Tuesday, December 3, Hour 2

This is Eye on the Ball on Fox Sports fourteenth fifding. Want to take part in the show called up Steam Now went five to two oh four one seventy four.

Hey, welcome back to the ball Here on Fox Sports fourteen fifteen. I'm Steve Baba, You're Lamont Huntley. Now we have Kobe with breaking news.

Breaking news. Jameis Winston records of Brown's passing record. The four drew ninety seven yards while also throwing two pick sixes in the loss of the Broncos forty one to thirty two.

Do you watch did you watch last night? I locked that game last night, did guess? I didn't watch it, but I heard it was fantastic.

It was.

It was a great game to watch.

Man on both sides, on both sides ball, and I was impressed with Jamison, I really was. I felt bad with the two interceptions for touchdown, but I mean that guy, he looked like a pro bowler last night to me.

Do you you watched that game differently than you watched the college game?

Yeah?

I just watched pro ball just for the all of it, just see what's going on, just.

To watch again. Yeah, yeah, okay. Any I mean college, any college team.

Other than Arizona. I watch it just oh okay, what's going on? Okay?

So so when you let me ask you this, So you watch Arizona, were you frustrated?

Oh? Hey, because you because they were not well.

Frustrated you well, because they were frustrated me a few things like we talked of our elogy earlier.

The energy not want looked like they wanted to. It was showing up right. I totally believe that.

Then the coaching staff, I got frustrated because there was no creativity. There was nothing being done to counter act what they was doing to us.

And you know, look me up there looking down.

I said, this is going to take place, and you knew and I knew, So why can't you count acting?

Let me say this, And I haven't said this publicly at all, especially here in the form. So it was with somebody over the weekend and they had heard that watched that issue kind of said may have been the word coach team they played all year.

I can't argue that. You can't. That's sad because there was no adjustments.

I mean, there was really no game time adjustments being made, you know, I mean you're stand stuck on on everything.

You know throughout the.

Game you have to make these and well, well maybe they made the game time adjustments, but the kids on the field just weren't good was an adjusting, yeah, or just not good enough?

Good enough to adjust to it?

Yeah, okay, tem Mac is the first player in Arizona football history to be named the finalists of the for the Fred Bleachnikoff Award.

Yes, so you can hate me if you want to, Lamont. I know you're teetering on that. But I said before the year, I probably said this to you that I thought by the end of the year that team Mac would be the best player to ever play here.

I'd have to temper that because he didn't. He didn't. He played really well.

Obviously he was the star of the show, but the show wasn't that great to watch, that makes any sense. And we know the greatness of your brother, we know, and we know the Bruskies, we know the So I don't think he took that over no. I.

Even even if he if the team would have played at a so much higher level, I still don't think he would unless unless he was drafted higher than Ricky or Teddy or Kevin Singleton.

Well, so that's to be determined exactly, but I don't. Yeah, that's nottin, But I can't see that her eyes saw it more than me because you witnessed it, you played it. But by no means you know, I mean, and it was two different type of football, right. He was on the offensive side, which is glama, glama glamour.

Ricky was on the decent side of football. And Ricky had done some you know, some things that would never be caught. You know, the leading tackler led the Pac twelve at that time in interception as a linebacker.

You know that that won't happen again.

You know.

Of course te Mak he got the record, that took it from Bobby Wade. But you know, unless he get a little high and draft and now regularly still has to go.

Yeah, no, I think so too, because because the season didn't match my expectations, he's still to go.

Nick Foles shares his support via Twitter of Brett Brennan or Poorly being back for next season.

Yes, did you see that tweet? Very two good guys talking about.

Two good guys?

Right?

And I respect that, you know, you respect that coming from a player of that that that that level. And he and again you know, Nick sees some things and Brennan that some people can't see, you know, so you got to respect that also.

To be fair, to be fair, lamon And I don't know if you feel this way. One season is not enough. He was here ten the conditions were not right, you know, he came in late. Had it been me, I don't know, because I don't know how to spend other people's money. But you know what, there's some issues they need to get fixed.

And I'm sure at the end of the season all of those issues was addressed, you know, issues that's obvious issues and issues that we don't even know about. Right, but all those issues has has to be addressed. If not, then the person who's his balls need to be right. Question, Well, now it's now. It's belongs to her at this point in time, right, you know, and and and you know that's the.

Way it should be. So so let me say this. You know the fan base better than I do, because you've seen it for years forty fifty years now. This is a fickle bunch. Many prove it to me otherwise I ain't.

Showing up and and and that's gonna take place. Things here the season tickets is gonna go down. Yeah, and and it's it's gonna be up to her to get those numbers back up. They got to be creative to come up with some great campaign in regards to getting those butts back in that seat.

You know what wins those butts in the seats? Win Winny, Yeah, when he does.

