moments in college. For sure. That was a great moment for us. I hadn't really won anything up to then. And to be able to win that with the guys, we were all super excited. We're in Vegas, obviously, which is a nice spot to be in after you win something like that. So it was a great experience for us. We loved it and that's something I'll cherish for sure.
[00:26:09] Speaker A: Broke a bunch of records at Gonzaga. West Coast Conference single season assist record. Finished fifth all time in NCAAs. Single season assist record. We could go on, like the list could go on. But when did you feel like you got so comfortable with the ball in your hands where like you're processing the game? Maybe it didn't even happen at Gonzaga. Maybe it happened before, like where you're reading the game, where you know where guys are going to be before they're going to be.
[00:26:33] Speaker B: Yeah, I think that was. It was a process throughout my four years. You know, the game just slowed down every single year for me. Year by year it got slower and slower.
My reads started getting more evident. You know, when I got. When I was at Crane, I had more of a live threat, so I had to throw all in the air to him. But over here I had to had guys that finished under the rim. So I had to kind of start manipulating defenses with my eyes and manipulating the low guys. So I feel like I just learned a lot throughout my four years and played college basketball for a good period of time. And bit by bit, I started picking defenses apart.
[00:27:08] Speaker A: I was talking to your pops and he said, you got your IQ from your mom.
Tell me about that.
[00:27:13] Speaker B: I don't know if he was being serious about that, but he was also saying me.
[00:27:17] Speaker A: But he's also like, nah.
[00:27:18] Speaker B: Honestly, I think I just got a lot from both of them.
I think we just get our IQ from. And I think it's more mainly feel. Just feel for the game, being around the game. Ever since we were kids, my dad always having a gym, always running camps in the summertime that we could always go to. And as well as playing soccer, you know, there's a lot of angles to play soccer to do with playing soccer. And I think that's how we learned how to pass in our field.
And yeah, our mom obviously gives us a lot too. We love our mom. Shout out her.
She does a lot for us.
Yeah, I think her demeanor is what she gave to me and my brother. Honestly. She's kind of like just laid back and chilling. She could turn up a little bit, but she's her demeanor for sure.
[00:28:00] Speaker A: So.
Broke a bunch of your brother's records? Yeah. Are you sending a text message, like another one?
[00:28:06] Speaker B: Nah. Another one? Nah, nah, nah.
[00:28:09] Speaker A: No trash talk.
[00:28:10] Speaker B: Nah, nah, nah. He did big things there. So, you know, he went to a Natty. He.
He won two WCC tournaments, two WCC championships. I won one WCC championship. So it was like, you know, I wasn't like. He. He probably felt it a little bit, but I never really did that. Nah.
[00:28:28] Speaker A: Yeah. We talk about the passing, the high cue, being able to read the game, but what do you feel like is the most underrated part about your game that doesn't get talked a lot about, doesn't get appreciated?
[00:28:37] Speaker B: Yeah, I think I have the ability to create my own shot. I think I have some shot creation stuff that is pretty big time, but you just gotta actually watch. You know, obviously I was passing this year a lot and getting a lot of assists, so people are focused on that. But I feel like I could really score the ball when I need to.
Yeah.
[00:28:59] Speaker A: Yeah. 9.8 assists if you don't know. Basically 10.
[00:29:02] Speaker B: Yeah, 10 still.
[00:29:03] Speaker A: And we can say 10. Because I feel like in the first few games you're playing competition where you're not even playing the first half or.
[00:29:09] Speaker B: Second half throughout the whole year, like throughout the whole year in conference play. I'm not even playing like, I'm playing like 23 minutes, so it's like insane. And I'll have like nine at half and then I get like two for the second half. So. Yeah, for sure.
[00:29:21] Speaker A: I want to ask you about Nathaniel Mitchell.
I know he started working you guys out early on. Can you tell me just about that? Obviously, coach At Global Jam. What's been your guys relationship and do you still work out today?
