Max Landis is a pro basketball player from Indianapolis, currently signed with FC Porto in Portugal through 2025. After a great high school career at Perry Meridian, Max decided to go to Gardner-Webb to start his college career. After 2 seasons there, he decided to transfer closer to home and finish his career at Purdue Fort Wayne (IPFW at the time).

The catch? He was going to be a walk-on at Purdue Fort Wayne.

Max decided to bet on himself and take that walk-on spot over other offers at different schools and earn his way into a scholarship. He not only did that, he worked his way to being conference player of the year and an NCAA All-American honorable mention player.

After college, Max played several seasons in Belgium and Germany before landing in Portugal. Porto became home. Even through the adversity of two torn ACLs and a torn Achilles, FC Porto has not only extended Max’s contract, but Max has decided to continuously battle back from these devastating injuries.

Currently rehabbing his Achilles, Max joins us to discuss his recovery process, the journey of his basketball career and what he’s looking forward to when he gets back on the court.

Enjoy this episode and make sure to hit up Max on Instagram to wish him a speedy recovery!

Kelsey Barlow — aka Stambi — is much more than a pro basketball player. Growing up in Europe, Kelsey didn’t specialize in basketball — or sports — at a young age. First it was piano, then horse-back riding, then way down the line basketball eventually became his passion. And that passion has taken him back to Europe & all around the globe over the last decade+ of his pro career.

Kelsey was a standout high school player at Cathedral High School in Indianapolis before going to Purdue and later transferring to UIC. After college, he began his career in the NBA D-League (now G-League) before moving on to play in France, Greece, Lebanon, Turkey, Argentina, Mexico and more.

During the podcast we talk about his unique upbringing moving from Europe to Indiana, his basketball & personal development, his off-court interests such as writing & art, and a variety of other interesting topics. He even tells us the story behind his nickname, Stambi, and what is means. Tune in, this is a great one!

You can catch up with Stambi on his website or social media here!

Tony Hicks is currently in his 7th professional season, having played in countries like Hungary, Germany, Venezuela and more, but this basketball career wasn’t always a dream of his. Tony actually grew up in Chicago wanting to be the next great NFL quarterback, modeling his game after Chicago legend Donovan McNabb.

Tony mentioned that this “late bloomer” timeline actually helped his basketball career by helping him avoid the mental and physical burnout that many early basketball specialization athletes run into during their careers.

Tony’s basketball started to take off as a sophomore at Chicago [football] powerhouse St. Rita High School, where he began to draw major interest on the court from D1 schools around the country. After a summer injury that took him out of that football season, he began to prepare for that basketball season and next looked back. The rest was history, and the story is still being written as his 7 year professional basketball career continues to blossom.

In this episode, Tony takes us through his dominant career at Penn, his grad transfer year at Louisville with the legendary Rick Pitino and the different stages of growth throughout his pro career. Tony is currently in the top league in Hungary, coming off the best year of his career and looking to continue to take the leaps he has over the past few seasons.

Check this episode and make sure you follow Tony on IG at @1of1Tone!

***Today’s episode is brought to you by VITRUVE. Vitruve is the gold standard in velocity-based training with premium accuracy, reliability and high-quality data management for coaches & athletes. Vitruve has been a staple of our program for years now and I believe they have the top product in the VBT space. If you’re a coach or athlete looking to take your training to the next level with VBT, you can use our code GEMS for 10% off your purchase!***

In this solo episode, we're just taking a break from interviews to reflect on a year of podcasting! This is our 1-year anniversary and we're celebrating the growth, progress and evolution of the show.

Host, Justin Ochoa, takes some time to share some Gem Sessions updates:

• The Gem Sessions Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit organization we launched this year! Our mission is to empower young student-athletes, cultivate their skills and equip them with the necessary tools to excel in their chosen sport while fostering personal development, academic success and leadership qualities that last long after their athletic careers end. Gem Sessions Foundation envisions a future where every youth athlete, regardless of their background or circumstances, has access to high-quality training, mentorship, educational support, professional development and community involvement.

• The Gem Sessions App, an online coaching portal with 1-on-1 online coaching for lifting, speed and skill development, as well as a variety of pre-made programs for basketball players!
• Season 3 & 4 preview: Looking at the last half of season 2 and what seasons 3 & 4 will be in 2024!

As always, thank you so much for supporting the show. None of this would be possible without YOU.

John Murry has never had it easy. Although he is currently the reigning league MVP in Morocco and accomplished a Cup Championship in his first season in the league, it was a long uphill climb to reach that level.

John joins us to tell his story. He starts by detailing his unique high school to college transition. John was nearly an ineligible and un-recruitable high school senior due to fraudulent prep schools that he attended not getting the proper accreditations. Instead of graduating high school and being able to join the NCAA, John was forced to get his GED — an alternative high school equivalency diploma that comes from a series of tests & not a school or high school curriculum.

This meant that John had to take the Junior College (JuCo) route in order to fulfill his dreams to play D1 basketball — which he did. After 2 seasons at Austin Peay, John went pro.

His pro journey also started off rocky. John cited getting injured and cut multiple times within the first few years of his career. John found himself working his way up the ranks, starting from the bottom and clawing his way to higher level leagues each season. Currently, John is in his second season in the Moroccan first division following a very impressive introduction to the league, winning the league MVP & Cup title.

John takes us along his journey every step of the way and shares insightful lessons he learned from all the ups and downs. Make sure you follow John on Instagram and YouTube and continue to show support!

