Ten fifty break.
This is on the Ball on Box Sports fourteen.
Hey, welcome back to the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera. You're read Ja Geary. And that was great with Kenny. Thank you for getting him.
Yeah, No, Kenny's awesome.
He's always good. He's always good. You know, it's his first time on the show, but he's always good, like even in public.
Yeah, I mean, just like I say, it's such incredible story. You know, his background of growing up in Cleveland and and just uh.
It's it's a good it's a good story.
It's a great story. I mean it's it's it's a you could put it on the big screen. Yeah, that type story. I'll write a book on it. And so deferve that and then to play basketball and the pivot to baseball to have this that doesn't haredible career years. He really is on the edge of becoming a Hall of Famer, and I think that's something that's gonna happen for him. And and now he's entertainment and he's doing all these other things. I just think he just are a really great story to highlight.
Yeah, yeah, no question, Like I said, a lot of you guys and lout saw you guys where you guys are good people and turn into these good dudes, you know what I'm saying. Yeah, and you know, and I know the bad dudes because there have been a few, but not a lot, not a lot, not a lot, you know, And you can kind of on maybe one hand if that and the good dudes are out there are doing good.
Things and that's part of being and that really goes to being a coach, you know that being a Hall of Fame level coach, to being a good coach, someone good at the craft that yeah, you're looking for the best players out there, but you're also looking for personalities. Yeah does this person fit in? And and not every
coach practices that. No, there's coaches out there that recruit by numbers and and recruit you know, not for need and just for publicity, and they usually find themselves in trouble and coaches and did not do that.
So when you did your coaching overseas, uh a little at TCU, Rightcy, I'm sorry, but when you recruited, could you did you see yourself? Okay, this dude's really good. We could change it, you know what I'm saying every ego, every coach has an ego, so we could change, we will make them okay, But then no, I don't think that's gonna work.
Yeah, I mean early early in your career, when you when you're first getting the coaching you want, you think you can save everyone, like, yeah, I can save them all. You know, he may he had a number of red flags in the past, exactly when he gets to me, it's all going to be different, right, and that and that, And still I think from a coaching mindset, you still always want to have that that I would I want
to give this an attempt, right. I think as you get older, how much time you'll spend on that on that issue shorter and shorter because you're realizing that, hey, I've given this individual one or two chances and there's still been no correction. And so there are things that you learn. But yeah, if you can identify, you know, kids that play hard, kids that play for the right reason, and and you can incorporate them into what you're doing, and faster you can do that, the better do you.
So when you were in Japan, did you have say in the roster? Did you say in the roster or did the administrate or the gms or whatever.
So, so how it works these for for the organizations that was with three different organizations than my six years in Japan. Was I was the GM for all the for the imports, for all the American pot okay, and so because I just didn't have the bandwidth the knowledge to be recruiting at the college level in Japan, we're you know, throughout the league, so we really relied on them in terms of the executives to kind of pick
the Japanese players. And then I would work to find the Americans through agents and and through my own contacts.
And so was it your philosophy? Was that the same philosophy? Okay, maybe little background stuff and see all these can these guys play as a team.
Little bit, I'm doing as much background as I can. I'm gonna call it, you know. As soon as I work with the agent and we start getting some material in, I started identifying some individuals that hey, this might be a good fit for the way I play and size wise and experience. I'm gonna do it deep social media to dive. I'm gonna call coaches they work with in the past. I'm gonna do as much as I can't, because keep in mind, I'm gonna be with this individual, We're gonna live together for.
Sure, eight to ten months. Yes, and he's part of your success, he's your failure.
And and and even did even more even double down on that is in Japan with visus and work visas, I always laugh, if you have to, you have to be as sure as possible, because if you do want to make a change, saying in Europe, I can make a change out in probably two weeks, I could probably cut a player, let him go, have a guy come in two weeks later. Well, Japan, that's not the case.
You're easy. Visas are very difficult to get there in times, especially work visas, so they might take up the two months. I always laugh, I would end up, you know, not, you know, working with individuals just not working out. I would cut that individual at least in my mind and with the paperwork. But I now have to hold onto
this vision individual for two more months. But just because if that's how it works there, Yeah, and then what happens after three or four weeks when he gets hot and now I want to keep him, and so it makes for some awkward conversations so you want to do your homework up front. You want to be as sure as possible as you can.
Yeah, yeah, it totally makes sense. That's funny. That's funny because then maybe they get better in that time, you know, in that within that two months.
It takes time for some reason that a lot of times you would end up cutting a guy and before he even got on a plane, another Japanese team end up taking him.
