Monday, February 5, Hour 2

Streaming live. I mean, iHeartRadio WIF. This is I on the Ball with Steve Robera and Jay Gonzalez on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. Hey, welcome back to the ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve, he's Jay. Now we have Kevin with breaking news. This is I on the Ball, Breaking News on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. All right, so we do have some breaking news today. We're gonna go ahead and start with some

women's basketball news. Former Arizona women's basketball player Maya Naji has been in the local news recently for some comments that resurfaced on the internet recently. J do you want to talk about that a little bit. Well, we talked about this last week and she an Instagram post of her surface from the last month. Yeah, from a month ago where she was trying to clarify why she left the program and she called called it a toxic environment. So PJ.

Brown and and okay, well The Star did a followup did a story on her, and she didn't walk things back, but she kind of was she kind of explained more why she left in a sense that it wasn't her dad, it wasn't outside influences. She was her decision for a number of reasons, although she didn't number of reasons right, and and and somebody said they asked her, well, why, you know, why why did you say

this was toxic? And and she said something like, you know, if I wanted to create drama, I could create drama and I didn't create trauma. And I'm like, yes, you did. It's exactly what you did when you called it a toxic environment. And you don't have to explain yourself to us about anything, but don't tell us you didn't say that it's a toxic environment, which is exactly what you said, and it did create trauma.

You know. Adia Barnes was asked about that in her post game press conference and she just basically an indirect way and she basically said, look, I you know where coaches, we hear stuff all the time. We just have to get past it and move on. And that's what I'm doing. But oh, I had a question. You know, mynag he's not what nineteen years old, maybe twenty years old. You know, we shouldn't sit

here and and and rip on her. But you know, if you're going to say things, then take responsibility for saying those things did you do? You have a lot of stuff you can talk about. So Gino, I saw this yesterday. I don't know before after that quote from Naj This is from Gino Ariema from Arim cut I don't have my glasses and so be with me. How do you coach in an environment where the players feel that they that feel like they got my eyes? This is the smoke pantys I suck

hold on, I gues hold on football love Okay? How do you coach an environment in an environment where the players feel like they owe you nothing and you owe them everything? And I've talked about this with n I L How how do you you're having a quarterback who makes these money this money, or you have a player or whatever making this money. Don't tell me what to do. Yeah, I'm making the money. Let me the hell I am

who I am? Right? I don't know how that's possible. I'm sure I wanted to ask that a chip, But you know it's only going to get worse, no question, It's only going to get no question, as he's as these athletes can make make more and more of the money, and it's going to take special athletes to not be that If you if you think that the parents were involved before when there were little kids in high school.

Now you have parents dying for them to get scholarships and to get their bed right where it was where just used to be about a scholarship, right, you know, getting into a school. Now it's about a scholarship and possibly hundreds of thousands of millions of dollars and yeah, and how do you And oh, by the way, ex school is giving me this. Yeah, and that was the case before, X give me this. What about you? Well, now they're schelling, they're giving them the number, right,

and yeah, and that's and that's the whole thing. And with this Tennessee lawsuit that we talked about last week, that the Tennessee lawsuit is basically saying a player should be able to go out and negotiate their deal before they signed with the school so that they can get the best deal. And that makes all the sense in the world. It's just that's not how college athletics has

worked and how college athletics can continue to work. So I, you know, I don't know, but yeah, it's a look and you look give it up for a deal. Because she could have gone on there and said well, she kind of wanted to, but she she of course she wanted to. When they go low, yeah she goes then and I did want to go low, but I didn't, right, and and so yeah, no, but that that's just the way. And the thing is, you're talking about coaches who make millions and millions of dollars in idea is true?

Even a million dollars? And and they're like, wait a minute. You know, I'm the one who's been in this profession for twenty thirty forty years yearn what your second year is a sophomore And you're telling me, you know, well, and there are some coaches who have been playing I'll give you

this. I'll give you this with lout because and I know this because even DeAndre Andre he would ally they clashed a lot because Andre thought he was the best, the smartest guy in the room, right uh, and his sophomore year he was already gone. He was he was gone, he was gone, and no one knew about it, but he was gone pretty much. And they clashed because Luke couldn't coach him. And one time i practice, he says, some of us are going to be back next year, and

