The Turn Around Podcast: The True Life Basketball Story of Stewart "Squirt" Holley

In this powerful episode of The Turn Around Podcast , host Stewart "Squirt" Holley reconnects with childhood friend Steven Williams , a Durham native, Walltown community member, international business leader, and former mayoral candidate for the City of Durham. Together, they reflect on their early lives growing up in Walltown , the trials and triumphs of their shared environment, and how it shape...

In this episode of The Turn Around Podcast, international pro-ballers Justin Lee Watts and host Stewart "Squirt" Holley reconnect for an honest conversation on basketball, identity, and mental wellness—all rooted in their hometown of Durham, North Carolina. From high school gyms in Bull City to courts around the globe, Justin and Stewart reflect on what it means to grow, pivot, and persevere as Bl...

Season 3 kicks off in Durham, NC, where host Stewart "Squirt" Holley sits down with Talib Jasir to reflect on The Turn Around Podcast 's journey—from its early roots to what fans can expect this season. In this live interview recorded at Tunes Studio, Stewart reps hard for Bull City and the 252 (Edenton, NC), sharing how basketball remains a central force in his life. Whether it's pick-up games, p...

In this last recorded episode of The Turn Around podcast, Stewart concludes the story of how he almost lost his freedom again and why a friend's advice to "reinvent himself" changed the direction of his life. Today, Stewart stays close to the game by coaching and officiating recreation and school leagues. From the womb to the tomb Stewart remains a basketball player and stays ready for the next op...

In episode 13, "De Ja Vu", Stewart experiences all too familiar troubles as he continues to struggle with alcohol addiction. Squirt flirts with danger once more putting himself behind the wheel after a night of drinking, which results in a car accident. Back in the crosshairs of the local police, Squirt is placed on probation which makes him vulnerable to new charges that no one could've seen comi...

In this episode of the Turn Around Podcast, Stewart discusses the realities of relapsing into the negative patterns of disappointment, heartbreak, alcoholism, and despair. Holley's storytelling is at its finest in "Man Apart", an unflinchingly honest account of his second go-around with a broken heart and self-destructive habits. After three days in county jail, Squirt needs to figure out what he'...

The 11th episode of season 2 of The Turn Around Podcast follows Stewart Holley and the Bull City Legacy as they compete in the Tobacco Road Basketball League. He has dedicated himself to the TRBL and continues to work toward his goal of making it to the NBA, but can he count on their support? After the excitement of playing for another hometown team in Durham wore off, Holley was left with a sense...

Stewart "Squirt" Holley begins his career in the Tobacco Road Basketball League (TRBL) in Season 2, Episode 10, and for the first time in a long time, begins to enjoy playing professional basketball again. The TRBL provides him with another opportunity to represent his hometown of Durham as a member of the Bull City Legacy. Stewart takes tremendous pride in the possibilities he has to give back to...

In Season 2, Episode 9, Stewart "Squirt" Holley reflects on his time spent with the Fayetteville Flight and Carolina Jaguars of the American Basketball Association (ABA) in North Carolina. Stewart returns to the court still dealing with the death of his Grandmother, the breakup, and the DUI charge. This time around he has a new outlook and is determined to take his life back with the help of his f...

In this bonus episode of Season 2, Holley's friend and teammate at Rockingham Community College, Wallace Clayton, and another friend, 13-year NBA veteran Chucky Brown, share their memories and stories with Stewart "Squirt" Holley on and off the court.  To book Stewart "Squirt" Holley for speaking engagements or as a guest on your show, send an email to theturnaround77@gmail.com and follow theturna...

Mental fortitude has been the theme of Stewart "Squirt" Holley's "turnaround". In this episode, Holley continues to pursue his basketball dreams while dealing with a series of setbacks and disappointments. In this episode Squirt is at it again, baring all as he makes a return from the depths of heartache to his refuge on the hardwood floors. Episode 7 deals honestly and openly with issues of menta...

In episode 6, Stewart "Squirt" Holley returns from Lithuania and begins looking for a Basketball team in the states to call home.  Squirt's life appears to be heading in the right direction when he is selected as the eighth draft pick in the WBA selection. A new love interest, a promising basketball offer, and being back in the US makes for a great welcome home. Unfortunately, it wouldn't last.  T...

