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John Mosley Jr is the the men's basketball head coach at East Los Angeles College, which was recently featured on Netflix's Last Chance U.
He is full-time faculty member for the Kinesiology Department and work with The Male Leadership Academy at ELAC, a program that supports the vision of underrepresented Men of Color and supports their success at the Community College.
Coach Mosley has found success on and off the court, winning at basketball and helping young men reach their potential.
Creators & Guests
What is You Can Mentor: A Christian Youth Mentoring Podcast?
You Can Mentor is a network that equips and encourages mentors and mentoring leaders through resources and relationships to love God, love others, and make disciples in their own community.
We want to hear from you! Send any mentoring questions to hello@youcanmentor.com, and we'll answer them on our podcast. We want to help you become the best possible mentor you can be. Also, if you are a mentoring organization, church, or non-profit, connect with us to join our mentoring network or to be spotlighted on our show.
Please find out more at www.youcanmentor.com or find us on social media. You will find more resources on our website to help equip and encourage mentors. We have downloadable resources, cohort opportunities, and an opportunity to build relationships with other Christian mentoring leaders.
You can mentor is a podcast about the power of building relationships with kids from hard places in the name of Jesus. Every episode will help you overcome common mentoring obstacles
Speaker 2:and give
Speaker 1:you the confidence you need to invest in the lives of others. You can mentor.
Speaker 3:Hey, mentors. Just a reminder about the You Can Mentor book. It's titled You Can Mentor, How to Impact Your Community, Fulfill the Great Commission, and Break Generational Curses. The whole point of this book is to equip and encourage mentors with new tools and ideas on how to make the most of their mentor mentee relationship. If you're a mentor, hey, go pick it up.
Speaker 3:And if you're a mentoring organization, pick some up for all of your mentors. If you would like to order mass copies, like more than 20, send an email to me, zach@youcanmentor.com, and we will get you guys a special price. But go and pick up that book. It's good. You can mentor.
Speaker 4:Welcome, You Can Mentor listener. Today's unsung heroes episode guest is none other than coach John Mosley. Coach Mosley is the men's basketball head coach at East Los Angeles College. You know him from the 2 seasons of Netflix Last Chance You. He is full time faculty member of the kinesiology department.
Speaker 4:Coach Mosley works with the Male Leadership Academy at e at ELAC, a program that supports the vision of underrepresented men of color and supports their success at the community college. Coach Mosley has found success on and off the court, winning at basketball and helping young men reach their potential. He is the perfect guest for this podcast as he has built a career based on investing into the lives of young people. Coach Mosley, let's just start with a question that everybody's dying to hear first. Since you're in Southern California, what is the last time when is the last time that you have been on a skateboard?
Speaker 2:When I was a kid, man. Well, you know, consistently on a skateboard. Right. And I I, you know, I hop on here and there when I'm playing with kids or something like that, but consistently, when I was young. So, unfortunately, you got a baller here.
Speaker 2:I wasn't a a skateboarder. But you know what? It's it's it surrounds us, and everywhere you go, I'm I'm just outside, man. I'm coming in. I'm pulling in, and and we got some kids on the you know, they running down the tracks.
Speaker 2:And they they took these things off, man, at so you can't scrape the the concrete, and I don't know how they got them off. And so they're scraping the concrete, and they got video videotaped. So it's it's there every single day. It's just as much as ball. I'm I I see guys on boards all day long.
Speaker 2:Just like we see them at the park pooping, I see them on the boards all day long here in SoCal.
Speaker 4:Man, I tell you what. Listen. Skateboarders are nothing if not resilient. You know what I mean? Like, give us an obstacle, put little metal pieces on our benches or our handrails.
Speaker 4:We'll find
Speaker 3:a way. We're gonna put those things off. Yeah.
Speaker 4:Well, you know what? Look, coach, it's near and dear to my heart because I was a 7th grade skateboarder, and I was enjoying my activity on this church property one day. And the the story I always tell is that the men from the church were coming out of the building, and they were walking over to us. And me and my buddies, we started saying, hey. It's alright.
Speaker 4:You know, we know. We get it. We're leaving. But they said, no. No.
Speaker 4:No. No. We just wanted to let you know that inside the gym, the floor is even smoother, and so you might like to go right in there. Man, you get that? Like, I thought they were kicking me out, but they were inviting me in.
Speaker 4:And so that's that's really where my testimony begins, you know, was was was annoying all the basketball players. I mean, honestly, man, I was weaving in and out, you know, on the court while they're trying to play half court over here. And I'm I'm over here, this little kid riding a skateboard on the gym floor, but but because these men of margin walked over and they said, no. This isn't one of those things where we're gonna put a sign that say you're not welcome here. This is when we say, we want you to come inside of our building.
Speaker 2:Well, I chose them to plant a seed in your life because and and he didn't choose me to do that because to ask a kid to come in on my gym floor, I'd rather go so you were chosen god chose them specifically to reach out to you and and to warm your heart and, you know, so that you can be receptive because that probably wouldn't happen. I'm looking around for guys riding bikes and stuff, but but that's also testimony. And we don't we we don't know. And we we we kinda have to you know, just ultimately, it's just everybody ask me a lot of times, they they say, what's this like having a camera on you and all that stuff? And I'm like, dude, I've been I've had a camera since I was a believer and became saved
Speaker 3:Mhmm.
Speaker 2:In terms of realizing that they're watching our testimony. They're watching our faith and what we do. And I don't wanna do anything to offend them because the first thing they say is, well, aren't you a Christian? See, that's why I'm not a Christian, and I don't wanna offend the body of Christ. So it's it's it's really tough, but that's an awesome testimony that that someone's testimony, someone's openness, and and where in your faith allowed you to it just planted a seed in your life and brought you in.
