April 17, 2025 • 39 mins
On this episode of Levels to This, hosts Sheryl Swoopes and Terrika Foster-Brasby catch up after their time in Tampa for the Final Four. They celebrate UConn’s national championship victory and highlight standout performances from players like Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong. Sheryl and Tee then dive into a larger conversation about change and growth, sparked by Olivia Miles' surprising decision to leave Notre Dame. The hosts explore broader themes surrounding the importance of self-growth and the significance of recognizing when it's time to move on, both personally and professionally.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Levels to This is an iHeart women's sports production in
partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find
us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
get your podcasts.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Hey, what's up, everybody, it's your girl, Serrika Foster Bradsby.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
What's going on y'all? It's Shagirl Cheryl.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Swoops And this is the levels to this podcast. This
is the show where we share the there's levels to
the ship that women go through. You know, I have
done this intro by heart for the last how many months,
and yet there's always that one time, you know, what's crazy.
Speaker 4 (00:37):
I'm going to attribute it to coming back from Tampa.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Because I'm gonna give you that I.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Got my Final four head on today. Voice is gone, y'all.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Just yeah, tee.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
I feel like I'm still in Tampa for real. Like
my body is like, bag, what are you doing?
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Yo?
Speaker 1 (00:57):
I was bad to say when I stepped off the
plane it was not going there coming home.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
I stayed in extra like I didn't stay in an extra
day per se. But I didn't leave immediately like I
left on Monday after the Final four was over, but
I didn't leave until seven o'clock that evening, So it
felt like an extra day and I got to walk
around and just enjoy the sun and eat some food
and chill. And I got off that plane at eleven o'clock.
(01:25):
Back in Connecticut, it was every bit of twenty two
freezing degree.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
I was like, fuckt go, I hat it here.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Listen, you know, like, we're never satisfied. It was ninety
degrees in Tampa. You're going back home to twenty degrees.
Now I'm in Houston, So it wasn't twenty, but it
wasn't ninety. I got home at I don't even know.
I got home at a decent hour, but it was
like in the fifties. When I got home, it was
a little chili.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
It was chili. See, that's privilege. That's privilege.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
When fifty chill for you, that's a privilege we all
ain't gotten. No, ma'am, No, ma'am, we're not about to
start talking about privilege.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
That is a privilege that I don't have in code
as Connecticut. But speaking of Connecticut, let me give a
shout out to the University of Connecticut a winning the
national championship. Just congratulations to the Huskies.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
They pushed my sound off. I love it too.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
They put on a show like they did did they
took care of business, and I don't think I have
seen a more perfect display of basketball on the collegiate
level in a very long time than I did in
that game. So shout out to Aisy Fudd, who truly
was to start the show. Sarah Strong, Honey, honey, you
give me how more years of that.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Girl?
Speaker 1 (02:53):
So yeah, listen, beast as Fudd deserved the most valuable
player in that game. But baby, mm hmm, Sarah Denise Strong, I.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Know that heddle name.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
I just, I just it's not her middle name, but.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
I save name.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
I was gonna give her like Shanika or something, but
I said, now we'll just stick with something simple.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
Denise.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
I said this the other day, and I'm better repeat
it and say it again. Sarah Strong, as a freshman
playing in the National championship game.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
Doing the things that she.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Did, you ain't supposed to be that good as a freshman,
no period, but especially in that moment, like there were
no nerves what soever, none, I said. I mean, I
was like, y'all don't come from me, because again, there
has been some incredible talent come out of Yukon like
(03:59):
nobody's gonna and I that Dina Trossi, Stewie, Sue.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
Swim when.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
Jones all the things right, but Sarah strong when it's
all said and done, barring injury and all the things,
because a lot of things has gotta go. Well, this
kid might be the best player to come out of Yukon.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
That's a strong statement, Chryl. But but you but you're
not wrong. First of all, you got a big girl
that knows how to shoot the outside shot the way
she does all.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
That, all that with no fear, all that, and he
and she defends like she plays both ends of the floor.
And my my thing is she's only gonna get better.
That's it, on both ends of the floor.
Speaker 4 (04:49):
I know why people hate Geno now, Like I get it.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
Tell me because he about to have Sarah Straw for
three more years and Azy Fuzzy she was coming back
and it was between Now you know, he gonna.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
Recruit at least three or four more Fact like fact.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
We're gonna see the same situation in a couple of years,
if not next year.
Speaker 4 (05:09):
We're gonna see the same situation.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
I get why they hate them.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
The kid's good and I just had to remind some
people because Sarah Strong, She's got the inside game, the
outside game, the mid range game, like she has all
the tools in her tool bag and she needs to
work on stuff like we all do, right, But let's
just remind people who don't know Harmama, Alison Feaster.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Allison was a bucket herself.
Speaker 4 (05:36):
Alison was a bucket, could definitely shoot the ball.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Facts.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
And so that's why I'm like it ain't just because
of what I saw in that game, because listen, she
she also like she had a great season for a freshmen,
but especially in the championship game, the Final four, like
she wasn't going against some slouch defenders in South Carolina.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
At all at all.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
They have a freshman of their own that is pretty
damn nice.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
Yeah, so I.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
Figured we get over there on that side in a minute.
And since you went there, then can we also talk
about Joyce Edwards.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Joyce Edwards is nice, and Joyce Edwards have been MA
for a couple of games. And then she showed up
in the semifinals against Texas and I said, okay, now
I was about to go down because Joyce then remembered
who the f she.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
Is that part.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
So you're talking about azy fuck coming back and Sarah
Strong and we know Geno gonna do what Gino does
recruiting wise.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
So when we see Yukon.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
Back in the final four, probably probably right say healthy
all the things. I'm gonna go on to South Carolina
side for a minute, Right, we just talked about Joyce Edwards.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
You know they just got laxing in the portal.
Speaker 4 (06:51):
Come on, get out there for a second, buck Cat.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
Let's know, I in my head was like Dawn doing
it out. Yeah, it ain't take two two days the reup.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
That is why I call her the nick saving of
freaking college basketball, because it don't matter, it don't matter.
Don always gonna re up something stupid like bamn facts.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
And so I'm gonna just say it, is it safe
to say South Carolina gonna be back in the final four?
Speaker 3 (07:23):
It's a I think so, I do think. So I
want to address one thing.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
Yeah, because you know social media and the media, all
the things, everybody's always gonna say whatever it is they're
gonna say. Let me just remind folks that South Carolina
I do believe one Like the last three final fource.
Speaker 4 (07:43):
They won twenty two and they won twenty four.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
Yep, it's right, they didn't. They did not win twenty three.
This would have been their third. Your correct, this would
have been their third. Thank you for that correction. But
I do want to say this, Sometimes shit just happens
and it ain't you a day or night. And the
other night was not South Carolina's night. Yukon came in
(08:07):
on a mission and they made sure that South Carolina
didn't even.
Speaker 3 (08:12):
Think they had a shot to come back and win
the game.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
But what I want to say is just because South
Carolina lost, and also because they lost by thirty whatever,
don't think that Don.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
Staley ain't her that part. I've just I've read.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
Some things, I've seen some things, and I'm like, y'all,
it happens to the best of us.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
Like losing is a part of sports.
Speaker 4 (08:37):
It is.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
Did they want to lose and lose like that and
go out like that? Absolutely not. Listen, don No, that's
like the last thing Don Staley wanted. But I just
want to remind people that Don Staley is still.
Speaker 4 (08:51):
Her and that ain't gonna never change, ever, ever change.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
I've seen some of the comments that you may be
referring to and I just I didn't even have the
time to even facts.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
I was like, no, I'm not even gonna do it.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Didn't engage because you have lost your mind to think
that Don Staley is just gonna lay down quietly, or
that she just all the sudden is no longer.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
People were comment and talking about this. What happened when
you are.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
Focused on wearing outfit, No get out don business Number one? Okay,
number two, that woman is still her Okay, well, she's
accomplished in the amount of time that she's been in
this business as a head coach, specifically at South Carolina,
is crazy. And for you to even fix your mouth
(09:42):
to say anything otherwise, it's nuts. And let's say this too,
Gino Oriemma has one loss in a national title game.
You know what that one loss was? You know that
was too South Carolina, South Carolina. South Carolina now has
one loss in a national title game?
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Who was that to?
