TOM's Talks | Jerry Stackhouse

he scored over sixteen thousand points. Now, he's turned to coaching after two successful seasons in the G League, including the championship and Coach of the Year honors in twenty seventeen. Two more years as an NBA assistant followed, and currently Jerry is the head men's basketball coach at Vanderbilt University.

Here's my conversation with Jerry Stackhouse. Welcome to another edition of Tom's Talk, and we're joined by the head coach of Vanderbilt University, former six or Jerry Stackhouse, and coach, thank you so much for joining us. I know you've been busy a bit of an unsettled time, but to appreciate the time here. How's it going, Uh, it's going town.

It's been been hectic, been busy. Even though we've all kind of been quarantined, it's still been a lot more energy trying to get on zoom calls and recruit you know, you know over over zooms and you know, FaceTime and all those things. But you know, we're enjoying it. Man. We've been able to steal uh, you know, bring in a couple of some talented players. Um. So we just ready to get ready to get back. Man, it's just uh, it's long overdue. What's your spiel? Like, Vanderbilt, great school,

you're playing a fantastic league in the SEC. Yourself an eighteen year NBA player of staff that's going to help develop your players on off of the court. What do you pitch to these young men that you'd hope to come to Vanderbilt? Man, I need to hire you time. You just hit it all on the head right there. That's what we do. Man. Obviously, it's a great opportunity to um, you know, you know, get an education a second to none, you know, first and foremost. I mean,

that's what Vanderbilt. You know stand you know, stands on UM an opportunity to play in the SEC you know, POLI five conference conference that UM has produced as many pros as anybody over you know, the last ten years UM. And then you know, have access to to me and my staff and what we're how we're able to continue your development and for guys to have aspirations of plan at that next level. Obviously we have understand what that looked like, you know, from from myself as well as

other guys that I have on staff. You know, I went and it's kind of a uh, melting pot of talent there, you know. You know Adam Azouri who worked with me in Memphis, who you know, he did all of the draft workouts and you know, really great. And that's what I wanted, you know, I wanted coaches who could get still get on the floor. I mean I still get on the floor with him. And because I can do that, I wanted coaches to still be able to do that, because I think that's where they u

get better. I mean, yeah, you want guys that can recruit and can relate to two guys and can call them in real relationships. But once you hear you know we you know, we want to focus on you. We're not focusing so much on the next guys. We want to focus on on the kids is here and knowing that, you know, our staff is built to do that. I got grinders. I got guys that get out there and

sweat just like the players. And I think that's when you really see that return on your investment, when you put that sweat equity in and and you see the results, no doubt about it. Tough league Kentucky, I mean in your school has beaten Kentucky and kind of see over the years, but you know, two years ago before you got there, they had not won a league game. Last year, you guys finished strong in league, having one three right

there at the end. Your selection process in terms of recruiting because of the rigors and the academic standards at Vanderbilt are more difficult. It's a tough challenge, is not well, I think you know, someone look at as a challenge. Is not as easy as going in and uh walking into the top one hundred camping. Okay, like I like him, I like him. I like him. We have to kind

of come around the back end a little bit. We have to you know, identify guys that we know are good students, um and and are still really good athletes. I mean, there's a ton of parents and kids who want this environment and um and want this type of education, both both both sides of it. You get the education and the the athletics. Uh, there's a number of kids.

We just had to find them, you know, and I think we've done a good job of find It's a little bit tougher early on because we were we were taking over another someone else's roster and and and and I didn't I thought roster was still pretty good. And then we you know, had hit some injuries and different things like that and had to kind of readjust on the fly with also the best player right in the very first game of conference play and our you know,

starting center probably five or six games before that. So it's like, okay, outlook, what I thought this team could be changed kind of mid mid season, But you know, I credit our guys kept fighting, kept listening, and by the end of the you know, the regular season, we were teaming nobody wanted to play. So I think I mean we were doing that pretty much with six six scholarship players and four or five walk ons. So you know, now that we got a full roster, obviously, I'm optimistic

and really excited to get back now. As you said, you kind of as far as recruiting, sometimes have to go at it a little bit differently, and you came about coaching a little bit differently, and you know, you started watching your son play aau felt like, wow, this is a little bit loose. So we're gonna get into how it all evolved, how you ended up in Nashville with Vanderbilt. But did you ever see before that even even developed, did you think you would be post basketball

player a coach. Well, I mean if you look at the kind of the track records for the guys for that played for Dean Smith, you know, quite a few of them went into the coaching ranks. I didn't think I was gonna be one of them. But I just think as a as a player, I always gravitated toward trying to help, you know, the younger players, you know,

especially during my time in Detroit and Dallas. I just took on that, you know, you know, the elder elder statesman's role, you know, with the teams a lot, because I didn't have that at you know, when I was got drafted by the Sixers, you know, I had guys that you know, almost you know something. They wanted to allow you to make a mistake because it felt like it would be another opportunity for them. You know what

