Tuesday, June 17, Hour 2

Breaking down all they says, and ohs, this is.

I on the Ball with Steve Rivera on.

Blox Sports fourteen fifty.

All right, welcome back to my I on the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera, your Dave Silver. You know, now we have some programming changes, Dustin, don't preact from the Indianapolis Star.

It should be calling any moment now.

He's trying to get on a plane to get back home after last night's game. So he'll be on early if we can get a hold of him here in the next minute or so. He's already changed his flight three times, or they changed it on him for three times.

He's just trying to get from Denver to Indy.

So he was supposed to go like earlier today early this morning, got canceled, and then he was supposed to go later tonight and got canceled, and then he got canceled again, and then now he's on a flight now that leaves in about twenty.

To get back to Indianapolis. Yea from Oklahoma City from Yeah, well, I guess he's in Denver. They went to Denver first.

Huh.

Yeah, interesting how you can travel like in a triangle.

To get back.

Right. Well, I told you I was trying to get to Denver right here in a couple of weeks, and you know goes direct. You've been there a number of times direct. Well on the back is Denver to San Diego to hear I thought that one. That's like a four hour I've there and coming.

I've done one of those where I've gone New Orleans San Diego to soon Like wait a minute, I just flew over my city. Sometimes works that way. Yeah, yeah, so you know, it is what it is. I'm hoping we get a call from him anytime now. So he's covering the NBA Finals or now. Yeah, he's one more one or two more games, right, I think he's going to go seven. Last night's game was fantastic.

I said this to Chris because we made this wager, right, I thought it would go six for sure, maybe seven, because I thought Indianapolis is a pretty damn good team.

Uh.

And it's funny because both Math and O'Connell have done fantastically well well.

TJ last night was certainly a key to getting them into the game and keeping them there. And then we we've been talking kind of off the air about just how they took him out. I don't know if it was a situation he got tired or whatever. They wanted to get their their starter back in. But Halliburton has been hurt and didn't do anything offensively really, and TJ, you know, had eighteen points and was kind of leading the charge in the third quarter at six.

Had his own little six to zero run at one point.

So yeah, he's been one of the you know, guys, kind of under the radar most of his career anyway, but then it's kind of cool that it gets in the spotlight in these kind of games.

Yeah, you have no question he was. He has been the energizer bunny for that team the last few games. It's funny how he is, and he's just he's the oldest or he's the oldest or second oldest guy on the team, got on the one of the youngest teams.

Yeah, right out there.

Yeah, six for eight shooting, they outscored, they outscored the Thunder thirty four to twenty eight in that third quarter.

It was basically TJ leading the way.

So it was kind of fun to watch that and having Richard Jefferson on the call every once in a while.

He'll slip in a little.

U of a reference between TJ and Benedict.

Right.

I'm trying to have him text us to call us, okay five two oh, don't give him the number.

No, no, no, Hi.

I'm telling him, not his number, but us our number to four one six seventy four four zero old to see if he says what he says, Okay, cool. We can have him on as long as we as long as we can because he's just waiting for that that airplane. We'll see what happens anything else.

Yeah, I mean, he's just following the news of this whole coaching situation with the u of a. You know, Michael lev of course has been on top of it, as is Brian Peterson, and they're already talking about who they're going to get in. Maybe a Nathan Banister was a guy that played here a number of years ago, and he's been coaching that.

He was a pitcher.

He's been the pitching coach at Grand Canyon, So that could be a name to the CHIP might consider or whoever makes that call. He was on the twenty sixteen Arizona team that made it to the College Series Championship. It's already in seven years or no, what am I saying?

Nine years? Nine years?

Yeah, so he's got to be about thirty, right, Yeah, he's probably forty thirty, thirty one young?

You feel old?

These guys are so they're they're little kids, I know, do you feel old? Because and thirty is not young anymore? Because you know the guy the coach that's going to San Diego State, there's thirty four.

Right.

It's kind of like Josh. Josh is no longer a young kid too. I think he's like forty four Josh Passner.

Yeah, at Vegas, so you know, yeah, I mean all the announcements are coming from him, from Kevin Vance going to STSU. Even the Mountain West Conference has it on their website. Now to Torry Pines High guy, Yeah, it's you go home?

You know, of course you go home. What's home for you?

Well, I mean, so Tony gwinn Well, home was basically San Jose.

Oh would you go home.

If I got a TV job back in the day, of course?

Well?

Yeah? But did you go home now? No, because everyone's gone left.

