 Hi, I'm Rusty Komori, and this is Beyond the Lines on Think Tech, Hawaii. I was the head coach of the Punahou School Boys Varsity Tennis Team for 22 years, and we were fortunate to win 22 consecutive state championships. This show is based on my books Beyond the Lines and Beyond the Game, and it's about inspiration, welcoming adversity, and building a superior culture of excellence. My special guest today is one of the star players on our University of Hawaii Men's Basketball Team. He is Jovan McClannahan, and today we are going beyond teamwork. Hey, Jovan, welcome to Beyond the Lines. Hi, Rusty. Thank you for having me again. It's so nice to see you. Jovan, you are such a fun, great player for all of us to watch on the team, but I want to first ask you if you can share about where you grew up, and how did you ultimately end up deciding on coming to the University of Hawaii? Yeah, so I originally grew up in California, the Bay Area, to be specific, and I'm sure many people may know, but it's a town, Voleo. It's like, it's not a huge city, but we do have a little bit of city life, but mostly the Bay Area, to be exact, and how I grew up, I have five brothers, and one of my brothers is a twin, which I was with pretty much every second of my life until we went to college, but I think me having a twin brother really changed my life in the greatest way, and I couldn't imagine without him, but it just made everything so competitive, and it was always a competition to get better, so I can only thank him for that and also thank my family for driving home, like a competitive nature house, and my brothers, we're the youngest brothers, by the way, so just having older brothers, it was just like we're always trying to be better than them, and they're trying to push it, so I think it was just like an incredible environment to grow up in. No, that's so great that you have a twin and that you guys really push each other, and so how did, how did you connect with Coach Iran and ultimately come to UH? Yeah, so great question, so out of high school, like I said, I'm gonna mention my twin a lot because he has a lot to do with my story, so Jade and me and Jade were on the same team, and we were getting recruited by similar schools, but due to our position, like we're not as tall as people that play basketball or anything like that, but when it comes to recruiting, they were like, are you guys a package deal, and they kind of limited our recruitment, so we kind of had to decide that if we wanted to tell, like did we want to play with each other, did we not want to play with each other, and we were like we'll go our separate ways if we can expand our recruitment within schools, like and have more options to choose from, so out of high school, like we didn't really have, like we had division one interests, but it wasn't as like they wouldn't pull the trigger on us because I guess they just didn't know if we were good enough, so and it's difficult to go to a division one, it's not easy, so I respected that and me and my brother Jade and have a growth mindset and as far as like if that's the narrative, then we just have to get better, so we ended up going junior college for one year and I went to Sheridan in Wyoming and he went to a school in Independence, Kansas, and we both had good years. I was a qualifier and pretty much what that means is that if you do one year of junior college because like my transcript in high school was well and I didn't have to do two years to get like an associate or something like that, but I did well, like I said, a couple, a lot of schools were like talking to me, recruiting me, trying to see what I was, what my next plans were and Hawaii was one of them and they kind of came in late in the picture, like very late in my recruitment. Coach Genot and Montgomery, but I mean what they were telling me was it's all that I wanted to hear, like I didn't commit on any school because I was hearing great things, but it wasn't like a pinpoint of what I needed and I think what Genot and Montgomery were offering me was an opportunity to get better, to like learn through my mistakes. I was also like it's Hawaii, I've never been, but they play on a big stage, ESPN like a really good schedule and I just thought all of that resonated with what I wanted and they seemed genuine and about the approach that how my career might go as long as I have a growth mindset like I said and wanted to get better and it's worked out so far, had some bumps in the road early, but very grateful, like I couldn't imagine a better choice for me, so. Well Jovan, all of us here in Hawaii absolutely love that you are here and we just love watching you play and compete and what Jovan, what is it about basketball that you love so much? I think basketball itself, like I just, you know when you just have like a like an urge about something or like a feel for something, like I think it was early, my dad introduced us to the game and like it was like an automatic just love for it, like I didn't, he didn't have to push us to be like you need to go workout or you need to like watch basketball with me, we were like yes basketball, like let's play, let's watch the games, like and I was also a Kobe Bryant fan so and as everyone knows like his mindset, his work ethic, like it all just resonated with our hearts and desire to play, like I think that just kind of was natural instinct for me and my brother, so I think that had a lot to do with it, just like naturally having that urge to play basketball, I don't know why, it was just a burning desire in our hearts and I think with that being said, like you can only grow from that if you already have a love for it and I wanted to get better, I wanted to, I love the game, it's