Yeah, that's funny, But real quick because the NBA Draft is coming here. Your thoughts on Curdil Bryant didn't play a whole heck of a lot, although he did in key moments, you know what I'm saying, And then he's gonna be a lottery picked this guy from went from here to there.
Yeah, I mean, Carter just an incredible story. Here's a young man coming out of you know, coming out of high school, five star guy, all the accolades, I'm g justs the college and it takes him a minute, you know, he just it wasn't as easy, which you always find out, and it took him almost half a season to adjust
to that. And then you could see something that's you know, kind of snapped in his brain, like Okay, you know, this is the level of toughness and level of work and effort that you need to be successful at this level. And then once you kind of figure that out, the other part was easy. You knew he was gifted athletically. You had a beautiful jump shot, a really nice stroke defensively, had length, and he was just so young. And I think that's what's been so enticing, even though he didn't
have huge numbers. Yeah, you know, NBA guys you know, can't help themselves.
No, no, and numbers don't mean anything, because if you can play, they'll find you. They'll find you. And then at that time, though Tommy had already found his niche right with his team starters, replacements, blah blah blah. And he was one of those replacements because if he had he started him, everything could have just gone ketawumpus. It could have been changed.
Yeah, the chemistry could have been completely different. But you know, Tommy last year, you know, speaking on last Ye's team, needed a couple of things happened. He needed kJ Lewis to kind of come into his office and say, hey, you know, I think I might be better off the bench and maybe gets now, Uh, dell or so out there early for some some some early touches and using his veteran experience. And so yeah, if Carter Brian is thrown into that mix earlier, it throws things off potentially
and we see something different. But you know, the NBA guys can't help themselves in terms of when they see someone young like that, regardless of their numbers, they just don't want to miss out on the next big thing. Sure, I don't think they're thinking Carter's going to play next year or maybe even the year after, but they're thinking year three. Sure, he's twenty one years old. Now we're just catching him the best second contract he's twenty four.
That's kind of how they start thinking long term. Yeah, when they look at these prospects.
And you saw it too, because you were in the league for a while, right and you saw it because you were trying to save your job because the new kids are coming in.
Yeah, I went I mean I was a second rounder, so I was a little bit different, you know when you're when you're a late second rounder, which I was, and I went through that whole process. You know, I was All tournament team for the Big West out in Phoenix, I went to Chicago really thought I was going to be somewhere around the bottom of the first round of
some of the teams that were looking at me. Found out later the Lakers, talking with some of the Lakers personnel, it was between Derek Fisher and myself for that twenty ninth spot. So it's always kind of fun to see how that would have played out. Yeah, but yeah, you just uh, you know, you just get in there. You know. I had to fight for every team.
I was on.
I played for, you know, the Spurs first, right, I was with the Cleveland. I got drafted by Cleveland, but as the second rounder you gotta it's not guaranteed. And with the San Antonio the next year and was able to make that you know, before you know, going over to Europe and some other things. So, you know, these guys are so lucky nowadays. They just with the skill development and just kind of where they're at and where the game is at. It's just a really special time to be a player.
Well, the thing about it, at least what I've covered for all my plf of my life actually is all the players like you and other ones, they believe they're the guy, you know, and how could you not believe you get the guy. You're a bunch of alpha males, who you guys are going to be in the first round. You guys have your career set, but there's a thousand, few hundred of you every year they come out, right.
More than that, I think they We used to say there's there's more brain surgeons every year that graduated the NBA basketball players, And there's some truth to that, because just not a lot of jobs, and and and you know, basketball is so universal now, I mean, you know, basketball's played in every country in the world. Countries you don't even think about they have a team there. There's you know, there's gonna be some factory, some company that's supporting these
teams all over the world. And so it really is an international game. Obviously, if you look at this year's roster players, it really reflects that.
It's funny because I don't know, maybe twenty fifteen, two and fourteen, whatever it was, and the guys came out, Gordon and some of the other ones, and some the your Euros started getting picked a lot, a lot, and some of the guys were falling down and some of the people on the internet, some of are finishing. It's just not fair. I mean, they're coming out early and these yours are taking their jobs. I'm thinking, guess what this ain't this aint. This is called real life, real life,
and you if you leave, that's on you. You think you're good enough, but there's more, there's more people out there, yeah, wanting that same job.
It is a competitive environment and so no question, you've got to do your homework. You got to make you know, you got to be sure if you're going to make that jump, because you know, we tell these kids it's called world out there. You know, you see the NBA and the glamour and the money. But if you don't come, you know, if you don't make it initially, you know, you're really going to have to fight and kind of be a gladiator going around the world and through minor
leagues to kind of get back. So you got to choose wisely.
