Inside JMS

Kevin Stoker

Welcome to Inside JMS the stories behind the people who work at the Hank Greenspun School of Journalism and Media Studies. I'm Kevin Stoker, I'm the director of the school. Today we have Kevaney Martin, visiting lecturer and sports media and we're excited to have you here, Kevaney.

Kevaney Martin

Thanks so much for having me. I'm super excited to be here today.

Kevin Stoker

So now we have to ask the challenging question right off the get go. So is Kevaney a driver or a three point shooter?

Kevaney Martin

That's a great question. Because I'm originally early on in my career, I was a slasher, I had a crazy fast first step, I was able to blow by my defender. But after six knee surgeries, I had to change my game. And I became the traditional run the baseline, shoot threes. So yeah, it's a great question, because a lot of people don't phrase it that way. But yeah, my game has evolved. So now, I would say I'm more of a traditional three points, that shooter.

Kevin Stoker

So tell me how kind of your experience of Monmouth College or University as four years as division one basketball, yeah. Tell me how that experience kind of translated into your media career. And were, you know, what was it that? Did you start out thinking, I'm going to be a journalist and a sports figure, or did you start out thinking, you know, kind of go into sports and say, Oh, journalists might be a good idea.

Kevaney Martin

Yeah. So a lot like a lot of athletes. My dream was to be a professional basketball player. That's what I want it to be. So my entire, you know, from second grade on my life revolved around basketball year round, AAU, all through high school, I started to gain traction in my sophomore year, was ranked as the top 50 sophomores in Pennsylvania. But heading into my Yeah, it was it was exciting. I was getting rec, you know, looks by Bucknell Lehigh, Penn State, Penn State was my dream school, actually. And then heading into my junior year of high school was when I suffered my first knee injury, which was like the worst thing. And a lot of Deewan schools, just you know how it is. It's a business. They just completely forget about you move on to the next player. Thankfully, Monmouth University kept their interest believed in me. And I ended up signing with them. And it's kind of the cliche where it's like, everything happens for a reason, right. And I had the best experience at Monmouth. Like you said, I know going in that I want to be a journalist 100% in my seat, yearbook my senior year, it was like, What do you want to be when you grow up and it was either a professional basketball player at that point, my knees were pretty much gone. So I was like, I just want to make it through college on a full ride. But I put sports columnists so I always knew I wanted to get into sports writings, that type of thing. Never TV that was never on my mind until about my senior year of college. And that's when I kind of gave it a try and haven't looked back since.

Kevin Stoker

So tell me about that. So was it a real fascination with writing? Or was it just kind of like, I want to be in on what's going on?

Kevaney Martin

Yeah. So I bought obviously, since I had that background in basketball, you know, my whole life, my family, all athletes. So growing up, it was just a house full of athletes, right? So I had that athletic background and then also, my family. I come from a family of writers. on my mom's side, my family owned a newspaper in Titusville, Pennsylvania for decades. DNA Yes. So I always had that like writing Jeanne and always wanted to be a writer. And my mom's a writer and that type of thing. My sister writes a lot. So it kind of was just the perfect marriage as far as my two passions in life writing and sports and then kind of came into one

Kevin Stoker

then how did the broadcasting element enter, enter the picture,

Kevaney Martin

literally out of the blue, like I said, so going into my senior year of college at Monmouth,

Kevin Stoker

someone said to me, so this is senior year of college. Yeah, senior year of high school, though. So I

Kevaney Martin

had majored like, I was the sports editor of our student newspaper, like that was, that's what I wanted to do. I wanted to write and like I said, going into my senior year at Monmouth, they someone said, like, Hey, have you ever thought about giving TV a try? And I was like, No, you know, I absolutely not. So similar to here at UNLV, the rebel report, we had a student run sport show, Hawk vision, and I was like, you know, tried it out and I literally was like, This is what I want to do. But you know, you're heading in your final year of college, I had no experience so it was like learn on the fly type thing. But it was it was worth it.

