Time Out Podcast

The odds are brutal: in Louisiana, only about 1 in 220 senior girls signs D1. So what actually moves a talented kid from “good” to scholarship-level? Carl Antoine Jr. and Chris Desdunes get honest about the numbers, the sacrifice, and the development most families miss long before exposure ever matters.

Carl breaks down why family buy-in is nonnegotiable, how his own daughter’s journey changed after being cut at 9, and why practice in the driveway and on the concrete can matter more than expensive hype. Chris adds the coach’s perspective, challenging the idea that travel ball, trainers, or shoe circuits are automatic shortcuts and explaining when a program is actually helping a kid grow - and when it’s just collecting talent.

You’ll discover:

• Why “development before exposure” is the real formula for girls basketball
• The questions every parent should ask before paying for AAU or travel ball
• How roster size, practice reps, and coaching fit can make or break a player’s progress
• Why New Orleans and Louisiana lose talent without stronger local systems
• What elite parents do differently when the goal is D1 and a free education

Carl and Chris also get into the frustrating reality of girls basketball in Louisiana - limited gym access, weak youth pipelines, and too many families driving to Texas, Atlanta, and Houston for opportunities that should exist closer to home. But this conversation isn’t just about what’s broken. It’s about what parents, coaches, and communities can start doing now to keep more young women in the gym, in the game, and on a path to college.

Essential listening if you’re a basketball parent, coach, or family member trying to help a young athlete chase a real future without wasting time, money, or years on the wrong path.

If this episode resonated, do three things for me:

1. Hit follow on Time Out so new episodes show up automatically.
2. Leave a quick rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it's the biggest thing that helps the show find new listeners.
3. Send this episode to one sports parent who needs it.

For the game. For the family.
 — Ashley

This isn't your normal conversation. This is the side of the game that seldom gets talked about.

This week on The Parent Seat, Carl Antoine sits down with Isiah Stevens — father of Isiah Stevens Jr., a 6'1" point guard out of New Orleans who prepped at Shaun Dumas Academy and later starred at Crescent City Christian, where he helped lead the team to a state championship. But the road to get there was anything but smooth.

Isiah pulls back the curtain on broken promises in the basketball world — the promises coaches and programs make to get your kid in the door, the moments when reality doesn't match what was sold, the politics, the playing time battles, and the hard decisions he had to make to protect his son's future and his love for the game. He also opens up about navigating coaching changes, program instability, what the system really looks like from the inside, and what sports families need to know before they trust a program with their child's dream.

Plus — Isiah shares his YouTube series, The Blackball Effect, in which he's challenging the system head-on and giving families a voice. If you've ever felt like the basketball world wasn't built to protect your kid, this series is for you.

Whether you're deep in travel ball or just getting started, this episode could save your family from a mistake you can't undo.

If this episode resonated, do three things for me:

1. Hit follow on Time Out so new episodes show up automatically.
2. Leave a quick rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it's the biggest thing that helps the show find new listeners.
3. Send this episode to one sports parent who needs it.

For the game. For the family.
 — Ashley

What does it look like to uproot your entire family — leave a small town, chase exposure, and bet on your daughter's dream? 

This week on Time Out, I sat down with Latisha — a mom of four, rooted in faith, and building a family legacy through sports. Latisha and her family moved from Houston, to a small town, and now reside in Dallas to give their daughter the opportunity and visibility she needed. But this conversation goes deeper than basketball — it's about what legacy looks like inside a household, what accountability means when the whole family is invested, and why sports are the vehicle for something much bigger than a scholarship.

If you're a sports family trying to figure out how to build something that lasts — this is YOUR episode.

🎙New episodes every week. Hit follow so you don't miss one.

If this episode resonated, do three things for me:

1. Hit follow on Time Out so new episodes show up automatically.
2. Leave a quick rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it's the biggest thing that helps the show find new listeners.
3. Send this episode to one sports parent who needs it.

For the game. For the family.
 — Ashley

What does it really look like to navigate travel basketball as a family — from rec league to the EYBL circuit to a Division 1 roster? 

This week on Time Out, Carl Antoine sits down with Chris Desdunes — father of Chikae Desdunes, a freshman guard at Rutgers University. Chris raised a top-51 player in the country out of New Orleans, navigated the travel ball world, supported his daughter's move to DME Academy, and walked through a decommitment when coaching changes flipped her recruitment. This isn't a recruiting story. This is a PARENT story — the good, the hard, and the lessons worth passing on.