I felt that too when I went home for my anniversary reunion. I love my home, but no, it's over.

Yeah, so he's only the guy.

He's only the seventh head baseball coach. I remember there was a guy NA named Jim Deetz who was the coach back and then like Bud Black who has gone on to become a manager and been fired a few times, he was there, Tony Stephen Strasbourg, Tony Quinn, Tony Gwinn junior.

I mean a lot of guys played junior coach there too. He played well, he played there. If he goes yeah, so we'll see.

Arizona is one of those programs that will rebuild and find a guy and be okay. But pitching had been the key ingredient that they had lacked right up until the last couple of years.

Yeah, and you know, they brought in all these guys. They basically switched out the pitching staff this this year from last year's and here they are, you know, making the College World Series and then most of them are going to probably be coming back there. Everyone's saying that's going to be the strong suit for next year's team is that most of the pictures are still going to be around.

So yeah, except for except for the stopper.

Well maybe he's he can come back. He wants to. He's I mean, I think he's eligible and they're not. I'm not sure about his draft status.

Oh, if you playing, if you can play it again? Why not? Yeah, we get a little n I L. I don't know what the n I L is in baseball.

Yeah, it's yeah. We talked about this little yesterday. Who was here, Oh Troy, and they were talking like if not more goes goes to the football program, and then the rest kind of cannibalize that.

That's nothing, right, that's nothing. We've got to call.

I think this might be him. Hello, you're on the air and one of the ball who's this?

Hey, it's justin to Pure Star Dustin.

How are you?

Thanks for man, I'll be messing with you on that flight.

Yes they are.

Now it's pushed back and it's leaving at six eighteen and so oh so we're good.

We're good.

Okay, cool, cool, cool?

Now you're doing Oklahoma City to Denver then to Indianapolis.

Yes, that's what it was. We got stuck. We've gotten stuck in Denver.

Is the issue Helen Nuggets doing?

They're not here right? Right?

So tell us we want we have so many questions for you got and one of the reasons we met you before was you were here for the TJ. McConnell stuff a few months ago. Uh, what's going on with the rotation that Carlisle has with him?

Well?

He, I mean that's basically what it's been the whole year.

I mean, I think it's and obviously understandable when Tyrus Haliburton is having as bad at the day as he did, certainly with the calf uh and what Notamy McConnell has basically the way he played that the minutes he played yesterday are pretty similar to what he's played all year, which he's just a backup point guard, which generally means he comes in late, you know, mid to late first quarter and stays into the mid mid to late second quarter, comes in mid to late third quarter, stays in the

The quarter, to just go all out for two periods.

So if you're gonna mess with that rotation and mess with the usual assignments, you know, it changes.

Up the rhythm a little bit.

And so part of the reason why McConnell's effective he is in that is he's going max effort, expecting not to come out or not to go back in after he comes back out in the fourth quarter. Basically when he goes in there, expecting to just spill it that entire time.

So it obviously looks a little bit.

Weird when he's, you know, basically the second or third most effective player.

So I understand why everybody's a little bit but not sure.

But still that's the reason why is that that's just that's the shift that he's used to and.

He's done very well with it.

This may be a dumb question because you've covered him for a while now, but it would lead me to believe that he's one of the better interviews, more accessible, great stories.

McConnell.

Yes, absolutely, I mean he's just i mean, super intelligent guy, you know, obviously been.

In the league for ten years, certainly has a great story. I mean, he's one of those guys that that.

You can point to at you know, for a player at any level and say, see this is this is an example. I mean This is the sort of guy who made it despite being u as small as he is, as short as he is, uh, and a guy that just just works, you know, as hard as he'll get out to get there. But you know, I mean he's he's not only a coach's son, but a coach's nephew. Uh and everything else. I mean, he obviously grew up, you know, in the game. Basically he's so uh, you know,

She's a high school coach. Again, She's won state championships as a high school coach.

Uh, and they've accomplished so much so it makes him obviously very good at.

Dealing with media. Uh. You know, he's hilarious. He's a you know, a bit you know, he's he's a bit of a you know, wise cracker.

Basically, he's been getting on me all week because I had to miss the first two games of the series for a wedding, and he is just he has just been berating me the entire time for this. At every time on my show up he's like, oh, welcome to Oklahoma City.

Finally make it. Thanks TJ.

I appreciate it, but just uh, he's been a fun out of cover.

So justin I'll borrate you too. Was it your wedding or somebody else's?

It was my wife's best friends well in the speech, so I would have been in some serious trouble.

