“Watching NBA game tapes with Mr. Phillips took my interest to another level.”
A leading figure in sports commentary and writing, Kaan Kural’s true passion has always been basketball — and the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles is the one event he’s most looking forward to.
In which sports were you involved at RC?
I was a member of the basketball and track & field teams, but as a boarding student, I got involved in almost every sport the school offered. I dedicated more time to athletics than academics — which says a lot about my commitment to both.
Many teachers stand out, but Dave Phillips is a particularly distinct figure. He was both my basketball coach and my overall sports mentor. He genuinely encouraged us to participate. I remember in my senior year, only one other classmate and I were interested in archery. For PE class, he gave us the keys to the Plateau depot so we could fetch the archery equipment and do our thing while he supervised the rest of the students. He never said, “Do what everyone else is doing.” Instead, he encouraged us to “do whatever you like.”
How did you fall in love with basketball?
As a boarding student, you have a lot of free time. During winter, you need to find indoor activities — and naturally, the gym became the go-to option. To be involved in sports at RC at the time, you had to play basketball. I loved it from the start. I watched the older students play and admired them. I tried to improve, had fun, and played every single day without ever getting bored.
Dave Phillips brought NBA game tapes, and we’d watch them together in the AV room. That took my interest and fandom to a whole new level.
You’ve done many things in your career — writing, acting, commentating, publishing. Which of these has been the most fulfilling for you?
Writing. Writing is both instinctive and spontaneous, yet also prepared and structured. With writing, you can always pinpoint exactly what you want to express — the precise thought, feeling, or theory you had. Everything I’ve done has its own strengths and rewards, but I’ve always felt that writing allows me to convey exactly what I want to get across.
What advice would you give RC students considering a career in sports content or commentating?
Just produce. Never stop reading, learning, and developing your skills — and keep producing. It’s the best way to improve in any field, and it also helps you build a portfolio for future opportunities. Start with podcasting, writing columns — whatever speaks to you. They’ll be rough at first. When I look back at my early work, I’m embarrassed by how inadequate most of it was. But that’s how I — and really, how anyone — improves. Just like in sports: practice.
