KAPPAS IN SPORTS
Jarmond: Yeah that was a crazy situation that turned out 100% the right way for UCLA. You say all the time you try and take lemons and make lemonade. Well we did more than make lemonade. We made lemonade, lemon cake, and we made some sorbet. It was challenging because I had just started. And actu- ally it happened a week or two before I started. So right off the bat I was knee deep into trying to learn UCLA. Trying to learn what went wrong in our last deal to where we were in this situation to try and avoid that. And also get a sense of what was going to be best for us in what we’re trying to do which is recruit talented young people and win. And be successful. So I had to learn really quickly the dynamics about UCLA, the apparel companies out there. Some I knew. Some I wasn’t as familiar with. But that’s where you go back to your training. You work hard, you focus, you put all of your energy into that. Part of that focus at that time was there were other things that I had to push to the side. I really had to focus on getting this right. This was the start of my tenure here. I knew how important it was. And it’s the kind of decision that’s going to impact for years to come. The gravity of the situation wasn’t lost on me and I knew I was going to be tested right off the bat. I will tell you going with Nike and the Jordan brand is historic. We’ve never been with Nike. It’s elite, t’s exclu- sive. And I think the best is yet to come. It really is going to help chart our path moving forward and how we want to be successful. Not just on the field, that’s important, but just as important to me is success off the field. You see what Nike and Jordan brand are doing especially with social justice and different initia- tives that help young people find their voice, help people have impact. That’s what UCLA is all about. So that’ll align. And that was attractive to me because I saw that Nike and Jordan brand are difference makers. UCLA trailblazers, gamechangers that’s what we are about. So to me it was a perfect alignment of their mission and values lining up with
ours. At the end of the day, we want to be elite. UCLA athletics is elite. Jordan and Nike are elite. It’s the best of the best. It’s wonderful. It’s beautiful. The Journal: At this time, I want to give you a chance to shout out any coaches, mentors, family members etc. who were instrumental in your success. Jarmond: Ok. I’d have to start with my mom and dad. They sacrificed so much for me. They poured into me. You know they were my role models, my idols. Before my mom passed this summer they were married for 50 years. They
got married in 1969. It starts with my mom and dad. I saw what hard work looks like. I saw what sacrifice looks like. They’re just extraordinary people. From a coaching or mentor standpoint, I would say I learned a lot from coach Jerry Wainwright. He was my coach at UNC Wilmington. You know just learning to deal with adversity. You know things didn’t always go my way and he pushed and challenged me. I had to learn that sometimes you’ve got to pivot. And even when you give your best it’s not good enough. But you’ve got to get back up. So I learned a lot from him. I would say Dr. Joanne Nottingham. She
THE JOURNAL ♦ WINTER 2020-SPRING 2021 | 51
Publishing achievement for more than 107 years
Made with FlippingBook HTML5