Bryson Bishop On Guarding Zion As An 8th Grader!

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another episode of the Strictly B-Ball podcast. Today we have a very special guest. Many of you might know him as the eighth grader who went viral for guarding Zion Williamson in high school, but he is much more than that now. That was many years ago. He went on to have a very successful high school basketball career, won state titles, scored over a thousand points. Ladies and gentlemen, Bryson Bishop, thanks for coming on with us today. How are you doing? Thanks for having me. How are you? I'm doing pretty good, man. I guess we'll just start off with this, get a little background on you. Where are you from? And when did you start playing basketball? So I'm from Spartanburg, South Carolina. If anybody knows anything about South Carolina or that area, it's more near Greenville. That's kind of the bigger city, but grew up playing basketball really ever since I can remember. Played every sport as a kid, soccer, football, but really had a passion for basketball. So going into high school, I was like, all right, I'm going to drop all the other sports and just focus on this. Actually before middle school, actually. And doing that, I've always had a love for the game, been pretty into sports, but basketball was just my first passion for any of them. That's awesome. So what exactly brought you to basketball? I know you mentioned you did a bunch of other sports. Was there something that set aside basketball from the other sports? And then was there a specific player that inspired you? I'd say most of it was, I was just naturally pretty good at basketball as a kid. I'm not super athletic, but I'm definitely athletic enough to play a ton of different sports. But basketball, it was something about it that just caught my interest more than any other thing. And then player-wise, I've always looked up to Steph. I was a shooter. That's who I looked up to, obviously. Pretty much any shooter, but Steph was how I tried to model my game after. And I believe that basketball just gave me a fire that no other sport gave me. Awesome. That's a great answer. And I mean, you said you put all sports aside in middle school. You're a pretty talented middle school basketball player. So when they titled those videos like 8th grade regarding Zion, were you really in 8th grade? When did you play your first varsity basketball game? Yeah. So I really was in 8th grade. A lot of people didn't understand that because I think some high schools don't let you play in middle school, but I went to a Christian private school. So we were in our own kind of could do a letter where we wanted to do. And actually starting out that year, I started out playing middle school and the coach had always wanted me to play varsity, but I'm like, you know what? I got four years for that. I want to finish with my friends, finish this year. And so I decided to stick with middle school and JV. I play both those games and was playing really well, obviously. And then during a Christmas tournament, one of our varsity players broke their hand and the coach called me and he's like, well, you know, you might as well just come up. And like, if you want to play, you can play. If you don't, then, you know, you don't have to. But I got up there and I was sitting on the bench and it was probably like five, not even five minutes, probably two minutes into the game. And I'm like, not expecting to go in. And he calls me up and I go in. And I think I hit like three threes that game, which I mean, it's only nine points, but as an eighth grader, you're like, wow, like I'm scoring varsity and varsity games, getting varsity minutes. And so from that point forward, fell in love with the guys on the team. And ever since like that Christmas tournament, just play varsity the rest of my career. And it was really like, I love that a lot more because the competition was better. And, you know, there's a big jump between middle school and varsity basketball. So I loved it because it pushed me more. That's incredible. And what was like, what was your role like after that game? Like, were you playing like pretty significant minutes, like game in and game out? After that game, I started every, every game in high school as an eighth grader. And my role basically was to shoot, we had the ball handlers, we had the bigs. But you know, in eighth grade, I wasn't size wise, the biggest, you know, physical wise, so I wasn't going to be the ball handler. But my job was, every time I catch the ball, shoot it so that that because of that role, it grew my confidence so much. And then when I grew into my body, got some muscle, you know, everything else just became so much easier. And I expanded my game to what it is now. For sure. So a lot of times people talk about how Zion didn't like play the best competition in high school. And some people even bring up like your viral moment as an example, being an eighth grader guarding him. So we wanted to ask you, how talented or competitive would you say your conference was? I'll tell you this. Our league doesn't look like we have the guys because they're not, you know, the six, eight freaks who were just jumping out of the gym, the athletes. But