I'm still gonna be here. You know, I'm still gonna be coaching. I'm still the coach. And Deanery they knew exactly what they were talking about. He was that was the year that he was caught before the game, he was kind of already checked out. How do you and that's kind of how it all starts. You know you're gonna get twenty seventeen eighteen, sean, how do you coach those guys who are going to be here in two months? They could give a crap because they'll be getting some money to play

somewhere else, right now. That's it? And and and you're right, environments are going to be toxic to you, right right, Because at the other point that that that that you said, well, if it's a toxic environment, why are the players that we have left playing so well together? Right? And she's on the seven players and that now there wasn't a little

breaking there. There was an interesting thing about Kayle and Gilbert that she's out not because of an injury, which we thought that she was said for other reasons, just unavailable. She's unavailable whatever that means. Right, Well, you're talking about a lot of different things, could be a number of different things right, Title nine or whatever. You can't really say what's yeah, you know, what do you call it for the students? Privacy? Yeah,

there's privacy issues. So so you know they're kayl and Yelbert arguably their best players, certainly their best scorer. I thought Tom to commend to start. I thought they did a good job with that is what they could flush from. They did about as much as you could move, right, because they even tried to get a Da to go on the record with and she obviously didn't and she did, but it was a good, good attempt at that. Sure it was Okay, that was a long one, so we

do have some more women's college basketball news. Juju Watkins came close to breaking the all time women's college basketball scoring record when she scored fifty one over the weekend when the Trojans of USC upset Stanford at home. She's just an incredible game. She's the only player all year in Division one men's or women's to have a forty and ten game with ten rebounds. And she didn't just do that, She's she went above and beyond and did fifty and ten. Just

an incredible performance. It's Stanford, it was it was actually incredible to watch. I caught the tail end of that game. Yeah. So, and and the reason we're bringing that up is Arizona's got a face for this week. They're at USC actually on Monday. She must be only eighteen, right, Only she's a freshman. She's a freshman. She's only eighteen, boss? What nineteen? Yeah? So he's eighteen eighteen, Am, stop,

you just stop. Arizona's got UCLA on Friday, and then they've got USC at USC on Monday, and they'll be facing Juju Watkins, who, if not for Caitlin Clark over at Iowa, would certainly be the most talked about player in women's college basketball. And this year she averaged she averaged forty forty points, seven and a half, predybounds, four steals. She shot forty two percent from three point range over the weekend in the sweep of California and

Stanford. So those numbers are unbelievab. I'm actually I'm gonna watch that game to see her. I mean, I haven't seen her, you know, this year, but I'm gonna watch it because I want guy to see what this looks. And that was my second time seeing her when I watched them play Stanford, and I mean, it's incredible every time that I that I've seen her. So I hope, I hope we catch her on a good

well. I hope for Arizona's sake that we don't. But you know what, you do want to see those but more incredible numbers from the MLB Today, Bobby Witt Junior of the Kansas City Royals has inked the largest contract in the franchise's history, an eleven year, two hundred and eighty eight point eight million dollar deal. Bobby Witt Jr. Correct like any good, He's pretty he's pretty good. He's on the Royals, So I don't know, I

don't know what I'm guessing. His dad was the original Bobby with watch much play, to my understanding of it, he has incredible speed, uh and and the Royals are hoping to somewhat build around him in the infield. So wow, Okay, I mean, i'd like to I'd like to think that I've heard of a guy when he gets a contract like that, right, numbers are shocked. The numbers are shocking. I didn't I didn't know that

that guy existed. Some of the contracts that we see now in sports like the Pat Mahomes deal, like whether or not you you know how you feel about the fact that he is earning that money. The numbers are eye boggling.

Joel Embiid, last year's NBA MVP, this year's presumptive MVP, will may not be eligible for the award when it comes because he's going to go undergo meniscus surgery, I believe on his left knee, and he looks like he's gonna fall well short of the sixty five game minimum and be uneligible for MVP honors this year. I agree with the rule. You know, you got to play the games if you want to win, you know, take

home the stuff. I agree to, especially a sport that is so dominated by averages, if you're playing on a smaller sample size and just blowing it up the way scoring can get blown up. Today, we're seeing teams drop one hundred and fifty this season. So yeah, I like the rule too. I saw Draymond Green was complaining about it, saying that, oh, Kawhi Leonard only played X amount of games during when he won deepoy over me, which actually is untrue. Kawhi Leonard played seventy two and I believe sixty

four games in those two seasons. So some people complaining about it, I feel like don't get the full scope of why it's being about something. So that is true. Steve Belichick is going to become the University of Washington defensive coordinator. He was joined Jed Fish's staff in Seattle. More name dropping. Yeah, you know you're trying to keep that that connection to all his guys. So okay, we're gonna rag on. We're gonna rag on Jed.

