Some voices become so familiar they feel like family. Camille Davis, co-host of Locked On Bucks and the TECKnical Foul Podcast, has quickly become one of those. A Milwaukee native, Davis covers the Bucks and the NBA (along with the NFL and WWE) in a soft-spoken style that blends insightful analysis with passion and humour. But that’s just the half of it. A hoop-head since childhood—from MJ to NBA Live to winning an “Eat and Greet” with Malcolm Brogdon—Davis knows the game not just as a media member,
but as a fan.
Zac: Let’s start early. How did you fall in love with the game of basketball?
Camille: Watching games with my uncles. When I was a kid, if I wanted to hang out with them then I was also watching what they watched. They weren’t putting on cartoons for me (laughs). I liked being around them so I started watching basketball and football with them. Next thing I knew, I was enjoying the game itself and my uncles or big cousin being around was just the cherry on top. Also, playing NBA Live ‘97 helped solidify my love for the game and helped to “teach” me things about the game.
Zac: What about the Bucks? As a Wisconsinite, you grew up in some pretty dire times as far as Bucks fandom goes, at least around that 2001 run. What formative memories and/or players stand out for you?
Camille: Admittedly, I grew up as a Michael Jordan fan and when he retired the second time, that’s when I started to watch more Bucks games. In particular, it was the 2000-01 team that got me interested. I remember very clearly watching a playoff game against the Hornets during a middle school dance. The DJ had a little TV at his booth with the game on and I was watching that with some other guys instead of dancing (laughs). But the 2009-10 season made me a fanatic. During Brandon Jennings’ rookie year, I was in college with a little disposable income and Bucks games were cheap and fun entertainment. I spent a lot of time in the Bradley Center during that time and really locked in with the team. I have a lot of great memories of the BC because of that time. Shoutout to Carlos Delfino… I had a Delfino T-shirt jersey that I wore out!
Zac: Beyond loving the game as a fan, were you a hooper?
Camille: Only in my mind (laughs). We had a hoop in my backyard for a few years and I’d go outside to shoot around with my uncle Tony and cousins. My middle school was really small, it was one of those schools that went from K-5 to 8th grade. Really small—like my graduating class was like 11 kids. We didn’t have enough girls to field a basketball team so I never played organized ball. When I got to high school, I wanted to be around the game, so instead of playing I was the manager for the boys team from my sophomore year up until I graduated. I loved being in practice, learning from the coaches, and choppin’ it up with the players about what we saw.
Zac: You won a meet and greet—technically anEat and Greet—with none other than “The President” himself, Malcolm Brogdon, in 2017. What was that experience like—and did it influence your path into covering the NBA and the Bucks?
Camille: It was really smooth. I was really nervous but Brogdon was such a nice guy. It was a fun meet and greet and I loved getting a year of Cousins Subs for free (laughs). I was super popular in my family after winning that. It didn’t influence my pathway to talk sports for a living, but was a peak moment in my fandom.
Zac: In the same year, your media career began with the launch of the TECKnical Foul Podcast. Tell us how that came to fruition and how you blend the seriousness of sports coverage with humour (I love your episode titles).
Camille: I was working full time at a local foundation while attending graduate school to get my Master’s in Sports Management. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted to do something in the realm of sports. I couldn’t get an internship because I had a job and responsibilities and thought that maybe a podcast could be a good entry point. It felt like something I could do on the side while still working.
Assembling the cast… I had prior conversations with Ken and Tim, separately, about doing a podcast. I’ve known Ken since middle school and Tim since my junior year in college. I asked those two if they’d want to do a show together with me and they were both in; they met each other maybe once or twice before that.
Thinking about our trio, I felt like a certain dynamic was missing and reached out to another college friend, Eric, about joining and he was game. The idea behind TECK Foul was to be able to bring the type of conversations that would live in a group chat to the masses. We try to have a more relaxed, lighthearted approach while still talking about the nuts and bolts of the games we love. Plus we all grew up wrestling fans and having this outlet to also talk and nerd out about WWE is great.
Zac: I remember hearing you on Locked On Bucks talk about your excitement when you were first followed by Kane Pitman or Frank Madden on social media. Talk us through that experience and how you came to become the show’s co-host.
Camille: I joined Twitter back in 2009 because one of my Communication professors said we had to. Back then, Bucks Twitter wasn’t a huge thing—it was a pretty small but passionate group. I really grew to respect the opinions of Frank and Eric Nehm after listening to Locked On Bucks. I interacted with them and eventually Kane on Twitter pretty consistently and I guess my takes weren’t terrible so they followed me back eventually (laughs). During COVID, Kane reached out to me and asked if I’d like to do a guest spot on LOB after hearing me on TECKnical Foul and following me on Twitter. After that first guest spot, I got invited to do another guest spot, which led to me having a regular weekly guest spot on the podcast. Once Kane was leaving, I interviewed with the Locked On network and got the gig full time. I’m forever thankful to Kane for inviting me on the pod, which helped put me on Locked On’s radar.
Zac: You’ve now spent several years covering the Bucks for Locked On. What’s something about covering the team day in, day out that you think is often overlooked?
Camille: The amount of time that goes into a season. There’s a whole lot of late nights of podcasting and editing to get the show out. I have a crazy note system now and each season covering the team, they get more detailed. I take a lot of time with my prep and thoughts, especially on postgame pods. Also, something that’s different with covering the team for LOB is that I watch games differently, in large part because I’m taking notes and trying to organize the biggest stories from the game in real time. I’m now consuming the game to talk about it rather than just my personal enjoyment.
