This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera on Fox Sports fourteen fifty powered by Nova Insurance Services. In sure your most prized possess yetsh.
You good after doing everybody? Welcome to Eye on the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Roverta and with me today is my cranky old partner Jay gon Zalaz.
I don't think you realize it's cold that you.
Got ready behind the scenes here right Ray, Jay, Ray, and Jay Jay?
What's up? I'm just here. Man, you're a front runner today. I am if the dog.
You got the Dodger hat on, I'm wearing it every day until they lose. Oh Man, a little tough on a business meeting earlier in the week, but I wore it.
But you know they're undefeated.
They come on here about in about forty five minutes, so we'll be h I'll be paying attention. But you know, it's been fun to watch them No. Eight, no couple come from behind wins.
Let me tell you something.
We were talking about the Dodgers and now we're talking about the exactly.
Well, it's it's there. You know, it's fun to watch as a Dodger fan.
It's not fun to watch if you were Tigers, were an Atlanta fan. The West those were the Padres were undefeated until I think today they got I think it beat by the Cubs today.
And what about the Giants? Giants?
Who cares about the Giants? Who you're a Giants fan? Oh yeah, get out of here. He's a he's a Northern Oh my god, Oh no, what are they? What are they? Okay, they've only lost ones?
Okay, so yeah, it's crazy over there, so it could be the West could be tough, crazy over there. Okay, No, welcome back.
Good.
A lot of stuff going on. Yeah, yeah, final for this weekend. I was at the West Regional last week. Yeah, that was fun. Did you enjoy that I did? It was a lot of work, but I had a good time.
You know. There's some really good games.
Mean, the comeback by Texas Tech against Arkansas on Thursday and then the comeback by.
You were the usual? What did you do? I did the usual?
You did the media seeding and all that stuff through the mini can you know, the camera people who can only be there up to a certain time, through them out of the.
Arena when they couldn't. How was color.
You know, I didn't see much of him because I didn't I didn't get to see the press conferences and and I and actually for that game, I was sitting over by the Texas Tech bench, so I didn't really see him.
He couldn't have been very happy. Could you observe the Texas Tech coach? Yeah? Could you? I think he's a pretty damn good.
He's a good coach, but he needs to dress better because he's in He dressed like I dress when I go to Safeway. You know, he had the he has the you know, the yeah, he had but he had the he had the he had the sort of the doctor's pants and no socks with his shoes or the low socks and you.
Know, just just a T shirt and wanted Oh yeah, I tell you, you know, I noticed these things.
Steven.
No, he's you know, I'm you know, just watching him and the way they held it together, the way they were getting they were getting the hel beat out of them. I mean, they were just getting obliterated. And and he just kept coaching, you know, which I thought was great. He just kept coaching, and it was it was amazing to see to see that comeback. I know, Cali party got a lot of crap for not following when you know,
when they were up three. It was funny. There was a the next day, you know, you know those breakout sessions they do with the So the one that I was covering for for Texas Tech had the kid that made the three pointer of the Tide the game that went into overtime, and somebody asked him, when did you guys think you had a shot to win this game because you were getting basically getting the hell beat, and he said, there was a possession or they got like
five offensive rebounds and got a basket, and I specifically remember that possession was right in front of me and and thought, you know, Arkansas needed to get one of those rebounds to stop this bleeding.
He said.
He said, at that point, we all kind of looked at each other that we can still win this game.
Because of that.
They were down nineteen o one at that point, they were still down, you know, and I think in doubles digits, but they felt, you know, with the hustle that they showed and all that stuff, that they could win that game.
And then they did.
I'm not sure how long he'll be there, but they're going to be good for a while. Yeah, and now we just I'll just say a breaking news because it's breaking news anyway, Henry going to North Carolina. Right, we both said, not a surprise, right, not a surprise. There's got to be some money involved. I don't think he's going to get any better coaching, that's damn sure.
Yeah, no, yeah, exactly.
And he he's getting what he's getting because of what Tommy did with him this year. Right, And and look, you know, people get pissed off at that stuff.
I understand.
I mean interesting, tell me, tell me, you know, if if a head hunter came came to you and said, I'm going to double your salary. Yeah, you know, but you've got to come over here, just give me two weeks. Hit me in the ass.
I'm going I got to tell these guys there in two weeks going, you know.
And so I don't have any problem with that. You know that that's what we're supposed to do. That's what we all do, right.
And so I think it's a it's a thing where you know, if he can do that, more power to him.
Loyalty doesn't pay the bills.