We we know you are. How over it? No? But I mean no, but when they know, when we start seeing him on the sidelines, he's in his purple. He went on, do you already said about seven nine years? Yeah? That he you know, they don't he'll be there nine years at I don't know why people say stuff because they don't hold you to it. Looking exactly, it's permanent. I love you until I

don't love you. I mean, it's permanent. And so now people can say, wait, wait, wait minute, you've only been here three years, so you're going to You're going to the Patriots. What the hell you said? You're gonna be here for nine Yeah, we'll see Yeah, we see players in the NBA do it all the time. Kyrie did it famously in Boston. But we also have some news out of Washington. We know that Eric b Enemy was in line for the commander's job. He has been

ousted for Cliff. Cliff Kingsbury will take over. That's tough, that's tough. What that dude replaces you falls forward like we said, as we said, falling forward man, and he had he had allegedly taken the Raiders job and uh and turn and turn away from that. They said, what what? What was there was one where he got hired somewhere and then he took the USC job. Oh yeah, like overnight or something like that. But anyway, so now he's Cliff Kingsbury off to off to the Washington commanders.

Now they're saying, you're hearing that Ron Rivera, who was was the fired Washington commander's coach. They're looking at him as the defensive coordinator at the Cowboys, which is where Washington got their coach, because Quinn was the defensive coordinator with the Cowboys. He is now at Washington. And so there you go. The NFL is a messy lead and if you if you can get it, if you can get on the merry go round and stay on the merry around your set for life. Yep, pretty much. Yeah, paging mister

fish. All right, So the Seahawks are expected to hire Jay Harbaugh as their special teams coordinator the Seahawks. He's not going with He's not going this with his pop. No, he's going to be the special names coordinator under head coach Mike McDonald. He's only thirty four and he served in that role for the past five seasons at you Michigan under his dad, Jim Harbaugh.

Did you see the thing on on Ben Johnson? The Blushings hate him or something because he because they were they were coming to pick him up on an airplane, uh to take the the Washington job, and he texted them while they were on the plane, don't come, just say he's not going Stone Coach, and he was staying in the Stone Cove. That's always as bad as when they fired Lane Kiffin on the tarmact. Well they kind of did. The South Carolina kind of did the same thing to to to uh Rich

Rod. Remember he was on back, he was on his way back from South Carolina, thought he had a deal and by the time he landed here he didn't. I don't remember that per se, but I remember them both sides saying, oh, we don't want to, you know, I didn't want to go. Yeah, and we didn't want to. But that I don't remember that part of That's what That's what I've heard from multiple sources that he that he thought he had a job or he got to get lane and

was headed home. By the time he landed, he didn't have the job anymore. So it's never happened there. It's collect the stoop's job. It takes to a m yeah this year, yeah, yeah, yeah, yep, yep. Okay, all right, uh, good stuff, Okay, we'll be back Ricky Hunty coming up in about five minutes. I'll stick around. The Windows Depot is more than a windows store. The Window Depot is

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Arizona since nineteen forty seven. Go to azypest dot com to schedule your free evaluation Today. This is High on the Ball with Steve Rivera and Jay Gonzalez Son Fox Sports fourteen fifty. Subscribe now to the podcast on the iHeartRadio WIP. Just Searcher on the bar and welcome back to Ian the back here, Fox Sports fourteen fifty. Oh, Steve Rivera, he's Jigenzones. Now on the phone. We have Ricky Honley, super Bowl linebacker. Who are you,

Ricky? Good? How you guys? Knowing Steve? We're doing well. It's good to see you yesterday at the besketball game. But hey, you know what that was as a great basketball game to watch, was like they all of two halfs. But I'm telling you that center that Stafford had he as an NBA player all the way yesterday. He was making some shots for sure, that's for sure. A big man like that hitting three pointers.

