Alex Caruso joins TexAgs Radio to detail newly launched foundation

NBA champion and former Texas A&M basketball player Alex Caruso is now with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Caruso joins TexAgs Radio to discuss his NBA career as well as the Alex Caruso Foundation's upcoming golf scramble at Miramont Country Club on Monday.

Key notes from Alex Caruso interview

• So, for a couple of years now, I've been trying to get the Alex Caruso Foundation started in some capacity. I've always had this pull to give back and help others. I've been blessed, and through some hard work, I've found a lot of success with the game of basketball. Everything fell into place for me to start a foundation and give back to others. One of the places that is near and dear to my heart is College Station and the Texas A&M community.
   
• I wanted to come back and host a golf tournament because I love golf. It seemed like the perfect event to get a bunch of people together, talk about the foundation and spend some time together. I don't get to come back to College Station as much as I would like. We will have some people come into town. I know Billy Kennedy is in town and will be out there. Hopefully, some other faces will show up, too.
   
• I am just excited to kick off the foundation. The turnaround for this had been a couple of months. I am just trying to get my feet on the ground and face in front of faces. I want to get everything going, and then we can build from here.
   
• Every time I come back to College Station, there is a new road or new construction project. It has been like that since I was a kid and lived in South College Station. There were cows where that HEB used to be. That is the standard for College Station and the Brazos Valley's growth. Every time I come back, I go back to the staples like Koppe Bridge and Wings 'N More. I like to see the old familiar faces and my friends and family. It brings it back to that nostalgic feeling of when I was a kid.
   
• I don't know if I would have believed you when I was sixteen years old and you told me I would have my own foundation, an NBA championship, some personal accolades and would be going on year eight in the NBA. I have always been so competitive that I think there would have been some sort of self-belief. I think just being present and taking everything one punch at a time has been a key to my success personally and through my career.
   
• LeBron James' love gave me confidence. Coming from someone of that stature, someone who is that smart and skilled and the face of the NBA, and arguably the greatest of all time, that means a lot. It gave me the confidence in myself to believe that what I was doing was right. It helped me believe that what I was good at could contribute and be a deciding factor in NBA games. All I ever wanted was to be out there at the end of the game and have a chance to win. Like I said, I am a competitive guy. So, at the end of the day, I am most worried about that. If I have a chance to be out there, that is what I am asking for.
   
• I think I have grown in confidence in myself and everything I do. I don't second guess nowadays. I know exactly what I want to do defensively, when I want to shoot it and how I want to attack.
   
• Then, there is also the mental part of the game. Resetting in the NBA is a big deal when playing 82 games throughout the year. It is a task to shut it off for 12 hours, go to practice the next day and then ramp it back up every two days. Growing in that aspect was something professional basketball really taught me. Then, continuing to work on my shot and offensive part of my game is important.
   
• I think that the Thunder's success last year speaks for itself. Being first in the West is a tall task because of the buzzsaw and how much talent is in the Western Conference. It is weird now because we added some pieces in the offseason and resigned some of the young guys. Isaiah Harteinstein and I are phenomenal basketball players who can fit really well within the team. Looking at it on paper, we do a lot of stuff that those guys need that will help us be successful.
   
• For me, I have to stay in the present. That has been the key to success. I obviously have high expectations. I am excited to get to know some of my new teammates. Coach Mark Daigneault coached me when I was in OKC in the G-League my first year. We have a great relationship. I know what to expect out of him and he knows how to coach and push me. If there was one word to describe it, just excited.
   
• I have a soccer team in England that I watch, but other than that, A&M is the only thing I have room for left in my head during basketball season. I always support those guys and talk to some of the basketball players throughout the year. I text them and motivate them to keep going and move on to the next game. 
   
• I am excited to start the foundation. There is so much I want to do to give back. I am learning as I go, just figuring out the best way to set up for success so people can benefit from it and help it grow. 
   
• Monday’s golf tournament is going to be a great event. It will be a lot of fun. This will probably be the smallest it will ever be as far as attendance and enrollment. I am super excited to get it going and looking forward to giving back to the Brazos Valley in the coming years.