But the funny thing is, and I say this all the time, guys like who don't make it still have a wonderful career overseas or whatever. And sometimes I wish I had their future because it's it's not a bad living.
It is not you know, I think some people they look down on overseas ball or minor league ball. But if you have an opportunity, you come to college, you know, to be a student athlete, and if you have an opportunity to pursue your your career in your sport, travel the world, play for free in a lot of instances, or to travel free, and they make some money to put in your pocket. You know, it's only a blessing.
And now you have n IL and now you have the big announcement that came out last week for you know, there's twenty million dollars that it's going to be a big pie for you or basketball players and football players. Yeah, what a world it is.
It is.
It's a great time to be a student athlete. That's it. It's a great time for college athletics. It's just it's it's one of these, you know things, these evolutions that just has to occur because the game is just got
got so big. And so I'm gonna correct it's not in I l were we're in a rev share model for Ford where you know, the university now starting just this past weekend, got the word we're gonna have to raise you know, twenty point five million dollars that's unbelievable to me, you know, and.
So could you talk, could you explain that to me real quick? And we have uh two minutes? Yeah, best, it's best let me because it's twenty point five, right, twenty pah all you have to raise that could you don't have it now or not?
That's where money we got to go out to the community and raise. And so we have our Student Athletes Excellence Fund that you know, that's where donors can can participate and be you know, helping these coaches retain their talent, helping coaches recruit talent. You know, these are our big
things going forward. You know. It just it just came to a point where and this is me speaking, where college athletics became so profitable the TV contracts and in the player contracts and the and the presidents and ad contracts became such a big sport that it just felt like it was time for the student athletes to participate in that business model. And I think that's what we're seeing. And it's not easy. It hasn't been smooth. Obviously, the transfer portal has muddy that order up in terms of
what this could look like. But going forward now with the plan. I think it's going to be cleaner. I think they will address the transporportal at some point and it'll make things fair for everybody else.
So so you guys have to come up with that money the universities, not just you've able to all universities. So is NIL done with?
So nil, you know, it's that's something when we speak on But NIL is a is a third party. It is an agreement between a third party and a student athlete that you know, if somebody in the community wants to go out and sponsor an athlete, where they have to present an athlete with the contract and that contract now has to go to the NCAA August where it has to be looked over to make sure it is a fair market value and if it's determined so then
they'll allow that deal to transpire. And for some reason that isn't allowed and they too, an athlete still participates in that. That's something that could hurt the university. So we're going to be policing that very closely.
Okay, So that's that's could be on top of on top of that, correct, if they're able to do it, that could be on top of the twenty million correct.
So you could have all these deals on top of your rev share, you know where some people will get a competitive avantage there. But that's why we need individuals in Tucson to step up in that area as well.
What a good time to be a college y. Actually, what a bad time to be an administrator? That's crazy, Reggie crazy, Reggie. Okay, we got to go in and get ahold of your buddy, Brian Jeffery's my buddy obviously, Brien Jefferson.
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Streaming live on the iHeartRadio app, This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera on Fox Sports forteen to fifty.
Hey, welcome back to my on the ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty, I'm Steve Rivera. In with today is Reggie Geary. And now on the phone, we had the voice of the Wildcats, Brian Jeffries. Brian, how you.
Doing, Steve, I'm doing very well. How many lives is Reggie?
We'll get to that later because I do want to.
He told me he's the greatest shot blocker in Japanese basketball history.
I mean from a first stanfway of a guard. Maybe, yeah, like I say, Arizona.
But well, we'll get to those lives later. So just there's jobs that people have that are great. You have a very good one, and I'm sure that you work from late August to June. Right, we're not even done yet, and you maybe worked a day or two this year because you have a great job. I'm sure the last few weeks or at least two weeks have been fantastic for you.
Well, it has.
It's been crazy, and I mean we've been on the road for four weeks or something now. I mean we've finished the season in Houston and you know, went straight to Arlington for the Big twelve Tournament, then went to Eugene, then to Chapel Hill now to Omaha, so a lot of traveling involved, but some great results. And I think that, you know, that second game at Houston back in mid May was kind of the turning point for this team, and they've played really well since then. And you know,
now there's no discounting them. I mean, they probably won't be one of the favorites to win this whole thing in Omaha, but they probably weren't expected to win in Chapel Hill or Eugene or who knows where. So they just they believe in themselves right now and they're having fun and that's what it's all about.