Speaker 4:For sure, man. It takes all kinds. So, coach, when did you when did you really truly fall in love with basketball?
Speaker 2:Well, you know what? It it took a lot of me out of the way. Once I got out of the way, I think, you know, when you're younger I grew up here in LA, and so it was Showtime. It was Magic Johnson, man. In the eighties and the the you know, I was that was what it was all about.
Speaker 2:And then all of a sudden, there's no offense to it. The NBA designed it this way. It's then it became a it became a little bit of individuality. You know, they marketed the individual athlete. Then now it's Michael Jordan.
Speaker 2:I wanna be him. And, you know, we wanna be stars. And so as we go through, there's this the that that part of it is what I wanted. And it was a lot of disappointment there, you know, because you're looking for that. I'm looking to be Magic.
Speaker 2:I'm looking to be here. And didn't realize who I was as a basketball player and and what my potential was and what what my what I was supposed to be in terms of a basketball player. And I was trying to be, you know, Michael Jordan and and, you know, we we find ourselves instead of being what God called us to be or or or really taking a look, removing ourselves enough so we can see what God has designed us to be, this vessel. What what vessel is he using us for? We're trying to be something else, and we constantly are disappointing ourselves.
Speaker 2:And I was just disappointed after disappointed. Yeah. I can wear a smile on my face. We we know how to do that well. You know?
Speaker 2:I pretend like I'm okay, but I just couldn't find any fulfillment. And then, ultimately, when I I really realized and and, you know, got stronger in my faith, I went to a Christian college and a master's college where, you know, Grace to You Ministry, John MacArthur is the is the president. I don't know if he's the president anymore. But, you know, I I started to examine myself and and examine my faith and realize what really matters. What really matters is he's glorified.
Speaker 2:And then you try to find you try to find your place. And as I drifted out of basketball, still a little selfish. You know? I'm self looking for self fulfillment. And then ultimately, I realized and I saw it from the coaching aspect, and I super duper fell in love.
Speaker 2:I love I think what about basketball is I was always a competitor. So I always loved competition, but that just kept me going, going, going. But in terms of loving basketball, really loving it and understanding the dynamics of it and the details and how it all comes together, it was when I kinda drifted into coaching with my mentor who said, come back, at which I didn't want anything to do with coaching. Come back. I have one class to finish.
Speaker 2:And so I came back to finish it. He said, just help me out this semester or this year, and then I started coaching. And I started seeing it from that side. I never saw it the I never saw the coaching side. I you never sit in a room with the coach.
Speaker 2:You only see the the coach coming at you instead of being on that side where you can see that the coach is a human being. And that you can see we're human and we're just trying to put this thing together, and I missed the camaraderie and all that. And and and that's kinda where basketball I fell in love with the game, and I can see the nuances. I couldn't see it before because I was trying to see me. Mhmm.
Speaker 2:I was trying to see myself when I was playing. Like, like, I was trying to be me. You know? But I saw the nuances of the game after I removed myself from the game. That's that's kinda interesting.
Speaker 2:But before I what kept me going was competition.
Speaker 4:Sure. Sure. Okay. So this is this is something interesting. You may you may mention real quickly that there was maybe a reluctancy toward coaching.
Speaker 4:What what was that based in?
Speaker 2:I think it was selfishness. I mean, it was it was me trying to you know, I'm in LA, man. I'm bro, I was doing movies. You know, I had an apprentice license as a barber. I had I was rapping.
Speaker 2:That's your life when you're here. You're you're and it's I don't think it's anything wrong with it, but you can be consumed with it. And everything that surrounds you, I think at that time I think it's transitioning. The the you know, LA is transitioning. But at that time, it was like you had to be something spectacular.
Speaker 2:You had to be, you know, you had to be Magic Johnson if he was in LA Mhmm. To be successful. You know you know, my son, he just decided on what school he's going to, and I'm like, yeah. Engineering. Go.
Speaker 2:You know, do this. Do that. Like, I I had no, you know, clue. You know? All I knew was the bright lights, and and it was no fault to my parents or anything.
Speaker 2:It was just just how kinda we grew up. And so I it was a little bit of selfishness, I believe. And I didn't understand that that I could find fulfillment in helping others and Mhmm. And mentoring others and and really impacting others. And as we go along, and I'm pretty sure you ask these questions, all of a sudden, I'm I'm I'm just drawn to to pouring into other people.
Speaker 2:And I think that's what what God called me to do. And, yeah, I think that's what happened when I went to Brazil.
Speaker 4:Got you. Got you. Well, real quickly, tell me a little bit about this Male Leadership Academy at ELAC because it sounds interesting. Is this something that you initiated or that you kind of joined later on? And and what what goes
Speaker 2:on there? It's it's transitioning because it's all state funded. So, you know, they gotta put different labels on it. But, ultimately, they were trying to find something. This is a mostly lat Latino campus.
Speaker 2:And and then they've done studies with the community colleges, not just in California or or LA, but all over the country that the they looked at the performers, and the lowest performing student at the community college all over the country is the African American male. Next is the Latino male. And then I believe next is the Latina male. And then I think east well, before the Latina male, I think it's well, it's Latina male to Latina.
Speaker 4:Mhmm.
Speaker 2:Fem female. And then it's East Asian, that group of males. And then it it you know, they have all these different but we look at the the the lowest performing was African American males, and so there's state funding for that. And so I didn't have a job at the time. I was just coaching the team, and they, you know, had put something together and they said, hey.
Speaker 2:Why don't you just I almost kinda threw it at me. You know? Mhmm. And then we put it together and it grew. Mhmm.