Al Shahar suspended three games after his hit on Trevor Lawrence.

So did you see that hits? So what did you think about that hit? He could have came off? I mean, it was a vicious hit.

It was it was too and not only that hit, but his previous history.

Okay, so obviously, yeah, he has history.

He has history to show that that he purposely go out and make these things, these hits happen. And that was I mean, that was that was he laid in. So you you you played that position. It's a brutal game, right, It's a brutal game. I didn't play at that level or any level. You can hit a guy and I want to go there. I want to go there. So, So, have you ever been a car crash?

No?

Okay, so you know you you know the bang bang, you know the bang bang. You can see it coming and you almost you can't avoid it. That's what these guys are dealing with every day because it.

Was what do you do if you're that guy? Pull you? You got? You got? I mean that much time.

Well, you know the thing is, at this point in time, you know your condition to pull off because you know, if you hit a person like that who's given up.

I'm talking about that, but I get it.

If you he's given up, you know there's a big fine that's coming behind it something and then and the games taken away from whatever it may be. So you know, it slows the game down defensively for you, you know, because the fact is that you you're constantly thinking, if I hit this guy the wrong way, it's going to cost me by blah blah blah. And that's completely slowing the game down. Becoming an offensive game at this point

So back in the day, I used to say this to all types of offensive it's white offensive players drive cadillacs and defensive guys.

Don't I know, everybody want to be an end zone, right everybody want to do that little danced up and down the field, right.

So even more so now because the defensive teams are disadvantaged damage.

We can't do the things that we used to do. But no means.

Aaron Rodgers tells Pat McAfee his goal is to play all seventeen games this season.

Okay, okay, how many more games now?

And maybe win one? Yeah, we wrapped it. Wait what's the what number game they are right now? Fourteen? I think I think fourteen? So his hopes is three more? Are you a Jet?

Sadly yes, yes, because he's from New York? So wait, wait, three more games? When would that put them? I think I just hope they tank and get a good draft pick. So they tank it every year.

You know the record, they're three and nine. Oh my god, they're three and nine. So what is three more wins going to do for?

I know?

So why play? He said he.

Plans to be back next year, so do you like?

But maybe not with that team?

He said he doesn't know if he'll be back in twenty twenty five, but he would go to the Jets.

Would you if it just would happen? This is a loaded question. Would you want him to quarterback your team. Not no, not the type of coaching player he is right now, right right, that's see, that's a fair answer. He turned forty two yesterday. Forty two.

I thought it was like thirty nine forty Oh yeah, But no, I don't like the mentality.

No, I mean I don't like I just don't like his demeanor and what he is to carry himself.

So let's go there, let's go there.

Back in the day. Uh, back in the day. You don't don't know any names, I don't unless you want to. Uh you had your roster of eighty four or whatever it is. How many of those guys have done? Shut up, man, just play? Just shut up?

Uh.

Well, see, there's a difference on the team I played. We saw so so we we.

Was like you know, old and thirteen and things like that. You know, so you couldn't afford to take it. There was nothing there on my ass back of it. But I'm sure you know teams that was playing for, you know, playoffs and championship games like that, of the guys would say shut up and you know, play the thing. If you're talking about the pros, Oh yeah, you know I'm talking about you.

Oh, Oh that that is quite different. I mean I think we had pre Madonnald's like that they was. They just know that they was pre Madonnald's right. We let them no that they was a bunch of prema dominations, and we treat him that way, and they changed their personality, did something different with themselves. I mean there was guys that was thought they was Prima Donna's get away with certain things.

No, no, no, you could throw them I'll say.

Yes, because but they might have sat it that way, but they probably end up very hot productive playoffs.

Smith.

Coach Smith was a no nonsense type of a coach and and if you did it he I mean there was no favoritism.

Whatsoever you better not do in front of him.

Well, but whatever you did, you did. But what I'm saying there was no favoritism in regards to a type of a player.

Everybody was treated the same.

I mean from a Ricky Huntley to the last guy on our roster was treated the same.

I mean I've seen Ricky.

Get one up and chewed out by my personal linebacker coach, you know, because Ricky was horsing around, messing around, and.

Coach Rogan didn't deal with that.

That was his personality, you know, so we didn't have those type of players running up and down off.

I apologize for this question. Is he still around coach?

He's no longer with us. I think it's been about two years now, just recently, Yeah, about years now. You hear some stories about all this old school dude. We're real football coach, I mean really really could believe.

In you as a person, as a as a football player, and gave everything that he had to let as you could he coach in today's world.

No, too tough. He's too tough for them. Yeah, that's he's too He's very much too tough for them.

I mean if I go up and down the roster of coaches I had in my time, yeah, I mean because they no nonsense coaches. I mean, you was brought here for a reason, and you belong to me. Now, okay, you belong to me now your minds. You know, Mama can't help you, Daddy can't help you, the military exactly, you on mind field.