what our conference does have is like, every game you go into, it's going to be a dogfight because they know how to play ball. There's a difference between just being an athlete and knowing how to play the game of basketball. So these guys who play against are very smart. And because they're not the super athletes, you're going to be in a dogfight, like you're going to fight the whole game. You know, they're going in there to win. So for him, obviously, he was number one pick. You know, I don't care what league he played in. He was going to do what he was going to do. Yeah. But I think the only difference was the size and athleticism. But like teams weren't going to back down from anybody. I don't care who it was like you're going to enter a dogfight in any game. So the league is definitely very competitive. Yeah, I was going to say like there's something to be said about a conference like that. Like you see a lot of a lot of high school conferences now or a lot of high school matchups. Now it's like a bunch of like pieced together like teams of guys from all over the country or like super talented guys that have never played together. But like I think a conference like that where you got solid high school programs that have history and the same guys every year, that's there might that a team like that might even be better than a team that's super talented. That's just pieced together. Yeah. And like you said, you see, you you grow up with these guys are playing against these guys. So, you know, them and it's like playing against your brothers or playing with your brothers. You don't want to lose and you don't want, you know, them to beat you. So it's just it's kind of it's pretty awesome, actually. Yeah. Nolan and I were we're in South Dakota for for a tournament. And we watched a team from South Dakota. That's just a public school in South Dakota almost take down. They were winning, but they almost took down a team, which is Dream City Christian, which had like eight Division One guys and a team like that. I mean, it's really special to see. So next question we had. So like getting into the matchup of like that day, like when you you guys went up against Spartanburg Day, take me through what was going through your head, like going into that matchup and like what you experienced going up against. I mean, obviously, like you said, the future number one pick in the NBA draft. So leading up to it going throughout the whole day, you know, you have your week for your game prep, watching film, you know, going through practices specifically for the team. And obviously, all that was put on put on Zion because I mean, he had great players around him as well. But we just game plan for him. But I say it's like going through the school day. I feel like many teams that play him are just like, oh, well, we're just we're going to lose like, you know, we're gonna try our best. But, you know, he's the number one pick. Like I had a different mentality. I was like, I'm going in here. And like, I don't care if we lose or we win. I'm gonna put everything I have on the court, because that's how I play every time. So I didn't care who we were playing against. And people were like, you know, they're like, Oh, I want to get dunked on so I can get famous. And people will see me as like, No, like, I'm a competitor. I want I want to win. I want to try to, you know, I want to try to win this game. And so definitely a bunch of butterflies, though, because your gyms pack like it never is packed before seats are sold out. So going into the game, I wasn't nervous. I was just pumped up and excited to go compete and against against a high level guy against a high level team with fans in the seats, like playing basketball, like you live for those moments. And so that's like the mentality I went into is like, I live for this moment. I'm going in and like putting it all online. For sure. So when you were guarding Zion, was there any game plan behind that? Or did it just sort of happen? So yeah, um, we went into the game with, we usually ran a two three, but we were gonna do a box in one. So the reason I even got put on him was because, like I said, my job was to score the ball, shoot the ball like I wasn't, I wasn't gonna. Even if it wasn't as I'm like, I didn't have the build or the muscle wise to like stay in front of people for that long. So like I was basically put on him to like, you just mess with him, do whatever you can do. And then we're gonna go down and shoot. So it wasn't like, because I was the best defender or anything, but I definitely think it was because, um, I wanted to do it. And also we had bigger guys who could help that they could stay in the paint. So that's kind of like our thought process behind it. Okay. So it was like a box in one and you were just kind of like put on to be like that pest, like try to get, try to just annoy him a little bit. Basically. I mean, yeah, yeah. Um, so what, what was like, I, I didn't even go back and look, but like, what was the final score of that game? Like, uh, I don't know. I know we lost by a good bit. Okay. I didn't know. I just, I just wanted to ask, like, I didn't know for sure, but yeah. I mean, he got taken out, but, uh, I mean, yeah, you, you