Speaker 2 (10:03):
So if you're gonna talk about Geno's greatness in the
national title game because he.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
Only got one, I lost, let's talk about the big
show mouth to talk about doing the same way.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
But she lost to who you think is the greatest,
and he lost to who y'all might not or some
might think is the greatest, depending on what's out of
the value.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
So at the end of the day, facts facts get
it together.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
Let's just give her her credit like we give Let's
just give her her credit.
Speaker 3 (10:25):
But here's the other part. What the I don't even
want to say it.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
I know we say what we want to say on here,
but I just don't want to use the F word,
So I ain't gonna use it just today. That's Sam,
What the fuck does her outfit have to do with
whether they want or lost.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
I've been trying to figure that out for everything, because
you know, it's some folks out here who just hating
for no reason, and they don't have no legit reason
or no legit argument as to why they feel the
way they feel, so they pick out the easiest thing.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
I'm like, y'all, come on now, If if that's what
we're doing, then we need to be talking about everybody's outfits.
Speaker 3 (10:59):
On the sideline when when lose or draw period.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
Because the jackets that Kim Walkee be wearing, it ain't cheap, honey.
Speaker 3 (11:06):
God stop. They might not be Gucci, but.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
They ain't They ain't two dollars they they ain't fluci either,
You feel me, honey, whatever, Baby.
Speaker 3 (11:19):
Jackets ain't cheat what you're talking about? Seriously, come on, y'all,
come on, come on, come something else to talk about.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
Yeah, but we briefly talked on Tanayo Latson coming to
South Carolina. A couple more people have went into the
transfer portal and hm hm, there is another name that
entered the transfer portal over the last week that shot
the hell out of everybody. So it just really made
(11:46):
me think about, you know, when when it's time to
say goodbye, when it's time to bounce now in full transparency.
When we recorded this episode, Olivia had not yet announced
there she was going. But now we know that she
will be headed to TCU. But it doesn't change the conversation, where,
(12:08):
you know, we have to be mindful of how we
discuss things before we know all of the details, and
sometimes whether we know it or not, it's in our
best interest to just pack it up, move on and
try something different somewhere else.
Speaker 3 (12:22):
So sayces deuces.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
So today we're gonna have a conversation about Olivia Miles,
and we're gonna talk about when you know it's time
to move on.
Speaker 3 (12:31):
So let's go ahead and take this to the next level. Cheryl.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
I was quite surprised when I saw the news pop
up on my screen that said Olivia Miles has entered
the transfer portal and declaring another year of eligibility in
college basketball.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
Now.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
I wasn't ripped in when I saw I'm gonna play
another year because in my head, I'm thinking, you know what,
it's for real, for real, the new CBA is coming
out next year, maybe since trying to wait and secure
the bag next year when there's more money available. So
I wasn't tripping on I'm gonna use my next year
of eligibility. Yeah, but the transfer for yeah, I had
(13:20):
to take a quick look like excuse me, uh, what.
Speaker 4 (13:24):
Was your reaction when you originally saw that.
Speaker 3 (13:25):
The same right, I wasn't tripping that.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
She was like, no, almost tay another year, because honestly,
a part of me was like, She's like, I want
to try and win a college championship before I head
to the league.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
So I was like, I am not mad at you,
says do you? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (13:42):
But then I saw the entering the portal piece just
like a whole lot of players. But listen, there are
some players you're like, oh, okay, yeah, we'll see. But
then you see a player like an Olivia Miles and
I'm like, honestly trying to understand her. Why because from
(14:05):
the outside looking in, right, I don't know anything about
the relationship with her and Neil, her and her teammates her,
I don't know nothing.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
So from the outside looking in, everything.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
Looks like it's really good, right, So my first question was, well, why,
well why? The other part though, is let's forget about
Notre Dame for a second, like, whoever the hell gets her?
Speaker 3 (14:37):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (14:38):
Yes, and you know, yeah, and you know it's going
to be one of the teams that can potentially win
a championship. You know, Carolina's the usc usc usc and
they planned a big ten.
Speaker 4 (14:55):
Now it could potentially be in LSU.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Yeah, I mean I could see Olivia going and I'm
down there with because Flange has an officially announced that she.
Flage ain't said a word, so she has she could
absolutely go and stay here, or you know, she could decide,
you know, now that there are some names removing themselves
(15:18):
from the draft, I might be able to slide in.
Speaker 3 (15:20):
We don't know.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
So she hasn't said anything, but I think that the
point that you're making about Notre Dame really brings questions
in my head, because what I don't want to do
is question the program, right, I think on the outside
looking in, we think that this is a we know
that this is a contender program. We know that you know,
Neil Ivy is one of the better coaches in the league,
(15:43):
like we we know the history of Notre Dame basketball.
Speaker 4 (15:46):
So in your mind, you're like, of.
Speaker 2 (15:48):
All the programs, Fast feels like the one that you
want to be at. Right, But then I also think
of Nil. There may be other schools that can offer
more than what you know, And I don't know what
Olivia MOUs is getting it in Nil now. So I
don't want to make that the focal point, but I'm
saying that maybe that's a factor. Is it the I
need to you know, I need to go somewhere where
(16:10):
I can win a championship right now, and I still
feel like Notre Dame is a few pieces away. It
could also be, you know what, I just get four
years and I just want something different. Yeah, and that's
okay too, Like the flexibility is what I love.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
And that's the thing.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
You know, We're so accustomed to when people start making changes,
we automatically want to say, oh, why what happened? What
did they do wrong? Why didn't she like them? And
to your point, it could be nothing wrong. It could
simply be her saying, listen, I've been here for four years.
(16:47):
I just want to look at something different. But also,
who's to say that she won't go back to Notre
Day Just because enter the portal doesn't mean you can't
go back to your original school. Although I don't think
she would enter the portal if she didn't plan only
I don't know. Olivia Miles just doesn't seem like that
(17:09):
type of a player to me that would do that. Yeah,
there were a few names that I was like, oh okay,
and Olivia Miles.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
Was absolutely at the top of that list. Like what happens?
Speaker 4 (17:21):
Yes, yeah, that kind of tricked me out.
Speaker 2 (17:24):
But you know what it did for me though, is
it really made me think about how I have probably
spent my time in places and doing things and have
said to myself, you know what, it just might just
be time to leave, not necessarily like there's something wrong
or not necessarily that like I'm not happy, but maybe
(17:48):
like I feel like in order for me to be
better and for me to grow. It's time for me
to leave. And I feel like one thing that I
appreciate more about the transfer portal than I did in
the past is that we.
Speaker 3 (18:00):
See coaches do this all the time. Like all the time,
coaches all the.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
Time necessarily have to sit here and think, let me
put my name in a trend, let me think about
the loyalty that I have to this school. You typically
see coaches that are like more money, bigger audience, bigger school,
more funding, more opportunities to recruit, you know, higher ranked players.
I'm gonna go ahead, look at Dion Sanders. No shade
(18:25):
to Dion, but Dion I thought did a phenomenal job
at Jackson State University. And I felt like it was
great for Jackson State to have someone of Dion's caliber
to show that you can really play good football despite
the institution. Right HBCUs be getting shitted on. And I
like that he's stuck it out.
Speaker 3 (18:40):
In state here.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
But when an opportunity came at Colorado, Colorado, and my
opinion ain't better than Jackson State as it relates to
I'm an HBC grad, so for me, I'm always had
it back right. So I don't think it's better, but
it was bigger. It was in a bigger conference, it
had a bigger name, and it was giving him a
bigger that part I was about to say, yeah, facts,
it gave him a bigger bax and now he got
(19:03):
an even bigger bigger say that, okay, And it's just like, okay,
the bag is stupid at this point, and it's just
like it was time.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
It wasn't like.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
There was anything wrong with Jackson State, but when the
opportunity came, it was time to move on.
Speaker 3 (19:18):
It was time to do something different.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
And again I see coaches do that all the time
the timebody says.
Speaker 3 (19:25):
All the time, where's your loyalty? Time all the time.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
But the moment of player says there's a bigger opportunity here,
better opportunity here, and I want to capitalize on that.
We're criticizing the why this player has to make this decision.
Speaker 3 (19:40):
I don't like it. No, I don't. I don't like
it either.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
And to your point, sometimes we just outgrow stuff. We
outgrow a person, we outgrow a job, we outgrow our clothes.
Like sometimes we just outgrow situations and it's time for
something different. But also sometimes we just want a new challenge,
(20:03):
We want something different. And to Olivia Miles's point, again,
we don't know why she decided to enter the portal.
And you know what, it ain't none of our damn business.
