Streaming live on the Ihearts Radio WAB. This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera on Fox Sports fourteen fifty eight.
Hey, welcome back to win the ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifteen. I'm Steve Rivera. You're Andy Brown. My guess now we have one with breaking news.
This is I on the Ball, Breaking news on Fox Sports fourteen fifty eight.
Happy Tuesday to everyone out there. You're truly missed a good two shoes. Starting off with a Mihitolino, Mihitolindo, whatever you want to call me nowadays. Uh not onload management right now, starting off breaking news with some NFL coaching news. Las Vegas Raiders have fired Antonio Pierce after first full season.
Yeah, we talked about that yesterday right where the chances were pretty pretty good.
I would have never hired in the first place. No, no, no, probably not, because I've said this before.
It's tough to be the substitute teacher getting to become the teacher in the same class.
Yeah, because you were a substitute teacher and you were friends with everything. Yes, so now your friend is now your coach and you don't get it. You don't listen to that guy. Yeah, who wants to listen to your friend? Like he tells you what to do, Like, yeah, you know, I know you. Yeah, you've shared the same you. You weren't just jerked before last year. Used to be my buddy.
And I think the biggest thing that coach rosbro I was coach said to me after a coach I coached the summer league or a summer I coached the kids a camp. After the first week, he goes, you realize you had to be meaner than what you thought, right, And I go, yeah, these kids are terrible, Like they're horrible.
They don't listen. I gotta yell at him.
He's like, yes, so yes. You can't be a friend and then be a coach.
No.
I talked Junior high a few years ago after the paper clolls, just to help a friend out. It was the most minal time I've ever had work. They don't give a crap. They don't give a crap.
I won't say where it was, but they don't give a crap. And one and I.
Told this to some people.
It says, miss Steve, as long as the building is not on fire.
You did a great job. A great job, amblance wasn't called.
Right, you're not in trouble for your good and the kids.
Know that you have to be mean. Man, you do have half the sense of seanness about it.
And the thing is, once you're a substitute teacher, you're not mean because you just kind of want to survive.
And then you become the teacher. You gotta put your fist down and yeah, right, who do you think you are? You weren't that guy? Well, then you have to follow through too, So maybe it's not meanness. So some of the great coaches, they develop a personality, but you have to be you have to be stern, you have to be fair.
Right. So yeah, not to take away from once. Yeah, I was.
Gonna ask, do you think we'll see a change with Brett Brennan where he was kind of that substitute teacher with this team. Now he has his own students, his own class.
Great observation. I'm sure Andy has his thoughts on this. Uh, he'll have to, he'll have to and he has a new audience to do it with. Right, Maybe there's some still people who stayed and probably have.
That doesn't have to coddle anybody and correct correct.
Guys like the point Brian May was, these guys are coming in to play for him, Yeah, and he's not having to keep them right. So there was a group of guys that stayed together because they thought they could play, but they didn't necessarily trust the coach or you know, yeah, it is what it is. But he's got Now, he's got guys that he can he can be himself with well, and that's the whole thing. Can he be tougher himself because we saw what he is, he can be him.
Maybe he had to be a little extra nice this last year, extra accommodated, yes, to keep them. So now he can be more himself and his the coaching style he wants to get it, which means being a little more stern.
Do you in your estimation, both of you? Does he have one year? This is his one? You're you better do it or else?
No? I really he's got to really unless it really goes bad.
If we're ohing a and yes, what if you're two and nine and yes, what if you're yes, what's really bad?
Is really bad? Okay? Anything better? Is okay? Anything better?
One?
I think he's got one.
Just with the pace of college football nowadays, you can't wait around for to see a product.
You gotta see it right away, right. We saw that.
We saw with the issue Colorado too. Colorado got two years, right. His first year was so so, but you have two to three wins.
Yeah, but he was a different dynamic because he got what's in the seats and that kind of you can people poo poo a lot of that stuff, but he got people coming to watching.
But you also have to put up the wins, right, So this year he put up the wins. And you can't not I mean, you can't say that guy hasn't been successful everywhere.
At the end of the day, what are you measured on? Wins? Baby wins, just wins.
Continuing breaking news with some Arizona Athletics women's basketball plays tomorrow at home their first h second conference game at home against the Baylor Bears six o'clock.
Baylor Bears.
Man the program from historically a good time historically.
Are they that good anymore?
I don't know.
I don't think so. But they're still pretty good. I'm sure.
I'm sure because they're the dirt coaches at LSU whatever her name is, right, she left the LSU. Yeah, we'll see what happens.
Yeah, and of course the big time matchup in men's basketball at number twenty one West Virginia.
Yeah, you've got the start.
Right after the show, I was thinking this and I'd have to go back, and I didn't see the notes today for tonight's game. This could be the longest and maybe Sean's end of his coaching career here the longest they've been out of the top twenty five in a long time, because they've been almost a month without being in the top twenty five.
