KJ Live – Sean Farnham

and foremost to all the success that you're having. UH. Just so proud of you, Uh, you know, taking ownership and content. I know it's a big thing for your family. Uh, to see Josiah doing his thing on t NT. Uh, to seeing your dad continue to rule the NBA the way that he has for so many years, get that

ring with the Bucks. Love all of it. But you know, as as you've always blazed, Chris, your own trail, and I know we're probably talking about your trail at some point down during this conversation, but absolutely you always blazed your own trail, and now you're taking ownership in your content. Uh, and you're becoming a great content creator and giving a great platform for people, uh to intersect not just with basketball, but with the culture around the game of basketball and

the entertainment aspect of it. I mean, it's just so in your fact. It's just your fast line, man, and I'm so proud of you and what what you're building here. Man. Man, I appreciate it. Man. Look watching guys like you during the college basketball season all for the last twenty years, Sean, I mean, it's just been inspiration. I've been knocking at the door. I've been knocking at the door. I've been knocking at the door. I've been knocking at the door.

I finally got a little break. I'm very blessed and proud to be here. But man, this is about you. I want to talk about you, Sean. Yeah, I'm mentioning a twenty year career. I've always wanted to kind of find out the story, the background of how you got involved in broadcasting, because I thought you were gonna go down the coaching route or thee or even trying to a pro. I thought that, you know, honestly, I thought that you might have had an opportunity to play overseas.

Talk about what made you get into the broadcasting game. UM as a as a youngster. So I mean I think too. To go back to your point, like, I had one contract offer overseas, it was in Budapest, Hungary, um, and I had that opportunity to go over there. I looked at it, um And then at the same time, though, I got offered an assistant coaching job at Peppernine, like right away. So you're like Budapest, Malibu, Budapest, Malibu, Boom or Budapest. I chose the boot over Budapest. Uh So yeah,

look it was that was an easy decision. But to go back to your port about broadcasting, UM, you know, look it it kind of started, uh in there's in the strangers of ways and you know this, like it just sometimes things doors open up, you don't you don't even expect to open up. But I remember, uh, and you can attest to this. I was goofy. I've always

been a little goofy. When I was playing at U c l A. I was a guy that, you know, after after pregame food, like I just go down and I just started like throwing up shots in the gym. I mean, let's be honest, I wasn't gonna get a lot of shots during the games. So I was gonna get my shots up when there was nobody else in Polly Pavilion. And one time Bill McDonald was there and Billy Mack was sitting there and I was like, yeah, dude, you've got the easiest job in the world. And he goes, well,

why would you say that? He said, how how would you do? The night's open and we're playing Arizona State and I was like, oh, I do this. I said, oh, I grabbed the microphone and I was like, hey, DUTs tonight and Polly Pavilion, it's Arizona State. Sound Devil's taken on u C l A. And while the focus could be on Veal Laser or Batiste, the youngster out of Northern California, Eddie House could cause a lot of problems

for the Bruins today. And I didn't know, but the microphone was open to the truck, and in the truck was the coordinating producer at the time of Fox Sports West. So he comes down, he's like, who was that? And I'm sure I was like, you know, doing hook shots from half quarter or something, try to drop kick it in from the stands or something. And he's like, he's that guy. So he calls me over and goes, hey,

do you want to do some TV stuff? And so my final two years and this was after you graduated, but my final two years at u c l A. I did the Farming Files on the U c l A Sports magazine show. And it was a weekly program back in the day with Fox Sports West. And what it did was it got me really comfortable with the camera. Like I never looked at the camera as something like, oh my gosh, there could be a million people on

the other side of this thing. I looked at it as if you and I are having a conversation right now. And and a lot of that was the people that I worked with. Billy mack Is is the ultimate mentor of just enjoying uh and having fun and embracing the

opportunity to call sports yeah and uh. Because of that relationship, you know, I mean some of the things that it was, like where do we hang out on Bruin Walk and you know the wall that we used to sit on outside the Bruin Walking with the taco bell over to the to the right hand side of it. Uh, you know, we did things like that. I interviewed laugh and was like, how come I don't play a little bit more like

I mean, let's be honest. I know I'm not great, but I could I could get a little bit more burned. But you didn't ask Lab that, did you ask Lab? I did, Yeah I did, But what do you say? He said? Come on, we got seven pros on my team. And I was like, yeah, this good point. Um highs and lows, EPs and flows is how it goes. Um. But you know, one of the things that that I learned though, was that you can be yourself. You can be authentic. You don't have to be you know, stiff, rigid,

like Hi everybody, I'm Tom Brokaw. You know, like you could actually be, you know, just just yourself. And especially in the in the the sports medium, you can really allow your personality to come through and connect with people on the other side. And so that kind of was what drew me to it. And then you know, through my coaching stuff, like I really did, like to your point,

I thought I was gonna be a college coach. I really did, uh And I was lucky to be on a staff that was really really good at at Pepper nine. But unfortunately after my first season, uh St bon venture opened up really really late. So it was after the final four and the coaching carousel had already kind of slowed down, and Jan van Bredakoff made the decision UH to go to Saint Bonaventure, and he to me if

I wanted to go with him. But I had just gotten engaged and my wife, my fiance, had two years left at U c l A as a part of the soccer program. And this is before face time, and this is before all the ways you could connect now, like then you had no way of connecting outside of your phone emails, as you know, Like we were just we didn't even know what emails were, Like we're like sure, okay, like at U c l A. Dott E du good, this is my email? Never checking it? Yeah, never checking it.

Never never supposed it was awesome. It was good days. But I made the decision at that point in time that I knew that if I left, there's no way that relationship would ever last. And so I called up the same people that I was doing the work for for free when I was at U c l A. And I said, hey, listen, not for two years I was part of this show. Any chance you give me an opportunity to get paid and they did, and uh that that's kind of how it started. It started with

high school sports. It started making two hundred and fifty dollars an appearance. I wasn't making a lot of my me I had to get a full time job outside of it. But it was all part of the process. Uh that has led me now to the last twelve years being at ESPN and and enjoying every step of

that journey along the way. Yeah, I will say that even early on man back at U c l A, I could tell that you were destined to do this, like whether it was on the team bus, whether it was in the locker room, whether it's in the dorms where but no, you would you would break into your mode. You would break into your mode where you have an imaginary microphone and you'd like started interviewing me, or you'd

be doing some stuff. Well, Chris, stop talk about you know, I'd like Sean shuts, you know, like far Hough, like dude, chill out. Because we weren't in the mood for it. But you and I said to me when I was at but I'll tell you what. But I'll tell you what You and Tony Lufman Tony Lufman, who has worked you know, has a major media presence. You guys are to me with the two most natural television people I had seen in my era that I've been around. I was just like, you know, just in general, so that

just I saw it back. But you know, it's it's amazing that that you gave up coaching for love. That was that's a that's a major move. So she was to I don't want to get too personal, but it was good, but it was it was that So it was she was that important to you at that like look and the crazy part about it is, you know, like I was really really young. I mean I got engaged, um at twenty two. We got married when I was

twenty four, and uh, you know, like you didn't. I always always joke I said, listen, if if you know you've got a lottery pick, you don't sign them to a ten day, you know you're gonna try to You're gonna try to sign them to a long term contract. And um, you know, super Max, there's there's highs and lows in any relationship. Um, anybody that's been married, anybody has been in a serious relationship that you guys, everybody

knows that. But we're closing in on twenty years of marriage and it's it's you know, got three amazing kids, and they're not a day that I go by that I'm not like, you know what, like I should have gone and stuck into coaching. I should have continued down that path. Now, there's no doubt in my mind that had I stayed on that path, um that I that I would have probably been a head coach already probably somewhere. I love the game. I love coaching the game. I

love studying the game. I think that's what helped me in the broadcasting world is that I look at as if I'm still coaching. I make scouting reports for every single team that I cover. Um, I watch film to a point where my wife's like, can you please get off a Synergy, which is a great website that has all of the games from all over the world. I've I've gotten during COVID. I got really into watching European basketball uh C s A k C C s k

A over in Moscow as well. I think if they're innovative as far as what they're doing on their offense, I steal a lot of that stuff for the coaching stuff. I still do, but I've never looked back on it because she has been my biggest supporter, she has been my biggest challenger. She has been a person I have fought with more than anyone in the world. And and people hear that and they go like that's a negative, and I'm like, no, it's the best part of our relationship.

I mean, we're both insanely competitive, um, but that that fight is what keeps our lives fresh and allows us to keep moving forward and be the parents that we are to our kids and and hopefully watch our kids on their journey find their own paths to success. And I know you know that as well being a father, uh that you know a lot of times you have a vision when you have a kid, what what their path is going to be? UM. But the reality is it,

it's their story, it's their journey, UM. And whatever I can do to kind of foster that and help that, uh, that that's what I'm gonna do. And that's what we have connected as a couple. Extremely well. Wow, man, I think it sounds like you guys did it the right way. I think as far as you know, fatherhood and pushing your kids towards their passion, you know, from my son, I let him kind of just pick basketball. You know, I didn't really force feed it. I didn't force feed

it to him. You know, he was he was a base ball guy first and then kind of was not really basketball, but then started to pick it up and started to love it and got the bug and then got knee deep in it. But I told him he's in the crypto all type of stuff. Whatever he does. I told him, whatever he does, if he decided to quit and play basket and not play another uh quarter of basketball, another minute of basketball, I still support whatever

he was, you know, with the same page. You've got a cent right, Like I mean, there's no there's no half hard. So whatever your passion is, I think a lot of a lot of things. And I see a lot of other kids now obviously because I've got young kids, and it's funny to me that they kind of just go through the motions. A lot of young kids go through the motions and things, and like I tell my son, like so like basketball for my son, my oldest son, he he likes it, he plays it, but he doesn't

love it. Now, if you go to his YouTube channel and check out his video game stuff that he doesn't call of duty. He's absolutely insane and he loves and he's becoming a content creator and that for him and and and I see the way that his his eyes light up, and I see that passion and the editing and the sound and listen to musical no no, no no, no, Dad that I can't put that song here because this song needs to go here because the beat hits this.

And I'm like, these are traits that are going to bode well for him in the future, because he wants to get into film and television and be a producer and director. And I'm like, you know what, Like, if that's your passion, like, yeah, invest more of your time in that than basketball. And sometimes people look at me and they're like, how are you not pushing your kid to play basketball? And I'm like, because I've played the game,

I understand what it takes. First of all, to play at the level in which we did, you have to be really, really really good to be a guy like you who was an outstanding score even at the college level.

You know, to be a guy like Baron or Matt or Earl or Jason or Dan or Jerome, like people have no idea and then to go to that next level and be those other guys at the Janice Is and the Luca Dot like, like you're talking about so exceptional to get to that level that if you invest time in it and you lose the opportunities that might open up, or your passion or what your true passions are because you're chasing a dream that you think others expect you to do, then you lose the essence of

what is life. And if coming out of COVID nineteen in particular, and I've had this conversation with all three of my kids, if coming out of COVID nineteen, you're not focused on your passion, like I'm really concerned about you. If you think you have to be somebody that you're not out of COVID nineteen after being locked in, not going to school, not having friends, not having social life, missing homecomings, homecoming dances, proms, all those things, none of

that matters. Just be happy with you the first answer to the secret of life. And Chris, you know, I'm a real positive, trying to be motivational guy a lot, but the thing that I've learned in my life is for ultimate happiness, you have to be able to answer one question, who am I? Who am I? If you know who you are, like everything else falls into place. But if you wrong to be somebody else because you think society wants you to be. And I think I

struggled with this that you see your life. Yeah, I struggled with this big time as a freshman, as a sophomore, coming to the that locker room with those guys. I fail. Man. Alright, Sean, let me touch on that. It's it's I think that's one of the most difficult things for for us, especially just an understanding of self and and grasping who you are and who you can project to be. I was confused a lot growing up, just because you know my

upbringing and you know, living split. My parents were divorced, so I'm living my dad and bell Air and I'm living with my mom in South Central and so you know, I have to act a certain way over here and have to act a certain way over there. And so by the time I got to U c l A, I kind of you know, you know, you're you're on the basketball team, and you know everybody's looking at you.