There was a great TV moment you probably saw, you know, the highlights of I don't know if you saw when it was actually happening with the family. I guess maybe he's after one of the games in Indianapolis with you know, Grandpa's there and you know every the dad's there and then was it Sam came over and took pictures.

I mean it was.

It was a good TJ moment for us here to watch this movie.

Absolutely, yeah, no, I know I didn't. We talked to TJ a little bit about that. After he doesn't get to get the many games. Obviously he's aging, you know, I mean TJ's thirty three, so you can imagine how old. You know, his grandfather certainly is up there in h and and so it just you know, it doesn't get to travel very much. But it was nice that he got to be there and see, uh the NBA Finals, and he just said, that's just something that's uh, you know, a very very very big deal for him.

You know, when you came here in December, I think it was, I think it was December, maybe early January. Uh, it's no surprise to me when when they got the finals, I said, this team is kind of spunky and in pesky and just a pain in the ass. They're gonna give Oklahoma City a pretty good run. But I said, you know, teams that go or did what they did for TJ. When they came here and physically came here, I'm thinking, the chemistry and this team must be fantastic.

Yeah, no, it absolutely is. And and they've they've built that over three years. But I mean, to your point, uh Rick Carlisle has done a great job of just fostering that kind of team building. I mean, basically he's kind of made made a point to make sure everybody's celebrating everybody's milestones and everybody's involved in that.

And it goes down to like, you know, they.

Sing Happy Birthday for staffers basically like after practice, if it's somebody's birthday, uh, the rookies have to sing to them. And so there's they they gather at half court and do stuff like that. You know last year before you know, before it was McConnell for his Ring of Honor ceremony, they did it for Benanic Maffew last year, you know when he was uh made it for being I think I think it was for being either an All American or being Packed twelve Player of the Year.

You know, that's the two reasons.

And even when when Masman was inducted, I mean, they said, we're going to be back next year for TJ and so they you know, basically signed up to do that and made sure, okay, yea, everybody's gonna be there, but it's gonna make this trip. And you know, they do stuff like that for each other and and you know, some of that is really pushed by Carlisle, but you know, some of that the stuff they enjoy doing on their own I mean they.

Really go out of the way for each other. They go out of the way for other people.

I mean a lot of these guys will make a point to go to Indiana Fever games or even to see the G League team and see those guys and cheer them on. It's it's a really big piece of that and that's that's helped them develop a lot of chemistry over the last two years.

And that's made in the team that they are.

I mean, they are pesky, they are pain and that comes from being a team that's willing to exhaust you, that goes at you the entire time, and and is willing to play different roles and for guys to be willing maybe if they don't, if they only come off the bench, they only play fifteen, ten, you know, twenty minutes to go all out, and that that's a big reason why they are where they are.

You know too, Rick Carlisle had those years with the Celtics bec what in the eighties they were kind of like that team too. They were, you know, a bunch of I mean a couple of superstars, a couple of role players, but just the legendary Celtic name on your Jersey was a big deal. How much of that you think carries over to what he's been doing as a head coach and he's been there a long time.

No good but a good amount.

I mean, I think I taught I did a story on Rick earlier in these playoffs just about his offense, you know, basically just the way he's changed offensively.

And wait, he's kind of embraced.

This idea of it being randomized movement, of not calling a lot of plays and not necessarily running a lot of plays. I mean, you know, obviously Halliburton has the opportunity to call plays, but in a lot of cases it's not even plays.

It's randomized movement.

It's just running a pick and roll or just you know, kind of doing sort of basic stuff but being unpredictable so that somebody can't diagnose what you're doing in the moment. You're just kind of problem solving and playing off with each other.

And I asked him, what made you trust.

That, because I mean he used to be a guy that called a lot of stuff and was very, very very hands on.

He said, you know, it was playing with the eighties Celtics.

It was, you know, being around a guy a lot of guys that were just high level basketball minds and trusting them to just play through things and just just flow. And he said, like I I developed that from there, and and you know, I have a couple of guys on this team that I trust to be those kinds of players.

And you know, just seeing knowing that he could work.

I mean, I think Rick has really come a long way in terms of being able to just just flat trust guys and be willing to delegate, you know what within his.

Coaching staff, but with within his team.

And and then I think has created the style of play that they have. I mean, like he he obviously still is capable of drawing something up in the dirt, you know, at a at a moment's notice and making adjustments, and a lot of what they're doing is him. And you know he does put his thumb on the scale when he has to, but he also just trusts his guys. It's a big reason why you know, Haliburton hits that game winner in Game one. He doesn't call a timeout,

Does this say your last name?

