The Asian American Athlete: Recent Episodes
Justin Hong
The Asian American Athlete tackles the underrepresentation of Asian Americans in college & professional sports - while also sharing athlete stories, institutional knowledge, and guidance to empower the next generation of Asian American athletes.
In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews D1 college football player Tyler Chen. During this episode, Tyler shares about his background, his youth sports experiences, and how he got started playing football (3:12).
He talks about his high school football career (6:24), adapting to the physicality of football (8:10), his experience with college recruiting and early college experiences at Utah Tech and Weber State (10:55).
He discusses his college football experience at San Jose State (13:33), memorable moments from his college career (19:11), and goals for next season (21:54).
He also shares how being Asian American has impacted his football journey (23:28), advice for Asian American athletes (26:27), and much more.
Tyler Chen - San Jose State Football Bio Page
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews D1 college football player Jeremiah Fung.
During this episode, Jeremiah shares about his family’s background, growing up in Palo Alto, and how he got started playing football (3:05).
He talks about his high school football career, including his experience being a team captain all 4 years (5:37), the adjustment to playing tackle football (6:38), and his training regimen (7:54).
He discusses his experience with college recruiting and how he landed at San Jose State (10:52), his experience as a redshirt freshman (17:52), and goals for this upcoming session (21:14).
He also shares how being Asian American impacted his football journey (22:44), serving as an inspiration to Asian American athletes (24:20), and much more.
Jeremiah Fung - San Jose State Football Bio Page
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews former D1 college soccer player Kelsey Kwon.
During this episode, Kelsey shares about her family’s background, growing up in Washington state, how she got started playing soccer (2:40), and her youth soccer experience (5:19).
She talks about playing club soccer (11:39), her experience with college recruiting, and how she landed at Northwestern University to play soccer (18:22).
She talks about her soccer career at Northwestern, including her college debut (28:01), her experience as team captain (32:38), and the most memorable moment from her career (36:12).
Kelsey also shares how being Asian American impacted her sports journey (39:47), advice for Asian American athletes (46:00), and much more.
Kelsey Kwon - Northwestern Women's Soccer Bio Page
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews founder of Jung Baseball and former D1 college baseball player Danny Jung.
Danny talks about his family background, growing up in Southern California, and how he got started with baseball (2:58).
He gives us an inside look at his youth baseball experience (4:37), the training and skillwork that helped him develop as a player (10:24), his middle school and high school baseball experiences (13:17), and how he landed at Notre Dame to play college baseball (16:43).
Danny talks about his experience playing baseball at Notre Dame (21:53), being an Asian American athlete (28:38), and coaching at Northern Illinois and Duke (32:00).
Danny talks about launching Jung Baseball, his Bridge Development Program (34:58), and much more.
Danny Jung - Notre Dame Baseball Bio Page
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews certified athletic trainer and sports medicine leader Meeja Richards.
During this episode, Meeja shares about her family’s background, growing up in Indiana, and her experience playing sports (2:26).
She talks about starting off her career in sports with athletic training in college (6:29), her routines as an athletic trainer (12:00), and injury prevention tips for athletes (14:26).
She gives us an inside look at her career path (17:04), her experience working at Major League Soccer (19:33), and a new initiative that she’s working on for Asians in sports (24:02).
She shares her long-term goals and aspirations (26:55), advice for Asian Americans who want to pursue careers in the sports industry (26:48), and much more.
Meeja Richards - LinkedIn Profile
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews former D1 college baseball player Luke Cheng.
Luke talks about his background, where he grew up, and how he got started playing baseball (2:52).
He gives us an inside look at the training and skill development that helped him become a college baseball player (5:21), making the leap in performance on the field during high school, and realizing that he could play in college (10:25).
Luke talks about his experience with college recruiting, how he landed at Illinois State to play college baseball (16:25), his playing career at Illinois State, and how he ended up at Ole Miss for his final season of college baseball (20:48).
Luke shares about his experience playing at Ole Miss (31:47), walking away from baseball (34:39), being an Asian American athlete (37:08), and much more.
Luke Cheng - Ole Miss Baseball Bio Page
Luke Cheng - Illinois State Baseball Bio Page
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Host Justin Hong is joined by Patrick Pratumrat on 2025 edition of “Prospect Watch,” which showcases and celebrates up-and-coming Asian American athletes.
On this episode, they shine the spotlight on 11 electrifying, young baseball, basketball, and football players they’re excited about: high school athlete Tyson Park (5:45), college athletes Aliyahna Morris (9:58), Brayden Burries (12:21), Lino Mark (14:43), Mason Pike (17:14), Micah Alejado (20:53), Bear Bachmeier (23:50), Tiger Bachmeier (27:48), Robert Hinton (31:21), Myles Che (33:34), Sumayah Sugapong (36:04), and pro athlete Jonah Tong (39:14).
Please help support this podcast by:
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews League One Volleyball (LOVB) co-founder and founding CEO Katlyn Gao.
During this episode, Katlyn shares about her family’s background, where she grew up, and the impact of sports during her childhood (2:34).
She talks about her career journey (5:59), launching LOVB with her co-founding team, and the importance of relationships in her career (10:52).
She gives us an inside look at building LOVB starting at the grassroots level (22:04), LOVB’s unique model and why it’s resonating (25:22), preparing for and launching LOVB Pro (32:51), the inaugural season of LOVB Pro (36:06), and much more.
Katlyn Gao - Boardroom Interview
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews former NFL coach Pratik Patel.
During this episode, Pratik shares about his family’s background, where he grew up, and the start of his health and fitness journey (2:28).
He talks about learning about sports nutrition as a career field (19:12), landing his first opportunity in sports with the Kansas State men’s basketball team (21:44), and his other experiences in college sports with Michigan State (24:00) and Oregon (28:15).
He gives us an inside look at his experience coaching in the NFL with the New York Giants (36:54) and moving into the next phase of his career as a health & fitness coach, consultant, and advisor (58:20).
He shares how being Asian American impacted his journey in the sports world (1:03:56), his athletic performance advice for Asian American athletes (1:09:40), and much more.
Pratik Patel - Pro Football History Bio Page
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews Princeton women’s basketball player Ashley Chea.
During this episode, Ashley shares about her back story, how she got started playing basketball, and her early basketball days (3:16).
She talks about her high school basketball career at Flintridge Prep in California, how she developed as a basketball player, and overcoming a serious knee injury (7:13).
