WCNC Charlotte's Off The Clock with Carboni

Brandt Bronico is a North Carolina native, Charlotte 49er, and now one of the first players on the Charlotte FC roster as the MLS comes to the Queen City in 2022. Brandt joins the podcast to discuss how thrilled he is to play pro soccer in Charlotte, why he thinks the MLS will be a hit here, and how he got his agent to get him traded to play for Charlotte FC!   More sports news from WCNC Charlotte: https://www.wcnc.com/sports  Follow Nick Carboni on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nickcarboniwcnc 

In this week’s special episode, WCNC Sports Director Nick Carboni leads a mock draft war room with Julian Council (Locked On Panthers), Eugene Robinson (NFL veteran) and John Ellis (One Panthers Place). With 10 minutes on the clock, the group tries to simulate the discussion the Carolina Panthers will have as they discuss what to do with the No. 8 overall pick. Will they take another quarterback, Justin Fields? Will they take a defensive player? Will they trade out of the Top 10? Each member of the group has a role to play as they debate what to do.

Former West Charlotte HS star basketball player Justin Gray joins WCNC Charlotte’s Off the Clock podcast one week into his new job as the head coach at Western Carolina University. Gray talks to Sports Director Nick Carboni about growing up on Beatties Ford Road, his stellar collegiate career at Wake Forest where he was teammates and friends with Chris Paul, and his basketball journey which took him to over a dozen teams overseas in Europe and Asia.   Follow more sports updates from WCNC Charlotte online: https://www.wcnc.com/sports

Joe Cox was one of the best high school football players in the United States, when he played for the record-breaking Independence teams in Charlotte in the early 2000s. He then went on to play college at the University of Georgia, and is now back home and on staff for the Charlotte 49ers. He joins the WCNC Off the Clock podcast to discuss chasing perfection in high school, lessons learned in college, and his coaching journey.

Charlotte resident Samuel Grubbs is a content creator with 7 million TikTok followers. Turner Sports called him ahead of the NCAA Tournament and challenged him to make a Rube Goldberg-style, chain-reaction puzzle for the beginning of March Madness coverage. Grubbs details how he did it, the odd items he had to acquire and the 16,000-square foot warehouse in Charlotte that he used to make it happen – all just before the deadline.

Gardner-Webb basketball coach Tim Craft joins Off the Clock with Nick Carboni to talk about the NCAA Tournament, and the Runnin’ Bulldogs dealing with a pandemic season. Two years ago Craft and his team cut down the nets as the Big South champion, and nearly upset No. 1 Virginia in the NCAA Tournament.  For the biggest sports news from across the Carolinas, follow Nick on Twitter @NickCarboniWCNC

Michael McDowell won the 2021 Daytona 500 for his first career NASCAR Cup Series win in 358 starts. McDowell, driver of the No. 34 Love's Ford for Front Row Motorsports, talks with WCNC Charlotte's Nick Carboni about transitioning that Daytona victory into a strong start to the season.  After four races, McDowell sits 9th in the NASCAR championship standings and is a lock for the playoffs by virtue of winning the season opener at Daytona. He joins Off the Clock with Nick Carboni before Sunday's Instacart 500 at Phoenix Raceway to discuss his strong start and where he believes his team could wind up when the dust settles on 2021.  For the latest Charlotte sports updates, including breaking news about the Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Hornets and college sports, follow Nick on Twitter, @NickCarboniWCNC. 

National championship-winning player Matt Doherty joins Nick Carboni to discuss his playing career at the University of North Carolina! During this conversation, Doherty also talks about his time coaching the Tar Heels and Notre Dame.  Nick and Matt also discuss his new book, "Rebound." 

We're just days away from the 2021 Daytona 500 and another NASCAR season. Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney joins Nick Carboni to discuss how it would feel to win the Daytona 500 and being in the driver's seat at the end of a chaotic race. Blaney, who has a reputation for some of the most recognizable facial hair in NASCAR might have some competition from his good pal, and defending champion, Chase Elliott. What's Blaney think about Chase's new look?

Charlotte native and PGA Tour major winner Davis Love III joins the podcast after being named U.S. captain for the 2022 Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow. He talks about his Carolina roots, why he thinks this will be the best Presidents Cup ever, and getting the news from Tiger Woods.

Carolina Panthers GM Scott Fitterer joins the Off The Clock podcast just after taking the job. During this interview with WCNC Charlotte's Nick Carboni, Fitterer discusses how to build a sustained winning franchise in Carolina, the attributes he looks for when scouting NFL quarterbacks and his team-building philosophy.  Fitterer also discusses how he plans to work with head coach Matt Rhule. 

Carolina Panthers linebacker Jermaine Carter Jr., joins the show to discuss the team’s 2020 NFL season, his improved play, his relationship with coach Matt Rhule, and his love/hate relationship with the nickname ‘Pee Wee.’