Please?

Do?

Pierre ac do pierrek Okay talking to Dustin Doe Perk from the Indianapolis Star. So before we get to Mathron, there's another coach out there that struck me, and then Dave sent me some information. Is the assistant coach, right, Jenny Bosik?

Is it right?

Yeah?

Busick? Just to me.

She's calling place too, and I'm thinking, who is this woman has this impact because she sits right.

Next to TJ.

Yeah.

No, absolutely, I mean, the the the whole entire staff has a lot of authority.

I mean basically a lot is invested in each of them with us.

Jenny Busak or Mike Winer or Lloyd Pierce or Jim Boyle and you know Engineera Parkrom and all of those folks have a lot of input, but Jenny does especially Obviously it stands out that she's a woman. But I mean, like, you know, Rick believes that she can be the first you know, female head coach in the NBA, or or she can be you know, she was high up in in UH and in the women's ranks in w n b A and believes that he could do that again.

Know, kind of reconsidering their defense.

I mean, obviously last year, toward the beginning of last year, they were one of the worst defenses in the NBA and they were just trying to outscore people. And they've made just dramatic steps over the last two years to become a middle of the pack defense and really over the last three months they were a top ten defense. She's had a lot to do with that. She has

Shot, and obviously TJ's outshot.

Shot is not a big is not a huge piece of his game, but he's tried to make sure that if you're going to go under on him or you're just going to not cover him from three, but he's able to take advantage of that. He's become better and better as time has gone on. I think he's shooting really well in these playoffs and those opportunities, again doesn't take a lot of them, but I mean, he just wants to make sure that he takes the advantage of the opportunity when it's there.

Andrew Nemhar is another person.

She's worked very very closely, with a ton of respect on that staff for her and what she's done, and she's made a really big impact. I mean, she's somebody that it's just again, she's always right in the front of the line and if there's something going down, if there's kind of fisticus or whatever, she generally is there to kind of get it in there separate and she's very good at just connecting with the players.

Developed just terrific relationships with those guys.

Did it take the guys a bit just to be accustomed to having a women's coach.

Like that, Not that I know of.

I mean, obviously I wasn't there when she was hired, so I've only I think she came over with with Rick and so I've been only been around since she's been on staff, so I haven't had to watch that. But I think there have been a lot of these guys are very easily coachable by women, honestly, and again, like I said about TJ, I mean, you know, like like nobody needs to tell TJ McConnell the women's can coach basketball. Nobody needs to tell him that at all.

You know, his dad was a girl's coach when he was.

Growing up, so you know, And and it's just a good personality of guys.

I mean, there's not a lot of you.

Know, it's not that you know, I mean, they they are guys, but you know, it's not there's not so much for cheese moo that they're not willing to listen to women. They understand that, you know, women can really play this game too, and therefore they can really coach this game.

Uh.

So you see a ton of respect on their side, not only for for Jenny, but just other Uh you know, women on staff in different roles, whether it's the nutritionists or the massage therapists or just anybody else that hasn't or the trainers or anybody that has an impact, uh, you know, basically in.

The women's game.

And again, like I said, they they make a point to get over to watch the Indiana Fever when they can't. So it's a it's a group that is very respectful of the role that women have taken in basketball in this day and age.

Well. TJ's sister, right, Phoenix Mercury.

Yeah, exactly.

So let's talk about Benedict real quick, because he had a fantastic Game three.

I think it was. What's his situation, Yeah.

I mean, obviously had a tough end in Game four and not a great game in Game five, but obviously Game three was terrific. Certainly you have been a lot of up and down for him, simply because you know, he's he's probably one of the most talented one on one scores that they have, maybe that maybe the second or third. Obviously, I think he's you know, you know, going back to his rookie year, he was one of the highest scoring rookies in Pacers history and is the

Really trying to had to hone off a lot of edges.

To make it work, and he's made a lot of progress, but they've you know, Aaron E. Smith and Andrew Demhard are just more easy fits at those two wings positions, so he's moved in and out of the starting lineup.

But again, he has had some really.

Big performances in these playoffs when he's been called upon, you know, had a couple of twenty plus point outings and shows that he could still make a really impact and so it can still make an impact in the series. Obviously, is coming up to some decision points in his career.

He's going to be at extension eligible this year.

You know, next year he'll be eligible for free agency if he doesn't sign an extension, So they're gonna have to make some tough decisions going forward in terms of where that's going to go. But they still are pleased with a lot of the progress that he's made over time.