So so you know even you know, get up, put up, or get out.

Well imagine now today you have to coach. You say you say that to the kids. Well guess what I got four months, I'm out of here.

I'm out here anyway. I'm out of here exactly.

So it's I mean, it's a whole different And you know, I can't I keep going back to the fact of who you're bringing in here is really gonna dictate to what kind of team you have, you know, So I think when they out there recruiting these kids, you know, I mean, you can't make a mistake.

Now, you can't make the mistake. You're definitely right. You got to get true people.

That's that that you know can be a part of your your DNA as far as what you want as a player.

I've said this on the show to a number of times. People ask me, so, what makes the difference between a pretty good player and a guy who's just not there who cares? And your answer is exactly the parents, how they raise them, what they think, uh, and how they act. If they don't have that, they're going to be paid in the next Uh. The prima donnas and we don't need them, just not team guys.

And they're pours for the team.

And you got to you gotta weed it out and get rid of it, don't bring it in.

That's the here's the here's the problem. The coaches think I can fix this. The ego, you know, I can fix this.

I want to be visited, appearents you.

The thing is we we growing up, Rick and I and growing up we we we we But particularly didn't want to disappoint our mom, you know, so we knew she gave us off to the coaching staff.

So you gotta call. You're on the air and eye on the ball. Who's this, Steve? How you doing?

Buddy?

Hey? What's going on?

Rick?

I'm coming after your money tonight?

Oh you have you haven't one since you had no gray hair?

Oh, buddy, it's been I'm on a I'm on a bad streak right now.

I'm okay, keep it another night.

You know what?

You know?

Lamon, don't you?

Yeah?

Hey, Rick? Can I give you some money?

Man?

So I can, you know, go on top of that beat?

Yeah? Right a head by the way, I lost.

I tell you what.

Jamison wis Winston?

Last night?

Senor pressed the heck.

Out of me. I was, you know, And he had a couple.

Of bad throws, but he played ball and I.

Love his attitude. That young man has proven himself and I'm an old Browns fan and a Detroit Lions.

Fan, So I haven't seen the.

Super Bowl yet, but at the end of the day, I want to get to Arizona and Steve, you and I've talked about this. You're talking about the nil money and it's going to be real hard for Arizona to compete. And I'll go back to the days when Dick told me he wasn't recruiting A and B players, he was recruiting middle of the road and he coached them up. And I think coach Brennan is going to really have to do that because it's going to be real hard to compete with those A plus players.

And I'll just leave it at that, gentleman.

Yeah, I totally agree, And by all means you're absolute right. I mean, that's that's the markey and the makeup of our university. I mean, those the type of kids we we gotta go after and get into this university. And you know, and hopefully we can get some coaches they can coach them up and and get them will leave in And what that block A stand for, I mean, you know that block A does have history behind it.

That blockade got meaning behind it.

You know, so you bring them in here and and and and teach them and treat and teach them about the block A and what it all is about. Then and then you you know, you got an investment in this thing, and and and and hopefully that can make a big difference and get this thing turned over real quickly.

Rick ahead, and I'm one more point. Here's the one thing about Arizona. I grew up watching you know, I go way back into the sixties.

Uh, But we don't.

Have a lot of locals, uh, like you have in the SEC in the Texas, even in southern California. We don't have a lot of people that lived here. We have a lot of transient people in this town and they want to be part of the Hollywood environment when you're winning, and you couldn't find them if you're losing. And that's unlike other schools around the.

Country, Arizona just doesn't have.

That local following anymore because we have so many people that came from someplace else.

All right, I think we got more We.

Got more people from Michigan than we have from you know that grew.

Up in Tucson, Ohio. Yeah, you're right, okay, Rick, just right, just remember the games tonight. That's your first trouble.

Okay, Oh buddy, you're not getting free layer.

Okay, let's take a break because we're gonna get a hold of Coach Middleton on the other side.

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Welcome back to Ian the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve ROVERA, you're Lamont Hunley and now on the phone, we have coach Middleton from push Ridge State champions How does that sound?

Sounds awesome? Sounds awesome. Well earned and we worked hard for it, kid, did a great job.

We had you on I don't know four weeks ago, six weeks ago, and uh when did you When did you get this feeling that this was a great possibility.

Well, I thought, you know, I thought I knew we were gonna be a good team going into this season. We had a good training camp and played real well. But it was actually the game that we lost to Benjamin Franklin at I think ignited our guys. I think they uh uh, Benjamin Franklin came out and punched us in the face and and uh uh, you know, it

So most of the time in Lamont, and you probably know this, you get beat, you know, you've got to get.

Better and that helps. And that's what the case was with this, right.

I mean, did you think at any point that you might have started getting a little full of yourself before that?

I don't know if we got full of ourselves. I think we were comfortable, you know, and.