Everybody wants to be a part of you, so you don't know how to really I personally, I didn't know how to act, so it was always kind of backfired. I'd start just being Stanny local or some crazy variation of really who Chris really was? Like Sean, you see you know that your two sides. Did you know there was like there was Chris when making you're making me something like that. But no. But so what I'm saying

is what I'm saying, is it took me. I'm I'm about to be whatever, I'm about to be old next month my birthday, but it took me thirty thirty five years and I'm and I haven't mastered it to grasp what you're talking about, of understanding who I am and really being comfortable with projecting that out here. And it's

even comfortable in your own skin. It comes through and television whatever we're doing, especially media stuff, It's like the best people are the ones that are themselves and aren't trying to be some version of a TV guy, you know what I'm saying. And so, and for me personally, that's been the struggle. How did you reach achieved that

level of comfort, especially in front of the camera. I mean, I know you have the experience, But what do you is there something like Chris like honestly, like, I mean, I tried so hard, uh to fit in, too hard to fit in. I was a try hard Like I think that's what the kids, the young kids would say. I was a try hard. I tried so hard to fit in. Um to the dynamics of our team, right. And you know I was raised differently, like I mean, like we're all raised differently. We all have different journeys,

in different paths right to get there. Um. But I really was like, Okay, So I didn't listen to a lot of rap music before I came to U C l A. I. I didn't know who d MX was until I sat in the locker room for the first time and I was like WHOA, Like this is uh you know there there was there was. I was a country music guy and I was from a really small town in the East Bay, and and all of a sudden, now I'm in this locker room with national champions like yourself,

like Toby, like JR. Henderson, uh, Cam Bob Chuck like I mean that was that was an incredible group in ninety seven of guys that had rings. And then you add in the mix Gilani McCoy, Brandon Lloyd, Oklahoma UM and I was the only freshman, so I didn't have really anybody that I could look to to kind of balance out, like how do I assimilate into this group? And I was lost, and I started doing things that I've never done before. Like I didn't drink in high school.

I started drinking a lot when I was feel like, you didn't drink around me. The first the first time I went out, it was the that Sunday before school started, and y'all took us out and and I went sideways, and then I was like, well, this is fun. And then I realized also the power of I played basketball at U c l A. I'm part of this fraternity, Like I didn't have to go through an initiation, because the initiation was being a member of that team, and the status in which you guys all had on that

campus was unique. And so I started deviating from from things that were innately me. And it wasn't until probably my junior year, and and then a couple that with the time that my entire life, I played every minute of every basketball game that I ever wanted to play, and I end up playing nine games in thirty minutes as a freshman, and and then that dropped to nine games in eighteen minutes as a softmore, and I was like, I mean I was lost. I mean I was lost. I I did not know how, um to change my

place on the team. I did not know how to positively. I felt like I had no positive impact whatsoever and the success that we had as a group, um, and I felt that I was losing my identity because for so long in life, when you're an athlete, and Chris you know this, that you identify with your sport, like your sport becomes who you are when you get to that level. And for me, I was like, Basketball's my sport, but I'm not even playing, Like how can that be

my sport? How can that be my identity? And there there was a time in particular where I hit rock bottom. And I have no problem telling you telling this story because I think it's important that people understand. We went down to Madison's after a game, UH and I ended up taking a lot of shots, probably about thirteen, and I went back to my my room, UH and I threw up all night long and probably had alcohol poisoning

UH and was emotionally distraught. My girlfriend came over at the time and she was like, what is wrong with you? And I'm like, I'm a disappointment to my parents, I'm a disappointment to my teammates. Uh, you know, I'm a joke. And That's how I felt. And it was kind of that was the rock bottom moment where I had to pull myself back up out of that, because there's two

ways I could have gone there. I could have spiraled out of control and just continue down that that that path um or I could kind of stand up amount two feet and start to identify maybe something that I could do to help the team. Uh. And more importantly, that my value in life had nothing to do with basketball, and my value of what I could bring to the table was a lot larger, uh than U c l A Basketball. Although U c l A Basketball clearly has

opened up so many doors of opportunity for me. I don't want to diminish that, but my life was bigger than that. And Sean, that's a very mature or perspective to have at that time in your life. It sounds like, you know, like a It's an occurring theme and a lot of my interviews I asked people about mental health challenges and what happens when they're at their lowest point as an athlete. How do they pull themselves up? I

asked you this question. Was there someone that helped that helped you get out of that funk, someone that helped you gave you some tools on how to cope and gave you this information, or did you do some soul searching and kind of figured this thing out on your own. I would say it was my wife, Um, you know, she we were dating at the time, and and she she stood up. I would say it was my dad. My dad was incredibly hard on me as a child.

Um you know, I you know, would score thirty six points in high school game of Dallas aub but I missed too many free throws and have to come home and make two under three throws before I could go to bed. I couldn't go out with the guys and and party or go to the movies or whatever. And that was just h That was my upbring. But my dad. I remember one time, I you know, I actually walked into office after my sophomore year and I told laugh I was transferring and that I was gonna leave, and

we walked up to UH. I walked out of there. I walked up to the administration building. I grabbed my transcripts so I could have that. Lab said he would grant my waiver. UH. As we walked back towards the dorms where I was staying for a c session of summer school, my dad turned around and goes, let me ask you this, take basketball out of the equation. You

want to leave this. And I was looking back over U c l AS campus right there between the Tennis Center and Drake Stadium, and you know exactly where I'm looking at, and I'm like, no, i don't want to leave this. We I'm gonna go Colorado State, like I mean, it was good. I was probably gonna transfer like Colorado State. And I'm like, I'm gonna leave U c l A

for Colorado State, like no offense to Colorado State. But it is not U c l A. So we walked back down the hill right away, and I walked into LABS office and I said, listen, I said, I'm gonna I'm not transferring. I can't do that. I'm not a I'm not a quitter. I'm not gonna walk away. I'm a fighter. Uh, and I'm gonna figure something out. And and inevitably I did. I changed every aspect of how I played UM and I tried to find a role that nobody else really wanted to do on the team.

And that's how I ended up getting my my mean, my my small role on the team. And and and it's so funny because you know this, Chris, like people are farmm starting that's a joke. I'll be the first one to tell you it was. No, I'll be Chris. I'm honest. We're a note. How many games in a row did we win with you starting? We never lost three the season game that I started. That's what I'm saying. We're underfading. We start find him as the starter. Bro,

give me a brea. But but but the reality of it is is when you have Jerome movies, so Daniel Zerk Matt Bonds on the team, there's no way Sean Farm should be starting. So I understand why people on

the outside would look at that. Now from my perspective, and I got this great conversation, like Earl came over one time to my my duplex when I first got married, and he has he goes, do you have the Maryland game that we played in the n C Double A Tournament when we absolutely blitzed Maryland, and so we put it in Earl's got sixteen and says zero turn over, seventeen points and throwing lobs from like three quarters court. Geron's catchy first slapping the backboard, I mean, straight off

of like a four month suspension. I mean it was. It was just silly. And I said to Earl's we're watching again, I'm like, you never ran the offense where I could get a shot, and he goes, that's because I knew that you would ball reversal without even looking for your shot. You would set the best back screen that gave me the best opportunity to get the lab but also kept the timing right so that when you ball reversal to me, I could hit Dan Jerome or Matt on the block and let them go to work.

And we were good. And I kind of thought about that, and I was like, well, then every change I made in my game was worth it, because that's what I was really trying to do. Because when you have a team that has Campono and Matt and and Earl and all those guys, Billy Knight, uh you didn't need Sean farn Ray young. You didn't need Sean Varna to shoot the ball. In fact, it was a detriment and probably a bad shot if I shot it. And so what I needed to do was try to play defense, try

to rebound, try to add some toughness. Uh and said good spines, and and I found that. But I had to change my body because when I came in to u c l A, you know, I was six six. I went seriously, and then by the time I was done, I was six six tot when I left U c L. When my senior year, I was too forty five. But I spent I lifted every day. I lifted. On game day, I would go to the Wooden Center. I was eating

as much as I possibly could. When we went to training table, I grabbed like four or five chicken breasts and just start eating like as much as I could, because I knew the only way I could contribute is if I got stronger. And that's that was what I did. And so my shot went to hell. Um. I couldn't shoot it hardly at all because I was too strong,

like my neck and everything was too tight. Um. But it was it was what allowed me to get out there and they have the opportunity to play and and really enjoy my final two seasons at u c L. A Yeah, I mean it was a great time and you you did as proud bro. The undefeated during the regular season is something that it resonates to me this day. UM. I guess moving forward to to u c L. A present day, let's touch on some stuff going on in

college basketball and what we're doing right now. Let's staying in Westwood preseason number one or number two, depending on which Paul kim Palm has the number seven. Do you think that do you think that the Bruins can win the national championship this year? I do? I do, um, And I actually was just at practice the other day.

I really like this team. Um. I think that There's a couple of things that stood out to me, and it was the practice I was at was kind of a lighter practice because they've gone hard the day before, so you didn't get to even see a lot of what I anticipate. But I would say that let's start with just Miles Johnson, Like a lot of people would go, Okay, let's start with Johnny Gusse. I'm gonna start with Miles Johnson. Here's what I'm gonna start with Miles Johnson. He is

an elite level defensive big elites in the game. Obviously it's blocked shots in the Big Ten, he was All defensive player pick. But when you have you see I didn't have a rim protector, and when you have a rim protector, you also have a rim alterer. Right, So, like, it's not just the block shots, it's how many shots is he able to alter? And then what does that allow you to do innately out on the perimeter. Well, it allows you to pressure and extend out a little

bit more because now you have protection behind you. Um. And so guys like Tiger Campbell that at times can struggle a little bit with his on ball defense, I think he's gonna be able to extend out a little bit. And when I equate it to this, like, no matter how good you are as a team, and U c. L A Was really really good last year and I was lucky enough to be at that game against Gonzaga,

uh covering it for espn UM. But if you allow the quarterback to have time in the pocket, right, and you're not pressuring the ball because you don't have necessarily the back line support. The quarterback is gonna eventually find somebody open. They're eventually gonna start to find their rhythm.

At the offensive end, if you have a rim protector and you know what, you're protected from the backside, and you pressure the ball and you don't allow the person with the ball to be comfortable, you start to become disruptive just with that very small change and shift. And so I think defensively for u c l A, they're going to be able to press more. And I think part of the reason you can presh the more is also Peyton Watson. He is an athlete that U c l A did not have on their roster a year ago.

They didn't have an athlete of his caliber. And even watching how smooth he glides out on the floor, I mean, look, he's gonna be a top ten pick in the NBA Draft. Probably he's gonna be in Westwood for a very short period of time. But when you couple that with the return of Johnny Jusang and Heinie Hawkes and Cody Riley, uh and that Jalen Clark, who has gotten a lot

lot better from where he was a season ago. I think that this team is all the bit of number two in the country, easily could be number one in the country. Um, it's it's the highest. You know, we have been number one in the country U c l A since the seventies, which is kind of remarkable to think of preseason number one U c l A had not and season number one seven we were nine were preseason number one? Right? No? Not according to that life Department.

I asked that question two days ago. I guess Sports Illustrating might have had so then it might have been had number one, But no, but that a p or U s A to Day or the coaches post. So I I, okay, I'll take that. I'll take that. I'll test it. Okay, But as you know, it's not where you start, it is where you finish. And you want to play in that last game. I mean, look like I was talking to Josh Passner the other day for a thing for cancer, uh and Josh and I were

doing a zoom and he talked about ninety seven. I was like, well, who beat your butts twice that year? We did, but guess what he played in the last game of the year and we did not? Right, Um, and so they get the Natty and they get the ring. Uh So I think for U. C. L A, Yes, they have all the pieces there that will allow them to get there. I think the big thing for me is is the hunger still there. Are they satisfied with

the run last year? Are they believing in the hype of what they were able to accomplish or do they understand that there are still more for them to accomplish and that they can accompt push it because the pieces are there for mccronin and and for all the naysayers of Mick and I understand that when he came from Cincinnati,

the doubters and everything like that. When when you watch the way that offense executed in the n C Double A Tournament run, that was high level offense, that was unselfish, great basketball mixed in with a defensive presence, and I

think that it's voting really well for him now. But also moving forward, when you look at the quality of recruits that he and his staff has been able to continue to go out in the level of athleticism upticking every single year in Westwood means that this program is back and I don't think it's going anywhere anytime soon

do you think staying with you? Do you think the new Jordan brand deal will have anything to do And Sean, I asked you this because you remember when we were schools players and how we felt about shoes and what was on our feet. But do you think the George Bread deal. These guys are in Nikes now, do you think this will change anything as far as their motivation to play compete? Because here's my thing about you. Like playing Devil's Advocate. Some say they got lucky last year.