You can you I hate to ask this question comparing contrast, but you covered some pretty good teams, you know, ninety seven, ninety four.
Eight.
You know, is this a team of destiny or can you tell now? Too early?
Yeah?
I hate using that because I just don't know. You know, you don't know. I mean, you go back and you look at some games. You know, they gave up eighteen runs last Friday in Chapel Hill, they struggled to get some hits. They had two hits in that opener against.
Cal Pauly up in Eugene, and you know then they.
Turn around and get sixteen on Saturday Chapel Hill, So you never know. I mean, I think teams of destiny you kind of get a feeling because they have, you know, more consistency to them in terms of what they do. The best thing about this Arizona team is that they're they're not bad at anything. I've told I tell a lot of people, I don't think they're great at anything, but I think they're good at everything. And so they hit when they need to, they pitch when they need to,
they defend very well. I mean, they just there's a lot of things they do really well. And the key has been that, you know, the right thing has come forward when they need it at most. And I think that's the you know, the makings of a very good baseball team, but a team of destiny. I you know, we'll see what happens in Oma. I think that's that's where it kind of shows there. If you get on a roll there and you win your first couple of ball games, then you start getting a feeling that this team,
you know, just will refuse to lose. And we'll find out here over the weekend.
Yeah, Brian, I mean I love the fact that it seems like Arizona. Arizona's going into this as an underdog. As you mentioned, I think there's a real argument that they're probably one of the hottest teams in the country, you know, just putting aside maybe that first game out in Chapel Hill. So I love the I love the position they're in right now. You know, I know we're still a few days away, but you know, Coastal Carolina someone we're familiar with. What do you what do you see in that matchup?
Well, they are the hottest team in the nation. Probably maybe Arizona's probably second. But you know, Coastal Carolina's won twenty.
Three straight games. Yeah, good point, Yeah.
They they have. You know, they won I think this second most Wednesday've had in school history, or maybe tied for the most.
It's a team that.
To me is a little bit similar to the one we just saw in Chapel Hill, just in terms of some of their numbers. You know, they they're a good hitting team, but they're not great, you know, home runs. Arizona's hit more home runs then Coastal Carolina. The key for the Shans is the fact that they have a great pitching staff, they're Team Era. I believe it's second in the nation right now, and they have three outstanding starters and so led by Jacob Morrison who's eleven and
zero on the season. And the Wildcats just saw a guy last week.
Who was unbeaten.
So that's how they win most of their games is using defense and pitching, and so if the offense is equal.
Then it really comes up.
I think it comes down to pitching, and Arizona's very deep in that department, and I think that Coastal Carolina has better starters right now with a little more experienced. Two of them are very experienced, and they've got a third new guy who's been really good. I think Arizona's bullpen might be a little bit better. So I just
think it's a great matchup going in. And there's going to be a lot talked about that twenty sixteen championship series and how it ended, and it wasn't a good feeling for the Wildcats.
I don't know.
I know Mason White said he watched every pitch of that those games, and you know he's looking forward to this. Some of most of the other guys probably have no recollection whatsoever.
Of what happened in twenty sixteen, but I.
Just think it's going to be a great way to kick Kings.
Off in Omah on Friday.
God, I had this question set up for you and I just don't get old, just don't get out. Oh well, the last couple of days, I've asked a couple of people this about Chip because he was on the show on TV. Right they do the in in game interviews for that's the ending or whatever. He comes off as kind of Tommy ish, Tommy Tommy Lloyd ish, kind of a good old boy, kind of funny, self effacing. Is he that guy? And then you know you've got it made.
You have Brett Brennan, who's that guy? You got Tommy Lloyd and you got this guy.
Oh, trust me, I'm very blessed, Seve. I mean to work with three coaches like Arizona has right now, that not many guys get that opportunity. And you know, I've I've really loved watching Hip kind of grow into this role. Remember he was in pro baseball, he played, he played college baseball. You know, he played it very well a long time ago. He still has a national championship ring that he likes to show off, but he goes to
pro ball and comes to college baseball. It's a different it's a different story when you get into college baseball. And I remember that first year. I think his head was kind of spinning because of all the things that you have to do away from just coaching the players, and so to watch him kind of grow into that role, his to me, has been really fun to see. I think one reason the players respond well to him because he has that pro background, and that's kind of how
he treats his guys. I mean, there's not I don't see him as a you know, he's not a strict guy. He lets the players, you know, live their lives and do their thing. And you know, that's the way they do it in pro ball. And if you get the right players in there, and he has the right bunch right now, they know how to police themselves and they really do get along very well.
I think.