challenging and I think I thrive when it comes to adversity, so yeah that's pretty good. Well Jovan, I love Kobe Bryant too and you know when you're playing in the Stan Sheriff Center, I mean that is such a great environment, how big of a difference is it when the fans are there, I mean does it, do the fans really give you that extra boost? Yes, it's definitely a boost and like I was saying earlier just about COVID, like we didn't have any fans, like you couldn't really do much or like see the community or know what that felt like and I know that was huge in my recruitment when they were talking about it, so the fact that I couldn't feel it early it just kind of felt like I'm like where's the love, where's the, like I need that personally, I need the fans, I need to see like build relationships with the community so I can feel comfortable in the arena and I think as the fans start to come back I started feeling more comfortable within my jersey, within the community, like and just diving into it because I felt the love, I felt all the lo-ha that came from it, so the fans are incredible, like it's, you'd have to plan the Stan Sheriff Center or be there to know but like they're, I'm so thankful for them because they really raised the bar in there and they're like amazing. Well Jovon, I want to talk with you about the Diamond Head Classic this past year and you hit the game-winning shot to help University of Hawaii win the Diamond Head Classic. Tell me in detail about that shot and just that experience. Yeah, that was definitely the crazy experience that I had so far in my life, like I mean you can always, like everyone in any sport can almost imagine any type of game winner on a big stage, like it's just like the rush that comes, it either happens or it doesn't, like you never know when stuff like that's going to happen but there's always a chance for everything and the fact that it could happen like that was just like an experience to come through, like and it's so hard to explain what I was feeling but I do know as a team that just going into Diamond Head that it was, it was like really a goal and like we're going to win this Diamond Head, like Coach Gena always preaches like hey like this tournament has been happening for so and so years, we have not won it yet, it's an incredible tournament, there's great teams obviously, like it's on a big stage ESPN but our team was like listen, we have a great group of guys, like there's no way that it shouldn't be our tournament, this is our court, this is our home, like we have to win it and so I think everyone felt our energy going from game one to game two and got to the championship game, it was a very good game kind of ups and downs but I don't think we ever let up and I think our spirit of like seeing how bad and the fans like even the other team see like saw how bad we wanted to win the championship and like going into that moment we had like a crazy like turnover and it was like wow like it was kind of a shot in the arena like we had no chance to win it because there's something unfortunate happened we just turned the ball over and jitters were probably going through our hearts as anybody would with the pressure of winning the first Diamond Head Classic and we're in the championship so it's like you have to do it now but I guess the guy missed the free throw and he gave us a chance and like that's all you need is a chance so I think I have like four seconds to like we drew up something and I honestly like didn't run the exact thing that we drew up just me being a point guard I'm like okay like I hear you coach but like what I'm seeing right now was like I'm kind of like I only have time to do this so I thought I just had time to drill to the three point line and just pull it and like be confident in the fact that I could make it so I made it and then the rest is history. Well that was definitely an iconic moment in UH men's basketball history and Jovon I want to ask you what what do you like and admire about coach Iran as a person? Yeah as a person I think what I admire and what I tell everyone like even guys that may come here on visits or recruits and stuff like that like they always ask about the head coach of course like he's the man like that's the guy you have to listen to and and respect his word but I would say that he's fair like he's a very fair person like he's straight up and that's all I can ask for anybody can ask for he's not gonna sugarcoat anything and tell you this may be this and it's not that so for me personally he's always been fair with me like always been straight up if I need to get better at this uh he states that if I'm not doing this well if I'm doing this good like he states that so that's all I can ask for is his fairness and and I respect that very much so. Oh I love hearing that insight and what what would you say um in specifically about his coaching now okay why is coach Iran a very effective coach what does he do? Yeah so coach good not as far as affecting the game I think he's very like detailed oriented and like even in practice more so even more nitpicking because in the game there's no there's so many variables that can happen throughout the game and and like he always preaches like you have to be ready for anything I know we're teaching this right now and and but the guy may do this like you never know like so like he keeps us on our toes with knowing that like it's not just what I'm saying like be a basketball player too like you have to be able to I'm going to teach you the game and I know most of you guys are here for a reason because you know the game but as far as like being disciplined in the fact that like just always be on your toes and be ready and and make sure it gives us a