Some say they went they got hot at the right time. They had lost three straight going into the tournament, lost to Oregon State in the Pac ten twelve tournament. Got lucky, They said they got lucky against Michigan Alabama. I mean all the type of all type of games. So playing Devil's Advocate, So do you think this year, okay, this team with that experience, they're gonna build off of that. They got the new Jordan Brand deal. There feeling good

about themselves, They're looking good. You think you think that I have something to do with it? Seane, I hope that's not a stupid question. No, no, no, I mean, look, we cared about shoes like half the time we got the Reeboks are fresh my freshman year, we were throwing them back at the Reebok rep going like this is crap. Uh. You know. Then we finally got Ai to give us issues and those those were unbelief I think I still have. Those were the only cool ones. Those were the only

comfortable rebox I've ever warned to be. He was unbelievable. Um. And then we switched to Adidas UM and the use was okay, Like they were okay, but they weren't who they are now. They're better now than they were when we when we were rocking them in the basketball world. But we always wanted to be Nike. We I mean Barren at one point in time, I think he wore Nikes and then just covered it up with tape. He covered the Sqush camera Dollar to the I don't think

you were there. That was the year before Dollar was doing that all year. Yeah, So I mean, you know, like, yes, it matters. And I think also more importantly, when you look at the recruiting circuits, where are the recruiting circuits And we can kind of try to minimize minimize the recruiting aspect of the college game, but under Armer really wasn't bringing a lot of high level recruits to Westwood. Is There's some, but not a lot. Uh. The E Y B L is the best circuit on the club scene.

It is, it has been, and it will continue to be. UM. And there is a a stage now with the with the Jordan brand and the number of few schools across the country that actually have the Jordan brand UM that it allows the name of U c l A associated with the name of Michael Jordan's UM to just be a perfect marriage for basketball in particular. And I think they've done a really good job of trying to capitalize

on that already. I think they will continue to do a good job capitalizing on it, uh and recruiting at a really really high level. It's kind of cool, right like some of the some of today's youngsters, they want to feel what's what's the what's the trend? What is cool? Right? Like they go on Twitter, they see what's trending? You know, you go to Instagram and you you flip over to like the little spyglass thing and what do you see? What's trending? What's new? UM and the Jordan brand with

U c l A is new. I think our athletic director, Martin Jarmond has been absolutely phenomenal. Even in a global pandemic, he was able to create a buzz and an energy that we haven't seen out of the athletic department in a long long time. Uh. And I think that that will pay dividends not just for men's basketball, but for

the athletic athletic department overall. Staying in the Pack twelve, I want to just get your take on the top three teams that you think are going to be, uh, basically the three highest seeds come tournament time that are coming out of the pack twelve. Well, I think the organized I don't think there's an doubt of that. I mean, you know Dana Altman as well as I do. H Dana Altman. He just sits there every preseason media pool.

He has like his bucket, like his little his little bowl, and he's got his like wooden spoon, and he's just like really really only got two first place folks. Keep key, I'm just gonna keep stirring, keep stirring. And then all of a sudden, January middle of January hits and we're like, man Oregan is really really good. You know, it's like, no kidding, they're really really good. I think Gary Air the transfer from Syracuse, harm In the transfer from Oklahoma.

These guys can really score. Uh. And I know obviously we saw Chris Duarte in the NBA his his debut, he had over twenty uh in his debut. I mean, he's he's a beast. Uh And they will miss him, but they they got will Rich. Will Rich, my kids, Lefty and I spent I spend time with him up there.

I think it's a deep team. I think this is a team that's certainly gonna be preseason like you know, like in my rankings preseason, they're right outside the top ten, but I could easily see them getting into the top ten by the end of the season, just because I think Dana Altman is that elite of a coach too, like and I think a lot of his his philosophy of of roster turnover. And we talked about this every year with Oregon. We're like, oh my gosh, so much

roster turnover. He was a junior college coach all you know, how to turnover at the Jukes. How he's mastered that art man of mession guys year in year out. I witnessed it. As you know, my son was a walk on for four years. Up there want three pack twelve championships or something like, they got three rings. I don't know if he says he got more than me, but I don't know. Have to look at which pack twelver he won. But anyway, dude, it would shock me. Every

single year. I'd be like, Oh, no way, he's gonna make this work. You know, no way he's making these guys work. And then come last five games in the season, man, and dude start bawling out. So who do you think though, So for that next kind of tier he got, we got? You said, obviously it smashed it smashed up my. I think this vote's wealth of the conference that we start a year with maybe six or seven teams that I

think can make the n C Double A tournament. Uh, As you know, Chris, it hasn't been that way for a long part. But I think a lot of the expectation comes off of what was a great n C Double A tournament for so many teams. But to your point on u c l A, u c l A got hot at the right time, Oregon State wouldn't even made the tournament and they got all the way to the Elite eight. So I think that that's great, But now you've got to follow it up with a good November and a good December to kind of set the

tone going into conference play again this year. I think it's three teams that that are gonna be in the next group. One is Tommy Lloyd in Arizona. I think that that's a group that a lot of people want to dismiss right away because he's a new coach. He's an assistant coach that's taking over as a head coach. Uh, They've done a good job getting some grad transfers in the guys that they have back pretty good. Uh. Matherin Is is awesome. I love his Bellis to Beyllis is

great as well. So you have have two guys that are double digit scores coming back, that have experience and are going to be better than they were a year ago. And I had a coach tell me that Tommy Lloyd has the best resume of an assistant coach to take over a Power five conference job since Roy Williams. You think about Roy Williams and Carolina, he had everything. I mean, he had the National Championship and everything. Tommy only blacks

the National Championship. Everything that he did again, Zaga was elite and at a very very high level. He's a great recruiter. He's all about relationships, I think, and he's a he's a detail oriented coach. He's gonna let offensively, They're gonna play very free and flowing a very European field to the offense. I think that's gonna that's gonna appease the fan base in Tucson. But I don't think the Wildcats are going anywhere. I mean, I think they're

in that mix of three, four and five. I think, you know, any NFL doesn't get the respect that I think he desperately deserves. Um. And here's why I say that, because you know as well as anybody. I mean, we we face some really good sc teams. When Grandville Blue and Ultra Pon you claim at see Calabrini, I mean, those are those were squads. But there's been a long stretch of USC basketball where they've really kind of been

in and out of even being relevant. And now they have no well, by the way, almost no home environment whatsoever except for like one or two games per year. Which is a shame because the fans should come out and support Andy and what they have been able to build there. But they've recruited at a really, really high level. I think Isaiah Mobile coming back obviously it's huge. I would anticipate that he is a little bit more assertive,

uh than he has been in the past. You've got four four others top five guys back, you get a transfer in Boogie Ellis from Memphis. I think USC is gonna be right there. Again, they're gonna be a different team. I don't think they're gonna be as focused on the interior obviously with Evan Mobile, who had a great debut as well in the NBA. UM, But I do think

s He's gonna be right there. And then I think the one team that is Matt overly being disrespected right now is the place where you stole the ball from Baron Davis and hit the game when he shot. That's why to Washington State. Yeah, I think I think Kyle Smith is Smith Baby. He is. He is really good as a coach. He plays clear strengths, He lets his guards have just amazing amount of freedom. Um. And I

think you look at like noelh williams. Uh. You look at Tyrell Roberts, the transfer from u C. S d Uh, and then you you have f A albo Ghidi, who I think is gonna have another tremendous year. I think Washington State could be the best defensive team in the Pac twelve this year, and if the best defensive team, they make the n C Double A tournament for the first time since two thousand and eight. Sean back when we played Washington State wasn't necessarily the toughest place in

the world to play. Now given this wasn't the same time at the same time because it is Pullman, But given this season, with the return of fans and the return of these sort of you know, home court advantage environments that you're gonna have, do you think you know a Washington State could create that type of atmosphere because I think that's the one thing that's just lacking for

Kyle Smith up there, is that sphere to get it. Really, given what's going on in their football program right now with Rolovich, their coach being fired, and all of that situation the up evil there, I think that the sports fans in that general vicinity will be looking uh to support Washington State, So I think that you will have good environments, in particular on those Saturday games. I do worry about those Tuesday night games because a lot of

their fans aren't necessarily there. They drive in from Spokane, they drive in from court A Lane. Uh, they drive out from outside of Pullman to get there. So some of those Thursday night games may not have that great feel. But I would anticipate that their Saturday games should be should be really good, especially since the conference is really good.

Because you know, I mentioned those five, but we don't even mentioned Bobby Hurley at Arizona State, who I think is gonna have much more of the team kind of that that works for him. Uh. This year, I think Mary and Jackson that transfer from Toledo is gonna be really important for them. An average about eighteen points per game for them a year ago. Uh, you got Luther Mohammed to transfer from Ohio State. He's now eligible to play,

So I think you're gonna have some experienced guys. Uh. They're gonna work well with Bagley, who who returned to campus after testing the draft waters. I think Tad will best recruiting class in the pack Swell this year. I went to Colorado, so I think that's he's He's done a tremendous job coaching there as well. Uh, and they got Evan Baddy back. But I do think that they

miss McKinley right too much. And that's why I don't have Colorado and that upper upper tier of the conference, just because I thought McKinley right was so valuable for what they wanted to do and find the success that they had. He was huge. Do you think Bagley has the highest NBA ceiling in the Pac twelve? And if you do, if you don't, what player do you think? Does I think it's Peyton Watson? I mean I think I think Peton Watson has that upside. I think he

needs to gain strength obviously, like he's he's very wiry. Um. That doesn't mean that did you what did you see your practice? What did you say your practice far up? Because that's a that's a that's a big time statement. But what did you see in practice that made you feel satility? I saw more versatility than I expected. I would not be surprised that if he's at the point guard position at times this year for U C l Ah, that's how that's how smooth he is with the ball

in his hands. I think he's really good. And on ball screen situations, Uh, he shot it better than I anticipated. Um. And then around the room the rim, I mean he's he's he can elevate, finish. I mean, I think you know. Now the question for me is Canny can he defend his position? Again, I was at a practice where there wasn't a lot of defense. Everything was offensive minded at the practice. Um, but can he defend his position at a high level? If he can, then I think he

becomes that guy. Bagley's interesting to me. I think, Look, last year's team was so disjointed down there last year with with Josh Christopher, Remmy Martin, Alonso Verge. All of them are gone. You know, Christopher goes to the league, the other two transfer out, Remy Martin ends up going to Kansas, Alonso Verge I believe is that Nebraska if I'm if I remember correctly, Um, but the ball would

stick in those guys hands. And Bagley, you know, who's very limited in the number of games in which he played. We don't really know what it's gonna be like with him maybe becoming the focal point of the offense. Like now even he's number one. And you know this, Chris, like you go back to your years. You know your early years at U c l A. You are on

the scouting report, there's no doubt about it. But then when you look at your senior year, then you were defended way differently because you're gonna drop twenty on their heads if they didn't defend you the right way, right. Uh. And we've been bolos. But like you know, you you you look at Bagley and now you're the guy that they're not worried about necessarily the quality of guards that they had a year ago because on paper those three guards were really really good. Now they're looking at you,

so how do you score? Um? With that becoming the focal point? Are you able to score? Uh? And what is your efficiency? Right now? He can shoot the ball really well from the outside, so I think he's gonna be able to stretch the floor a little bit. But I do want to see what he can do with his back to the basket. Can he be a physical presence?

Can he be like an Evan Mobley type player that has incredible feel that when they do double team him that he's able to pass the ball out of that double team and be willing to sack her by shots for the betterment of the team. And I think that would help elevate his stock at that next level, because when you're talking about a Marcus Bagley in the NBA and Chris you know this, he's a role player. He's not a star. He's a role player. And that's not

a negative. And people take that as a negative all the time when I say that, But the league is full of role players. The league is not full of stars. Stars are few and far between at the next level. Yeah, yeah, what do you think is the last question in the pack twelve? Where's the toughest place to get a win? In the pack twelve? This this Arizona. Arizona still still just because the fans, I mean McHale Center is rocking

at all times. My hopes would be that u c l A, coming off their final four would get back to what it was when you and I were playing. I mean you and I, like I tell people this all the time. We were fortunate. It didn't matter really who we're playing with the exception and maybe like one or two of those December right before Christmas games out, Yeah, it was sold out. Like every game in our conference was sold out. We had John Wooden behind our bench,

and everything was rocking every single time. Uh, and it didn't matter who you played. And I hope for u c l A, coming off of what was such a successful season that that's the type of atmosphere that they have. I hope for across the conference that in college basketball

and in general. And I saw this last week. I went to Kentucky for Big Blue Madness and twenty people came for the practice for their Midnight Manners and Chris, it felt so good to be there because for a year this was this was my backdrop for for calling games and and working in studio is out of my son's bedroom. Um. And to be back in front of

twenty thousand and feel that energy was great. And I hope the college basketball fans, like we've seen in football, uh, come back out and support these kids, these young men and women. The women's game is in incredible shape as well, UM, that that they really support and and buy back into this the school's spirit. Because when the school spirit there, everything starts to become better around campus, Like your academics pick up, you know, people walking around campus, they got

a smile on their face. Uh. And and coming out of the zombie year of disconnect, I hope we re engage and people start connecting again. Yeah. It's very important, man, And especially in college sports, the fan experience, the presence of fans, the you know, their energy is something that that you really do feed off of, and it creates a tough to win environment. I'll never forget the first time played at Old Matt Court up in Oregon and we go up there, We go up there and think

we're gonna get a win. Man. I go in there is the loudest place I had ever been in my life. Dude, they made it so difficult. I would love to see that, you know, old school college basketball environment return UM this year. But staying in the SEC, you mentioned Kentucky UM Alabama is a team Nadoates has done a great job down there. Uh got Jaden Shackle for a kid I coached. Uh in a you he's coming back to that team. Talk

about the Crimson Tide and the SEC. Who do you have as you're kind of that first tier, top three sort of teams coming out at that conference. I think it's really interesting because I think when you look, we always want to start. Let's start with Kentucky, right, because you talk about the SEC starts with Kentucky, right. I mean that's talking about u c l A. You talked about you know, Pat well, have you talked about u c l A. Regardless of whether the Ruins are good? Um,

I think Kentucky is gonna be really really good this year. Uh. And the reason why? And look I just saw them in person. Um. And so again, sometimes you get a snapshot of something, but you get a two thousand points scorer, and Kellen Grady from Davidson right, a very good shooter thirty eight percent from beyond the arc. C. J. Frederick from Iowa shot forty seven percent, forty eight percent last year for the Hawkeyes. He's he's now part of that.