Uh, I don't. I don't think we were cocky or arrogant or anything like that. But I think what happened needed to happen, and it did and uh and we got better. And that's that's a tribute to our kids because they, uh, they absolutely acted on it.

Well.

Coach, is a tribute to yourself just as well. This is lamon humbley here. I just wanted to reach out and tell you that. And bringing that trophy home and and the things that you guys have been doing up on that heel, it made his class act. I mean, I see you guys in the paper as well as I see you on your Facebook and things like that to me as a class act. And that's a tribute to you and your coaching staff. So congratulations, man. Is this the first one or you don't have multiples at this point?

Correct?

No?

I No, I don't I have one. This was the first one.

Okay, well that's even special. There you go, there you go.

But but push, this is pushed for its second one in a time period or what were we talking?

Yeah we want one back in twenty fifteen okay, and then played for the championship in twenty seventeen.

Excellent, Yeah, yeah, no question. So how does this feel? This being your first one? And I know you have the kids in the room.

So.

It's outstanding. I mean, like I said, to watch them celebrate Saturday night after the game, and to know the work that they put in a year. And you know, these guys they're champions on the field, but they're also champions off the field. Uh.

They conduct themselves with uh.

With with great with great behavior, and they just do a great job. They're polite, kids, are funny kids. They make fun of me all the time. They've done it. Just a great, outstanding job. And uh really really happy to see them get to celebrate this.

And you getting, like Laman said, you bring it home. Uh how special is it? Because you know two sons of the little brother right do you be going against the Phoenix schools blah blah blah, and and you pull this off and and how does that feel?

You know, Sabino won it last year, the three A state title, and uh, I.

Think you know, Mike col Mounts got a chance to win one this weekend. Uh, it's you know, the three A South is the toughest conference in the three A division, So you know we play we play tough teams weekend and week out during our regular season schedule, particularly in our conference, and so I think it prepared us for it. You know, we we beat three number one teams on the way to the championship. And but but we were we were battle.

Tested because because of our tough because of our tough conference.

Well, you got you one? How do you prepare to get another one? Are you already talking about that? Are you?

And sophomores in the You gott ask the juniors and sophomores in the class?

Pulling on? Pulling on? All right?

Come on up here? So here, here's a baby face, baby face.

Give us what's the name and your position.

Brendan Keating is a defensive and offensive lineman.

Okay, he's six. Can Brendan can Brendan talk?

Yeah? Yeah, I'm right here.

Oh, okay, it's not a TV thing. Brendan, it's just radio. So you you okay, So.

Tell us about how did this feel and then what's the prospects for repeating?

Oh well, this is all amazing. I mean, being my first year on varsity, it felt good just to have a brotherhood's around a me. I'd like to shout out like Patrick Coyle and Noa Morrison, just kind of big being big brothers on the Owon and Delon. The Next year, it's gonna be great. We got some good juniors and sophomores coming back and like le By Adcock and Aaron Kenworthy and Dominic Painter. Of course, you know, uh but

Coach talked about the defeat and that kind of made spurred you guys to be better. How did that help and what did that mean when you lost or how did that feel?

Oh well, that week, we just it was a rough week for all of us. And that loss is kind of like it kind of ignited something us.

Like coach Mitdt said, you know, we kind of just brought that fire.

We just kind of like lit that fin underneath us something new, like Okay, we're a good team. That's not us and we didn't want that feeling ever again, so we just kind of brought it, but brought it to the rest of the conference.

So, hey, how does it feel being big man on camp is right now? And how long is that gonna last? Buddy?

Uh, it feels pretty good.

I mean, I don't mean statute when the big man on campus, especially after a champions trophy.

Brother Yeah, yeah, yeah, but it feels pretty good.

You know.

Uh, I don't really like to think of myself too much as a big man on campus. I mean it's all brotherhood, so uh, it's just kind of everybody all tied together. So I mean it's just kind of like it's the hugest conference type thing. So it just feels great.

Steve, Yeah, can I like to ask a question to one of our linemen.

They don't get a lot of.

Names in the paper.

His name is Noah Morrison and he was an.

All conference offensive lineman. He should have been off conference defensive lineman. So I'd like you ask him a couple quations.

Sure, okay, what I wanted to ask you? Coaching? Maybe he can ask the kid, uh the student.

Uh.

You guys got a lot of two way players. I'm a I mean, then you're one of them. And how is that playing both sides?

It's a lot of fun.

I mean, I just I just kind of go out there and do my best. I try to play with my brothers.

I mean it's it's a lot of work, but it's it's definitely worth.

It in the end, you know, just playing both sides the balls, maximizing the amount of football I can play.

It's it's just a good time.

So nor you say you play offense and defensive line.

I do.

Yeah.

Okay, what's your size? What's your size?

I'm like six?