She gives us an inside look at how she landed at Princeton to play college basketball (10:50), her responsibilities as the starting point guard for the team (18:00), and her goals and aspirations next season and beyond (21:28).
She shares her advice for Asian American athletes (23:04), what it was like to be featured in Home Court - a documentary that chronicles her story (24:09), and much more.
Ashley Chea - Princeton Women's Basketball Bio Page
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews sports marketing executive and former USC football and rugby player Joey Krassenstein.
During this episode, Joey talks about his family’s back story, growing up in different countries, and his early days playing sports (2:44).
He discusses how he landed at the University of Southern California for college (8:48), walking on to USC’s football team (12:29), and what it was like to be a USC football player (19:59).
He also gives us an inside look at his rugby career (25:33) and his experience as the Director of Rugby at USC (28:58).
He shares how he leveraged his athletic experiences into his sports marketing and business career (31:17), career advice for Asian American athletes (36:19), and much more.
Joey Krassenstein - USC Football Bio Page
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews Megan Griffith, the Head Coach of the Columbia women’s basketball team, on her basketball journey as a player and coach.
During the episode, Megan talks about her family’s back story, growing up in the Philadelphia area, and playing sports in her early days (3:20).
She also shares about her experiences playing college basketball at Columbia (8:04) and pro basketball in Europe (10:28) before eventually making the transition into coaching (13:32).
She gives us an inside look at how she landed the head coaching position of the women’s basketball team at her alma mater (19:10), the experience of guiding her team to the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history (29:10), her experience as an Asian American basketball player & coach (33:26), and much more.
Coach Megan Griffith - Columbia Women's Basketball Head Coach Bio Page
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews college basketball coach Ken Nakagawa.
During the episode, Ken shares about his family’s background, where he grew up, and his introduction to basketball (3:35).
He talks about becoming a student manager for the Long Beach State men’s basketball team (7:57), joining the coaching staff of the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, and his experiences at Gonzaga, including multiple Final Fours (12:54).
He gives us an inside look at his current coaching experience with the University of Arizona's men's basketball team (20:05), his daily routine (22:25), and his responsibilities during games (24:25).
Ken discusses how he continues to hone his craft as a coach (25:23), a memorable game from his basketball career (30:02), and much more.
Coach Ken Nakagawa - University of Arizona Men's Basketball Assistant Coach Bio Page
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews Princeton women’s basketball player Skye Belker.
During this episode, Skye shares about her family’s background, where she grew up, playing a variety of sports in her childhood, and how playing multiple sports helped her as a basketball player (3:17).
She talks about her experience with college recruiting and committing to Princeton (10:18), her training regimen (12:46), and highlights from her high school career (14:03).
She gives us an inside look at her freshman season at Princeton (15:30), her sophomore season (2017), most memorable games so far in her college basketball career (21:58), and basketball-related goals for next season and beyond (23:07).
She discusses her experience as an Asian American college basketball player (24:51), advice for Asian American athletes (28:25), and much more.
Skye Belker - Princeton Women's Basketball Bio Page
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews former D1 college football player Jonathan Song.
During the episode, Jonathan shares about his family’s back story, growing up in Fort Worth, playing soccer while growing up, and how he got started playing football (3:02).
He talks about his high school football days at All Saints’ Episcopal School (11:20), his training regimen and how he developed as a kicker (13:32), his experience with college recruiting, and how he landed at TCU (20:10).
He gives us an inside look at his TCU football career, including his first game (26:30), how he developed his confidence as a kicker (28:02), and his favorite memory (31:11).
He talks about his experience with pro football (32:05), how being Asian American impacted his athletic journey (36:10), and more.
Jonathan Song - TCU Football Bio Page
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews Eric Yamamoto on his soccer journey as a player and coach.
During the episode, Eric talks about his family’s background, growing up in San Jose, playing sports in his childhood, and how he got started playing soccer (2:49).
He gives us an inside look at how he landed at Santa Clara University to play college soccer (7:31) and his college career starting from his freshman season (10:45) and culminating in an incredible senior season, during which his team went undefeated and won a co-National Championship (15:50).
He also shares about his pro soccer experiences (20:06), his 30+ year soccer coaching journey, including coaching for both the men’s and women’s soccer teams at Santa Clara, the US National Team, youth teams (24:22) - and much more.
Eric Yamamoto - Santa Clara Men's Soccer Associate Head Coach Bio Page
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews Clara Ho, the Director of Baseball Personnel Administration for the San Francisco Giants, about her career and journey in the sports world.
During this episode, Clara shares about her family’s backstory, where she grew up, and her youth swimming days (3:06).
She talks about her collegiate swimming career at Texas A&M (9:51), her experience competing internationally for the USA Women’s Swimming National Team (10:58), her experience as an Asian American athlete (12:23), and her favorite memories from her swimming career (13:28).
She gives us an inside look at how she landed her first opportunity with the San Francisco Giants (16:38), her career journey with the Giants (21:36), her long-term career aspirations (29:44), Asian American representation within the world of Major League Baseball operations (31:26), and much more.
Clara Ho - San Francisco Giants Bio Page
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews D1 college baseball player Nick Wang.
Nick talks about playing sports in his childhood, how he got started playing baseball, and how the winning sports culture in Boston impacted him while he was growing up there (4:13).
He gives us an inside look at the training and skill development that helped him become a college baseball player (11:29), playing multiple sports (13:23), and his favorite memory from his high school baseball career (14:39).
Nick talks about his college baseball experience, including landing at Holy Cross for his freshman season (18:11), transferring to Boston College (20:05), and favorite memories from his college career so far (22:25).
Nick shares his baseball aspirations for next season and beyond (26:30), how being Asian American has impacted his athletic career (28:14), helping younger athletes and being viewed as a role model (32:36), and much more.
Nick Wang - Boston College Baseball Bio Page
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews pro soccer player Katie Duong.
During this episode, Katie talks about where she grew up, her family’s background, and how she got her start playing soccer (3:35).
She talks about her college soccer experiences, including her experience with college recruiting and how she landed at the University of Minnesota (9:08), transferring to Stanford (12:48), and her favorite memories from her college soccer career (15:05).
She talks about her pro soccer experiences, including the experience of getting drafted (15:51), her pro soccer career path thus far (16:35), and a day-in-the-life for her as a pro soccer player (19:57).
Katie also shares about representing the US in international competition (21:12), her experience as an Asian American athlete (23:12), and much more.