So they're gonna be able to stretch the floor. And then you bring in a guard like Tay Tay Washington, who, by the way, just got to deal with Porsche. So good for you. And I read that. I read that today. I just read that. Man, I wish we had and I l when we were in college. Oh my good. It's but then you've got Oscar Shebway as well. I mean, so you have a good mixture of freshman, but you also have some older players. And I think the Calipari teams that have more often have not had success are

those guys that have the older teams. Right. That's it's not just the young kids, it's the guys that have that experience. And I think that this group is hungry, and I felt there's a connectivity, and Chris, you know this. Sometimes it doesn't take long. You could walk into a practice right now, Chris, because you're playing background in your coaching background, and you can sit down and look at a team and go I'm not going write down anything. I just want to see how they interact for like

five and ten minutes. And if five ten minutes, you can go, okay, this has a chance to be good. Just based on that, like the are they connected? Do they do they genuinely like being around each other when they're out on the floor. Doesn't again, you know this as much as I do. Off the floor, you don't have to like your teammates. You could just you could really dislike a lot of your teammates. But when you go between those lines, all of that stuff goes away,

and how do you connect while you're there? And I saw that with Kentucky when I was there, and I was really impressed with coach cal and his staff and what they've been able to do. So I like Kentucky. They would be the clubhouse leaders for me. I think a team that that maybe we're not talking enough about. His Tennessee in the SEC. I think Rick Barnes first and foremost all he does go to the n c l A tournament. I mean he changed the voles program

and the expectation level. John Folkelston folkus in his back, Uh, Josiah Jordan James's back, Victor Bailey is back. Uh, Santiago vasco Via is back. And oh, by the way, then you add in four top one recruits. So very similar to what I was just talking about with Kentucky. Now you you got, you got like Kennedy Chandler. Uh. I think that is one of the top point guards in the country. He's good, he's good. Now you open up your offense a little bit, and I think that defensively,

I don't worry about Tennessee. But offensively, there were so many inconsistencies last year, and I think a lot of that was with like Keian Johnson and James Springer they didn't have that summer. The same thing with Kentucky, the same thing with Duke. When you don't have that summer to learn what the expectation, what that bar is, and what you need to meet on a daily basis to be a competitor at the SEC packed well any level in the major Division one level, and you lose that.

Now all of a sudden, you're you're you're kind of trying to play catch up the entire year. And that's why I think a lot of the freshman didn't show out last year. It wasn't because they weren't immensely talented, if they didn't have the same kind of time that everybody else had. I think if Jalen Johnson from Duke would have had the entire summer with Kay, he wouldn't have had the issues that he had early. And I think it would have benefited Duke all year long. UM,

but that wasn't the case. So I think Tennessee is gonna benefit from that. Uh. And then I think you get to the Alabama, Auburn, Arkansas, the A's triple A, triple A rated SEC this year, Eric, you're putting you They're all in the top twenty for me. By the way, in my preseason poll that I did, I put all three of those teams in the top twenty for me. Uh And the reason why I did that is that, first of all, Eric Musselman, I will believe in until like,

until he proves me wrong. Right like he he goes out and he gets transfers every year and get Chris likes from Miami this year, right average, almost sixteen points a game for the U. Now, all of a sudden, he's coming in and the Muss bus seems like it's loaded back up again with a couple of transfers with

South Dakota, Little Rock. And these are the type of guys that have a little bit of a chip on their shoulder, a little bit of like that nobody, nobody gave me the respect I deserve, and must is kind of that that coach. He's like, you know, nobody gives me the respect I deserve. And so I expect Arkansas to play free. I expect them to play fast. They will miss Moses Moody in particular early, but I do think that they can overcome that late. I think when

you look at Alabama, it is about their guards. It's about Javien Quiverly. It's about Shackleford, like you mentioned, Uh, you know, they they've got guys that can flat out go at the guard position, and that NATO's plays this unique style as you know Chris, where he gives ultimate freedom to the offense, and sometimes people see that as if he doesn't care about the defensive end. My concern

with Alabama's an out their guards, it's their interior. Uh. I think they're they're going to miss Herb Jones as much as many any maybe any player has missed in the country. The guy was in the defensive Player and Offense and n m v P last year in the SEC. Only two other players have ever done that, Tyler Ulis and Anthony Davis, and both were tremendous college basketball players. And so when you lose the guy that's willing to take charges, you lose the guy that can be your

point forward. Uh, you lose the guy that that is, you know, the heart and soul in the heartbeat of your defense. That's a huge hole that you've got to fix. And then Jordan Brunners gone, Alex Rees has gone. So you now the guys even beside him and behind him are gone. You need to stack back up with your interior. And don't forget Josh Primo is gone to oh yeah, and John Petty and Petty. He was a lottery pick. Is funny man. Herb Jones. At first, I had been

howling Coach town was on my show. So he had him doing a breakdown in u c l A, Alabama because they had played him a few times. So he's in, he's he's in in a van headed to n I T practice. He's going live with me, but he's just talking about Herb Jones. Chris. You just gotta see like he was raving about Herb Jones and it turned out, you know, Herb Jones a big time player. But I need to know about Auburn Mack every year. You know, I see coach. I see Bruce Parl with his shirt off,

Bruce Pearl doing his thing out there. I love him as a coach of character and and typically he knows how to get him some really good guards. What about this iteration of the Arburn Tigers this season, Well, I think Jabari Smith is an All SEC first team caliber player. You're talking about a number five recruit and Paul being Carter's ESPN one hundred. I think he brings that freshman power in and then I think you look at, Okay, who else did they get. Well, they got Katie Johnson

that average fourteen points a game at Georgia. They got Walker Kessler, who I think his numbers don't indicate what his value is and what it will be for Auburn this year, the big man from North Carolina just because they were splitting so much time there. Uh, you got Jasper the transfer from Charleston an average sixteen points. They got scores to go with Jabari Smith. And there's one thing about Bruce Pearl like you can't keep Auburn down,

like and that team for the struggles. And if you look at the record of thirteen and fourteen last year, right, like how much of that was without Shariff Cooper almost all of it. Had Shariff Cooper been given his eligibility like he should have before the start of the season, that's whole season would have been different for Bruce Pearl. The whole year would have been different. Uh. And let's not forget about Flannagan being back, Williams being back, Cambridge

being back. You've got experience, You've got guys that can that can score. I think Bruce Pearl's team is a top again Top twenty team. I think there are a fringe Sweet sixteen caliber team. All of it will depend, Chris, on the chemistry of this group, how quickly they can come together. And that's usually where Bruce Pearl thrives. So if that's where he thrives, then we go, Okay, they're gonna be pretty darn good again. And I think that's

probably what we're gonna see. Mississippi State has as uh iverson Mullin are coming back, and they picked up a really good transfer. Uh. What do you think about North Carolina on that door, Chris, let me tell you. I think this team is gonna be really good. Um. I love this. This is Ben Hallet's type of team. They're

gonna be in the tournament. Um. And I think I have them just outside my top twenty five at the start of the season, but again, wouldn't surprise me if they play their way up there, because this is a Ben Hellen team that has toughness experience, in particular at the guard position. Um, they have depth. Um, and this is like Ben is at his best. Like, I mean, you go back to some of those u c l

A teams. And it's easy to fall in love with the Westbrook Love teams, right, but the farmer A Follow teams, those were grinders of teams. Man. They was like going to the office every single game and Ben, as u c l A fans, we'd lose our mind because they go on like a twelve oh run and he would call time out and I'm like, why are we stopping

our own run? But for him, it was about setting up his defense and making sure that they tightened those bolts and that there wasn't even in their success, they weren't feeling too comfortable or too confident, right that they got away or deviated from the system. And I think that this is a team for Ben Holland that has

that same kind of makeup. Uh so and and and as you look at the trajectory of Ben's programs overall, you know, I think and everywhere he's coached in year three, whether it was Northern Arizona, whether it was Pitt, whether it was u c l A, everything got better, right, They won the conference championship. The SEC has been a little bit of a different like travel for him, and a little bit of a different journey. It hasn't come as quick um. I think it could come this year.

I don't think that necessarily they win the SEC, but I think being relevant on the scene, being able to then go out and recruit at a higher level and continue to get the kind of players that worked for Ben I think is there in front of them. There's certainly a tournament team. I think they're a team that can advance in the tournament. UM and getting a fringe top twenty five caliber team. For me, you don't forget about Rocket Watts as well. He's you know, he's dynamic,

dynamics core um. Conference realignment, Like, I want to talk about the Big twelve as a conference, but I also want to talk about, since we're in the middle of talking about the SEC, the fact that Texas in Oklahoma are headed to the SEC. What what are your thoughts about how the conference conference realignment has effected is going to affect college basketball And do you think it's a good idea? And is this the end of traditional geographical like big time rivalries as we know that that end

happened a long time ago. Chris h. In my opinion, I mean, this is just this is the necessary uh consequences of the failure to keep the Big East intact. I mean even on the West coast. You know it. I know it, man, you can't Syracuse. We were watching on Big Monday, you know, all day Big Monday, Super Tuesday, Georgetown versus Villanova. We were like, cannot wait to see this, you know. And and then Realignment came and it destroyed it.

It destroyed it. And the thing that makes me happy, happier amongst everything else that's happened the last couple years, is that Realignment also came to refixing, and Yukon and and Danny Hurley are in the Big East once again.

That's their rightful home. You know, it's tough to sell people in stores Connecticut, like, oh, we got to Lane and Tulsa coming in this week and they're like huh, like you know, and then and then when you're trying to recruit, which Yukon has always done really well, that geographical footprint all the way down to Philly, Like, you can't really recruit that footprint because you're never playing those teams.

You're not playing in that footprint at all. And that's that's kind of fixed it, right, Like that the Yukon going back fixes it. But all of these moves that have been made in realignment has been to the detriment of college basketball has been made for money. It has been made for callge football. Period. That's it. Otherwise a

lot of these realignments they wouldn't have happened. West Virginia now playing in the conference that they're gonna have to you know, play b y U. Like, that's a that's a pretty big landscape that we're looking at for for a totality of a conference. Um, and that's the future of the Big Twelve. Now. I think the Big Twelve is in good position. I think that the teams that they brought in helped them not only in football but

also in basketball. I think in particular, you look at like Cincinnati b y U is really good with Mark Cope year in a year out. I think obviously Houston coming off their Final four run, this is this is going to help them build momentum and be able to recruit. But I think losing your brands of Oklahoma and Texas, you know, it just means more has been the same for the SEC. It just means more money for the

SEC too. I mean they are already cashing checks for like upwards of almost fifty million dollars a year because their television rights, the SEC network and the success that that has had, which I think has shown out in the increased level of successes across their athletic departments. It's not just obviously in football we focus a lot on that, but basketball in recent years has gone from a a you know three team at max into the n C

doub A Tournament. And now the expetation is six seven could be the very best conference in college at basketball this upcoming season. And then on the women's side there as dominant as they've ever been. And you see the contract that don Stanley just got seven seven years. I think two point four was the contract. Deservedly so did

she get that contract. But that's a contract we have not seen in women's sports, and so I think it elevates the conference even more from that perspective, and they can do that based on the money and the revenue that they're bringing in Texas and Oklahoma will allow that

to even increase that much more. Yeah, that's but just to not have that old school rivalry no more in a Big twelve, that's a good part That's the one good part about this one is we still have the Red River Shootout game for football, Like we'll still see Oklahoma versus Texas at the Continent SEC, but it's in

the SEC landscape versus big twelve plus school guy. Look, but the way that it was, I wish the n C Double A tournament used to do, which used to have regions West, Region, you know, Midwest, South, you know whatever. I actually like that even though nine we got screwed and sent to the Midwest region when we won the PAC twelfth Conference about like four games, um, and then won fourteen straight games, we should have at least been the two in the West region. We weren't, uh, and

we went to the Midwest. But nevertheless, like I love the old format too, So I'm a traditionalist as well. I think times continue to change in college athletics, UM. And I think that when you look at n I L and the transfer portal and all of those things, Chris, so much of this is changing and evolving, uh and there, and while we are losing things, we are also gaining things. We're gaining voices, we're gaining empowerment amongst the athletes. Things

that you know, quietly we discussed twenty thirty years ago. However, many years ago it was now that we were playing at U c l A. Um. You know, Gosh, I wish I could do this. Sorry, I wish I could get that car. I wish I could. You know. Now, these are things that are actually tangible and real, uh, for these these student athletes. And I think it's a good thing. And I don't think it's hurting the athletic departments. Anybody who thought that this was like a doomsday scenario

and N I L it's not. The kids are fine, the programs are fine. Let's keep going. So there has been some positives in these change there are some negatives there as well, though, I like as far as the n ILS concerned, I like what U c l A came out and did. And I guess Jermond enlisted their marketing and branding department to work directly with the athletes, so they're gonna be allowing the use of logos and U c l A letterhead and stuff. I think that's such.