You know, Brendon summer Hill, I thought, brought up a great word a week or so ago and talking about this team, and he said, trust. They really have great trust in one another, and every team doesn't have that. So you know, Chip's done. I just think a marvelous job of kind of molding these guys and getting through a season where they lost Summer Hill there for what sixteen games or so without Brian Fogo.
For a while. They've had to bring.
In three new starting pitchers this year, and so there's just you know, those kind of changes.
Aren't easy to adjust to.
And that middle of the season there, I remember one stretch they lost five or six and like I said, they got they got beat badly at Houston in that first game, and quite honestly, I'm sitting there going, well, this may be, you know, a quick vacation for those of us who you know, have vacations at some point during the summer. But you know, they got, they got it turned around. And it wasn't like Chip just went into the dugout or the meeting room or the locker
room and said let's win one for the gipper. He let the guys kind of figure it out on their own. I mean, he puts the best players out there and says, okay, you play your best and you're gonna do fine. And that's exactly what they've done.
Yeah, I mean, to that point, I'm trying camaraderie and that coming togetherness. You know, I'm watching the games on TV, and I'm seeing everybody with the stash that the mustache is out there. Now. You know, do you have a favorite mustache? Did you grow a mustache? And we're going to see those in OMH.
I did not. I've tried once and it's not pretty. So we'll look at that.
You know, baseball and every sport, you know, you've got certain things that I don't know what you want to cause superstitions or whatever, or you get hooked onto something like you know, going to mustache and that's great, you know, nothing wrong with that at all. You still have to go out and play the game. But you play baseball. Season's long. I mean we're now over sixty games this year.
These guys are together a lot, in particular now the last four weeks, and so you have to find those outlets there.
And you know, we're in.
Chapel Hill last week and there there wasn't much you could walk to around the hotel and and so you know, you're pretty much in the hotel when you're not playing ball. And I think the guys, you know, that's what brings up the camaraderie, is the fact that they get along away from the ball field, and they use that time to their advantage in terms of whatever they need to
do to get ready for the next one. And I think because they get along so well that even though they may not sit in the room together and start game planning amongst themselves, I think they all know what their assignments are and they trust one another to go out and execute.
So you mentioned the guys that had been in and out of the line line up because of injuries. I guess three guys, right. You can mention him again if you like. But it reminds me as you were saying that, you know, back in ninety seven when Miles was out, they had they had, you know, Bibby had to kind of kind of grow up right away, and Dickerson showed who what he could do. So people had to show up and kind of grew up in front of you because they had no choice. Is that the case here right.
Well, it was because when summer Hill was out, Arizona still one more than it's lost, but not at the same rate that they have with him in the lineup, and so other guys. Yes, they had to get some other guys to step up. You know, Gunner Guile, one of the local guys. He came in, he started sixteen games this year. He hasn't played since I think that Houston series because you know the guys in front of him, you know, Summer Hill Briogl had been healthy and so yeah,
guys like that. TJ. Adams another guy who had to play in place of Bryfogel when he was injured. Now you know, he just gets spot duty right now, but doesn't complain, goes out and does his job. And mattist Mirah, who fills in at third base and shortstop. I asked him one day, I think just the effect of, hey, you know you don't get to play every day. How do you get yourself prepared? He says, well, I have to be prepared because I might be called upon at
any moment. And I think that kind of mentality is something that these guys have had to embrace and they have. And you could say the same thing on the pitching side, even though there haven't been injuries there. It's a very deep bullpin and you know, some guys have it one night and some guys don't. And I thought this past weekend was great when Julian Tungini came in got his inning, Casey Hintz and what Tony Pluta did on Sunday is something that should be admired for a long long time
after throwing what fifty four pitches the day before. So they've all found a role on this team, and it may not be the same role every game, but they're all willing to step in and help out.
Yeah, no question. The closure Pluto was fantastic. You said, fifty four pitches that the day before, and you're thinking, are they going to bring him out again? And of course they do, because if you don't, you're probably going to be questions. And if you do well and he wins it, you're not going to be questioned.
Yeah. No.
I talked to him on Saturday night after that save on or that went on Saturday when he went two and the third in that game and I end the fifty some odd pitches and I asked him, I said, hey, you know, if Chip wants you to go in and get.
It out tomorrow, can you do it? And he goes, oh, yeah I can. Yeah.
I didn't know he was going to ask him to get three outs, but you know that's the type of guy, you know, Tony is I mean that you know I don't think people understand what he has done this year because they look at his e er which is sub two, and you know, he just set a school record for single season saves. And but but there's one game in there. If you if you look at the stats when he gave four runs at Grand Canyon, if you take those that one game out of the equation, he's given.