Katie Duong - Stanford Women's Soccer Bio Page
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Host Justin Hong is joined by Patrick Pratumrat on the 2024 edition of “Prospect Watch,” which showcases and celebrates up-and-coming Asian American athletes.
On this episode, they shine the spotlight on 11 electrifying, young basketball, baseball, and football players: college basketball players Dylan Harper (9:12), Ishan Sharma (12:25), Ashley Chea (15:16), Skye Belker (19:07), and Xaivian Lee (22:56), college baseball players Christian Lim (26:13), Justin Lee (30:40), Cameron Kim (33:09), and Nick Wang (36:53), college football player Noah Fifita (39:55), and NFL player Johnny Wilson (43:23).
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews D1 college volleyball player London Wijay.
During this episode, London talks about her family’s background, how she got started playing volleyball, and how playing against older competition helped her develop as a volleyball player (3:38).
She shares about her experiences playing club (9:19) and high school volleyball, including her favorite memory from her high school career (11:20).
London gives us an inside look at her decision to skip her senior year of high school to enroll at the University of Southern California early to play for the women's volleyball team (15:36), her first collegiate game (19:25) and freshman season experience (20:39), and much more.
London Wijay - USC Women's Volleyball Bio Page
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews D1 college baseball player Christian Lim.
Christian talks about growing up in Nashville, playing sports in his childhood, and his early baseball days (3:20). He shares about his training regimen (7:09), his college recruiting experience, and how he landed at Stanford to play college baseball (9:36).
He gives us an inside look at his freshman year at Stanford both on and off the field (13:16) and what it was like to take a no-hitter into the 8th inning of a game (18:05).
Christian shares his experience as an Asian American athlete (19:57), his advice for Asian American athletes (25:15), and much more.
Christian Lim - Stanford Baseball Bio Page
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews Stanford men’s basketball player Ryan Agarwal.
During this episode, Ryan talks about his family’s background (3:13) and his early basketball experiences (5:09).
He shares about his high school basketball career at Coppell High School (10:05), his college recruiting experience, and how he decided to go to Stanford to play college basketball (15:36).
Ryan gives us an inside look at his most memorable experience so far with the Stanford basketball team (23:04), what a travel day looks like for him as a D1 college basketball player (23:55), how he’s navigated the media spotlight (28:11), and much more.
Ryan Agarwal - Stanford Men's Basketball Bio Page
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews former pro tennis player Vania King.
During this episode, Vania talks about her family's background, where she grew up, and how she got her start with tennis (2:40).
She shares about her early tennis days, including playing in her first tournament and what her training regimen looked like (7:18).
Vania gives us an inside look at the years leading up to her becoming a pro tennis player, the experience of turning pro (15:38), and how she handled the spotlight of being a pro tennis player (22:56).
She shares about playing both doubles and singles (27:37), what it was like to win the Wimbledon and US Open doubles titles in the same year (29:09), and other memorable moments from her career (31:09).
She talks about her experience as an Asian American athlete (33:29), retiring from tennis (36:09), co-founding the Asian American Pacific Islander Tennis Association (41:14), and much more.
Vania King - WTA Profile Page
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews Mike Magpayo, Head Coach of the UC Riverside men’s basketball team and Founder & President of the Asian Coaches Association.
During the episode, Mike shares about his family’s background, where he grew up, and his experiences playing sports (3:07).
He talks about his early basketball coaching experiences, working in business and real estate for a number of years, and when he started seriously contemplating a career in coaching basketball (5:40).
He gives us an inside look at how he landed his first opportunity in college basketball at Columbia (8:35), how his experience in business and real estate has helped him in his basketball coaching career (14:46), and his college basketball coaching career journey to becoming the Head Coach for the UC Riverside men’s basketball team (18:55).
Mike discusses his experience as an Asian American college basketball coach, what led to him founding the Asian Coaches Association (22:53), what it means to him to be the first NCAA D1 men’s basketball Head Coach of full Asian heritage (28:30), and much more.
Mike Magpayo - UC Riverside Head Men's Basketball Coach Bio Page
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews former D1 All-American swimmer Zach Fong.
During the episode, Zach talks about his family’s background, where he grew up, playing sports in his childhood, and his early swimming days (2:01).
He talks about his weekly training regimen in high school (9:26), his college recruiting experiences, and how he landed at the University of Virginia (11:24).
He gives us an inside look at his swimming career at UVA (17:43), his preparation and routine for a swim meet (24:04), and favorite memories from his college swimming career (29:55).
Zach also shares about his experience as an Asian American athlete (34:45), advice for Asian American athletes (38:35), and much more.
Zach Fong - University of Virginia Bio Page
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews former D1 college football player Justin Yoon.
During the episode, Justin talks about growing up in Korea and Tennessee as well as playing sports in his childhood (2:52), how he first got started playing football (8:06), and when he started pursuing football as his primary sport (12:34).
He gives us an inside look at what his training program looked like (19:12), his experience with college recruiting (24:53), and how he landed at Notre Dame (29:50).
Justin shares about his experience as a football player at Notre Dame (35:19), his favorite memories and biggest kicks from his college football career (52:46), the experience of becoming the Notre Dame football program’s all-time leading scorer (55:23), and much more.
Justin Yoon - Notre Dame Profile Page
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews sports agent Lenny Lun about his journey working in the sports world.
During this episode, Lenny talks about his background (2:27) and his career path, including landing his first job in sports with the San Francisco 49ers and why he decided to start his own sports agency representing women’s professional soccer players (3:46).
He discusses the process he went through to become a sports agent (10:01), his sports agency Upper V Athlete Management (11:52), and the roles and responsibilities of sports agents (15:50).
He also shares how he helps his clients as a sports agent (20:12), his career advice on how to break into the sports world (23:54), and much more.
Lenny Lun - Santa Clara University School of Law Bio Page
Upper V Athlete Management
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews Scott Akasaki - the Director of Team Travel for the Los Angeles Dodgers - about his journey in sports.
During this episode, Scott talks about the vibe and buzz around the Dodgers during spring training (2:55).
He also shares about his family background, growing up in LA, and the role that sports played in his childhood (4:26). He discusses his experience playing college basketball for the Claremont-Mudd basketball program as well (4:26).
Scott talks about learning about baseball in Japan, networking with Major League Baseball scouts, and landing his first job in sports with the Dodgers (12:54), his career path and experiences working for the Dodgers (21:27), breaking into the sports industry and his advice on how to do so (32:22), and much more.