It ain't nobody's business. It's her business, and she can
do whatever she wants to do. Sometimes we have growthings,
we want a new challenge. We're not happy. We just
(20:25):
want something different. Just we just want something different.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
I think the concept of folks just understanding that things
can't stay the same in order for you to get
better is a lost contest.
Speaker 3 (20:36):
Yes, right, it is a loss. It is a lost concept.
And I'm glad you brought up.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
People because like we all like there are friends that
we have who maybe were our friends back when we
were like in you know, oh this's been my girls
fifth grade.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
Okay, but guess.
Speaker 2 (20:52):
What, you ain't the same person you was when you
were ten. She ain't the same person she is now
that she's ten. And it's toally, Okay, if at twenty
five and thirty, y'all have decided maybe y'all have outgrown
each other.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
Yes, like maybe in opposite directions the thing, and that doesn't.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
Necessarily mean that I that I got ill feelings toward you.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
Now, because I'm gonna let you know. If I got
ill feelings towards you, you ain't got to get that,
don't have to get you ain't got the word on it.
Speaker 3 (21:23):
It won't be a question now, You'll just well know
you ain't got to ask.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
But it's but it's like there there always is this
connotation of something negative being the reason why things have
to part ways, when really it's just simply the mindset
of growth.
Speaker 3 (21:36):
I need to grow, and in order for me to grow,
I can't be here. That's it.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
And like I haven't looked at her recruiting class all
those things again because that ain't my business either, But
it could also simply be that she looked at what
they did this year, and myself, personally, I think they
underachieved as far as I had notre Dame pick.
Speaker 3 (22:02):
To go to the final four, like I think a
whole lot of people did.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
But I'm just saying, maybe Olivia Miles looked at what
they have coming back the recruiting class and said, you
know what, I don't really like our chances of winning
a championship next year. And I can go play for
someone else that I think we probably.
Speaker 3 (22:25):
Have a really good shot at not just making it
to the final four, but winning a championship, and knowing
how that would be.
Speaker 1 (22:33):
Her last opportunity to do that, I'm not mad at
or regardless of what her reason is. Yes, you don't
owe nobody an explanation.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
You owe nobody nothing, and you know, I think you
can translate this too, even to well, First of all,
let me back up and say there are some people
who should be happy that Olivia Miles has decided to return,
because what that also means is that your draft stop
has now encoreas yes, because he has moved someone.
Speaker 3 (23:01):
From the table.
Speaker 2 (23:02):
If I'm someone like a Kiki heri FN who was
originally projected to be like the number two pick and
kind of had a rocky year, and now Olivia is
no longer on the table, you've got an.
Speaker 3 (23:14):
Opportunity to increase your draft stock.
Speaker 2 (23:16):
Now Anissamorrow not necessarily saying that you know she wasn't
a high draft I think you're crazy to not think
about picking a Nissamorrow. But now where you fall and
what your value is has to me instantly increased because
we don't have to worry about Miles being someone in
the pick. And then also on the professional side, Seattle,
(23:37):
you need to probably rethink what your strategy was and
evaluate the talent you were on because I'm pretty sure
y'all might have been considering picking up Olivia Miles. She
was projected to go to y'all number two and she's
not there anymore, So figuring out your team's needs, all
of these things are changed.
Speaker 4 (23:54):
Like this move shifted the landscape.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
Of women's basketball in a lot of different ways. And
again I tie this into just life overall, because there
are times we can make a move that genuinely. When
I made the move to see some renegotiations on my
contract with ESPN.
Speaker 3 (24:14):
Like that was a big deal.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
And again, I didn't leave that company with bad tastes,
with bad feelings. I didn't leave that company in beef
with nobody. It was simply time for me to go on.
Speaker 3 (24:26):
It was about it was about you.
Speaker 2 (24:27):
For me, it was about me, and that shifted the
dynamic of my entire life because this is what I
knew for so long. Similar to Olivia, all you've known
is is South Bend.
Speaker 3 (24:39):
That's where you've been. It is a.
Speaker 2 (24:41):
Defining moment to change this. This also reminds me of
Hayley van list Right.
Speaker 4 (24:46):
She spent all that time at.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
Louisville, went to LSU, it didn't really work out, came
to TCU and bald out.
Speaker 4 (24:52):
Change is different Listen, yes, yes.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
And so to your point when you talked about you
making the decision to walk away from ESPN, lots of
times it's not about the situation per se, right, Like
it wasn't about the ESPN, it was about you.
Speaker 3 (25:11):
Like Olivia Miles, this is about her. Sometimes you leave
where you are.
Speaker 1 (25:16):
Because you're stuck and you don't see yourself either getting
a promotion or getting elevated or becoming a better person,
or you know what, making more money. Like there are
so many factors that go into someone making a decision
to make a change, right, And sometimes you just get
in a situation where you feel stuck and it's like,
(25:38):
I'm not happy and your happiness should come before anything.
And so if you're at a place where you're like,
you know what, do I want to stay here and
just continue to go through the motions or do I
want to take a chance and do something different? And
I'm the person that's like listen, I got to be happy, and.
Speaker 3 (26:02):
I'm always gonna take that risk.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
I'm gonna take a chance and say, you know what,
because I know me, I am always gonna bet on myself. Y'all,
bet on yourself because you can control you.
Speaker 4 (26:15):
Yeah, you nailed it.
Speaker 3 (26:16):
You nailed it.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
I even I mean we we we record this podcast
for women to talk about the real ship that women
go through. And women go through this shit in relationships.
And I ain't saying men don't, but this ain't about y'all.
Speaker 1 (26:30):
Right now, I'm seeing women go through this shit in
relationships where it's like, outy, do you stay married to
this man because you're happy? Or do you stay with
this man because you're going through the motions because you
feel stuck, because you've been here, because it's familiar, because
it's the concept of leaving.
Speaker 3 (26:48):
It's just something you can out.
Speaker 4 (26:51):
It's comfortable, you know.
Speaker 3 (26:53):
I don't.
Speaker 2 (26:53):
I just it is is what it is like, Are
you a better person for staying here? Are you a
better person for And I'm not talking about like abusive
relationships or because that's a different situation, but I just mean, like,
you know, you're feeling stagnant, you don't feel the growth
between you and your partner, any of those types of things.
At that point, you got to say to yourself, is
(27:14):
my happiness worth just being just being here? If that's
not the case, if you can't wake up every day
feeling good about how you are and what you're doing,
maybe you need to it's time. It's time to move,
it's time to it's time to level up and do
something different. And so when we come back, we're going
to continue this conversation just about understanding when it is
(27:35):
time for us to be out.
Speaker 4 (27:46):
Sureyl, when you've looked back over some of the.
Speaker 2 (27:48):
Decisions that you've made in some of the times that
you've probably felt uncomfortable, is there one that comes to
mind where you're like, this is when I knew it
was time for me to work.
Speaker 3 (28:02):
You know, I probably knew long before I bounced. Do
you know what I mean?
Speaker 1 (28:06):
That I should have bounced a long time ago, and
I did not for reasons that you just said before
the break right like it was comfortable, it was familiar,
I was, I wasn't happy, but I continue to stay right.
(28:28):
But I look back on it now, t and I
always try to find lessons in everything.
Speaker 3 (28:34):
That I that I go through and that I do right,
because if you.
Speaker 1 (28:38):
Learn a lesson from it, then chances are you won't
repeat that. And I don't even want to say it
was a mistake because I learned something from it. But
sometimes the hardest thing to do, though, is know you're
and I'm talking about a relationship right, for sure, I
figured one of the hardest things to do is to
(29:01):
know you're in a situation or a relationship, whatever whatever
it is for you. In my case, sometimes it's hard
to be in a relationship and know that it's time
to move on. For me, I kept saying tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow,
and two years later, I'm still in the same relationship.
(29:24):
Let me tell you what finally made me say, all right,
I gotta go. My kid, like I mean, he was younger.
Speaker 3 (29:35):
But because when you're in a relationship where you're not
happy and things aren't going.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
Well, and especially if you have kids involved, not only
does it affect you, it affects the child and they
can see like he could see my mama ain't happy.
Speaker 3 (29:51):
Like you know, I wasn't doing the things with him
that I used to do. I was there, but I
wasn't present. If that makes sense. Yeah, it does. Like
my begne was all somewhere else, Like I got to
get out of this. How do I do it? When
do I do it?