Up one run the rest of the season.
That's it. And so I don't know that I've seen him. We've had some pretty good closers, you know, Jason Stoffle we just passed in terms of the save record and so on. But he is remarkable. He really is out of uniform. You know, he's a what a mechanical aerospace engineering major and kind of looks the part. So for him to do what he does, I can't tell you how much I think of this guy.
It's funny he did like me asking you this question in late August. You know, Brian, we're gonna need you to go through June June. Do you have it in you? And you're gonna say, of course, I of course I have it in meet Steve.
Yeah, sometimes you know you're just to use the off handed word you suck it up and you do it. Rickie can talk about that. Ricky probably was. I bet you there was at least one game in Reggie's career that he was not one hundred percent at tip off, But you know, he sucked it up and played and you know, probably blocked nine shots and uh skull thirteen steels and eighteen assists or whatever.
You were injured one time with your ankle. I think you had twisted ankle sometimes.
My junior year, yeah, I had injury that I played through. But the longer you play this game or observe it or watch you're rarely at one hundred percent. You're always gonna have to find why, find ways to grind through. But when you're having special years, you're gonna pat yourself together and put yourself out there.
What did twenty year olds do anyway?
Right?
This is what you guys do. You guys been doing all your life.
You live for it, you love it, you know, and that's why they're they're they're at the pinnacle right now, you know, and going to Omaha for this experience. So there's nothing's gonna keep these guys. He'd hit by a pitch or hitting the elbow or you know, roughed up on the basse path. You know, like we saw the young man the other day. You know, they're gonna do whatever they can and get back out.
In the field.
How was the kid that got hurt in the path? Is he okay?
Yeah, Brian Fogel passed the concussion protocol and so he should be ready to go on Friday, plenty of rest in between. I'm not saying that one hundred percent because I haven't spoken to him or seen him, but that's I've been told that it was not anything serious, which is fortunate because when he went face down, Yeah, after that, I thought, oh my gosh, because he'd already been you know,
he's hurt both shoulders. You go back to that Houston series when he hit the wall and hurt one shoulder and later in the ballgame splid into home plate and hurt the other one, and he couldn't play the outfield for that series in Arlington, and so I was concerned. But like I said, as of right now, he's good to go on Friday.
How cool is it to to have white, a local kid who who's a stud and just a dude that you say, what do you play sell point, seth point looking at him playing shortstop and knocking the crap out of the ball.
Well it is.
I mean, he's a great story because you know, just going to a Wildcat fan the way he has and now what he's done in three years. You know, in the record books in multiple areas, he needs one more extra base hit to become the all time extra base hit leader in Arizona history. And so he's going to
be remembered for a long time. And you know the story is, you know, his dad and his granddad played at the U of A. One of the things that should stand out about this team is the number of Arizona players who are not only on the roster guys but who you know are making an impact. You know, Andrew Kine, Mason, White, Gunner, Guile, I could keep going from there. I mean, and then you take a look.
At their you know they're pitching this year.
You know On Kramkowski's a sophomore Walden Grove High School down south, and you've got what guards are from Rio Rico, and it's just you look up and down the roster and you find guys that you know, have all from Arizona that have made it, you know, a big part of this team. And that says a lot for the talent here, but it also says, you know, Chip Hale knows how to recruit guys, right, And I think he loves to recruit guys.
From Arizona because.
If they want to stay home and they have played or they have watched the U of A over the years, I mean it's a little it's more special to them.
And I think that's what Mason White kind of echoed the other day.
Well, you got at least two or three more weeks in you, so you don't enjoy I hope he takes some clean clothes and have fun.
Hey, you know I looked at this way. You know you've got potential Where you're looking at eleven days in Omaha. If you're starting on Friday and there's nothing like it, it's if if you haven't been put it on your bucket list, because even if your team is not there, it's just a great almost two weeks of baseball. City of Omaha just does a marvelous job. And that's why it stayed there for so long.
So you mart event and gonna be fun.
You might and you might be the only guy that coached to talk to Coach Johnson while you're there.
I'll be glad to coach talk to Jay. You know, yeah, it's kind of well you look at that and our friends from Morgan State, we could very well see you there. I mean, it's uh kumbaya, yeah, baby, the old old old cruise back together.