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews Vanderbilt tennis player Anessa Lee.
During this episode, Anessa talks about where she grew up, how she got her start with tennis, and playing tennis during her childhood (3:31).
She also shares about her high school tennis playing days (8:51), her experience with college recruiting, and how she landed at Vanderbilt (11:28).
She gives us an inside look at her college tennis experience at Vanderbilt, including her daily routine during the tennis session (15:05), her favorite thing about being a student-athlete (17:56), her experience playing both singles and doubles (20:18), and a notable highlight from her college career (22:18).
Anessa discusses her experience as an Asian American D1 college athlete (23:40), her advice for aspiring Asian American tennis players & athletes (24:35), and much more.
Anessa Lee - Vanderbilt Profile Page
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews Don Wakamatsu, the first Asian American manager in Major League Baseball history.
During the episode, Don shares about his family’s background, growing up in the Bay Area, and how he got started playing baseball (2:43).
He talks about his college baseball experience at Arizona State (6:34), getting drafted and becoming a pro baseball player (9:28), and playing in the major leagues with the Chicago White Sox (12:02).
Don discusses his transition from playing to coaching and the start of his coaching career (17:09), the experience of becoming the manager of the Seattle Mariners (17:09), and what it means to him to be the first Asian American manager in MLB history (18:15).
He shares lessons learned from his career (22:20), how he got involved with the Oakland Ballers and his role with the team (31:25), and much more.
Don Wakamatsu - Baseball Reference Profile Page
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews former pro soccer player Brian Ching.
During the episode, Brian talks about his soccer journey, including how he got started playing soccer, his youth soccer experiences, playing college soccer at Gonzaga, and getting drafted into Major League Soccer (3:05).
He also discusses his training regimen, the habits that he developed to become a better player (10:23), and what motivated him (14:40).
He gives us an inside look at getting drafted into the MLS and his first few years as a pro soccer player (18:04), relocating with his team from San Jose to Houston (24:38), and the most memorable moments from his career (32:46).
He shares how he adapted to playing on the international stage (40:13), career advice for aspiring soccer players (42:10), and much more.
Brian Ching - MLS Player Page
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews entrepreneur and former pro baseball player Hyung Cho.
During this episode, Hyung shares about his family’s background, his childhood experiences playing sports, and how he got started playing baseball (2:48).
He talks about his youth baseball days, developing athletically (7:42), his experience as an Asian Canadian athlete (12:48), and his experiences with the Canadian Junior & Senior National Teams (15:25).
He discusses how he landed at the University of Houston to play college baseball (17:43) and some of his most memorable moments during his college baseball career (22:01).
Hyung gives us an inside look at his pro baseball career, including signing with the Seattle Mariners (26:19), his experience as a minor league baseball player (28:58), and the unique experience of playing with other Asian baseball players in the minors (31:47).
He talks about continuing his baseball career and how he got into coaching baseball (36:57), launching Oppotaco, a content-driven company that supports youth baseball development (42:08), and much more.
Hyung Cho - MLB Profile Page
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews UC-Irvine women’s basketball player Nikki Tom.
During this episode, Nikki shares about her family’s background, where she grew up, and how she got her start playing basketball (3:45).
She talks about how playing with older kids during her childhood helped her become a better player (4:42), her experience as an Asian American basketball player (7:20), and how she continued to develop her abilities as a basketball player (9:00).
She shares a memorable moment from her high school basketball career (11:17), when she first set her goal to play college basketball (13:58), her experience with college recruiting, and how she ultimately decided to attend UC-Irvine (15:00).
She gives us an inside look at her college basketball experience, including the biggest adjustments for her going from playing high school basketball to college basketball (16:59), how she prepares both physically and mentally to play heavy minutes on a consistent basis (18:13), and the biggest highlight of her college career so far (19:17).
She discusses what aspects of her game she wants to improve upon this upcoming season (20:35), what it means to her to be an Asian American D1 women’s college basketball player (23:11), and much more.
Nikki Tom - UC-Irvine Profile Page
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews Colleen Matsuhara on her incredible basketball journey as a player and coach.
During the episode, Colleen shares about her family’s background, where she grew up, and how got started playing basketball (2:59). She also talks about her basketball playing career, including playing collegiately at Sacramento City College and Sacramento State (4:56) and her experiences as an Asian American player (6:30).
She talks about her transition into coaching (8:04), what drew her to coaching as a profession (10:26), and the experience of winning a national championship while she was on the coaching staff for the UCLA women’s basketball team (12:36).
She discusses her head coaching experiences for the women’s basketball teams at the University of Nebraska and UC-Irvine (15:52), her experience as a member of the coaching staff for the LA Sparks (20:36), and if she thinks about returning to coaching (23:12).
She gives us an inside look at her experiences in the movie industry (24:53) and media industry (29:52), her experience as the Secretariat of Basketball at the 1984 Summer Olympics in LA (31:06), and much more.
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Host Justin Hong is joined by Patrick Pratumrat on the 2023 edition of “Prospect Watch,” which showcases and celebrates up-and-coming Asian American athletes.
On this episode, they shine the spotlight on 12 electrifying, young baseball, basketball, and football players they’re excited about: college football quarterbacks Indiana Wijay (4:30) and Noah Kim (7:18), college basketball players Kaitlyn Chen (10:00), Nikki Tom (13:05), Kayla Padilla (15:16), Ryan Agarwal (18:25), and Zach Edey (20:24), recent MLB first round pick Arjun Nimmala (24:00), MLB rookies Bryan Woo (27:53), Anthony Volpe (31:03), and Corbin Carroll (34:32), and NFL wide receiver John Metchie III (38:04).
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews Alaina Woo, Head Coach of the Pomona-Pitzer women's basketball team, on her basketball journey as a player and coach.
During the episode, Alaina talks about her family’s background, where she grew up, and how she got started playing basketball (3:35).
She also shares about her high school basketball career at Sequoia High School in Redwood City, California (7:42), what she did to improve as a player (9:08), and how she landed at Pomona-Pitzer to play college basketball (10:28).
Alaina discusses the biggest transition for her from playing high school to college basketball (13:18), her favorite part of being a student-athlete (15:04), and a career highlight from her college basketball career.