Speaker 2:But now as the the funding comes through to sustain this funding, there's this group called EMOJO, which is a acronym for unity and something. You know? So they kinda transitioned to that. But in that male leadership academy, what we what we try to do is is you know, the goal, ultimately, when you're at these colleges, when you get these grants and these money, the the money to fund programs is to help them move on and transition and graduate and help them through those barriers. And they would always ask me and they you know, we would always talk about how do we structure things to help them.
Speaker 2:And I say, well, it starts with it starts with us. You know what I'm saying? Well, it starts with us. It starts with me, those who try to help. We're so busy to have all of these resources and say, if you want them, come and get them.
Speaker 2:Like, look what we have for you. We have this. We have that. No. Well, we have all these programs, and it's almost like we do that in our communities as well.
Speaker 4:Mhmm.
Speaker 2:And we said, well, we have all these and and and this is where you're absolutely right for all those who say, well, all of these things are available. I don't understand why this population is suffering, or I don't understand why they're we have all of these resources. They got all these opportunities. Well, you know what? You're absolutely right.
Speaker 2:But if you call yourself a mentor, if you call yourself really wanting to help, then you have to go with effort, put your shoes on, put some gas in the car, spend some money, and go get them, and then pull them into these resources. And that's just what I I I I feel like I have to do if I'm gonna help. Mhmm. Now someone else may say, I'm just donating $1,000,000, and that's your help. That's fine.
Speaker 2:But if you truly wanna help and you say, well, how do you help these kids? How do you how do you help people? How do you mentor? How do you you have to go. Mhmm.
Speaker 2:You have to pursue them. A lot of times, man, they don't they don't they they don't they want the help, but they don't know how to ask for it. And I get that. I I I get that. Well, that's on them.
Speaker 2:They should they should ask for it. If they want something, they gotta go get it. I worked hard. And, you know, it is like, yeah. You're absolutely right.
Speaker 2:Okay. You do you. But if I'm a truly help somebody, then I'm a go reach out, and I'm a pull them in because I know the insecurities to ask him for help. You know the insecurities to to really those hard questions that they don't wanna ask. You help them ask those questions, and and you build the trust so that they can start moving on their own.
Speaker 2:And that's kinda what the Bell Leadership Academy is about and what we would do is it was we'd provide mentorship. We provide cohorts and courses where we can help guide them through so they can be successful in the classroom. And then we would, you know, do workshops where we teach them how to dress, teach them how to, you know you know, how to handle relationships and different things like that. And so I tried to make it, you know, a little more authentic. Of course, they tried to you know, you try to inst you gotta institutionalize it when when it comes to funding.
Speaker 2:And, you know, at the beginning, though, I was able to make it authentic and fun. And and so I I I drifted away. I drifted away a little bit, and we moved to the Umoja program. And but but, ultimately, that's that's, you know, something that's that's needed all over the place. But it's gotta be authentic mentorship, man.
Speaker 2:It can't be just say, I'm a mentor just so that you can get a feather in your cap. You know?
Speaker 4:Amen to that, man. You're right. And I think that what is what is really impactful there too is that is that investment begins with taking the initiative. It isn't this kind of build it, and they will come kind of you know, sometimes even the church takes that mentality. Right?
Speaker 4:Oh, we're gonna we're gonna we're gonna build this incredible program, this incredible building, and then once we, you know, we we cut the red ribbon and open the doors, then they'll just show up. And it's like, nope. We've got to we've gotta get out into the community. We've gotta be an active participant in their story Yeah. In order to get them even to to respond to the resources that we have.
Speaker 4:Coach, the you know, the crux of unsung heroes of this episode is to give a person of influence the chance to shine a spotlight on a mentor. Who is some you know? And and I think even those of us who have watched the 2 seasons of this great show, we've been so blessed as to hear the story of your father and also some influences that that have been mentors. But I think that it was interesting just for us to even think about and consider the fact that so many mentor stories do not get told because it's so much kinda behind the scenes work. And and sometimes, maybe it's even some development into our character, into our faith that that isn't about, you know, the big party or the big celebration, but instead because mentoring is farming, and it's and it's happening every day, and, you know, it's happening when the cameras are off.
Speaker 4:But can you just kinda speak into into anybody that you'd like to share with us who is invested in your your faith, your character, you know, you're you're being molded as an adult. And what lessons did these people people teach you that you find yourself teaching and even kind of sharing with your children or or players today?
Speaker 2:Well, I've just seen there's just compassion, man. And there's a forgiveness, and there's there's just a compassion for those just as as Christ was compassionate and and forgiving and just had this grace. And there's there's those with this grace that they come with regardless of your faults and how you look. And the people that have been able to speak into my life because I I will wear this this level of, let me let me check you out, you know, before you try to tell me what to do, or let me really just take a look because I'm not gonna let you one up me. So I'm a make sure that if you really wanna help me, you're not gonna belittle me before you help me.
Speaker 2:You know? And I think that's what we do. Like, hey. I'm here to help. Let me tell you why I'm here to help you.
Speaker 2:But when you come as a mentor and for those who have been able to speak into my life, they they came with this, I get I get where you came. Let me tell you a story about me. I was just like you or I I know because I'm I'm the same person. All of a sudden, my eyes light up. All of a sudden, my ears are open.
Speaker 2:But when there's a there's someone coming that that wants to help, all of a sudden, like, man, I'm not trying to hear you, man. I don't you know what I'm saying? Like, I'm John Mose. Who are you talking to? You know?
Speaker 2:This is me being a young John Moseley. This is but when and because and that was my front. It was like, no. I don't need your help. Like, whatever.