chance like that's his main what he preaches the most as long as we're locked in and we do the right things we listen we we can fix a mistake and and get better from that like we're giving ourselves a chance to be great and if we don't do that then we're limiting ourselves as a team so I think that's what he really does well as coach oh that's great to hear and and Jovan how would you describe your team's identity so that's that's an interesting question because there's always like in this new college basketball world like there's always new recruits coming in like transfer portal guys coming in and out of programs but I would say like it's unique with our guys because I've played with most of our guys for like three to four years which is pretty well due to the the new things that are happening in college basketball so I think the identity of our culture is growth like individual growth and and leadership like I started out as a 19 year old here and like I played with Bernardo Noel Coleman uh Juan has been here but he hasn't played but still him like me growing with these guys and and Gennott's like he's preaching like look at the growth like look at the leadership the the talk like it's all grown and um I think the identity is like like get better like just make sure that we're improving as a team and we're holding ourselves accountable to that like don't come back the same player come back with a with a better mindset with a better uh will to want to win like we have to keep raising the bar and I think that we've gotten better every year since I've been here and this is our last year as the the core that has been here um and I think for the new guys coming in it's it's more so just like we're we're going to keep raising the bar like we raised the bar last year the bar has to be even higher this year and I think I was talking to you about that some weeks back um yeah so I think your books are also going to help us with that oh right for sure and Jovan you know Coach Iran has been really building a culture of excellence and what would you say is you know your team's culture of excellence what is it like yeah team coach of excellence I think it's what I'm seeing this year I can I can only speak on the now um because it's just the moment that I'm in but I think what I'm trying to preach and Gennott and like all of our guys like the older guys is that the culture of excellence has to be able to pick up on things learn things and and like make the correction it's it's a difference between like hearing it and it going one one year and out the other uh great teams can can have a coaching point hear the coaching point see the coaching point lock into it and actually execute it the next play like it's either you did it well and it was or it wasn't good enough and and I'm trying to make sure like as a leader that I'm not going to let anything slide Coach Gennott is and none of our guys should like but we have to be able to have a coaching point and execute on it because if we can keep doing that over the course of the year um I think excellence will come at it as it being a great team oh I have no doubt for sure excellence will come and and Jovan I want to ask you about my books what are some concepts that stood out to you in the books yeah um it was three for me that stood out and uh you create the environment discipline drives performance and thirst for improvement um and I'll touch on those things uh you create the environment I think um all great teams know and even you know being a winning coach that it's about how you show up and and prepare for the moment that is about to come like you have to be ever you have to be ready to go for practice you have to be ready to go for a game locked in principally knowing what's at stake and how serious you approach that uh is how serious the environment is going to be so if we can all push each other with the right mindset knowing that you can see that everyone in this gym is locked in right now it's going to raise the bar um and discipline drives performance uh being disciplined as far as like it can go from listening to to executing to um knowing that like I want to make my teammate better being disciplined in the fact that like I we all want to be better in here so if we can it drives performance like it's it's going to raise the bar like I said and I think uh the thirst for improvement wanting to be better uh and I think these three points they just all align with each other and that's why I hit home for me is that as long as we can do those three things and hone in on like discipline uh a winning environment and and like wanting to be better like you can only the arrow can only go up Yovan I'm glad you brought up those specific concepts because yeah discipline discipline leads to habits which lead to success which gives you a chance for greatness and and yeah it's a process and I like how you keep saying that it's it's about a growth mindset I mean you just try to get better every single day and Jovan um Ryan Tanaka uh did a big book donation of both of my books to your entire team and how do you think uh the books will make a positive impact in helping your team yeah I think the books like like I said like if we really dive into the books and I think most guys have on our team because I see that the switching and certain guys like really wanting to improve really locking in and um you could tell like you could just see the energy coming out of them that they're like really locked in to be better and and want to improve themselves individually have better years and as a team and I think your books hit home with just improvement like as far as just building good habits improving and if we can all have that mindset it's like this is