She gives us an inside look at her transition into coaching and landing her first college coaching opportunity at Tufts (18:08), how she made her way back to Pomona-Pitzer as a coach (21:10), and becoming the Head Coach at Pomona-Pitzer (22:19).
She also talks about her experience as an Asian American athlete (27:16) and coach (30:03), advice for up-and-coming Asian basketball players and Asian Americans who are looking to get into coaching (34:08), and much more.
Coach Alaina Woo - Pomona-Pitzer Profile Page
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews Margueritte Aozasa, Head Coach of the UCLA women's soccer team, about her playing and coaching career.
During the episode, Margueritte shares about her family’s background, playing sports in her childhood, and how she got started playing soccer (3:40).
She talks about her training regimen and her development as a soccer player (6:42) and notable memories from her club and high school soccer experiences (8:30) as well as from her college career at Santa Clara (15:07).
She discusses her soccer coaching career with the Mountain View Los Altos Soccer Club and Stanford University (17:18) as well as her experience as the Head Coach of the UCLA women’s soccer team (19:49).
She gives us an inside look at the experience of winning a national championship at UCLA in her first year, her message to the team in overtime of the championship game, and what was going through her mind after her team won the championship (28:39).
She shares her experiences as an Asian American athlete and coach (35:44), advice for up-and-coming Asian American athletes and Asian Americans who are looking to break into coaching (39:08), and much more.
Coach Margueritte Aozasa - UCLA Profile Page
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews Garrett Furubayashi, the Director of Basketball Operations for the University of San Francisco men’s basketball team, about his journey in sports.
During the episode, Garrett talks about his family’s background, where he grew up, and his experience playing sports (2:23) as well as how he broke into the sports industry while he was still in high school, serving as an NBA draft analyst and working for the Locked On Podcast Network (6:59).
He gives us an inside look at his career path with the University of San Francisco’s men’s basketball program (11:03) as well as his roles and responsibilities as the team’s Director of Basketball Operations (13:09).
Garrett also shares about his work with the Asian Coaches Association (16:43), his advice for Asian Americans looking to break into the sports industry (20:58), and much more.
Garrett Furubayashi - University of San Francisco Profile Page
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews basketball coach Anthony Santos on his basketball coaching journey and experiences.
During this episode, Anthony talks about his family’s background and how he got into basketball (3:25) as well as his basketball playing career (10:32).
He details his career path with the Cal-State Fullerton men’s basketball program (12:56), what his typical day looks like during the season (19:57), what his responsibilities are during a game (22:11), and the most rewarding aspects of being a basketball coach for him (23:16).
Anthony shares about his experience as an Asian American D1 men’s college basketball coach (25:32), his long-term aspirations in coaching (29:32), advice for up-and-coming Asian American hoopers (34:43) and Asian Americans trying to break into coaching (37:19), and much more.
Anthony Santos - Cal-State Fullerton Profile Page
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews UC-Irvine head women’s basketball coach Tamara Inoue on her basketball journey as a player and coach.
During the episode, Coach Inoue talks about growing up in Hawaii and how she got her start playing basketball (3:10) as well as her high school career at Laguna Hills High School in California, including winning a state championship (5:16).
She also shares about starting her college career at Cal before transferring to Long Beach State (9:27), her career at Long Beach State (11:19), and her experience as an Asian American athlete (12:31).
She gives us an inside look at her playing and coaching career in Australia (14:28), her transition into coaching (16:02), and her college coaching experiences - first, at Santa Clara, then moving on to New Mexico State, and eventually landing the head coaching opportunity at UC-Irvine (20:14).
She also shares memorable moments from her coaching career at UC-Irvine (28:39), the experience of taking her team to Japan one summer (31:03), what it means to her to be an Asian American college basketball coach (33:46), advice for Asian American basketball players (36:08) and Asian Americans looking to pursue careers in coaching (39:22), and much more.
Coach Tamara Inoue - UC-Irvine Profile Page
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews award-winning communications expert and former ESPN SportsCenter anchor Cary Chow about his journey and sports media career.
During this episode, Cary talks about his family’s background, where he grew up, and why he wanted to pursue a career in media (2:24) as well as the importance of sports in his life (5:07).
He shares about the early days of his media career (6:14), his strategy to break into sports media (9:16), and how he landed opportunities to work at national networks, including ESPN (13:50).
Cary also talks about the first time he anchored SportsCenter (20:07), one of his most memorable shows (30:18), what it means to him to be an Asian American anchor for SportsCenter (33:41), advice for the next generation of Asian Americans pursuing careers in sports media, and much more.
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews former D1 college basketball player Ace Watanasuparp about his journey and basketball career.
During this episode, Ace talks about his family’s background, growing up in New York, and his early experiences playing basketball (3:16). He also discusses his high school career at the Bronx High School of Science (9:53), his experience with college recruiting, what schools were interested in him, and why he decided to attend the University of Connecticut (15:08).
He gives us an inside look at his multi-year experience of trying out for the UConn men’s basketball team (16:57), getting cut from the team both his freshman and sophomore years (18:37) before making the team his junior year (24:38), and the moment he found out he made the team (28:17).
Ace also discusses his playing experience at UConn (30:02), the first time he appeared in a game for the Huskies (32:47), an upcoming documentary on his life called The Walk-On (41:37), and much more.
The Walk-On - IMDB Page
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On this episode, host Justin Hong interviews former pro basketball player Benji Kil about his athletic journey and basketball career.
During this episode, Benji talks about his family’s background, growing up in Michigan, and playing a bunch of sports in his childhood (2:09), finding basketball when he was living in Los Angeles pursuing child acting, and the early days of his basketball career (6:27).
Benji discusses his high school basketball career (11:03), his experiences with college basketball recruiting, and his pursuit of a college basketball career (21:09) before walking away from the game to focus on bodybuilding (28:48).
He discusses when he started thinking about getting back into basketball again (31:45), a workout that he participated in for the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Developmental League (now known as the NBA G-League) team that built buzz for him (37:15), his pro basketball experiences, including playing overseas in multiple countries and also attending training camp with the Orlando Magic (42:13), what he’s up to now with basketball training and running his own AAU team (51:14), and much more.
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On this episode, host Justin Hong interviews quarterback Jameson Wang about his athletic journey and football career.
During the episode, Jameson talks about his background, playing sports in his childhood, and his early experiences playing football (3:20).
He also shares his experiences playing high school football in LA (8:40), working with trainers to develop his football skills and athletic ability (13:42), his experiences with college football recruiting (14:34), and how he navigated the publicity associated with being a star high school football quarterback (16:07).
