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The Grounded Theory Podcast

The Grounded Theory Podcast

040 with Freeze Calipari: Developing Young Talent, NIL Landscape and Red Pills of the Music Industry

Aug 17, 2026 · 2 hr 34 min · 14 segments

Freeze Calipari aka Jarell Graham is currently the assistant coach at Confluence Prep Academy here in St. Louis. Freeze has coached some of the best talent St. Louis has had to offer throughout the…

Freeze Calipari aka Jarell Graham is currently the assistant coach at Confluence Prep Academy here in St. Louis. Freeze has coached some of the best talent St. Louis has had to offer throughout the years when they were kids and has coached multiple nationally ranked AAU teams. Being in the mix for so long, he's coached with and against lots of NBA guys like Cam Boozer, Darius Acuff Jr., Thompson twins, Cooper Flag and more. Freeze has been on the front lines in a way that gives him a really interesting perspective on basketball in St. Louis as well as nationally. We talk about the And 1 mixtape era, the differences between developing young talent vs trying to win right now, the differences in play styles from state to state, the importance of being able to effect the game by more than just scoring, AAU politics, the NIL generation of athletes and a lot more. Lots of St. Louis basketball name drops and a little peak behind the curtain of the music industry at the end. Very entertaining conversation.Go tap in with Freeze on IG: @freezycalipari

Freeze Calipari aka Jarell Graham is currently the assistant coach at Confluence Prep Academy here in St. Louis. Freeze has coached some of the best talent St. Louis has had to offer throughout the…

Speakers: Jarell GrahamGuestHostHost

Top entities: St. Louis×35 Anthony Bonner×7 P. J. Tucker×4 Larry Hughes II×4 Confluence Preparatory Academy×4

Meet Freeze0:01 – 0:42

H

HostHost

0:01

And we're live.

H

HostHost

0:03

Are we using the government name? Are we putting that out there or are we sticking with? We can do both.

H

HostHost

0:09

Freeze?

Jarell GrahamGuest

0:10

We can do both.

H

HostHost

0:11

Okay.

Jarell GrahamGuest

0:11

A lot of people don't know the government name.

H

HostHost

0:13

I didn't know the government name until recently.

H

HostHost

0:16

Until I stalked the IG to get ready for this.

H

HostHost

0:18

Yeah.

H

HostHost

0:20

So what's the government name? Jarrell

Jarell GrahamGuest

0:22

Graham.

H

HostHost

0:23

Okay, and we go by Freeze?

Jarell GrahamGuest

0:25

Freeze, Freezy Calipari.

Jarell GrahamGuest

0:27

There's a lot of things.

Jarell GrahamGuest

0:28

Freezy the Barge.

Jarell GrahamGuest

0:29

There's a lot of

H

HostHost

0:30

good things.

H

HostHost

0:30

Okay.

H

HostHost

0:32

So for those listening that may not know who you are, let the people know who you are, what you do, where you've been.

H

HostHost

0:39

Introduce yourself to the people.

H

HostHost

0:40

Take us through the

Jarell GrahamGuest

0:41

journey.