No, No, you're right, it's funny. You talked about the door hitting your ass. We had to say, you know, Dad said, you know, Ken, Yeah, made your decision that you make.
Is a good one, good one.
But if it isn't, don't come crying to me, don't you don't hope you don't have any regrets.
I hope it's a good decision for him, you know if if they want him over there, and you know, then they they they've got a plan for him.
Let me ask you because I've been saying that the last two three days. Uh, I've been saying this that I think that the kJ thing was an ongoing thing that you know, he kind of already knew and they had already pursued, and and Henry too, that this was this was an ongoing thing for you months that you know they're they're pursuing, but behind.
The scenes, right, Well, you know how if you know no, you know, I well, I was going to tell you, you know how you always hear things after the fact, right and not nothing related to Henry, But you know you just heard a few mumblings that you know that Tommy and kJ, but it heads a bit.
Oh, I would have I would have seen that and you could see that Okay, so you can you see that I didn't didn't see it, but you could.
kJ is a strong personality, and then you know and then you have the coach the text.
Don't forget about the text sending amount to taking them out. Well, let me say this, because you've been in the business, uh, and I've been in the business.
A long time.
I'm talking about the newspaper, which is different than this. And you go to a coach, or you go to people officials, and you ask because you hear things and they deny things, right, which is what they do. So so, uh, do you think that moving to the bench, the story of moving to the bench because he requested it is legit. I'm not gonna say Tommy's wrong or kJ is, but now in retrospect.
In retrospect, to me, it's maybe a little less of a mutual decision than we were led to believe.
I have to think that me too.
And does it matter not anymore? Not not even then? But you know what I'm saying, sure, because we hear all the time.
Right again after the fact, and now that you've got everything right, you've got all the facts that you know, you've got the outcome. Now you look back and see, Okay, what things led to this outcome? And I do believe that maybe that wasn't as mutual as as we thought, and maybe kJ wasn't happy about it.
And you, well, you said you've heard things, right, Yeah, I haven't heard things. I haven't really pried into that situation. But what you see is what you see, and after effects is what you see.
Right and then and then you know, you also have to consider that, you know, Tommy's got this recruiting class coming in. It looks like it's unbelievable, and so where does kJ think he fits in there?
Right?
The one thing, the one thing is, and I'll say this to you because we covered this forever, it seems like nobody's happy anymore, and not that happiness is.
Is the key to stain or whatever.
There's money, there's happiness, there's playing time, YadA, YadA, But everybody.
Wants to jump anyway.
I would I would characterize it more as nobody's satisfied anymore. Everybody thinks that there's something more out there, right, meaning money, playing time, uh, you know, opportunity to get into the NBA by putting yourself in a better situation, combined with the ability to do that anytime you want.
And that's kind of life now. Yeah, that's that's what the kids have grown up with. That, that's that's college athletics now. And and you know, everybody's got to get used to it. We say that all the time.
But I think that what you have is that everybody's got one eye out there looking to see what else is there for me and if there's something comes along, you know, loyalty is about tenth on the list of things that.
Matter to those guys. And that's part of the it's about.
Me, yeah, and that's part of the problem with a lot of things out there. Yeah, right, you know, do you really want to go I haven't made here. Maybe I should stick out, that's not gonna say.
And then let's not forget about the aspect of you know, people who are whispering in your ear right, you know.
And that's always been the situation.
The funny thing about it is just this week when you talk about other agents are helping the right and think back when we did this, you couldn't talk to anybody.
Couldn't talk to an agent.
If you got talk, if you were caught talking to an agent, you got suspended, You got agents, you got family, you got friends, you got all kinds of people that are talking in your ear. So there's so many there's so much noise out there. I guess what you would call it.
Well, let me talk to you about this, because because we when we covered it the way we covered it, you heard noise, the fan noise. It wasn't unsocial or whatever, but now there was noise. KG got a lot of noise, right, Caleb got a lot of noise. Do you think that plays a little factor? Is that these guys don't appreciate me? What the hell though?
I want to be here? Of course it does. Kurk Creefs is a perfect example, you know.
I mean, all the crap that he had to take from social media and whatnot, why would he stick around?
You know?
And so it's again, it's it's it's life in college athletics, not particularly football and basketball. And that's what that's what it is. And what you have to do as a fan is just understand that's where it is.
Deal with it. Just deal with it.
I was gonna ask you about you talked about kerr oh oh the kid so a. Now they're making well eight hundred million dollars. So we talked about this before when you were here. Most of the time, they're not they're not amateur athletes, they're not at all. I don't know. And then I've still held them with kid gloves because you know, you know, as you do, you do. But but but I think that's going to start to change.