That's one of the biggest developments that I've heard in the inn, in the whole N I L game. But staying on the N I L Um, we look when you look at the situation that happened when in Oklahoma where in college football, where Spencer Rattler, he has the big deals this and that doesn't play well. They're throwing Caleb Johnson and then Caleb doesn't even get the time, Caleb Williams, it doesn't even get the interview after in

the game. What's What's I mean? Is this a case of you know, the coaches still kind of having this anequated way not coming up to speed, or is just just some BS going on in University of Oklahoma. I don't think it's either one, Chris, I think it is a byproduct. Would be careful what you wish for. I said this with Derrick King, a quarterback to Miami. Now he's unfortunately injured and out for the rest of the year. Um, but you know, struggled in game one against Alabama. You

get a pass there because why Alabama, right button? Game two against app State, he didn't throw a touchdown. He threw for eight yards against app State and they had to win on the last second field goal and won by two against Appay. And you're you're Miami and you're Derrek King and you're making eight hundred thousand dollars in n I l s that have already been announced. You're

almost a million dollar man. Well guess what if you want that money, then when I'm covering college sports this year, I'm going to cover you as if I was covering the NBA. You're making you're pros. So now you open yourself up to more criticism. And I think when you look at he's got his his gear, his swag, he's making a million dollars, and everybody's like, this is our dude, Highsman trophy candidate. He's the man, And all of a sudden you slip up the fans. And this is I

think what happened in Oklahoma. The fans are less inclined to give you that student athlete pass. Working their jobs, they're not making a million dollars there. You know, the other students in the students section, they're not making a million dollars. You are. And when you get that kind of money and you get you want this, the expectations

then naturally increase. So if you fail to meet what the expectations are, and all of a sudden, you're Texas and you're getting the doors blown off and they put in Caleb Williams, and he goes in and wins the game. Now, now we start going, okay, wait, hold on, how much money is this kid making on name image and likeness? And then the businesses and the corporations that have invested money into you start going did we put a performance clause in this? And a lot of them didn't. That

will probably change moving forward. But this is this is a byproduct of name, image and likeness. There's a lot of positives to name image and like this, and I favor I'm in favor of all of it. But when you start announcing how much money you're making in your own brand of clothes and all this other stuff, Chris, it changes the landscape. It changes how people view you

on the outside. And us as broadcasters, I think, have to be cognitive and aware of how that has evolved and changed from even a year ago to twenty years ago when we were there, Like if if you struggle for three games, no one was really I mean, they might be like, oh, Chris needs to step up, but

they weren't like badgering you, you know what I'm saying. Like, but if you were making a million dollars at U C L a and you started struggling, you'd start hearing a lot more chatter, especially in an age now that has social media and Instagram. Will Everything that these athletes are doing is brand recognition, brand value. Be careful of what your brand is because if your brand gets too large in a lot of these cases and I think

we're having, we're gonna have an accordion effect here. Name engine like this comes in, people want to get on board. The brands are expanding too quick, meaning that you've gotta you've gotta realize kind of what your limitations are and how far you want this thing to really go while keeping your focus on what you're doing on the field or on the court. And I think that this a lot of what we're seeing right now is is a

little bit of a backlash to the name image. And like this aspect great point about how college athletes that will be getting paid will be getting covered by the media. I think that's a tremendous point. And I'll be interested to see if like these local papers, the local you know College Norman, Oklahoma, the Norman, Oklahoma, you know, the Press Telegram. I wonder if there's gonna be some articles written with more of a direct sort of slant against

you know they do pros because that's always been the thing. Hey, these kids are college will take it easy on them, and you know they're just college kids. But now it's like, wait, I mean, these guys are getting paid. So I think the sympathy aspect and the empathy of like, oh he's a college kid, that's gonna go out the window. This guy's a pro nowadays. It's a great point about that. But but we're in the Big twelve and I want to know just you're I got you on my show.

I want to know who is going to win the conference. You got have Texas, I have Texas, Kansas and Baylor. Who wins the conference? Texas Texas conference members through defendant champion? Kansas got Remy Martin. How okay, how Baylor lost everybody? Their card played like they lost Mitchell t Butler. They're all gone, all right, So I you you lose all three of those guys. That's like Toldy Bailey, Chris Johnson and jar those guys are colde. Those guys were code man,

I'll tell you what. Then you put in Vital as well, Mark Vital who was really there blue guy, and they the Swiss Army knife of what they did, I think Texas is gonna win it. And while they lost a ton as well, Matt Coleman, Jericho Sam's, Kai Jones, Greg Brown, the transfer portal, nobody benefited more than Chris Beard. So you go in the off season and and you know, no offense, the shock is smart, but Chris Beard is ridiculously high level coach, he really is. And you bring

him into Texas. He's now back home where he wants to be. You throw in a Christian Bishop from Creighton. You throw in a dev and ask you for Kentucky. You're throwing a train Mitchell from you Mask, You're throwing a Timmy Allen from Utah. And then you go out and you get Marcus Carr from Minnesota, whose average twenty

three points a game in the Big Tent. If Chris Beard can get them to compete the way he wants at the defensive end of the floor, and by the way, you still have Andrew Jones, you still have Courtney Rahem and you get that defense to work. Fine. You don't have to worry about offense. Because all of those guys I just told to about all average like between twelve and twenty three points a game last year. So offense isn't gonna be the issue. It's can they defend? Can

they bring that? Chris me your toughness. I haven't seen a team yet at Texas Tech that didn't eventually get there, even if they started off a little slow. And I think Texas could take some losses early because maybe they don't have that toughness right away. But Chris, I believe that over the course of the season they're going to get there. I think Texas is final four good. Um, I think Kansas is close to being final for good.

And again you saw an uptick in recruiting again for for Bill self, where you know, in the last couple of years, because of the allegations that were surrounding that program, they weren't getting those top one hundred kids. They got one this year. Uh. And I think you add that to the mix of of getting a guy that's has

experienced as Remy Martin. You get David McCormick back, your big man, you got Jalen Wilson back, you got uh, you know, you got Christian Brown Brown back, You've got You've got multiple guys back that can really we fill out that roster for Bill self, and at twenty one and nine a year ago, I don't see any reason why they're not gonna be right back in the mix inside the Big twelve. I think Baylor is going to

be good. They've got their best recruiting class they've ever had um, but I think they just lost so much from a year ago. And I do believe that there's always a championship hangover. I mean, you know it better than I know it, but there is a championship hangover. And when you have climbed that mountaintop. And and I get this discussion with my ten year old, you know, if you think the Bucks are gonna win the NBA

title again? And I said, no, I don't. And I said, and the reason why I don't think the Bucks will win the championship is not because they're not good enough to win the championship. Chris, you know they are. But it is just really really hard to do it in consecutive seasons, is not. It's not even you can't even say it's not easy. I mean it's not even like common. It's not a commonplace to see that happen. And so for Baylor, I do think they take a little bit

of a step back in conference play this year. But I think this is a conference of change right now because of Oklahoma and Texas leaving, because of what they have coming in. I'm you know, big Twelt media. They just took place yesterday. Uh And Scott Drew said, listen, even with Oklahoma and Texas, if we just added in the teams that we had from last year, we still would have been the number number one ranked conference in

college basketball according to Ken Pop. And that's true, but that's also based on a Houston team that went all the way to the Final four, you know, And and I don't know if Calvin Sampson's teams are always going to get there. So as this conference changes, as Texas and Oklahoma leave, and Porter Moser obviously now with Oklahoma got a ton of transfers in there, I think it's gonna be interesting to see how that molds throughout the

course of the year. Um. I think it's going to be interesting as those two teams exit, how this conference tries to pivot without completely ignoring Texas and Oklahoma until they're actually in the SEC to that of also welcoming in and highlighting and trying to lift up those teams that are coming from the American UCF Cincinnati, Houston, UH, and then b YU. How they're trying to lift those programs up so that on day one when they come in,

they're already at a high level. I think it's gonna be very interesting how the Conference office handles that and handles the promotion of these teams as the season goes along. I don't think we're given Remy Martin enough credit. Uh. And I'm not just saying that because I'm biased and I've watched him since he was seventh eighth grade. I just really what I saw out of him in Arizona State.

He's a big time gamer type player. I think he goes to the Big Twelve, put him and surround him with them guys that they got to Kansas, and I think Kansas comes out of the Big Twelve is champions. I'm but bait into your point. Certainly him only concerned the Remy as his turnovers, Chris, and that's always been That's always been his thing, true. And it's not even just the turnovers. It's like the timeliness of some of

those turnovers. Like I was doing the game in Shanghai, China when they played Colorado in twenty nine and they had stormed back and they looked like they were about to win the game. And they're driving down the floor.

I think they had of one point lead, and Remy drives down the middle of the paint and decides to throw behind the back pass to a guy cutting on the right hand side, and he gets picked off, goes down the other end three pointer, get a stop on the next possession, go back down another three pointer, and the game was over and Colorado got out of there with a win. And it's like, you don't want to say, hey, there's there's only one play that costs the game, because

he's you and I both know that's never the case. Um, But there's certainly there are momentum backbreaking plays, uh and their self inflicted wounds and so far, I think for Remy, the biggest key for me this upcoming season is the talent level in which he will have around him at Kansas is exceeds the talent level that he had around him at Arizona State. Is he capable and willing to defer under control? I know he's willing to defer, but he is he willing to defer under control and composure.

That's necessary of a player that has the experience that he has, the skill set that he has uh in the environment that he's now going to be playing in, because as you know, Alan field House is one of the most spectacular venues, if not the most spectacular venue in all of college basketball, that now becomes his home court. Handling that, handling it under the microscope with the expectations,

and again, I think Kansas is Final four good. I think there's two teams in the Big twelve that can make it make a run for a national championship this year. It's Texas and it's Kansas. I agree, And I mean I won't count Baylor out to your point about the

national championship hangover, Absolutely it does exist. But I think when you look at a team that's down there in Waco, concerning this iteration of that team in that program, and how Scott Drew has his guys locked in in that culture down there, I wouldn't be surprised to see them guys with Ken Joe and Meyer and all that make it back to the Final four. I'm just saying I was so thoroughly blown away impressed by Baylor last year.

I don't know if I've ever seen dudes out there that were not only garden but just helping and recovering slides, the defensive ridiculousness in their athleticism, and then just they're just gangster. They were just so gangster on the boards on the because you're like this and you know this watching your dad broadcast. Marcus a legend in so many

different ways. But his broadcast with with the Bucks, what Scott drew And this is the best thing I can say is they're running NBA rotations on the defensive end of the floor with the college enthusiasm and a football level of toughness. That's what Baylor was at the defensive end of the floor last year, and that is such a rare, rare thing to find. If they can, if they can stir that pot and bring it back this year,

then yeah, they can get there. But I until I see it, Chris, I'm I'm gonna be I'm gonna wait and see how they look. But last year's team was NBA rotations with a college enthusiasm and a football toughness, and absolutely that was unbelievable. I wanted to get your thoughts on a couple more conferences the Big Ten in the A c C and there's just a couple more teams. UH Big is looking good this year. Pretty a decently

deep conference, Michigan, Purdue, Illinois, Indiana. Of those you know four or five teams, who do you think is the Big Ten champion that comes up to perdue produce the best team in the conference, because because they got everybody back, they got everybody back. Um, and I think Zach Eady is going to have a tremendous year. I think UH coach Payter might even go to that double big line up with him and Trevin Williams uh and you go to double big. But Zach Ety, for those of you

don't know, seven foot four. Last year he got fouls just by posting up because guys ran into his elbow and they're like, no, it's contact of the head, that's a foul, and he's like, so they have to teach him how to post up. He had a literally post up like this and theis tucked yes, and I'm like what that's doing? You know? And internationally he got great experience this year. In the FIBA nineteen over Latvia, he

averaged about sixteen points in fifteen rebounds per game. I think that confidence in being a go to guy for in that uh with Lavia, I think is gonna bode well for him and expanding out his game this year.

