3.7: Hello, Goodbye - Hour 1

It's time for coffee and company, fueled by Thornton's on Sports Talk seven nine day. Now, here's Nick coffee.

You know, I thought it was going to be an awkward start today because we only get one hour with you, which will make the most of it. It's coffee and company fuel by Thorton's here on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Appreciate you hanging out with us.

But again, one hour instead of three, so you are short changed today, But that's okay. We'll make the most of it. And I mean this to I mean today I feel like a part timer. Right. The job is, uh, there's not as much to it as it is there usually is, because you know, one hour instead of three.

It's pretty it's pretty obvious.

But I'm ready to roll on a Friday at five, usually Friday at five, Like when you get there, it's it's all right.

Here we go, like, let's just let loose.

However, today my work day starts at five o'clock on a Friday, which is kind of awkward. But that all went out the window when I heard Pat Kelsey there in his press conference from earlier today. We played that we had a little bit of time left before we got to the top of the hour, So I figured, why not let you hear the man of the hour, the man that has revived this basketball program, the one and only Pat Kelsey. And I mean, he's fired up

He's fired up about it.

He's not here for that disrespect.

So I'm fired up too. So we got an hour with you. We'll make the most of it again. Coffee and company, fuel about Thornton's Nick Coffee. That's me the tribal chief, Austin Montgomery alongside. And where do we start. I feel like this is going to be a little bit of a rapid fire afternoon because again, there's a lot to get to but not as much time as we typically have. But I will say this as someone who loves college basketball, and I feel like, right now, baby,

We got a coach who I you.

Know, I know, I'm one of many, many, many that love this guy, and he is perfect for us. So things are great for us, but also college BASKETBA I'm telling you, guys, man, like we've got some really good teams. I said this the other day, and we'll see when we get there. As far as the round of thirty two, but if this thing goes chalk meaning the seeds that are supposed to win advance past the round of sixty four.

Seed play in. Who would it be? Seven seed? Yeah, So like.

Those teams may still win, they'll be favorites, but like there should be some really really great action in college shops. I say all that to say I just need to not expect anybody to actually give a damn about college basketball at the rate that we do, because right now, the two biggest stories in sports are these two things.

He's not.

I mean, he's a character and that's okay, Like he's he you And I don't say he's an actor, but like he's a character.

In fact, he is an actor.

He did soap operas too, So you know, that's the biggest story, is that Lebron was upset about something steven A. Smith said about his son, which, by the way, it's all Lebron's fault for you know, and nobody would have had your son in the NBA if you didn't force it when he's clearly not an NBA player. And then also Charles Barkley, like the NBA is so bad that the games themselves, the actual substance that is National Basketball

You can look all across the I mean again, I guess everybody.

Can be in their own bubble absorbing whatever they really care about when it comes to sports. But I'm you know, where do you Where do people initially go and they want to know what's the latest headline or story news in sports? They go to the four letter network and those two things are dominating the four letter network.

And look whatever, I get it.

Drama that that that that matters, right, that that that sells, and the NBA has become that. But I just need to stop being surprised by this stuff, Austin, because like, college hoops is great, man, it's phenomenal. We've had some good mid major conference tournaments uh games thus far. Yet it just you know, like we're just like that, we're we're there. I don't there was I was about to say, can I still say this or is this like a cancelable thing?

Like we're the red headed step child? Like is that is that a saying?

Still? Yeah, I still say that.

I didn't make it up, right, Like that's a thing.

Yeah.

I don't know any step child that's redheaded that was abused, but like I just know that was a saying whenever I was young. Yeah, and like that's what college that's how college basketball is treated. Like you just you just like us because of our bracket. You don't really value us. You don't appreciate what's on the inside. You only like it's like, you know, it's like a chit got a boob job.

That's that's that's a really good way to put it.

That's the bracket, right, Like you just like looking at a bracket and filling it out and thinking about taking off work on that Thursday and Friday.

You don't appreciate as you don't deserve us.