I'm saying. The only guy that really came and took me under their wings and showed me how to, you know, chase off screens and be a shooting like I played power forward in college and pretty much up until that point. I got drafted as a shooting guard. But I've never been a shooting guard in my life, so I needed someone to to take me on the wings. And to

my credit, Vernon Maxwell was a guy. You know, he just saw me getting killed off the screens and it's like, come in, you know, come come, I got something for you. I got something for you, and like, you know, you got to put your hand on his outside hit now. And then for that on I was good. You know, I didn't have any problems chasing off screens. So it's just you know, guys that watched me running to those screens time and time again, like okay, he keep messing up,

and that would be my opportune. It's unfortunately, when you see guys veterans that have been around that, and I just said, I was never gonna be that guy. So whenever I had an opportunity, no matter if they drafted them or it was a free agent, I was gonna make sure that I, you know, put my arms around those guys that Jermaine Jackson's all those guys that a team. Please you know you guys, you guys are staying over in my house and make sure that you're not late

for practice as rookies. And so I think that that started early on, even before I felt like I was ever gonna be a coach. But I just think that, um, it's kind kind of something that's in a type of quality that you just just want to help. You spent two years in Chapel Hill and played for the legendary Dean Smith blew Heaven as we called you were thinking about possibly playing at Duke and Durham, but the Carolina away and playing for coach Smith. What was that like?

That must have shaped you even today as a coach. Yeah, I mean it really is. I mean I've had it a lot of what I do and who we are in our foundation on the same foundation that I learned under coach Smith. I felt I felt like it worked pretty good for me, that they should worked for other guys are inspiring to you know, play at that next

level and do things. But it was yeah, I mean it was a challenge, you know, early on, because it was like you come in as it's highly touted, you know, high school player, and then you come into a team where they just won a national championship. You know, I was I was really coming to North Carolina because they hadn't want the championships since Michael Jordan was there, and I wanted to be the guy to help get them over the hump and lo and behold, you know that

spring they went the championship. So it's like it kind of took a little bit of my own fight out of going there. Still the you know, the prospect of playing under Dean Smith, learning him, seeing the track record of the guys that have come through there, you know, I stayed with my commitment, and you know, and it was there and again as you got these hot shot freshmen with myself or Sheet and Jeff McKennis. Now we're coming into a team that just want a national championship,

and you know, we're going at him every day. And so it was yeahcause I had some tough conversations where I was knocking on Coach smith door, like I feel like I should be playing more here I'm putting up you know, these type of numbers. I'm you know, I'm averaging thirteen points in eighteen minutes, so imagine if I was playing twenty eight minutes or thirty. And then and Coach Smith at the time told me where, you know, I need you to focus on, you know, trying it

with Brian Reese, who's a senior. You guys need to try to be the best small coard in the country together. You know, as an eighteen year old, what is my raction? I feel like I could be the best small forward in the country by myself. I don't need to do

it with with Brian Reese. But it just understanding that you have to have to sacrifice and that and that was that was a challenge and what that that freshman year I was, you know, I was like probably typical freshman probably every other week, one week I'm happy, one other week I'm ready to transfer, you know. So um, but again, I always tell the story my mom I was, you know, again, it had kind of just bawled over

like I was. Come back to the dome and I was talking and telling her that I just felt like I could be doing more and doing this and she heard me out listen to my whole spill, and just you know, you kindly told me, if you start running now, You're gonna be running for the rest of your life. And it was just something that that dawned on me. And you know, I stuck it out. And I'm so glad that I stuck it out. You know, two weeks later, I'm the most Valuable Player of the ACC tournament and

you know, pretty much the rest its history. So right, and you guys, uh mad to the final four? Right? And see, yeah, we made to the final four that my sophomore season, and Rashida got hurt. I got a deep five bruised right the first play of the game. I go back and watch that game and still, uh, it's like, man, you know, how, how how did this happen?