a team sport that we play it's one through 15 and it's it's the coaching staff it's the trainers like if we're all locked in on the same page of improving being disciplined having good habits like your books like it can only help us like it can only go up from here as if we have that right mindset so yeah by the way like I really think these books are going to help us oh for sure and and well you know Ryan Tanaka he's also the founder of Bratahood Grimes Bratahood and Sisterhood Grimes and we had your entire team there fairly recently and Ryan's the owner of Giovanni Pastrami Restaurant what did you and your teammates enjoy about that Bratahood Grimes experience yeah so I met Ryan last year and we had the same experience and I think just like you got knowing you guys and like I said you guys are guys that want to keep raising the bar with whatever you do making sure you get better the event even got better this this next year this year actually from last year and I was like wow like this is this is a drastic change and it was a great event last year and the the bar raised even more as far as the energy the time and effort put in by you guys and and the people that came to support us and help us with our endeavors after basketball and I think our team was very grateful for that because we know that the ball stopped dribbling at one point and that they're just trying to let us know that Hawaii is you really lock in and hone in on the culture and want to be here like they can create a space for home for you and that really hit home with us as a team like and I was making sure that they knew going into this like really take this series because like they're they're really looking out for us like they don't have to be here they don't have to help us with future goals and stuff like that and give us advice so I think thank you guys again for like allowing that because things like that can really change their perspective and it changed mine as far as being in Hawaii and and knowing the love that the community has for us and not just being just basketball players well Jovan I was there I talked with you and you know Governor Josh Green is there so many of our community leaders are there and isn't it eye-opening for for your team to just really know like wow I mean it's it's the the whole community is really watching and supporting what you guys do and it's so it's not just really on the court it's off the court as well right yeah it's it's off the court and I like the biggest and I think that's the biggest thing is being comfortable like knowing that like there's true support here like it's it's really like love and and that's really helped me in my journey so far just like I said earlier like my COVID experience through now and it's just like the fact that I feel comfortable in my skin here and like knowing that I can go to the community and like big time names in the community and they're all down to earth people they want to come back to guys like us if they met us or not to make sure that they know that we know that they love us and and they support us and we want you guys to keep raising the bar because there is like kids and and the community that really looks up to this program and I and I think that I'm preaching to the new guys that are coming in like really take that serious and I think the guys that are here have taken that serious and they're really grateful for that so Jovan what what is your major and what are you hoping to do when you have life after basketball yeah so my major is business uh entrepreneurship specifically uh I'm in the Shidler the school of Shidler at UH um it's just like a business school that you get accepted in with due time due to like credits and stuff like that that you have to pass but um my what I want to do with my major I'd say is uh first off learn about business I think that's important in this day and age as as much as like excel and all these things are starting to come to these workbooks and worksheets and and numbers and stuff like that so I think me wanting to know that early is going to help me in the long run and um I personally like my dream is to start like a cafe or a coffee shop uh in Hawaii I know that's not easy but uh that is what I want to do with my business endeavors is from what I've learned uh hopefully come back with some some good type of money to work with and in order to start like my own little cafe in Hawaii somewhere so that's that's my dream oh I love hearing that there Jovan and Jovan let's go back onto the basketball court now when when you're gonna shoot a free throw okay I want to know what is your mindset like what are you thinking what do you focus on as you're there just before doing your free throw yeah I think um before the free throw comes it's really preparation like you know like I'm comfortable at the free throw line because I've been playing basketball for a while now like I've shot pressured free throws I've shot free throws in the gym by myself with my teammates like I think it's about knowing that you've done this many times and it's a it's a free shot uh also relaxing at the line like just like I said if you've known that you've put in work in certain things like there's no like tension there's no I don't know if I can make this so I'm going up there very confidently knowing that I work on this shot a hundred thousands of times before so uh I just go up there and try to just do what I do best and like lock in on on my work and trust my work yeah it's all about that preparation and just really the practice I mean I always say that you know when you practice you have to practice how you'll play and play how you practice what are your thoughts about that yeah that that hits home and I think that's