Strayt Talk With Strayhand

Shennel Beasley-Sims joined me today to discuss how she created and started Sactown’s Finest Vinyl and Print, who was just featured last week on Fox 40. She has an amazing story which we will get into! Prior to starting her business, she was the CFO of a major video game merchandising company. She unfortunately was let go of that position just a short time after being diagnosed with stage 4 colon...

Monty Buckley joined me to discuss his legendary High School career at Christian Brothers before he went on to play college basketball at Cal with future NBA Hall of Famer Jason Kidd as well as Tony Gonzalez, who was a two sport star at Cal at the time before later becoming an NFL Hall of Famer. You will hear about all the factors that led him going to Cal as he was also recruited by literally eve...

Former Cosumnes River combo guard Luca Davis joined me to discuss his basketball journey filled with a lot of ups, downs and everything in between, his passion for content creating, and his latest trip to Barbados representing the USA for PHD hoops. You will hear about his epic senior year helping lead Grant to a Section title as well as being part of CRC history with them making the Elite 8 this...

Special Guest Host Mahari Strayhand joins the show to get the backstory on the Strayt Talk With Strayhand podcast, the preparation involved in each episode, discusses some of the highlights of the pod thus far and so much more! Get ready for a fun 100th episode!

Christian Brothers Assistant Coach Shawn Underwood Sr. joined me to discuss the phenomenal season he just wrapped up that will go down in CB history that included winning the Section title while going 27-8, the strong culture developed in his first 4 years at CB, and the special group of players from the 2025 class! He opens up and shares his life changing event with the passing of his mother righ...

Woodland Christian standout and scoring phenomenon Romello Bruhn joined me to discuss his epic season that included winning the Sections, surpassing 2,000 career points and leading his team to a 27-6 overall record. You will also hear about the work he’s been putting in with the Guru himself, Gus Armstead and how being able to compete with NBA players, overseas pros, and college players has been s...

College of the Sequoias Men’s Head Basketball Coach Dallas Jensen joined me to discuss leading one of the top JUCO programs not only in California but in the nation after just wrapping up another successful season with COS just falling short in the championship game to West Valley who finished the season 33-0. We go on to discuss his coaching background, his success at COS and what it has taken to...

Former Sac State Men’s Basketball Coach Brian Katz joined me to discuss coaching at all levels(from Middle School, High School, Junior College and D1) as well his new book that just released titled, “The Road More Traveled: A Coach’s View From The Bench”. Get ready to hear some amazing stories of the players that were featured in the book, the adversity they had to overcome and the success they ac...

Woodland Christian standout and Sac Joaquin leading scorer Romello Bruhn(29.6 points a game as a sophomore) joined me to discuss his record setting season in which he led his team deep into the playoffs despite a horrific injury that required surgery just days prior to their first round matchup. You will also hear about his journey coming from a small city like Woodland, his early influences, the...

Pearson’s Premium Co-Owner David Pearson joined me to discuss the relaunch of the family business that originated over 20 years ago, the success they have had that recently landed them on Good Day Sacramento, and of course the sauce that has created a buzz all over! We also talk about the being the Cal Football team sauce, the different business approach they are taking to get the sauce out to the...

3levation Athletics Founder Drew Cobb joined me to discuss his transition from being a player(after finishing at Long Beach State) to his first year in business, the impact he was able to make on players his first year, as well as some of his strengths as a trainer that helped his business standout and achieve massive success! We also go on to discuss topics ranging from his Christmas camp which g...

EXP Realty Top Producing Realtor Angie Verduzco joined me to discuss her journey in Real Estate and as an entrepreneur! We discuss topics ranging from her humble beginnings, to early real estate investments at a young age, her transition into the RE industry part time, the events that led to her having to go full time this past year and the massive success she had in 2023! Get ready for some Stray...

Kentucky Derby and Sports/Entertainment Host Armon Newton joined me to discuss his journey that includes being the floor emcee for the Sacramento Kings, then transitioned to take on the same position with the Los Angeles Clippers, and then eventually becoming the Kentucky Derby host for the last 9 years. You will also hear about his very own podcast he just launched, “Oh Shit! I’m a Parent!”. You...