On the very first jump ball? You know, Corles will give me a knee to device, so I'm playing pretty much on one leg, you know that game, hey man, and we still had the big Nasty, the big nasty, so it was, but yeah, we had had had a really good team and a really good run, you know, at the end of that, uh, that final four run. Made A decision to to leave, talked it over the coach Smith for my mom and felt like it was

the best thing for me to to leave. After my sophomore year, got drafted by Philadelphia and uh, you know, it was there for for a number of years. We weren't good teams, weren't playoff teams. So I was able to go back and finish up school and all those things thing promises that I made the coach Smith for my mom, And I'm so glad that I did that, you know, because now I wouldn't If I didn't do that, I wouldn't have the opportunity to do what I'm doing now.

And us you know, coaching coaching at the collegiate level, right, such such a great thing to finish your education. And then you come to Philadelphia, as you say, you were the number three pick. That was my first year as well. That was a big deal. I mean you came with a lot of acclaim and a lot of excitement. What was that like, first of all, to be drafted and

then come to Philadelphia and iconic NBA franchise. It was really like just a blur, you know, from the high school until getting to Philadelphia was really like a blur.

But like the two years in North Carolina, we're extremely fast, you know, getting drafted, and you know, there's a you know, unbeknownst to me, I'm just gung ho and excited about, you know, being in the NBA, being in Philadelphia, I mean, not knowing that the teams for sale, you know, and you know, a new new ownership is about to come in and the guys that that drafted me just a year before weren't gonna be the decision makers going forward, and you know, so it was, um, you know, it

had a rough year. We won you know, eighteen games played with about forty people that year, some something crazy. I think that might still be a record that the number of people that that that Lukie ran in and out of there. Everybody that had you know, been in the center. He brought them in for a ten days. So it was it became a little comical there at

the end, but it was what it is. I mean, you know, at the time, and then the next year, you know, they draft, you know, draft Alan, you know, in my mind knowing that, I mean, I competed against Alan and knew the type of dynamic score that he was as well as myself that I in my mind, I felt like the best fit for our team and where we would had was with Stephan Marbury. I was, you know, I was thinking Marbury was like, man, I got the past first point guard and that didn't happen.

You know, obviously, you know Alan option has done great things. He's kind of Philadelphia, but it wasn't the best fit for me and and my game. You know. It was

a guy who needed the ball, you know. I mean so many times I felt like we were on the two on one break and I'm I almost got the ball in my hand, and it was a pump thinking the score because that's what you know, natural scorers do, so you know, but um, you know, but I think it was the best thing for me to eventually get to Detroit and I was able to spread my wings and show that I was still you know, all star talent, even though again I said, I never played shooting guard

before in my life. But I was able to continue to work and develop myself to become an All Star at this level. And you know, carve out, you know, a pretty long career, uh, you know, and doing something that I truly loved. You had a fifty eight point game, I believe it was with the Pistons against Chicago. One game fifty seven Yeah, fifty highs, fifty seven's. But now I was, I was, I had it going that night.

You know, quite a few guys was getting fifty points that year, and I had a number of forty point games, but I just never clipped the fifty point. And then it was just like everything was quicking. I came out and you know, made a couple of shot seeming close, and then a few threes fall. The next thing, you know,

everything I threw up was going in. So and like I said, I kind of got tired because when I look back at the game and I look at some of the shots that I did miss, I was like, man, honestly, I probably should have had seventy five this game, you know, and people like you crazy, Yeah you had almost sixty points, and you're saying like, no, I'm telling you this right here, I might have made this shot to make it seventy five times. I should have had stack. I was gonna

bring us up at the end. And this is how absurd it is that I'm bringing up now if you said you scored fifty seven in the game, but when you seemed up the ball, most guys your middle fingers right in the middle, but you seemed up the ball with your index finger in the middle. And the reason I jokingly bring it up is we had a preseason game your second year. Johnny Davis was our coach. We were in Anaheim. I believe we might have played the Clippers,

and I just was questioning you. I wasn't working on your gripper and it didn't. But I remember I waited for Johnny Davis to leave and get on the bus, and then you and I sat on the bach. I don't expect you to remember this. We sat on the bench. I'm like, stack, show me that. And of course here comes Johnny Davis back into the Jimmy Season stalk, and he's like, you know, I coaching my guys, all right, but you see the ball up differently. Yeah, I mean I think, I mean I probably changed it up since

then too. I mean again, I was like, when that was our first year, or that was that was my second year with Johnny Davis. Um, you know, it's just like man I was, I was still working so working out the kinks, you know, working out. I mean, I wish I'd have had all of the what I what I know now as far as shooting the ball. If I've been able to get some of the things that I've been able to give to young guys, and I