Yeah.
In my time, they were then very rarely out of the top twenty fo right if it's been a month, yeah, so it's a long time for Arizona to be not you know, to twenty five. Wow, come on, you were They were never not in the top twenty five. No, we were always in the top yeah, top fifteen, whatever it was.
They were always in the top.
Yeah.
Well, you know, you know when you and you guys maybe weren't that high before you went to Hawaii lost to continue, right, and then you guys, but you guys, you get surprised on the people. Yeah, and then you're in the top ten for a long time.
Was that signature game?
Right?
I think every season has one. Yeah, I don't know, as Arizona had that game yet signature game, No signature game would have it would have been last last game had they continued, both have because that was easily the best half the first time.
Yeah.
Well, I think that that combination when we played was that kind of Kentucky loss and then followed it up with that Michigan silacking. All yeah, yeah, the fat point that was that week. That was almost that time period of like we're in yeah, we know we're good, right and you had a guy two guys in the damon and then clips.
We have a really good bench. Really have to end with the best one coach?
Can I get you the popcorn and hat some water coach was a gum guy, blue gum or red gum.
Yeah, we've heard that story. Yeah to Arizona football.
Former Arizona cornerback to Carlo Davis did commit to Washington. He's gonna join Jet Fish along with some other Wildcats.
Imagine imagine the the stories being told from from the people who left here to go there.
When they get there, what really happened, what happened last year? What happened?
Go ahead, you can tell me, right, you know, was it again, yeah? Or the vice versa, Hey, is it really that good up here? Yeah?
Right right? How was it last year? That would be?
That would be I should write this book, but you know, I'd have to get the people, okay, to tell me what really happened here, really, because there's always more to the story. That kind of split the team, right steam split? I'm sure, but you know, maybe one of these days I'm actually about it. It's not changing anytime soon. I think kids are going to be bouncing around for years until they figure.
Yeah, And that was one of the thing they had twenty seven people leave Washington. I think that was when I had thirty ish, kind of like, no one's ever happy anymore.
No, no, and you don't have to sit out, so why not? Why not test it?
And I like Gino Gino said, He's like, let's get these kids on contracts. Yeah, let's do some kind of contract where you have to commit for whether it's two years or three years or something with.
Coaches have to go to the same thing. Sure, coaches have contracts.
Yeah, but they break the hell out of those contracts, right, But there's buyout clauses and everything. So now is there a buyout clause or the kids change. Yeah, yeah, do I change my nd il money?
I don't know.
And losing to Cargo, they added a different cornerback, Juco transfer Elijah Brown from Comuno College Communic You've said it like Communal College.
So you saw the kids went to New Mexicoo was it, Thomas?
I didn't see that. Yeah, I'll have to find it. I think it happened. Yeah. Brown. It stands at six foot two, one hundred and eighty four pounds. Uh.
He had seven pass breakups, three eight tens, ever covered a fumble, and his team was seven and four seven and two. Women's basketball South Carolina Ashlyn Watkins toward her acls will be out for the remainder of the season. That is the game cox leading rebounder ouch big time lost for them. Like we said, Arizona pays West Virginia. There's some other good matchups out there. Tonight, Tennessee visits Florida. They had a pretty good matchup that should be fun
with the first time. Yeah, So, I mean Florida just lost for the first time. We'll see if they can reverse that. Does he have to spend on that?
They have Florida by two and a half. I would take Florida. It would take Florida on the road at home, Okay.
And then Michigan goes to UCLA poly Pavilion Las favorite by two and a half as well.
Yeah, Michigan's good new with a new coach from Florida. From Florida, right right.
Like Howard said, the Sons did play. Bradley Bill scored twenty five off the bench, and it prompted the Suns trade talk to silence for now.
Yeah, well, the guy's name was Dorian Thomas. Dorian Thomas. Yeah, he went to mix. I didn't see that.
So the guy throws up twenty five and now he's off the trading blocks. Well, talk to talk like, oh, maybe we keep him. Yeah, so does he know he's.
On the chime blacks. Well he's got.
Oh it doesn't matter. Yeah, we'll see. I wouldn't mind seeing the butler go to go to uh go to to Golden State.
Golden State. People are giving me hand sights on the other side of the okay.
Yeah, yeah, no, no, I think is between the Memphis Golden State and Phoenix for.
Other I would would like to see. But the Golden State, what a Homer.
One, last one, last one, last chance.
I don't know.
Green's the problem to me? What do I know?
Okay, So next season in the NBA, Prime UH Prime Video is going to have a studio show for the NBA, and there there's talks that Dirk Dewhisky and Blake Griffin are going to be some of the analysis analysts UH for that show. Derek Derek was the other name, he said, Blake Griffin, Oh, Blake Sure.
And then to the.