Well, the line is moved a little bit enough where you know, I still don't like you know, uh, whoever it is, you know, a pod a podcaster or a radio person or something like that, jumping on these guys in a in a really petty kind of crappy way, you know, But I think he can be a little more critical of.
The performance the performance personals, you know, kind of how.
They represent, right. But I think the line on that has moved. Am I going to go on and rip a Kylon Boswell because he played blackjack, you know, during the PAC twelve tournament?
No, but you're not know what because that's not an answer. Well, what I mean, he was on his own time, so why.
He was under twenty one?
Okay, I'm not going to give him any crap for anything I did myself.
That's the bottom line.
I did it.
I'm not doing. I'm not giving him you know, I'm not. I'm not.
I'm not the podcasting cattle, all right, So you know, but that was just an example, you know I'm talking about, you know, the type of stuff that that's that I think is fair game.
Is it fair game to say he hasn't played very well?
You know, you know what's going on, you know, those kinds of things.
Yeah, right, that's all. That's okay.
But I'm not gonna you know, there aren't going to be death threats and that kind of stuff. But what I'm saying is that you're just going the line has moved a little bit where you can get on them a little more about performance, because they are getting paid to perform.
Yeah, and not just a little, I mean a lot. They're getting pad quite a bit. Some of them game quite so.
Table For what's going to come up, I think it's gonna be a pretty good show. Well, I know it's gonna be. Yeah, yeah, Brian Jeffries today, in the next five minutes, six minutes, he's gonna be He's gonna be on the road. He's an issue, a busy, busy man going from football to basketball to now baseball, baseball. Uh in Tempe. Uh, So we'll have him with that. We'll
talk a lot about all this stuff. Spring practice. We have been talking about that spring practice hoops that he's just finished in another good baseball team that he's now announcing on. So there's that, and the next hour we're going to get our old friend Josh Pasner, who last time we had him on, he was an announcer.
For ESPN.
What we used to think was one of the premier basketball programs in the country.
I was so happy for him because that seems like such a perfect fit for him in terms of, you know, a program it's it's it has a chance to be a really good program. But he's not going to have the pressure maybe that you had it say a Memphis or Georgia Tech. Yes, they want to win, but that program hasn't been in good shape in quite a while.
It's funny, I was going to ask you if they can give him some patience or they them being patient right, that this could work out.
And see, And that's the thing. He's such a likable guy. You can't even begin to question his work ethic. You know, he's going to work with his ass off, right, So you know this is the type of job for him where it's a great opportunity for him, but it's a great opportunity for U n LV to get a guy. He come in, he's already got some chops. He's been at some some good some good programs, and now he comes to your program that needs somebody to work at hard and he will do that.
And we know that he can and he will do that. I'm christ about his staff. I ask him about his staff because that's important. That's important, I thought, and we we know we cover lut right, we followed him forever. I think one of the things that lut had for Luke because he could be the hammer and he had ros as his assistant, who was the sooths there. Right, I think Josh needs either the hammer or that guy.
You know if I, if I'm here, might have gone to get Mike Bibby. And by the relationship they've had.
We got a call. Uh uh, well we'll not take it. We'll go to break and wants for this. Thanks.
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Steve Rivera, he's got his eye on the ball on Tucson's sports station, Fox Sports fourteen fifty.
Hey, welcome back to I in the Ball Hero Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera and with me today it's Jay Gonzalez. That on the phone is the voice of the Wildcats, Ryan Brian. How are you.
I'm doing well. It's good to hear the gang is back together.
Yes today and you're including you you're the pitch.
Hey, when basketball just seemed like it finished yesterday, did you have time to decompress or do you take a breath?
Uh?
No, not really. I mean we flew home on Friday. The game was on Thursday. Flew home on Friday, and then Saturday I got back into baseball a couple of games against Baylor, and then came up to Phoenix Tuesday for Grand Canyon and tonight start the U of AASU Territory Cup Baseball Series. You're at the Phoenix MUNI. So, yeah, it's been pretty busy, Brian.
Does that keep you young or is it making you old? From too old dudes?
Yeah? Yeah, you tell me, Jay, I mean you've been through this before, you know. Actually, it keeps me going. I get a lot of energy from being around to different athletes, no matter what sport it is, and so I look forward to each sport as it comes along. And so I was sad to see the bat basketball season end, but I was excited that I get back to see baseball for the rest of the year. And so, yeah, I guess it keeps me young. If you can say that, I'll take that.