You know, he was putting it down. Yeah yeah, okay, Well, we have you on the phone specifically to talk about super Bowl super Bowl week, right, How was super Bowl week for you as a player? You know, I tell you what I remember super Bowl week being something special. I mean, you get there a week earlier, you come off the plane, you uh, you know, you get to the hotel. The hotel and you know, you got everybody all set up for the interviews,

and I mean it's a whole production. I mean all the media, the people from your hometown that show up the interview, and so if guy's never been to a super Bowl before, it's quite an experience. And I'm

sure it's a lot bigger now than what it was when I play. Well, well, thinking back to that first one for you and you you went to back to back super Bowl. So the first one where you kind of, I don't know, in awe just kind of looking at everything that that happened, compared to the second one where it's kind of like, Oka,

I've already done this before. But what was that first one, Like, like you said, when you got to that week, when you got you know, to practices, the preparation and then going into the stadium the day of the game and you know, now you know this is the game. What were some of those what are some of those moments like for you?

I remember when you know, they introduce you and you come out of the tunnel and you're running out linebacker from the University Arizona, Rickey Hunley, and that's summer all and those guys calling your name out in this don't know, one of a million people watching you, You get chill bumps. You know. It's ah, I tell you, it's an amazing time. You know, you don't realize how big it is until you're in that game, right in that in that moment. Yeah, let me ask you a quick question.

Uh, maybe two or three years two years ago, Jay and I were discussing this and it's gonna be the dumbest question here today for me. Ricky. So you're a player, and you're a player at this elite level, right, And it kind of goes to Jay's question, and I said, these guys, the John Fena's, the Ricky Huntleys, the Glenn Parkers have done this all their live blah blah blah. Did you get nervous before

this type of game or was it your job and you were ready? You're nervous and then after the kickoff it goes away, you know because now you're in the moment, you're in the game. What is what is that? What is that nervousness? Like? Though? Yeah, I mean, are you like sick to your stomach? Are you you know, just kind of kind of wondering where the hell you are. I think it's a little different

for everybody, but for me, you certainly feel the butterflies. But once the adrenaline starts flowing and you're running up and down the field, you're more tired than anything, So it goes away. Yeah. So some of the just some of the highlights I've seen the last couple of days, you know, with the national anthem and guys crying because it's a very emotional time. Did you there's a dumb question to two. Did you cry because of the

magnitude that you were in the Super Bowl? Here you are with all these peaks again you know, well, well, well let me ask you that, because you know, after all this time, you know you're wet. You know we put you know, we put you on our social media super Bowl linebacker. You know, nobody can ever take that away from you. Yes, you didn't you know, you didn't win. You didn't win one, but you were in it is it is it is that the losing of it less painful or less uh now than it was back then? Or is

it still hurt really bad? It never, it's never less. I mean, you can appreciate the fact that you were there, and you were there back to back, and you went to two Super Bowls and you did it with your brothers. But uh no, away, Yeah, well well okay, so then later on the Broncos do win a couple of Super Bowls and Lway was there for those you know, did you have a chance to you know, kind of say hey, you know, way to go, John. I mean, were you happy for him? I'm assuming you were.

Oh. I was happy for him, absolutely, But you know, I wasn't there. I was with the Raiders, So I wasn't there at the game or with the team or anything like that. You know, could you say the years? Uh? Could you? I don't want to date you, but what the year eighties? The years that I played? Yeah, well there in the Super Bowl, in the eighty six Super Bowl and eighty

seven seven, So you're right, the times have changed. Yeah, so it is different, right, but you know, and I was ironic both years that we played in the Super Bowl, we played in the AFC Championship Game of both against the same team. You know, it was a Veland Browns times. One year was a drive and the next year was a pumble and buyers buyers, ernest and you know, the thing with Ernest Spiders,

Ernest Buyers. I mean, he was killing us all games. I mean he was, you know, they they were just running the ball at will. And they're going down to the goal on the score again and Ernest byners get the handoff and and it's a lead play right at the linebacker, and I'm approaching Ernest, but Ernest looks off to his left and there's a little cornerback, Jeremiah Castile, and he decides to not run over Castile, but

to run over the linebacker. And Castile just went and punched the ball out, and that's how we got the ball back, and that's why we won the game. You're thinking thinking back to both of those playoff runs you're going into it. I mean, I presume that every team that gets into the playoffs thinks they can get to the super Bowl. But how real was it for you, you know, leading up to that, before you actually got

in. Oh, It's it's real, you know, because you know, leading up to the game, the hype is just tremendous, and then you get two weeks of it. So, I mean, I'm sitting here thinking about this kid, Demetrius Flanting and Flowers me on Arizona alum playing a linebacker and backup kid on special teams. But you're going to the super Bowl and it's a big deal, and it's a huge deal. I'm gonna ask you.