And I think Matt Painter has just consistently been that coach inside the big tent that every year we don't talk about him and then we look and they're like, wait, the thirteen and six like they were thirteen and six last year in the Big Ten, that had almost every team ranked at least at one point in time during the course of the season, and for a majority of the year, they had so many teams in the poll.

It's all we were talking about in ESPN. We never talked about Perdue and they had a better record than half the teams that we were talking about inside conference play, and they were beating him UM, and so I think

that I think they're right there. I think what Jowan Howard is doing at Michigan UM is just amazing and the fact that people continually come back and want him to coach at the next level and he continues to just turn away those offers because he's happy with where he's at a Michigan I think boats really, really well for them. Caleb Houston is going to be absolutely phenomenal. He's a top five pick. I think next year's NBA draft. He's a freshman. You put him with Hunter Dickinson, who's

back Eli Brooks. Yes, you have to worry about replacing, whether it's Mike Smith and just the steady hand that he had, or Franz Wagner uh and the versatility that he showed in the athleticism that he played with, or even Isaiah Livers. I mean, those are those are guys now that that are not easily replaceable. But I think with the recruiting that he has done at Michigan, the culture that he has built up at Michigan, UH, I really truly believe that the Wolverines are gonna be right there.

I think perduing in Michigan are the two top teams

in that conference. And I think Indiana under coach Woodson again another another alum coming home to his program um and I think, following in the same likeness of what we've seen from Juwan Howard being an NBA guy, I think it's really gonna help Trace Jackson Davis, who I think is one of the best players in college basketball and I think the one thing I've I've been concerned about the times with Trace has been his inability to have his motor running at all times, Like he kind

of picks and chooses his spots a certain game where you're like, oh my gosh, this guy's an All American, And then there's other games you're watching me like did did he get out of bed today? I think, what do you get that out of him? I think, what do you get at what he's done? A great He's done a great job too. I think he signed a couple of guys added to that to what's going on over there? Um, what about Illinois with with Coburn and Carbello and Brad Underwood back, do you think they have

a shotter? They do because Coburn is gonna be the best big man in the country. I mean, at least the most physically dominating presence in college basketball. He may not end up being the best big man in the country, but he has the most physically dominating big in the country. Uh. Kabello has got to get a little bit smoother with the basketball, and he's gotta be able to shoot the ball.

He really struggled from beyond the arc last year. Um, I think Adam Miller leaving and transferring out hurts them a little bit because I think his his role would have improved this year. But Brad Underwood is one of those coaches that's really firing. And sometimes we we missed con Screw like a are head coach and go oh like he's mean, Like oh, he's he's tough on his guys, Like it's not really overly tough on his guys. Um, I think he he just demands and I think accountability

is one thing that you cannot lack. Like I have Illinois on my preseason poll at number sixteen in the country. So they lose Adam Miller, that goes to l s U. So I mean Adam Miller is going through a complete culture change of like defending and toughness in Illinois to will wait just like shoot it up, my man, shoot it up. Um. But Io is gonna be a huge loss. Io made so many great plays. So how do you make up for the loss of Iota assuming well, when

you get a transfer like Alfonso Plumber from Utah. Um a streaky shooter as we've seen, but a guy that when he came into Polly Pavilion in the first five minutes of that game last year, he thought he was gonna go for a hundred because he just knocked down everything. You've got a couple of top one recruits, uh in the Lendez and Goodie uh, And so I think that there's there's pieces of fund him. But for me, it's

starting from the inside out kofe. Cockburn and the level of frustration I think we saw in the n Double Tournament, in particular, when he didn't get the ball in a couple of possessions in their loss. He was so mad that there's two things that need to happen. One is Illinois does have to play inside out. They need to feed him as often as they can to keep him engaged in the game. Two is he has to better control his emotions and find ways to manufacture points at times.

So if they're not getting you the ball, instead of standing up and being frustrated and just going to the other end, go grabbing offense, amount of dunking on someone's head and then turn around at the teammates and be like feed me, you know, uh, find a more positive way of doing that. And I think that that's part of the maturation process for him, and I think that he will get there and he will do it. Uh. And I think the X factor on this team is

Trent Frasier. I think Trent Fraser is a guy that we don't talk a lot about, but when he plays well, Illinois finds success. And he's been through the ringer now a couple of times. He knows what the expectation level us. I think he's gonna be really, really good. And I tell you another team inside the Big Ten to think about, Chris is Maryland. I think turge has got a really good team. Uh. Alla's back. Uh, Scott is back. They got six transfers, including Fats Russell that came in from

Rhode Island. We know he can score the ball. Uh. They got the other big from Georgetown that just came in that played for Patrick Ewing. I think that this is a team in Maryland that could be a top four finisher inside the Big Ten this year. And they add Danny by the way, they also add Danny Manning to the assistant coach and staff. Uh formerly the head coach of Wake Forest was my colleague last year at ESPN.

But he does great work with bigs and and I think that's really gonna help out the Maryland Terrapints this year. A quick aside about college coaches coming and going with the NBA experience. We saw two coaches leave. Jason Hart from USC, Kenny Payne left Kentucky over a year ago. Do you think those type of losses, and you speak to Danny Manning's edition, you think those losses affect the program as much as an addition could affect the program. For sure. I think Jay Hart, you know him as

well as as anybody, Chris. I mean we've we've known Jason for over twenty years now. Just a tremendous recruiter. I mean, really a tremendous recruiter. But besides that, he's a tremendous coach. Um. And I think this is a problem in our game. I'm gonna take this to a different different levels if you're okay with it. Of course, I'm tired of black assistant coaches being named great recruiters. I'm tired of it. I see it, Well, he's a recruiter,

he's a recruiter. He's a recruiter. Let me ask you this, media members or fan bases that labeled people recruiters, how many practices do you go to? How many practices do you go to? Have you ever sat down and talk to xs and os with any of them or do you just look at them like, Oh, they're just recruiters. They're just recruiters because we like to put people in boxes. Unfortunately, that's what our society has done. Correct And Jason Hart should have been a head coach of the Division one

level five years ago. In my opinion, five years ago, should have been a head coach in Division one. He thought he was ready five years ago. There's multiple Chris, There's been multiple jobs in the West Coast Conference that have come available, and Jason Hart is here in l A with great recruiting ties to everybody just because you have a great recruiting cause. But what what does it take to be a great recruiter? You know people you say Laugh was a great recruiter, Lab was a great recruiter.

What made Laugh a great recruiter is the same thing that makes Jason Hard a great recruiter, which is the same thing makes a lot of great recruiters great recruiters. They know how to communicate, they build relationships, they earned the players trust. What makes a great head coach Chris, somebody that you can trust, somebody that you believe in.

You know, Um, when I look at it and I say this all the time, like add this quote, we can have I can have the best offense in the world on paper, but if my players don't believe in me, and they don't trust me, and they don't go out and execute it the way that I needed to be executed,

we will never be successful. I can have the simplest offense on paper, that's like the most basic, like sixth grade quality offense, but they believe the trust me and they run it like every single time to perfection with all effort. We're gonna find way more shots and we are that are gonna be good shots, and we are gonna win more games than we're going to win if I changed it up and they didn't have any trust or any belief in me. Everything in life is about relationships.

Everything in life is about trust. You and I have a relationship, and while we don't see each other often, Chris, you know as much as anybody that if you needed something, I'm a phone call away and I'm there. If Matt Barnes needs me for anything, I'm there. When we had the the Amad Aubrey run. How many of our teammates showed up and partook in that event to support Matt for an unbelievably great cause, right, one that we needed

to draw more attention to. There was. I mean, there's there are guys that even play with us that were showing up. You know, Gilanni my son's making videos for Gilanni because he's looking back at old footage laughing at some of the media questions that they had, and and Lannie's is dunking on people. You know, your enthusiasm thing over the top of it. The relationship we have, right that's that's the relationship that we have, and relationships is

the quintessential aspect of society and our community. And when we have a failure in community, and this goes beyond sports, when we have a failure in community, it's because we are no longer either willing to have genuine conversation, authentic conversation, or we're unwilling to listen. And the disconnect happens from our leaders, from ourselves, from our social activists, from our teachers, from our coaches, it doesn't from the police, it doesn't matter.

It can go on all aspects. When communication, and the relationship is broken down, you cannot find success. And to bring it full circle back to Jason Hart, my belief fervently in Jason Hart is I think he's gonna do a great job in the league. I don't think we'rever gonna see him in college basketball again. I think eventually he's gonna be on someone else's staff at the at the next level, and then eventually become a head coach,

maybe in the NBA. I think Miles sign And is another guy that I thought, for the last couple of years should have been more in line to get a college job. I think our guy, Earl Watson clearly could be an excellent college basketball coach. And I know obviously U C l A was in the picture for him for a while and all of us that were former alumni would have loved to see him have the opportunity to take that job. But there have certainly been other

jobs that have opened up in the college landscape. Well, Earl would have gone in and crushed it. Um And I think that we need to continue to evolve in the conversation and in the dialogue of why do we put boxes on people? Why do we why do we limit what people can do because they're really good at one aspect. Because you're really good at one aspect of your job doesn't mean you can't do another aspect of your job. Um, and I see that too frequently happen

happening across the college landscape. I'm really happy for a guy like Stan Johnson to get the job at l m U. I think he's doing great things with that program. I think they're gonna be a lot better in the

w c C this year. But he's a guy that was an assistant coach that was seen as a recruiter for a long period of time that now you're seeing him in the head coaching role and he's thriving in the relationship and the building and the changing of a culture of a program that really has been non existence since the passing of Hank Gathers. Now he's done an amazing job, and I think a lot of it, Sean is uh, just old ways of doing things. So putting people in boxes are based in stereotypes, and so now

the stereotype of maybe a black assistant coaches. You know, he's not necessarily the sharpest guy with X and os, but he can go into the Homes, talk to the black mom, the black father built that relationship, make it easy and cool for the white head coach to come in, etcetera.

And so a lot, a lot of it. I won't say true, but that role had to be played for a long time by a lot of coaches back in the seven Black Coaches in the seventies and eighties, where you couldn't necessarily get the respect as a X and OS guy, so you had they had to create that niche of being a recruiter, you know what I'm saying. And so it's and we are breaking out it. We are breaking out of it, Chris. It's not like we're

still stuck in the seventies. And look, I equined it to the similar thing being a black quarterback, right, I mean there we was like the Doug Williams of the world, the Randall Cunningham's, the Warren Moons of the world. It happened. But look at the NFL now, Look at Levard Jackson, look at Patrick Mahomes, look across the landscape and say Kyler Murray and how he's turned you know, everything up on its end. And I think Trey Lance is gonna

be great for our Niners. Too, um, you know, so, I mean, I I Russell Wilson obviously has been unbelievably great. So the list goes on and on. But now it's that that has been that ceiling has been broken, and people now understand that those old way of thinking we've we've got to evolve and we've got to change. And I think we're getting there in college basketball. I think

we still need to do more in that regard. And I think Jason, to me is just one of those guys, as is a Miles Simon, who I think would have loved to come back to the college game. I thought that they were no brainer highers the last couple of years. Uh And, and for whatever reason, one reason or another, they weren't given that opportunity. And I think that the NBA will benefit from it and the college game will

hurt from it. But I do think that the Juwan Howards of the world and the Mike Woodson's of the world that are coming into the game helped the college game as well. Uh And I think the college game needs to become more forward thinking. You know, it's not okay one four high or flex offense or just basic motion.

Like I will tell you I spent most of COVID sitting in a hotel room in Bristol, Connecticut when I was able to travel, and I would jump on and I've watched, as I mentioned earlier, the European basketball and their offense and the way they run in the space scene, and the innovation that I see in the European game and even even in the Russian professional leagues far out exceeds what we see even in the NBA level here.

