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As Rip City prepares for the start of the new season, we welcome Trail Blazers’ sideline reporter Brooke Olzendam to the WHAT podcast to get us all caught up on what is happening with the team. She’s been getting to know the new players over the past few weeks and gives us her impressions so far: Hassan Whiteside’s humor, Anthony Tolliver’s smarts, Mario Hezonja’s intensity, and Kent Bazemore’s joy.
Along the way we get a story about the Goonies house in Astoria, an update on Jusuf Nurkic, and two new songs to add to the 2020 Trail Blazers Playlist.
Highlights
1:00 Icebreaker: Weekend getaway suggestions for new team members?
5:30 Impressions of the new players. Very cohesive, they were eager to get started. Kent Bazemore is shooting well. They like the coaching staff and the freedom to play to their strengths.
7:30 Getting to know brand new players, how does she figure out the best way to cover them, make them comfortable and open?
9:30 Did anyone surprise you now that you are getting to know them? Hassan Whiteside is really funny and entertaining, Anthony Tolliver is a real family guy and the person to go to if you have financial questions,
12:00 Kent Bazemore is jolly and fun and really loving life in Portland.
13:30 What is Mario Hezonja like? Very dry sense of humor, loves basketball, wants to win at every drill.
15:30 Update on Nurkic--how is he doing? You can tell he really wants to be out there, it is good to have him around the team. He seems to have a really positive episode.
20:00 Brooke’s addition to the 2020 Blazers Playlist. Never Scared by Bone Crusher and All I Do is Win, by DJ Khaled.
Get social
Follow Blazer’s Edge on Twitter @blazersedge, WHAT Pod @HoopsAndTalks, Tara @tcbbiggs, and Cassidy @CassidyGemmet. This week’s guest: @brookeolzendam
Join the Women’s Hoops And Talks Facebook group to talk about Trail Blazers with others who identify as women who love basketball.
Music used in the episode: “Happy Alley” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.