[00:29:32] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, honestly, if we get a chance to, we will gladly work out with him, but, you know, guys schedules are different. He's doing Canada basketball, he's doing all that kind of stuff. But he's a big part in our process. You know, he was working me out at Vaughn. I remember in the morning after the season, just fixing my shot and trying to figure out my shot, and he changed my shot. He's had a big part on my. On my career.
He's someone that we look up to and someone that gives us a lot of advice on hoops.
So that was a big part of our story, for sure.
[00:30:05] Speaker A: Yeah. Shout out to Nathaniel Mitchell. He was also telling me, you and your bros one on ones get heated.
[00:30:09] Speaker B: Me and my bro? Yeah, like, probably.
[00:30:11] Speaker A: Tell me about that.
[00:30:12] Speaker B: Yeah, we do. We definitely. All our life we've got heated. You know, our life, we've been competitive.
We used to play all the time on the driveway, like on the lower net, and we used to try and dunk on each other and stuff like that. So they get. He. He knows how to, like, push my. Especially when I was younger, he knew how to, like, push my buttons and like, get me mad. And that's what he was trying to do as a big brother. So I definitely swung some bats at his head before. Threw some rocks at him for sure.
[00:30:34] Speaker A: But, you know, hey, when was the last time y' all played?
[00:30:37] Speaker B: Probably last summer.
[00:30:38] Speaker A: Who won?
[00:30:39] Speaker B: Probably him. I mean, we played like, spots, so I got a couple. I got like, probably a couple. And he probably got to the majority. Okay. For sure.
[00:30:45] Speaker A: Well, what's it like? He's in the playoffs right now. How often you talking to him and what advice has he given you? Because he's also been in the same situation where he didn't get an invite directly to the combine.
[00:30:56] Speaker B: N. He did.
[00:30:57] Speaker A: Did he?
[00:30:57] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah, he did.
[00:30:58] Speaker A: Someone was saying he got. He was from the G League to the NBA.
[00:31:01] Speaker B: N. He. He went G League like his freshman year or sophomore year, and then his senior year, he got combine.
[00:31:07] Speaker A: So what advice has he given you? Just obviously you're seeing the success that he's having with mbno.
[00:31:12] Speaker B: Yeah, I think honestly, he kind of lets me do my own thing. He gives me advice. We talk all the time. So it's not like an advice type of thing. Like, he just. We just talk, you know, and if he sees something, he tells me. But he lets me do my own thing. He trusts me through the process. He knows how the process is. And he's like, you can navigate it yourself. You can figure it out yourself. And if you need anything, hit me. But you got it. You'll figure it out.
[00:31:35] Speaker A: Obviously, we talked to you, but anybody else that you maybe reached out to talked about the process, what did you know coming in?
[00:31:42] Speaker B: I mean, I knew a little bit about it just because my brother's been through it. Obviously. I asked him a little bit just about the interviews and stuff and what they're gonna ask, but, nah, he's the main guy I've talked to, honestly. Yeah.
[00:31:53] Speaker A: And I wanna ask you about Che mvp.
I feel like he's about to win it. I don't know when it's gonna be announced, but what's it like seeing we haven't had a Canadian win MVP since Nash. It's been like over a decade, almost two decades. What's it like seeing a guy like him just dominate? I'm guessing you know him quite well too.
[00:32:14] Speaker B: Yeah, for sure. It's big. It's big for the city, you know, it's. It gives everybody. City hope that they could be that. And, you know, he's. He's putting on for the city.
Everybody rocks with him, so he's doing big things. His. His cousin Javier is like, probably one of my best friends. Javer Glasgow.
So I know the fam that's like, literally, like, probably one of my best friends, so I'm super close with them. I don't know. Shay too. I know Shay, but not too well. But, man, it's big time. So he definitely needs that mvp. We need to get that. Bring that back to the city.
[00:32:44] Speaker A: Bring it back to the city, guys. You enjoy watching or maybe you study or kind of see your. I don't say. I feel like you're a unique, unique player. Just in terms of. We've never seen someone pass the way you pass, I feel like. But any guys you enjoy watching.