Zac: You completed your master’s degree in Sports Management at Cardinal Stritch University. How has that helped shape your coverage of the Bucks and, I’ve got to ask, do you have player management aspirations?
Camille: My thesis was around the importance of sports in youth development. My initial thought process was thinking I could use my degree with the job I had at that local foundation—use that knowledge for grant-making if I couldn’t break into the world of sports straight up. I enjoyed having the flexibility of using that knowledge where I was or somewhere new.
Using that framework at my 9-to-5 never quite came into alignment, but that degree helped give me a solid network and some vital information on what I was—and wasn’t—interested in doing with my life going forward. As for the player management aspirations… nah (laughs). Player management isn’t in my future. I like being on this side of things, talking about the game and reacting to what I see.
Zac: We’ve heard your thoughts on the Giannis trade from a Bucks perspective. But what does covering the Bucks mean to you now that the player who defined arguably the best era of Milwaukee basketball is gone?
Camille: It means that I get to be a voice that’s part of this new era, whatever that turns into, which is special. I loved the Giannis era and everything that came with it and, in retrospect, the most fun part of it for me was the climb to contention—waiting for the rest of the world to see what we saw blossoming in Milwaukee, cheering on the first All-Star appearances, and watching a young team find itself.
Like, the 2014-15 Bucks team was one of my favorite seasons of fandom. I loved that team. Having that perspective has me really excited for what’s next because we have the chance to once again get in on the ground floor. It’s once again feeling like “Milwaukee vs. everybody else.” It’s time to earn respect again and I love that chase. It might end up being a lot of losing along the way—there probably will be some frustrations and heartbreak—but I just know there’s going to be a lot of exciting memories and that’ll all start getting built this year. I can’t wait to watch and talk about the growth we see in this team over the season and the coming years.
Zac: The podcasting industry has boomed in recent years. How do you see it continuing to evolve and what advice would you give to all the aspiring sports podcasters out there?
Camille: I think the industry is going to continue to boom. As time goes on, the barriers to entry in the field continue to shrink. So, with so many voices out there, the best advice I have is to make sure you’re genuine. Be yourself. No one wants to hear you doing your best impression of someone else. If they wanted to hear that person, they’d watch their show. Whether it’s a small audience or a large one, stay true to you and be consistent with your show. The community you organically build is super rewarding. And don’t fret if everyone doesn’t like it. Everything isn’t going to be for everybody and that’s okay. Don’t focus on the comments, focus on your work and your prep. As long as you can be true to yourself and feel at peace when your head hits the pillow, you’re on the right path.
Zac: Okay, some quick hitters: favourite current Buck, favourite all-time Buck, and Buck you were just wrong on for whatever reason?
Camille: Current Buck… I honestly don’t know yet. I like what I’ve seen from Ryan Rollins last season and Brayden Burries in Summer League, but I can’t call either a favorite yet. This season will be an audition for the role of my favorite Buck—ever since Middleton left there’s been an opening, so we’ll see who can take it (laughs).
My favorite all-time Buck is Khris Middleton. And if you would’ve told me that would end up being the case 10 years ago, I wouldn’t have believed you. Again, this is why getting in on the ground floor is so fun for me.
And the Buck I was wrong on was Nate Wolters. I thought that kid was gonna be part of this team for a long time. He wasn’t, but that’s alright ‘cause Naters always gonna Nate.
Zac: Before we go, we have to touch on the season ahead. First, how do you see the rest of the offseason playing out?
Camille: I think it’ll be relatively uneventful for the Bucks. The roster sits at 17, so we know something has to happen before the season kicks off, but that something might just end up being waiving two players instead of another trade. We’ll see though!
Zac: What are you most looking forward to about the year ahead?
Camille: I think it’s a tie between watching the development of the young Bucks on the roster and seeing how Taylor Jenkins decides to run things. I truly believe that this Bucks team will be a really fun watch, whether they surprise and win more games than expected or find themselves at the bottom of the East. Why? ‘Cause I expect a lot more consistent effort from this team. I expect them to play hard. Too many times last season it felt like the effort and intentionality wasn’t there for the Bucks. Based on everything we’ve heard this offseason, that shouldn’t be the case this season and that will be a breath of fresh air.
Zac: Taylor Jenkins is sick and you get the call-up to coach on opening night. Who’s in your rotation—starters, bench—and who gets a DNP-CD?
Camille: Ooooh. Okay. It’s been reported that the Bucks will lean on the vets heavily to start the season but that the roster will look different after the trade deadline. So, on opening night, I expect more vets starting and in the rotation. But this is about what I would do and not what I’m projecting the Bucks to do.
So, I’d start Rollins, Burries, Jaquez, Sims, Ware. KPJ and Herro lead the bench mob that also features Dieng, Turner, Jakučionis and Ament. That’s already a 12-man rotation before even getting to Green, Markovic, and Kuzma. I don’t know how Jenkins is going to handle these rotations; there’s a lot of mouths to feed to start. My only for sure DNPs, if I had my way, would be Trent and LeVert. No disrespect, there’s just a lot of guards!
Zac: Let’s finish on one I posedto our readers. Finish the sentence: I will judge the 2026-27 season a success if…
Camille: I can clearly tell you what the identity of this team is. If we walk away with an understanding of what Bucks basketball is under Taylor Jenkins, we’ve already made so much progress after three rudderless seasons.
To hear more from Davis, make sure you check out her work on Locked On Bucks and the TECKnical Foul Podcast. If they aren’t already, they’ll soon become part of your regular Bucks rotation.