Kevin Stoker

So now tell me how you got your first job and

Kevaney Martin

that's also an interesting story. So like I said, I didn't know what a real was didn't know what a vo was package, you know, all the, the terminology. So, you know, the, the professors in that field and some of the students helped me put together this reel that I mean, we threw this reel together like I still Have it and I watched it back a couple months ago. And I was like, yikes, I sent that out. But you know, that's, that's how it is you learn you grow and everything. So it's kind of, in a way, in a sense, it's kind of beautiful to look back on it and be like, Oh my gosh, I've grown so much right. And back then I thought it was like the best real I was like, Oh, I'm, you know, this is gonna get me. So I didn't have experience and I knew I just wanted to get in the door, like I was willing to do anything. So I sent my reel out to a couple places. And the first station I heard back from was case, FYI, the ABC affiliate in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Eric Dorsen. Sin is the sports director out there. Still a huge mentor for me to this day, he reached out and said, Hey, I saw your reel. You know, you're super raw. You You know, you have a lot of work to do, but we're willing to work with you. We can't offer you anything but an unpaid sports internship at the time. Monmouth University is in New Jersey. I'm from Pennsylvania, right? And I told my parents, I was like, I'm moving to Sioux Falls for an unpaid sports internship. They're like, go for it. You'd already graduate already graduated. And they're like, you don't want to you don't want to wait around to see if anyone offers you something paid. And I was, I don't know. It's like one of those things. How I ended up at Monmouth it felt like was right. In my heart. I was like, This just feels right. So I packed up my car didn't know a single soul. In Sioux Falls, South Dakota drove out there. Worked at this I can't remember the name of it is like, it's like a, you know, Midwest like old restaurant to get, you know, to make ends meet, you know, to pay to be out there to get gas and all this stuff. One of the sports reporters lived there. And he let me move in him and his wife and his kids. And they let me move into their basement for free. So I lived in their basement for free. Yeah, it was just like a family. This is cool. It was cool. So they let me they basically what I did, I was that annoying intern, I did everything anything they wanted so that I could gain the experience and move up. So I was only out there for nine months. And then

Kevin Stoker

you were unpaid, the full nine months working at a restaurant and at

Kevaney Martin

a restaurant to pay for my gas because like I said, I the living was free. They were like, Yeah, move in. You know, we've had interns before moving to our basement. They were awesome. That the thing was, they're like, you just have to babysit our kids on the weekend. So we can have date night and I was like deal. Like it was amazing. So yeah, they worked out perfectly. But in those nine months, since it was such a small market, I got anchoring experience, I got reporting experience everything. So I built this reel that was actually, you know, worth sending out to other markets.

Kevin Stoker

So tell us why when you left after nine months, it was kind of like to go to another job. You found a job.

Kevaney Martin

Yeah. And Bay Area, California. So again, kind of similar situation as mommoth, I started to send my reel out this one, you know, there was a lot more substance behind it. And, you know, I at least I looked like I knew what I was doing. Or you know, I felt like a little bit better about this. And I don't know if you guys have heard of the high school sports show in the Bay Area. It's called Cal Hi, sports Bay Area. It's a regional sports show. The founder of that. So it airs on Comcast, Sportsnet, California. So it's like a great opportunity for like young journalists to get their foot in like a big market, right to get like to get your foot in the Bay area of California people like start there. And they spend their whole career that right, like they don't leave. So he reached out. So my real I went for an interview and got the job out there. So when from Sioux Falls to the Bay Area,

Dave Nourse

that's a huge jump. Yeah, yeah. Oh, I

Kevaney Martin

was nervous and excited. And it was a great experience covering high school sports out there. It's kind of similar to Texas. You have De LaSalle, who has like a Netflix special about them. So yeah, it was just a really cool experience out there.

