00:00:00
Speaker 1: He is Jaron Stevenson, who joins us over there a couple miles away at ACC Tip-Off.
00:00:05
Speaker 2: Jaron, welcome to the show. How you doing, man?
00:00:07
Speaker 3: Thank you. How are you?
00:00:09
Speaker 2: I'm doing good. So how does it feel, man?
00:00:11
Speaker 1: You're one of the guys that gets the assignment to represent the school. You are clearly, you're in your fourth year. You're a holdover from last year's team. Has coach talked to you about being a leader? Because it feels like that's got to be a part of your role this year.
00:00:26
Speaker 3: Yes, that's a huge part of my role. I'm More of a reserved, laid-back guy, so learning how to push myself to different spots, whether it's not always talking but showcasing different things to the younger guys or just the Carolina way, being tough and, yeah, again, just teaching the younger guys how the Carolina way is.
00:00:45
Speaker 4: Jared, with leadership comes a day like today as a Chapel Hill guy to be at ACC Media Days representing the Tar Heels. What does that mean to you to have the honor of doing something like that? Yeah.
00:00:58
Speaker 3: To be honest, this is huge for me, being able to represent Carolina. Again, I grew up watching Carolina and being around them, so I know how historic this place is and the great guys that have come from this college and this university. They've been back, too, so just being able to meet them and I know this is huge, so just being out here representing Carolina is huge.
00:01:22
Speaker 1: So, Jaren, I hate that you stand out in this day and age of college athletics when you stay at a school.
00:01:28
Speaker 2: You know what I mean? With so many people leaving. Yeah, what's wrong with you, Jaren?
00:01:32
Speaker 1: But that's the way this question is going to kind of be framed.
00:01:35
Speaker 2: You are in your hometown. It sounds like that means a lot to you.
00:01:38
Speaker 1: But the coach you went to play with in Hubert Davis, a guy that I know you guys in that locker room had a personal bond with, Coach Malone comes in. What was that decision like and you deciding to stay? Why was it important to stay there?
00:01:53
Speaker 3: I knew Coach Malone would do a good job. Also, a huge thing with me is the Carolina family and my family. I have a great support system here in North Carolina. Going back to Coach Malone, his NBA experience and different things like that, I feel like he can help me a lot, improve my game and help me get to where I want to, which is the NBA.
00:02:17
Speaker 4: Jaron, obviously all your goals for the team, they take place in the winter and then hopefully for you guys, in your sake, early spring. But how important in this day and age of college basketball is the summer months, the early fall, to get that chemistry right when there's so much new that goes into these programs?
00:02:37
Speaker 3: Yeah, summer is huge. That's where you get better. You have extra time to really perfect your craft. And then, again, we have a lot of new guys, so helping build chemistry there, hang out with them, learn each other's play styles and different things like that. The summer is a huge month to get better.
00:02:56
Speaker 1: What's Coach Malone like? What is his approach to coaching? Because I know it's a change for him. He's used to dealing with the grown men. Some of them make more money than he does. And now he's got young guys.
00:03:09
Speaker 2: What's he been like as a coach so far?
00:03:11
Speaker 3: Yeah, he's been intense. But, yeah, I feel like he has held it down for the younger guys. But, yeah, he's done a great job, and I feel like he has NBA-style practices where we're getting up and down the court, pushing ourselves and getting different type of shots up, and I think he's done a great job.
00:03:32
Speaker 4: Uh jaron as the uh don't hold this against me here we're friends now as a uh as a duke fan of the show i need to ask.
00:03:39
Speaker 5: Oh man oh no i didn't even i didn't even ask a question jaron i can't believe what's going on here man i.
00:03:49
Speaker 4: Was just i can't even ask a question he didn't know i was gonna say you grew up in chapel hill but so i mean did you i'm guessing you grew up with some uh A little bit of Duke hate in your heart, probably? Yeah.
00:04:01
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah. I've been a Carolina fan for a little bit. Again, my mom went to Carolina, so I always had a soft place in my heart for Carolina.
00:04:09
Speaker 2: All right. Dates are not laughing at me there, Jared. I know we've got to let you go. That was a great reaction, Jared. I love that.
00:04:16
Speaker 1: All right, last question I want to ask you. I'm kind of curious. I think a lot of people on the outside wonder, like, How does the NIO work in the locker room? Like do dudes know what each other got? Do y'all share that information? Is there ever jealousy that creeps in? Do y'all joke with each other about like how, what's that dynamic like?
00:04:35
Speaker 2: Cause it's a different world for y'all.
00:04:38
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:04:38
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:04:38
Speaker 3: NIO is a lot different, but yeah, we don't know what each other make. I think that's a good thing. Yeah. So we could just focus on basketball, focus on winning games and yeah. Keep, The outside stuff outside.
00:04:50
Speaker 2: Yeah. Jared, you got to run the ice cream shop that Trimble left behind.
00:04:52
Speaker 4: Yeah. It's a good idea.
00:04:56
Speaker 2: If you're a leader, you can take care of that place for him, man.
00:04:58
Speaker 3: All right.
00:04:59
Speaker 1: Hey, Jared, we appreciate you. We both enjoyed talking to you. Even the Duke fan, I think, enjoyed talking to you.
00:05:04
Speaker 2: You know. Hey, brother, best of luck, man. Appreciate you.
00:05:07
Speaker 3: Appreciate that.