[00:32:58] Speaker B: Yeah, I like. I like Fred Van fleet. I like CP3, like Kyle Lowry.
Those are three guys I really like offensively, you know, I like my bro too. Honestly. I like watching his game.
I like. I like the Canadian guys. I like Shay too, the way he bumps dudes and just gets to his spot and can make tough shots. So those are like five guys I really like to watch. For sure.
[00:33:19] Speaker A: I'm guessing people ask you similarities to your brothers. What's the. What's the. Not similar. What do you feel like? Do you feel like you guys play a Like or. At all?
[00:33:27] Speaker B: Yeah, for sure. We Definitely play alike.
We definitely have some things that we do just feel for the game and the way we play and the way we operate is definitely like we work out together. We work with the same trainers.
We definitely have a lot of things that we play alike. But at the end of the day, he's six four, I'm six foot, so we have some differences there.
I'm probably a little quicker, faster, but we're pretty similar.
[00:33:51] Speaker A: Quicker, faster. Andrew, if you're hearing that.
[00:33:53] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, he's quicker, faster. He knows that. He knows that for sure.
[00:33:57] Speaker A: All these teams talking to you, tell me about meeting them. What's your biggest selling point to teams when you're talking with them and what can you provide a team right now? What's your selling point?
[00:34:06] Speaker B: Yeah, I feel like my work, my four years has been part of the selling point for sure.
But I just feel like I have the feel.
I have the feel and the IQ and the ability to create in ball screen that not a lot of guys in the draft have. And I feel like I can make an impact on winning. You know, I'm smart enough to understand that I'm not going to be the number one guy on the team, have the ball in my hands. But I'll figure it out and I'll. I'll figure out how to impact winning on the team. So that, that's kind of my pitch right there.
[00:34:39] Speaker A: Biggest thing you learned about yourself over the years and kind of getting ready for the NBA?
[00:34:46] Speaker B: Biggest thing I learned, I don't know, probably just.
Just I'm smart enough and I'm gonna figure it out as I go. You know, whatever situation I'm putting, whatever, whatever boss people put me in, I'm gonna figure out how to, how to turn it around and make it a positive for me. So as long as you keep working and keep putting your head down, you'll figure it out.
[00:35:13] Speaker A: How many teams are you planning on working out for or have already and what's that been like?
[00:35:17] Speaker B: Not sure. It's probably gonna be a lot. Probably like 15.
So there'll be a lot of teams I work out for.
It should be fun. It's gonna be a grind. It's gonna be tough going from city to city, but you only get this process once in a lifetime and all you need is a few teams to like you. So we're looking forward to that. Yeah.
[00:35:34] Speaker A: When you're not playing basketball, what do you do? Well, like, what's, what's a typical day for Ryan?
[00:35:39] Speaker B: Off day. I'm chilling. Like, I'm not really doing too much. I'm chilling. Watching movies.
[00:35:43] Speaker A: What movie?
[00:35:45] Speaker B: Watching Dark Knight.
Dark Knight. Watching shows? Yeah, I just watched Game of Thrones.
[00:35:52] Speaker A: I couldn't get into it.
[00:35:53] Speaker B: Yeah, you need to get into that. It's fire.
[00:35:55] Speaker A: Once I got to season two, I'm like, yeah, I gotta.
[00:35:56] Speaker B: Yeah. Season one, two, three are a little slow. It picks up, though. You need to watch that. I'm telling you. Okay.
[00:36:01] Speaker A: I need to watch it.
[00:36:02] Speaker B: Ozarks, Breaking Bad.
[00:36:04] Speaker A: But, you know, Breaking Bad, too. First episode, too. I'm falling sleep.
[00:36:07] Speaker B: Gonna watch Breaking Bad. Yeah, you're tripping. You're tripping.
[00:36:11] Speaker A: Like, first episode. I need someone to not, not, not die, but I need someone. I need to wake up.
[00:36:16] Speaker B: You need to let it progress. You need to just be patient.
