NBC Bay Area visits Riordan
Anchor Raj Mathai interviewed Rich Ting ’98, Donald Strickland ’98, Carlos Koustas ’98, Jamar Lawrence ’98
April 1, 2023
On March 31, NBC Bay Area visited Riordan to interview Rich Ting ’98, Jamar Lawrence ’98, Carlos Koustas ’98, Donald Strickland ’98. Weeknight news anchor Raj Mathai interviewed the quartet about their time at Riordan and how their friendship has endured all these years.
In the interview, aired on May 17, Mathai asked the quartet to recall their high school experience and how they see a change in Riordan today. Ni also added the interview would be “better than a Today show piece.”
Ting stated that when he transferred to Riordan and wanted to play football, “[it was an] environment where they had the stars already”–in reference to Lawrence, Koustas, and Strickland–so it made it easy for him to fit in. The other three highlighted that they never excluded Ting, despite him being outnumbered by other football players who had been playing for all four years.
Other topics that were discussed included Ting’s transition to Yale, his acting career and how Hollywood is changing, with new movies featuring more diverse casts. He cited Michelle Yeoh’s historic Oscar win for Everything Everywhere All At Once as a sign of changing times in American cinema.
But the general topic than enveloped Mathai’s interview was the longstanding friendship and camaraderie the four have had since high school. Lawrence, Koustas, Strickland, and Ting all highlighted the fact that despite them going their separate ways during college, their bond from their football days has persisted until today.
The interview concluded with rapid-fire fun questions to the quartet, like who had the highest GPA and who was the most good looking. Banter filled the interview, with the four cracking jokes at the expense of one another, including when Lawrence recalled a modeling contract he had.
When the interview finished, Mathai and the quartet tossed a football around the Mayer Family Field and took some photos with the clear sunny sky synonymous with the warm memories the quartet made in high school leading to an enduring lifelong friendship.
Watch NBC Bay Area’s interview here.