Speaker 2:But when someone came and they say, yeah, man. I get it. I'll never forget. I'm at the Christian College, and I first get there, and I struggle with the you know, I'm coming from LA. And so I got get there, and I'm a basketball player.
Speaker 2:And then all of a sudden, you know, I'm still struggling with with this battle with, hey. I'm, you know, I like to, you know, I like to court women and date women. And I'm like, hey. I'm still looking for the next girl I can mess with. You know?
Speaker 2:And so I get there, and, literally, in 2 weeks, I got in trouble. And I got in trouble, and I was sent to, like, the dean, and I had to go through counsel, which was great. You know? This part, you know, it changed my life. That was one piece that I needed help with in char in terms of my faith, and the the talent showed me with that.
Speaker 2:But it just felt like there were so many self righteous eyes. There was just like, see, I knew he's just he's just not you know? And then there was one. And it reminds me of as I look at the skateboard and as I look at even the show that that just came out, what about a year? Was it the Jesus Revolution?
Speaker 2:The Greg Lawrie movie? Oh, that was awesome. So and it just talks about people that we just look down upon. And me, you know, I was on a campus, and it was a conservative campus and majority, you know, it was a majority all white campus. And I'm on this Christian college, and it's just like there's always these highs for whatever reason, whether it was because I was I was black, is it because I was too too LA, or is it really, like, can he wear headphones and be a Christian?
Speaker 2:That's what we had to walk, man. I'm like, like, you're supposed to be you know, I'm I'm you know, my swag, everything, my gear, whatever I was wearing is like, can he really be a Christian? He's wearing his goatee. He's not clean shaven. You know?
Speaker 2:I don't have the booty face. And so it was just one resident director, just one Arty, and he was just always out there, like, just playing his guitar. He was just, like, straight you know, he was former you could tell he was former kinda hippie ish. And he was older. He was like, what's up, John?
Speaker 2:What's going on? And I'm like, what's up? And then he said, how you doing, man? Like, one day, it's just like yeah. I'll just always see him pass by, and I'll I just you know?
Speaker 2:Normally, I'm just like, whatever. You don't know me. Whatever. You know? And then I just felt compelled to kinda slow down, and he just said, how you doing, man?
Speaker 2:Alright. I said, yeah. Good. He said, hey. I heard.
Speaker 2:You got a little bit of you know? And I was like, yeah. And then, eventually, I kinda broke down. I felt it felt open to talk to him. And then I'm sharing, like, man, I just struggle with that.
Speaker 2:And and and I was convicted. I did have some conviction. But I don't need anybody self righteous to talk to me about my faith. You know? I I want somebody who gets it and understands.
Speaker 2:He said, man, I know exactly how you feel, man. I and here's what I do and blah blah blah. And so I finally found this just way out looking guy that I just had no intentions of ever talking to, nor did I really wanna talk to because he wasn't even if I wanted to get help, I would wanna get it's interesting. You know? It's it's almost it's almost like the the the Pharisees or whatever.
Speaker 2:It's like, you you would actually if you want help, you would really wanna go to the pastor. Right? You would really wanna go to the priest. But here it is, the the the maybe the usher is the one that helps you. And and and and and sometimes the pastor is just too, you know, maybe self righteous.
Speaker 2:And this is kinda how it felt. It felt like somebody that was on the sideline serving god is the one who I was able to stop and who was able to help me more than the the the high leaders and the ones who had all the knowledge. It was him who was able to break down the barrier of me seeing his color and seeing him being a totally different cultured person and loving god and and being able to speak into my life. And his his culture was so different than mine, but we shared the same we shared the same, and we had the same heart. And I broke down there.
Speaker 2:And then I was able to trust other people. That's one thing about mentorship is you allow those who don't trust to trust other people. I said, man, if I can trust him, there's somebody else out there like him. And I was more receptive because of him. And what's crazy is he probably didn't know.
Speaker 2:I mean, that was only just a small moment where I was able to speak freely about the sin in my life or what was going on in my life. And and and and I was able to speak freely about it and openly and say, man, somebody's sharing and living out the burden. And so I I talk about that a lot is, you know, mentoring somebody. It's not it's not telling somebody how to deal with their burdens. It's living the burdens out with them.
Speaker 2:And I think Deshaun Heiler, who was on the first show, we we, you know, we talk about living out the burdens. It's not just saying, oh, man. I'm sorry. Your mom passed. But then and then just being with him for a moment and giving him a, you know, a fruitcake.
Speaker 2:It's like, no, man. We lived out the burdens, and we lived out going through all of, you know, what he was dealing with during that time, not just his mom's death, but handling the financial piece of it and all of that. And and finding that there was those coming at at him because, you know, he absorbed his mom's estate. And then just really directed him and helping him. And and there was a level of trust there that can never we connected for life because we we was able and from that point, there was a trust, and now I can, you know, be able to plant seeds and speak.
Speaker 2:And so I would just say those those things for those who are mentoring. You you you it's it's time consuming. It wears you down. Don't jump into the mentor business if you don't expect to be worn down and and living out the burdens with with them. You know?
Speaker 2:If if you say, I wanna I wanna help those on drugs, then you gotta go to the drug house, and you gotta be in there, and you're risking your life, and you and you're you're in danger. Like, if you say you wanna do it, then that's what I wanna help those get off gangs. Then you gotta be able to walk into that space and be comfortable or or be uncomfortable with them until you can you can break through and and share. You but walking in there or walking into any one space when you wanna mentor with a self righteous attitude, like you got all the answers, is the first way to just to just and and I'm great with kids. I love kids.