Yeah, so so when you.

It?

So, nor you a junior this year?

Right now, I'm a senior.

So let me ask you, is there an opportunity to go to the next level or what did that stand?

No, I'm I'm done with football.

I'm just I was just here to play with my brothers.

So a nice way to go out then, huh.

Oh yeah, it's the perfect way to go out.

Yeah, yeah, no question, tell me. I know he's in the room, so you're gonna have to little wax poetic or whatever. But the coach, the job the coach did. How did he put this thing together?

I mean he's a great coach. He just really brought us together. He's he's a motivational speaker. He just he motivates us day in and day out.

I mean we kind of give him, give him crap.

For it, but he just says like the same thing every day. But he sounds like a broken record, but.

It actually does.

Hell does he have a saying does he have us go to.

H Yeah, he's he.

Always says, it's amazing what can be accomplished when nobody cares.

He gets the credit and just what he's absolutely right. More teams need to understand that.

More teams And look at you guys now, with the position that you're in because of those great words.

Right. In fact, you guys have mentioned brotherhood a few times already, so that must be solid because if without that, you're.

Not gonna go anywhere.

Yeah, this is this is definitely the tightest team I've ever brought been a part of. It's it's it's amazing to be a part of where we would do.

Anything for each other.

We die for each other on this team.

Well just imagine, like you talked about reunions in baseball earlier in ten years, when you come back twenty years, when you.

Come back, guess what you got. You got the you got the title brotherhood, right, and we'll have each other forever and you.

You said it right, It's always going to be there forever brother and it's something that no one can ever take away from you. And you know, I've been blessed to play this game humpteen years ago and I'm still like I played it yesterday and I was on a team, that high school team we won the state championship and I still got brotherhood with those gentlemen. And so it's a beautiful thing. And hopefully you guys can keep this thing going to the rest of your lives.

Yes, sir, Yeah, well thanks, let's talk to coach again real quick.

So I'm a great motivational speaker.

I'm just gonna say, so, you know, Arizona can use one.

That's true. That's true. Uh so this had to be Sometimes going to work sucks blah. Blah blah.

But this must have been fun for you beca because you knew what you had. Oh yeah.

I And the these kids are great to be around. I mean, if if you get in a a joking contest with them, you better be ready because they'll, uh, they'll cut you down the size. And uh, I'm five seven, so that that I was six I was six six. But they've done they've just done a great there. They're just a pleasure to be around. I really enjoy them.

And and you know, I don't think we even you know, this year, I don't think we really.

Even stopped to practice. I know this is true. We stopped the practice to have to do discipline or anything like that. We talked to them after the Ben Franklin game and said, hey, we got to pick it up, and they knew it and they did a great job with that, and and and since then it's been really really good.

So how many how many on the roster? First, just to give me a number, so we.

Only have twenty nine? Oh a roster we brought up. We brought up a bunch of JV players to uh to uh fill out the you know, fill out the roster and look like we had a sideline and uh, but we had really twenty nine kids all year, and you know, the school we played against. You know, we're only a school with four hundred kids and the school we played against that eleven hundred kids. And and that that's what we deal with all the time.

So I had to ask, how many two way guys do you got going? It must be a bunch, yeah, eight or nine?

Definitely, Yeah, so so eight or nine.

So in your small community up there, where are you getting these kids from? With the competition of these kids wanted to go somewhere else, Well, I think, uh.

You know, most of our I would I would assume most of our kids are from the Northwest Side.

Uh, but there's some kids and some stragglers.

That are outside outside the northwest Side, but this is predominantly a Northwest Side school.

Uh.

We also have a lot of homeschool kids that come here. In fact, three of our five captains were homeschool kids. And you know, they've done a great Jobbers.

I don't think we could.

I don't think we could field the football team.

Without homeschool kids. So we've had, you know, we've had some kids come in and.

And just do a great job for us.

So do these kids played together since they were like in Pop Warner or whatever they play here?

Yeah, a lot of them have no doubt. You know, we're up here in the CEO Ironwood Ridge area and a lot of these kids no players on the Ceedo and Ironwood Ridge and some of them even went to Ironwood Ridge early in their early in their high school career. And and uh uh so you know we benefited from them coming over here and and and and and helping us out.

I wanted to ask too, so I obviously asked this with coaches. So you don't have to be humble or you have to be arrogant, whatever where you want to go with this? What's your secret sauce? I mean, this doesn't happen by accident.

Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is our secret, sauce. You know, we're Christian School, and we know that nothing is possible without Him. And everything we do, uh, we do with the face of God. And and we we you know, we try to get better and better better every day. But and then the other secret to this team is their their their cohesiveness. These guys love each other. Uh, you could tell that throughout, you know, even before the season.

So the I was gonna ask you both of the months and you coach, So I'm assuming you you were a player to right, an athlete back in the day.