don't have the athlete, like nobody's athletic. It's ridiculous. It's crazy. Um, but I mean, you had some interesting moments guarding him, um, obviously. And then you, you, I think you, you hit three threes in first half. Is that right? I did. I think I finished with 13 that game. Um, I was around that for the season. So, I mean, 13 points for any of the greater is I mean, you saw that's incredible. Yeah. I mean, really solid even being on the court, but like, so like you hit three threes in the first half, you had some moments guarding him. Did you know, like, did you feel the people filming the game? And like, did you have an idea that you might go viral after that moment? Uh, no idea. Um, I saw the camera guys there with their shirts and stuff on, but like I said, I was just focused on the game and like, I, the people think I clapped to make a scene or something like that. Like I was just, I was in the moment, like I was just competing. I did not care about cameras or attention or anything like that. I didn't, I honestly didn't think it was going to, I didn't even remember doing it until after, and I saw how much it blew up. Where do you, where do you get that mentality from? Or I was just going to say, where do you get that mentality from? Like you said, you were locked in, like some people wanting to get dunked on, like where do you get that mentality from? Uh, my mentality is coming from, I've never been the biggest, you know, I've never been the quickest or the strongest, but like I, I always had to work for everything I did. Like if I was going to be good, like I had to put in so much more time than people who were just like gifted with it. And I definitely have a God-given ability to play, but because I was like under-recruited and because like, kind of like all the odds were against me, man, like that lit a flat fire under me. And I'm glad that happened to me because it gave me a work ethic, like I don't think I would ever have before. So like, I just think I had a different work ethic than so many other kids. For sure. Yeah. That kind of ties into the question I was going to ask following that, like your initial kind of thoughts. So it's just sort of blowing up. That's sort of what gave you like that extra fuel and more fire. It definitely did. It definitely did. But I didn't like let it go to my head because it was just one game and I really didn't expect anything to come from it. But I mean, it was cool to be a kid and see all that blow up. But like, I'm like, I'm going to work even harder because like if I ever get another moment like that, like I want to come and like just go crazy the next game. So for sure. I think it's cool too, because part of the fact you being an eighth grader, but also like, it's like a thumbnail and a video around like you actually playing good, you see, you know, Zion like destroying these high school kids, but showing like an eighth grader who has that confidence and is holding their own against, you know, looking at like an NBA All-Star. So it's really cool. Definitely. Definitely. And then so we read somewhere that you considered attending high school at Spartanburg to team up with him. Is that true or no? So yeah, after my eighth grade year, I was looking to transfer. And so I looked at Spartanburg Day School, which was where he went. And then I looked at Spartanburg Christian Academy, is where I attended. And I looked at some other schools. But I went over there and visited and I knew the head coach there really, really well, actually, was thinking about playing some AAU games with his team and stuff that he had. But like, I even met him there, like we talked a little bit on my visit, but I, you know, felt that the best decision for me was to go somewhere else. And I didn't want to just go to a team where they were, they were going to win state again, most likely that his senior year, like it was kind of, that's just how it was going to go. So I didn't want to go and join that. Like I wanted to go somewhere like I could fight and fight against him and kind of like make my own legacy almost. And I knew the coach was probably going to leave after that year. And they were, it was just going to be a big old change. So picking the school I went to, like, it just was a no brainer for me, but it was definitely an option. I had an option to do it. Did you talk to Zion on that visit? Yeah, I did. We talked for a little bit. He came in, I mean, he was busy. He had like people there too, but he talked to me for a little bit. So that's awesome that he even stopped by to talk to me on a visit. So, yeah. So you joined Spartanburg Christian Academy, I guess just like, what kind of player did you become? You touched on it a little bit, like you were filling out your body and it just became easier for you, but what kind of player did you become throughout your high school years? Freshman year, I played with a really good guard who went to play at a D2 school. We had some guys that were pretty athletic. And so I would say I was the second option that year, but my role expanded to more of a ball handler. And my confidence grew from that because from my freshman year and on, like after my freshman year, my sophomore year is when I really blew up and like stepped into a role of leadership and stepping into a role of leadership. I took that head on and like love that. And so I'd say from my sophomore year on to my senior year, like my shooting was always there, but I got better at shooting. I was our ball handler. I had to play defense. Like I knew if I was going to play college basketball, I had to sit down and learn how to defend. And so with that, I mean, ending my senior year, I finished shooting. I was 51% from three. Wow. I shot, I think. 