He gives us an inside look at his college football career so far (17:07), the experience of being the QB1 for a D1 college football program (21:05), and a typical day in the life of a college football player (22:04).
He also discusses his long-term aspirations for his football career (28:06), advice for the next generation of Asian American football players (29:59), signing an NIL deal with Degree and being part of their 'Breaking Limits' campaign (31:15), and much more.
Jameson Wang Player Page - Cornell University
Jameson Wang - Wikipedia Page
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews Garrick Chan about his athletic journey, running career, and Asian Athlete Spotlight, which showcases Asian athletes in a variety of sports.
During the interview, Garrick talks about his backstory, growing up in the Bay Area, and when he started running (2:08), his high school running experience at Saratoga High School - including being the captain and one of the top runners on the team (4:52), and the highlight of his school career (9:40).
He also talks about walking onto the San Jose State men's cross country team (11:40), what his daily routine looked like as a D1 college athlete (15:00), and his career highlight as a collegiate runner (17:11).
Garrick also discusses his post-college running pursuits and running for track clubs (20:46), his long-term aspirations for his running career (24:25), what inspired him to launch Asian Athlete Spotlight and the purpose of the community (29:05), and much more.
Garrick Chan - San Jose State Men's Cross Country Profile Page
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On this episode, host Justin Hong interviews basketball coach Marshall Cho about his story and coaching journey.
Marshall talks about his family background, immigrating from South Korea to Oregon as a child, and how he first fell in love with basketball (3:07), his playing career and breaking stereotypes as a 3-sport varsity athlete & team captain (5:09), and starting his career off as an educator with Teach for America (11:00).
He also discusses the power of relationships (17:14), his early experiences with coaching basketball, including teaching basketball while living in Mozambique (21:12), and landing basketball coaching opportunities back in the US - first at DeMatha Catholic High School in Maryland as an assistant coach and then eventually Lake Oswego High School in Oregon as the head boys basketball coach (35:51).
He shares his long-term coaching aspirations (50:38), his experience as an Asian American basketball coach (53:35), seeing more Asian Americans entering the world of coaching and honoring the Asian American coaches who came before him (56:14), and advice for up and coming Asian American coaches (58:50) and basketball players (1:03:20), and much more.
(Listener note: at the time of the recording of this interview, Marshall was the head boys basketball coach at Lake Oswego High School; he has recently resigned from this position to pursue new challenges and help grow the game of basketball in Oregon and abroad. Best wishes, Marshall!)
Coach Marshall Cho - USA Basketball
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On this episode, host Justin Hong interviews Christian Juzang about his basketball career and journey.
Christian talks about his backstory, growing up in LA, and the beginnings of his basketball journey (2:45), how coaches and trainers helped him with his basketball development (6:33), how he landed at Viewpoint School to play high school basketball (10:53), and his high school basketball experience in one of the most competitive high school leagues in the country, including becoming the captain of the team as a sophomore and winning a league championship with his team (12:30).
He also talks about his college recruiting experience, landing college offers, and committing to Harvard (20:51) and his college basketball experience at Harvard, including being part of a top-10 recruiting class, earning a spot in the rotation, becoming a starter, and winning Ivy League championships (24:52).
He also shares how he ended up playing pro basketball in the Vietnam Basketball Association, the experience of playing in Vietnam, the love that he experienced from the fans (34:33), the experience of seeing his brother Johnny play in the NBA (44:45), and much more.
Christian Juzang Player Page - Harvard University
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews former pro basketball player and coach Sabatino Chen about his athletic journey.
During the interview, Sabatino shares his backstory, family background, and when he started playing basketball (2:43), his high school basketball experience at Monarch High School in Colorado and how he elevated his game by playing with more experienced players (5:10), when he started thinking that playing college basketball was a possibility (7:42), and his recruiting experiences with colleges (10:57).
He talks about playing at the University of Denver for his freshman and sophomore seasons (13:58), transferring to the University of Colorado (17:22), playing in the Pac-12 (19:55), playing at big-time venues and in front of raucous crowds (20:50), what it’s like to play in the NCAA Tournament and helping CU win the Pac-12 Tournament his junior season (23:23), and highlights from his senior season, including a wild game against an undefeated Arizona team (25:19).
He also gives us an inside look at the process of becoming a professional basketball player overseas (29:12), working with an agent who helped connect him with a pro team in Taiwan (30:55), what it’s like to be a professional basketball player (33:12), his favorite memories from playing in Taiwan (35:32), coaching pro basketball (37:03), his experience as an Asian American athlete (42:58), and much more.
Sabatino Chen Player Page - University of Colorado
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews former college football player Pranav Iyer about his football journey, sports journalism career, and media company AMAZN HQ, which covers and highlights Asian American athletes.
During the interview, Pranav talks about his family’s background, growing up in the Bay Area, and how he first discovered football (2:50), the early days of his football career (5:45), and his high school football experience, including his training program, playing a variety of positions, and how he improved his football skills (7:55).
He also shares his recruiting experiences and the value of attending football camps (13:08), his favorite memory from his high school career (21:52), how he decided to attend Chapman University to play football (23:35), his college football experience at Chapman (23:35), and what it was like to be an Asian American football player (35:25).
Pranav also discusses his sports journalism career and why he decided to launch AMAZN HQ in 2019 (41:45), the first AMAZN All-Star basketball showcase in 2022 (48:45), exciting plans for AMAZN coming up in the near future as well as his long-term vision for AMAZN (53:55), and much more.
Pranav Iyer Player Page - Chapman University
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On this episode, host Justin Hong interviews former world champion baton twirler Monica Lee. During her illustrious career, Monica competed for years on national and international stages and became a world champion baton twirler.
In this episode, Monica talks about her childhood and how she got started with baton twirling (2:10) and educates us about baton twirling as a sport, including what baton twirlers do during competitions, the athletic skills that baton twirlers utilize, how baton twirling performances are scored, the different types of baton twirling events, and where the sport is most popular (7:25).
She also talks about the incredible support she received from her family as she pursued her career as a baton twirler (17:55), the level of commitment required to be a competitive baton twirler (20:20), and her training program and practice schedule as she strove to be one of the best baton twirlers in the world (25:30).
Monica also discusses the experiences of winning the first competition she ever competed in (28:18), competing with her brother Jason as a pair (30:55), representing the US at world championship events, including some of her most memorable moments (36:.50), and much more.