Right, good luck, have fun, enjoy, you're great, Uh you know, do what you do? Yeah, yeah, good luck, Thank you, Brian, Thanks guys, Brian Jeffries, Brian Jeffries. I will get back to this. If you guys want to give us a call quick, quickly, do it on the other side of this break and we'll come back. He Tucson. Steve Rivera here, and I've got a tip for you. Want to be in good hands while cruising the desert or kicking back at home, then you need to call my friends at
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This is I on the Ball on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I want to take part in the show call up Steve now went five to two oh four, one six seventy.
Hey, welcome back to the ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera in today with me? Is Reggie Geary? Is a good day of stop Reggie?
Yeah? Great?
Call me Kenny lost him, Brian Jeffries, you've got a rocky I mean great.
Yeah, some past, some features, some some past. Good job with Kenny, great, Kenny was great. If you guys going to listen if you missed it earlier, Uh with Kenny and any of the guys. The podcast will be up later tonight. Just are on the ball and uh, Alrightheart Radio, Eye on the ball. You're on the air and I on the ball.
Who's this? Hey?
It's T money, T money. What's up?
Gentlemen.
I just want to fanboy Reggie Geary right now. Uh.
You know, Reggie was my favorite player growing up.
I always had that infectious smile before he stole the ball and stuck his.
Elbow in the rim on the other side of the court.
But no, I just uh it's cool to hear his voice and watch him, watch him work, see him give back to to this community and stay loyal.
That's that's outstanding. Do you have a favorite memory? Because I do, I have one of mine. So do you have a favorite memory? I have a few, but.
I don't know if if it's a favorite memory, per se.
But I mean I remember his senior year.
We didn't know that the.
Confluence of guys on that team. I think Miles and those guys are freshmen, but Reggie led that team, and I think they they took Kansas to the wire that year or the year before they went to the national championship. But it was like Reggie selling it, you know.
Like he just he just did it like that.
He was that guy.
And you know, I was like I was middle school, so it left a huge impression on me. But yeah, I always loved watching Reggie pledge.
Yeah, there was a couple. There was a don't get passo Texas a passo you left like almost a free throw line and and chammed that in. I think you can bet maybe her drinkle that day. It's a different, different game, but you remember the dunk I don't don't pass and that, and then the mission game with the blood right and then the phone call it cal remember the phone We had some fun.
We had some fun. First of all, team might I appreciate you calling in man, thanks for sharing that. You know, Uh, I just had so much fun playing for U of A. And uh, it's just great there. You know, there's been so many individuals who walked up to me and saying, hey, I remember you as a kid, and I love how you played the game with a smile, and you know, I just I just loved being a wildcat man. I just enjoyed every second of it. So so thanks for calling in.
Yeah, let me let me ask you.
A question if I could.
Yeah, that Arkansas game, sorry, that Arkansas game Final four, Like I saw it written, I thought, on damon, I saw it written on your face. But that frustration that you guys had, and I get you guys, gave it up, give.
It your all.
But I mean I just remember, just like staring at your face.
I'm like ten years old.
Man, what are these guys feeling right now? Can you can you tell me what's going.
Through your head?
Like you're trying to get get these guys getting get get get the lead and you know the last five minutes left.
Yeah, you know, you know, just to go back to those times. You know, this the ninety four Final four and Charlotte, you know that ninety fourteen was a special team. You know, it was really the first incarnation of a three guard offense. No one really had seen in a long time. So for me, Damon Stodamyer, Klid Reeves, you know, to kind of be that one two three, All three
guys ended up playing the NBA's PRIs point guards. But we were able to come together in that ninety four year with Corey Williams and Ray you know, Reyos, the four, Joseph Blair and it was just kind of a magical year. And then we get to this Arkansas game after having beat Louisville in Missouri to get there out in LA and now you know, it just it was just one of those really kind of fun, uh, just kind of frustrating nights. I tell people it was the only night that Damon and Klid were both off.
Four for twenty four years.
Yeah, that that never occurred. We always had one on dayman. You know, if Klid had a slow night with Damon had twenty seven, if Damon had a slow night, Klid would fill in. It was the first time all year that we had both off and it was just it was just kind of a frustrating night.
Let me say this to Arkansas pretty damn good.
I mean, Richardson than you know, they had Scottie Thurman, Corey Beck I mean they had pros too, and you can't forget obviously, you know who the power Howe for not corters Williams, Cortis Williamston. Yeah, I mean he had twenty five and twenty five rebounds. He was dominant that night, and so we ran up against a really good team, had a little bit of off night, and you know it's a thin line at that level.
Yeah, all right, that's a well I'm glad talking to you.
Managed did T money? Did you listen to the Kenny lofton interview?
No, Man, I got to go back and listen.
That's amaz I have to go back and listen. Yeah, it was good.
It was good.