51. Yeah. I think I shot 59% from the field, 91% from the free throw line. So it wasn't just shooting. I learned every facet of the game and I loved it. I loved just growing in it. Who taught you how to shoot? A parent or just kind of being in the gym by yourself or what? Starting at a young age, like I said, I kind of always had a God-given ability to shoot. And I think that's what people don't realize is that you can learn how to shoot, but people like Steph and people who can shoot like that, I believe that it's just God-given. You can't teach that. And so luckily I've had that and I've had a really good trainer from when I was about fifth grade to 12th grade who helped me with that. But I mean, I've just been blessed to be able to have that. I don't really have an explanation for why I was so good at it, but I definitely focused on it a lot because I mean, I'm a shorter guy. I have to know how to shoot the ball. For sure. So let's talk about your state championships. What were those runs like? This is a good story. So watching in my sophomore year, our girls volleyball team, I think they're five-time champions, like back to back to back they were really good. And so I got to go to the state championship game my sophomore year and I saw the gym was packed and how much it meant to the school and everybody. And actually after we won that game, I went up to my coach and I was like, we're going to get there. If it's not this year, it's going to be next year or the year after that, but we are going to win a state championship and we will be standing here. And he just looked at me and gave me that look that he always gives me and he believed it. And so winning that first one, my junior year, I don't think people will realize how much work we put into that. That was actually, my coach had been coaching there for 11 years and that was his first state championship as a head coach. And so it meant a lot to him and it meant a lot to those guys that I've played with for so long for winning that first one. It meant so much. And then the next year, I was like, I'm going back to back. I'm not about to go my senior year and not win now. And we were really good. We had a great team. It was amazing to have that team and what we did, especially back to back. It's hard to win one. That's incredible. Did any of your teammates go on to play college ball or no? I don't think so. We had some really good athletes. Some guys could have if they really wanted to, but I don't think, to play college ball, you have to really love it. And we had some guys who could have easily done it, but I don't think they really had the heart for after, but no, I don't think so. We don't have enough. But yeah, bringing two state championships to the school, that's pretty incredible. I guess my question would be throughout your entire high school career, I'm guessing your favorite moment was probably winning that first state championship or maybe the second one, but what was your best performance of your career? What was the best game where you were just feeling it? All right. So senior year, we played a school called Seneca and their head coach actually had coached at our high school a while ago with my head coach. So kind of some of the same plays they ran, we ran. So it was a tough game. But actually, I'll tell you this, before the game, I had some coaches come to look at me and recruit me and I had scored, we were playing a public school. It was Gaffney and they were pretty good. And I had 28 play really well. We won by like, I think 30, something like that. So I thought I played really well. And I was like, okay, well, this is the game. I feel like I'm going to pick up an offer. And actually right before the Seneca game, a coach called me. He's like, hey, you play really well, but we're going to offer some in-state guys first. So I was just so upset because I'm like, I don't know what else I can do to get myself out there and to get these looks. And so I went into that game with a fire under my butt that I never had before. And actually I came out and I hit 11 threes, which was a school record and had 35 points. And I don't even know if I missed, honestly, I was just, I was in it. Which actually the most I've ever hit in the game was 12 and that's AAU, but I mean, AAUs, it's not really basketball now. So, but it was definitely special. So you hit 11 threes. That's wow. That's incredible. I wonder if the coach that told you that he was going with the in-state guys, I wonder if he had an eye on that game and saw the box score or something like that. That'd be incredible. Well, I'll tell you this, the day after that game, he called me back and they gave me a spot. That is amazing. It's just one performance. One game can change