Speaker 1 (30:07):
When's the right time? Because so many times T and
I said this a second ago. You got to worry
about you. You can't worry about that other person. And
that's what I did. I was like, yeah, but if
I do leave, what's gonna happen?
Speaker 3 (30:22):
How? Yeah, So not only a relationship, there have been
other instances and situations of just things that I've done
and I'm like, why am I doing this? Because you
know what this is.
Speaker 1 (30:34):
Lessigan some like my mom used to tell me, all
money ain't good money, girl, not at all. To connect
my name and myself with certain brands or things like that.
And I'm at the time, right when I was younger,
I was like, yep, yep, yep.
Speaker 3 (30:49):
Anybody that came, I was like yep, yep, yep.
Speaker 1 (30:52):
And as I got older, I was like, I don't
even believe in this, right, Like, I can't even connect
it this, So why would I continue to put myself
in a place, a situation or connected with a brand
or something that ain't me?
Speaker 3 (31:09):
And even in doing that, Yeah, the money was good,
but I wasn't happy.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
And that's what I keep going back to is even
with Olivia Miles situation again, since don't owe us anything,
but I just whatever decision she makes, if that is
to go back to Notre Dame or wherever she goes,
I just hope she's happy.
Speaker 2 (31:29):
Yep, whatever decision she makes, I really and truly hope
it is the hundred precision for her and not necessarily
based on outside influences. But what you think is going
to make you happy and make you a better person
and better your chances at having the career that you
want to have. And I truly hope this also gives
(31:49):
people an understanding of that don't necessarily mean it's nothing wrong.
Like I've had, you know, chances or relationships or situations
where I've had to move on and it was an
that the wrong with the person that I was with.
Speaker 4 (32:02):
It just wasn't for me.
Speaker 3 (32:03):
Like you are.
Speaker 4 (32:05):
You are a good dude, you got stuff.
Speaker 3 (32:08):
Going on for you just gonna be a good dude.
Speaker 2 (32:09):
Somebody, like somebody else is gonna love the shout out you,
but it ain't gonna be me because I I can't
do it.
Speaker 4 (32:16):
And so That's what I'm thinking, Like, I don't want.
Speaker 2 (32:18):
People to start narratives about you know, what's going on
your dam why you know what I'm saying, like it's
eye opening, but it doesn't necessarily mean that there's anything
negative around the program, around her, around her teammates.
Speaker 3 (32:33):
It could be.
Speaker 2 (32:34):
Yeah, it could be, but at the same time, it's
a fifty percent chance that also could not be.
Speaker 4 (32:41):
And so instead of us or it's I ain't gonna
say that.
Speaker 3 (32:44):
Because folks, I'm like, you do what makes you happy?
I'm saying, go, do you?
Speaker 2 (32:52):
But I just want folks to not be so quick
to throw out these judgmental cards of what the reason
could possibly be in a negative connotation when quite honestly,
it could just simply be her.
Speaker 3 (33:03):
Wanting to go.
Speaker 1 (33:04):
And here's the other thing I want to add to
that is like I hate it for Neil right because
as a black woman, people are always going to say, well,
what what is Neil doing wrong over there?
Speaker 3 (33:16):
What is she doing wrong over there? How could she
not keep a living of miles?
Speaker 1 (33:20):
You don't even know what's going on over there, So
don't put Neil Ivey's name in this. This is all
whatever the reason it's this is all on Olivia.
Speaker 3 (33:27):
Miles wanting to do what Olivia Miles wants to do,
and she don't need our approval or okay, yeah, that part,
that part, that part.
Speaker 2 (33:35):
Black female head coaches are few and far betein winning
as it is already. What we don't need is for
anybody to be out here trying to create a narrative
and disrupting a program that has done nothing, in my
opinion from what I've seen, but provide the utmost integrity
with their students and with their program.
Speaker 4 (33:51):
Even when Muffatt mcbrau.
Speaker 2 (33:52):
Was the coach, like I didn't, there was no reason
for me to think that there is something fishy to
where I genuinely like you think, this is just Olivia
making a decision that she wants to make and she's
totally within her rights to do so. So that's what
we're doing today. We are okay with moving on and
leaving situations that just simply don't make us happy. I
(34:14):
think when we started this year, I said this year
was my year of celebration, my year of everything think
I'm doing this year make me happy. Everything I'm doing
this year I am going to celebrate. So I surely
will not cast judgment on somebody else doing the same thing.
Speaker 3 (34:32):
You did say that at the beginning of the year.
Speaker 4 (34:34):
Sure it is.
Speaker 3 (34:35):
Listen, just be happy, Just be happy and love it.
Speaker 1 (34:40):
Everybody else, go mind your business and go find you
some happiness.
Speaker 3 (34:44):
Go drink some water. Treat me some stronger. Go drink
yourself stronger.
Speaker 4 (34:49):
Go drink some water, Go enjoy life.
Speaker 2 (34:52):
Okay, well, any rate, when we come back, guys, we
will level this thing off.
Speaker 4 (34:58):
Please stay with us.
Speaker 2 (35:04):
Well, Cheryl, I will say that throughout the entirety of
this conversation, I feel good about having the discernment to
know when it's time to move on, you know what
I mean? And like everybody don't really have that ability.
Like you know, you ever pray for something and then
God answers your prayers, but you're too busy worried about
(35:27):
the prayer being answered the way you wanted to be answered,
that you don't recognize he didn't already answered you.
Speaker 4 (35:31):
Or like when you you know you're dating somebody and
you'd be.
Speaker 2 (35:34):
Like, Lord, show me if this is the one, and
he showed you he didne showed you fifteen red flags,
and you're still sitting up here talking about but if
you just let me know like he.
Speaker 3 (35:45):
Didn't let you know. Yeah, yes, yes on.
Speaker 1 (35:51):
Te But like we talked about, though, sometimes it's hard.
Speaker 3 (35:55):
It's hard to say, you know what. I know you've
sent me.
Speaker 1 (35:57):
The sign I see it, but just just let me
stay a little bit longer. So seriously, kudos to Olivia,
Kudos to every single player that's like it's time. It's
time for me to make a move, to make a change.
And like we said, keep doing you and whatever makes
you happy, if that's to stay safe, is to go, go,
(36:18):
but make sure you're doing it for the right reason
and you're doing it for you.
Speaker 4 (36:23):
And you're doing it for you.
Speaker 2 (36:24):
So with that, let's take a moment to level up
and Cheryl, let me know what you got for the
people today.
Speaker 3 (36:30):
All right, all right, all right, all right, I got
a good one. I got a good one. I don't know.
Speaker 1 (36:34):
It's just since we celebrate Black History Month, Women's History Month,
and with April being Black Women's History months, I just
got a good one for the women out there. And
this is for all women and it's unknown, I'm just
gonna tell you that now, but it says a strong
woman knows she has strength enough for the journey. But
(36:55):
a woman of strength knows it is in the journey
where she will become strong. I need that and that
that can apply to so many different parts of our life.
Olivia Miles going into the transfer portal to Naya letson.
Even the ones who decided they're not gonna go in
the draft, this is your journey, says and nobody can
(37:18):
walk your journey like you, So just know that in
that journey, that's where you're going to find your strength,
becomes strong, all the things.
Speaker 2 (37:27):
That is a wonderful way to end this week's episode,
And thank you all for listening. I hope those of
you that are listening to us find the strength that
you have within yourself, within your own journey and whatever
that journey is that you're currently taking and you're walking
at this moment. So we're gonna be back next week
with more next level conversations, and let me tell you,
(37:49):
for the month of April, we have some incredible conversations
lined up. I'm not gonna give it away, but I
need you gotta make sure you are subscribed. Yeah, it's
good old podcast because we are definitely gonna be bringing
the heat this much and Remember, this isn't.
Speaker 4 (38:04):
Just our show, but it is our show and we
love to hear from you.
Speaker 2 (38:09):
So leave us a review in Apple Podcasts or email
us at Levels to this Podcast at gmail dot com.
Speaker 4 (38:16):
Tell us what you thought of this week's show.
Speaker 2 (38:18):
Also tell us what you might want to talk about
in the future, and you can also follow us on Instagram.
Speaker 3 (38:23):
At ltt pod.
Speaker 2 (38:25):
You definitely want to make sure you're following us on
Instagram because, first of all, them fits that I got
off last week was killing it, and so was Cheryl. Okay,
I'm gonna need you all to throw me some hearts
on the line, Okay, So until then, keep your mental's
ground level and.
Speaker 3 (38:45):
We will be back next week.