Oh good, I'm sorry. Let me ask you a generic question, Uh, not to the guys you've coached, but how have athletes changed in this time since your time to today? But I think that they're bigger, faster, stronger. I think you have a lot more guys that a lot more guys that you know take football seriously and treating like a business, you know, and so it's uh, you know, you get the best of

the best. How how different do you think you would be if you were from what you were when you played to to if you were playing today? You know, physically, mentally, would would your would your approach be different? How? How you know what kind of NFL player do you think you'd be today? Well, knowing what I know now versus knowing what I knew then when I was a player playing, I don't I didn't know squat compared

to what I know now, the approach would be so different. And I think the kids approach is so different too, because you know they prepared themselves, they got mossus, they got to the therapists. They take better care of their body, the nutrition wise, they eat better. You know. They treat it more like a business than just you know, I'm on the

team playing a game. The money aside, the money that's being made now versus you know, when you were playing, would you have preferred to play back when you played or would you prefer to be playing right now right now? Why? I don't even know what the money is right now. Yeah, but not counting the money paid more money than what franchise were worth. But I'm talking about it, and just in terms of the way the game

is played. You know, the guys who played you, who've been playing, who play your position now compared to the way you played it back then, you know, do you like the game more now? I guess it's what I'm asking then when you play along those lines, though, the offense has a big advantage over the defense now because the defense can't really hit anybody.

Yeah, well back then you could hit people. You know, there was none of this where everything is hear towards protecting a quarterback, protecting the investment. And they have to because they pay those gots so much money. I mean, you know, my home, that's what I have a billion dollars, you know, yeah, you and you're not going to protect your half a billion dollar investment. So every owner has the same interests, you know, protect the franchise player. So you were talking about what you know

now compared to them. What are maybe a couple of things that you uh, what is that secret sauce? I think the secret sauce is is just understanding concepts on understanding whether you're playing with mayon eyes or zone eyes, and getting your keys and going through your key aggression so that you play faster. You know, when you go from college to pros, the guys are not that much faster, but they play faster because they read and they get their

keys and they go. There are no false steps in college. You find a lot of kids, even in early pros, a lot of those kids make false steps. You know. They they'll take one two steps to the right and then one two back to where they started and then take off and and and because they're fast, they can keep they can recover ground, recover ground. But when you get older, you can't recover that ground. You know, when you get in the pros and everybody's playing fast and you have

two steps behind. You're not going to bring in that league long. That's why they call it the not for long leads. No, I hear you, No, I hear you. I hear you. So uh when this week rolls around, though, do you do you get I don't know, nostalgic sentimental about Okay, I played in that game. I had a great time. You know, is that a Is it kind of a special week

for you still after all this time? It is because you know, every every year they show those same highlights the super Bowl, the championship games leading up to the super Bowl, and uh, you see it, you know, and I tell you what, it's hurt just as much when we we lose that game. Yeah, it feels just as good when we win that AFC championship game every year too. You're you're you're a pretty good storyteller. But do you when you have the guys around or the guys you know,

whatever you guys are doing, do you tell those Super Bowl stories? Oh? Yeah, yeah, you know, because the kids want to know, They want to know stories, They want to know what it was like, just like you guys are asking questions for the fans, the kids want to know the same thing. They want to get as close to the action as they can and have a feel for it. Because you know, there are some guys that have those goals and aspirations of going to that level of playing

in the big game, of playing in the Super Bowl. And the thing that I always share with those guys is, hey, you know, don't take it for granted. You know you're not guaranteed to be back here next year. Like we had a great year. We played against Oklahoma, we beat them in the Alimo Bowl, but that game could have gone the other way. Have we not banded together and played hard on defense? What do you get asked the most about when it comes when it comes to the Super