everything. That's some, oh, that's literal Steph Curry type ----. That's, that's insane, dude. I feel like the difficulty of scoring like 30 points, just solely on threes compared to like just scoring 30 points. That's just props to you. That's, that's insane. And it really emphasizes how good of a three point score you were, you were, will are. You got to think about it. The way that I shot the ball going into it, they game plan for me to not shoot. And so for me to get off even 11 shots, it was ridiculous. Yeah, for sure. Awesome. Okay. So when we were going back and forth about like recording this podcast, you mentioned you'll be back on the court next season. So like, what have you been up to since graduation? So since graduation, I, I originally went to CSU Charleston Southern. I didn't really think it through as much as I should have. And like, when I got here over the summer and got around the team and started playing, I'm like, I was like, you know, I don't think this is a spot that is going to best be best be fit for me. And so it was a hard decision to not play because it's really been weighing on me. And as I told you guys, you know, I have that fire. And so ever since then, I've been, you know, I reached out to coaches and I'm actually going somewhere next year. But I've been working out hitting the weight room, like going harder than I ever have before, because whenever I do step on that court next year, I want to be more prepared. Because it's almost like I'm having a gap year. So I'm preparing my body even more. So I'll be a freshman technically, but I should be even more a step in front of those freshmen coming in. And so I've just been working out still grinding, you know, getting school done and everything. So figuring out college. So that's what I've been up to. Yeah. Yeah. So do you have some, some schools in mind for transferring or, or not yet? So I actually committed to a school called Birmingham Southern. It's in the middle of Birmingham, Alabama. It's a division three school, but the way they play is going to fit the way I play really well. Actually last game, I think they shot 36 threes and shot 50%. So it's kind of running offense, shoot the ball. And I think there's a, that's a place that really wants me. And I really want to be, I think it'll be a really good fit. So yeah, it seems, it seems like a good fit. I mean, with your place out for sure. And I wanted to make sure to say this too, because I think a lot of people with my decision thought, but like, I wasn't good enough to play at division one or this school. Like that was not the case. I just didn't want to sacrifice my happiness for somewhere that I knew wasn't the right fit for me. So, but there wasn't a doubt in my mind. If I got a chance to play there, like, I think I would have played. And I just think this is a better move for me. I think it's, I think based off what you said, I think you made a very, very mature decision. So it was tough though. It was tough. Oh, I bet it was. What's what's the goal for like the rest of your career? Do you have like a big end goal or what do you have intended for the future? Yeah. So, you know, this is all part of God's plan and however it goes, you know, I'll take it as it is. But my goal was I've always wanted to play professional basketball. So that's why like a lot of people, a lot of Hoopers dreams is like that D1, like they're just shoot for that D1, shoot for that D1. Me, like I was like, I don't care how I get there. I want to play professional basketball, whether that's going NAIA, D3, D2, D1. Like if there's any way I can get to play in professional basketball anywhere, no matter what level that is, like even if that's overseas or whatever, like I just wanted to play pro ball because I love it that much. So. I mean, you see a guy like that has a similar drive and shooting ability, like Duncan Robinson, for example. Yes. Love Duncan. He didn't have a single offer coming out of coming out of high school. And then I think he did a postgraduate year of high school and then he went deep or Juco or something and finally got to Michigan. That's a story I like to gravitate towards. So yeah, I mean, yeah, you never know what the path is going to be. And a cool thing about Duncan, I actually, he was my favorite. Like I'm a Michigan basketball fan because of Duncan Robinson. I love the way he played. I love his story. And I actually, when he was at Michigan, I actually DM him on Instagram and we talked for a little bit about shooting. So that's kind of a cool story that I got to hook up with him as well. So that's amazing. Yeah. Duncan Robinson is one of my favorite players. I also love his podcast. So yeah, it's kind of inspired us a little bit too. Yep. So are you, are you a big fan of the NBA? You mentioned your Michigan college basketball fan, but what about the NBA? So NBA Hornets fan I'm from South Carolina. So the only team we had was the Hornets. Uh, sad to see Kimba go, but I mean, we got the mellow, so I think it's a little better for sure. Yeah. Who do you think is going to win the NBA finals this year? Uh, he got to go with the Warriors. I mean, Clay's bag, Steph's playing at an MVP level. Um, Andrew Wiggins, like everybody thought Andrew Wiggins