In Episode 5, Holley shares his professional basketball experience in Joniskis, Lithuania. As the combo guard for Delikatesas 2004-2006, Squirt experienced the ups and downs of playing on a professional level and leading his team to countless victories. His leadership on the court was felt even in the losses and as a Black man in a city and country where he was outnumbered in representation, Holle...

In this episode, Squirt describes how it feels after realizing his lifelong dream of being a professional basketball star! In Lithuania the audiences go wild wherever he goes, the arena is filled, and everyone sees him for the talent that he is. Holley recounts his next-level training, the experienced player that took him under his wing and helped to enhance his skills, and how it felt to be the o...

In Episode 3, Holley confronts a new recruit on the court and decides that he's had enough of playing for a coach who doesn't recognize his value to the squad. In his final year at Rockingham Community College, Squirt is faced with an unbeatable challenge and a decision that will permanently alter the course of his Basketball career. To book Stewart "Squirt" Holley for speaking engagements or as a...

In the second episode of Season 2, Holley talks about his challenges with the coaching staff at Rockingham Community College and how it felt to not have the support of the head coach as he pursued his dreams of becoming a professional player. Squirt also talks about the love and respect he received from the student body which led to a surprise nomination and win off the court that he would've neve...

In the first episode of Season 2, Holley talks about his experiences as a college-level athlete, the trials and tribulations of basketball politics, and keeping his head up despite the challenges both on and off the court. True to form, Squirt's determination to play the sport he fell in love with as a child takes center stage as he navigates freedom outside of prison and being the new but seasone...

This bonus episode was recorded three weeks after the tragic deaths of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and 7 others in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020.  Holley shares how the death of the former LA Laker NBA icon impacted his life and those around him. Holley describes the day he learned that the world lost one of the greatest athletes of the 21st century and shares the impact Bryant made...

Trigger warning: If you or someone you know has experienced violence, survived a violent act, or lost someone to violence, please be aware that this episode describes a violent experience in the life of Stewart Holley and can trigger certain listeners . Please be advised .   Thank you for listening to season one of the Turn Around Podcast: The True Life Basketball Story of Stewart "Squirt" Holley...

In Episode 7 of the Turn Around Podcast, Holley recounts more stories of his time in lock-up and how he navigated the dangers of the prison system and being away from his family. Squirt lends insight on being institutionalized from a young age and how it still impacts him to this day. As always, Squirt's stories are raw and candid about the trials of a misguided young man who wasn't yet convinced...

In Episode 6, Squirt details the events that got him incarcerated as a teenager and the reasons he decided it was time for him to make a change in his life for the better. Squirt shares another cautionary tale of how making impulsive and immature decisions and being at the wrong place with the wrong people as a youth changed his life forever. To book Stewart "Squirt" Holley for speaking engagement...

In this bonus episode 5 of The Turn Around podcast, Coach Ray Hartsfield, Head Men's Basketball Coach at East Chapel Hill High School and Owner-operator of Hoops at East Basketball Durham, North Carolina talks about his time mentoring and coaching Squirt as a High School Basketball player in the early 90s. To book Stewart "Squirt" Holley for speaking engagements or as a guest on your show, send an...

Squirts' raw and candid storytelling gives listeners rare insight into the mind of a young boy living a double life between home/school and the streets. In Episode 4, Holley weaves a cautionary tale of misguided decisions that eventually cost him his freedom as a teenager caught in the juvenile detention systems, jail, and prison. Despite the dangers of jail and the perils of confinement, basketba...

In Episode 3 of The Turn Around Podcast, Holley explains how his misguided behaviors turned an innocent kid who loved basketball into a juvenile offender. Squirt speaks about the coaches who tried to positively intercede in his life and reflects on the reality of not having a consistent male presence to hold him accountable for some of his choices and how that led him down a path of confusion and...

"Family and Forgiveness" is the 2nd episode of The Turn Around Podcast, listen in as Holley tells different stories of how his upbringing shaped his misguided reactions to insecurity and not fitting in, and why forgiveness is oftentimes necessary to move forward in life. To book Stewart "Squirt" Holley for speaking engagements or as a guest on your show, send an email to theturnaround77@gmail.com...