The Drive with Ryan Blake

The Drive with Ryan Blake - The Classic of Charleston

Winter College Basketball Tournaments are the first sparks of excitement for all the worker-bees in the life of the roundball. Journalists begin to establish year-long narratives, the NBA scouts are carrying bigger notebooks, coaches plan their first back-to-back games and the players test their bodies for 3 games in 4 days.

The City of Charleston provides one such tournament called the Charleston Classic. In a city voted the best small city in America, I decided to provide a few Classics of my own on the day-off between games.

BELGRADE BALLER

Northeastern University’s Senior Pont Guard, Vasa Pusica, traveled from Serbia to the States on a journey that took him to basketball stops in the Midwest and the West Coast before landing in Boston as a Player of the Year Candidate.

STALKER HERE

Still wanting to chase down more Charleston Classic flavors, I rode to West Ashley for brunch at the oldest bar in Charleston, Gene’s Haufbrau, to talk history with Co-owner Jason Stalker in this beautifully historic and gritty bar.

GRAMMY TIME

Charleston’s own Poet Laureate, artist and Grammy eligible musician, Marcus Amaker, met me at Gene’s Haufbrau for a few drinks to talk about Charleston, His Life, Prince and his favorite team… the San Antonio Spurs.

Pete and Rob Babcock are former NBA General Managers whom have worked for many decades in the NBA having worked in a variety of capacities from coaching, scouting, player personnel and team management. The Babcock name is synonymous within the history of NBA basketball and the brothers arrived at the Playback Sound Studios to reveal their paths from growing up in Phoenix, Arizona to working their way up the ladder to becoming NBA General Managers.

The bantering began immediately while each chronicled stories from their humble beginnings of scouting to the Truth of each Brother having to trade their franchise players in Dominique Wilkins and Vince Carter.  They both capped off the evening with funny stories on the road and some Marty Moments before we headed off to catch an Atlanta Hawks game

Steve Forbes was cleaning out his office on his birthday after getting fired from Tennessee after an NCAA investigation. He had 3 children, a big house and a 1-year show-cause penalty. His comeback story to the highest paid coach in his conference is one that he would not recommend. 

Like many coaches, stories have followed him along the way such as recruiting the “The Air Up There" Co-star, Saleh, as well as a 7-foot-3 former NBA first round draft choice, Alexsander Radojevic’s, arrival to the United States and a forgotten tale of Scottie Pippen. 

One of the greatest long ball shooters of all time walks through the Infinite Energy Arena in Atlanta and is surrounded by autograph seekers as many of the fans ask if he is playing tonight. Ellis is 58 years old but looks as if he could play 40 minutes. We sit down in the press room to reflect on some historical moments in his life as we remanence about a different era of basketball. Ellis also reveals his work as the President of the National Basketball Retired Players Association’s Atlanta Chapter and his new business, GameFace Sports Influencer Agency.

Former NBA First Round Draft pick Josh Childress arrives in Atlanta at our Playback Recording Studios before playing in his last game of the Big 3 season. JChill reflects on his world travels and an inside look as the first person to choose to play Internationally as a restricted free agent. Childress opens-up about his path from Compton to Stanford University to the NBA while revealing his focused approach to life . So, what’s next?

Former Director of Photography and Senior VP of Playboy Enterprises, Gary T. Cole delivers a historical and hysterical inside look into his work in his 35 years with the Bunny Mag.

Blake kidnaps Agent Keith Kreiter from the packed lobby of the InterContinental Hotel in Chicago to kick start the Agent's Round-table before the first day of the NBA Draft Combine. Kreiter is the President/ CEO of Edge Sports International and explains his role, views and disgusts of representing draft eligible players during the period before the draft. Furthermore, Kreiter reveals some secrets in an unveiling of what everyone is calling the MYSTERY MAN in his Draft Eligible client, China's 6-9 forward Abudushalamu Abudurexiti.

Blake kidnaps Agent Keith Kreiter from the packed lobby of the InterContinental Hotel in Chicago to kick start the Agent's Round-table before the first day of the NBA Draft Combine.

NBA Executive V.P. of Operations, Kiki VanDeWeghe sits down in Chicago before the start of the 2018 NBA Draft Combine. Blake connects with VanDeWeghe on several topics including the evolution of the Pre Draft Camp to the present day Combine. Blake also gets an inside look to the upcoming NBA GlobalCamp which will feature 40 of the top international players in Treviso, Italy , June 2-5.

NBA consultant, Ryan Blake, embarks on the world of basketball as he travels around the country and globe in a way he only knows how.....his way.