TURN it up!

"Something I've noticed is a lot of people don't really have a brotherhood. It's a group of friends where there's a time and place to joke around, but when it really hits you it's like 'where is that brotherhood that will guide me and support me through all this stuff,' right?"
- Muhk

In this episode of TURN Sports, Muneeb takes the reigns and is joined by the guys from The Modern Brown Men podcast where they discuss mental health in the  South Asian community, inspirations for their podcast and their relationship with sports.

They start by giving a description of the Modern Brown Men Podcast and discussing the initial hesitation (3:04). They then discuss why they started the podcast (3:54) and how long they've been at it (6:34). This leads into a conversation about their quick success (7:48) and inspiration they took from other creators (9:36).

The conversation then turns to their relationship with sports, starting with high school basketball (12:04), eventually turning to Muhk's journey to becoming a Punjabi commentator (13:57). It then turns to how important Punjabi commentating is for getting South Asian people more interested in these sports (16:21). Then they discuss the potential the Stingers have going forward (23:33) and who they think is the best player/best play (26:08). The topic then moves on to discussing the NBA and their favourite teams (28:42).

They then discuss Ikem's journey into sports commentating in Punjabi (30:15), leading into a discussion about Edmonton's sports community, focusing on soccer (32:24). They then chat about Ikem's work as a Stingers player liaison (34:00) and his failure to get into the NBA (36:02). Which then leads into a discussion about becoming an agent for new players (37:25), ending off talking about NIL (39:57).

IG: @theuniversalradio

"When you build a team, you want people with different perspectives. I'm focused on one thing, but I want Tan to be focused on other aspects."

- Lali Toor

In this episode of TURN Sports, Navin sits down Lali Toor, Tan Virring and Tanroop Mahal from APNA Hockey to discuss ball hockey, the NHL and the importance of varied perspectives in the sports community.

They begin by asking Tan Virring about her experience joining APNA Hockey (1:32) and then move into her personal journey with hockey (2:21). After that Virring talks a bit about her experience with ball hockey and the volunteer work she's been doing around it (5:14). This leads into a conversation about the various ball hockey leagues, starting at Masters (in Virring's case) and going all the way to Worlds (6:06). Finally leading into a conversation about the many layers of the sport (7:28) as well as the cost of getting into it and how easy it is to get into it locally (8:43).

Virring is then asked what she's most excited for and what she seeks to change (9:43). Toor then jumps in to describe the importance of the different perspective Virring brings to the table (10:57) and discusses the future of APNA Hockey a little bit (12:52).

The conversation then turns to the Oilers (14:20). After the Oilers talk, they talk a bit more about APNA Hockey (22:35), take a short detour into talking about Olympic ball hockey (23:07), and return to talk about future events APNA Hockey is part (25:40). They end off the show by talking about what's missing on the women's side for ball hockey (27:48).

IG: @theuniversalradio

“Your attitude marks your altitude. If you have the right attitude, you’ll go higher, if you don’t, you’ll be stuck wondering why you’re standing in the same place ten years later.”
- Will Strickland

In this episode of TURN Sports, Navin sits down with Will Strickland to chat about Full Court 21 and how sports can unite us.

They start off the show with a personal intro from Will (1:17). They then get into talking about Full Court 21 (4:00), including their children's programs (5:58), women's and indigenous initiatives (6:23), some rules changes (7:49), Prizes (8:54), the All-World Champions (9:19) and their work in Japan (10:57). They then talk about how basketball has become a global game (11:31) with 1-on-5 tournaments  and taking hold of your future (12:13).

Navin then asks about cookies, a recurring topic and we learn about some basketball terms relating to it (13:21). Will then talks about how Full Court 21 has influenced a number of communities (14:09) that moves into talk about sneakers and their place in basketball culture (15:12). After a long chat about sneakers, Navin asks Will about his basketball career (18:38), before returning the discussion to Full Court 21 (20:07) and the importance of playing the community (22:56). They talk about a few successful street ballers (24:15) and those who've become the All World Champs (25:56). They then talk about plans for the future and other reasons to join in on the game (28:18).

Moving away from Full Court 21, Will gives Navin a nickname (31:38) and starts a discussion about Navin's own ventures (32:47). They end off the show talking about the Olympics (33:49).