I think the NBA is getting closer and closer to it because they need to and they have the talent that can do it. But I think what made Gonzaga so elite last year was that they didn't run an offense us that we see. They they ran an offense off of read, making read and reacting to what the defense was giving and making cuts that were not scripted. You know, and and I and I equated too, like you know the other night Cole Beasley from the Bills

and the Monday night game against the Titans. It was a big play and the Titans went to his own coverage, and had Cole Beasley ran his entire route, he would have ran into the next defensive player and it would have been a problem for Josh Allen. Instead, he sat in the gap because there was a hole and he knew as he trusted his quarterback would find him. And I think a lot of times in college basketball, we run from point A to point B because that's what

the offense tells us to do. Meanwhile, there's a gap, and if you settle in that gap just for a second, you might have a dunk and it might be the best play, the best shot you're gonna find in that

entire possession. I think the European basketball leagues do that better than US um and it's more free flowing and to steal Steve Lavin line, it's like a ballet fred Astaire, you know, uh, nimble on their toes just reading cross being from me, No, it is the the European I've always I was always fascinated when I when I played overseas, I played in the Russian League, and how many points they'd score, But how much movement was involved, how much

misdirection was involved, how much double actions. You know, there's all this action going on, like we run, we run, there'll be strong side pickpick and roll, and then weak side action going on simultaneously, where we had to worry about garden, so nobody could just stay in help and you got movement, movement, cut spain, action, all types of

stuff that's like it's it's almost like mind boggling. But when you sit down and you watch it, you're like, why, yeah, let me break out of my traditional ways of thinking and drawing up plays and actually have some ingenuity here and some creativity and do some different type things. And I think we see a lot of that going on on the European game. Hopefully that gets more into American offenses because I think it's first frinkling and the good

guys adding little touches of it. Um. Coach K one of the you know, arguably the greatest, one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time. It's this last season, although we're not supposed to call it his last season. According to Coach K, he said, don't use the L word in describing this year. John shi are taking over. He's got some big time recruits, got a solid team.

Talk about what you envisioned Duke looking like in in this Coach K swan song in the A C. C. Let me just tell I mean, look, Chris, you and I were both there. I believe it was Coach Wooden's final coaches clinic and it was Jim Herrick's final season at U c l A. There was November of nine. I believe it's the final coaching clinic that that John Wooden did at U c l A. And I still look back on that and goes he we we participated

as a team. Right, there's all the coaches and we participated the team and Coach Wooden ran us through basically essentially what a practice was, um, you know, and it was an amazing experience to to have coach talk basketball to us, teach us the game. In all my years of broadcasting, I would say that Coach k is the closest thing I've seen to John Wooden in that regard.

Just an excellent coach and teacher of it. And to me, I think it's gonna mean so much to the game of college basketball to have him continue to be there. This year, we can celebrate him, We can celebrate all that he has brought to the game, the number of players and lives that he has touched, But most importantly for the college basketball game, I I hope that Duke has the type of season that is worthy of being a final season four coach K. I think last year

really wore on a lot of coaches. As I mentioned earlier, I had a ton of coaches tell me that, Hey, it is tough to go through that process that they went through last year. But I believe that this Duke team is gonna be really strong. I think when you look going forward for the Duke program, I think John Shire has a very difficult task ahead of him. Recruiting initially will be high because it's Duke, but then it's

going to become not Coach Ka's program anymore. It's going to be his program, and his level of successful determine whether or not they can continue to recruit at the level in which we've seen Duke do. Here's my question. Okay, so I've heard that. I've heard that whole thing about the transition between Shire and coach K and it made me think about when John Wooden won ten and twelve years, then retires in seventy, and then Jane Bartow takes over.

He goes like fifty and eight, gets fired, and then Larry Farmer comes in, and then Larry Brown comes in, and then we go through this whole thing of coaching turnarounds. Nothing is ever good enough. Even we win in national championship, get back to the mountaintop coach here, it gets fired two years later or the year after. You know, we we got rid of a national challenge when he coach literally sent it backs literally the next year. Okay, I I'm not sold on the fact that Duke's gonna struggle.

There had to be some hangover. There'll be hangover. The brand is too big nowadays, the brand is too big. But John John will have to come in and have some success. He doesn't need to be at a national championship level of success right away. But is the program going to be stabilized and continue to have success? Are they gonna be in the hunt in the a c C. You know, Tony Bennett uh and Leonard Hamilton's have changed the landscape of the a c C. They have They

win every year. We start off and go, Hiy Duke North Carolina, Hubert Davis, all right, he's taking over for Roy Williams. How's that gonna go? You know? And we're like, all right now John Shire is gonna take over for Dukes. So it's a it's a big change with two traditional powers that are not just traditional powers in the SEC,

but traditional powers in college basketball. And then couple that with the fact that realistically Virginia and Florida State have won more conference championships than either one of those two schools in recent years. Um I I think, to me, that's what That's what I would be concerned about long term. Does it open up the door of opportunities, especially for a coach like Leonard Hamilton's by the way, who Devin Vassell,

uh Patrick Williams, Scottie Barnes. I mean, year in a year out, he's getting top five people, um to to play and have the success that they're had not even starting. They're not even starting either, and they're fine with it. But that's the connectivity. Leonard Hamilton's one of the great teachers that we have in the game. He's one of the great teachers that we have in the game. And he is maybe the most disrespected head coach in the country. Nobody ever talks about him as being one of the

best coaches in college basketball. He is one of the best coaches in college basketball period. Look at the resume, folks, read the resume. Look at what he's accomplished. He's amazing part him. I played him as a senior he was coaching at the University of Miami and the tournament. I don't know if you remember that, but we we beat him, but I played my worst game. And then my dad told me he used to be at Kentucky back in

the day with Joe B. Hall. I don't know if Peter was that either, But Leonard Hamilton's got his starting University of Kentucky, so he's got the pedigree. It's crazy how disrespected he is. But the team in the a CEC that I want to see, I think he's gonna Buddy Beeheim and the Orange Man. I'm curious to see how they performed this season. I love Buddy, I love what he's able to bring to that team. UM. North Carolina Hubert Davis is gonna be really interesting as far

as how that's gonna look. He's come out and said a few things and so I don't know about and then you have the uncertainty of really what's going on with Chris mac and the whole Dino Gaudio situation. That's rough. That's a situation out there, not a great situation. UM, just to have distractions and we know distractions, Chris like, distractions are never good for a program. They're never good,

And yeah, it is. It's really hard. Um. I think when you look at the a CEC this year, I think, you know, we're we're at a tipping point really in that conference with k stepping you know, stepping Awa after the end of this year, and Roy Williams just stepping down in the spring of last year. Um. And then the fact that the question does have to be asked, how many more seasons will Jim behind go? Yeah. I don't think that coach Beheim will be the guy that

announces before the year starts that he's leaving. I think he'll be one of those guys the season ends and he'll hold a press conference and be like, hey, you know what, this has been a great run. I'm out. Um, yeah, I'm out, and you will never see me again. Um. And I think that that could be what he ends up doing eventually. But it means that the a c C has a lot of turnover in legendary coaches, iconic coaches, coaches that have meant so much to the game for

such a long period of time. I think syracusan n C Double A Tournament team. I think they're a round of thirty two potentially, you know, depend upon matchups. Obviously after that you could maybe make a Sweet sixteen, but

certainly a round of thirty two tab team. This year, I think that Florida State again will we will not talk about them in the nonconference, we will not talk about them in the preseason poll, and then at the end of the season we'll be like, Wow, Florida State is up by a half a game going into the final weekend of a c C play um And I think that's just the way it's going to be. I think Virginia is gonna be better this year. I think Kia Clark, another kid from southern California that's had a

tremendous career at Virginia. He like it's it's funny because you look at Virginia's program, it's been built on Southern California guards. Uh. Kia Clark obviously the latest, but really Virginia got bounced in their step and going with London Parentice and London parents, a kid that played at Crespy High School in southern California. I coached on the club

circuit for the pump and run teams back in the day. Um, but he he went out there, and I think that he you know, he really changed the kind of like the idea of Virginia became cool. And Tony Bennett's kind of a cool coach, even though he runs this weird system that really limits the number of shots, and you know, they really control the offense and they slow it down, and they ask you to pay pack line defense and people don't even know what pack line defense is, but

they're scared of it anyways. Uh and and but yet they're still cool and they're getting top one recruits, and I think he's going to So I think as we evolve here and we see them moving on of some of the legendary coaches that have have ruled the college basketball landscape for the better part of thirty and forty years, I think we're gonna start looking at who are the next coaches that are going to become the iconic faces, you know, even a guy like Izzo who's been around

the game as long as he has. You know, I'm not saying that he's gonna retire anytime soon, but you know, we need young coaches to start coming in and being those guys. And I think guys like Mark Few, even though he's been around for twenty years, he's in that He's in that likeness. Um. I think that you look at a guy like Tony Bennett, I think Tony Bennett is gonna be one of those coaches that is coming

in that likeness. I think if we can keep the NBA away from Jowan Howard, Jowan Howard easily becomes part of that that new kind of coach that we're looking at and going like, hey, wait, hold on, Chris Beard. As I mentioned earlier, I think he deserves to be in that conversation right now as becoming the Scott Drew Well, there's a lot of coaches. We as a television entity, we as ESPN, we as Fox Sports, we as CBS Sports, we as you know, whatever stadium, whatever you're calling your

games on, wherever you watch your college sports. We need to start shifting our focus away. And this is not in a disrespectful manner, but we need to start elevating up some of the younger coaches as much as we do uh the iconic coaches, because we cannot lose those iconic coaches and all of a sudden lose our identity as a sport. No, and we're getting to that page, right another one of those young guys who I mean

like the younger coaches, but he is. He's clearly a face of our sport and will continue to be a face of our sport just because it looks like Jos Clooney and great inn as suit a basketball Hall of Famer j Right, get it, don't get it, don't get it twisted? Okay, amazing, but but no, but you're right on. We are at that point in life where you know we're ushering in. We see it every in all facets of American life and generations where the oh, out with

the old, in with the new. And so now you have a lot of young coaches that are set up right now to sort of assent to that throne that is being vacated by the Bay Hives, by Roy Williams, by coach k Those are some pretty big titans Kentucky as well. And it's just crazy. It's crazy to think that we're gonna get to that point. But who do you so? And and staying on coaches because I wanted to get your take, and then I have one more question for you after that. There's been a lot of

coaching turnover five over fifty new hires this year. What do you think is the most impactful coaching higher maybe one or two if you have a couple, uh, in the in college basketball, I would say Chris Bearded Texas is the most impactful. Uh. He's gonna do for Texas basketball what everybody hopes Steve Sarkasian can do for their

football program. Uh. And the reason why I say that because you've got a brand new facility coming online, that that Shaka had done a tremendous job fundraising and and creating the buzz enough and basketball that they actually cared about basketball Texas. But I think that Chris Beard is by far set up to have a run that is bill self like inside the big twelve. I think he gave be that dominant and that good um, and I think he's going to make it cool to be a

Texas Longhorn basketball player. I think he's gonna put guys in the league as he already has. When he was at Texas Tech, I mean he went to lubb It, love it, Chris. I don't know if you've ever been to lubb It. I have, I have, But he took Texas Tech basketball and took them to a final four. Like that is final game, right, They were in the final game, right, It's incredible. So to me, I look at that and I go, yeah, he's he's the guy. Like I think he's the guy. I think he's the

guy's gonna be able to get done. I think the other one that's gonna surprise people we talked about is Tommy Lloyd. I think Tommy Lloyd is going to be outstanding. I think Arizona is going It may not happen right away, meaning this year, but look, within forty eight hours of him taking the job, he got the best big man in all of the state of Arizona to commit in forty eight hours of taking the job. He will be fine. He will continue, he will recruit at a high level.

He will use the transfer market as they did. By the way, I think he was a very He was a very big part of the transfer portal. Before the

transfportal was the transfer portal at Gonzaga. And you look at the guys that transferred into Gonzaga, whether it was a Nigel Williams Goss, whether it was a Jonathan Williams, you know, the third from Missouri, UH Bank tenually got guys that not only came in and played, but that fit their sister Andrew Nemhard from Florida, you know, I mean, how important was his role down the stretch last year UM, and even that gameing against West Virginia when Jalen Suggs

went out with an injury. UM. And then he's also a great international recruiter. He's a great domestic recruiter. He's he's and I think he's gonna play a very friendly offensive style. And I think when to me, to have a great coaching higher, it needs to be a perfect marriage, Chris. It needs to have the facilities, the fans support the conference, and then you need to be the right person for that job. And Tommy Lloyd is the right person in Arizona.