***Today’s episode is brought to you by HOIST. HOIST is formulated to provide instant & optimal hydration, making it one of the cleanest, safest and most effective hydration beverages on the market. If you want to learn more about how HOIST can help you level up your performance, visit DrinkHoist.com and you can use the code GEMS for 10% off your orders for life!***

Today's episode features Natalie Achonwa, a multiple time Olympic athlete, WNBA vet and an executive member of the WNBPA. Natalie joins the show to discuss the WNBA expansion, how we can continue to elevate women’s basketball and how recently becoming a mother has impacted her on and off the court.

We start off by reflecting on Nat’s unique basketball background, growing up in Canada and specializing in basketball at an elite level very early in her high school career. This led her to Notre Dame, where she went to four straight Final Fours and made such an amazing impact on campus that she has since been inducted to the Notre Dame Ring of Honor — joining other Fighting Irish greats like Kayla McBride, Skylar Diggins-Smith and Niele Ivey.

Natalie was drafted by the Indiana Fever in the 2014. She played 6 seasons with the Fever before joining the Minnesota Lynx in 2021. She’ll be an unrestricted free agent going into the 2023-24 season. Natalie holds several WNBA honors, such as the Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award, WNBA Season-Long Community Assist Award and was a member of the WNBA All-Rookie Team.

Aside from her WNBA career, Natalie is one of the heartbeats of Canada basketball. She’s played in several Olympic, FIBA and Pan American international competitions, in addition to spending several “WNBA off-seasons” (huge air quotes) overseas in Europe and Asia.

We talk a ton about basketball and specifically women’s basketball — how we can continue to grow the game and improve the league. Natalie shares unique perspectives as both a player and a member of the player’s association, as well as her views on topics as a new mom.

Natalie recently welcomed her son, Maverick, to the world earlier this year so the 2023-24 season will be her first season back to the WNBA since becoming a mother, and she will be an unrestricted free agent entering the offseason. We talk about the free agency experience, what she’s looking forward to and expectations for coming back after maternity leave.

This is a great conversation packed with gems! Make sure you follow Nat on Instagram and Twitter, and continue to support her as she continues to highly decorated career!

***Today’s episode is brought to you by HOIST. HOIST is formulated to provide instant & optimal hydration, making it one of the cleanest, safest and most effective hydration beverages on the market. If you want to learn more about how HOIST can help you level up your performance, visit DrinkHoist.com and you can use the code GEMS for 10% off your orders for life!***

Today's episode features Djimon Henson, a current professional hooper for Salon Vilpas in the top division in Finland. Prior to his current team, Djimon spent time in the NBA G-League and played college basketball at Morehead State.

Djimon shares the ups and downs of his career, including all of the stops between college and pro. He tells stories from the TBL, a semi-pro domestic league that he played in during the pandemic.

Then moves on to his 2 seasons in the Georgian Superleague, his time in the G-League and the contract that fell through in Egpyt within a week of arriving there.

He tells an incredible story about how he found out he was going to the NBA G-League while working a shift serving at Olive Garden.

Djimon is transparent about the journey and how, at times, he felt like it was time for him to walk away from the game. We talk about the mental health aspect of being a pro and the business side of the game -- and how this all affects your career longevity.

Then, we transition into what he's looking forward to about about making this huge jump in his career and the impact that this season will have on his future.

I make sure to give Djimon his flowers as one of the originals around the gym and being one of the crucial pieces to making our gym culture what it is today!

Through all of the adversity, Djimon has persevered to win multiple league & cup championships, league MVP honors and has a very bright future ahead of himself.

Make sure you follow Djimon on Instagram and continue to support him as he levels up throughout his career!

***Today’s episode is brought to you by HOIST. HOIST is formulated to provide instant & optimal hydration, making it one of the cleanest, safest and most effective hydration beverages on the market. If you want to learn more about how HOIST can help you level up your performance, visit DrinkHoist.com and you can use the code GEMS for 10% off your orders for life!***

Today we’re joined by Stephanie Mavunga to discuss her WNBA and EuroLeague career, her collegiate career at two of the most historic universities in the world and her goals for the upcoming season coming off a severe shoulder surgery.

Stephanie is originally from Zimbabwe, but moved to Indiana at a young age before she ultimately went on to win Indiana Miss Basketball, one of the most coveted honors in high school sports.

As a standout at Brownsburg High School, she was able to make her way to Chapel Hill, North Carolina and represent the Tar Heels for 2 seasons before transferring to THE Ohio State University to close out her extremely successful college career.

Steph went on to make history as the first Zimbabwean born player drafted to the WNBA, being selected by the hometown Indiana Fever. She went on to play with the Fever, Sky and Mystics while also playing internationally. 

We discuss stories of her WNBA career, including all of the peaks and valleys she’s had to battle through, as well as her overseas career and recent dominance of the Women’s EuroLeague.

We also dive into Steph’s road to recovery from a shoulder surgery and talk about her upcoming goals and expectations going into this season.

Make sure you follow Steph on Instagram and follow her as she gears up for another big year!

***Today’s episode is brought to you by HOIST. HOIST is formulated to provide instant & optimal hydration, making it one of the cleanest, safest and most effective hydration beverages on the market. If you want to learn more about how HOIST can help you level up your performance, visit DrinkHoist.com and you can use the code GEMS for 10% off your orders for life!***