Dave Nourse

How do you feel the experience you had in Sioux Falls really set you up for a career? Because that's what you were building? Whether you knew it or not, I mean, you were you were learning the ropes. You were learning how broadcasting worked. But it obviously positioned you in such a way so that when you sent your reel off to one of the top 10 markets in the United States, they took you seriously. Yeah. How did how did that? I've got two questions here. Number one, was that really what you were going for at the time? Or did it not really occur to you until later that I'm building a career right now? And does that same pathway exist today for our students that are going through our program right now? And, you know, if it's changed, if it shifted? I'd be curious, your take on both of those.

Kevaney Martin

Yeah, so the first question, you know, at the time, I really didn't, I just saw an opportunity and I was like, Eric Dorsen son's giving me this opportunity and I'm gonna take it and it was it's tough and and I try to explain this to my students and you know, the younger generation that I've mentor, you know, when you first start off in the business, first off, you have to be willing to do you know, go anywhere, a lot of times you know, you're you have you see ESPN and you see these network shows, right and you're like I that's what I want to do, but it takes time like don't get me wrong, there are people that break into the business and they go straight to network. And, you know, that's amazing, right? But the majority of us have to start small and we have to be willing to go to the Sioux Falls is to the Omaha's to in do everything, produce, edit, you know, show that you can do everything break into the business, get your hands dirty. So at the time, to go back to your question, no, I, you know, it was kind of just more of like, okay, this is an opportunity. But then another aspect of it, and I try to, you know, tell my students is enjoy the journey. And I know, it's so hard because you like, you're like, Okay, I'm gonna go here, I'm, I'm gonna give myself a year to grow, I want to go to the next I want to go to the next. But to this day, the best experience I've had in this business is Sioux Falls without a doubt it like, I look back at that time, and I'm like, I wish I would have just sat back and enjoyed it more, right? Because I was looking so far, like, Okay, I got to do this to get here, I got to do this. And I know, it's so hard, because a lot of times, you know, Ben, when you've experienced it, you can look back, and I try to just tell my students, you know, especially the ones that are getting into those small markets. Now, I'm like, enjoy it. I know, like, this isn't the end all be all for you. But while you're there take the moments to really enjoy being in the small markets and getting your hands dirty. And what was the second part of the question?

Dave Nourse

Well, I'm curious, you know, you graduated and went on a career trajectory that I think was very common, right? You start in a small market, you get your reps in, you start putting a package together, or reel together, that's gonna get you into a larger market. Right. But the industry has changed a lot. Right. And I'm curious, you know, as you're talking to your students, and you're sharing with them what you've been sharing with us in this podcast today, you know, does that model still exist today? And, you know, what other insights have you gleaned along the way that you're sharing with your students about? You know, this was the career trajectory in the past? Maybe things are a little bit different right now?

Kevaney Martin

Yeah, I think in a way, it does still exist. You know, you still have that local news mindset where, you know, if you want to get to those bigger top five markets, you have to pay your dues, right, in the smaller 100 markets in the Sioux Falls, markets. But also, when I graduated, you know, the Twitter and all of that was just starting, right. So now you can literally leave college and get hired as an NFL, you know, digital reporter straight out of college, which was unheard of, you know, for me, so, I like to tell my students that you have you guys have a prime prime opportunity right now. Like, where are you guys are at the opportunities. One, it's super competitive, too, though. I mean, the opportunities are endless across the board. If you, you know, digital reporting was never wasn't a thing five years ago, right? Now you can have a full time job as a digital reporter, and, you know, put together some really solid work and have millions of views 1000s, hundreds of 1000s of views over the internet. So, to go back to your point, I think that model still does exist in some aspects. But also, there's a new model, you know, and it's ever changing as far as the opportunities where, you know, you can go straight from UNLV to being the Raiders digital reporter, which is, you know, if you, if you really think about it, that's that's a crazy jump right to go from being a student to an NFL digital reporter. So, but it's not unheard of. So I think I, you know, I like to tell my students that, you know, it's exciting for you guys right now. Like, the opportunities are endless. And I, you know, it's, it's interesting, it's really fun to be a part of, you know, helping them get to that level.

Kevin Stoker

Well, tell us about that, that career path and what you feel like you've picked out from each of those jobs that you have.