Let me ask you a question, maybe for the fans or even the people who cover it, because you deal with it on a day to day. For basketball, they
struggled early, a lot of people were discontented. They caught fire in the middle of the season and then they kind of waned, but then they caught fire again for the tournaments, right and it turned out how they played Duke was kind of a reinvigorating that they played hard to play close and it kind of made the season okay, or even better than okay, if that makes sense.
How did you look at it and did it feel like that?
Well, I would say, if you go all the way to the end, yeah, I mean I'm always sad when the season comes to an end if you don't get to the you know, the promised land, as they say. But I wasn't disappointed at all. I was sad it ended, but I wasn't disappointed because I thought they showed a lot of grit down the stretch and getting to the sweet sixteen, and you know, playing Duke as well as they did. I mean, Duke's just that good. Duke was the better team. I mean, you just say that and
you move on from there. But I thought arizonas certainly equipped itself well and played to the best of their abilities down the stretch. And like you said, they got up that four and five start, and a lot of people were scratching their heads, including me, saying, okay, is this going to be an off year? But I'll give Tommy and his staff credit that they kind of as you know, retooled that rotation, and you know, the new guys kind of caught hold there in early January and
got it going and and Finny strong. So I think you walk away from the season saying, yeah, this was this was good, and of course now you just hope to build upon that and bring in some new faces and do it again next year.
You know, one of the things that I've heard a lot of, and this is from fans who, like like
all of us, right disappointed when it ended. When you step back and took a look at really how the season played out, a lot of people really really giving Tommy credit for a coaching his best coaching job here and it's only four years, right, but that you know, this was he went right that this was a team that maybe a lot of people thought was better than it really was at the start of the season, realized they've got some holes, and yet somehow Tommy pulled this
team together and you know, accomplished about what you hope that they would accomplish.
I agree with that, I thought this was his best coaching job. Well, I do.
I'll second that absolutely. I think it was because you know, nowadays in college basketball, it's a new team every year, and so he had three transfers and a couple of freshmen, and you know, three of those five played big parts of this season, and you don't know how those pieces are going to fit together right away, and I think it just took a while. And then when Mok Crevis
got hurt. You know, that was a guy that you know, they had penciled in as their starting center, and now he's gone for the season eight games in, and again they have to retool things. And I give credit to Tommy and the staff. I think they did a great job finding a formula that they liked, sticking with it, and even when times were tough, they didn't go away from it. And they told the guys, look, you know,
we we've got this. We think we can win with this formula, and they continue to believe in that, and like I said, you end up twenty four wins, and you know, of their thirteen losses, I thought, twelve of them are the really good basketball teams. And that's you know why they earned a four seed. They played a tough schedule. So yeah, I walk away with it saying, hey, that's that's pretty good considering everything that surrounded the team both before and during the season.
You talked about this before that, you talked about the new guys had to take some time to get to know each other and to play better, blah blah blah after the four or five start.
But guess what, it's the way of the world, right.
You see three pretty good players now, Henry Martinez and kJ leaving, and there could be more, who knows.
But then the next year some new groups. I mean, it's kind of restarting everything again.
Well it is, and that's it's I don't know, it's sad to me that this is what it's come to because the three of us were round when a guy would come in as a freshman and stay four years three at the you know, at the least, and you get to watch them kind of grow up in the program. And that's the way it was, you know, with teams
across the country. And now the Portal has made everything different and now you can come and go anytime you want, and so yeah, you just every coach in America now is rebuilding his team a year in and year out, and so if you're good at it, and you know, Tommy got three good guys out of the Portal and he's going to need to do the same thing now to you know, keep the program at the same level,
if not better. And then you take a look at the young guys that they've already got committed, and there's no reason to think that they're going to be you know, just as good, if not better, come next season. But yeah, it's kind of a tough adjustment for those of us who have been through the other side of it. But I guess if this is the way it's going to be, we've got to just accept it and go on from there.
Yeah, no doubt, no doubt.
And one of the things that I think I saw too, is that how Tommy grew as a coach right both in just the way he handled himself, but you know, handled games, handle the kJ situation, when he took him out of the starting lineup and put him on the bench, knowing when to start Basar and when not to and those kinds of things.
You just felt like he was a lot more comfortable in his in his decisions, in his decisions.
And making the decisions that he thought, even from game to game were bad, you know, things that he had to do. I really felt like he did a lot there as well, and maybe that's something we might see next year, you know, when he steps on the court, and how different he might be with some of the confidence that he think he gained from the way he worked things this year.
