Chet Holmgren Journey to ESPN Top-Ranking Depended on Perseverance and Support

Shared this thread on Chet Holmgren via Twitter. But here is a fuller version.

Chet Holmgren shined on nationally-televised games lately but ESPN’s top-rated prep player, persevered through tough times and leaned on key people to encourage and help his development. I connected with him for my podcast, #WinningIsNotEverything.

His father David, who played at the University of Minnesota, obviously has played a huge role throughout Chet’s journey. Initially, he insisted on Chet at least giving basketball a chance. He also steered his son toward great coaches. None more important, Chet tells me, than Larry Suggs.

“Larry took me under his wing when I was bad,” Chet told me. “He helped me so much with my confidence and helped me to get better. Over time, it really paid off.” Naturally, that also connected Chet with Larry’s son, Jalen, who was a year older.

Jalen was recognized early on as a future superstar. Chet, who didn’t dominate from an early age, got a front-row view to see all the attention Jalen got. Also, Jalen thrived in the midst of all the attention and pressure.

Minnehaha Academy pair Jalen Suggs and Chet Holmgren were invited to the Steph Curry elite camp August 2-4 in Oakland pic.twitter.com/L0OaW1DTda

— Ryan James (@RyanJamesMN) July 9, 2019

Chet points to a defining moment in the graphic above, when he barely played in an AAU event in Kansas City. That stoked the competitive fire in him. Coach Suggs challenged Chet and other players to put in at least 20 minutes of basketball skill work each day.

“There were days I wouldn’t even do 20 minutes,” Chet says, “so my nickname was ‘Mr. 20 Minutes’ cause I wouldn’t do my 20 minutes. But that’s definitely changed. I learned a great lesson from it.”

Below is Part 1 of my talk with Chet…

#043: Chet Holmgren (Part 1) — Top-Ranked High School Basketball Player — On Coaches Who Believed In Him When He Struggled With The Game

In Part 2, we discuss why he supports #BlackLivesMatter, why he doesn’t put much stock in rankings,  what he would change about the recruiting process.

#044: Chet Holmgren (Part 2) — Top-Ranked High School Basketball Player — On Why He Supports “Black Lives Matter,” And His Take On Rankings & The Recruitment Experience

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