Yeah you're and you're just you're just gonna act like, oh well, I always liked her. She always had a good personality. And it's the same thing with the Four Letter Network and in the same in the same vein when we're talking about Steven A. Smith, we're getting coverage of that and other people fighting and people fighting at the combine, and then all of a sudden, once March madness hits, these people are all of a sudden going

And look, I don't mind if you don't like. If it's not your thing, it's not your thing. But here, here's what. Here's what will happen if, in fact, you know, we get a few upsets, if this thing ends up to where we get let me just pull up a bracketology.

Because pull it out.

I'll pull it out on a Friday. It's out.

No one's here.

There is nobody here.

I know, no five o'clock hits.

Well, it was knew I was going to pull it out.

It was that's right. Well, well we got to watch it out because it is. It is International Women's Day today. I don't know if you notice that.

Well, thank you for letting me know that after I just made very uh insensitive uh you know bad man jokes about pulling it out.

Well, if they're not here, they're well, mamma don't know, don't exactly.

So let's just say we get you know, Auburn in Illinois in the second round. That should be a really good game. How about Missouri Iowa State? How about Arizona, Texas A and m Kansas Wisconsin. My desk is raising how about Marquette Michigan. How about a little Clemson Texas Tech. I don't want this matchup because I'm scared of hiszz. Oh but Michigan State, Louisville. How about Tennessee Ucla?

Bring it?

Oh you want Matt Painter, Penny Hardaway, I got it, the six and three in Milwaukee. How about how about Maryland Kentucky, let's go. How about the Turps? How about how about they just put Scott Van Pelt's bald head on the sideline for Maryland. We got two bald coaches. We got the Mark Pos's bald right, Yeah, Yankees bald.

Too, bald What seemingly is seven footer's going at it?

Houston, Yukon.

I mean we got you know, the big bad booty daddy, mister Calvin Sampson who's just been winning every chance he gets. And Dan Hurley. Don't let him in as an eight seed. That guy's one of the last two tournaments. Folks we were talking. We're talking in wichital Kansas. Danny Hurley, Kelvin Sampson laying it on the table.

Oh, that's mister jewelry right now.

How about the hottest team in the country, the Mormons and b Yu taking on Alabama the two seed, Oh you want you want? Chris Jans the dentist, I'm sweating, taking on Saint John's and Ricky p who just by the way last night, was it was it?

What show was he on? Was it was it? I don't watch those mainstream shows with a Jimmy fallon.

Was he?

Oh guy? Oh yeah right?

Rick?

Yeah, Rick Rick, Rick's Rick is big time right now.

I love how they love him now. And six years ago he was a perv cancer to the game.

They want, They wanted him out of the game, they wanted him in prison.

Yeah, so look now he's a darling.

I'm telling you these were these would be the matchups we would get in the second round. And all these people that are worried about Lebron James being a dad and not being a professional, and Kendrick Perkins and and and Charles Barkley talking tough online only to probably you know, snuggle it night.

If they ever see each other.

Like like that, those people will will will look down upon those matchups I just mentioned because they only care about Sister Jean, her attention seeking ass stealing the show right like they want? Uh, They want Brad Stevens when he looks like he might be the equipment manager. No, he's coaching Butler and he's gone to two straight title games. Like they they all, they're all for the novelty acts. They're they're not in the trenches. They're not watching Mac

Oh you're fired up? Oh you got me ready.

It's like I took a bump and I didn't, but I took a Pat Kelsey a little brief, little press conference, like a little well Pat Kelsey press press conference, pep talk. You might as well go get me a line prepared in the broom, guys. I mean, that's what this is right here. I'm fired up.

It's March.

I am March. We are March. It's what we do all right, real quick.

For those that did not hear, because a lot of people, you know, they start their their commute home around five o'clock when they get off work. Pack Kelsey and his press conference didn't give us much of an update on rain Smith, but it was an update that at least made me not more worried than I already was, which I really wasn't worried, although you know, if I sit and stew and think about something long enough, I'll worry myself because that's just how I'm wired.

I got issues.

But Rain Smith has an ankle issue, which I feel like, you know, you can play through that, and I think if you know it was the tournament, he probably would have played through it. So I don't know if he's going to go tomorrow. I have a feeling he will because I think he's going to be able to go, and I think they're going to have a longer break than they've had typically, right like Saturdy to Thursday is a longer break than they've had in the majority of the weeks of the season.