Yeah, I agree with that. And I don't know if he said it this season when I was around. I know last year he mentioned it at least once. He says, Hey, you know, I'm still new at this. I'm still, you know, learning how to be a head coach. And I thought that was great that he would recognize that because none of us in any business we go into I mean, it takes you a while to to hone your craft,
be it, you know, whatever it might be. So I think he's he's learned a lot, he's progressed a lot, he's grown a lot, and probably some more on the way as well. I mean, I take that game against Oregon up in Seattle. I you know, Dana Altman's been coaching what thirty some odd years, and I thought Tommy out coached him. I just thought the matchups that he put on the floor exploited Oregon both offensively and defensively.
And that told me a lot right there about you know, how good a coach Tommy is and how much better he's gotten in four years. At least he got him right where he wanted him when they were down nineteen to four. From nineteen to four, Yeah, well, I think that was in the game plan. I saw that on the chalkboard in the locker room. It says we need to get down by fifteen, a minimum of fifteen, and then we're going to show him what we're made of.
Now that that was about as mad as I was as I was at the team all year long. Yeah, I was help was throwing stuff and oh man, So Brian, I don't think we've asked you this since you've been on the show a couple times. How was going on the road in the Big twelve?
Is you know?
Fun?
Well? It was different there, you know, there's always some fun aspects to it. It was a learning curve for me because I haven't been to most of those cities before. And so when you're in the Pac twelve, as you guys know, I mean, you kind of have your habits. You know where to go, probably stay in the same hotel almost every year. You've got your favorite restaurants, you know how to get to the arena, You know where everything is, and now you're walking into new arenas and
new towns that you've never been to before. And yeah, it was it was a lot to learn. I would say the biggest difference was the weather, which doesn't affect basketball because it's played indoors, but it affects your travel. And of course, you know, you got to get out of the hotel once in a while, and so it was either cold or windy. It seemed like everywhere we went. The best weather we had was in Provo, Utah, of
all places, So that was an adjustment. But I will say this, my fellow broadcasters in the Big Twelve are very organized, and those guys, even though I only knew a couple of them, were very kind in terms of, you know, kind of pointing out where to go and what to do and what do we expect each place. And even when we got to Kansas City for the Big Twelve tournament, we all had a dinner together, at
least all of us that were there on Tuesday. I think that Tuesday, with the first round games and the four guys that had to play weren't there, but everybody else made it to dinner. And that's kind of neat to get around, get down to sit down with one another and trade stories, and part of it was just
a business meeting. It's okay. Were there things that came up at different locations that need our attention, And the Big Twelve has been very good about helping out radio crews in terms of making sure that everything's set everywhere you go. So I love that organization side of it. And it turned out good. And we didn't get to see every place either, so that'll be fun now in the years to come to see the arenas that we haven't been to.
Well.
Certainly, I think one of the things that I thought about year a long was just how much more attention Arizona got by being in the Big Twelve. You know, they were part of the national conversation, you know, a lot more than you know ever, especially once we got started heading towards the postseason.
You know, we're sitting.
Here while I was sitting here watching the games and realizing that, you know, and it's been a long time
since I'd been home for the conference tournaments. But really, you know, seeing how the Big Twelve got played on ESPN and and all that, and thinking, you know, in the Pac Twelve you know, they were on Pac twelve networks and there were so many people who didn't even see them, and just I was I really had an appreciation for how much more Arizona got into the national conversation as we got into the latter stages of the
season and then into the playoffs. It to me, as an Arizona fan, I thought that was one of the coolest aspects of being of this first year in the Big Twelve.
Yeah, no, I agree, and I think that you know, the SEC can say that they were the best basketball conference, and we can argue that for a long time, but the Big Twelve has been one of the top conferences in college basketball, as you guys know, for years and years and years. And I noticed that just in where we went, and that would kind of, you know, cup along with what I was just talking about in terms
of traveling to all these new places. Everywhere we went this year, the place, if it wasn't full, it was close to being full. I think the one exception was Oklahoma City and they didn't or I'm sorry, Oklahoma State, they didn't have a great season going It was freezing cold. They were telling people not to leave their house and they still had over six thousand show up to watch Arizona and in Oklahoma State play, so but everywhere else
we went. You know, you're talking about, you know, great crowds, great enthusiasm. That's why it's so difficult to win on the road in the Big Twelve. And I think that goes along with what you were saying, Jay about the attention that the conference gets because of the history behind it and you know, getting that national exposure. And we talked about traveling across the country. Well that's one of the plus sides is that when you're traveling across the country,
the rest of the country gets to know you. And I think it only helps Arizona's you know, image grow. It's pretty positive as it is, but this is certainly going to help being in the Big twelve.