Bowls? What do you what by a player but you know, say a college player or a recruit, or you know somebody who's played in the NFL and didn't never get to a Super Bowl? What did they ad? What? What question do you get asked the most about that? Say that question again, what question you get asked most about being in a Super Bowl? What not from a fan or somebody like Steve Right, but from somebody who's played the game. Maybe they're a college player or whatever, what do they

want to know? More often they're actually, what what is that feeling like? You know, because they can't imagine that feeling because they it's a big stage, it's on national TV, it's actually it's broadcast worldwide. Everybody in the world has eyes on you, and you know, and there's no margin for era, you know. But you know, the players they compare it

a little bit to what they do. But if they've never been to a bowl game, you know, they have nothing to compare it to, right, right, right, So I was going to say to Jay to bring up to Josh Passner. So in ninety seven, he's a he's a freshman. In ninety seven, the Arizona basketball team wins the title and he's at this podium. He calls his dad, it's his dad, We're gonna do this every year. Look how easy it was for us. I mean, you get back, did you feel Okay, we're pretty good, We'll be

back again and again? You do, because you know what, when you're there, you was like, oh, we're here, we've made it. We understand what it takes to get in. And when we were fortunately we were back to back. So you know, we still felt like we were gonna win. I mean, in the second game, we were favorite to win, and we we jumped out in front ten to nothing and lost forty five to ten. Yeah, yeah, I remember that game. Yeah, that that I mean. I guess I'm sitting here, you know, like

you said, not ever having having had this feeling. But you know, I don't know. I guess I would think that over time you'd feel a lot better about it. But I guess I guess you never do. You never do. I mean, it's always there. It's always lingering in your mind, you know. You just you just wanted to taste that feeling of being a Super Bowl champion, right right, Well, Ricky, thanks for joining us. I appreciate it. Riic lots of lots of fun hearing that

stuff. It's really okay, thanks so much, Okay, thank you. That's cool. I you know, again, for us guys who have never come close to anything like that, just you can't it still can't imagine the feeling, even when you you hear what it feels. Let's let's if we could real quick put the footnote to this interview so people won't say, why didn't you ask him yeah, well, that's yeah, we would. Uh. When we requested the interview with Ricky through through the u of A,

we were told that we had to stick to the Super Bowl. We're not able. You know, I don't know what what his situation is as far as the coaches staff. So we just said, we're just told stay away from that, just talk super Bowl, which is what we did. So if you were waiting for us to ask him something about, you know, the team or his teachuation, his situation at the UFA, we weren't because we don't know, right, we don't know. We weren't. We were

instructed not to not to bring that up. Okay, all right, okay, so stick around. We're gonna wrap this up. Five to zero four, one six set. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Uh, there's some early thoughts on the Super Bowl, right, Kevin, let's talk all right, man, let's go stick around. If you're an Arizona men's basketball fan, you know it's been successful for nearly forty years. Now. Take a look back at the Ludolsen era in my new book, Lessons from Loot.

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a team security dot net. Steve Rivera and Jacob Salaz they have their Eye on the Ball on Tucson Sports Stage Chat Fox Sports fourteen fifteen. Hey, welcome back to my iing the ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve, He's Jake good Tevin with us for the last fifteen minutes today on Monday. If you have any questions, just give us a call. Won't talk about anything, please do Saw Richard texted me, is Arizona capable of

getting to the Final four? He's he loves to be twelve Richard, they're capable. I just I'm not just gonna sit here and say they are. And they're they're capable. I mean, don't you think, yeah, they're cape Yeah, they are capable, but they can their match can be found that first that first month. They look fantastic, that's all. And they're

still living off that credibility. Yeah, they're still living. But yeah, there's because if you're seeing if you're watching them for the first time yesterday, you're thinking, uhh, don't you well, it depends on which half you

watched. Well, no, you're watching the whole game. You're watching the whole game, watching the whole game and saying, well, these guys could be be Yeah, but you got to give them credit for coming back and winning that game because they they they look like a team that was about to lose again, you know, same as they did. I mean, you look at you sailing. They're not that good, but still a team you know, gets hot and they do something and now you got to you gotta

figure it out. And you know, there's a lot of times there have been times when Arizona has come back to win a game and I fully expected them to. I didn't think they were coming back yesterday. We'll take this call. Hi are on the aar and I on the ball? Hey, Jay, this is done. How you guys doing pretty good? Don? Hey don? Don? Are you the guy that texts me on Twitter? Yeah? Okay, now what makes sense? Now? It makes sense when you said primo ticket, I don't have a cousin Don, so that I

realized was you? Okay, so it's up. Well at least you said it. At least you said it right now, Jay Debt, Well, I think what you're bab the underlying tone of what you're saying is this team is untrustworthy. I guess I guess I guess I guess it. Answered Steve questions, Yes, yeah, I mean do I think they can get to the Final four? Yes? But do I Am I going to consider here and say they are? No? I'm not going to say that. No, you you can't, because you know the thing is is, as an