NFL, the Dolphins GM said that Tyrek kill didn't ask for a trade in their meeting.
He did not. He did not?
Yeah? Did he just assumed that he was unhappy or whatever. Yeah, but he wants to go to a winner. Well, he said, I'm out. Oh he did? He said he was out.
I guess in a meeting today with the GM, Yeah, they said.
Did he did not ask for a trade? Wow?
But certainly didn't sounded like he wanted one, didn't he. Yeah, Well, we'll see.
I also thought Antonio Pearce was going to stick around, So we'll see. The Lions are expecting riding back David Montgomery to be ready for the playoffs. He had us mcl injury in week fifteen when they lost the Bills. Has been idline for the last two games, but they they are expecting him back. The duo between him and Jimior Gibbs.
Yeah to.
The Chargers added Zekiel Elliott after he was dropped. The Cowboys'll be ready to go for their postseason run. The Chargers do play the Houston Texans.
Chargers have let me down. All this down your team? How you squad the Charger No, no, I've been picking them.
When I picked it, it's just good and then not so good, not so good and not so good, very very insistent.
Got some college football dues.
Uh.
Boise State running back Asking Gent officially announced that he's entering the twenty twenty five NFL Draft.
Okay, as he should, as you should.
The games are Thursday, right, Thursday, Friday.
Yes, Thursday and Friday. Kind of weird. He had the FCS championship last night.
North Dakota State extended its FCS dominance won their tenth championship in fourteen seasons.
Yeah, that's a that's the team that Fish played right two three years ago, they beat them. They beat him a few years ago, a couple of years ago, and then the day way. They're pretty good those Uh they started off well, I mean they were slacking Mountana State for a minute and then the final score was pretty close.
So final Yeah, yeah, do you see them moving up at all?
I don't know what their coaches are leaving, really they leaveing they took the job at Temple.
The assistant coach is not the head coach. Yeah.
Uh so, Uh, Northern Illinois is going to be joining them out in West as a football only school in twenty six.
Yeah, twenty I got a you know, because I grew up in the West and all that, and people are saying, well, Mount West is going to crap because you know it's not the same.
They're splitting it up, right.
Half of them are going to back the pack whatever, pack eight pac nine, whatever it's going to be.
Yeah, don't make me cry for the pack to the good old days.
Yeah.
What's your favorite trip? Favorite trip besides Maui? You guys, no conference conference? You got these detailed Steve favorite trip?
Mind's easy? Oh I don't know.
Uh.
Favorite one was probably l A l A Really. Yeah, you go to uh stay on the beach, Uh go to cheesecake? What did you get? These kids will go to ent it. We went to cold places. Lowry's was a nice Yeah, you would always go to the fancy places. Yeah, co Italian places literally cared that you guys did want you want? Hamburger's not steaking, No, it is seafood Marker. One night we did uh aunt Kizzy's back because he's back.
I remember that.
I remember it was a nice spot.
I think those I liked the whole l that we played in the old Forum trip, so that was kind of cool. That's what I liked about it. I think the most beating U C, l A and Polly and then going in Schillac and USC in the old Forum and it was just as dingy as you thought.
You didn't like my favorite place all time, Black Court. It was just like he was gonna collapse at any moment. Yeah, and just crazy downstairs on it. It's just crazy. The block rooms were like that, locker rooms like this.
Yeah.
You basically the shower was in the rafter of the room and you had the duck to get into it.
Yeah that place. No, I didn't like that place either. Yeah, no or a good okay, good perfect time. We'll take a break here, get a hold of friend here and talk a lot about college basketball.
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This is I on the Ball with Stebraviro on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. Subscribe now to the podcast on the iHeartRadio app. Just search Pie on the Ball.
Hey, welcome back to E on the Ball. Here all Fox for fourteen fifty. I'm Steve River in for today's Andy Brown. Now on the phone, we have ESP and basketball analyst friend Freshlla.
How are you, coach, Steve.
I'm doing phenomenal. I'm in Waco, Texas. I'm gonna watch a little hoop tonight without working. Cincinnati and Bail were here in about two hours.
Nice. Nice.
Let me tell you something having been I'm a New Mexican native.
I grew up in Santa Fe. Had the tickets at the Mazzazine area in the Lobos. You are the coach.
Let me remind people, you are the coach that had loud Olsen lout as we all know him hatingmuse Steuben.
Yeah, yeah, you know what's funny about that game. It was it was my first year Steve at New Mexico and I was really, you know, I was. I was lost, really an East Coast guy in New Mexico. But we went out there right before Christmas. And of course coach Coach Olson a great man by the way, he had a terrific team, six NBA players on that team.
And I told my team before.
The game, they're gonna go on Christmas break without out telling Coach Olsen.
In other words, they might not take it. They might not take us seriously.
We won on a tip in at the Buzzer, and I do believe we broke a long home streak, and uh, unfortunately.