We were back in the day, reminisced a little and talked about the future. So cool. Yeah, go back on the podcast later tonight.
All right man, Yeah, strong work.
I appreciate you.
Thank you, Bess Man appreciate it is good, good stuff. Yeah, the could you could you remember the phone call Intel? Oh yeah, you got on the plate. It was it was a timeout somebody was it Bozeman? We got a call. Well we'll get back to that. Hello, you're on the air nine the ball. Who's this?
Hey, Steve, this is done you doing?
Hey? Done fine? Hey, thanks for trying to call yesterday. We moved studios so the phones were not prepared for you.
Yes, you saw me on the caller ID you didn't want to talk to me.
No, we always loved. We don't always agree, but we love your calls.
I want to I want to piggyback on what.
Tim Money was saying. You know, I want to.
I appreciate Reggie's time when he was in uniform here and his time coming back and when you when you asked he about his favorite play, it was that dunk against UTEP for me, Yeah, me too, Me too, because the athleticism on defense was which was like four years of that. You couldn't pick one of those, but that breakaway dunk and he was in the rafters. I mean that was that was awesome.
Yeah, don to be young again. I remember those days so fundly.
Well.
I was thinking earlier, I said, you know, if I get on the if I get on the air, I want to ask Reggie if you can still throw it down now.
Unfortunately, unfortunately, and now that I'm fifty one, it's hard to say, even believe I cannot. I didn't tried last time I dunk was thirty nine. I told the kids for my fortieth I was dunk. I did not and have it. They remind me every birthday that this is still not occurred. But I'm hanging in there pretty good for my age.
Yeah, I just I just had a question, and it's in regards to uh uh pressure situations and stuff and when I'm getting that was game one last Friday. They showed Owen Cramkowski warming up, and this poor kid was sweating. He was sweating like he had the flu, and I thought, Wow, it must be really humid over there. But he was the only one. None of the rest of our guys were all sweated through their uniform and everything else. And
here's this kid. You know, yeah, he's a sophomore, but this was the biggest stage he'd been on.
And uh, I.
Hope he's I hope he shook that off for coming up this week or for this Friday anyway. And I was just wondering. I was I'm hoping he wasn't sick, and uh, I hope he gets over his nerves. But I don't know if you guys noticed that last week or not.
I didn't see it.
But I'm just yeah, he looked, and then later on they showed him he comes set on one pitch and his hands were shaking. I don't know how the bench didn't see that, and I don't know what they were trying, if they were trying to get him to settle down, but boy, that poor kid was shaking last week. And uh but uh, I remember we said last Friday that the game that morning had nothing to do with the game on Saturday. And you know, that's baseball. That's that's
just baseball, and sometimes it's basketball too. But uh, you know those guys, they didn't quit. And uh, really proud of them, been watching them all year, and uh, you know, I think it's you know, hopefully they got another another couple of runs to get through the bracket and then and then the the championship series. That'll be great if they could do that. You know, it's going to be a steep hill, but we'll see what happens.
We've done it before. Thank you done.
It's it's like the Sweet sixteen in basketball. Now we're playing with house money. What happens happened?
Right?
Thanks so much, you appreciate it.
Thanks guys.
Aute or so are these calls are gonna make you come back.
I love this.
No, then that's why I too. Sond was great just to Don's point, you know, dealing with dealing with those nerves, that's just part of it. That's part of being on the big stage. I'm sure the next time that young man gets out there, he'll do better.
So I got a minute left. You uh tell me, did you get nervous when you're out there?
Before every game? Really before every game? I got nervous. My nervous. It was something that drove me. I was nervous that I would either do something I would embarrass myself, and more important, that we would lose the game. And so I used that that that anxiety or or or that fear a little bit as fired that I'm going to play as hard as I can to make.
This not your best move, your best move ever outside of the dunk? Was you, Santa Clara, although you lost? Was you feinting injury and Dylan cominged to shoot the free throws and then Dylan a ninety throws.
We just talked about that. I think that was my first coaching move. You know, my first coaching move was as a player. It was to get my ninety percent free throw shot. A guy knew from high school into the game and he went in and missed, and so we talked about this about two weeks ago. So, uh, my first decision was not a good.
No, it's just it was a good and it just didn't work. It didn't work because, yeah, you were not a good You came. You were even pretending limping off the field, off the court, kidding, they're Dylan, and he missed the free throw. Yeah, yeah, thanks for coming in a lot of fun. It's a lot of fun anytime. Don't say that because I'm gonna call you marm. Thanks everybody for listening. If you missed it, you got to catch the the podcast tonight. Thanks much