Speaker 2:All of a sudden and and I and it started there. I think my dad was great at it. He would see kids, and he'd make kids just feel so good. And it was just like this. All of the the cousins and the young ones, and I didn't get it until I was older.
Speaker 2:But my dad's sitting back there. He's in his, you know, he's in the den. He's watching games. You know, back in the day, we didn't have the pictures and the man, you had a box TV, and he will put another TV on top of it. He watched one game, and he watched the Dodgers on 1 TV and another on another.
Speaker 2:And on the ground, he had a small radio listening to something else. And so everyone who came to my house would kinda run to the back, and my dad would make you feel great. And he would celebrate you, and he would see the good in you. He is you know, all of a sudden, you my dog my my sisters would get their hair curled or get it done, and they first thing they do is go through the back. And he said, curls for the curls.
Speaker 2:Look at these girls. They're all beautiful. I get a haircut. Look at my man. He look at you know, just celebrating and then just making them feel good and then lowering, coming down to that that level and living out those burdens with so I think mentorship, man, you gotta live out those burdens with whoever it is, and you have to stop and listen.
Speaker 2:You gotta just stop, man, and stop trying to tell them how to to come out and live through their burdens. You're not gonna tell somebody what to do and how to do it. Of course, there's a there's tons of books, man. I mean, there's thousands of books on how to come out of depression or out of come out of poverty or out of there's thousands of books. You know?
Speaker 2:So why why why do we still have these things that we have to mentor people through? Mhmm. Well, it's because there's no personal one on one. Help them live out those burdens, man.
Speaker 4:Yeah. For sure. So, man, coach, you know, watching Last Chance, she was like, man, it's like mentor gold. I I just love so many scenes and so many things that are I I thought that it was really presented in a well just a a really accurate way. The documentary, it lets the audience hear from your players to get a sense of the struggles that they deal with, of course, on and off the court.
Speaker 4:And it also kinda gave us the chance to stand alongside you and and to see the value of their lives and and hope good things for their futures as well. I think the show is like a perfect resource for adults considering coaching and mentoring. I I was curious. Have you gotten feedback over now these few years from viewers that the show has equipped and encouraged them to get into coaching or or to invest in people?
Speaker 2:Yes. And, you know, that's the the hump that's the the humbling part, you know, from from that point. It's so so humbling, and I'm just I still to this day, I'm like, man, there's thousands of people doing what I'm doing. Mhmm. And I'm like, why be you know?
Speaker 2:You know? And I I it's like, why? Like, dude, you guys stop, man. I'm not the greatest. Everybody there's there's tons of people.
Speaker 2:There's thousands of people doing what I'm doing. And every time somebody says, coach, you're doing such a great job, man. I wish you were my coach. I said, no. You probably don't, man.
Speaker 2:I'm, you know, I'm hard. I'm a hard coach. But there's tons and there's thousands of people. I'm so fortunate that and so grateful that God gave me the opportunity. And and truly, it was my goal to to to give a a picture of how how we need to to help young people and how there's people here suffering, and they need true authentic help.
Speaker 2:Not that it's not about me and showing how great of a coach I am. It's showing how we need to love on people and how we need to to help people. And that was the message that I wanted to get across, and and I was in a panic because I didn't think that was gonna happen. I thought all of it they wanted to show drama and negativity. And I just said, man, Lord, I don't know why you had me do this.
Speaker 2:My pastor told me to do it. He he which I was blown away when he said, yes. Do it. But I initially was like, ah, I'm not doing that. But but just doing it, I think, yes, the seeds were planted that there is this there's a way that we can help people and and serve others, man.
Speaker 2:And and I just think there's a lot of people that's encouraging. I've that's what I'm blown away about. I thought I thought in seeing it, they were gonna say I I was gonna get criticized for my coaching style and yelling and screaming. And I'm like, man, what am I doing? Why did I do this?
Speaker 2:And then I I I saw how they put it together, and there were some amazing people that edited the show. And there were good people that edited the show. And they got the real I think there's always good and bad, but the majority of who I was is the story that they went with. You know? So I wasn't I'm not a perfect person or a perfect coach.
Speaker 2:But I think as I as I watched how they put these stories together and and now as you watch documentaries and and you wanna tell a story about somebody, there's always pros and cons of someone. But the problem is is if you if you if you tell one side of the story and and you include just a little bit of something, you know, I may have screwed up on something, then they have to tell that whole story. And you just don't have enough time. You don't have enough time to share that content. So they built me up probably more than I should've been built up.
Speaker 2:But that was the majority of who I was and what I was trying to display, and those are the c's that I was trying to plan. And so that's what came off, and and I thank God he was divine and and had his hands on those editors, man. And they they put it together, and it was it was perfect. It wasn't because in some cases, I was I did some things that maybe I shouldn't have. And in some cases, I was dogmatic about my faith, and I was cutthroat like, no.
Speaker 2:And and if they would've included some of that stuff, man, I would've been so canceled from this the the way the world is right now. They would've been like, oh, man. This dude is too he's too churchy. Like, you know, I was really clear about my faith and what I believe, and and and they kinda trimmed it down to where it just said, you you know, to where it was it was bearable for everybody. It was bearable for for those who are not of the faith.
Speaker 2:And I was like, man, God is is awesome to be able to put it together like that.
Speaker 4:I agree. I agree.
Speaker 2:And it yeah. And it just you know, they'll be blessed for that. And the director and the creators, they they saw the vision of putting it together that way, and it it was able to help a lot. And and these last times, these last days, we we we hear you know, we know that God is he's gonna show up as well just as just as hardcore as, you know, that side he is. He's gonna come he's gonna be just as cool and clever to plant seeds as well.