This transition to baseball real quick, you know, that's what you're up in ten p for today. For this weekend. You've watched some three or four games. I'm assuming you can tell me how many What has impressed you. They're obviously pretty good.
They're pretty good. You know, they got enough for turning players back from a year ago. They've added some new arms, which they needed to do. The defense has been fairly solid. I think they certainly miss Brendon summer Hill right now. He's a four hundred hitter. He was their best player, and he's been out for a couple of weeks now and he's going to be out for a couple of more with an injury that to me is kind of holding them back right now from being as good as
they can be. They've also been out without East and Bright Fogel. He might be back to play at some point this weekend. But you know, the Kevin Vance, who's Chip Hail's pitching coach, has done a marvelous job, not only with the returning guys, but with some of the new arms that are in. We'll see one of them tonight on the Mount in a starting situation. And so it's a good team now. I gotta be honest with you, guys.
They've lost three of their last four games, and I was up here on Tuesday when they lost to Grand Canyon and just didn't play very well. And so I think this weekend is really important. You've got two teams that are both sitting there with twenty wins already, and both of them have eyes on postseason play and success. And so the winner of the series this weekend. I think we're going to know a lot more about both of them, and I'm interested to see how the Wildcats
deal with the Sound Devels. This might be as U's best team here now in about four or five years as well.
Okay, and that's a really quick transition to football now, spring game coming in in about.
A week or so, ten days or whatever.
Sort of a spring game, yes, but yes, it's exactly a spring festival or something like that. It's gone by pretty quickly. What are you looking to do with that and see from there?
Well, like you said, I mean, it's really not a game, and I don't know. I can't remember the last time there was actually a spring game, right, you know, sometimes they'll go through some drills and then run some plays and then go through some and I understand that, And I don't think having a game is all that important. I know at some places around the country it's it's celebrated that, you know, the place is full and that sort of thing, But what does it do to help
the team? And I think I don't think a game necessarily does anything for them, since they're playing one another and there's the injury factor and and all that stuff. So but the idea that you know they've been to remember, you got both sides of the ball now have new coordinators, and so they're installing a lot of new new things, new game plans, et cetera. And so I think that's the important part of spring and and the spring showcases to get out there and run a lot of the
stuff that they've been learning here in spring ball. So that's to see. And I just I like what coach Brennan has done in terms of changing up some staff positions, like I said, new coordinators and also bringing in a lot of new faces they had. They had to make some changes. I some tough decisions there, but I think it was important and I think on paper right now it looks like some great decisions. So we'll see what.
You know, the spring is one thing, but once we get the fall, then of course we find out what it's really all about.
Right right, Well, Brian, enjoy the weekend. Good luck to the Cats.
Thanks a bunch, All right, thanks guys, We'll be well. That was Brian Jeffries the boy. So the Wildcats. Let's go and take a break and come back. This Report Day sponsored by Lows.
Fox Sports fourteen fifty.
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This is I on the Ball with Steve Ravera on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. Subscribe now to the podcast on the iHeartRadio app just search Iye on the Ball.
Hey, welcome back to the ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera, You're Jay Gonzalez. We got Ray behind the mic on the other side. If you want to call us, please do five two, oho, four one, six, seventy four forty take your call.
Who do you have for this weekend? I don't. I don't know you. Did you enter your own pool? You would you have?
I'm not doing very good. I mean, I've got Duke in there, but it's like who doesn't, right I? I I think dude's gonna win.
I do.
I think literally, I think the best team. I think I think the best team with the best player. Cooper Flag was unbelievable. I mean what I saw him do against Arizona was stupid. By that, I mean just great crazy stuffs. He didn't miss. He you know, he got a he got all the rebounds, he handled the ball. Nobody's got a Cooper Flag right, as good as that kid is from Florida, Walter Clayton, you know, and as good as you know. I mean we've seen he saw
Houston what three times against Arizona. I I I still think, Duke. Did I think that back in November when or play you hadn't seen him, you know, the first that one time?
All right? Did I think that?
And I thought Arizona can beat these guys. They were never going to beat Duke in the sweet sixteen. They were never going to win that game.
I thought, just just the fact that Arizona hung with him from the standpoint of after they were getting obliterated, they came back and made it a game.
I was the best Arizona was going to do.
So.