For me and you, you would appreciate this.
Being a New Mexican That game, I believe was on the twentieth or twenty first of December, and two days later we had to play New Mexico State in the pit in another very emotional game. We lose that game after beating number two Arizona and I had a miserable Christmas.
Yeah.
The funny thing, though, coach you were you were spot on Arizona historically under Loot was Yeah, it was that Christmas game.
Oh nothing worse, but uh we made his Christmas miserable and then the coach Henson and the Aggies made my Christmas miserable. So but anyway, uh, great, great, really great memories. You know, three years in Albuquerque, great fans and quite frankly, and this is a tangential point, Richard Patino's doing a great job there because he's already been fired once that he doesn't take the job seriously.
And I don't mean in a negative way.
I mean he's loosey goosey about being a coach in New Mexico. They have a terrific team, and I think the fans for the most part, they love them today and tomorrow, if you know what I mean, depending on the next.
Game, no question.
Well let me see, I'm gonna Aggie. I'm a lobo, So I understand what Zach wiches. There you go, you and you the funny thing, yep for you. You finished in two thousand and two, I think, and you haven't returned to coaching, which makes you a very smart man. Smart man given the circumstances of today being a coach in Nil and all the bs, we're bat.
Well, no question, you know.
Actually I was forty three years old and I had been to eight post seasons in nine years as a young head coach. And I had two little sons at the time, nine and six, and I my wife's from Dallas, and I said.
Let's move to Dallas.
I think I'm going to do a little ESPN then I'll go back to coaching. And I've been blessed honestly because I love what I do. I take it seriously, you know how much I You know, I'm associated with the Big twelve simply because we lived in Dallas forever and quite frankly, when BYU comes into the league or this year Arizona, and of course I know all these coaches. I've known coach Lloyd a long time. I try to
treat Arizona as good a program as it is. It's a blue blood like they're no different than any other Big twelve team in terms of, you know, the exposure and so you know, for example, Saturday was a great win for them. Was happy for them, but I love what I do and I never did go back to coaching because the great Jimmy Valvano said, don't mess with happy.
And I've been undefeated now for twenty two years.
Yeah, no, no question about that. You found your niche and you do a great job. In fact, I was listening to the game.
I covered the team home home at least forever. Now you hit a couple of points with Henry, I feel the same way you are. He's kind of like a young deer in the headlights. He was that way too. Yes, when you first got here. He's maturing now into his position.
Yes, And I'll tell you, you know, you hate to say it this way, but it's additioned by subtraction.
Not that they don't miss Moe Krebas, because.
They certainly will, But will you take away a guy that unique with his size and the way the way you play him? Obviously, Carter Bryant and now Henry are getting opportunities as necessity is the mother of invention here and quite frankly, I think both of those guys not only were brilliant on Saturday, but I think the long term prognosis for this season is that they're going to
get better and better. I know Henry suffered from a lack of confidence early in his career prior to red shirting, but what he did on Saturday shows me that when he's a junior and senior, he's got a chance to be a beast.
And of course Carter Bryant.
As you know, and Wildcat fans know, I think they've been waiting for this kind breakout game from him, and you can see why NBA teams are excited about him, you know, both in the near term but really more importantly in the future. I don't think he's ready for the league by any stretch, and well, I would hope he stays around for a few years, but he obviously has NBA level of talent as long as it comes out the right way, which I think coach and the staff will do right.
Right you You, I think before in most people, most coaches, you have an eye for the Euros, right, the international players. Yes, why don't other coaches do that? You know, Tommy does that? Why don't you think other people?
Yeah, Well it's changing, Steve, Tommy was ahead of the curve quite honestly, what he did at Gonzaga for twenty years. You know, I'll tell you why it's changing, because for many many years in European basketball, particularly in the countries that were serious, Sir, the former Yugoslavia, Spain, Italy, those kids when they were fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, they were really quasi professionals.
You know, Ricky Rubio, Luka Doncic.
Tommy at Gonzaga found the kids that he could convince to come to Gonzaga, like a Ronny Turioff as you remember from France, and then they just they he found a niche.
Well what's happened in recent.
Years with nil, with the economies and the various pro leagues in Europe and the kids don't get the bonus money they used to. You know, a kid from Spain or Serbia's I don't want to say stupid, but would be passing up an incredible opportunity to come to a place like Spokane or Tucson to play college basketball. I mean, I think about you know, the great Duson residents. You know, when Dues came over, it was rare that a Serbian kid left to go to college because they.
Usually turned pro.
And I say great, and I say that jokingly, but I know Dues, I talked to him about it. Amazing experience in four years at Arizona, and I think that's the norm now, that's becoming the norm, whereas twenty years ago it was very hard to get European kids to come to the States because the pro teams had their arms around them.
Right, is there a is there? Do you coach these kids differently or you know, are they the same?