Coach.

Yeah, so I played.

I played hockey. That's at the U of A.

And a little bit after ye afterwards, I do.

Remember that's three years of football. So so let me ask you this, uh, and and how many years of coaching. This is my thirty seventh, okay, so how many teams of your thirty seven actually.

Had this.

Early in my in my coaching career, we want to stay title at Mount View and they were very similar to this, very close. And then in twenty twelve, I was on the staff at armor Bridge and we want to stay titled. And uh, they were you know, they had played.

In the Dolphins.

They had like eighteen of them and played in the Dolphins. So when they got to high school they were all, you know, they were pretty tight, pretty close.

Yes, well it's special, right, it is. It is special.

Man.

When as you put this thing together. It is it's a life. It's unique.

It's unique, and it's special and you know, and very very very few people get to experience it. And so that's why we're going to chaerish it. But we're gonna be humble while we do it.

Well, well, you know, coach, you said, you used the word humble, but you know there has to be you know, a kudos to you guys too, because I mean, you know, and again I I kind of scope you guys on Facebook and your and your coaching staff that you put together, and those guys up there, you know, doing the X and os is not only just particularly ex and os, but loving those kids and believing in those kids that come from you guys. So that pat yourself on the back.

Well, you know, we uh we got like I said, we got outstanding young men and our coaching staff is fantastic. I think it's the best mistake. I mean, you know, we've got Jeff Stretch as our defensive coordinator and he you know, he led literally the best defense in the state this year. And and then Brent Bart's offensive coordinator who did it, who does an outstanding job. He's an engineer, so everything is you know, right down to a T.

We're gonna ask that you also have the best dancer apparently in the state on a coaching tree.

We love it, right, I guess he.

Does does his thing, But we were gonna ask you about his son who's playing somewhere in college, right. We we were talking about that before you came on the year. Where is he at and how what did he win or was he gonna win for some some some trophy?

Yeah, so so, uh, Evan.

Played here for he started here for three or four years actually, and uh he was he was the offense he was the offensive All Conference Player of the Year for US at senior year. And he's playing at min Not State now and he's up for what's equivalent to the Heisman Trophy candidate at the Division two level.

That's awesome.

Yeah, okay, yeah, so you have that, you have that quality of kids going through that school.

Yeah, we've had We've had great kids. I mean outstand. Tyler Mustain's playing at uh uh the University of Arizona right now, and Ryan Fontein's at NAU and and we got some kids at the D two level and and uh Will Wade at Weaver State. And so we've had some really really good kids come through here. We benefited from great talent, no.

Doubt, right, no question, and good coaching. Well, coach, we share your time.

Thank you. I appreciate you guys taking the time to expose some high school sports.

Sure, no, great and good kids. You can tell why where they speak. Great. Congratulations there, Thanks coach, Thanks you very much. All right, all right, thank you, God bless you.

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Streamy Live on the Ihearts Radio WAB. This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera on Fox Sports fourteen fifty.

Hey, welcome back to ying the back here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera. You're Lamon, honey. Yes, we've got Kobe with us. We got about I don't know about twelve minutes. If you guys want to call five two zero four one six seventy four forty, that'd be great to hear from you.

Kobe. Did you get the name by from Kobe Bryant?

I like to say so, but no I did not. Yeah, see you'll be why Okay, you're not a basketball player. I am a basketwae soccer I played. You participate?

Yeah?

And I intra murals now just for fun? Okay, so you participate? Yeah, okay, Yeah, and.

He's from New York. No one in from New York's the name of Laker? Laker's son. You were probably more Nick you and Nick so growing up?

Who was your guy? Oh? Yeah, yeah, you have to be a selfish shooter.

Okay, again, if you want to call five to two zero four one six four forty, give us a call, give us some questions if you like the l a month. Thank you done for asking your question. I thought don it on the head. You're not You're not Michigan. You're not Ohio State.

You're not. Let's not pretend you are.

In basketball. It's different, Yeah it is, and basketball is different. You've seen basketball. You're a big basketball fan. You're always at the games.

What the hell's going on? Magical question. I'm telling you this soap now, frustrating.

Frustration you Arizona fans have been. This is a frustrating year.

It is so frustrating.

And again, chemistry, let's talk about that. I don't see that happening. I don't see no one saying I'm the man. No, no one stepping up.

I wrote about that after they lost the second time over the weekend and Bahamas, I said, who's the leader?

No, there's not. There's not one. You'd assume kill him, but no, he's not. No leader. No one wants to be the leader and say give me the ball.

You know.

I just I think the ball just happened to go through Love's hand.

Yeah, but you know, the guy that needs to be I think, in my in my humble opinion, is Jayden Bradley. He's he doesn't he's not afraid. He gets after it too young, he's aggressed. But yeah, but still you need that guy. You need somebody yeah, and he's good enough.