🎙 New episodes every week. Hit follow so you don't miss one.

If this episode resonated, do three things for me:

1. Hit follow on Time Out so new episodes show up automatically.
2. Leave a quick rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it's the biggest thing that helps the show find new listeners.
3. Send this episode to one sports parent who needs it.

For the game. For the family.
 — Ashley

Nutrition might be the most overlooked piece of athlete development. This week on Time Out, Ashley sits down with Jessica Isaacs — a sports nutritionist with experience at USC Athletics and the LA Clippers — to break down what proper fueling actually looks like for young athletes playing at a high level. From game-day meals to tournament grab-and-go options, injury recovery nutrition, hydration, and the simplest changes families can make right now — Jessica brings the expertise every sports family needs to hear.

🎙New episodes every week. Hit follow so you don't miss one.

If this episode resonated, do three things for me:

1. Hit follow on Time Out so new episodes show up automatically.
2. Leave a quick rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it's the biggest thing that helps the show find new listeners.
3. Send this episode to one sports parent who needs it.

For the game. For the family.
 — Ashley

What happens when a former elite athlete becomes the parent of one? This episode on Time Out, Ashley reconnects with her high school classmate Jed — a phenomenal quarterback out of Memphis back in the day — whose son just wrapped up his freshman basketball season as his team's Offensive Player of the Year. As a freshman.

Jed opens up about the unique challenge of being a sports dad when you've BEEN the kid chasing the dream. They dig into the sacrifice, the financial reality, the emotional side of supporting a young athlete, and how being a former quarterback shapes — and sometimes complicates — the way he shows up for his son. He also shares the advice every sports parent needs to hear.

This conversation is for every dad pouring into his kid's dream, and every family trying to figure out how to support a rising star the right way.

🎙 New episodes every week. Hit follow so you don't miss one.

If this episode resonated, do three things for me:

1. Hit follow on Time Out so new episodes show up automatically.
2. Leave a quick rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it's the biggest thing that helps the show find new listeners.
3. Send this episode to one sports parent who needs it.

For the game. For the family.
 — Ashley

Behind every top-ranked athlete is a family who sacrificed everything to get her there. This week on Time Out, Ashley sits down with Marlon and Theresa — the parents of Madyson, a top-ranked 2028 out of Louisiana — to get real about what it takes to raise an elite young hooper.

From the early mornings and the long drives to the financial reality of travel ball, the pressure of rankings, and the conversations every sports parent needs to have — Marlon and Theresa hold nothing back. They share the hardest moments, the most joyful ones, and the advice they'd give any family just starting this journey.

Whether you're deep in the trenches or just lacing up for the first time, this one will leave you feeling seen — and ready to keep pouring into your own athlete.

🎙 New episodes every week. Hit follow so you don't miss one.

If this episode resonated, do three things for me:

1. Hit follow on Time Out so new episodes show up automatically.
2. Leave a quick rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it's the biggest thing that helps the show find new listeners.
3. Send this episode to one sports parent who needs it.

For the game. For the family.
 — Ashley

There's a girl in a gym in Shreveport right now who's better than you think she is. There are hundreds of her, thousands of her — spread across high school gyms and AAU circuits and small-town tournaments nobody's covering. This is the show that's going to find them.

In this first episode of Time Out, Ashley J. Antoine introduces the podcast, the beat, and the perspective she's bringing to women's basketball coverage — as a former Division I player, a twenty-year educator, an independent journalist, and the current sports parent of an elite EYBL hooper. She covers:

→ Who Time Out is for and what to expect every week → Why the modern women's game deserves better coverage than it's getting → What's coming in the first few episodes → How to get involved in the Black Sports Parents League

If you're a sports parent in the trenches, a player trying to build a brand and a future at the same time, or a fan who's tired of surface-level coverage of the women's game — this is your room. Press play.

If this episode resonated, do three things for me:

1. Hit follow on Time Out so new episodes show up automatically.
2. Leave a quick rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it's the biggest thing that helps the show find new listeners.
3. Send this episode to one sports parent who needs it.

For the game. For the family.
 — Ashley