Well, it's interesting, that's a really good question. I think depending on where they come. First of all, the average European kid, unless he grew up in Paris, they think Buffalo, New York is like Hollywood or Las Vegas. Okay, they're just they're just glad to come to the United States, you know what I mean.
So, and oftentimes they've.
Been really well and hard coached as young players, so they're used to coaching, they're used to discipline, they're use they're great teammates, you know, buying of large they come out of a great team oriented system, which is why, by the way, almost twenty five percent of the NBA are kids born outside of the United States.
Because when you think of all the kids that are.
In the league now from around the world, they're all they fit in great because they're all great teammates to fundamentally sound. So I don't think he coached them any different. You can get on them and get him to go hard and they love it. And again when they get an opportunity to come to a place. I mean, seriously, think about you and I if we grew up in Europe and we can come.
To Tucson, Arizona as a six.
Foot nine, eighteen year old, you don't think it would be like Nirvana?
No, you know what I mean?
Eighty four degrees, eighty four degrees, pum trees and cute girls, so oh no.
And a scenery.
I was gonna say, I was gonna mention the scenery, you know. And I'm not talking about the Sonaria desert eve though.
You're exactly right, exactly right.
So you you did the UCLA game, and you did last week's skin in Cincinnati.
You've been into the times like this. I'm sure, what's up with the leads? They can't hold the leads? And how do you prevent stuff like that?
Oh?
I just think it's a matter of you know. I Well, first of all, think about it.
You're playing good teams.
You know when you play when you played Mick cronin which you know Arizona has done forever. You get up thirteen and they just didn't know how to put Ucla away that day.
You know, we know that, right, They really gave that game away.
I mean, but I also think given the crowd, which was awesome on Saturday at Cincinnati, given the fact that Cincinnati made this furious comeback, you know, the Wildcats had a little bit more left in the tank maybe than they did when they played Ucla in Phoenix. And that's how you grow up and win close games. And I got to tell you, as we were scrambling out of the building, we went out past where the Cats were heading to their locker room. And I've had this experience
as a head coach. There's nothing like a road win because they're so hard. So I would say they learned a good lesson on Saturday based on what they did in Phoenix, and it'll serve them well. I do think I have a lot of hope. See and I'll say this because this is the first year Arizona's in the Big twelve. The league is down compared to where it normally is. We know how good the SEC is this year.
The Big twelve has been the best league in the country according to Ken Pom nine of the last eleven years. But it's not a normal year for Kansas. Arizona took some hits, losing, you know, some really good players. They were lost Eve Mecie to the NBA a year earlier. Now he may be Rookie of the Year. So it's a it's a it's a down cycle for the league, which means they're they're they're not They're not going to drop lower than second or third among all the best
leagues in the country. But I expect that the league will upturn here, uh you know, next year. But having said that, there's still seven or eight or nineteenths that that are going to be in the NCAA tournament.
Yeah, and there's some question about Arizona, but let me let me say this because we talked about this before they got into the league and they started playing. So we know the reputation of the Big twelve, and you just mentioned how good it's been so so arisonly in the Pac twelve, you know, kind of runs away with it maybe every now and again, nine out of ten times they don't get really tasted until the tournament and
then they'll phase out. So we're thinking, Okay, now they're gonna have to play tough for the twenty game schedule, but they're gonna beat each other up and by the time March comes, they're tough.
Well that that that, you know, I've seen that happen through the years. And I know I was in the Big East two different times, and I was there during the golden era of you know, Beaheim and Thompson and in Massamino and you know, as a as an assistant at Providence for Rick Barnes. We got, we got cooked, we got we got cheated one year out of Michale uh when we brought a good, good Providence team out there.
But I'm just joking about that. I was a young coach with Rick Barnes. But I think Richie Bowdenserios actually did the game, so I might be half right about that.
But you're right, No, I'm joking. It was hard.
It was hard to win there.
But no, I think you know, Houston started last year one and two in the league, but they were so good they ran off ten straight games. I would say, this isn't what I tell all the new coaches that come into the League. Now, Tommy's been around forever and he's you know, obviously all that time a Gonzaga. But I told Mark Pope this last year, Tommy, the key
is win your home games. Because when you've got a great home court like the Marriott Center or the McHale Center, you know, I think Arizona's got a great chance to go eight.
And two, nine and one at home. And if they do that, Steve, and let's.
Say you go four and six on the road or five and five right and all of a sudden, you're fourteen and six or thirteen and seven and you're cruising into the NCAA Tournament. So despite the crazy tough losses in Atlantis, there's a lot of quantum one opportunities left and there aren't a lot of teams in my opinion, that are gonna beat Arizona at McHale. And that's the key to the Big twelve is defending your home court advantage.