Speaker 2:He's like, you know, he's always gonna win.
Speaker 4:So Absolutely.
Speaker 2:As much as they throw out, that's what he's gonna throw out.
Speaker 4:So, coach, one of the this is this is dealing with a topic that I think is a real struggle when it comes to mentoring. And because I believe that one of the mentors' universal realities is watching their mentees struggle to make wise choices because they are so often surrounded by unhealthy lifestyles that keep them from getting out of habits or negative behaviors. So a mentor can only do so much. And this is something that Last Chance You does a really good job at showing. It takes more than just success on the court, right, or a good coach player relationship to to, you know, quote, turn a life around.
Speaker 4:So what advice would you give to a mentor who feels discouraged because they they're not seeing the improvement in their mentees' lives based on maybe maybe them being the only positive, you know, in their life. And then every other day of the week, they're just around folks that that don't really have that that margin to be able to invest and to be healthy.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Well, I'd I'd say and we all know, nothing's a 100%. But to continue to plant those seeds, you never know. And we we see these examples in the word, and we see these examples in in our lives. There were seeds planted in our lives that, you know, eventually someone came along and nurtured and and watered those those seeds and took care of the soil.
Speaker 2:And then after they took care of the soil, they took off. And then there was someone who just removed the shade tree and allowed the sun to hit. And so I think as as as we mentor, I think we have to to realize that it's not it's not a 100%. Because then it becomes about us. You know what I'm saying?
Speaker 2:Then it becomes about me. I have to do it. Like, no. You you you can plant and you could water and you could do your part. And when you do done all that you can, like, ultimately, there's many a times that I've had young men and and and I I have this quote.
Speaker 2:I think I said it in the the the first show. It said the ones that deserve love the, you know, the ones that deserve love the ones that need love the most deserve it the least. And you love on those guys, and you're just like, man, they're not getting it. And then, ultimately, later on down the line, those are the ones the seeds that are planted. And you see God uses uses them just like myself.
Speaker 2:I was the cut up artist in class, man. I was the class clown. I was struggling in the class, all of that, man. And there was just a few people that loved all me that steered me in the right direction. And he used me on this great platform.
Speaker 2:And that's just the same as it goes to those that we speak and that we we try to help. It's never 100%. And all you could do is just pour, pour, pour. And sometimes they're rebelling at the moment moment. Mhmm.
Speaker 2:They're resisting the moment, but they hear everything you say. And that's what's so so funny because I can see myself. I do the same thing. And as I was sharing before, I resist all day long. To be honest, you know, those who we see potential in and that are smart, they take everything in, re regardless of the front that they have on.
Speaker 2:So there's some kids that I already know I'm looking at how how manipulative, how they they act out, how they do this. And I'm like, you know what? They're really listening to me. I know they are. They're just putting on this front like they don't wanna hear it.
Speaker 2:And, you know, and so as we continue to mentor, we have to realize that that all of them are different, and and they got this front. And because that's how I was. I was the same way. I was like, I don't want anybody to tell me anything. I would but I was really listening, and I was taking it all in.
Speaker 2:And every now and then, you get someone like Rick who I was telling you about who kinda gets you to stop and open up and talk. But for the most part, they're listening to you and do not be encouraged. They they're hearing everything that you say. Regardless if they're going like this, they still hear it. And they're taking it in.
Speaker 2:And if you plant the right seeds with the right message and if you have the right you're still feeding them vegetables. They're still getting it. And, yeah, they act like you know, they're chewing the vegetables and they're frowning, and they act like they're gonna spit it out. But to be honest, they don't spit those vegetables out. They eventually swallow them.
Speaker 2:You know? And, yeah, you got some good kids who are chewing vegetables and they're swallowing like, thank you. This is good for me. But then there's some chewing the vegetables and they're bitter. And they're like, oh, I can't stand vegetables, but they're still while they're chewing them, they're getting nutrients, and they're still Mhmm.
Speaker 2:They're still getting something. And so you you gotta realize that and then we see examples in the Bible, man, that that that that's the case when we try to share our faith that, you know, you could just keep planting and keep planting. And, ultimately, you may not be the one that clicks the light bulb on or you actually see the change until later down the line. And I see it so many times, man, in my heart. I I get tears in my eyes when I see a young man get his bachelor's degree when, you know, when I watch them struggle through academically.
Speaker 2:And I'm just like, man, I don't know if this kid's gonna ever get it. But these habits and habits will go on. And when they move on, I'm, like, surprised. But they saw the habits, and they actually at that moment, that they just they just wanna have this front on like they're not, you know, listening. But there's something going in.
Speaker 2:And sometimes we just gotta remember, it may not be us. It may just be me they don't wanna show that they're listening to. But I'm a keep planting the seeds, and I've I've experienced it enough to know that just keep planting the seeds and keep putting out the right message. And as they move on, it's it's in there. It's in there.
Speaker 2:And at some point, it's like the scripture says, train up a child in a way that they should go. And when they get old, they they won't depart from it. So we continue to pour that in and pour that in. And, ultimately, that that's what what'll come out. And even though they're surrounding themselves, at some point, a a light bulb may click, and they'll say, you know what?
Speaker 2:I I at least have an option.
Speaker 4:Mhmm.
Speaker 2:You at least give them an option. But if you don't tell them and you don't plant the seeds, they don't have a option. They don't even know that when they're away from us, they don't even know how to escape because you never taught them how to. But if you teach them how to, they keep running back. And, you know, the hope is that they'll come out of that because they at least have they they know at some point, no.
Speaker 2:I've been taught how to get out of this.