one of the things that cannot preach is as well like and he tells me every day like make sure that like even when I came here earlier like you have to I had to change my game speed like the higher levels you go the faster the game speed the faster the physicality and um I think that you like you have to be ready like the preparation of knowing that the game speed changes so you have to be able to be ready to shoot earlier and be ready to move faster like it's just like because you're playing with bigger stronger faster players so I think just that is the most the most part of it yeah now Jovan I want to ask you about your strengths what what what would you say are your strengths as a basketball player and as a teammate yeah so I'll start off as a teammate um I think they're like I'm a good locker room guy and that's where like comfortability within my my buddies come from like just knowing that I'll be there for them I'll make them laugh and like even though it is a serious sport like we can also have fun and make sure that the camaraderie is there um and the chemistry is there off the court because I think that helps on the court and um as far as on the court I think I I just have like this knack for just excellence and making sure that things are right like if things are right I don't I don't like anything sliding from myself I hold myself to a high standard and I hold my teammates to a high standard so just leadership uh and being able to do different things on the court and affect the game like with passing defending being able to make shots I I think like I'm an all-around player when it comes to that just knowing that I can affect the game in different ways yes I can I can really see that and Jovan um in terms of off court okay what do you guys do as a team off court to really enhance your team bonding yeah I think um just diving into the beach and the water and I know it's typical for everyone to do that out here but I think that's what we need to do more of is like just getting the mud out here like whatever you can do to really dive into the culture and and just go around and see the island like with each other experience that with each other wherever you get from that experience is your experience but as long as we can all see it with each other and like just keep growing within the environment that we're in I think that's the best part of the chemistry that we can build off the court and Jovan you know you're local now and what what are some specific beaches that you love to go to uh I would say Pukulkaya and the north shore is my favorite beach so far wow why why do you love it there um I don't know it's it's it's deep in the north shore um I don't like some some beaches have secret entrances and I don't think this is like a well-known entrance but they're like there's not a lot of people there it's a huge beach like the sunsets there are beautiful um the waves are always just like I love to watch the waves just come and hit the shore and then like I dive into the shore break and if I get dirty it is with these but yeah I just have a fun experience there so so so that's Jovan's private beach at Pukulkaya and that's awesome I love that and Jovan what would you say to some potential recruits that are considering coming to University of Hawaii um I would say that like even though it's Hawaii it's it's it's beautiful it's everything that you may imagine when you when you get here it's still like a grind like it's still a workforce like people are working out here people are getting things done and everything else is just the icing on the cake obviously but um I would say that like really come in here with the mindset that you want to raise the bar and I think that's anybody should do that go into any program like come in want to make it better so if that's your real mindset and that's where your heart resides and as long as you like know that the community is behind you and really dive into the community that you'll have an amazing experience Jovan success can be defined in many ways how do you define success I define success by setting goals that you have individually um actually working towards those goals knowing that like if I do if you have a game plan for what you may want in life that's basketball workforce anything like the fact that you can actually wake up and know that like I'm going to get to my goals I'm going to keep pushing towards what I want in life and and if it reaches fruition like and you see it happening I think that's success because you put in the work for you know that you know you don't know when it may come but as long as you know you're putting in the work and it hits like I think success is more so the journey than because it will happen if you put in hard work I completely agree Jovan you are a man of great character and I want to really thank you for taking time to be on the show today no thank you Russi again like I've had an amazing time on the show I love talking to you I need to talk to you more as well throughout the season too just to make sure that I'm still on the same page you have some great advice for me so thank you again we'll do that thanks Jovan and thank you for watching Beyond the Lines on Think Tech Hawaii for more information please visit Rusty Komori.com and my books are available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble I hope that Jovan and I will inspire you to create your own superior culture of excellence and to find your greatness and help others find theirs Aloha. Thank you so much for watching Think Tech Hawaii if you like what we do please click the like and subscribe button on YouTube you can also follow us on Facebook Instagram and LinkedIn check out our website thinktechawaii.com Mahalo