Speaker 1 (38:47):
Please and listen to Levels to This on America's number
one podcast network, iHeart open your free iHeart app and
search Levels to This with Cheryl Swoops and Tarika Foster
Brasbee and start Let's Today
Levels to This is an iHeart women's sports production in
partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find
us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
get your podcasts.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Hey, what's up, everybody, it's your girl, Serrika Foster Bradsby.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
What's going on y'all? It's Shagirl Cheryl.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Swoops And this is the levels to this podcast. This
is the show where we share the there's levels to
the ship that women go through. You know, I have
done this intro by heart for the last how many months,
and yet there's always that one time, you know, what's crazy.
Speaker 4 (00:37):
I'm going to attribute it to coming back from Tampa.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Because I'm gonna give you that I.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Got my Final four head on today. Voice is gone, y'all.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Just yeah, tee.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
I feel like I'm still in Tampa for real. Like
my body is like, bag, what are you doing?
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Yo?
Speaker 1 (00:57):
I was bad to say when I stepped off the
plane it was not going there coming home.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
I stayed in extra like I didn't stay in an extra
day per se. But I didn't leave immediately like I
left on Monday after the Final four was over, but
I didn't leave until seven o'clock that evening, So it
felt like an extra day and I got to walk
around and just enjoy the sun and eat some food
and chill. And I got off that plane at eleven o'clock.
(01:25):
Back in Connecticut, it was every bit of twenty two
freezing degree.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
I was like, fuckt go, I hat it here.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Listen, you know, like, we're never satisfied. It was ninety
degrees in Tampa. You're going back home to twenty degrees.
Now I'm in Houston, So it wasn't twenty, but it
wasn't ninety. I got home at I don't even know.
I got home at a decent hour, but it was
like in the fifties. When I got home, it was
a little chili.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
It was chili. See, that's privilege. That's privilege.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
When fifty chill for you, that's a privilege we all
ain't gotten. No, ma'am, No, ma'am, we're not about to
start talking about privilege.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
That is a privilege that I don't have in code
as Connecticut. But speaking of Connecticut, let me give a
shout out to the University of Connecticut a winning the
national championship. Just congratulations to the Huskies.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
They pushed my sound off. I love it too.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
They put on a show like they did did they
took care of business, and I don't think I have
seen a more perfect display of basketball on the collegiate
level in a very long time than I did in
that game. So shout out to Aisy Fudd, who truly
was to start the show. Sarah Strong, Honey, honey, you
give me how more years of that.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Girl?
Speaker 1 (02:53):
So yeah, listen, beast as Fudd deserved the most valuable
player in that game. But baby, mm hmm, Sarah Denise Strong, I.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Know that heddle name.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
I just, I just it's not her middle name, but.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
I save name.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
I was gonna give her like Shanika or something, but
I said, now we'll just stick with something simple.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
Denise.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
I said this the other day, and I'm better repeat
it and say it again. Sarah Strong, as a freshman
playing in the National championship game.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
Doing the things that she.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Did, you ain't supposed to be that good as a freshman,
no period, but especially in that moment, like there were
no nerves what soever, none, I said. I mean, I
was like, y'all don't come from me, because again, there
has been some incredible talent come out of Yukon like
(03:59):
nobody's gonna and I that Dina Trossi, Stewie, Sue.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
Swim when.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
Jones all the things right, but Sarah strong when it's
all said and done, barring injury and all the things,
because a lot of things has gotta go. Well, this
kid might be the best player to come out of Yukon.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
That's a strong statement, Chryl. But but you but you're
not wrong. First of all, you got a big girl
that knows how to shoot the outside shot the way
she does all.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
That, all that with no fear, all that, and he
and she defends like she plays both ends of the floor.
And my my thing is she's only gonna get better.
That's it, on both ends of the floor.
Speaker 4 (04:49):
I know why people hate Geno now, Like I get it.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
Tell me because he about to have Sarah Straw for
three more years and Azy Fuzzy she was coming back
and it was between Now you know, he gonna.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
Recruit at least three or four more Fact like fact.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
We're gonna see the same situation in a couple of years,
if not next year.
Speaker 4 (05:09):
We're gonna see the same situation.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
I get why they hate them.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
The kid's good and I just had to remind some
people because Sarah Strong, She's got the inside game, the
outside game, the mid range game, like she has all
the tools in her tool bag and she needs to
work on stuff like we all do, right, But let's
just remind people who don't know Harmama, Alison Feaster.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Allison was a bucket herself.
Speaker 4 (05:36):
Alison was a bucket, could definitely shoot the ball.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Facts.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
And so that's why I'm like it ain't just because
of what I saw in that game, because listen, she
she also like she had a great season for a freshmen,
but especially in the championship game, the Final four, like
she wasn't going against some slouch defenders in South Carolina.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
At all at all.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
They have a freshman of their own that is pretty
damn nice.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
Yeah, so I.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
Figured we get over there on that side in a minute.
And since you went there, then can we also talk
about Joyce Edwards.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Joyce Edwards is nice, and Joyce Edwards have been MA
for a couple of games. And then she showed up
in the semifinals against Texas and I said, okay, now
I was about to go down because Joyce then remembered
who the f she.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
Is that part.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
So you're talking about azy fuck coming back and Sarah
Strong and we know Geno gonna do what Gino does
recruiting wise.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
So when we see Yukon.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
Back in the final four, probably probably right say healthy
all the things. I'm gonna go on to South Carolina
side for a minute, Right, we just talked about Joyce Edwards.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
You know they just got laxing in the portal.
Speaker 4 (06:51):
Come on, get out there for a second, buck Cat.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
Let's know, I in my head was like Dawn doing
it out. Yeah, it ain't take two two days the reup.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
That is why I call her the nick saving of
freaking college basketball, because it don't matter, it don't matter.
Don always gonna re up something stupid like bamn facts.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
And so I'm gonna just say it, is it safe
to say South Carolina gonna be back in the final four?
Speaker 3 (07:23):
It's a I think so, I do think. So I
want to address one thing.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
Yeah, because you know social media and the media, all
the things, everybody's always gonna say whatever it is they're
gonna say. Let me just remind folks that South Carolina
I do believe one Like the last three final fource.
Speaker 4 (07:43):
They won twenty two and they won twenty four.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
Yep, it's right, they didn't. They did not win twenty three.
This would have been their third. Your correct, this would
have been their third. Thank you for that correction. But
I do want to say this, Sometimes shit just happens
and it ain't you a day or night. And the
other night was not South Carolina's night. Yukon came in
(08:07):
on a mission and they made sure that South Carolina
didn't even.
Speaker 3 (08:12):
Think they had a shot to come back and win
the game.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
But what I want to say is just because South
Carolina lost, and also because they lost by thirty whatever,
don't think that Don.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
Staley ain't her that part. I've just I've read.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
Some things, I've seen some things, and I'm like, y'all,
it happens to the best of us.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
Like losing is a part of sports.
Speaker 4 (08:37):
It is.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
Did they want to lose and lose like that and
go out like that? Absolutely not. Listen, don No, that's
like the last thing Don Staley wanted. But I just
want to remind people that Don Staley is still.
Speaker 4 (08:51):
Her and that ain't gonna never change, ever, ever change.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
I've seen some of the comments that you may be
referring to and I just I didn't even have the
time to even facts.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
I was like, no, I'm not even gonna do it.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Didn't engage because you have lost your mind to think
that Don Staley is just gonna lay down quietly, or
that she just all the sudden is no longer.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
People were comment and talking about this. What happened when
you are.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
Focused on wearing outfit, No get out don business Number one? Okay,
number two, that woman is still her Okay, well, she's
accomplished in the amount of time that she's been in
this business as a head coach, specifically at South Carolina,
is crazy. And for you to even fix your mouth
(09:42):
to say anything otherwise, it's nuts. And let's say this too,
Gino Oriemma has one loss in a national title game.
You know what that one loss was? You know that
was too South Carolina, South Carolina. South Carolina now has
one loss in a national title game?
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Who was that to?
Speaker 2 (10:03):
So if you're gonna talk about Geno's greatness in the
national title game because he.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
Only got one, I lost, let's talk about the big
show mouth to talk about doing the same way.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
But she lost to who you think is the greatest,
and he lost to who y'all might not or some
might think is the greatest, depending on what's out of
the value.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
So at the end of the day, facts facts get
it together.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
Let's just give her her credit like we give Let's
just give her her credit.
