Alex Roux, BTN.com editor, June 16, 2017
'Wait a minute,' you're thinking.
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You–yes, you, the loyal listener (and I know there may even be double digits of you by now)–are noticing that something's different about this episode of the podcast. Well, you're right!
From this point forward, the show formerly known as the BTN Podcast will be called the Take Ten Podcast with Alex Roux. I get into the reasoning for the mini-rebrand in the first couple of minutes of this week's episode, but basically we had to dot some i's and cross some t's to make sure the Take Ten name was fair game. It was, and there's no looking back.
For Episode 5 we were able to land a phenomenal guest, and it's a name that college basketball fans in the Big Ten Network era are very familiar with. Former Purdue star Robbie Hummel was kind enough to call in from Russia, where he definitely was not doing top-secret spy work on behalf of the U.S. Government. Hummel was wrapping up his first season just outside Moscow with the Russian squad BC Khimki, and he gave me an hour of his time to share some really fantastic stories from various points of his college and pro career.
Reminder:
You can still find all Take Ten episodes on BTN's Take Ten Podcast channel on iTunes, on Google Play in the "Podcasts" section and on the Podbean online listening platform. Please subscribe, rate and leave reviews on those platforms, because that's what will help fuel the show and allow me to keep bringing entertaining guests into the fold.
I encourage you to listen to the entire interview with Hummel, because he spins a sports story like a 20-year veteran in a broadcast booth. If you want to skip around, I pulled some of the best snippets below. Listen to the entire interview with Hummel in the SoundCloud player above, in the playlist player below, or on any of the online listening platforms linked above.
Be sure not to miss Hummel's stories about Kevin Garnett, Kevin Durant and Evan Turner. They're all priceless.
(Skip to 9:18) On playing HORSE with Dave Chappelle at a Minnesota Timberwolves event.
(16:41) On how the famed 2007 Baby Boilers class came together and committed to Purdue.
(21:23) On a memorable interaction with an Indiana fan at Assembly Hall.
(32:50) On how he got an unexpected back massage from Kevin Garnett.
(36:17) On how, in a game against the Thunder, newly-minted NBA champion Kevin Durant showed off an astonishing level of self-motivation.
(43:25) On a hilarious story involving legendary Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan and National Player of the Year Evan Turner when they were all on the USA World University Games team.
(51:04) On staying in Matt Painter?s guest room in his house while rehabbing a shoulder injury suffered overseas, including discovering Painter?s favorite card game.
(1:01:36) On his career plans going forward.