Yeah, you've traveled a lot doing your job now and not as coach because you've been out a while. But look, Arizona played on Thursday. You did that game. Now they have to wait five days to play this one and be away and all that stuff. What do you think of the new system with the conferences, because it's crazy, Well, it is crazy.
It's unfortunate.
I mean, I'm a sport I'm a football fan, and the PAC twelve last year was the best football conference in the country. You know, when you think about it, I think top to bottom was you know, you had all those great quarterbacks and obviously the Wildcats were good, and you know, there were a bunch of teams Oregon, Washington State, Washington was really good. And it's unfortunate. I mean,
the adults have ruined college athletics. You know, you and I have been have been watching this for a long time, and I think that's a fact, you know. And the realignment stuff is just ridiculous, you know. And you and I both know the great you know, the great late Bill Walton and how sick he was about the PAC twelve kind of going by the wayside.
So I don't like it.
It's the new normal.
And you know, like like for example, to your point, at least Arizona gets a long road trip out of the way, you know, early in January.
Without school being in sessions.
So and I give him a good chance tonight if they win this game and come home three, and oh, I mean, I think it bodes well for them. And I get back to what I said earlier somehow crazily without Mo Crevas, this team actually might be better now because everybody knows their role. You know, Henry knows he's going to play twenty minutes, Carter Bryant's gonna probably play twenty minutes, Tobey's not going to be in found trouble, you know, the guard, the way kJ is accepted coming
off the bench. There's a lot of positives going on. I think that come out of the early season disappointment. And I saw a Houston team last night that lost three games in November, which hadn't happened forever.
You know, they don't usually use lose their third game until February in recent years.
And that Houston team, I believe is gonna get better because they got knocked on the head early on. And I think the same might be true for Arizona. They're not the most talented team in the country, but there's enough pieces there, especially when Caleb is on, and they're getting good guard play from Bradley, and you know, kJ and Deli's figuring out how to play high major basketball.
I like where the.
Team is headed. And as I said earlier, keep in mind, they're gonna be favored in every home game.
Yeah, maybe the last question, you know, in your prep for Thursday and maybe even last week or when you played UCLA maybe two weeks ago, did you have a chance to speak to any of the players We all know Tommy, but maybe with kyleb or Jayden and get the sense of who they are.
No, it was tough, you know. I didn't trying to think.
You know, I know the staff well, Renbachamiss and coach Murphy and those guys.
I did it.
And you know what's unusual about that, Steve is when I lived in Dallas and I live in Colorado Spury now, but I could drive within four hours of like eight Big twelve schools. Yeah, so I would see these kids in September and October at practice, and you know, for example, Buddy Healed.
I got to know Buddy really well through four years at Oklahoma.
Or you know, the kids at Bail or the kids at Texas back then, and so I really do get to know them well.
This group not as much.
And I know every one of these guys from reputation, watching them USA basketball, things of that in nature, but not yet getting to know them the way I normally get to know these kids.
Yeah, well, maybe last question. So I've known of you and Reiportation for a long time, obviously having been at New Mexico and you coach for a long time. How do you keep those competitive juices going? Now everyone has that, Well.
You know, it's funny, it's a good question.
I've been around basketball every day of my life since I was fourteen, literally going up in New York.
I do something with basketball every day of my life.
And now, granted I'm in the playground of life, and this is you know, I have a lot of I have a lot of useless information in his head that's you know, basketball related. But my competitiveness, quite honestly, is to be able to tell the fan I want him to say, I want I want an Arizona fan to say, wow, it's the first time I've heard friend, you know, on Arizona games and he really knows my team. And the worst thing that someone could say to me a coach
in the league is fran didn't do his homework. So I still treat the games. If you remember on Saturday. I was talking about fouling the young. Yeah, you know, like we found when I was with Rick Barnes in the nineties early nineties. We used to found Stevie Thompson in the first half when we got into the bonus because Stevie was a thirty two percent foul shooter. So I try to take all my coaching knowledge and then all the stuff I you know, all the stories and try to weave him into a broadcast.
So that people can say, you know what.
I don't always agree with him, but he certainly does his homework right, and that's my competitive juices.
Yeah, you were talking about Zeke cuts and cuts to the bat and what the hell you were talking about. But I understood it.
Yeah, yeah, No, it's what I It's what I love, and I'm blessed to be doing this. This is my twenty second year and uh, I got to raise two sons, be home with them a lot ones with the Washington Wizards right now, young coach, and my other son played. Yeah, the other son played at Harvard, was a billing over for five years and he's back coaching at Harvard.
Great.
Great, We will thank you a bunch. I hope to talk to you again as we move forward.
Thank you, happy to do it anytime, and uh we'll catch up soon. And hey, by the way, you're an aggie go Lobos.
Sorry about that.
Are you coming down here?
Are you gonna be here at Are you coming any games again?
Yes?
Okay, yeah, we've only we've only got our schedule till February third, but I right now I'm scheduled to big Monday, Iowa State Arizona.