I wouldn't be some prize if you guys go back one more time to Oklahoma City, because, like I say, the Pacers are feisty and they're still talented. We'll see what happens with the diagnosis with the MRI.

Yeah, no, absolutely, that's a big piece for Tyres with the with the calf, you know, apparently it's the calf strained reported.

So you know, we'll see how serious that is. And the tough part is is that, you know, maybe he could play a calf strain through a capturing. Maybe he can't.

But obviously we've seen an NBA Finals when the cashtrain has turned in to something much much worse over the course of trying to play through it. So it's definitely something you want to be cautious with because if something goes wrong, that's the type of thing that.

Costs you a year.

So we see where what they find out, you know, when they look at that, if they see it's something that they need to be more careful with, or if he's able to play through it and obviously not going to Uh, we'll see when we find out about that and when that information is going to come through.

Well, dustin safe travels. Hope you get on a plane at some point.

Here's hoping as well.

Absolutely, Li said, good luck, We'll talk to you soon.

Appreciate you, thank you so much, thank you.

Yeah, that was just no Brick from the Indianapolis Star covering the Pacers and Kareem DJ and Benedict.

Yeah, it's good. There's always seems to be a wildcat in the NBA finals. I don't know how many years.

Everyone w't talk about eleven straight years?

Pretty amazing. Is any other college.

Able to do?

No, they did all that research, Sure they did no final fours in ladles the last seven years.

Sorry, got to go with this. We're way over, but that was good. Yep.

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This is I on the Ball with Steve Ravera on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. Subscribe now to the podcast on the iHeartRadio while just search Ie on the Ball.

Hey, welcome back to my on the ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera, your Dave Silver. That was cool talking to Dustin from the Indian start. Yeah, it's just to get update on what was going on in that rotation that they were using.

Me, which makes a lot of sense when you figure he is the backup point guard and you know, as a viewer somebody, you know, maybe rooting for Indiana, you're wondering, why.

Is he still on the car right right? So well, but he kind of explained it.

Yeah, this is the rotation how it works when you're when you're the second guy and you come in for a few minutes and you know, give the starters a break.

Yeah, yeah, no question.

So good that. We'll see what happens here. The game six is on Thursday night. Try to see if they get it back to game seven probably Saturday or Sunday, right, probably Sunday Sunday. And yeah, they have like five weeks between games, so it feels like that way. Anybody want to call we have a short break here, it's fourth four twenty seven. We'll take about thirteen minutes come back because we were a little slow getting him, so we're

About recruiting, how much I hate it. Yeah, it's kind of tough to cover from our standpoint.

Yeah, nowadays.

The good thing is, you know, back when I did it back and I feel like I'm one hundred years old. We call the kids, right, if they pick up the phone, you're good. If they didn't, well you didn't have a story until you know, and then you're hoping that your your competition didn't have the story. Whatever. Peace, if you make a decision, call me the first to call. Please, please.

And then now they just break themselves on the interw with or own thing.

Yeah, you know, I mean, I think as much as we don't maybe like to talk about it, but I think it would be pretty interesting if they do get this quarterback who he's the only quarterback in the class. Right, he's from Downey, California, And again he's gonna choose between Arizona and UCLA. He's gonna make his announce his announcement on June twenty seven, so we have what like ten days to worry about this.

Yeah, but good junior year. I mean he was.

He's ranked tenth in the country, tenth best quarterback in the country. He's currently at the Elite eleven quarterback camp in Los Angeles, so he's doing that kind of stuff. Twenty three and seven record over three years, he completed, he threw, he's film fifty three touchdown passes. I mean, again, these statistics, who knows what they really mean. But the coaches see the potential and they get to watch the

Yeah.

Yeah, see, we had Noah on yesterday. It was a

Especially at the collegiate level too, where you know they're still young. Yeah, you know, maybe are they even maybe you know, Teddy Bruski would become a better leader once he you know, gets to twenty five and yeah, he is playing a few years in the NFL, but leadership might be kind of tough for some of these kids. Yeah, they're coming out of high school, they're the big man on campus. They come to college and you know, maybe

And the players and the players he's like the pipe piper this team. I mean, I felt this and I said this again yesterday. I've said it since he showed up against Stanford and took over for Delora that and I was criticized for it by a couple of people that he showed up and the guys played harder for him.