I think when you look at the tradition of that program, it is it is always the PAC twelve is always at its best when Arizona and u c l A are at its best. And that's no disrespect to Oregon. Organ has entered the fray because Dana Altman is that good of a coach, But historically speaking, when Arizona is great and U c l A is great, everybody else gets lifted up in the conference, and I think Arizona

will be back there within three years. Yeah. For me, I'll be interested to see how Kevin Krueger does out at U n l v UM. He got his dad, He brought his dad on staff. You know, Bryce Hamilton's coming back. He's been a part of that. You know, talk to me, Sean, talk to his dad. Uh, you know, we will be around the Athletic Department of Ton. But he he his dad made sure that he had the right assistance around him to support him in his early stages,

his infancy of being a head coach. And I think that the big thing for a younger head coach is to know your deficiencies. Like sometimes you're so insecure because you don't want your deficiencies to be discovered, that you hire people that that basically allow those deficiencies to continue, and then that that permeates through the program and it

becomes a problem. With success. You need to have people that are not yes men, that are willing to stand up and say in meetings, not maybe in front of the team, but in meetings no, no, no, Kevin, you don't know. No, that's not how this is. Let me tell you how trust me, this is how it's not. Let me show you and then actually show like flotage your tangible effort, things from the past that show how it works, and then okay, yeah, cool, now I can

go do this. I think Kevin's gonna be great. I think when you look at you and l V, the goal for you and l V is to catch San Diego State because Brian Dutcher's been unbelievable. I wout at fifty three and seven in the last two seasons. Um, So I think for U and LV, it's it's always been. They've always had talent. They've always had They've had one and done guys. In recent years under Dave Rice, they they got Steven Zimerman who was a one and done guy.

Maybe shouldn't have been, but he was. Um, you can go get talent to want to play at the Thomas and Mac. You can get talent, especially in I L. Now all those kids got Finley toyotas. That's a new deal that they got to Every player on the team got Finley yoted. Good for them. Go see my guy Ed, He'll take care of you. Um, you know I think that, Uh, I think when you think about you and LV the

upside is there and Kevin will be interesting there. I think Porter Moser is also a very interesting higher at Oklahoma. You're talking about a guy Um and I I talked to to Porter at the Coaches Versus Cancer event I do in Vegas for Lon Krueger and when I when I had my conversation with him and said, hey, Um, you know, why did you make the move? And he goes.

I think it's so hard to be Gonzaga today. Like if Mark Few was just starting out, I don't think Mark Few could be Gonzaga what Gonzaga is now starting Gonzaga in this climate that we live in college basketball, it would be too difficult to do. But because he had a twenty year head start on all these dramatic changes that we're seeing, they're basically the Duke of the

West Coast right now. They're a small school, they're in a little obviously, they're in a small conference, not the A c C. But the brand has become so big that they can recruit the number one overall prospect in the country chat Home Grom to go there versus having him go to a Kansas, Kentucky, a Duke Carolina because it's an established brand. I think for Loyal in Chicago, it was gonna be really hard for Porter to sustain that with conference affiliation, um with the landscape changing the

way that it was. Now he goes to Oklahoma. Can he get Oklahoma to a Final four? So now you have this change from Lon Krueger, who is a Hall of Fame coach, unbelievable winner everywhere. He's gone to Porter Moser, who's who's already established himself as one of the better young coaches in the country at the head coaching level. And now you're taking over on co Homer program. But by the way, is also gonna be leading the Big

Twelve joining the SEC. So now you're recruiting landscape in the geographical footprint that you can go recruit after has also changed in a very short period of time, a lot of changing parts. Can he weather that storm of the changing parts and established who he is with his identity that he had at Loyal in Chicago with better players, Because if he can, I mean it is, it's gonna be really really good for him as well those games.

Think about what we're talking about here too, So now we're talking about an SEC that would have Chris Beard, Porter Moser, John Calipari, Bruce Pearl, Ben Holland, Eric Musselman, Frank Martin. By the way, that also took South Carolina to a Final four. I mean that conference, Mike White, that conference is stacked, Kermit Davis. I mean it is

stacked with eyes that can just flat out coach. Uh. And I think that that's gonna be incredible when it all comes together for what that basketball league is gonna look like. Absolutely, you talked about, uh, your coaches first Cancer, your involvement with coaches first Cancer. I'd like to hear about why that's such an important thing for you and just talk about your involvement with that organization. So Chris,

my father in law passed away in twenty eighteen of cancer. Uh. And he had fought for fourteen years and he was given six years to live when he when he found out that he had cancer. And instead of just waving the white flag and saying, hey, you know what, six years, okay, fine, whatever, he fought every day for his grandchildren. He just wanted to see more spend more time with his grandchildren. So he signed up for every single trial that was out there.

He ended up going through seven different trials of medical advancement, and he helped fill out notebooks worth of like Okay, this work, this didn't work, this work, this didn't work, And there are some things that were really well and they gave him great quality a life for a year, a year and a half, and then all of a sudden the cancer would come back and we'd have to Joe go to another trial or whatever it was UM

until he passed away November eighteen. And as I was going through this process, I met Lon Krueger in Las Vegas at at an event that his his team was playing in at at the MGM Grand and met this guy by the name of d J. Allen, who runs Lon Krueger's event in Las Vegas for Coaches Versus Cancer. Goes, Hey, I'd love to have you become part of this thing, and I've been now part of it for seven years.

I host the event with j. T. The Brick, who does a great job on Mad Dog Sports Radio UM and he and I have hosted the event for seven years. It raises over a million dollars a year every single year. I think this year we did one point five even in coming out of the pandemic, which was incredible. UM. And it's it's golf, and it's a lot of coaches, and it's it's fighting cancer and the reason why. And I did the Tennessee One this year to which our goal was FO sixty five thousand, and we raised five

dred thousand. And I I did panel yesterday with the aspens UH Society UH talking about health and why it's important and how disproportionately it affects. Cancer affects different parts of society and some of the things that systemically we have done in our in our cities that actually promote cancer to happen adversely in more a lower, lower income areas, minority areas, Chris UH at a much higher rate than what we see in other areas. But it affects all

of us. It's not this isn't a race issue. It's it's a it's a humanity issue. UM. And I don't know anybody that hasn't had anybody that's been affected by cancer, anybody that hasn't lost a friend, a loved one, to colleague at work. Uh. You know. And and during COVID nineteen, part of one of the things that maybe upset me the most. And I get COVID is real. I'm baxed, like,

I'm not saying COVID's not real. But what didn't happen last year was the talking that one point nine million people in America was gonna be told that they had cancer for the very first time. One point nine million, you have cancer, and you're hearing that for the first time. What we are not talking about is because we shut down early some of the hospitals and some of the

procedures that could go on that early detection. Chris is gone in a lot of areas, and so people missed appointments, they missed the opportunity to going and get their scans. So now all of a sudden, the cancer that would have been very treatable now they're picking up and they're gonna be in you know, stage four, stage three, and

the fight is gonna be that much harder. There's an estimated seven hundred thousand Americans that will die this year to cancer, seven hundred thousand, and that number is likely to increase over the next two years to upwards of almost a million if we don't get back to this early detection and getting the word out there that hospitals because some people are scared to go to hospitals now because of COVID, right, so you have to get pre screened, you have to get early detection. Look at the icon

that is Dick Vital. You know, Dicky v has spent a majority of his life fighting with the V Foundation. And I'm part of the the Foundation as well, Coaches Versus Cancer. I'm I'm on the national Council, so I'm more involved over there. But he has fought his entire life with Coaches Versus with the V Foundation and spreading Jimmy V's message. And here's Dick Vital now starting chemotherapy for the next six months. And here's the guy that's meant as much to the game of college basketball as

any coach or any player. He has promoted the game of basketball better than anyone else, and he's been an advocate for it. And now it's affecting him, and it's affecting all of us. And we need to be aware, and we need to have genuine discussions about health, diet, exercise, and things we can do that can prevent some cancers from happening. We're not going to prevent all of it, but we can prevent some of it. And then we need to continue to look at these trial meds and

seeing that how much advancements actually have been made. The most precious thing we have in life, Chris, is time. What we do with our time matters, and for me, uh, there's nothing more than I do outside of being a father. Then give my time to the fight against cancer. That means more to me. And when I have the opportunity to speak on it, I speak on it. When I have the opportunity helps someone fundraise for it, I will

fundraise until I can't do it. I am not afraid to cry in front of public about the loss of my father in law. I'm not afraid to cry when I hear someone share their story about cancer because I know very well that it very easily can be me. Could be my wife, could be my kids, could be my father, could be, my mom, my sister, my niece. Um, it could be you, and I'd be devastated. I'd be devastated. So I get emotional about it because the time we

have together, Chris, that's the best thing in life. And I'm not willing to stop finding and sacrificing my time. If I can take my time to help create more time for a family member or to get us closer uh to to a cure for some of these things. Then I will roll up my sleeves and I will do all that I can uh to make sure that

I'm doing my part. And I'm grateful for the people in the support base I have around me, the doors Natalie Morrison at the American Cancer Society UH and coaches versus cancer Lon Krueger in particular, who has brought me on to be an advocate and a voice. And I plan on the platform I have is good. Like look, I'm not I'm not Dick Vitale, I'm not j billis uh,

you know, but I have a good platform. And if I can use my platform and whatever stature I have that I've gained in twenty years of broadcasting in this business, UH to to help the fight against cancer and be there for people that are in the fight against cancer and know that they're not alone and know that they've got an army of people praying for them uh and supporting them, then, by God, that's what I'm willing to do. And again, outside of being a parent, that's all that

matters to me. Man. We're definitely sending our prayers or Dickey v Um. Well, you definitely empathize with everyone out there that has suffered or law people to cancer. I know I have. You have lots of very close people and we and that's the one thing about the American experiences, and it seems like everybody I know, we've all have dealt with cancer or something and we gotta come together on a Chris, We've gotta come together. We're gonna have

a real conversations. And what is our website? You have a website, you have a place where people can go and donat or well, I think obviously American Cancer Society is is a global entity that is involved in so much Coaches Versus Cancer. You can just go to typing Coaches Versus Cancer and Google and find out that the events and if you want to partake in some of

the events that we have. We have fundraisers that are really expensive for big corporations mainly, and then we have some other other ones where we can do fund grassroots

fundraising efforts. I've done high school basketball tournaments where in one weekend we've raised thirteen thousand to twenty three thousand dollars UH and given all of that to Coaches Versus cancer UM, and I think what I left with those experiences, and I ran a couple of them UM with my club team that I was coaching before I joined b T I had. I had a spinoff team from West Coast Lead, and I started these tournaments and I called Brian Silver's like, hey, Ryan, I need some teams. He

brought all of his teams. I brought b T I. I had competent magic. We're all there. Like all these guys, they want to do good and the players. What I did was I mandated that when they were done with the tournament that they had to hear about cancer and

how it's affecting people. And every tournament bracket was named after someone who is actually still fighting cancer or had been passed away of cancer, that was tied to someone directly to the event, And so when you looked at your bracket, you had a picture of somebody and their bio of their fight against cancer. And so it humanized this thing, and these kids started to realize that this was not the normal tournament. They weren't down at that

with O G. P uh. You know, they weren't playing at the map, they weren't just you know, just playing in a normal tournament. They were playing in something that actually didn't matter more, and we made announcements, we had fundraisers, we had things that we were giving away, and it was a remarkable thing to be part of for a couple of years and COVID kind of shut it down.

We're gonna try to bring it back this upcoming summer as like an end of summer, and I want to kind of do it as like an l A championship for the club circuit and see if I can get television involved in it. I want to get why not. I want to get Ryan Silver's team. I want to get the Compton Magic, and I want the top tier bt I team at all three age groups to go against each other and be like, who's the biggest and the baddest in Southern California because all those programs have

great teams. And if we can do something like that and raise money to fight cancer, uh and get exposure, whether it's on Valley's Sports in Los Angeles, whether it's on stadium, whether it's on something like that, that's what my that's my focus for this upcoming years to try

to develop something like that. After the July period is done, after the live period is done, is bring those teams together and then eventually what I want to do is expand it to the entire state of California and get the Oakland Soldiers involved in and have you know I played for the Soldiers growing up. I love to have the soldiers come down, uh and be part of it as well, and have like a California Club Championship post the live period and get it on television. I think

people would watch it first and foremost. But I know we'd raised a lot of really good money as well in the fight against cancer. Man, let me let me know what if you need anything from me or how I can help you, always man, make that happen, because you know that that sounds like amazing cause and I want to I want to definitely raise the awareness, dude,

and actually make a difference in someone's life. Sean Farnum, It's been two hours that we have been sitting on this Dog All podcast and were probably gonna go for another two hours. Bro. We didn't even get into any of the great stories that but that'll be talk. Yeah maybe that's Chris also is like, what's that We're out of time? We're out of time I'm sorry. We're gonna go okay, guys, thank you for joining the show today. No man, we'll save that part two. Man. Uh hey man.

Today it's been amazing. Thank you for your wealth of information and knowledge and your candidate, the way you talk about things, your passion, your intensity, bro, it's it's definitely inspirational. Sean and uh man, I appreciate you coming on kJ Live. No problem, Chris. Anytime you need me ruined for life, teammate for life, friend for live, family for life, um, and any time I can help you out you let

me know. So proud of you, so proud of your family, um, and so proud of what you're what you're doing, Man, keep plazing your own trail, plays your own path and and and know who you are and believe and trust in who you are as a person, Chris, because you're a good person. Thank you, my man.