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On this episode, host Justin Hong interviews tech executive, business leader, and former competitive tennis player Anand Tharanathan.
During the interview, Anand talks about his backstory and how he got started playing tennis (2:23), his tennis career, training routine, diet & nutrition, and more (4:12), coming to the precipice of a pro tennis career before ultimately choosing not to pursue that route (8:30).
He also reflects back on the decision not to pursue a pro career (17:15) and shares lessons that he’s taken from his tennis career that he has applied in his business career (19:15) and in leadership (24:35).
He also discusses his admiration for Roger Federer (26:27), best practices that he’s implemented to help him grow as a business leader (29:05), and more.
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On this episode, host Justin Hong is joined by Asian Canadians Balraj Jutla and Sukh Sidhu to discuss sports in Canada, Asian Canadian athletes, the growing sports culture in South Asian communities, and more.
During this episode, Balraj and Sukh talk about Jeremy Lin and the impact of Linsanity on Asian Canadians (4:33), their own backstories growing up on opposite coasts in Canada, how they started following and playing sports, and the impact of sports on their lives (11:08), and the most popular sports in Canada (20:00).
They also discuss some of the most prominent Canadian athletes (26:25), South Asian Canadian athletes (29:32), what’s happening at the grassroots level in sports with South Asian communities in Canada (34:27), how sports can lead to lifelong relationships and friendships with people from all different backgrounds (44:45), and much more.
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On this episode, host Justin Hong interviews world champion powerlifter Newton Cheng about his powerlifting story and his journey to becoming a mental health advocate.
In his powerlifting career, Newton has set multiple world, US, and California state records and is a world-and 4-time US national champion. He's also currently the Director of Health & Performance at Google - where he’s spent 14 years developing, launching, and scaling global programs aimed at helping Google employees thrive.
During the interview, Newton talks about his backstory, his relationship with sports growing up, and how he got started with powerlifting (2:25), powerlifting basics, including the three lifts in powerlifting, how scoring in powerlifting works, etc. (10:20), and how welcoming the powerlifting community has been to Asian Americans (14:10).
He also shares his first powerlifting competition experiences (16:40) and how he decided to pursue a career in powerlifting (20:15), the highlights of his career, including winning national and world championships (23:55), and his aspirations for his powerlifting career (25:40).
Newton also talks about what he does as the Director of Health & Performance at Google to support the physical, mental, social, and spiritual health of Google employees (28:05) and shares his own mental health journey and how he has become a mental health advocate (30:05), how he has changed his mindset during powerlifting competitions (40:00), and much more.
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On this episode, host Justin Hong interviews former D1 college track & field athlete and cross country runner Bismillah Alidost about his athletic journey.
During his athletic career, Bismillah was a D1 collegiate athlete at Virginia Commonwealth University (also known as VCU) where he was on the track & field and cross country teams. In track & field, he competed in events such as the 800-meter run, 1000-meter run, 1500-meter run, mile run, 4x400 relay, and more. In cross country, he competed in events such as the 6K, 8K, and 10K.
Following his collegiate career, he served as an assistant track & field coach at Virginia Union.
During the interview, Bismillah talks about his backstory and how he first got into long-distance running (2:20) and his high school athletic experience, including his training regimen and the importance of time management (6:40).
He also shares his experience with trying out for VCU’s cross country team, his attempt to walk on to the team his freshman year (14:10), implementing a training program that he put together (19:40), which helped him to successfully make the team his sophomore year (22:25), an inside look on the life of a D1 track & field athlete and cross country runner (24:35), the highlight of his college career (28:00), what he did to separate himself from his competition (30:10), his coaching career at Virginia Union (32:15), and much more.
Bismillah Alidost's VCU Track & Field Profile Page
Bismillah Alidost's VCU Cross Country Profile Page
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On this episode, host Justin Hong interviews competitive disc golfer Kathryn Tang. Kathryn has played in 8 disc golf events so far at the pro level, highlighted by a 2nd place finish this year at the Canadian National Championships event.
In this interview, Kathryn talks about her background playing sports and how she got started playing disc golf (2:00), disc golf basics - rules and objective of the sport, where tournaments take place, the biggest disc golf events, etc. (4:25), and how to get started playing disc golf (8:45).
She also shares her path going from playing disc golf as a hobby to playing competitive disc golf on the Pro Disc Golf Tour (9:45), how her disc golf game and skill level has improved (15:55), her experience being a female Asian Canadian disc golfer (20:05), her aspirations for her disc golf career (23:30), and much more.
Kathryn Tang’s Pro Disc Golf Association Player Page
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In this episode, co-hosts Justin Hong and Patrick Pratumrat interview former professional football player Emmanuel Moody about his athletic career.
During the interview, Emmanuel shares how he first got started playing football and his experience playing football during his childhood (3:55), his breakout game in high school that put him on the recruiting map and set up his football career - and how his life changed after this game (15:35), and his training regimen in high school (22:20).
He talks about his recruiting experiences and how he ultimately decided to attend USC (27:10), his freshman year at USC (27:10), transferring to Florida and the experience of being a football player there, including being on a National Championship-winning team (38:05), and being an Asian American football player (43:05).
He also gives an inside look at his professional football experience, including his time in the NFL (44:05), how he came to the decision to walk away from football (1:00:40), how he got into private coaching and speed training for other athletes (1:02:10), and much more.
Emmanuel Moody’s Wikipedia Page
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On this episode, host Justin Hong interviews former professional badminton player Brittney Tam. During her illustrious career, Brittney achieved a #2 ranking in Canada and #40 worldwide ranking for women’s singles & mixed doubles. She was selected as 1 of 10 athletes to compete for Team Canada’s National Badminton Team, and she won 7 national titles and 16 international titles, playing in high-profile tournaments like the Pan Am Championships and Commonwealth Games. She also played professional badminton in Denmark.
In this episode, Brittney talks about how she got introduced to badminton in her childhood (2:25), the sport of badminton, the biggest badminton events and competitions, where badminton is most popular, etc. (5:40), her training and skills development regimens (12:50), and how she started representing Canada in international tournaments (18:45).
She also shares what led to her decision to turn pro and the process of becoming a pro badminton player (22:05), an inside look at what her life was like as a pro badminton player in Denmark (27:45), her experiences as a female Asian-Canadian athlete (32:15), how she decided to walk away from badminton (36:30), and much more.