Kevaney Martin

Yeah. So from Sioux Falls, I went to the Bay Area. And that was more of like a regional like I said sports show, and that wasn't nightly. So it was a weekly sports show that aired every Sunday. It was an hour show. So it was different than like the quick deadlines, right? So we had a week to work on stories we had like, and that was also a really cool experience, because I got to work on my news writing because instead of trying to turn these stories daily, you know, you had a week to work on a three minute package, like a really inspirational story about a high school athlete that you found right though, overcame these odds, starting quarterback, you know, these really cool stories. So I was always kind of I look back, I was always kind of grateful to go from like that unpaid sports internship where, you know, you're getting anchor experience reporter experience and you're seeing like a live newsroom to the Bay Area, which was a huge market, but it kind of slowed down for me, you know, because it was an hour show weekly hour show where, you know, you really got to work on certain aspects of your like on air. Our shows weren't live. So all of them were pre taped, so you got to work on stuff. Not pre taped. So then I built another real right so that you know, you're always looking for the next move. And then I moved back east after that to Virginia, and worked for the fox affiliate out there covering ACC football, basketball, and that was Joe So that was coming from the basketball background. It was heaven on earth. It was a city in Virginia. Roanoke. Oh, Roanoke. Yeah, so my main teams were Virginia Tech, Virginia, Wake Forest. Those were like the three majors that we because they were in our viewing area, and, you know, got to cover Duke UNC, and it was just a blast. So, I made I went back to like the News Live, bigger market, right, bigger teams. And then here to Vegas. So to go back to your question. I mean, I just, I feel like, you know, each stop, shaped me in a different way. Right. Like I said, it wasn't a live show in California. And then we went to Virginia, and it was back to a live newsroom with bigger market, more viewers, and then over to Vegas. And yeah, so I think I think I picked up something along the way.

Dave Nourse

I want to shift gears, someone and talk about this latest part of your career trajectory, being here at UNLV. So you are coming in as our lead sports media, instructor Caveny. And we've been building a program for the past few years. And we're really excited because sports in Las Vegas is obviously, this is a prime market. So as you've been integrating here into the faculty and looking at the curriculum and thinking about things, I want to know, number one, what's most surprised you, as you've made the shift from kind of being in a broadcast position where you know, whether you're going weekly, or you're going daily, but now you're working with students, and they've got their, you know, we're teaching them about kind of the same things. So what surprised you about making the jump to education?

Kevaney Martin

I think how advanced and ready the students are, you know, I've obviously, I'm teaching a 300 and a 400. Class, so they're kind of later on in their college careers. But I've been blown away. And I'm not just saying this, you know, when we first had, when I've had my first meeting with the rebel report, which obviously is our sports show here, at UNLV. We did like anchor auditions and all this stuff. And you know, I didn't want to blow them up too big. But I was telling them I was like, I am blown away. I know for a fact that myself, you know, I was never at the level that they are, you know, so, you know, it excited me. And, you know, I kind of like challenged them. I'm like, I know that we can not only be Emmy nominated, but we could win an Emmy like so they you know, I challenged them after I saw the talent, we are in the room. So I think that's what has most surprised me is not that I didn't think that there, you know that there was going to be talent, right? Like I was just, I came in as a blank slate. I didn't know what to expect, right? Like, I was just like, you know, I'm here, I'm, I want to shape the next generation. I want it, you know, I want to have a hand in, you know, helping mold them and so that they're ready for the you know, the career jump. But yeah, I think that's what is most surprised me is the level of talent in the room.

Dave Nourse

One of the questions that Kevin, I typically ask folks on the podcast, and I think it's a little too early for you to completely formulated that. But we asked about kind of teaching philosophy. And you're obviously early on in, in this teaching career of yours, but based upon your first month working in the classroom, working with students both in the classroom, but as well as kind of rebel rapport in the student organization. As you think about what your teaching philosophy is, what do you want it to be? Maybe this is more of a Where do and again, this isn't set in stone. And this is something that all of us continually refine, but you know, how do you want your teaching philosophy to be, especially as students are thinking about? Hmm, do I want to work with Professor Mark?