But any other shows? Nah, those are the three right there. I mean, I watch other ones, but those are the three for sure. But I'm just chilling. Chilling with friends, getting some good food, for sure. That's what I'm doing.
[00:36:30] Speaker A: Any video games you play?
[00:36:31] Speaker B: Not really. Honestly. I play some black ops, but not really.
[00:36:35] Speaker A: I want to ask you to just interest. And obviously you played for Canada in the past. Is your interest in the future to suit up? And I'm guessing you watched the Olympic run. What were your.
[00:36:43] Speaker B: On that? Yeah, obviously there's interest. I would love to play with my brother eventually. Whether that's World Cup, Olympics. That's a goal of mine. But it'll come when it comes. You know, there's a lot of great players, and if they want me, they want me. If they don't, then it is what it is. But I would love to represent the country. I would love to play for the country. That's. That's a great honor for me.
Yeah, I was in Paris. Tough loss.
[00:37:05] Speaker A: What was that like?
[00:37:06] Speaker B: It was good. Great environment. Great environment. The rest were not the greatest, especially versus France, but they weren't the greatest.
[00:37:13] Speaker A: But Yelli, man.
[00:37:14] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. He was cooking. He was a boss man. Yeah. But, you know, the. The hardest part about it is that you got to wait four more years, you know, And I. I don't know if they did take it in or did not take it in, but that's. They'll probably be ready the next. After these next four years, you know?
[00:37:28] Speaker A: Yeah. Hopefully you in the mix, too. Facts, people that don't know. I want to end off about Rylee. Any hidden talents, something you can do or like or what's like. What's something that you're like. Okay, this is Ryan Nemhardt.
[00:37:42] Speaker B: Just confident. I feel like that's me. Like just a confident dude got some swag to me. I feel like I'm just a confident dude, will get it done. Wherever I'm at in life. I just feel like I don't, like, get too down on myself. So I just feel like I'm going to figure it out no matter what. Where I'm at, who I'm around, whatever the circumstances, I'm gonna get it done for sure.
[00:38:04] Speaker A: We're obviously recording this right before the invites go off for the G League Elite Camp. What would it mean for you just to get an invite?
[00:38:11] Speaker B: Yeah, it'd be cool. You know, obviously that's the goal. You want to get an invite to the real combine and being the real thing, but that's out of my control. I did whatever I could do in this G League combine to solidify that. And if they don't think it's good enough, then put your head down, go back to work and figure it out.
[00:38:29] Speaker A: Yeah, let's just talk about that. Just to end off nine assists in the first game, it should have been 10, too.
[00:38:35] Speaker B: I feel like they didn't give me one today and yesterday. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
[00:38:39] Speaker A: And then you hit a game clinching three.
[00:38:42] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:38:43] Speaker A: Down two. Tell me about that moment and just the confidence you had there.
[00:38:47] Speaker B: Yeah, I ain't gonna lie. I knew it was going in when it left my hand, so it felt good.
[00:38:52] Speaker A: What was the bench saying?
[00:38:53] Speaker B: My man's is on the team. So he was talking crazy before. When we were down four, he was talking crazy.
So I had to point at him and tell him like, yeah, it's over with. So that's my man, though, for sure.
[00:39:02] Speaker A: What's his name? All right.
[00:39:03] Speaker B: Kaluma.
[00:39:04] Speaker A: Hey, Kaluma, man.
[00:39:05] Speaker B: Shout out my dog. Shout out to my dog.
[00:39:07] Speaker A: Ryan Nemhard, I can't thank you enough for coming on the podcast. It's been the Canadian basketball show. If you don't know Ryan, you gotta follow his career, man.
I definitely think you'll be getting an invite to the combine. I'll be shocked if you don't. We'll see. But as the cards fall, they fall. But you've been listening to Kenya Basketball Show. Ryan, thanks for joining me.
[00:39:26] Speaker B: Yeah, thank you for having me, man. I really appreciate it.
[00:39:28] Speaker A: And we out.
[00:39:29] Speaker B: Yes, sir.