Speaker 1: He is Jaron Stevenson, who joins us over there a couple miles away at ACC Tip-Off.
00:00:05
Speaker 2: Jaron, welcome to the show. How you doing, man?
00:00:07
Speaker 3: Thank you. How are you?
00:00:09
Speaker 2: I'm doing good. So how does it feel, man?
00:00:11
Speaker 1: You're one of the guys that gets the assignment to represent the school. You are clearly, you're in your fourth year. You're a holdover from last year's team. Has coach talked to you about being a leader? Because it feels like that's got to be a part of your role this year.
00:00:26
Speaker 3: Yes, that's a huge part of my role. I'm More of a reserved, laid-back guy, so learning how to push myself to different spots, whether it's not always talking but showcasing different things to the younger guys or just the Carolina way, being tough and, yeah, again, just teaching the younger guys how the Carolina way is.
00:00:45
Speaker 4: Jared, with leadership comes a day like today as a Chapel Hill guy to be at ACC Media Days representing the Tar Heels. What does that mean to you to have the honor of doing something like that? Yeah.
00:00:58
Speaker 3: To be honest, this is huge for me, being able to represent Carolina. Again, I grew up watching Carolina and being around them, so I know how historic this place is and the great guys that have come from this college and this university. They've been back, too, so just being able to meet them and I know this is huge, so just being out here representing Carolina is huge.
00:01:22
Speaker 1: So, Jaren, I hate that you stand out in this day and age of college athletics when you stay at a school.
00:01:28
Speaker 2: You know what I mean? With so many people leaving. Yeah, what's wrong with you, Jaren?
00:01:32
Speaker 1: But that's the way this question is going to kind of be framed.
00:01:35
Speaker 2: You are in your hometown. It sounds like that means a lot to you.
00:01:38
Speaker 1: But the coach you went to play with in Hubert Davis, a guy that I know you guys in that locker room had a personal bond with, Coach Malone comes in. What was that decision like and you deciding to stay? Why was it important to stay there?
00:01:53
Speaker 3: I knew Coach Malone would do a good job. Also, a huge thing with me is the Carolina family and my family. I have a great support system here in North Carolina. Going back to Coach Malone, his NBA experience and different things like that, I feel like he can help me a lot, improve my game and help me get to where I want to, which is the NBA.
00:02:17
Speaker 4: Jaron, obviously all your goals for the team, they take place in the winter and then hopefully for you guys, in your sake, early spring. But how important in this day and age of college basketball is the summer months, the early fall, to get that chemistry right when there's so much new that goes into these programs?
00:02:37
Speaker 3: Yeah, summer is huge. That's where you get better. You have extra time to really perfect your craft. And then, again, we have a lot of new guys, so helping build chemistry there, hang out with them, learn each other's play styles and different things like that. The summer is a huge month to get better.
00:02:56
Speaker 1: What's Coach Malone like? What is his approach to coaching? Because I know it's a change for him. He's used to dealing with the grown men. Some of them make more money than he does. And now he's got young guys.
00:03:09
Speaker 2: What's he been like as a coach so far?
00:03:11
Speaker 3: Yeah, he's been intense. But, yeah, I feel like he has held it down for the younger guys. But, yeah, he's done a great job, and I feel like he has NBA-style practices where we're getting up and down the court, pushing ourselves and getting different type of shots up, and I think he's done a great job.
00:03:32
Speaker 4: Uh jaron as the uh don't hold this against me here we're friends now as a uh as a duke fan of the show i need to ask.
00:03:39
Speaker 5: Oh man oh no i didn't even i didn't even ask a question jaron i can't believe what's going on here man i.
00:03:49
Speaker 4: Was just i can't even ask a question he didn't know i was gonna say you grew up in chapel hill but so i mean did you i'm guessing you grew up with some uh A little bit of Duke hate in your heart, probably? Yeah.
00:04:01
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah. I've been a Carolina fan for a little bit. Again, my mom went to Carolina, so I always had a soft place in my heart for Carolina.
00:04:09
Speaker 2: All right. Dates are not laughing at me there, Jared. I know we've got to let you go. That was a great reaction, Jared. I love that.
00:04:16
Speaker 1: All right, last question I want to ask you. I'm kind of curious. I think a lot of people on the outside wonder, like, How does the NIO work in the locker room? Like do dudes know what each other got? Do y'all share that information? Is there ever jealousy that creeps in? Do y'all joke with each other about like how, what's that dynamic like?
00:04:35
Speaker 2: Cause it's a different world for y'all.
00:04:38
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:04:38
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:04:38
Speaker 3: NIO is a lot different, but yeah, we don't know what each other make. I think that's a good thing. Yeah. So we could just focus on basketball, focus on winning games and yeah. Keep, The outside stuff outside.
00:04:50
Speaker 2: Yeah. Jared, you got to run the ice cream shop that Trimble left behind.
00:04:52
Speaker 4: Yeah. It's a good idea.
00:04:56
Speaker 2: If you're a leader, you can take care of that place for him, man.
00:04:58
Speaker 3: All right.
00:04:59
Speaker 1: Hey, Jared, we appreciate you. We both enjoyed talking to you. Even the Duke fan, I think, enjoyed talking to you.
00:05:04
Speaker 2: You know. Hey, brother, best of luck, man. Appreciate you.
00:05:07
Speaker 3: Appreciate that.