Kevaney Martin

Wright? Um, that's a great question. Because I mean, technically, I'm still a rookie, right? Like, this is my rookie year. So, I mean, you know, as I like you said, as I start to get more comfortable, and you know, as I build up classes and get some experience behind me, what I try to reiterate to my students, especially in those early classes, is you guys were good. You're getting into a field that is fun, right? At the end of the day, everyone in this room, especially in Rebel report, you guys want to talk about sports for a living. So don't take yourself too seriously. You know, sometimes we get bogged down with perfection and what's next? And, you know, I even have that where I'm like, Okay, I am teaching them, you know, I'm there. You know, for a lot of these students, this is their last stop before they hit the real world. So that's a lot of pressure to put on yourself, right? But then at the end of day, I'm like, Okay, we're talking sports here, like, you know, so, you know, obviously, you have to get them ready for, you know, being in the real world being in a real newsroom. Knowing the technicalities, knowing the verbiage like vos pack, you know, that type of stuff, but at the end of the day, I keep reminding them like, let's have fun with it. You know, viewers pick up on that readers pick on board that, you know, the people that succeed in this business are the ones that you know, have fun with it. Obviously talent, you know, shines and all that but Um, I've been in the business long enough where the most memorable people I've worked with people that, you know, I look up to, while their talent obviously, you know, is apparent. They, they don't take themselves too seriously the and the ones that, you know, kind of sit by the wayside. It's like why, you know, we're we're talking about, you know, for sports for a living, we get to, you know, we get to do a lot of people's dream jobs. So that's what I keep, you know, they're in a great position, like I said earlier, and I keep reminding them that, like, you guys are in an awesome position to move into the real world and, and get these awesome jobs that people are like, Oh, that's my dream job. Right. And so they're, they're sitting in these prime positions, and I just, so that's kind of, I don't know, if that's really a philosophy, like, I guess you could say, so. Have fun with it. But you know, but, you know, obviously, it's, it's still a business and it's still a career. So you know, it's not like, joking, but also, you know, like, at the end of the day, have fun with it. Does that make sense? Did I did I explain that right?

Kevin Stoker

Well, you know, one of the things that made me think about is tell us about your mentors who have been the key mentors in your career.

Kevaney Martin

Yeah, I've been lucky to have some really good ones. Linda Cohn from ESPN. She's been there. She's amazing. And she actually has some connections with Vegas, obviously, through the NHL, she's called a few games here in Vegas. So she's really helped me along the way.

Kevin Stoker

Now, how did you meet Linda through the internet?

Kevaney Martin

I reached out. I literally, I was young. And I just said, Hey, this is so random. Can you look at my reel, you know, one of those things? And I was like, it's Linda Cohn. She's never sure, no problem. Let me get back to you, you know, all this stuff. And I was like, what? Like, that's, like, so special when, you know, these people get to that level where it's like, you know, they're known nationally, right. And for her to like, me, I was, what, two years into the business, and I just happen to reach out to her. I was like, I don't know who you know, I know her from TV. And I think she's amazing. And for her to take the time. I can't even imagine the amount of you know, people might, in that, that reach out to her. So she Yeah, that's amazing. Marshall Harris. He worked at Comcast SportsNet, Philadelphia when I interned there when I was at Monmouth. So yeah, along the way, like I said, Eric Thorson, who's the sports director at in Sioux Falls. So along the way, I've always picked up like, just people that have always been in my corner, right, that will look at my real will reach out to someone if you know, I need a contact. So yeah, I've been super lucky in my career to have people like stand behind me.

Kevin Stoker

Has it been a benefit to come out of the sports world? I mean, there's a lot of our students who want to do sports, but never really did sports at the college level and everything else. So what is it about that that's really been a benefit to you? I think it's the board's as has been a, you know, not been a benefit.