So I feel a wager coming on, another rager between you and me. Uh, you'll take Duke, I'll take Florida. I'll take Florida for the.
Win, to win it, win it. So if Duke doesn't win it, you're off the.
Hook, right, If Florida doesn't win it, nothing, Okay, I'll take Florida Florida for a while.
I I you know, I I saw Florida right they were. They were at my regional. They're good and and I thought when I saw them on Thursday, they shouldn't have won that game.
They they the Thursday game.
The Thursday game, didn't they play close and they had to come back and play they played to somebody, Oh yeah, I got close on them. No, no, no, no, the Thursday game was I think it might have been Texas. They played Texas Tech in the in the regional final. Who was the second Who's the Who's the other team. They struggled Texas Tech. I think it was well they they were, they were up big and then it got close. It's what happened Maryland Maryland. Yeah, yeah, they yeah, they were.
They were handling Maryland really well and then got close at the end. Uh As I recall they they played a different kind of basketball. Then I saw, you know, Michael, they I called it manball.
They were Florida. They you know, the physical big.
Dudes even there, even there, even the Clayton kid is that you know, he's a physical, physical kid, the way he plays, quick, shoot, all that stuff in the In the first ten minutes of the Florida Maryland game, I thought they're winning the regional. I was surprised when they were behind by ten with three minutes left against Texas Tech, and I was kind of rooting for Texas Tech, you know, sure the conference. You know, when I saw him come back and I thought, okay, this is a national championship
caliber team. I just think Duke is better. Okay, So no, that's about. We're gonna make the book, make the what it's worth.
What are we betting?
Well, you throw something at me, you know, I'm always up food Okay, we'll do food.
We'll do food.
Uh food next Friday or whatever Friday.
Oh, I'm in, Okay, I'm in, Okay. Duke has to win, win or Florida has to win if they don't and they're not side, so they can get into the championship. I like Florida.
I bet them in January sowth did you Yeah, Well I got good odds. I really like the Clayton. That Clayton kid's fantastic. There is one on the needs a Clayton kid, because he's better than than Caleb at least more.
Consistent, right, I mean yeah, some of some of the shots he took were just like he's such a quick release when he when he gets the top of the key. And you know, he was and he was a kid that I met him in the in the breakout room on the Friday, really good kid. You know, we chatted for a few minutes before reporters and stuff got there, and you know, again not full of himself, at least
he didn't appear right. Whether he is or isn't, I don't know for sure, but in talking about you know, you know, I mean somebody I gave him a loaded question for him to be able to say I'm really damn good, and he didn't. He just said, you know, talked about the team and all those kinds of things. And he's really and he's taller than I thought.
I remember, you know, he walked well, you know, see him on the court, and he with when he's with all the other tall guys, he doesn't look big.
He's he's six three, I think, And so it was, uh, you know, I like meeting him, and he seemed to have a good level head on his shoulders. And so that's why I think they've got a chance. But I still think that nobody's got a Cooper Flag. Yeah, no, I totally agree with you. He just was named the EP Player of the Player of the Year, and you know what's that. And he's so simple good.
He does everything so well and he's not a flashy dude, but he gets everything done. Just you know, we've seen him.
You know.
They had an interesting question this morning on Dan Patrick saying who what one and done? Okay, one and Done has had a better one year than Cooper Flag and the only one they should come up with that was Carmelo Carmelo Anthony because he won an aational championship. He had the numbers, you know, they they threw out Anthony Davis as a possibility.
And then there was Derreck Rose, although he didn't win a championship. But that's the kind of year that Cooper Flag is having. Sure and Carmelo that team he's won the national championship, So it'll be it'll be interesting to see, you know, if he pulls it off where he ranks as far as that goes. So just a change in plans. Josh is on the phone with me or texting me, or we'll move him to four o'clock so you won't have to worry about breaking news in depend us afterwards,
maybe we'll just talk. But so four o'clock for Josh. He's got a meeting at for fifteen right right after this, about thirteen twelve minutes.
Okay, cool, But you know, so I thought that was an interesting conversation.
And you know, I couldn't think of anybody, but you know, and there weren't one and Dons as we were growing up and stuff. I mean, I would say that probably both Bill Walton and Louel Cinder slash Creem Abdul Jabbar were better players than Cooper flag as freshmen.
But they didn't get to go you know any sure, well.
Even Lewison even they he didn't even play varsity as a freshman right his sophomore year.
Oh that's a good question. I mean you could talk about the guys you get with. Yeah, we'll got a call.
Cool. Hello, you're on the air, nine on the ball. Who's this? Okay?