IG: @theuniversalradio

"It's funny. I saw some clips of Lebron training with his two sons a few weeks ago and his sons were training with an NBA ball and Lebron was training with a FIBA ball. Just trying to get used to the feel of it and the leather pattern and everything. It makes a big difference."
- Lawrence Dushenski

Navin sat down with Lawrence Dushenski, a basketball coach and owner of the YEG Hoops social media accounts. They talked all things basketball, from the Olympic exhibition matches to NBA trades.

They started by talking a bit about the sweltering weather in Edmonton these past few days (:30) but quickly moved on to talking about the Canada vs. USA exhibition match that happened on July 10 (1:40). After a recap and discussion on that, they moved on to talking about Olympic Basketball (5:19) including the differences between the NBA and FIBA (8:40) and the likelihood of Canada's team going far (10:00). Lawrence was dubbed an honourary "Basketball Co-host" (13:45) before they moved on to talking about changing Olympic rosters in the face of injuries (14:10). They then chat a bit more about Olympic basketball (15:03) and who they'd have as their starting five (19:13). After coming back from a break, they have a short aside about desserts and food (28:55) before moving on to NBA Trades (31:42). The episode ends off with a discussion about how much Brony James is going to play in the coming season (44:25).

IG: @theuniversalradio

“It’s funny because I hate the five-year question, like where do you see yourself? I think it’s good to have goals, like I want to have a house in five years or what ever you want to accomplish is great. But you never now if a pandemic’s going to happen. You never know if you’re going to get married like I did.”

- Dhanung Bulsara

Dhanung Bulsara (aka D) is a quadruple threat digital host, event emcee, in-game host and broadcaster who's one of the co-founders of Vutsup Media. He joins Navin to discuss the world of sports journalism and content creation, his personal journey into that industry and where he sees himself in the future.

Starting off their conversation, D and Navin talk a little bit about D's current work with the CEBL and his companies (2:26). After that, they chat a bit about D's personal journey into the sports broadcasting industry and if this is where he thought he'd end up (3:53). Then Navin askes him about his favourite sport and gets a rundown of his history with said sport (6:01). After this, Navin asks a bit about his favourite parts of the job and they chat about his videography work (8:03). This leads to them talking about what sports documentaries they'd make if they had the budget (10:41).After coming back from a break, they talk a bit about amusement parks (13:01) and their favourite movies (14:24) before getting back into talking a bit about D's career and where he wants to go moving forward (15:18). After that, Navin asks D about his sports event bucket list (16:41) which leads into a conversation about the WWE after Westlemania is brought up (17:50). After they wrestling talk, they talk a bit about the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight (20:59) before moving on to Olympic basketball (21:35) and end some discussion about Lebron and Brony James (26:44).

IG: @theuniversalradio

“I have been so fortunate in my life to have people that have been so influential… starting with my father, to my high school coach, to my college coach, all who became dear influential mentoring friends that have impacted me throughout my entire life, so I am a very lucky person.” - Paul Sir 

Paul Sir is the host of The Basketball Show on Sports 1440, and a former basketball player and coach, and he joins TURN Sports host Navin Ramharak to discuss all things basketball and sports, including how Paul and Navin initially met, Paul’s journey in basketball, the Hoops City 3-on-3 event in Edmonton, NBA talk, Tennis talk and much more in this episode. 

At the beginning of their discussion, Paul and Nav talk about how they first met and the initial opportunity that Paul gave Nav on the Concordia Men’s Basketball Team (1:54), any possible highlights in his basketball career that Paul has found memorable (4:29), what would be his dream for the game of basketball and the type of impact Paul would like to leave (8:33), how Paul would feel if he had the opportunity to play on the same team as his son like LeBron James will be with Bronny James (11:16), a breakdown of Hoop City event in Edmonton (14:50), how Jimmer Fredette’s game will translate from 5-on-5 to 3-on-3 play (18:49), and what 3-on-3 basketball is and why Paul believes it’s important for the next generation to know about and participate in (21:00). Next Paul and Nav chat a bit more about Hoop City and how listens can learn more about it (24:31), which NBA players Paul would like to see participate in 3-on-3 hoops (26:40), if there is a set league in the world where athletes can earn a salary playing 3-on-3  (28:08), which other sports Paul followsand is a fan of (30:11), what Tennis events Paul has attended  (31:19), if he has seen the recent Roger Federer documentary (33:40), and  if he is a fan of Rafa Nadal (34:42). Finally, Paul discusses what sporting events are on his bucket list (35:43), what excites him about the NBA offseason (37:02), thoughts on Nikola Jokic (39:28), and the difference in developing players in North America and in Europe (41:14). 