Speaker 3 (10:25):
But here's the other part. What the I don't even
want to say it.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
I know we say what we want to say on here,
but I just don't want to use the F word,
So I ain't gonna use it just today. That's Sam,
What the fuck does her outfit have to do with
whether they want or lost.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
I've been trying to figure that out for everything, because
you know, it's some folks out here who just hating
for no reason, and they don't have no legit reason
or no legit argument as to why they feel the
way they feel, so they pick out the easiest thing.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
I'm like, y'all, come on now, If if that's what
we're doing, then we need to be talking about everybody's outfits.
Speaker 3 (10:59):
On the sideline when when lose or draw period.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
Because the jackets that Kim Walkee be wearing, it ain't cheap, honey.
Speaker 3 (11:06):
God stop. They might not be Gucci, but.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
They ain't They ain't two dollars they they ain't fluci either,
You feel me, honey, whatever, Baby.
Speaker 3 (11:19):
Jackets ain't cheat what you're talking about? Seriously, come on, y'all,
come on, come on, come something else to talk about.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
Yeah, but we briefly talked on Tanayo Latson coming to
South Carolina. A couple more people have went into the
transfer portal and hm hm, there is another name that
entered the transfer portal over the last week that shot
the hell out of everybody. So it just really made
(11:46):
me think about, you know, when when it's time to
say goodbye, when it's time to bounce now in full transparency.
When we recorded this episode, Olivia had not yet announced
there she was going. But now we know that she
will be headed to TCU. But it doesn't change the conversation, where,
(12:08):
you know, we have to be mindful of how we
discuss things before we know all of the details, and
sometimes whether we know it or not, it's in our
best interest to just pack it up, move on and
try something different somewhere else.
Speaker 3 (12:22):
So sayces deuces.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
So today we're gonna have a conversation about Olivia Miles,
and we're gonna talk about when you know it's time
to move on.
Speaker 3 (12:31):
So let's go ahead and take this to the next level. Cheryl.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
I was quite surprised when I saw the news pop
up on my screen that said Olivia Miles has entered
the transfer portal and declaring another year of eligibility in
college basketball.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
Now.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
I wasn't ripped in when I saw I'm gonna play
another year because in my head, I'm thinking, you know what,
it's for real, for real, the new CBA is coming
out next year, maybe since trying to wait and secure
the bag next year when there's more money available. So
I wasn't tripping on I'm gonna use my next year
of eligibility. Yeah, but the transfer for yeah, I had
(13:20):
to take a quick look like excuse me, uh, what.
Speaker 4 (13:24):
Was your reaction when you originally saw that.
Speaker 3 (13:25):
The same right, I wasn't tripping that.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
She was like, no, almost tay another year, because honestly,
a part of me was like, She's like, I want
to try and win a college championship before I head
to the league.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
So I was like, I am not mad at you,
says do you? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (13:42):
But then I saw the entering the portal piece just
like a whole lot of players. But listen, there are
some players you're like, oh, okay, yeah, we'll see. But
then you see a player like an Olivia Miles and
I'm like, honestly trying to understand her. Why because from
(14:05):
the outside looking in, right, I don't know anything about
the relationship with her and Neil, her and her teammates her,
I don't know nothing.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
So from the outside looking in, everything.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
Looks like it's really good, right, So my first question was, well, why,
well why? The other part though, is let's forget about
Notre Dame for a second, like, whoever the hell gets her?
Speaker 3 (14:37):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (14:38):
Yes, and you know, yeah, and you know it's going
to be one of the teams that can potentially win
a championship. You know, Carolina's the usc usc usc and
they planned a big ten.
Speaker 4 (14:55):
Now it could potentially be in LSU.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Yeah, I mean I could see Olivia going and I'm
down there with because Flange has an officially announced that she.
Flage ain't said a word, so she has she could
absolutely go and stay here, or you know, she could decide,
you know, now that there are some names removing themselves
(15:18):
from the draft, I might be able to slide in.
Speaker 3 (15:20):
We don't know.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
So she hasn't said anything, but I think that the
point that you're making about Notre Dame really brings questions
in my head, because what I don't want to do
is question the program, right, I think on the outside
looking in, we think that this is a we know
that this is a contender program. We know that you know,
Neil Ivy is one of the better coaches in the league,
(15:43):
like we we know the history of Notre Dame basketball.
Speaker 4 (15:46):
So in your mind, you're like, of.
Speaker 2 (15:48):
All the programs, Fast feels like the one that you
want to be at. Right, But then I also think
of Nil. There may be other schools that can offer
more than what you know, And I don't know what
Olivia MOUs is getting it in Nil now. So I
don't want to make that the focal point, but I'm
saying that maybe that's a factor. Is it the I
need to you know, I need to go somewhere where
(16:10):
I can win a championship right now, and I still
feel like Notre Dame is a few pieces away. It
could also be, you know what, I just get four
years and I just want something different. Yeah, and that's
okay too, Like the flexibility is what I love.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
And that's the thing.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
You know, We're so accustomed to when people start making changes,
we automatically want to say, oh, why what happened? What
did they do wrong? Why didn't she like them? And
to your point, it could be nothing wrong. It could
simply be her saying, listen, I've been here for four years.
(16:47):
I just want to look at something different. But also,
who's to say that she won't go back to Notre
Day Just because enter the portal doesn't mean you can't
go back to your original school. Although I don't think
she would enter the portal if she didn't plan only
I don't know. Olivia Miles just doesn't seem like that
(17:09):
type of a player to me that would do that. Yeah,
there were a few names that I was like, oh okay,
and Olivia Miles.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
Was absolutely at the top of that list. Like what happens?
Speaker 4 (17:21):
Yes, yeah, that kind of tricked me out.
Speaker 2 (17:24):
But you know what it did for me though, is
it really made me think about how I have probably
spent my time in places and doing things and have
said to myself, you know what, it just might just
be time to leave, not necessarily like there's something wrong
or not necessarily that like I'm not happy, but maybe
(17:48):
like I feel like in order for me to be
better and for me to grow. It's time for me
to leave. And I feel like one thing that I
appreciate more about the transfer portal than I did in
the past is that we.
Speaker 3 (18:00):
See coaches do this all the time. Like all the time,
coaches all the.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
Time necessarily have to sit here and think, let me
put my name in a trend, let me think about
the loyalty that I have to this school. You typically
see coaches that are like more money, bigger audience, bigger school,
more funding, more opportunities to recruit, you know, higher ranked players.
I'm gonna go ahead, look at Dion Sanders. No shade
(18:25):
to Dion, but Dion I thought did a phenomenal job
at Jackson State University. And I felt like it was
great for Jackson State to have someone of Dion's caliber
to show that you can really play good football despite
the institution. Right HBCUs be getting shitted on. And I
like that he's stuck it out.
Speaker 3 (18:40):
In state here.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
But when an opportunity came at Colorado, Colorado, and my
opinion ain't better than Jackson State as it relates to
I'm an HBC grad, so for me, I'm always had
it back right. So I don't think it's better, but
it was bigger. It was in a bigger conference, it
had a bigger name, and it was giving him a
bigger that part I was about to say, yeah, facts,
it gave him a bigger bax and now he got
(19:03):
an even bigger bigger say that, okay, And it's just like, okay,
the bag is stupid at this point, and it's just
like it was time.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
It wasn't like.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
There was anything wrong with Jackson State, but when the
opportunity came, it was time to move on.
Speaker 3 (19:18):
It was time to do something different.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
And again I see coaches do that all the time
the timebody says.
Speaker 3 (19:25):
All the time, where's your loyalty? Time all the time.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
But the moment of player says there's a bigger opportunity here,
better opportunity here, and I want to capitalize on that.
We're criticizing the why this player has to make this decision.
Speaker 3 (19:40):
I don't like it. No, I don't. I don't like
it either.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
And to your point, sometimes we just outgrow stuff. We
outgrow a person, we outgrow a job, we outgrow our clothes.
Like sometimes we just outgrow situations and it's time for
something different. But also sometimes we just want a new challenge,
(20:03):
We want something different. And to Olivia Miles's point, again,
we don't know why she decided to enter the portal.
And you know what, it ain't none of our damn business.
It ain't nobody's business. It's her business, and she can
do whatever she wants to do. Sometimes we have growthings,
we want a new challenge. We're not happy. We just
(20:25):
want something different. Just we just want something different.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
I think the concept of folks just understanding that things
can't stay the same in order for you to get
better is a lost contest.