think I would have become more. But and Coach Smith told me, he was like, you know, you're you know the way the ball release. You just gotta get more reps and you become a pure shooter. And nothing I did. I become a pure shooter, but it was just I had to continue to get those reps and and I kind of like it was always nice like those two fingers put there and room right in there, put those two things right in the middle of the rim as

you follow through. And now it was as you add a little subtle things like rubbing my rid that's that way that forces my elbow in instead of out. You know, a little stuff like that, just a little subtle thing. It's not not much, just a little rub to know that I texted my ridin that my elbow was in. And then you know, just standing in my circle, little little pointers that over time and reps, you can really improve your shooting. We'll have more of my conversation with

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novacare dot com. And now back to my chat with Jerry Stackhouse. You mentioned your career and you moved on to different spots, including a big chunk of time, as you say, in Dallas, and then when you were an assistant in Memphis and Toronto. I remember sitting with you on the bench and like you played, and this was part of your message to those players in those franchises, and I want to get into your G League time too. But where you played every position, you were the top scorer,

you were an all start. Toward the end of your career, you were a reserve, you were the leader, and that helped form really what you could bring to the table as an assistant coach. Correct, absolutely, I mean I think

you understand every seat. You know, you understand the seat of the star players, in the seat of guys that have been star players and now you need them to transition to you know, coming off the bench or even to you know, my last year where I wasn't even you know, I played, but that wasn't the thought coming in was it was just to kind of be a locker room guy mentor the guys making sure and we

need you here and there's something cool. And then I wound up playing a ton, But I think that was just to you know, being able to work, you know, sitting all those seats, it helps me get into the psyche of the kids that I that I have. Now, you know, it's like there's nothing that you're going to go through that you're gonna deal with um that that

I haven't gone through. And like I said, you just got to continue to work and got to continue to you know what I mean, there's no I mean, I don't think I'm pretty sure it is, but I don't think that there's any coach that wants to lose, and he's gonna try to put out there that the players that's that's gonna help him win and have success. And I think that's what our guys understand. That ever, the guys that I played with, and you know, we got

to be a defensive team first. I mean for someone that has scored as many points that I have, you know, the thing is that I'm a really defensive minded coach when when it comes to it, because I understood things that I didn't like to see. So I pretty much built my you know philosophy a defense of things that as a as a primary score, things that I didn't

want to look at. And so um, just over time man learning and being able to be around other great coaches, you know, you know with coach Casey and m in Toronto, uh, you know, get you know, give me that opportunity to come in and be an assistant on his staff. One year from that, then I was able to go to the G League. Asked me to coach the G League team, and we win the championship the first year, we go back to the finals the second year. So you know,

people start to take notice. Holder you know, Stack might know what he's doing a little bit, you know, and I think it really helped me to take a couple of steps backwards. You know, a lot of guys like, man, why are you going down to the G League? You know, you're already behind the bench on the you know, on the NBA team, next step of you. But you know, I went from taking a step back to taking two

steps forward. You know, I'm already getting interview for head coaching jobs, you know, to UM and then I was. I was up for the Toronto job. They gave it a Nick and you know, rightfully, so, I mean, Nick did a great job, had a great rapport with masside things that I didn't know, you know, even until after the fact when I'm in an interview that you know, MASSI played for for Nick Nurse in England. You know,

I wasn't getting that job, you know what I'm saying. So, but it was cool to go through that process um interview with the Knicks, and you know, and then I you know, from that, I just felt like, Okay, it'd be a little awkward still being in the organization, you know, knowing that I was up for, you know, the head job, and and and the other guy got it. Uh, So I, you know, took assistant job in Memphis, worked with JV. Bickerstaff, who was great to work with. Gave me a you know,

a ton of responsibility. It was almost like he because he understood it, he understood my dynamic. I had been a head coach for two years, so it was hard to make that adjustment to going back into an assistant role because now you're you're the suggestion guy. You're not the final decision maker. You're the guy to have to make the suggestions. And quite frankly, you know, when the opportunity came for me to to you know, Vanderbilt came calling, you know, Malcolm Turner who got hired as a d uh.