Brittney Tam's Wikipedia Page
Please help support this podcast by:
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On this episode, Justin Hong is joined by AAPI and business leader Dennis Yu to talk about his love of basketball, the new Jeremy Lin documentary 38 at the Garden (which was recently released on HBO), and the impact and legacy of Linsanity.
During this episode, Dennis shares his backstory and why basketball was so important to him while he was growing up (2:45), when he first heard of Jeremy Lin and the emotions that he felt watching Jeremy play early in his NBA career (8:55), Jeremy’s incredible transformation as an NBA player (10:50), and the exhilaration and excitement that Asian Americans felt during Linsanity (13:05).
Next, Dennis shares his thoughts on key moments and themes from 38 at the Garden, including a potential paradigm shift within Asian American parents (16:50), how Asian Americans can feel more included and seen by others (22:30), not having to feel ashamed to be Asian American anymore (26:45), why a particular moment right before Jeremy hit a game-winning shot was so meaningful to Asian Americans (30:35), and much more.
Please help support this podcast by:
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In this episode, host Justin Hong interviews former professional baseball player Danny Oh about his baseball career. During the interview, Danny talks about his childhood and playing sports at an early age (3:10), how playing tennis as a kid helped him develop as a baseball player later on (4:30), the start of his baseball career and making his local Little League team (6:45), his practice & training routines as a kid (9:55), and hitting 32 home runs as a 12-year old in Little League and starting to get recognition for his baseball talent (11:15).
He also walks us through his incredible high school career during which he become the number one baseball recruit in the state of Washington (13:20), factors that really helped elevate him as a player and exposure to scouts (17:10), his recruiting experience, including getting recruited by over 100 colleges (20:10), exploring the route of entering the MLB draft straight out of high school (22:50) before ultimately making the decision to attend UC-Berkeley (24:05), and the experience of being a highly-recruited Asian American baseball prospect (27:05).
He shares what a day in the life of a D1 college baseball player looks like (29:00), the story of his first college at-bat (32:20), consistently adding skills and addressing weaknesses to grow as a ball player (34:20), overcoming the challenging times during his college career (36:00), and what it felt like to get drafted by the New York Yankees (44:30).
Danny then takes us through a day in the life of a minor league baseball player (47:40), his 4 seasons playing in the Yankees minor league system (51:35), transitioning from the Yankees to the Oakland A’s organization (53:20), playing his final year of pro baseball for the St. Paul Saints of the American Association (56:20), his decision to retire as a baseball player (57:35), his relationship with the sport of baseball now and transitioning into a career in business (58:25), and much more.
Danny Oh’s Cal Baseball Player Page
Danny Oh’s Minor League Baseball Player Page
Please help support this podcast by:
- Rating & reviewing the show on Apple, Spotify, and wherever you listen to this podcast
- Subscribing to this podcast so that you know when the next episode is ready
- Following the show's Instagram page @theasianamericanathlete
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On this episode, host Justin Hong interviews dragon boat athlete Fiona Chan. Fiona paddled for Western University in Canada and is now competing at the Premier Level of dragon boating with her team, the Outer Harbor Warriors. Her team recently won silver at the 2022 Canadian Dragon Boat Championships.
In this episode, Fiona shares her background and how playing sports helped her develop self-confidence (2:18), dragon boating basics, such as how many paddlers are on a team, where races take place, the main dragon boating events, what the Premier Level of dragon boating is, etc. (5:40), what sparked her initial interest in dragon boating (11:20), as well as what led to her decision to compete at the Premier Level (13:17).
She also talks about her training, nutrition, sleep, and recovery strategies (15:35), her aspirations to make the Under 24 Team Canada dragon boat team (19:15), why she is so motivated to excel at her sport (21:33), her experience being a female Asian athlete (22:05), how she incorporates discipline into her training (29:30), her best piece of advice for aspiring Asian Canadian and Asian American athletes (30:55), and much more.
On this episode, host Justin Hong interviews Eddie Hsieh who was a power-hitting catcher for Cal during his illustrious baseball career; he was also the captain of the team his senior season.
Prior to playing at Cal, he was a first-team junior college All-American at San Jose City College and 4X first-team all-league selection at Pioneer High School in San Jose. He is now an eCommerce technology entrepreneur.
During this episode, Eddie talks about when he first started playing sports (4:20), his high school training regimen (11:00), how training with private coaches helped him develop as a hitter and catcher (12:50), his recruiting experience as a high school player (17:00), his experience playing at San Jose City College during his freshman & sophomore seasons (21:50), and how one of his coaches at San Jose City College helped him get noticed by Cal and other D1 programs (23:50).
He also shares his experience playing baseball at Cal (28:30) and being the captain of the Cal team his senior year (34:45), talking to MLB teams - but ultimately deciding not to pursue a professional baseball career (36:45), finding peace with his baseball career (39:15), being an Asian American athlete in high school & college (40:30), his one piece of advice for Asian American athletes (45:20), and much more.
Eddie Hsieh's Player Page at Cal
Host Justin Hong is joined by Patrick Pratumrat on this first edition of “Prospect Watch,” which aims to provide visibility to up-and-coming Asian American athletes.
On this episode, they shine the spotlight on 11 electrifying, young baseball, basketball, and football players they’re excited about: high school baseball players MJ & Minjae Seo (4:03), college football quarterbacks Tyler Buchner (8:15) and Jameson Wang (11:05), college basketball players Kayleigh & Kaylynne Truong (12:57), pro basketball players about to enter their rookie NBA seasons Johnny Juzang (17:52) and Jaylin Williams (21:55), recent MLB first round pick and pitcher Kumar Rocker (25:44), NFL rookie safety Kyle Hamilton (30:12), and MLB rookie outfielder Steven Kwan (35:07).
In this introduction to The Asian American Athlete, host Justin Hong shares his own journey as an Asian American athlete (1:45) and does a deep dive into the reasons why he doesn’t think he reached his potential as an athlete - including a lack of skill development despite a strong work ethic (4:45), not having the institutional knowledge of how to get to the next level (5:50), and not feeling empowered as an athlete due to lack of support, low confidence, and emotional baggage. (6:55).
He also talks about why he’s launching The Asian American Athlete (14:32) and gives a preview of the type of content that the podcast will feature, including interviews with Asian American athletes who have reached the collegiate or professional levels and other guests who can educate the audience on institutional sports knowledge and how to overcome stereotypes, biases, and challenges specific to Asian American athletes(15:37).