Speaker 3 (20:36):
Yes, right, it is a loss. It is a lost concept.
And I'm glad you brought up.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
People because like we all like there are friends that
we have who maybe were our friends back when we
were like in you know, oh this's been my girls
fifth grade.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
Okay, but guess.
Speaker 2 (20:52):
What, you ain't the same person you was when you
were ten. She ain't the same person she is now
that she's ten. And it's toally, Okay, if at twenty
five and thirty, y'all have decided maybe y'all have outgrown
each other.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
Yes, like maybe in opposite directions the thing, and that doesn't.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
Necessarily mean that I that I got ill feelings toward you.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
Now, because I'm gonna let you know. If I got
ill feelings towards you, you ain't got to get that,
don't have to get you ain't got the word on it.
Speaker 3 (21:23):
It won't be a question now, You'll just well know
you ain't got to ask.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
But it's but it's like there there always is this
connotation of something negative being the reason why things have
to part ways, when really it's just simply the mindset
of growth.
Speaker 3 (21:36):
I need to grow, and in order for me to grow,
I can't be here. That's it.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
And like I haven't looked at her recruiting class all
those things again because that ain't my business either, But
it could also simply be that she looked at what
they did this year, and myself, personally, I think they
underachieved as far as I had notre Dame pick.
Speaker 3 (22:02):
To go to the final four, like I think a
whole lot of people did.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
But I'm just saying, maybe Olivia Miles looked at what
they have coming back the recruiting class and said, you
know what, I don't really like our chances of winning
a championship next year. And I can go play for
someone else that I think we probably.
Speaker 3 (22:25):
Have a really good shot at not just making it
to the final four, but winning a championship, and knowing
how that would be.
Speaker 1 (22:33):
Her last opportunity to do that, I'm not mad at
or regardless of what her reason is. Yes, you don't
owe nobody an explanation.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
You owe nobody nothing, and you know, I think you
can translate this too, even to well, First of all,
let me back up and say there are some people
who should be happy that Olivia Miles has decided to return,
because what that also means is that your draft stop
has now encoreas yes, because he has moved someone.
Speaker 3 (23:01):
From the table.
Speaker 2 (23:02):
If I'm someone like a Kiki heri FN who was
originally projected to be like the number two pick and
kind of had a rocky year, and now Olivia is
no longer on the table, you've got an.
Speaker 3 (23:14):
Opportunity to increase your draft stock.
Speaker 2 (23:16):
Now Anissamorrow not necessarily saying that you know she wasn't
a high draft I think you're crazy to not think
about picking a Nissamorrow. But now where you fall and
what your value is has to me instantly increased because
we don't have to worry about Miles being someone in
the pick. And then also on the professional side, Seattle,
(23:37):
you need to probably rethink what your strategy was and
evaluate the talent you were on because I'm pretty sure
y'all might have been considering picking up Olivia Miles. She
was projected to go to y'all number two and she's
not there anymore, So figuring out your team's needs, all
of these things are changed.
Speaker 4 (23:54):
Like this move shifted the landscape.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
Of women's basketball in a lot of different ways. And
again I tie this into just life overall, because there
are times we can make a move that genuinely. When
I made the move to see some renegotiations on my
contract with ESPN.
Speaker 3 (24:14):
Like that was a big deal.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
And again, I didn't leave that company with bad tastes,
with bad feelings. I didn't leave that company in beef
with nobody. It was simply time for me to go on.
Speaker 3 (24:26):
It was about it was about you.
Speaker 2 (24:27):
For me, it was about me, and that shifted the
dynamic of my entire life because this is what I
knew for so long. Similar to Olivia, all you've known
is is South Bend.
Speaker 3 (24:39):
That's where you've been. It is a.
Speaker 2 (24:41):
Defining moment to change this. This also reminds me of
Hayley van list Right.
Speaker 4 (24:46):
She spent all that time at.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
Louisville, went to LSU, it didn't really work out, came
to TCU and bald out.
Speaker 4 (24:52):
Change is different Listen, yes, yes.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
And so to your point when you talked about you
making the decision to walk away from ESPN, lots of
times it's not about the situation per se, right, Like
it wasn't about the ESPN, it was about you.
Speaker 3 (25:11):
Like Olivia Miles, this is about her. Sometimes you leave
where you are.
Speaker 1 (25:16):
Because you're stuck and you don't see yourself either getting
a promotion or getting elevated or becoming a better person,
or you know what, making more money. Like there are
so many factors that go into someone making a decision
to make a change, right, And sometimes you just get
in a situation where you feel stuck and it's like,
(25:38):
I'm not happy and your happiness should come before anything.
And so if you're at a place where you're like,
you know what, do I want to stay here and
just continue to go through the motions or do I
want to take a chance and do something different? And
I'm the person that's like listen, I got to be happy, and.
Speaker 3 (26:02):
I'm always gonna take that risk.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
I'm gonna take a chance and say, you know what,
because I know me, I am always gonna bet on myself. Y'all,
bet on yourself because you can control you.
Speaker 4 (26:15):
Yeah, you nailed it.
Speaker 3 (26:16):
You nailed it.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
I even I mean we we we record this podcast
for women to talk about the real ship that women
go through. And women go through this shit in relationships.
And I ain't saying men don't, but this ain't about y'all.
Speaker 1 (26:30):
Right now, I'm seeing women go through this shit in
relationships where it's like, outy, do you stay married to
this man because you're happy? Or do you stay with
this man because you're going through the motions because you
feel stuck, because you've been here, because it's familiar, because
it's the concept of leaving.
Speaker 3 (26:48):
It's just something you can out.
Speaker 4 (26:51):
It's comfortable, you know.
Speaker 3 (26:53):
I don't.
Speaker 2 (26:53):
I just it is is what it is like, Are
you a better person for staying here? Are you a
better person for And I'm not talking about like abusive
relationships or because that's a different situation, but I just mean, like,
you know, you're feeling stagnant, you don't feel the growth
between you and your partner, any of those types of things.
At that point, you got to say to yourself, is
(27:14):
my happiness worth just being just being here? If that's
not the case, if you can't wake up every day
feeling good about how you are and what you're doing,
maybe you need to it's time. It's time to move,
it's time to it's time to level up and do
something different. And so when we come back, we're going
to continue this conversation just about understanding when it is
(27:35):
time for us to be out.
Speaker 4 (27:46):
Sureyl, when you've looked back over some of the.
Speaker 2 (27:48):
Decisions that you've made in some of the times that
you've probably felt uncomfortable, is there one that comes to
mind where you're like, this is when I knew it
was time for me to work.
Speaker 3 (28:02):
You know, I probably knew long before I bounced. Do
you know what I mean?
Speaker 1 (28:06):
That I should have bounced a long time ago, and
I did not for reasons that you just said before
the break right like it was comfortable, it was familiar,
I was, I wasn't happy, but I continue to stay right.
(28:28):
But I look back on it now, t and I
always try to find lessons in everything.
Speaker 3 (28:34):
That I that I go through and that I do right,
because if you.
Speaker 1 (28:38):
Learn a lesson from it, then chances are you won't
repeat that. And I don't even want to say it
was a mistake because I learned something from it. But
sometimes the hardest thing to do, though, is know you're
and I'm talking about a relationship right, for sure, I
figured one of the hardest things to do is to
(29:01):
know you're in a situation or a relationship, whatever whatever
it is for you. In my case, sometimes it's hard
to be in a relationship and know that it's time
to move on. For me, I kept saying tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow,
and two years later, I'm still in the same relationship.
(29:24):
Let me tell you what finally made me say, all right,
I gotta go. My kid, like I mean, he was younger.
Speaker 3 (29:35):
But because when you're in a relationship where you're not
happy and things aren't going.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
Well, and especially if you have kids involved, not only
does it affect you, it affects the child and they
can see like he could see my mama ain't happy.
Speaker 3 (29:51):
Like you know, I wasn't doing the things with him
that I used to do. I was there, but I
wasn't present. If that makes sense. Yeah, it does. Like
my begne was all somewhere else, Like I got to
get out of this. How do I do it? When
do I do it?
Speaker 1 (30:07):
When's the right time? Because so many times T and
I said this a second ago. You got to worry
about you. You can't worry about that other person. And
that's what I did. I was like, yeah, but if
I do leave, what's gonna happen?
Speaker 3 (30:22):
How? Yeah, So not only a relationship, there have been
other instances and situations of just things that I've done
and I'm like, why am I doing this? Because you
know what this is.