In a couple of weeks.
Great super game. We'll see you then.
Be a good one, great thing, all right, man c Seve all right, bes.
Friend for showing from ESPY and that good stuff. Let's take a break and come back.
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 Ludelsen era in my new book, Lessons from Lout It was a labor of love through the eyes of twenty five former players, coaches, and friends that give insight to the coach and the man who led them, competed against them, and inspired them. Twenty five chapters for his twenty five years as Arizona's beloved coach. Lessons from lut is an insight to how he built the program
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Streamy live on the Ihearts Radio whif this is Eye on the Ball with Steve Rivera on Fox Sports sporteen fifty.
Hey, welcome back to Whying the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifteen. I'm Steve Vera, your and brown from Thanks for having me today, Steve. Yeah, it was not by fast as always does.
It was just when it's a good show. One one with us as well. Uh, brand was good. I like that that guy could talk. Yeah, and he knew what he was talking about. I mean, he's been doing this a lot of time, unlike us. Yeah, he's a professional in the building. He gets paid, he gets paid very well. Isn't it cool? I don't know, isn't it cool? But you have an option? What would you do if you
didn't do what you do? Because like he has, he was a coach and he said, hell with this crap almost about to hit my buzzer, Yeah, help with this crap up.
I'm gonna do this and enjoy it. Yeah.
He took a time off for a take a hobby and then turned into just like you know, you know who's going to be good at this too? And I know he went to coach, but he shouldn't. I was agent now, right, Josh Passner, Josh, do anybody Yeah?
Right now. Yeah. Just and he's good at he's a talker, he's informative.
You know, why deal with what's your crap? No, what would you do with you? What would you man?
I have a couple of hobbies that i'd like to count. One of them long division is not one of them. I would love to be a fisherman. Guy, fisher guy. I got to take you on fishing trips down to Mexico and sit you on the beach with a pinata and then naked fishing the next day, and yeah, you you and my uncle would be a fantastic he does.
Yeah.
So that's one of my things, is fishing in the where it's warm. Yeah, once in a while. I had to ask her when in the summertime. But that would be a fun thing for me to do. I'd love to do a little guide fishing and stuff. Cool. I don't know if I want to on a boat per se. No, maybe I just broke her the deal. Those are just headaches, yeah, like pools.
No.
I saw I met a guy down in Cabo this last couple of years and he's like, no, I used to own a boat for thirteen years.
He goes, Now, I just broke her the deal.
Yeah, so I make the deals with the hotels, I make the deals with the captains, I make the deal with the fish processing he gets and then I make a cut I transportation I want.
So then he makes a deal. Yeah.
Well we talked and I kind of joked with you, but you might be going to the uh the America's was what I say, Golf of America.
Golf of America, right head down the Golf America. Yeah, to go fishing. That's the best to get out unplugged.
What a life? What a life, miss Brander. I'll tell you what.
Sometimes you work hard and you gotta play hard. Yeah, and you're still a young man. Yeah, fifty one of my fifty two. Oh yeah, you're definitely young.
Yeah.
Getting up there though, Yeah, that's cool. That's cool. Anybody want to call and you can take some calls. Five two, zero for one, six seventy four forty. Who's gonna win tonight? Did you believe anything that Franz said? I totally believe. I think Henry is the guy. Maybe not auditioned by subtraction, but the team looks different and it has a flow to it. I think now he's playing Henry's playing. He got he knows he's not coming out right. When you know that you can play and not have to look
over your shoulder, then you're gonna play better. And you're constantly looking on his coach gonna take me out? Or am I coming out? Or he's just playing with more confidence?
Yeah, and then he's nice to see him play like that.
I really liked him when he was a freshman. I can remember doing a story on him just because he looked the part. He was thin as all hell. Oh yeah, remember he was real thin.
Now my wife calls him the Skinny Minies, but they were skin skinny minies. They were so skinny, skinny minnies. And then Special K. We call krevious Special K.
And he came back. He was like a seven foot five. He came back big race. Seem like he did Big Kid. Yeah, but now we'll have to know.
Never they have problems with their feet though, you Yeah, I mean Walton had those problems to it's just once they got them, they they don't never seem to go away.
Right.
Yeah, you let me ask you a dumb question. I was gonna ask this a friend, have you watched any of Indiana basketball. They're not any good.
They're not.
Yeah, yes, have you have you have you seen some games? You've seen some games. Yeah, he wouldn't have been any different this year with this team.
Yeah. No, he wouldn't have helped them either way.
No, I think it would have helped them on early on a couple of those big games where they needed a presence inside, but they needed a rebounder. I think now the team knows they have to rebound better.
I don't. They just needed that big body.
And when you do those early games when you're not up and down, everybody's not quite in shape yet where you can just PLoP them down in the middle.
And that's what he was, and that's what he was.