And he's got so many family here.

I met my wife for lunch and we were down on Main Street, went to o'hay's for lunch, and you know, sure enough, the people working there were like we ended up having like three or four different people here throughout the week that were part of the party that came to Louisville with the Rain Smith crew. Oh so you know, they didn't give any information as far as his injury status.

But party from down Undah exactly.

So you know, I just think I think he's gonna be okay. If he doesn't play. You can really convince yourself whatever you want, that it's serious and we should be worried. Or maybe they just they realize that Stanford, but it's his I mean, I'll just say this, it's the last time Rain Smith's gonna play in the YOUM Center.

So I know, Pat did what you would expect him.

To do today and say, look, it's gonna be up to our training staff. I'm not a doctor. Kate the Great, she's phenomenal. She'll she'll let us know what we can do with Rain and that's what that look, that's that's what you should do in that situation. But I'm also you know, able to filter through the I don't even want to call it coach speak because I don't know

Yes, you could say, well they.

Didn't need him, maybe they're up twenty, they're up thirty at Stanford, and you may be right, but I'm also going to be at least aware that, like he literally could not play, because wouldn't you agree austin his last game of the Umcenter, He's actually he's played his highest level of basketball, meaning he's in the ACC. And and yes, I know people can make their jokes about the ACC. Rain's had great games again Kentucky against Duke again, like

You need him.

He's a weapon. But also like if he simply cannot play at all, I you.

Know, I'm good.

And again I'm just saying for my own this is just my brain here, because others would be like, Nick, you're a lunatic.

Like it's probably not very big of a deal.

It's Stanford, and yeah, it's his last game, but like we should get him healthy because you know, maybe Louisville makes a run to the second weekend and you may be right, but I also you know, it's an ankle, and I an ankle is something that you know when you've got. I guess if it's like a high ankle spring, which I don't even think it's that. And I'll just tell you this. I think he's gonna play to Momore. I think I think he's gonna be fine.

Just tape that thing up.

But I'm just telling you.

If in fact he does not go, the reality is we'll just have to wait and see if.

That means anything substantial.

Maybe it's just a I mean, because it could play out the way that Chucky did, right Chucky, it sounds like could have played against Miami after having his issue against Boston College where he was told he could not return, but and it looked fun. He came out against NC State that next game and was phenomenal. So maybe that

So again, just to just.

To give you a little bit of of a peek inside my brain here, when Pat was talking earlier today, I did what I do. I overthink it because you know, it's just me. If anything, I'm an open book. I don't know what else I am to you guys, but I share it all as far as how I feel, what I think, and sometimes that may make me look like a real idiot, but you know, which just sees what you get. When Pat Kelsey made it because when Chucky got hurt, there was a specific way in which

Gear?

Like again, none of us know.

Maybe maybe hits eleven threes tomorrow and breaks his own record. I don't know, But when I whenever, whenever he knows he can't play, a guy that you know knows this is the second to last game he's gonna play. And oh, by the way, a ton of people were there and he said I can't go. So again, I'm just giving you a little bit of of an insight into, you know, the way I'm looking at it, Cause again tomorrow will be a real big tell to me as far as rain.

It's all speculation. Iman's technically what this job is, if we're being honest.

But does that make sense Austin, Like he said he couldn't go, which tells me he's hurt. Yeah, because a lot of guys would go a lot of guys would go and they're told, no, you can't, we're not letting you play. So in no way I'm acting like he's not tough. In fact, I more so realized that like he may and I don't know when it happened, Like I remember a play where it you know, clearly something was up with him, but I don't know if that

Maybe he heard it worse.

But there was a They do a lot of handoffs with Rain, and he can just you know, if if you go under and they're doing a handoff, that's that's the danger zone. Well, somebody on they play cal looked like they were gonna do they were gonna go under, and they didn't. They jumped ahead and bumped Rain, and Rain got knocked off his spot and the ball just

But I and this goes back to what we talked about yesterday.

I think all four of these guys are deserving of all ACC honors, first and second team.

They won't get it, and I'll understand it. I won't.