I got a break in the action here, buckerbroo, go ahead first ask you know you got it. I've been good at UMLB and now you've got Eric Harper over there.
What's what do you know?
Eric?
Do you remember Eric? I know of him? Okay, so what's his title over there?
Well, he's the a D now but Jim iven Good pulled him on over there and then but he was the director of operations for Mike Stokes a football oh five years.
I didn't realize.
I didn't realize that was his connection, that he was the DAN And you're talking you're talking about Jim was there.
Like ten twelve years ago, right, I don't know, he was there quite a while. Oh, totally makes sense, totally makes sense.
But yeah, but Eric is a very smart man. He's a very good administration he knows his business, and I think it was a great job for him to, you know, talk to Josh and bring him in. With respect to mister Flagg, I can't argue a point anything's been said. I mean, he sees the whole court. He's not just an athletically gifted young man, but he really understands the game as a whole. And you know, people probably compare him to Larry Bird, which I think would be a
great compliment for him. Yeah, but I am really hoping Houston can shut him down, keep him down to twenty points. And one thing about Houston, I'm really pulling. I love Calvin Samson, always have. I still pulled the Florida to win it all. But in my heart of hearts, I would love to see Calvin Samson and Houston win this thing.
Yeah, one one before he retires right now.
Yeah, Okay, if you remember back in the day, Kelvin was pretty popular down here.
He was when you bought Washington State, and you know, he looked Indiana, you know, so the man.
The man has more than paid his dues. But he's just a genuinely likable man and I've mad him a couple of times when he was at Washington State and coming down here very gracious. I'm really pulling for him, and I'm I would love to see him and his team pull this one out. But Duke by far has more talent than the other three teams, no doubt. Okay, do you guys have a good weekend.
I'm pulling for Calvin as well, but I don't think. I don't think since I don't think I think they can they will. I don't think Houston's got the offense.
That that it's going to do to be but they have the defense to stop them, and that's just it.
I don't know that anybody's got the defense to stop them. I'm rooting for Calvin. I want him to win it.
I really do so that way that you know we're both going to be out of it on Saturday, Florida.
The Gators come out. I think it poetic justice Florida. I want to but if you remember at the beginning of the year, ther coach was under a fire for whatever he was doing or not doing. Uh a d It was just a mess, and you know where they are in the final four. I just don't rut for Florida and anything because you just you just don't because they're Florida.
You know, they won a couple of football championships. They want a couple of basketball championships, and they kind of believe that they're, you.
Know, so great inclined. You haven't been around long enough. Mister Gonzales is a bitter, bigger man. I hold drudges, you know.
I kind of like that. Ray, this could be I'll take you, I'll take you under my wing. Ray, Well, we'll teach you. We'll teach you the art of the grudge.
I'll believe me, man, I've had some sports grudges over my lifetime, for sure.
I have all kinds. Yeah, I have all kinds. Some are really good too. But I don't know. I just this is what, you know what.
It's one of those programs that you feel like they win all the time, and so you root against them.
Yeah, but they have it at least football, they have it right. Yeah, that school.
It's been a while, Yeah, it's been a while. For last time we saw them. I remember thirty four. They were the same final four with Duke Arizona, Arkansas and whoever. I remember Long Kruger being the coaching that's they were in that final four. Yeah, I had no recollection of that. Yeah, so that was thirty one. Because it's been so long, it was very rarely in the final fours.
You know.
I guess I shouldn't expect anything to change. I really shouldn't. I really shouldn't in fourteen.
Yeah yeah, right so okay. Uh and then the other team was Auburn. They played them three times already. I think we got admit it, we got a minute, okay, so we got to take this break because we got to get away.
And that's the other thing. I'm just I just don't want the SEC to win it. Yeah, that's to prove them. Yeah see, yeah, but I have I know, I really like, I respect the fact that you put some mind out and so you're still rooting for him. Houston. I really like Houston. I think they're going to beat Duke. I really do. Really. Do you think Duke doesn't even get to the finals?
No?
No, In fact, I think everybody fell in love with Duke because of what they saw in this tournament, but they didn't see them up until the tournament, right, Uh, So everybody has this one their Duke. You already give them that bias. And then they played out of their mind here, which is obviously because they are good. But then you give them that extra juice because they're Duke and you've seen them recently.
Bias. Does that make sense. I should have won my Duke T shirt in here today. Oh yeah, because you're a student, Bias. I'm gonna wear that on Saturday. Okay, please please put a little money on him too. That will really kill what happened. J been on us. Yes, we gotta go.