He was seeing a lot of grief from a lot of people that he was out of shape and they hadn't seen him. He was a plot He's a plotter. Yeah, plotter is not very going up and back. And I guess he did something. He had a couple of good games. Was I watched he put in eighteen points and eleven rebounds.
Yeah he did. Last game.
Yeah, they beat They upset somebody on the road, and that what it was.
Yeah.
Yeah, but he looked like he was plotting again, like really slow for whatever, and then he was suspended before that for doing whatever he was doing.
Yeah, but I was just curious if you thought. And in another addition, subtraction, I don't think he would have done any better. No, no, And people were talking about wish No, don't don't wish that, you know, be careful what you wish for, Be.
Careful what you wish for.
I think in the short run he might have done it better at the first couple of games, but as you see, as teams get into shape and other people, he'll get here to get left behind. But I think he's in the perfect conference, the Big ten, where you just sit and bang all day long. I think you found the right conference to be in.
You did you find this interesting where he said the Big twelve was down, and I agree it's not.
With Kansas.
Everything kind of automatically goes down with Texas and right well, and what Kansas Kansas. It's like when when the football in Pac twelve, when you USC and Washington and Oregon are not good, or US he is not good, you think the league is not.
That good at least the perception. The perception is Yeah. No, I think they're down for sure.
Irish States pretty good, Ioway States good, Houston pretty good.
They're all going to be good. I just looked at the top. They're all good.
Yeah, I mean yeah, even the guys on the bottom that are owing two right now in the conference, like Cincinnati's, Like wow, these guys played hard. He talked about it was on going nine to one in league play here at home, right, Yeah, nine and one.
If you can go five and five on the road in the league, that's fourteen. That'll get you in.
Maybe he is a six seed, five seed right in a pretty good conference, right, But can they pull off five and five? I mean, this is a huge game if they do pull it off. Sure, I think there's some games out there you're gonna steal. They have to and you can't lose any here. Maybe one, maybe one if if that. But come on, I'm excited just all these new teams coming in and playing new teams. Well, you have seats, right, you have seats.
I for the first time in a long time, I've said, whoever has seats, be happy that you have seats, because you're going to see some fantastic basketball.
Yeah.
Yeah, you might go away home upset because you've lost. But you're going to see some good basketball. Yes, even though you have to go at eight o'clock, nine o'clock to go watch the games.
Those are going to be brutal. Eight eight thirty nine o'clock. It seems like there's more this year than there were last year. And don't you remember last year? Did you hear this?
Oh, at least we're gonna get favorable schedules, all right, you know, Oh, we're moving to a better conferce.
We're gonna get better times. Everybody thought that football as well. Never assume, never assume. Oho, I like the football season this good? This year was good.
The game times we had were pretty good. How about the games there? Games were well? Talk about the game times were good? Uniforms are good? Yeah right, how'd that go?
How for you?
Good?
Play good? That's don't matter anymore, It doesn't matter. It was tough.
We'll see what happens whatever football, basketball tonight. Women play tomorrow. You said with Baylor, Baylor's twelve and three in the and the overall, and there, I think they are just ahead of Aeras two and one. They're both to and one, but they're slightly ahead. We got I'm sure point differentials or something. Yeah, just they alphabetical. It should be should be good. You know, she has uh, she has a lot of idea, has a lot of power, a lot of power in her in her presence right, a lot
of following, that loyal following. So let's see what she can do with that now. Yeah, moving forward. I'm excited. I think we also. I got the softball schedule today as well, they email to me. So people starting to think about spring sports already. Yeah, up, but that well, it's gonna start.
Baseball starts here in about a month, February the first the softball US softball, and those are the big.
I know the track because our office is down there by the track, and I see all those kids are all showing up. They're starting to run around them neighborhood. So spring the sports are around the corner.
Yeah.
Did you ever get out to those? No, not as much as I wish I could. You know this this thing here Olympics sports.
Well, I wanted to get some season tickets to the softball team, because you want to have them and go when I could, because they're not very expensive. No, they're not very expensive, and I was hoping that'd be pretty good, but I don't have time because of this show and then other sports you know, going on, and then I just I still might do it.
I don't know. That's a nice fast pace.
They've got to How can I see this? I didn't do it with Candread because I was, you know, covering the team and it was all that stuff. But they've got she's got to get them a little bit better. Yeah, does that make sense? Yeah, not for me to buy, but just see me. Because Arizona is softball, you know, whether it's coming gone, and it could be true, but it is still If you want to talk about blue blood, blue blood and they haven't played well, really, it's already over. Holy crap. That was fast.
Uh.
If it's talking about blue blood, they're blue blood, whether they've done recent green Yeah, okay, we gotta go cats by four tonight. Wow, that's the line. Thanks for coming in, Andy, as always, Thank you one.
Thank you see tomorrow one. Yep, all right, thanks one