Former Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball player Manny Watkins joined me on the show this week! A native of Charlotte, North Carolina and the son of Melvin and Burrell Watkins, Manny grew up watching Melvin coach collegiate basketball. Although he experienced the lifestyle of D1 basketball,his father never pushed it on him and Manny fell in love with the game on his own. Spending a lot of time in Missouri, Manny ended up in Fayetteville, Arkansas in high school, and he quickly made a name for himself at Fayetteville High School and through the AAU system. Manny made All State classification with the Bulldogs throughout high school, and seized to tall heights playing with the Arkansas Wings Elite.
Staying in Fayetteville, Manny decided to be an Arkansas Razorback, playing under his father and head coach Mike Anderson. Falling in love with the University and the passion the state had for the Hogs, Manny battled through limited play time in college but continued to fight for what he worked for. Learning a lot from teammates, the workhorse attitude quickly grew, which allowed for Manny to eventually become an everyday player for the hogs. 29:40 Manny gave a piece of advice to guys trying to make it in the basketball world, check it out.
A music and video game lover, Manny also is a recently-married man! Congrats to him and his wife Katie! No immediate goal was in plan for Manny after college, and he’s currently working at the corporate offices for Walmart. However, Manny has dipped into commentating for the SEC network as well.
This is what Manny left me with, “To get what you want, you have to go through the stuff you don’t want to do. It’s the discomfort and embracing the discomfort will help get you where you want to go”. I enjoyed this episode so much, embracing my love for Razorback basketball was a true joy with Manny. A relatable story for me, and I learned and laughed so much talking with him. Please enjoy, God bless!
(00:00)- Intro
(1:20)- Manny Introduction
(10:20)- Fayetteville move
(14:22)- AAU Journey
(19:03)- Arkansas Razorbacks journey
(24:27) Differences from high school to college
(26:46)- Daily schedule breakdown in college
(30:00)- Advice to young basketball players
(34:15)- Toughest college environments and opponents
(37:18)- Musical taste
(39:13)- Life after college
(43:12)- Legacy and one piece of advice
(48:32)- Five people to have dinner with
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