It won't be as some it won't be some conspiracy, but like Louisville has four really good players that have all been very much instrumental in Louisville being able to be currently seventeen and two in the ACC. I mean, say what you want about the league. Let's just say the league is terrible, which we kind of all though it is. That doesn't mean that the teams that are good are terrible. Those are the teams that you're going

Yeah, we love the double.

Yeah, so you know, like I don't want to act like it's just those four guys, but like, go look at their numbers. They weren't just like hey, playing a small minor role. They were consistently good enough to where they put up numbers that I feel like any other team, those guys are getting the nut.

Even if they're on a back team.

Like if Rain Smith has his numbers on a bad team, there's a level of like, well, we got to get this guy at least on the third team, because I mean, yeah, it's team stunk.

But look at him.

He's got thirteen more threes than anybody in the league. And oh, by the way, he had made one in two games. So again, Rain is valuable and I hope he's good to go. I still believe deep down that like if it was like real concerning we wouldn't know, like as far as a press release, but not even to say like it would be out, like there'd be a league. But I didn't get the sense that Pat was overly worried about it today and that makes me happy.

However, I could also rest up a little bit.

And come out on Saturday and have the old ultimate curtain call essentially.

In my last game.

We're in the Louisville uniform in the UM Center, which just saying that makes me sad, but it's here, and you know, the end of the regular season is exciting usually when you're in this position where you're in the tournament safely. And I still believe this group can can make a run. You know, we'll see when the matchup is and all that. But I'm this is the saddest I've ever been for a regular season that's super successful to come to an end.

Because yes, I love March. I am March. You guys know that. I mean, I feel pretty good about my opening monologue.

If I die.

Today, let college basketball hear that and they'll know how much I love it.

Am I wrong? Am I wrong?

No?

It's so you know, kidding me.

So you know, I'm excited about the postseason. But man, this has been such a fun ride. And I you know, give me Mark Pope wants forty games, give me sixty games with these guys, man, I love them, love them all?

Right, quick break, We'll come back.

Keep this thing wronging, ang, It's Cofee and Company, just one hour version of us today, but we'll make the most of it right here on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Now back to Coffee and Company, fueled by Thornton's on Sports Talk seven nine day.

All right, don't forget folks.

We got a new text line five O two four three eight ninety seventy three. It's still the LNENT Federal Credit Union text line but a new number five oh two four three eight ninety seventy three again five O two four three eight nine zero seven three. Thank you uh to this recent text didn't leave the name. That's okay because you complimented me. I mean, I'd like you

Nick what a passionate rant? I don't know if it was. Was it I rant?

I guess it was a rant because I was complaining about people who you know, aren't in the trenches with us. Sure they're they're not up late when the you know, the Missouri Valley has got the got the tournament going at noon, actually it starts at noon in the art many times?

How many times that they watch lamar?

I mean the Mountain West? I mean how many?

I mean, were you with me whenever the Mountain West got four teams, five teams in three straight years, And I'm thinking, man, they're sleeping on this league only for to just crumble and be terrible, like you.

Don't you know, not a rant, a filibuster about that.

Yeah, there we go. But it's passion.

Yeah, but it's passion. Baby.

I love college basketball, passion, love every love, everything that comes with you. When you want to you mean to tell you a funny story about the word passion.

Of course.

My mother she's been sick this week. So I'm not sure if you went to she went to work today or not, but if she did, she's probably listening and she'll she'll well, she's she's she's a Donna Hue now.

But that's right. But you told me that.

But hey, but the respect was there, and that's all the matters.

So she my mom, my mom has worked for and by the way, congratulations to her. She's uh, she's worked for the same she'll be retiring before too long, but she's worked for the same law firm for forty plus years.

Oh yes, and she's she's uh, she's the best obviously.

But she used to work for an attorney who his last name was.

Was Cashion Cash.

Yeah, and and all you know it was it was like her direct boss when I was a young kid, and she would talk about she would talk about mister cashon the the attorney that she worked for, who you know, was good to her and yeah, a good good man somebody that she worked with and worked for for a long time. And as a young kid, I just never really knew that the that it was a C and not a P. So I would just call him mister

I just post on there.