Kevaney Martin

I think it's been a benefit. Yeah. You know, just to have that experience. And I know, it's kind of cheesy, but like, you have that you get that firsthand team camaraderie, you know, at the highest level of college, right? where so much is expected of you and all this stuff. And it's kind of carried over into, you know, like, like a newsroom setting. Right? Like, it's, it's a team at the end of the day. And I'd like I said, I know, it sounds kind of cheesy, but like, you look across in your co host is your teammate, right? Your reporters, your teammate, your photog is, that won't you know, like, so it's all a you know, it's, it's kind of cliche and everything, but I think that's been honestly, the biggest thing for me is just like the set that it's such a similar setting, uh, going from a team to a newsroom and having that same camaraderie and working together. And you know, you all have these assignments. And at the end of the day, if you don't, if you're, if you miss a deadline, you know, you're not only affecting yourself, you're affecting the team, similar as to playing, you know, playing sports, if you have a bad practice, or you don't, you're late to practice or something like that. It affects the whole team. So I think at the end of day, that's kind of what has carried over the most for me. And obviously, you know, that just the experience and having that basketball background helps, too. But yeah, it's definitely been been a benefit.

Kevin Stoker

So one of the interesting things about our sports program and in the students in it, is there's a great number of young women, and what counsel and guidance would you give them as someone who's gone into the sports world gone head to head with all these other sports writers and everything else? And also, you know, you're going, you know, covering football, you're covering all different kinds of sports?

Kevaney Martin

Yeah, um, you know, I say, stand on your own two feet. You know, I think when you gain the most respect is when you have the confidence in yourself that you know, you belong there, right. And it takes time when I graduated from college, you know, especially since I was brand new to TV, I was like, you know, I, I have no idea what I'm doing and, you know, that's kind of what I'm, you know, put it you know, telling these students there in my rebel report that the emails, um, like, you know, at first, it might be intimidating, you might be the only female in that press conference. But no, you belong, you know, you, you belong there just as much as any of these guys do, right? You've done your research, you've covered these teams, you know, the sport inside and out. If you believe that in yourself, it's going to start, you know, what's the word I'm thinking about? It's gonna, you know, other people are going to start catching on. And that's when they, you know, the respects is there. So? Yeah, that's, that's my main message them because a lot of times even now, you know, they seem out of Sure. And I'm like, No, you belong here just as much as the person next to you like it, no, that and it starts inside. So, and I and it's super interesting. And I think this is one of my favorite parts of teaching so far, is seeing the growth of the students. So we had one student audition as an anchor, and you could tell she was little nervous, you know, reading the prompter, and everything, and I pulled her aside, I was like, You got this, you know, you're fine. You're doing great. And she's like, I just don't know what you want. I was like, be yourself. That's what we want, right? Like we're talking sports. So she ended up getting one of the main anchor gigs. And we did our practice show last week. And she was one of the anchors that did the practice read. And the growth she had from the auditions to the first practice show. I was blown away. After class, I pulled her aside and I was like, what changed in a week, I was like, You're, you were so unsure of yourself. You know, not your reads were a little shaky, but I saw the potential in you and and in one week, you became this like, confident like, and she's like, that's what it was, it was me believing in myself that I was supposed to be there. And I was like, I love it. So I think that's been my favorite part so far is just to see the growth, literally in a week. So I'm so excited to see her at the end of the semester, you know, and see the work that she's doing with that. So yeah, that's, um, the main, you know, the one of my favorite things that I'm seeing so far as, as a professor, that's great.

Dave Nourse

You've been really generous telling us about your professional background, but we've reached the point of the show where we have to ask the hard hitting personal questions, Kevin. So I want to know this. And I think See, you touched on this a little bit. Sports is fun, right? And I imagine personally, you still probably enjoy watching sports. If you could watch anything, you could just turn it on, and it would be there. Right? What would it be?