You know, he saw me work firsthand in the G League and he's like, man, I watched this guy developed talent, and you know, sometimes you're doing it with you know, sometimes more with less. And that might be our model here at Vanderbilt, where okay, we may not get the five stars, it might get the four stars and three stars because of the academic piece. So I need someone here to to to develop and it just was it was a great time and man, and and you know, I had to, you know, I had to take it

again because I wanted to. You know, it's like a it's like a fix. You know, you gotta you gotta gotta get back you got that bug once you've been making those decisions, and all of a sudden, I wanted to get back to making those decisions. So when you know, when they when they called me about this job, sat down with Kandice league, who's the who's the ad now? Malcolm stepped down. But you know, we just have a great report, We got a great outlook on where we

want to go. I think our university is, you know, one of the most progressive in the country. I meant having you know, a female African American a d uh, you know, and two African American head coaches in football and basketball. You don't find that, you know, especially in this climate that we're in right now, where so much as about social injustice and you um, you know, and

they've been at the forefront. You know, there were teams talking about taking the taking down civil rights monuments and stuff. They've already done that, you know. So I feel like I'm at a great place, a great progressive place to really help make a change. That's awesome Stack speaking of that G League experience and Brand is now our general manager, and he did that in terms of working with the GI League entity in Delaware, and again I go all

the way back to the CBA. Like you know, you're on the road, not just in the games, but you're on the road. You're making but you can't who's making You're making the call. You make so many decisions with the roster. I mean, just that right there is what you're kind of talking about, not just the exers and those and the endgame stuff, but pretty much all across the board to travel everything. Yeah, man, I mean I have to give you know, MASSI, you know, a ton

of credit. Man. He entrusted a lot of me, you know, to be able to just like hand that team to me and Dan Tosman. It was really great to work with. He'said I think he's the general manager assistant general manager now you know he moved up from from the nine oh five, but you know, he was just great to work with. We had a great rapport. We talked about, you know, the pieces that I needed or we're talking. I think I'm good right now, I don't, you know,

we want to make a trade. Somebody agent called him, you know, and gout a guy like, no, I like

our team right now. These guys been working hard. And then he listened something at you know, that's great to have a rapport with someone like that, but um, you know, we just were every hat, you know, whether it was just scheduling right, you know, if it's dealing with the medical staff, he's dealing with the training staff, you know, managing your coaches, managing your assistance, managing different issues that come up as players. You know you're able to do that.

So I think you know, Ben, guys ask me about you know, what do you think about the GI League? Guys like you get an opportunity to go to GI League go, you know, go, you learn so much. I mean that you would never have that much responsibility in any role. I think on the NBA team the world, you have to understand so many others. But it would definitely help you understand other people's jobs and different things that they need to do. If you know, once you

make it to an NBA staff or roster. The landscape of college basketball in general, just with kind of with the COVID nineteen and everything up in the air, it'll be interesting to see how that shakes out, you know, come October November. But no doubt you'll be watching the former NBA player for eighteen years, be watching the NBA when they go down to Orlando to see how that plays out in the bubble sort of speak, won't you. Yeah. Absolutely. I mean I'm sorry, I'm excited about it, you know,

because I hope everything works out. It's just so many you know, variables that are gonna be thrown into it this time. Like you know, just imagine, you know, let's say, you know, the Lakers make it to the finals and you know, not to put anything on Lebron James, but he gets you know, test positive, he's out of out

of the finals. So I mean, there's so many I think that this is a you know, with the teams that they've added, um, you don't know who's been you know, really focusing and working out who's gonna be a little bit behind. So I mean it's a great opportunity for a team that's not really on the radar to come in and steal the world championship. You know, maybe it's not gonna be an asteroid by you know what I'm saying. If We're gonna play the game, and you know, at

the end of the day, whoever Wednesday Wednesday. So I think that's that makes it makes up for a lot of excitement, and I'm definitely looking forward to Obviously brandon Ingram is a kid that I had sins it's like seven eighth grade, and you know, they got a really exciting young team there in New Orleans. So I'm excited to see him and Dyeing and Zoe. I mean, that's that's my team now, you know the Pelicans, yeah, Bi,

the Pride of Kinston, North Carolina. Right, Yeah, So this is uh, we'll wrap up with a couple of three kind of hot takes, sport of sport kind of things. You can respond or whatever. But I have, like they say, I have a good memory, at least for now. It's probably gonna escape me and some type of shooing. But I don't forget a lot. I remember when you your deal was with Fela, right, and you signed that as

a rookie right when your season starting. So we're you and I are standing there at the in the gym in Saint Joe's in the corner, and I don't know practice it might have been a media day, but you had your whole feeling, Garen, and I had Nike stuff on. It just happened to be like, choose sweat. Mine probably came from TJ MG. And you go, what you gotta deal? You got a Nike deal. I'm like, no, don't give the radio guy naked. And the other one was I'm