GGT Basketball Founder Mark Jeffries joined me for a jam packed episode to discuss topics ranging from the success of the players he’s helped develop, to his partnership with the basketball legend/guru Gus Armstead, working with newly signed Los Angeles Laker Gabe Vincent, and so much more! He also talks about the different philosophies he utilizes for business, his thoughts on AAU, the transfer p...

Christian Brothers combo guard Shawn “Sonnie” Underwood joined me to discuss his hoop journey as we discussed topics ranging from his AAU experience playing in the Adidas Gold Gauntlet Circuit, his transition to private school, and to playing his first season at Varsity and making first team Capital Athletic League. You will also hear about his biggest influences, his plans for junior season, how...

Pro Boxer and former champion Manuel “Tino” Avila joined me to discuss his boxing career that includes a 25-2-1 record as well 2 former titles! You will also hear about how he got signed to Golden Boy Promotions, his losses and downfalls that led him to retiring, and his decision to make a comeback which has been successful so far with 2 victories with another fight in October. Get ready for some...

College of Sequoias Guard and former Burbank High School standout Omari Nesbit joined me to discuss his freshman season on and off the court at COS! You will also hear about the adjustments he had to make to the college game, some of his highlights from COS’s 27-4 season, aspects of his game that he’s focused on working on, and his future plans. Get ready for some Strayt Talk on this episode! Foll...

Former Overseas Pro and Rock Solid Basketball Training Owner Phil Ricci joined me to discuss his new venture after successfully playing professionally for 13 years. The former Galt High school standout who went on to become an All Pac 10 player at Oregon State also has a coaching resume with the Sacramento Kings before becoming the Founder/Owner of Rock Solid Basketball training and player develop...

Overseas pro player Greg Milton joined me to discuss his journey to becoming a pro that started at Sac City JC to Wyoming(D1) and then finished off his last 2 seasons starring at Cal State San Marcos(D2)! He discusses many lessons learned and adversity he had to overcome at each stop and gives you insight on what it took to accomplish his goal of becoming a pro. Get ready for some Strayt Talk on t...

Local up and coming artist/producer OscariLoveThis joined me to discuss how his love for basketball and the lessons learned while on the court helped him with his music career. He discusses his first single and being able to perform in SF and locally at Harlow’s, as well as the EP he’s dropping on Valentine’s Day. He was just featured on The Thizzler and is creating a buzz on the local music scene...

Sac Skills Owner and player development specialist Sam Luong joined me to discuss the year he had in 2022, his new facility and rollouts in 2023, and a little of everything else in between! Get ready to hear about the Rico Hines basketball camp in Africa he was a part of, the new trainings and camps that he(and his team) is offering and the future plans he has for hoops in Sacramento! Lastly, we t...

Former Long Beach State standout(also former Sheldon High star) and 3levation Athletics Founder Drew Cobb joined me to discuss the ending of his college career and the launching of 3levation Athletics! He discusses the adversity he had to overcome his senior year of college, the tough decision of playing overseas or not, and what to expect from his innovated 3levation Athletics business! Also don’...

Four-star WR and Christian Brothers standout Phillip Bell III who currently holds 17 D1 offers joined me to discuss his backstory, talk about how he got to his current position, the recruitment process and his football journey thus far. You will also hear what it took to gain the attention of the top programs in the nation and to have offers from the likes of Arizona, Georgia, Oregon, Cal, Michiga...

Former Grant High standout and Bethune Cookman freshman guard Jayson Mathews joined me to discuss his basketball journey that included overcoming adversity, playing for a top AAU program with the Compton Magic, the different roles he had while at Grant, and how he earned his D1 scholarship! You will also hear about the special section title run, the amazing support he was blessed to receive along...

One of the areas top players this past season and former Burbank standout guard Isaiah Griffin joined me to discuss his backstory and hoop journey! We discuss the influence that his dad(Ben, one of the best high school players in Sac history) had on his game, the special bond him and his brother Omari shared on and off the court, his time in Virginia, his AAU experiences and much more. You will al...