Former Stampeders Sundiata Gaines and Anthony Tolliver are both on the Minnesota Timberwolves roster. We recently conducted a conference call with the two to see how their season is coming along and their thoughts on their past with the Stampede. Interview conducted by Travis Tate.

How is your season going so far?

Anthony Tolliver: So far, I think we’re doing alright. I think we’ve exceeded expectations, at least as far as what other people have expected of us this year, but that’s not good enough for us. I think we have a lot more we can accomplish. But we are definitely taking some steps in the right direction.

What are the main differences between the D-League and the NBA?

Sundiata Gaines: I think playing in the D-League is more for developing your game, as far as trying to enhance your skills. As far as the NBA, everybody at every position is talented. You’ve always got to make a second or third or fourth effort in order to execute a play or on defense to help your teammates. The play is a whole lot faster with more talented players. Guys have a better IQ of what to do on the floor; it’s just a little tougher.

What has been the impact of the Stampede organization on you?

A.T.: I think that last year being in that system allowed us to really show our skill set, to show teams what we have to bring to the table. In the past, for me, I played in the D-League before, and we had the system that didn’t really allow me to get better. The system in Idaho with coach MacKinnon allowed me and Sundiata to show people what we could do. So, that’s definitely a big help to advance my career to the NBA.

S.G.: I’d say the same thing, coach MacKinnon had the system for us to get up and down a bit more. Anthony and I, that fit our style of play. From that standpoint, we were playing up and down and winning and executing with other good talent around you. That gave me my chance for Utah – I was already playing 30 minutes a game, so when I went to Utah, I was ready when my name got called to go in the games. It gave me that confidence.

What are your memories of playing with the Stampede?

A.S.: Our super cold practice gym [laughs] – oh my gosh. That is the one memory I know I’ll forever remember. At practice, we had to wear like three layers. But really, I just enjoyed playing, we had good crowds and had a lot of fun, like during the showcase, had good times in the gym.

S.G.: Our team bus, we had to take that everywhere. It broke down? [Laughs]It had some issues. We had to take it everywhere to go shopping or get food or whatever. On the court, just the whole staff, they put a lot of energy in and they were excited like we were – we had a good supporting cast. It’s a pretty good organization to help us grow as individuals and players.

How much attention do you pay to the D-League and the Stampede now?

Anthony: I usually click on the D-League site here or there, just to see what’s going on, to see who ‘s getting called up. That’ll always be a part of my career and who I am as a player, that’s part of my past to get to where I am. I’ll always see what’s going on in the D-League, just to check in on Idaho and where I’ve played in the past.

Sundiata: I probably check twice a week and see how some players are doing who I know personally. I try to see what’s going on with the Stampede. Even though I only played about 13 games, that’s part of where my career started at.

Sundiata, if you don’t get to stay on with the Timberwolves, would you consider coming back to the Treasure Valley to play with the Stampede?

Sundiata: With Anthony, he’s been with a lot of teams and situations, he’s got a lot of experience, so for him, he’s been around a lot longer than me. On my behalf, I’d love to be in Minnesota the rest of the year, come into the free agent summer and keep my options open. But if things don’t work out here, I’m not sure. I’ll probably wait around a week or a couple of weeks, and I would go back to Idaho and see what I could do there.

Anthony, tell me about the YouTube video and recent story and pictures from your engagement.

A.T.: The first video, the decision, was really just a very, very small thing that I wanted to do just for fun. I made it for my family and friends to laugh at me. I wasn’t trying to get any media attention, it just blew up. It’s been crazy how many people have watched that, and then when I go to cities and I’m signing autographs, they say, “oh, I loved your YouTube video.” It’s unbelievable how something can become so big. With the proposal , the original idea for me to ask my girl was just something low-key. I wanted not to not have video or pictures; that was our own personal thing and I just wanted to have pictures of that stuff happening. The people from the team were the ones to do it, so they asked if it could be used and write a story. They originally wanted to ask about it, I didn’t really want any attention.

S.G.: So, you got a baby on the way?

A.T.: [Laughs] Yeah, if my girl gets pregnant, I’ll put that on YouTube [Laughs].