giving you a problem. I'm gonna give you problems time. Yeah, uh, knockoff Nike deal. But the other one was Luke. John Lucas was a character, very charismatic. He was also the general manager sometimes Luke. When you remember this too, he would practice right, and Luke would come over to me after he's I was the best guard out there. I'm like, right, but you're the general manager too. That's great. You took Trevor Rumping off the dribble, but right, I mean, Luke

would be out there. Yeah, man, competitors are competitors. Man, Lukey was get out there and because he could pass that thing and him and Moo cheeks boat they get out there and even though they might not can run long, but when they had the minutes that they run, they showed why they were why they were great. Right, And I won't bring up the Kobe thing. I know you played him and I heard you talk to WOJ. He didn't win every game, but it was amazing. No, by

the way, nothing really to be ashamed of. Kobe turned out to be a pretty terrific player, but he was play Yeah, yeah, it was man. I mean, I have no problem speaking on that because I mean again, I mean, it's a tragic loss for for all of us. I mean we saw his career and saw what he was able to do. Um. But it's just like when when you start talking about things like that, people you know, lord grows and it's cool. I'm cool with letting the Lord grow because of who he is and because of

his family. But you know, at the end of the days, Jerry Stackhouse, but you know him and got a lot of pride, and I'm you know, I ain't gonna change that for anybody. The other thing was Luke. I can still see this in the locker room at Saint Joe's. This is before there were like energy drinks like a dime a dozen. But Luke had his little the genius sal Wouchie and all of one of the gin sing the sal she had me. Luke had so much of that stuff. Man, I look at that funny though I had.

I'm like, I don't you think Jerry Sallan's making this for carnibalone right now? I don't think so. Man. It was it was unbelievable watching that stuff. Man, I guess I had my ties. My massige therapist used to come down and she used to give me some little gin seeing and stuff to take legent seeing root and stuff. I mean, I was like, oh man, I can't and stuff, and I can't believe Luke's drinking and stuff every day. Taste nasty and bitter and everything. But but whatever, you know,

it worked for him. Your brother Tony Dawson. When I was in Florida, I saw his career at Gulf Coast Community College and then Florida State. And then when he would come around with you at the building, we always had a smile and it gave were great rememberance. But he was a terrific basketball player, man, Tony. That's where I mean, because I tell everybody you know, they feel like how you was a scorer. I like, man, you ain't seen my brother. You know what I'm saying When

you're talking about can really scoring the basketball? And then he had an unbelievable story. Man, Tony was hit by car three times. I mean, like, who gets hit by car once? But he got hit by car three times. His foot was hanging off, had to have his you know surgery, you know, moved the bone from his hip to go on his foot, and he still managed to play professional basketball, had a couple of ten days with Sacramento in Boston, but played overseas for like thirteen to

fourteen years. Man. So he's definitely ah inspiration for me. Always been a big one of my biggest supporters and the guy that I probably looked up to more than anybody else. You know, people would say, you know who who Michael Jordan, uh, you know doctor j j All those was cool, But Tony Dawson was it for me.

You know what I'm saying. It was just one of those um, you know, big brother things, and you know, just one of one of the most disappointing moments in my life was when he didn't get drafted because I

thought he himself in a great position. They was talking about him being a late first round, you know, early second round, and we were watching the draft and you know, and the craziest thing about the last name in the draft was like you know, Tony, and we were all like and then like Brown, you know what I'm saying. So it's like such a disappointment, but that feel me, I mean that really you that made you know, that made me really focus in and not that I'm I'm

gonna get drafted. You know what I'm saying, I'm gonna work my butt off because that disappointment that I saw in his face and disappointment that our whole our family had that night from him not being drafted, it was was great motivation and fuel for me, and you know, got me to the third pick. So it worked out pretty good. Right well, Jerry, we wish you the best. I'm just so happy for you. What a job. You must be really stoked to get ready for another full year.

I know it's going to be different, as we stated, but to get back with the Commodorees and get after it with your second season down there in Vanderbilt. All right, I really am man the time. You know, if you get any time you want to come spend a little time down in Nashville, you know, be happy to host you. Brother. Well that's good because my daughter has an interest in Vanderbilt. Okay, all right, come on, come on through, come on through it. Coach,

thank you so much, best and luck. We appreciate the time. I appreciate you, man. Thanks. Thanks for listening to Tom's talks with me Tom McGinnis on the seventy six ers podcast Network. Check for new episodes every weekend.