North Iowa Sports Story

Shooting the Breeze: Clint Kadolph

By JAMIE SUHR, For The Globe Gazette
CLINT KADOLPH

The game of Texas Hold 'Em poker has swept through the country the past few years, and the craze has reached the Ventura boys basketball team.

Kadolph, a senior guard for the Vikings, spends his time watching poker on television or playing a low-stakes tournament with his friends on the team.

Kadolph, who plans on majoring in business at the University of Iowa, took time out Thursday to speak with sportswriter Jamie Suhr about poker, good poker food and his nickname if he were to be on the And 1 basketball tour.

If you were on the And 1 basketball tour, what would your nickname be?

I'd have to be ... Can I think about it? I can't come up with one. Let's move on to the next question.

Poker is on TV all the time. Do you watch any of those poker shows?

Yeah, I think they're pretty fun to watch.

I think the best one is Celebrity Poker on Bravo.

Yeah, that one is pretty funny, especially since they don't really know how to play. They take a little different approach.

Are you any good?

I'm all right.

So do you guys get together and play?

Yeah we get six to eight guys from the team and we play for small stakes.

Do you remember any great hands you got beat on?

(Wednesday night), I got beat twice when I had full houses. Josh Henely had five four-pairs during a four-hour period.

You guys played for four hours?

Yeah, we played a tournament.

Where do you play?

We play at Garrett Busch's house.

Do they fix food for you guys?

Yeah, we had pizza, grilled cheese sandwiches, peanut butter sandwiches and nachos.

So what else do you watch on TV?

I like "The Real World," "The Simpsons," "South Park" and "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart."

I think the Simpsons has really fallen off lately.

Yeah, I think it's going to get cut out pretty soon.

Have you seen "Rounders?" I can't think of any other movies with poker.

No, I haven't. I like the show "Tilt" on ESPN. That's pretty good.

Did you come up with a nickname yet?

I can't think of one.

To keep with the gambling theme, I say you call yourself "Double Down."

Sure. That works.

Does anyone have a cool nickname on the team that would work on the And 1 Tour?

We call R.A. (Ryan Anderson) "Rah Digga."

Rah Digga's a female rapper. How'd that come about?

I have no idea. That's what Garrett called him.

This Garrett sounds quite clever.

He's pretty smart.

What would Garrett's And 1 nickname be?

Probably "Scientist." He's on the conference's all-academic team with me, so he's really smart.