Speaker 4:You have made some really great points, which I think, again, in answer to that to that question, coach. What I hear is that you're saying god is sovereign. So if he's in control, again, it's not all on me. I'm not say I'm not playing savior for any anybody because God is actively at work doing his will and his plan, and I just get to be an instrument of that. But I also hear you say, just as you mentioned to the the guy who spoke some wisdom into your life when you when you left California, and that is you just never know what the impact is is gonna be as the mentor.
Speaker 4:And so when we say wisdom or when we invest in a life and if we're always kinda looking for, well, how is this being received by this person? And and as you say, they put up a front or they put up a wall, and you're thinking, oh, I'm not being effective. Well, you know what? You have no idea because it might take years down the road for for that person to come back. I mean, how many times has someone probably come back to you and say, hey.
Speaker 4:When you did that or when you said that back there, it made this kind of response in my life or this kind of impact. And you probably said, I don't even know what you're talking about. I don't even remember doing or saying that. So you you never know what God is going to use. Coach, I think that one of the attributes that I think that you do a good job at at portraying as we've gotten to watch a glimpse of your story is patience.
Speaker 4:And I I feel like I feel like patience is interesting because it's an attribute we all want, and yet none of us want to kind of endure what it takes to get there. Right? Lord lord, give me patience. However, lord, keep the circumstances in my life that that kinda train up my patience. What what circumstances have you endured maybe over the years that have shaped your consistency and patience in in your life?
Speaker 2:Well, you know what? It's just seeing as we as you just said, that god is he's sovereign. And as as I'm younger, I can you know, I'm I I just I don't have patience. I want things to happen. And then he would just completely close the door, and I I would assume it just won't happen.
Speaker 2:And then all of a sudden, I can see it manifest itself. The thing that maybe I had a desire to have or or wanted or or, you know, just in the position I am right now, I would have never thought that being here at the community college because in my eyes, I have this picture. I'm a be a division 1 coach, and I'm a be here. I'm a make a $1,000,000. I'm a do that, and that's how I'm a impact the world.
Speaker 2:But he had other plans for me to be here, and I'm like, I don't know why god chose me to be here. I'm like, Lord, whatever. I guess I'm just gonna have to trust you. I am here. I got so I felt like I had a gift to offer, and you stuck me at a community college.
Speaker 2:Like and we were and this is a program that's not one of the top programs in the state. And I thought I had more to offer than this. Like, what's up? Like, how are you doing me like this? And I'm like, well, you know, just being content in where God has you, especially those who are called into the faith.
Speaker 2:Like, if you if you don't believe for me, if if you you know, I just believe that God is sovereign and I believe he has a plan for me and that that keeps me. And as I get older, I get more and more content because I've seen it show up. And it probably takes time for you to see it to show up for those who are mentoring and for those who are young. But ultimately, for me, just seeing his sovereign plan he's had in my life and and ultimately just passionately wanting to help others and being competitive as well has kept me in a in a place where I'm I'm actually content because I see he's he's had a major impact on others. And even though it's at a a humble place, it's had an impact on lives that can do some tremendous things.
Speaker 2:Just as those who spoke to me, just as as Christ, He spoke in those humble places, but the impact he had on the world and in our lives as he spoke in those humble places. So that's really all I can say about that, is that God is sovereign and he has a plan. And if we align ourselves with his desires, which is that he's glorified, then it's gonna work out. And I'm just saying that, and, you know, you gotta forgive me because I I'm just like, man, I need forgiveness because I'm I'm just saying it because there's a habit of saying it, but sometimes I forget that it's real. I'm just, you know, what do you think?
Speaker 2:Oh, I'm just gonna serve God, and I'm just I'm a trust God. We just throw that out there.
Speaker 4:Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 2:But if you really trust God, then you'll see. And I'm actually, like, embarrassed, and I'm humble that he used all of this. And I'm ashamed that I didn't trust him. I said, oh, I'm a just trust God and go be the coach at East LA College. Nah.
Speaker 2:I didn't really trust him. I was just I was because, you know, in my my own space, I was like, man, why am I here? Like, what is, you know, I do. My god got me here, man. I'm looking at these guys elevate in the business as college coaches, and they're division 1 here and there.
Speaker 2:But now I see he strategically placed he placed me here, and then I've received messages from my high major coaches and coaches that I envied at their movement and their careers. And I was like, man, I I wish I was them. And now they were reaching back out to me saying, man, I wish I was you. You know? I wish I can have that impact that you're having.
Speaker 2:I wish I can do that. I'm elevated here, but you really make an impact, and you really have that. And and now now I'm humbled. And I'm like, why? I wanna, like, I wanna close the computer, man.
Speaker 2:I'm just I'm humbled that that that he's using me that way, and I'm ashamed that I didn't trust him. And we should all be ashamed
Speaker 4:Oh, man.
Speaker 2:And I trust him, especially when we called into his kingdom. We should all be ashamed. We we don't trust him when we worry. And and look at me talking, man. I I still worry sometimes, but yeah.
Speaker 4:It's grace upon grace, though. Right? Grace upon grace. He just continues to show it, man. You know?
Speaker 4:So Proverbs 2029 says, the glory of young men is the in their strength, and the splendor of old men is their gray head. It's interesting to hear you say that that the competitive component is still there even though you're not a player on the court. Right? You still get fired up and you still get to kind of instill that and and guide that in the hearts of your players. I think that's really interesting, but I think it's also really interesting that relationship, that strength and wisdom are kinda need each other.
Speaker 4:Right? We we need the strength of of youth in our lives, and and certainly they need wisdom as well. Right? They need they need to have patience and consistency and and perspective so often because strength without that can be very dangerous.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Absolutely. It goes hand in hand. They keep me young, man. I bet.