I'm not good, no, but like you, but you post good content for what that platform is sure. So like, so like I could, like for for what we do sports media, like I could post like clips of the show of me given hot takes, but like, I don't really know if that fits there or not. So sure, like you can give an example when I did our when I did my my own little personal commercial for the new and improved iHeart Radio.

Appright, if that made sense to go to LinkedIn?

Right, yeah, yeah, but like my mother content, like, I just don't really know if it fits there. So I rarely ever check LinkedIn. But the new text line is now connected to my personal email.

That way I never lose it.

So I saw that I had a bunch of notifications from LinkedIn, and it's a bunch of people congratulating me for something I didn't realize until I checked it out.

Nine years ago.

Today, March seventh, twenty sixteen, I did my first ever show for Sports Talk seven ninety nine years.

Look at that.

I mean, I'm won away from ten. Hopefully I get to ten. But like, thank you appreciate that. But like you know, nine years is kind of up, but nine years that's the I mean, I'm thirty seven, I'll be thirty seven this year. I'm thirty six currently, But that's the I mean, it really did kind of trip me up a little bit during the break Because I've now worked for iHeartMedia for nine years. I've had three different

I didn't even know.

I didn't even know Tony did rock radio, Like I didn't know. Oh yeah, I didn't know Vannetti at the Toy Tiger. Yeah, I just knew that Vannetti was funny and he would he would he would, you know, make nerd jokes about Adam Neft on the afternoon Underdogs. So like, I'm you know, not only is it still a dream come true to be able to do this, but this, this is the longest I've done anything in my life.

That's awesome.

Nine years here, nine years on this station. What an honor for me. But I mean, like I've I mean, I've had other jobs. I had another career before I did this, but like I've now, I've now done this way longer than I've ever done anything as far as you know.

Like a job, a hustle, a passion.

You know, and a dad.

Yeah, I mean, I mean, and again we have very little time, so I'm sure people don't want to hear my life story as far as how I got able, I got myself in this position. But I mean, I interviewed to be the morning host in twenty fifteen, and.

I can't believe they called me back, like to interview.

Like, I mean, I applied and I was working at a different station at the time. And I'm forever, forever grateful for Dugan Ryan, who you know, gave me a chance to kind of cut kind of cut my teeth in radio and you know, figure out kind of find yourself. And anybody who's worked with me, I say that and they kind of look at me like I'm crazy.

You'll find your role, You'll find.

Your I don't want to say character because that always sounds like you're being somebody that's not genuine. But it's kind of like wrestling. You'll appreciate this, Austin the best people in wrestling. Ever, it's not even about like their talent and the ring. It's that if they can just be an extended version of themselves. Yeah again where theyre yeah, where they're turned up to ten. But there's still there's still an element of them being really who they are.

You believe that that's there who they are outside in real life.

Yeah.

So, you know, so when it comes to like, you know, my whole you know, my whole story, you know what, And here we are, it's already five thirty eight. I don't have much time, and I wanted to actually get some other stuff. But what I was going to say is that, you know, like I I got the interview thinking that they were just doing it, like they had to check off a certain amount of people, like they had to interview certain of people. And I was somebody

And I remember interviewing.

It was Kelly Carls, who was the program director of Spoken Word here at the time.

Fort Louisville. Bill Gentry had just retired to Earl Jones.

I interviewed with with Kelly once and then I interviewed with Earl and Kelly a second time. And this was in like I want to say, like October maybe September, and I didn't feel like it was an interview because it just it was something I was passionate about, it, something I loved. So I wasn't feeling like I was auditioning.

And I think that's kind of how I played into it.

Well then sure enough, you know, many many many months ago by I didn't get a call and I'm like, well, okay, yeah, it makes sense they didn't hire me. Well, then it turns out that it leaks that they've hired Howie Lindsay. Great guy, and he was he was in a better position for that job at the time than I was.

Not my time.

But at least, I mean I was even I was even still like thinking, well, at least I got an interview like.

That was I felt like a big deal.

Yeah, I got to walk in the door, a clear channel and they want to to iHeart, they wanted to talk to me. So a lot of time goes by. I'm you know, while we're going through Thanksgiving, Christmas, and starting twenty twenty sixteen, my wife's about to give birth to our first child, my daughter Maya, so you know, about to become a dad. I was still doing radio part time, and I was loving it. But I couldn't.