John Ellis of One Panther Place joins the WCNC Charlotte Off The Clock podcast to wrap up the 2020 Carolina season, and look ahead to 2021. After a dismal finish to the year, what is Teddy Bridgewater's future with Carolina, and could the team draft a QB? What can we expect from a new general manager in terms of roster construction and draft selection?    For the latest Panthers news, alerts and updates, follow Nick Carboni on Twitter @NickCarboniWCNC. 

Charlotte Hornets reporter Rod Boone is back on the beat, with a brand new website. He joins the show to discuss expectations for LaMelo Ball, and the 2020-21 season. 

Central Cabarrus standout and current NBA point guard Ish Smith joins the podcast to discuss the upcoming season, what life was like in the NBA Bubble, his days at Wake Forest, and if Charlotte hoops is underrated.

On the day of the NBA Draft, Charlotte native and Kansas guard Devon Dotson joins the podcast to talk about his emotions before he’s likely selected, his days in Charlotte and what move he’s planning to put on former high school teammate Grant Williams, now with the Boston Celtics. As usual, several Charlotte-area prospects are slated to be selected in the NBA Draft on Wednesday night. Here are the players, and where they may be drafted. Patrick Williams College: Florida State High School: West Charlotte Williams is on the rise up many Mock Drafts, now hovering inside the Top 10. The 6-foot-8 forward played just one season for the Seminoles but made his mark as the ACC Sixth Man of the Year, averaging 9.2 points per game, and shooting 46 percent from the field. According to NBA.com, "Patrick Williams is an athletic forward with prototypical tools for an NBA forward and a budding offensive game." Devon Dotson College: Kansas High School: Providence Day Dotson will become the second former Providence Day star drafted in as many years, following Grant Williams' selection by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft. Dotson, a speedy, 6-foot-2, point guard, led the Jayhawks to the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, which was ultimately canceled. "He’s an unbelievable competitor," said Bill Self, Dotson's coach at Kansas. "He liked it when it counted the most and when it was the hardest."   

For Charlotte’s Richie Shaffer – receiving the first copy of his book was not unlike another monumental moment in his life. TO BUY SHAFFER'S BOOK, CLICK HERE: https://www.amazon.com/Eight-Earth-Novel-Richie-Shaffer-ebook/dp/B08L39FDBB Shaffer retired last year from pro baseball – and just one year later is a published science fiction author. "If you told me six or seven years ago I’d have a full-fledged SciFi epic I’d say you’re crazy," he said. "It’s not something I ever pictured being capable of accomplishing.” “Honestly it felt very similar to when I got called up for the very first time," said Shaffer. "This was something that was a challenge unlike anything I’ve ever done.” Shaffer starred at Providence High School and then Clemson – then went on to be a first-round pick by Tampa Bay – and spent two seasons in the Major Leagues with the Rays. Storybook stuff – complete with hitting a home run at Fenway Park. “I almost think I enjoy that one more than my first home run because if I’m being completely honest," he said, "because what kid doesn’t hit the ball over the monster, right?” Shaffer was looking for a relaxing escape from the daily grind of pro baseball life – and eventually – he found it in writing. In hotel rooms, on long bus rides, and on team flights. He wrote and wrote. “Every day after games I would write another page, another chapter, with no intention of writing a book it just really helped me calm down," Shaffer said. "Then I looked up a year later and I basically had this first draft of like 400 pages I was like oh my gosh!” The Eight of Earth focuses on a world created in Shaffer’s mind "Basically the nugget of the story is what would humans be like if they weren’t raised by humans and they were raised in a different civilization? What parts of humanity are innate and what part are learned through culture and society,” Shaffer explained. And while it is SciFi at its core – it has heart. “It’s very human and has a lot of heart to it," he said. "It’s about people needing to care for one another to get through life because life can be difficult no matter what the situation is.” READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/sports/charlotte-baseball-player-writes-sci-fi-book/275-54fcbd8e-1cd6-4c0d-b503-354fd413252c

Charlotte 49ers great and Pittsburgh Steelers rookie Alex Highsmith joins the show fresh off his first-career interception off Lamar Jackson. Highsmith talks about being a part of the NFL’s only unbeaten team, and his days with the Charlotte 49ers, which started with humble beginnings.  

This week, Charlotte 49ers baseball coach and Charlotte native Robert Woodard joins the show to discuss building momentum from the team’s shortened spring season, and about his days pitching for the University of North Carolina, where he remains the program’s all-time winningest pitcher, leading the Tar Heels to multiple College World Series appearances. 

Hornets guard and Tar Heels great Joel Berry II joins the show to talk about the Hornets two-week bubble, fighting through pain to bring UNC the 2017 National Championship, and his affinity for playing NBA 2K.