Well, I think, you know, he sent a message too coming back. You know a lot of guys did not come back, and you know, I think a lot of people maybe felt players were abandoning the program. Well, here he was where he could have left, I'm sure, and probably had offers team elsewhere like Tam Mac and those two guys, you know, as a team as a pair, you know, showed some bravery I guess, and came back and you know it's gonna pay off for Team AC

Coach or something like that.

Sure, and who knows, you from these guys, maybe he could find a way because if he has that leadership quality, find a spot to be on a roster or whatever. You know, I wouldn't understate him or underestimate him.

Yeah, And I mean there's a few other avenues to get to professional football too, whether it's even you know, Canada or these other spring leagues that are popping up and indoor football things like that.

There could be a chance.

Yeah, and don't and don't cry for don't cry for No, he's going to be making some coin on this revenue show type of thing.

Nil thing. So the kids are doing all right.

So anybody who missed that interview yesterday, you can go to the iHeart podcast and findance his iHeartMedia, uh and search iHeartMedia and iron the ball. He'll find it from yesterday. It was a good, good one.

I thought, is he pretty optimistic about this coming season?

Yeah, of course.

Yeah, he's now here with the guys doing the workouts individual that individual but you know, the guys workouts for the no coaches, and we talked about that being you know, this is the chemistry building portion of their careers where you can go out and compe with each other or the patterns and the timing.

And all that stuff. But losing his number one receivers. I brought that story, Uh.

I brought that conversation up that he had to find his other right hand man.

Yeah, and there are a few.

There are a few, he says, yeah. No, we're working on that now and we'll see what happened.

I mean, there's gonna have to be somebody. I mean, really it's it's the offense. And then yeah, he'll have to find, you know, maybe a favorite target or someone's gonna step up in the spring and the fall workouts to be that number one receiver for him.

So I see, yeah, no question. There was also something I wanted to bring up. I can't remember now, football, basketball, baseball. It's gonna be a quiet summer, right. We're almost like the middle of the middle of June. We are past the middle of June, almost the middle of sir.

Now, are we officially done? Everything's over all the track and field's done.

As far as you know. So that's it. Bered Harvey's done. Off we go into the summertime. Yeah. Yeah, it was interesting.

I watched some of the track over the weekend and all the programs, how strong they are. You know, that's another sport that you have to be really, really really good.

I think, if I'm not mistaken, I think we have the big twelve championships here next year.

Wherever you know the track field.

Really it seems like it wouldn't be big enough for Oh no, well, we had packed twelve championships here A couple of times.

I tell you how many times I've done that yeah, so, I mean that was a pretty good league. Obviously.

I don't know, of course, I don't know how great the Big twelve is, but I'm sure it's not the caliber of the Pack twelve.

Yeah okay, yeah, I didn't know that and an attended one, although Arizona has a history of a pretty good, strong history of strong track athletes.

Yeah.

You know.

The NBA Draft is next week too, and I yeah, some of the some of the mock drafts and stuff like that. Again, those are take those for what they're worth.

But are you in Thursday? Yeah, okay, maybe we'll try to. I'm trying to try to find Carter. No, Caleb, Oh yeah, try to get him on we go ahead.

So Carter, yes, panic, Carter in the top ten. Yeah, and they're saying he's probably going to be like nine to fifteen, one of those picks depends on which team is up and what they need.

Sure, he's he's going to be in a good spot. So you had no question, in fact, probably take a pay cut. No, he's no.

Question, And that's all the potential right to see what so to see what he has because he didn't score what six points? I think you're right. I don't even know the rebounds, but impactful when he was in there.

It's going to be you know, he's got he's what is he nineteen eighteen?

He's a kid, you know. Let's see.

Yeah, well that's what the NBA is that we talk about Indianapolis and Oklahoma the two youngest teams out there.

Yeah, and he's to say, was it Dylan was just talking about.

Dustin was just talking about to.

Ben And he's still young, and he's already already looking at his third year. So that's where the big money starts to kick in. And in the next couple of years for these guys. You want to get to that, for get through that first contract and so Carter, you know, he'll get a nice deal here, you know, three four million in bucks probably, yeah, and then hopefully get a chance to make even more.

I wish I had his future.

I'm just trying to get see the door, see the light at the end of the tunnel.

You've already seen it. You're there now. I went through that door.

He turned out that light. Let's go blinking my eyes, let's go, let's go take a break here and come back at four four forty and then call it a day after that. Hey, Tucson, Steve rivera heir, 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 the Edmond Marcus All State Agency. These guys are the MVPs of home and auto coverage. Whether it's a fender bender or

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Streamy live on the Ihearts Radio while this is Eye on the Ball with Steve Rovera on Fox Sports fourteen fifty.