When I become a parent.

So I got a phone call and it was a number I didn't recognize, and I never answered numbers I don't recognize, but I did because I thought it might be if somebody has my number and here I am, you know, roughly thirty two hours into being a parent, they're probably calling to tell me congratulations, and I want to answer it. So I answer it thinking it's somebody that I just didn't have their numbers, save that I was expecting.

It wasn't. It was Kelly.

Carl's who told me, hey, remember me, and I was like yeah, and he said, well, we were so impressed with you, and we really like what you bring to the table. We want to offer you a job that doesn't exist yet. And I said okay. He said, we're going to create a midday position, a midday show, noon to three. We've never done this, but we've never had a live noon to three programming on seven ninety.

You don't even have to interview.

All you got to do is log online and click apply and then we're gonna send you the contract and you gotta you gotta sign it. So I'm like it. I'm balancing things, like man, why I just I just gave my I just became a dad. Yeah, Like I've held my my daughter three times, and why am I thinking more so about this opportunity for me as a professional than being like it So I was. I didn't say a word to my wife. We get home, like two days go by, they've sent me the contract.

They again.

My daughter was born on February the sixteenth. I started on March the seventh. They announced it on March first that we were the new lineup, So I go home. I kind of ghosted him, and then they finally called me and was like, hey, like you said, you know, you seemed like it was it was you know, it was we were good to go, but you haven't signed the contract. And I was like, all right, give me an hour, I'll call you. So finally I told my wife and I was like I hate doing this because,

What a partner.

So I jumped in in This industry clearly has changed a lot since I've been able to call it my full time job. So like it's still a privilege and a blessing to be able to do this every single day. And I don't have like the you know, I don't have the craziest story out there. But I mean, I left the hospital knowing I had an opportunity to do this, And I gotta be honest with you.

I'm I'm not. I don't.

I don't usually take a lot of big risks in life. I'm a very paranoid and safe person just to it just it's my nature. It's I wish I was a little bit more adventurous, But had my wife not been the way she was in that moment, I probably wouldn't

I would have been scared, and I would you know.

So anyways, nine years, which is a random thing, like you know, what's one away from ten. But the reason I bring it up is because it just hit me one that it's been nine years. But also, this is the longest I've done anything in my life. Yeah, I mean, I'm thirty seven, So this is, you know, I don't know how. I don't know what the percentage of I don't know what the percentage of of not you know, nine years out of thirty seven, what that percentage is.

So thank you to everybody.

I don't know if anybody listening is you know, it feels as if they are responsible for me still being able to do it. But I'm a lucky absolutely, Look you guy, all right, quick break, we'll come back on the other side and we wrap it up. I want to talk a little more about this matchup of Stanford tomorrow, as well as the two new coaches that have already been hired.

By the ACC. It may work out, or it may be.

Something that in a year or maybe even less than that, we look back and say.

What were you doing Miami? What were you doing Florida State?

Now back to coffee and company, Fueled by Thornton's on Sports Talk seven nine day.

How about a little Billie Idol on a Friday? That's right, huh, may not tell you what This is not a probably a good thing to say about me, But there's a lot of things in life that I just chalk up to, Like I think of a lot of things, a lot of things that appear music, movies, stories, liners. They take me to an Adam Sandler movie. And when I think of Billy Idol, I think of him being on the

Kidding, but I'm like, this guy's bad ass.

And he's exactly.

He's in the movie for a reason.

So good stuff. Billy Idol is the best, all right. So Louisville tomorrow against Stanford. You know, Stanford, to be fair, they're not. I mean, like a lot of the ACC has really, really really bad teams at the bottom bottom, like the teams that didn't qualify for the tournament. We're talking about Miami, Boston College, n C State. I guess this weekend actually will determine who ends up actually getting the last spot in the tournament. But nonetheless, you know,

I haven't seen it yet. I'm gonna guess probably what you just said about. I'm gonna guess fifteen.

Fifteen and a half, I'm sorry, twelve and a half. Oh, okay, so I'm taking it lower. Yes, sure, I'm believing.

Yeah, And you know, I just think there's not that these guys ever come out and don't play with high