Kevaney Martin

Are you are you saying a particular sport? Are you saying like,

Dave Nourse

it could be a particular sport, it could be a particular event or a tournament, something like that. But it doesn't matter what time of year it is. It's just like, if you could turn it on, it would be on right now. The

Kevaney Martin

NCAA Final Four, men's and women's, women's, okay, there's nothing I mean, man, those right there too. But I will die on this hill. I don't care if it's the Super Bowl. I don't care if it's any PGA major. I mean, you know, the Masters is up there. But there is no greater event in sports in my opinion than March Madness. And the final four is the culmination of that. And oh my gosh, like I even get excited talking about it. So yeah, if there's any sport that I could turn on any day, it'd be women's final for men's final four. Right after that. Masters is a is a is a closer Yeah, there you go. Yeah. I had to put that in there for Kevin. But I did. Yeah, yeah. I'm a big golfer, too, but a Masters, and they're all in the right at the same time, right. So that's like the best time of the year at the end of March, beginning of April. You have the final for the National Championship and the masters and gymnasts gets to call them all. Give me your job, Jim.

Kevin Stoker

Now you come from a family that was really engaged in sports. So tell us a little bit about your family.

Kevaney Martin

Yeah. So actually, I kind of got ahead of myself when I said my house was full of athletes. It was the kids it is so funny, our family dynamic. So my mom and dad are probably two of the most unathletic human beings you'll ever meet in your life. Not even exaggerating. My dad's a judge. My mom is an English teacher. And they're just two bookworms. Right. So when they married and you know, they had kids, four of us for in five and a half years. My two oldest siblings are Irish twins. Yes. So they thought they were going to have a house full of bookworms and just kids that wanted to read and you know, nope, we were the four most energetic crazy athletes. They were like, where did they come from? We didn't play sports. We were kids. So yeah, when I have to backtrack, when I say a house full of athletes, it was the four kids and so all four of us played sports through high school. My sister was an all state runner. My brother played football, basketball, baseball, lettered, and all of those. Of course, my main sport was basketball. So like, yeah, it was just a funny, dynamic and we still joke about it today. We're like, where are we really your kids? Because the athleticism isn't lining up. So it's funny.

Kevin Stoker

So when you get together as a family, is it like a basketball camp or something? Oh, yeah.

Kevaney Martin

Oh, gosh. So my like my dad will play and he thinks he has the Wilt Chamberlain sky Hook and I'm like, Dad, dad, dad, just don't sprain an ankle or and you know, it's like I'm like please no, you know, because he's um, he's tall. That's where I get my height. I'm six one. So my dad he claims at one point that he was six, five. He's shrunk a few inches. Yeah. So he's like six, three and a half. I'm being generous. He's probably like six three, but he's got you know, he's height. He is Heidi's lanky. He's built like a Hooper. He just didn't have any hoop genes. You know, he just gave them to us. But yeah, we do play. We do play every time we're together. And it always ends in a fight to this day. It will never not we are the most competitive, you know, and I love it. Like

Kevin Stoker

yeah, it's those the reigning 21 champion. Come on even

Dave Nourse

an attempt for a humble

Kevaney Martin

I can't even remember the last time I lost in 21.

Kevin Stoker

There you go. Well, Kevin, if there was a question, we should have asked you that we have an issue. What would that be?

Kevaney Martin

So I have a five year old wine. Reiner. He is literally the greatest thing on this planet. His name is Reggie named after Reggie Miller. I knew I completely styled my three point proudness after I were 31 my entire career because I'm ready. Reggie Miller has actually met Reggie. Is that Yeah, and Reggie Miller is one of the most gracious people you ever meet. But he was very confused as to why I was thrusting my dog named Reggie. I mean, he was amazing about it. And so yeah, so Reggie has met Reggie. So yeah, my dog is literally the greatest thing. And my dog and I we were big trail runners. So usually, if I'm not on a golf course, I'm hiking or running. I've done a lot of big hikes. So yeah, that's, that's my passion is being in the mountains being out with my dog.

Dave Nourse

That's awesome. Yeah. So Kevin, thank you so much for sharing part of your day and part of your story with us. Thank

Kevaney Martin

you so much for having me. This has really been a blast.