But as he evolved himself, I think at the end of the year, maybe, but the one that I thought would step up and be the guy.

Is a Waka. Oh yeah, but he's a new guy. It doesn't matter. He's your guy.

He's been around, he's been in some good he's been at Tennessee, been places.

See you're going with an older, mature guy who's been here one year, and I'm going with a guy who's been here two years.

And he is a younger guy, but he hasn't been on the court to do anything. I mean, I just think I think a waka his body structure. I mean at the beginning of the year, and maybe we was playing who we were playing the difference, but I mean I was, I was, I was totally impressed with this chit and I said, this is going to be our guy.

Sure.

No, I think there's a lot of different little simple issue not simple, but little things that can con my number too things. And I said this she started with the group that I was hang with. Uh one is the candefend the three point line?

They haven't.

They haven't done it in years and now it's just showing how bad they are at it. And two, what what's the signature of Arizona basketball for the last thirty five years? That's that's breaking points, and that's break points and not so much we had low scoring, they scored past they'd be one hundred and eighty liter.

Get the ball up.

Have you seen them do that this year? And that's Tommy Lloyd's signature. Let them go get to eighty five first, and you will win and win the game. Here's the problem. If I'm playing you, uh, and you know that's what I do, what.

Are you going to do to you? You can prevent that just what they're doing exactly. So do you question lois? Maybe? Maybe, but they have to get out early. They have to get out. Make you who's playing me?

Play my pace not yours, because if you stay close four or five six points, they can just do we have those players to what to play that f Oh yes, no question. Well with the three guards running, no question. So again, but why not you're prevented me from doing it? Oh?

Okay, you think the opponents is stopping us from the Yes, yes, But if I got the ball in my hand, don't I dictate.

You do?

But if they're gonna put you in a half court you have problems and everyone has always had trouble in the half court court, even with loots. Time's okay, Hello, you're on the air and I on the ball there. Hey hey Steve Howard, Hey, how are you brother?

Good?

Yeah?

I saw a thing and I don't know if it was on Facebook. They were talking about like Duke, all these good teams, blue buzs wherever going to talk about it? Two losses for Duke and another team no panic and U of A was in the second group a little bit of a medium panic. And then there was a third group. I don't know if it was Indian. I don't know what the teams work, maybe, but with a lot of low losses like a major panic.

Right, no, no, are you are you panicked now?

Or no?

Still to no?

You know what I'll be.

I'll be like George, I'm not panicked.

But the point of it is, you know, you know what George will be?

Tan? Do I need to get ready to press the panic button?

Steve? You know?

And it's like you know, your friend's friend Facebook friends with me?

Right?

Yeah? So I pushed something today that Lenardi, you know, with bracketology, craziness, it's December third, right, December.

Third, you're out of the tournament. Tournament. Well, the way you play there, you go.

Right, but you still got it.

You still when when conference plays, that's when it really starts.

And who were playing? We're playing something good coming up?

U s l A.

We need to be using we played.

And then U c l A.

Guess what U c l A does? Half of course slow it down.

So against Steve is that the coaching not adjusting to his opponent.

You don't you don't have good enough shooters, and you think you would with Caleb and kJ but they haven't done yet.

But then they bring Howard anything else Howard before we go.

But but you were right you said they do need to run.

Yeah, I mean you hit that on the head that one.

They need to shoot.

Run.

They need to shoot, make shots, defend the three, and run. So simple. But thank you had Thank you Howard.

So now we say shooters. Townsend was brought. He had to shoot, not so much he was.

He gave He gave you some good shots for against Canisius in the first one.

I think you need Caleb to hit some shots. Of course we didn't. Kalos should be the shooter. Yeah, we don't.

Jayden can get inside and kJ hasn't done much and he's the star of the show.

Or who's the kid he's supposed to shoot better? Right?

See, they got they got a bunch of salm wannabes.

But they're not the lead. So is that bad recruiting? We don't know.

It's too early to tell. How is that too early to you got six games? Well, two of the are, hope, it is too early to tell. Two of the kids that we talked about were here last year.

Uh three of them?

Three? Okay, three the backcourt it's all about Okay, so three of them were here last year. Let me say this, I've been wrong and I said this, I've been wrong to this point with those three. I said, they look and seem a lot to Bibby Miles and Michael Dickerson, right, And how can how could two of the three go bad? You pick up pick up two three? They're not gonna go bad at the same time they have, which makes me.

Totally wrong exactly. So what's going on here?

I have no idea, So I don't know. I don't know, And you, I think you you might have said chemistry earlier.

Maybe that's it. There's only one ball.

There's one but I can't I mean even if I mean, you get that there's only one ball, but who ever choose to get the ball is not being successful with the ball, right, you know? So so normally time you know that the person who's who's who wants the ball all the time are very successful with the ball.