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St. LouisCityCity in Missouri
99%35 mentions
Anthony BonnerPersonAmerican former basketball player
98%7 mentions
P. J. TuckerPersonAmerican former basketball player
97%4 mentions
Larry Hughes IIPersonAmerican former basketball player
96%4 mentions
Confluence Preparatory AcademySchoolSchool in St. Louis, Missouri
95%4 mentions
Amateur Athletic UnionCompanyCompany
93%4 mentions
Houston RocketsSports TeamBasketball team
92%9 mentions
Caleb LovePersonPhiladelphia 76ers guard
91%2 mentions
Darius Acuff Jr.PersonSacramento Kings point guard
90%3 mentions
Jayson TatumPersonBoston Celtics power forward and small forward
88%5 mentions
DrakePersonCanadian rapper and singer
87%2 mentions
Cameron BoozerPersonMemphis Grizzlies forward
86%4 mentions
Leroy BlydenPerson
85%1 mention
Shaquille O'NealPersonAmerican former basketball player and sports analyst
84%6 mentions
St. Louis CardinalsSports TeamBaseball team
82%2 mentions
Penny HardawayPersonAmerican basketball coach
81%4 mentions
Justin TatumPersonAmerican coach and basketball player
80%4 mentions
ChicagoCityCity in Illinois
79%5 mentions
LeBron JamesPersonPhiladelphia 76ers forward
77%4 mentions
ColumbiaCityCity in Missouri
76%2 mentions
NBASports OrganizationLeague
75%9 mentions
Malachi SmithPersonAmerican basketball player
74%2 mentions
Kyrie IrvingPersonDallas Mavericks guard
73%1 mention
Saint Louis Billikens men's basketballSports TeamBasketball team
71%1 mention
IndianaAdministrative AreaUS state
70%3 mentions
Tristan ThompsonPersonCleveland Cavaliers center and power forward
69%2 mentions
Vashon High SchoolSchoolHigh school in St. Louis, Missouri
68%3 mentions
Draymond GreenPersonGolden State Warriors power forward
66%4 mentions
NikeCompanyFootwear company
65%7 mentions
Hazelwood Central High SchoolSchoolSchool in Florissant, Missouri
64%1 mention
Rudy GobertPersonMinnesota Timberwolves center
63%3 mentions
CaliforniaAdministrative AreaUS state
62%1 mention
Courtney RameyPersonAmerican basketball player
60%6 mentions
Bradley BealPersonLA Clippers shooting guard
60%1 mention
Cooper FlaggPersonDallas Mavericks shooting guard and small forward
58%4 mentions
Orlando MagicSports TeamBasketball team
57%5 mentions
AND1CompanyFootwear company
55%2 mentions
Spike LeePersonAmerican filmmaker and actor
54%1 mention
Chicago BullsSports TeamBasketball team
53%2 mentions
Tory LanezPersonCanadian singer and rapper
52%1 mention
Paul GeorgePersonPhiladelphia 76ers shooting guard and small forward
51%1 mention
InstagramSoftware ApplicationSocial networking service
49%1 mention
Bryson TillerPersonAmerican singer and rapper
48%1 mention
Compton HeightsPlaceNeighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri
47%1 mention
Indiana PacersSports TeamBasketball team
46%1 mention
Intelligence quotientEntity
45%3 mentions
Work ethicEntity
43%1 mention
6LACKPersonAmerican singer and songwriter
41%1 mention
Don ToliverPersonAmerican rapper and singer
41%1 mention
Xavier SneedPersonAmerican basketball player
40%1 mention

NIL DealsSports > Basketball > Culture > Media Influence
Player MentalitySports > Basketball > Talent Development
Coaching StrategiesSports > Basketball > Talent Development > Player Mentality
Industry DynamicsEntertainment > Music > Artist Development
Marketing StrategiesEntertainment > Music > Artist Development > Industry Dynamics
Social Media InfluenceSociety > Youth Culture > Sports Culture > Community Engagement
Society
Youth CultureSociety
Sports CultureSociety > Youth Culture
Community EngagementSociety > Youth Culture > Sports Culture
Player DevelopmentSports > Basketball > Youth Sports > Coaching
Artist DevelopmentEntertainment > Music
Talent DevelopmentSports > Basketball
Media InfluenceSports > Basketball > Culture
CultureSports > Basketball
Youth SportsSports > Basketball
CoachingSports > Basketball > Youth Sports
Sports
BasketballSports
Entertainment
MusicEntertainment

Meet Freeze0:01 – 0:42

H

HostHost

0:01

And we're live.

H

HostHost

0:03

Are we using the government name? Are we putting that out there or are we sticking with? We can do both.

H

HostHost

0:09

Freeze?

Jarell GrahamGuest

0:10

We can do both.

H

HostHost

0:11

Okay.

Jarell GrahamGuest

0:11

A lot of people don't know the government name.

H

HostHost

0:13

I didn't know the government name until recently.

H

HostHost

0:16

Until I stalked the IG to get ready for this.

H

HostHost

0:18

Yeah.

H

HostHost

0:20

So what's the government name? Jarrell

Jarell GrahamGuest

0:22

Graham.

H

HostHost

0:23

Okay, and we go by Freeze?

Jarell GrahamGuest

0:25

Freeze, Freezy Calipari.

Jarell GrahamGuest

0:27

There's a lot of things.

Jarell GrahamGuest

0:28

Freezy the Barge.

Jarell GrahamGuest

0:29

There's a lot of

H

HostHost

0:30

good things.

H

HostHost

0:30

Okay.

H

HostHost

0:32

So for those listening that may not know who you are, let the people know who you are, what you do, where you've been.

H

HostHost

0:39

Introduce yourself to the people.

H

HostHost

0:40

Take us through the

Jarell GrahamGuest

0:41

journey.