Arizona fan, Arizona has never won anything when they were supposed to. When they won in ninety seven, they were supposed to be good in ninety eight. Yeah yeah, and then in ninety eight they didn't get they didn't get out of the sweet sixteenth. Oh yeah, they got to the final. But this team here, they have all the talent. But in my opinion, they play and this is top to bottom all the way up to first round. Tommy, they play with no accountability. No, this is what

he takes. What do you mean by that? What do you mean by what? What I mean is? They can do, they do not they can do, they do whatever it is that they do. And it's a okay, you never see, you never see, you never see the coaching staff and any of them come out three steps onto the floor and start talking

to somebody that you wait for them to get to the side. And there was there was a time out early in the game yesterday when they were pooping themselves where Tommy Lloyd turns around and he said, he said to his bench, what happened? Dude, you're standing on the court. What do you mean what happened? You're right there. It doesn't seem and it doesn't as a as as an as a bystander and some buddy that's I've tried to watch their games and it's like, yeah, I forget it. This one's over.

So let me say this. I don't agree with you completely, but I know where you're going with because if you if you watch Ricardo, he's he's he's nuts on he got sent to the they sat him down. He gets nuts And not that you need that as a coach, but if you're looking for animation you do have it, you're not gonna get it from Tommy. He's not that dude. He's not Sean Miller, he's not us you got He specifically addressed that. Yes, I asked him the question do you

go? That was my first question to him. I said, do you get? He said, no, it's not gonna happen. It's not And he's not that dude. And I'm not sure you want that dude? Do you do you want that crazy berserk guy? I don't And I don't mean for him to be crazy berserk and I don't mean that. I just mean for him to be more than a bystander. I mean I need to see I'd like I would like to see him be more involved than just standing on

the sideline. Oh, I get what. I get what he's doing because you know what, and I'll go back to lude Olsen back in the days at the end of games when here it was a one possession situation and ninety percent of coaches call the time out. Lout would stand on the sideline and cross his arms because they worked on it on pre in practice. Well wait a minute, let me stop you there for a second, don because didn't we complain that Sean Miller was micromanaging too much and that the guy because he

was always yelling at instructions about that. Guys didn't They're too busy looking at the bench to be playing doing what they were supposed to be doing. So it's like it's like, you know, we won. We had Sean Miller doing that, and now so Tommy Lloyd doesn't do that, So now, well you're not doing enough. And look from where I sit because I get to wait, let me finish from where I sit, and I because I

get to see this. He is out there. You know he does having you know, he's telling guys, we're doing this, we're doing that. So I'm not sure what how much more involvement if if you want him to have when we were saying that Sean Miller had too much, I'm kind of trying to figure out I think what it I think what it gets? It gets back to it doesn't look like they're prepared to play these games. Yes, how in the heck did they go down by They were down by fourteen

at one point Sunday. I get it. I hear what you're saying. Teams do this to Arizona. Teams do this a lot. I hear you, though. I hear you though you don't anticipate them to go crazy the opponent to go crazy like they didn't. I hear you, don And you're right, but you're also wrong in a sense of, uh, they're prepared for this. It just doesn't happen. Yeah, sometimes the other team is doing stuff. Well, I mean it's happened three times in the pack golf

season. Done done, I mean nobody, And nobody's crying about Florida Gulf Coaster or whatever that that that team was. And nobody's crying about Purdue because that when Purdue plays, it's a whole other set of they play. Get to play by Duke rules, but that's another conversation. So done. Nobody's worrying about those two losses. Done done. So at the beginning, it's the ones that are unacceptable in the PAC twelve. No, no, don let me say this. This is why I brought up the question because they're

not trustworthy. You're not. You don't trust that. Who is nobody? Yeah, exactly right? Who is name a team that trust It's like Michael lev last night tweeted out that you know a lot of Omar Bollo haters were would be choking on their tweets, and so I tweeted back at him, and I go, do why because he played one game? Well, he played one game year potential. One game does not a season or a change. If they put three games together like the second half yesterday, well then

that's something else. Now they're they're getting into what they're what we all thought they would be. But until they get there, they're not there in my opinion. No, no, John, we are related. I get you, I get you. I agree with you. I mean I don't agree with you. One game does not make it. He's still having issues with the free throws. We see that, right, But you have to have you have to go with what you got, and this is what you have. Well, no, we're gonna have to go with what we have.