Speaker 2:And, it keeps me open minded in a sense that how can I change my approach? I won't say change my faith or philosophy, but change my approach and be open. And I share this with with administrators, and everybody wants me to come talk. And I'm just like, you know, I really don't wanna come to these little corny meetings. And you say, talk to us about how can we impact these young people.
Speaker 2:I say, first of all, every year, the same student walks through the door. It's an irresponsible 17 year old who's gonna be rude, who's gonna act out, who's gonna be self absorbed, the same student. But guess what? Next year, John Bosley is gonna be a little bit more mature. And then next year, I'm gonna be more and then 5 years from now, I'm gonna be more mature.
Speaker 2:So as we get older, we become more mature. We get it. We become less tolerant of that behavior, and that's what we can't we we can't lose. And so I I I constantly remind myself as well. Like, it's the same player.
Speaker 2:You know? Once I helped one player get through Joe Hampton, and he gets it. Coach Mosley, you're right. Thanks for praying for me. I got it.
Speaker 2:He goes to university. He plays. He gets his degree. Oh, thank you, Lord, for allowing me to help him. And then guess what?
Speaker 2:Another one comes in. And for me not to have the same patience and the same tolerant level, I'm with this new one that comes in to say, why don't you just get it? He got it. It's like it's the same one. And I think we fall into that.
Speaker 2:And I think as mentors and as those who are trying to help, we have to stay. I won't necessarily stay stay young, but just remember that that person that's walking through the door is at ground 0 in terms of development. And we gotta go back to ground 0. That means we gotta get back down in under these and get up and show them how to get up again. You know?
Speaker 2:Or we too good to say to go back and we see somebody down on our knees and we're saying, okay. Get up. Get up. Get up. I'm not getting down there no more.
Speaker 2:I've done that before. It's like, no. Get back down there. Live out the burdens and help them up. And I think that's something that that I've gotta remind myself as well.
Speaker 2:And we have to remind ourselves as we get more mature, as we get older, we get wiser and, you know, and more mature. I gotta remember, man, I I have to continue to do that and continue to, you know, not necessarily offend the body of Christ with, you know, you know I got it's not wrong with speaking as they spoke a little bit, you know, or in that whatever the culture is and, you know, you know, I can I can do that? But because, you know, it's not like, well, you have to show them. You have to, you know, to to be able to relate to them. No.
Speaker 2:I don't have to I don't have to do anything bad to relate to them. I could just listen to them. I can be around it. I mean, these guys curse all day. They talk about girls.
Speaker 2:They do all this. The guys, you know, they smoke weed. They do all that all day long. I'm not gonna be in a condemning mode. I'm just gonna smile and just be like, okay.
Speaker 2:Starting all over again.
Speaker 4:Man, you know, it's like Groundhog Day, like that movie, right, where you're acquiring those skills constantly even though it's being played out, you know, each time the same thing is that same kid comes every season, every year. Man, that's that is so true. Coach, for our final question so I need to paint a picture, alright, of my boss, executive director Zach Garza. He's 6.8, £270. He's a baller, and I like to talk a lot of trash to him.
Speaker 4:Alright? And I bait Zach often. And as of yet, he's refused my taunts to play a game of 1 on 1. Now listen. When the day comes and he snaps, what what advice can you give me as a player to beat Zach?
Speaker 4:Okay? I'm, you know, I'm I'm I'm 511. I look more like Mark Price and Scott Brooks in style and my stature. But listen. I'm I'm a scrappy player.
Speaker 4:So what what do you think? How am I gonna get some points on the board?
Speaker 2:You have to offend him and say, look. You gotta offend him. You gotta say, look. Your ball skills are awful. If you're that good, stay on the perimeter and beat me.
Speaker 2:No backing down. If you're the man, then you don't need to back me down and score on me. So you have to offend him, and and you gotta psychologically trick him to stay out on the perimeter. Because it sounds like you have no chance in the paint. You you have no chance in the paint.
Speaker 2:And so if I'm facing a bigger opponent, I have to offend him. He's like, oh, man. Where's your ball skill? You gonna step down in the block? Is that all you can do?
Speaker 4:Man, I'm hearing some David and Goliath stuff here, though. You know what I'm saying? Like, how dare you? I get that, man. Coach, this has been an honor.
Speaker 4:It's it's been a joy. I I love what we've talked about. I I appreciate that your heart really rang true in this in this series, and I'm I'm thankful for those filmmakers that they were that they were honest enough as well-to-do that. Coach, mentoring is farming, and I know you do it on a day by day, month by month, season by season. So I pray good things for your ministry, for your family.
Speaker 4:I appreciate the voice that you give so many who are also doing the work as you mentioned, the the guys that aren't and and the women who who aren't getting celebrated. But again, for for you get to represent them, and I thank you for doing that with with grace and with character.
Speaker 2:Yes. Also, just last but not least, mentoring is being an example as well. It's not always forward moving is being an example.
Speaker 4:Mhmm. Mhmm. Amen to that. For any of our listeners who do not know what we are talking about with Last Chance You, I highly recommend that you go today and begin streaming season 1 season 2 of this great documentary series starring coach John Mosley, his staff, and his players. It is a fantastic documentary to watch and, again, celebrates mentoring in a really powerful way.
Speaker 4:If you would like more information on coach Mosley, he has a website coach John Mosley dotcom. And so go take a look at that. There are ways to support him. I believe that there is even wear. There there are shirts and sweatshirts and things that you can purchase in order to support him, his ministry in that way.
Speaker 4:Listener, we thank you for joining us today, and we wanna remind you as always, you can mentor.