Hey, welcome back to my on the Ball here on Fox Sports Fortune fifty. I'm Steve Rivera, you're Dave Silver. You got about I don't know twelve minutes, eleven minutes. If you guys want to call, please do five two zero, four, one, six, seventy four forty.

You're here waiting for the calls.

A good show today, I think Rich Tomy in the first hour, Dustin Dope Priact at the Indianapolis Star getting a previewer post view of the Pacers, and TJ McConnell and Bed Maath's.

It is really cool how so many UFA players wind up in the NBA Finals and there's that whole hallway in you know, right by the coaches offices with them holding trophies if they win the championship, which you know might not happen this year for those guys, but a lot of them have.

Yeah, got a call. Hello, you're on the air Andine on the ball. Who's this?

Hi?

Steve, Hi, Dave?

This is done. Hi, guys doing what's the word?

What's the twenty four hour later call?

Oh Man, bad news today? I guess Kevin Van's got a head coaching job at San Diego State, so we got to find us a new pitching coach.

Right, Yeah, we've been talking about that, guys. I think an impact.

Yeah, well, you know, I think Chip is pretty well connected, so you know it is. I mean it's a good thing. I mean he's he hired a good dude that's able to get himself to a head coaching job. So now he's just got to go find another one. Yeah, there's a lot of guys out there.

One of the names we're seeing is Nathan Banister, who just pitched here, you know, in the last decade. Oh yeah, yeah, so he could be on his way back. Possibly he's been coaching a Grand Canyon.

Yeah, that's that's true.

That would be a step up and then maybe somebody that might stick around.

A little while. And Grant Cannon has owned Arizona.

That true, Well, they played that game. They played the games against Arizona with purpose, and and and and Chip has been playing those games to get guys innings, you know, uh, position players and pictures and so. But you know, it is what it is. But I did want to I did want to tell you a recruiting story because how you were saying about how terrible the whole process is. Years and years ago, Cherokee Parks chose Duke over Arizona and others. And I had a guy ask me. He goes, well,

Right right, because he do that a lot, and say that, oh the world is going to end.

And who did Arizona instead?

We must I'm sure Arizona got somebody just as good, if not better.

What year was, Well, would you look at it just when he came out the year that he came out.

But go ahead, done, we'll find the information.

Cherokee Parks would have been very early nineties, like ninety two, ninety three, my.

First years, So that would have been like kind of Sean Rooks was already here. God, Chris Mills was already here. Man Raos, well back.

In those days, when did when did Arizona not have any players?

No, no, you're you're exactly right. Here's done.

And this is even better because he didn't go after all the five star guys, so ninety one, so it must have been right before I took.

Ninety one.

Yeah, I mean it was kind of Kevin flannagain that group, you know, but you're right done. It didn't matter. He was going to find well.

And then and at that time, you know, well, Lulut is a coach, a teaching coach, was a teaching coach, so he got guys that could fit whatever it was he wanted to do. And at that time and then he was able to change because we went from the Tucson Skyline when we had Stokes, Rooks and Williams, and then he got smaller and was able to coach that.

No question, that story's been told a number of times. But you're spot on because they were they said, you know, they talk about John Wooden put on the socks and the fundamentals and this and that loot was a lot like that, and then they'd have those fundamentals sewed in by the time they were out. You know, maybe some boring stuff, but they were ready. They were ready when they got there.

Well, I mean, who would have thought how long did Judde Bushler stay in the league? And here this guy came to Arizona as a volleyball player and he was in the league what ten years or something? He was

No question.

But to your point, he didn't go after although he tried to, probably to go after the big ten guys. Hell I followed him forever. Uh so, but he you're exactly right. He put pieces together to make him a good basketball team.

And and how long did he have where the team voted on whether a guy could come.

They've done it, done it in a number of times.

They could tell him no, he's just not the right fit, you know, and Bobby have to sign off on some of his.

Yeah, well she didn't like the Steve Kurr too at the time. Really this guy what? Yeah? Yeah, this guy really?

Because you remember they went to the practice. It was last minute recruiting. They both went out there and I think he was God, it's in the book. I don't want to miss the mess up the book. But they went to watch him. You're gonna take that guy?

Is he really?

And then then he turned out to be Steve Kerr?

Is that is that? Is that the heck of a thing? Missus coach says, Really, I don't, I don't know, right, I don't. Let's go get a nice tea, honey, let's think about it.