I just hope that we don't go after the round of sixty four. That's that's all I'm saying. Because if we continually play down to our competition, who are we going to play in the first round. No, we're not going to play Duke or Purdue in the first rounds Now, we're going to play in the first round. This team is as bad, is as good as they can they want to be, but they can also go out in the first round in the Pac twelve and then the first round of the NANCA.

That's that's what I'm saying. And and and you know, what this team needs is what what Steve always talks about. They need momentum, they need toughness, you know. In fact, Okay, thank you don for the call. I appreciate you. I'm gonna change your name to Rivera. Change your name to Rivera. But you know, the funny thing is I

got a text midway through the first half. And everybody talks about toughness, right, everybody about And this is what the texted me, A guy we both know, a guy who knowledged well, is this team needs to get tougher. I think didn't we just say this last year that this team did get tougher did they get not as tough? Are they not as stuff as we? What? I what? I what? I was watching? You you not your head? Oh? I was not nay because I think they

did get tougher. But maybe we overestimated just how tough they got. And that's made beyond us. You might have watched about six games and said, oh, they're King Kong, when maybe they're just a regular gorilla. See what was happening in the first half last night had nothing to do with toughness. What it had to do with is that Stafford was launching three pointers from all over the place, covered and not covered, and they were making them.

And sometimes that happens, and that doesn't mean that you're not playing good defense. They were making shot. It's a good subject. Let's take this how you're on the air and I on the ball. Hey, how you doing? What's up? Brian? I was watching that. I was the game yesterday. And I don't know what if Don was at the game or not. But if you watch Tommy Lloyd, all because he doesn't scream and

yell doesn't mean he's not coaching right. You would see him. You would see him pull a player off the side, like when when a free throws are going on or whatever, and they were cleaning the flow and he's talking to the players then Okay, and also too when when Boswell stole that ball, they went for that drive and made that terrible pass. Yeah, in the second half he pulled his butt out of the game real quick. Right, he talked about that too, Right, how those are important times?

Yes, and also too if in the first half, if you watch Stanford, Stanford just I don't know what they do in the first part of their game. Those guys couldn't miss a shot. I don't care where the shot was from. They were just you know, they hit that screen so well. They're really good at it, and it's hard to defend that screen and it really is. The only guy that didn't have a hand in his face in that first half was the tall guy forty two, because they hadn't pulled

Bollow out under the perimeter to cover him. Once they did that, he stopped making shots. Right. And also to that guy, hadn't he made like he was like eight for thirty all season long on three pointers, he made five out of six foot yesterday. Well, just put an Arizona tag on you. You gotta go. You gotta go. Thank you, Hey, Brian, thanks a bunch man. Okay, we got some to do. I gotta take care of little business before we get out of here.

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a shot at making your pay day even sweeter. So the right I think the last odds I saw, and I think it's that's still where we are. Is the forty nine ers favorite by two? Is it one? Two? Yeah, three, something like that. It's two forty nine ers a favorite by two, So you know it's man, that's it's almost a toss up, so wherever you go. But also on top of that, on top of the spread, you've got all kinds of proposition bets. The super Bowl has always got the most bets. You can go to the page on

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go go. You know, they're the hands down favorite to win the league, and yet we've still got people who are unhappy with how they're playing. I'm gonna you want to do this with us meeting, I'm gonna buy a bar somewhere nearby and call it Life's a bitch, and we're gonna watch there was only basketball and people can go in there and write stuff on the wall and say whatever they want to say, right, whatever they want to say, and it'll make a ton of money. It's crazy, it's crazy.

Let's just say, hey, success is brought you here? Yeah, I mean yeah here. Somebody tweeted on but put something, you know, tweeted out. You know that our fans don't understand that the other team, they get up for us, they play their best against us, and that's what that's their goal, and that's that's what was going on. So you know, guess what they're gonna It's gonna happen this week, right, And it's gonna happen this week, right you those two arenas this week are gonna be

ready for error. It's just the thing is, you can't have it in March. You cannot have it in Mark right exactly, And that's it. That's it, all right. Uh, we appreciate you calling anyways, don thanks a bunch and Brian too. So yeah, we'll be we'll be back tomorrow. We'll have some more Super Bowl talk and obviously a big week Arizona on the road, so give us a call tomorrow. Thanks running Back