Speaker 1 (30:34):
Lessigan some like my mom used to tell me, all
money ain't good money, girl, not at all. To connect
my name and myself with certain brands or things like that.
And I'm at the time, right when I was younger,
I was like, yep, yep, yep.
Speaker 3 (30:49):
Anybody that came, I was like yep, yep, yep.
Speaker 1 (30:52):
And as I got older, I was like, I don't
even believe in this, right, Like, I can't even connect
it this, So why would I continue to put myself
in a place, a situation or connected with a brand
or something that ain't me?
Speaker 3 (31:09):
And even in doing that, Yeah, the money was good,
but I wasn't happy.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
And that's what I keep going back to is even
with Olivia Miles situation again, since don't owe us anything,
but I just whatever decision she makes, if that is
to go back to Notre Dame or wherever she goes,
I just hope she's happy.
Speaker 2 (31:29):
Yep, whatever decision she makes, I really and truly hope
it is the hundred precision for her and not necessarily
based on outside influences. But what you think is going
to make you happy and make you a better person
and better your chances at having the career that you
want to have. And I truly hope this also gives
(31:49):
people an understanding of that don't necessarily mean it's nothing wrong.
Like I've had, you know, chances or relationships or situations
where I've had to move on and it was an
that the wrong with the person that I was with.
Speaker 4 (32:02):
It just wasn't for me.
Speaker 3 (32:03):
Like you are.
Speaker 4 (32:05):
You are a good dude, you got stuff.
Speaker 3 (32:08):
Going on for you just gonna be a good dude.
Speaker 2 (32:09):
Somebody, like somebody else is gonna love the shout out you,
but it ain't gonna be me because I I can't
do it.
Speaker 4 (32:16):
And so That's what I'm thinking, Like, I don't want.
Speaker 2 (32:18):
People to start narratives about you know, what's going on
your dam why you know what I'm saying, like it's
eye opening, but it doesn't necessarily mean that there's anything
negative around the program, around her, around her teammates.
Speaker 3 (32:33):
It could be.
Speaker 2 (32:34):
Yeah, it could be, but at the same time, it's
a fifty percent chance that also could not be.
Speaker 4 (32:41):
And so instead of us or it's I ain't gonna
say that.
Speaker 3 (32:44):
Because folks, I'm like, you do what makes you happy?
I'm saying, go, do you?
Speaker 2 (32:52):
But I just want folks to not be so quick
to throw out these judgmental cards of what the reason
could possibly be in a negative connotation when quite honestly,
it could just simply be her.
Speaker 3 (33:03):
Wanting to go.
Speaker 1 (33:04):
And here's the other thing I want to add to
that is like I hate it for Neil right because
as a black woman, people are always going to say, well,
what what is Neil doing wrong over there?
Speaker 3 (33:16):
What is she doing wrong over there? How could she
not keep a living of miles?
Speaker 1 (33:20):
You don't even know what's going on over there, So
don't put Neil Ivey's name in this. This is all
whatever the reason it's this is all on Olivia.
Speaker 3 (33:27):
Miles wanting to do what Olivia Miles wants to do,
and she don't need our approval or okay, yeah, that part,
that part, that part.
Speaker 2 (33:35):
Black female head coaches are few and far betein winning
as it is already. What we don't need is for
anybody to be out here trying to create a narrative
and disrupting a program that has done nothing, in my
opinion from what I've seen, but provide the utmost integrity
with their students and with their program.
Speaker 4 (33:51):
Even when Muffatt mcbrau.
Speaker 2 (33:52):
Was the coach, like I didn't, there was no reason
for me to think that there is something fishy to
where I genuinely like you think, this is just Olivia
making a decision that she wants to make and she's
totally within her rights to do so. So that's what
we're doing today. We are okay with moving on and
leaving situations that just simply don't make us happy. I
(34:14):
think when we started this year, I said this year
was my year of celebration, my year of everything think
I'm doing this year make me happy. Everything I'm doing
this year I am going to celebrate. So I surely
will not cast judgment on somebody else doing the same thing.
Speaker 3 (34:32):
You did say that at the beginning of the year.
Speaker 4 (34:34):
Sure it is.
Speaker 3 (34:35):
Listen, just be happy, Just be happy and love it.
Speaker 1 (34:40):
Everybody else, go mind your business and go find you
some happiness.
Speaker 3 (34:44):
Go drink some water. Treat me some stronger. Go drink
yourself stronger.
Speaker 4 (34:49):
Go drink some water, Go enjoy life.
Speaker 2 (34:52):
Okay, well, any rate, when we come back, guys, we
will level this thing off.
Speaker 4 (34:58):
Please stay with us.
Speaker 2 (35:04):
Well, Cheryl, I will say that throughout the entirety of
this conversation, I feel good about having the discernment to
know when it's time to move on, you know what
I mean? And like everybody don't really have that ability.
Like you know, you ever pray for something and then
God answers your prayers, but you're too busy worried about
(35:27):
the prayer being answered the way you wanted to be answered,
that you don't recognize he didn't already answered you.
Speaker 4 (35:31):
Or like when you you know you're dating somebody and
you'd be.
Speaker 2 (35:34):
Like, Lord, show me if this is the one, and
he showed you he didne showed you fifteen red flags,
and you're still sitting up here talking about but if
you just let me know like he.
Speaker 3 (35:45):
Didn't let you know. Yeah, yes, yes on.
Speaker 1 (35:51):
Te But like we talked about, though, sometimes it's hard.
Speaker 3 (35:55):
It's hard to say, you know what. I know you've
sent me.
Speaker 1 (35:57):
The sign I see it, but just just let me
stay a little bit longer. So seriously, kudos to Olivia,
Kudos to every single player that's like it's time. It's
time for me to make a move, to make a change.
And like we said, keep doing you and whatever makes
you happy, if that's to stay safe, is to go, go,
(36:18):
but make sure you're doing it for the right reason
and you're doing it for you.
Speaker 4 (36:23):
And you're doing it for you.
Speaker 2 (36:24):
So with that, let's take a moment to level up
and Cheryl, let me know what you got for the
people today.
Speaker 3 (36:30):
All right, all right, all right, all right, I got
a good one. I got a good one. I don't know.
Speaker 1 (36:34):
It's just since we celebrate Black History Month, Women's History Month,
and with April being Black Women's History months, I just
got a good one for the women out there. And
this is for all women and it's unknown, I'm just
gonna tell you that now, but it says a strong
woman knows she has strength enough for the journey. But
(36:55):
a woman of strength knows it is in the journey
where she will become strong. I need that and that
that can apply to so many different parts of our life.
Olivia Miles going into the transfer portal to Naya letson.
Even the ones who decided they're not gonna go in
the draft, this is your journey, says and nobody can
(37:18):
walk your journey like you, So just know that in
that journey, that's where you're going to find your strength,
becomes strong, all the things.
Speaker 2 (37:27):
That is a wonderful way to end this week's episode,
And thank you all for listening. I hope those of
you that are listening to us find the strength that
you have within yourself, within your own journey and whatever
that journey is that you're currently taking and you're walking
at this moment. So we're gonna be back next week
with more next level conversations, and let me tell you,
(37:49):
for the month of April, we have some incredible conversations
lined up. I'm not gonna give it away, but I
need you gotta make sure you are subscribed. Yeah, it's
good old podcast because we are definitely gonna be bringing
the heat this much and Remember, this isn't.
Speaker 4 (38:04):
Just our show, but it is our show and we
love to hear from you.
Speaker 2 (38:09):
So leave us a review in Apple Podcasts or email
us at Levels to this Podcast at gmail dot com.
Speaker 4 (38:16):
Tell us what you thought of this week's show.
Speaker 2 (38:18):
Also tell us what you might want to talk about
in the future, and you can also follow us on Instagram.
Speaker 3 (38:23):
At ltt pod.
Speaker 2 (38:25):
You definitely want to make sure you're following us on
Instagram because, first of all, them fits that I got
off last week was killing it, and so was Cheryl. Okay,
I'm gonna need you all to throw me some hearts
on the line, Okay, So until then, keep your mental's
ground level and.
Speaker 3 (38:45):
We will be back next week.
Speaker 1 (38:47):
Please and listen to Levels to This on America's number
one podcast network, iHeart open your free iHeart app and
search Levels to This with Cheryl Swoops and Tarika Foster
Brasbee and start Let's Today
Hosts And Creators
Terrika Foster-Brasby
Sheryl Swoopes
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