But that's not happening.

So I think the question if I get to a press conference, which you tell me this week, if I do, and I'll ask you this, this Arizona goes as well as.

Caleb goes, Isn't that scary? That is that's very scary? And why? And you can say and why from a fan? Lamon Huntley used to say, why what's going on?

You know? Why?

What do you what do you think, Kobe?

I think they need another bucket getter guy just score the ball. Lost a lot last year and I'm talent lack of talent.

Well, the one thing that hasn't come to fruition is the big guy Crevous is either he's slow by his injury or whatever.

He's not very He hasn't been impressive to this point. Well, again, why did we think previous was going to be good.

Good question, because I thought he maybe showed some signs a little signs last year. But because he's seven too. But well, you know what, who's leading and rebounding for us? Oh you got walk on the okay, you know. But he's a garbage guy. He's a garbage guy.

And that's what you need.

You need that. Hey, they got these garbage guys, mister Hendy, they have all the pieces. He got the garbage guy. He just needs somebody to throw the ball to. Who can make a basket. Well, that's the pulp. They didn't find anybody to making the well against the teams that they need to beat, right exactly like Saturday, Okay, they win by forty and everything's back.

No, no, no, there's not enough for me. I think teams are.

Playing there, Wason exactly how you need to play them. Make him play in the half court, slow them down, don't get any transition points if you If that's.

The if that's the sauce there, why can't we count?

I acted because you gotta get out early, got to hit some shots. So then open it up because the other team has to catch you.

But you said earlier, we have that type of player.

To do that.

That's that's the mystery.

If you if you don't prevent me, if you don't allow me to be fast by bringing us down, bringing it's it's I won't be able to do it. I just can't because you can milk the possession. And if you get miss your shot and get their offensive rebound, that's another position.

I don't get right. And that's happening. Yes, And that's and that's two has happened now to me is coaching.

I'm going back to go, okay, that's fair, you know, and and and give me a player that can do it, who wants.

To do it.

Well, guess what this is the rosters. This is roster, go deep on the bench, find them they don't have They have ten guys. And that's another thing.

He usually of them. He used to go seven. He has ten guys.

Now in the game of basketball. I'm assuming it takes a little longer. Shouldn't because only five of them. But it takes a little longer for the chemistry to build so they can get to recognize, know each other, feel each other.

Tennessees and what.

I did, I think that's a bunch of yes, because they've been together for a long time already you think is beat there back. I don't think that it's just that other teams have figured them out and have figured out. Give you NCAA tournament games, what's been their achilles seals? Slow down people put them in the fifties sixties, get the most slow down, make them shoot the shot from distance or whatever, and you don't let them get transition points.

Right, there's a difference, right, And and the teams we were playing are really not quality teams at this point.

Duke games and not the duke of the past. No, No, but they're they're in the time Wisconsin, Wisconsin. But they're and they but they're very disciplined in what they do. Slow, methodical. Yeah, this team won't get to it. And you know what they're like averaging eighty five points for the season. You know what, they beat the crap out of two teams. If you take those points out, you'll be fifty six.

Damn exactly because the last game we didn't get like we stay in.

The fifties exactly exactly. Watch watch don't watch Saturday, but watch against U C.

L A.

How they're gonna Cronin is gonna milk it and be tough and blah blah blah, And there was almost even though Tommy says they're built for it. How many times has Arizona been tough in your time? Yeah, I haven't seen it.

You haven't seen it.

It's just a running team without the toughness, right. You may have one or two players who home mine punch you in the face Waka Townsend.

Yeah, the end.

You know, there was some games where it was kind of kind of mystery to this year, this year, this year, and I was wondering why the offense was going through the center so much.

Did you notice that? Yeah, because of Crevous. But if he's not gonna finish, not on the Crevous oak Waka.

They had Creis and a walker in the game at the same time in which Crevious was on the top of the key destripping in the ball to O Waka. It was one game where clockwise love hit did not a guard, didn't touched the ball for like six minutes. Everything went through. I'm gonna take this, Timmy right now, because you tuned into our show right now.

I mean, I mean, I just I want to figure out that offense.

Well, there's no, no, there's right now. When you put them in the half court offense, they struggle. It doesn't look very good, doesn't look very good. Watch watch you can't Saturday Saturday. They're gonna get a lot of transition points. They're gonna have fun, dunk you all that stuff. But how many dunks have you seen? Breakaway dunk h exactly the same thing, exactly right.

I mean like like last year we had what's the kid now? And they said Miami. He went to Miami.

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, Johnson, Johnson, Johnson, Yeah. I mean he would fly through the basket, through the arena.

You know, you're right.

We don't have any of those kids doing that, okay, And we thought Kate, i mean, Lewis would be that kid.

Look, we gotta go, we gotta go. Good show, Thank you,