Just a reminder that it was 6 top 10s and 1 top 20 over 7 tournaments. Insane. Here's 5 with him:
1. Did you actually think you might not win AOY?
> "I had a lot of people already saying, 'Hey you won,' but you never count your chickens before they're hatched. You just never know.... I felt like I was in a good position as long as my equipment held up and all that.
> "I made sure I did everyhting in my power to control the variables I could control [for Mille Lacs]. I felt good about it, but I didn't feel like it was definitely going to happen."
2. What happened at Mille Lacs? You got a top 20 instead of a top 10 – were you even trying? 😁
> "[Laughs] It was a fun tournament. The competition gets stiffer and stiffer every tournament.... Decision-making is everything. One bad decision and you miss a top 10. I actually figured out that I made a mistake in my rotation....
> "It really came down to decision-making. You could have the best deal on the lake, but if you don't make your rotation at the right time, you could have a middle of the pack tournament."
3. Is it true Jordan Lee and Ott DeFoe won't talk to you anymore? 😆
> "Yeah. Otter stills ends me birthday wishes but Jordan – no we're all good! Them boys, no doubt they catch them plenty, trust me, They're not worrying about me reeling in a few bass – they have plenty of their own to reel in."
4. Do you understand yet that you just had what might go down as the greatest AOY season of all time?
> "No. I think in the moment you can never truly appreciate when things are going great. I think you look back at key moments in your career, and it takes years for that to really sink in.
> "...stop and appreciate this, but you also don't want to because don't want to get complacent. You don't want to register that – hey that was unbelievable – because you want to keep pushing. My mentality...it's on to the next one.
> "When you're in that time when things are just going right, when your decisions are the right ones, it's hard to appreciate that until that run is over – until you're on the back end of that and you're like, wow. Until that happens all you want to do is go to the next one."
5. What year was more insane, yours or Dustin's?
> "I think it's a combo of both. Last year I had 3 wins and a Cup win, this year he won 3 major events – it's insane. Ott won 2 last year, Dustin 3 this year – it all depends on what you value more.
> "For me...AOY is the most valuable thing I can win each and every year – that's over Redcrest, thats over winning a single event. AOY is a year-long battle and is what I value most.
> But looking at what Dustin did, it's incredible. He's coming into his own, and he's working harder than I've ever seen him work.
> "Everyone pushes everyone – iron sharpens iron man. ...each one of us is pushing each other to another level. Dustin's really come into his own. It's been truly impressive and I couldn't be happier for him. He's gonna be reeling em in...it's gonna be a battle for sure."
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