To really go for it.

When you look at the roster like ninety one. You know Clid Damon. Damon was a freshman, and I remember that he didn't go to New York for he didn't. It's very rare that he went West East. I mean, all the guys are from the West Nevada. Well there's who was Brian Nelson. I forget who that was.

Yeah he was not he was a first walk on. He's one of the first walk on.

Okay, but yeah, I mean that was pretty well, you know, probably probably Lout was already calculating, you know, homesickness and if I, if I bring with somebody out of New York, I might be able to get him to come, But is he gonna want to stay right right?

And that was more of you know those big city kids. You know those big city kids are you know?

Yeah, no, it was tough and he did get home.

I got who that was more of a Jesse Evans recruit too, of cold.

But go ahead, if you had that roster.

I was gonna say, you know, Matt Othick was a senior, Stokes junior, Womack junior. You know, Chris Mills was a junior. The transfer you just come over from Kentucky. So it was you know, it was a good team. It was building to the final four and a couple of years after that. But I don't know if Cherokee Parks would

Yep.

Yeah, So here we go into the dog days of summer where there's nothing happening.

Right, well, this will be the struggle. I'm going to be taking time off.

But thanks Don, we might we might have to get Jay in more often just to talk about the no never mind, right, yeah.

I totally agree with you. He's probably not listening, so you can talk about it. We'll talk about it Friday. Thanks man, Thanks, Thanks guys, Right, take care. We got about three minutes, a little less than three minutes.

We can continue to look at that roster. Kidding it was a nondescript roster.

But you remember that they lost to Santa Clara in the finals, but they went seventeen and one. That year of ninety three, they seventeen and one. They lost in a Fluca game to California and then they lost in the first round to Santa Clara with Reggie and then Damon and Kalid and Chris was that was rough. That was rough because it came on the hills of East Tennessee.

So they had a twenty five didn't have a twenty five nothing run in that game.

I mean, some ridiculous I remember that.

I just remember that Chris Mills got into foul trouble in the first half, so they had to sit him and they couldn't separate themselves from Santa Clara. And everybody wants to talk about Steve Nash. Steve Nash was not a factor. No, he was just he scored punts from the free line. But he was on the team, so everyone's wants to talking about it.

No, I mean that team had Rooks, Mills, Stokes. That's a pretty good front course. Well, Mack, yeah, it was a freshman.

He's probably a junior of sophomore. He's a junior. I'm sorry, I was thinking.

So again, all these guys are coming over from southern California basically, except for Damon from Portland and Khalid from Queens. He got Vegas. Matt Othick was coming from Vegas. They were all West Coast guys, and I mean it was.

But it was not a not a big five star, four star dudes. He was just getting basketball players who can fit his dimes.

Yeah, I mean he needed a six nine freshman forward, skinny forward. He got yos who lasted four years, I'm sure.

And he was. He was tough. He was tough, and he was clutch.

If he missed a twelve footer, UBC, how the hell did he missed that twelve footer because he was so automatic?

Yep, you know.

Chris Mills came in with a little bit of baggage from Kentucky, but still he wound up having a nice career, a long career in the NBA.

I still say that he's the most underrated former cat in my time because he was really really good. Unlucky with the with the Santa Claara game, in the East Tennessee State game, but he was.

He was that good. He was.

He was before his time on the perimeter. He could get to rebounds, to do a lot of things. I should try to. I still try to find.

Him because he's in l A doing a lot of stuff. And he was. He was big. He's a six foot six, but he was thicker. He was thicker.

Have nim listed at two sixteen, but I know he reminds me of Yeah, but even bigger than that.

He was thicking. But he was good, knew how to play the game. Yeah, he was tough. Yeah, Okay, we get about a minute, Dave. No, we might have to go through these rosters more often. It might be our summer summer plan. Well, ninety four, then ninety four they went to the final four, right with the same with Joe JB.

Beddey, these guys, Corey, Reggie g.

Playing Arkansas leading UCLA two zip first inning already, Yeah, Ucla tried to steal home really the first inning they got thrown out just.

Inches, generating runs at least trying to.

Okay, Pack ten school Pack twelve schools are having some trouble. Yeah, we'll see what happens in State's done, Arizona's done.

Yeah, thank you, Dave. Sure a good show today. We'll see what we have tomorrow. I think Blake is in tomorrow and then you'll be back on Thursday.

Yep.

Okay, thanks everybody for listening

Thanks for the calls, Done and anybody else and their guests appreciate you guys.