IG: @theuniversalradio

“There is a community for basketball in Sherwood Park, and so what we’re doing with Shoot 360 I think is really going to be that catalyst to get more kids to step into basketball as their first sport, as opposed to soccer or hockey as they would traditionally in Sherwood Park,” - Jake Svenningsen 

Jake Svenningsen is a dedicated basketball coach from Sherwood Park who has been coaching since he was 16 years old. Jake played for the Concordia Men’s Basketball Team from 2020 to 2022 and also founded Spotlight Athletic Development, where he has run successful basketball camps in Sherwood Park. Jake now coaches at Shoot 360 Sherwood Park, the first and only Shoot 360 facility in Canada, where he continues to inspire and develop young athletes with his innovative coaching techniques. Jake joins TURN Sports host Navin Ramharak to discuss his basketball career, the basketball scene in Sherwood Park, what Shoot 360 is, different sporting experiences growing up and more in this episode. 

At the beginning of their discussion Jake and Nav talk about Jake’s playing career and whether the playing days are over (2:41), a brief description of who Jake is (3:34), the basketball scene in Sherwood Park (4:38), his college basketball career (5:43), what Shoot 360 is (6:46), how the membership works at the facility (11:26), and if Shoot 360 is found in other countries as well (13:54). Next Jake talks about his best sporting experience growing up (15:33), what sporting event is on his bucket list in the future (17:27), how it feels seeing the Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final (18:49), his X-Factor for the Edmonton Oilers in their series against the Florida Panthers  (20:34), what a game night looks like for Jake when the Oilers are playing (21:56), some NBA talk (22:49), how team Canada will do at the Olympics (23:48),  and finally, Jake’s NBA Finals prediction (24:41). 

IG: @theuniversalradio

“One thing that I have learned is to outwork everyone… if you can be the hardest-working guy in the building then you will find a place because somebody will see that because on the football side, it’s can you work hard and can you figure stuff out… because if you can then those opportunities will come,” - Shahbaz Dhillon 

Shahbaz Dhillon is the Manager of Football Operations for the Edmonton Elks, and an Oakville native, Shahbaz attended and earned an Advanced Diploma in Sports Management from Humber College in 2016. Now in his second season with the Elks, Shahbaz brings a wealth of knowledge and a unique perspective to Football Operations after spending the last nine years in Business Development and Partnerships, including four years within the sports industry. Working with Head Coach and General Manager Chris Jones and Assistant General Manager Geroy Simon, Shahbaz’s responsibilities are vast, and he joins TURN Sport’s own Navin Ramharak to discuss his role with the Elks, the upcoming CFL season, his journey in football and sport management, goals and aspirations and much more in this interview. 

At the beginning of their discussion, Shahbaz gives a quick rundown of what his exact responsibilities entail with the Edmonton Elks (2:08), what the role is like when the offseason is going on (3:00), his excitement level when travelling to different states or provinces to find talent to play for the Elks (4:36), how football prospects feel about potentially playing in the CFL (5:51), how much of an impact Sports Management in school has helped his career or whether the hands-on experience has played a larger part (7:53), his early football career (9:05), and what the hardest thing to handle is for his role (11:17). Next Shahbaz describes what it was like first joining the Elks and if anything has changed (12:53), what the end goal is for football (14:10), thoughts on this year’s NFL draft (15:45), what the Elks as an organization are looking forward to this season (16:59), what he would tells fans about the Elks how may not have seen a game yet (18:30), a possible reason as to why South Asian parents don’t allow their kids to play football (12:30), what would it take to get someone of South Asian descent to the NFL (22:32), how the CFL could potentially change and evolve in the next few years (24:01), the steps the Elks are taking to build a championship roster (25:44), and what positions are the most valuable for building a team in football (27:10). Then Shahbaz answers some questions from listeners including how a football operations insures they all have good chemistry when working with one another and what challenges he faces when managing the salary cap (28:13), what the most rewarding moment has been for him so far since joining the Elks (34:09), if he feels pressure in his role (35:22), what the Elks are doing outside of football in terms of community events (37:20), and finally, what advice he would give to someone looking to follow in his footsteps and looking to secure a role in sports operations (39:54).  