was washed. I mean, the dude's hooping. Yeah. Um, I mean, you got, you got the role players, the defensive guys, like that team is just, and Jordan pool, like Jordan pool is a Hooper. He hoops and I love them so that they got the pieces. And I think, I think they got it. It was amazing to see Clay come back. That, that was really fun to watch. Um, and I don't think he's, I don't think he's like any worse than he was before. We'll see. But yeah, that's a good, that's a good pick. I also like the bucks, but I think they can go back to back, but I think the Warriors are probably the front runners right now. Yeah. After watching Giannis last year in the finals, um, he's unstoppable, so you can't go against the bucks for sure. I feel like the bucks or the nets are going to come out, come out of the East. I feel like it really depends if the nets have, you know, their big three Kyrie Harden and Katie, but yeah, so it's so unpredictable with Kyrie, but I think I agree with throughout the bucks being a potential contender, but the Warriors right now, I said it, I think I said it from the, no, I said it's crazy to be an MVP favorite or going to be the MVP, but I think the Warriors right now are on track to win the finals if they can keep this up. And they're a better team. Why is this not just all on staff? Like they're a complete team. They are, they really are. And you can see that because Steph has been struggling recently and they're still winning games. So yeah, that's a complete team. I don't care. Steph just want to win. And like at the end of the day, Steph's going to have a game where he goes off for 50 again and he'll be fine. So yeah, 100%. If you're doubting Steph Curry, you're, you're just delusional at this point, but I guess another question NBA related is like having grown up, obviously the same area as Zion being linked to him, I guess. What are your thoughts on his career up until this point? Like, did you expect all of this out of him? And like, I guess what are your thoughts on what he's done since his days in Spartanburg? I definitely thought going into Duke, like he was going to be completely fine. I mean, he was going to treat those guys like kids still. I mean, honestly, he was just built like that. And so, you know, college and he was going to be fine. And then when you get to the NBA, you're like, okay, these guys are fighting for their jobs. Like they're putting every hour of the day into basketball. It's not just basketball in school. So I thought he wasn't going to struggle, but I thought it was going to be different. But what he has done, obviously when he was healthy, man, like he was one of the most physical players in the game and like nothing stopped what he was going to do. And, you know, 6'8 is undersized at anything, but at that level for how much he goes in the paint, it's kind of undersized. So to do what he does and to be so efficient at it, like it's amazing. It was amazing. And the guy, his size and build. Yeah. I honestly, I didn't expect him to be that productive right away. Like, I mean, people are already forgetting that when he was healthy, he was like 27 points a game, like leading the league in points in the paint at 6'8, which is incredible. But yeah, I'm just hoping he can get back healthy soon. But yeah, I mean, we'll finish it off. Nolan, do you want to do a little rapid fire? We got like four questions left. Yeah, for sure. Joe, did you want to alternate or did you want me to ask all of them? You can ask them. You can do the rapid fire. Yeah. Bryson. So we're just going to end things off with a quick little rapid fire. If you could have dinner with any NBA player, who would it be and why? Steph Curry. Been my favorite player since I was a little easy. All right. So I think I know the answer, but what NBA player would you compare yourself to the most? Steph. And I will say a little bit, I will say a little bit of Trae Young. Trae Young has got a dog in him and I'm undersized like that. So I'd say those two. For sure. I like those picks. Game clinching, highlight block or game winning layup? Being the smaller guy, I want to say a block because I don't get too many blocks. So let's go with the block. And then a big, big final question for you. Who is your NBA goat? That's a hard question. I love Michael. Got to go with LeBron. I mean, he's is ridiculous what he's doing at that level or as high level as he is at his age. He's not done. It's LeBron. I like that you said that. Joe and I agree entirely. We made a whole video on this. Yeah, well, I'm right there with you. I'm not surprised, but I was maybe expecting you to say Steph Curry, but I know you're not like delusional when it comes to that. But we did an interview with Jared McCain and he said Steph Curry was his goat. Yeah, he did. I think you got the right answer there. We all agree on that. Well, Steph keeps going. We'll hope he gets in that goat conversation. But I mean, it's LeBron. Can't argue against it. Absolutely. That's all we got today, Bryson. We really appreciate you coming on and doing this interview with us. But yeah, that's going to do it. Another episode of the Stricker B-Ball Podcast. Make sure you guys subscribe, drop a comment, and we'll see you guys next time.