IG: @theuniversalradio

“I think Igor Shesterskin has been the difference in that series… the way he has just helped the Rangers win a couple of games, a couple of games I didn’t think they should have won, he’s been huge… goaltenders are the difference in the playoffs and Igor has been exactly that.” - Ewan Manning

Ewan Manning is a rising star in the world of sports broadcasting. At just 15 years old, Ewan is already making waves as a play-by-play announcer for the U18 Junior Oilers AAA team. His passion for all sports is evident, and he is also a huge fan of the Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Blue Jays, and Los Angeles Rams. Ewan Joins TURN Sports host Navin Ramharak to discuss everything sports, including his favourite sports teams and players, thoughts on the Edmonton Oilers and their series against the Dallas Stars, the NHL playoffs overall, the Toronto Blue Jays, World Series picks and more in this episode. 

At the beginning of their discussion, Ewan gives a little breakdown of himself (1:28), how he feels being on a live radio show for the first time (1:55), his favourite NHL and MLB player (2:14), his favourite player on the Los Angeles Rams and his Super Bowl Prediction (3:09), thoughts on the Philadelphia Eagles and their Quarterback Jalen Hurts (4:15), best sporting event he has attended in person and what’s on his bucket list for an event to attend (4:43), the idea of attending the Olympics in the future (5:55), a breakdown of game 4 between the Edmonton Oilers and the Dallas Stars and how the energy was in the building (6:34), his thoughts on the changes Kris Knoblauch implemented to the lineup in Game 4 (9:25), and  if Ewan were the head coach would he have pulled the goalie after the situation Stuart Skinner found himself in (10:40). Next Navin and Ewan talk about the other series that is ongoing in the NHL playoffs between the New York Rangers and the Florida Panthers (11:30), a breakdown on the Toronto Blue Jays and how their season is going so far (13:04), why he dislikes the New York Yankees (15:10), who his World Series choices are early into the Major League Baseball season (16:04), what sports he personally plays (17:37), if he could pick any game in the world to do play-by-play for which game it would be (19:23), if there baseball programs currently associated in school programs (20:49), how he got started doing play-by-play for the Junior Oilers (22:03), his thoughts on Tom Brady (22:50), and finally who his favourite play-by-play personality is (23:50). 

IG: @theuniversalradio

“That’s the thing about this league… (CEBL) whether if you are a basketball junkie or if you’re a basketball casual… the experience of the games is incredible and it is as fun of a sporting event that you will experience, so it’s a great league for everyone.” - Eric Fawcett 

Eric Fawcett is a multifaceted basketball coach and analyst hailing from Edmonton, Alberta. Eric serves as the assistant coach for the Edmonton Stingers of the CEBL, where he combines his passion for coaching with his expertise in scouting and analytics. Beyond his coaching duties, Eric is a prolific writer whose work has been featured on NBA international properties including ESPN, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports and more. His deep understanding of the game shines through in his content and sports talk for the Florida Gators. Eric joins TURN Sports host Navin Ramharak to discuss all things basketball, including his journey to becoming a coach, his career in basketball so far, thoughts on the NBA playoffs, CEBL, AAU basketball, the upcoming Olympics and much more in this episode. 

At the beginning of their discussion, Eric gives a quick update on what’s going on in his life on the sports side (2:05), whether becoming a Head Coach is the ultimate goal career-wise (4:07), how long he has been with the Edmonton Stingers (5:09), how often he uses Synergy (5:55), which basketball players and/or teams he supported growing up (7:43), the next generation of athletes in sports and the impact they are having (9:34), which player Eric believes has made the biggest impact on basketball in the last 10 years (12:17), and his thoughts on Bronny James and his potential future in the NBA (15:14). Next Eric and Navin talk about the ongoing NBA playoffs matchups (21:54), whether the discourse surrounding  Rudy Gobert is fair (26:28), thoughts on the Derrick Lively and Daniel Gafford tandem for the Dallas Mavericks (29:17), an overview of the Edmonton Stingers and expectations for the season (31:05), his thoughts on AAU basketball (35:19), what would be his ideal pathway to building the most success for kids in basketball (37:54), whether European talent will continue to dominate in the NBA (40:41), and finally his thoughts on the upcoming Paris Olympics and how well Canada basketball will do at the tournament (42:18). 

IG: @theuniversalradio