Tuesday, March 18, Hour 2

Hey, welcome back to Winding the Ball. Here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve your Dave. Now we have Kobe with breaking news.

This is High on the Ball, breaking news on Fox Sports fourteen fifty.

Breaking news from the sports world. Arizona Miranda Stoddard earned second Big twelve Softball Player of the Week honors.

She must have had a holder of statue against Utah.

She was five for seven, I believe, with two home runs.

Okay, okay, thetty solid here. Yeah, that's some pretty good pitching. I mean, what else you need pitching? You need pitching. You don't have pitching. You're not gonna last long.

Indiana is expected to hire West Virginia coach Darien DeVries to be next coach. Devreue spent one year at West Virginia, where we were in nineteen and thirteen. He also led Drake to three NCAA tournaments in four years.

Yeah, now that I kind of we talked about this right off the r Dave. I thought it was kind of a stretch. But you know, he's got a good past and he did pretty well this year. Is his son still have a.

Bunch of injuries too, Right, he was injured, and then he played the airs and against Arizona early in the season, shot it was great. And then, uh, the coach must have some pretty strong Midwestern ties. I mean he's been a drake, he said, and then in West Virginia. So we'll see. It's a big job. It's that's one of those where, you know, even they haven't been great for a long time, but it's still very important job.

Right. No, I was just gonna say, they've had a lot of coaches come to the system, including Sean Miller's brother. That's who didn't do I think first name escapes me, but Archie Archie, and he was a heck of a coach. I mean, he's at Rhode Island, I think now, So we'll see.

H a Otani collected a pair of hits in his return to Japan as the defending champs defeat the Cubs four to one.

You had a baseball season underway.

The real games are not gonna all come back to Arizona and play some more spring training. But you know, I guess it's pretty cool that there were both teams have a number of Japanese stars, and I heard there's all kinds of you know, just Hurrah having show hey there, and of.

Course you know, yeah, Star World, Superstar you're going to take the subscreen training games right.

The way, We're gonna hit some games.

Well, how one does it end?

We actually went to a game last week too. It ends next weekend, I think. Then we actually saw a show hey last week in Glendale against the Diamondbacks, and as you can imagine, I'm it's it's like a mini Dodger Stadium and you go there, everyone's were in Dodger Dodger jerseys, and he's got the number one selling jersey I'm sure.

In the world, and everybody they love him.

And I remember I was in a Dodger game in La last summer, the same thing. I mean, it's just incredible the following he.

Has were you well, I guess this is a long time ago, so you can't compare like the Fernando mania, right, it was kind of crazy like that.

It's similar, maybe even more, I would say more. I mean Fernando was was big. I mean he was big. It was you know, Los Angeles has a has a gigantic population that would support him, obviously the Southwest and h you know, he was like a cultural phenomenon, and he came on as a kid. He was like twenty years old. We showed up and he's throwing you know, these screwballs and you know, had great success.

Right twenty years old. Yeah, and he was like to buy accident. Yeah, because he just kind of replaced the starter. I can't remember who it was, and he became this guy.

Yeah. Whereas Otani, you know, we saw him with the Angels and we kind of you know, watched him, you know, at least come into Major League Baseball. But then he gets this you know, enormous contract and you know whatever. It was seventy million a year, which is nothing these days in baseball. The Dodgers made seventy million just in TV rights, probably just because his games are on in Japan and things like that, so you know, they'll break even easily.

The AP All America First Team came out today. Making It was John Broom, Cooper Flag, Mark Sears, Walter Clayton Junior, and Braden Smith.

Tell me where he's from? From Purdue Purdue Okay, he was almost goods are pretty good. I didn't see him play it at all. The other guys are really good. Guard from Florida he's fantastic. Yeah, fantastic.

I wasn't Crayton Smith on the team last year with Zach eat hole, Yeah, I think so. I think he was like there outside shoot. Yeah, it's really good. But yeah, no, no, Caleb Love anywhere.

No, his name has not been mentioned. And Evan strike up. Evan Miyaka our guy. And I've been on his site all day to day because I wanted to do my uh my bracket here and uh Arizona's nowhere in top tens anywhere backcourts, front courts, teams anything like that.

Uh oh.

The one guy that made the list and he's number two. Uh and it's take a guess who it is?

Number two?

What that's why if I tell you, you'd know Henry No, which is a good guess. Al Waka In rebounding, Oh yeah, he's the second best rebounder in.

The offensive rebounder, just rebounder.

Yeah. And that's the only name on that any any of his lists. Yeah.

In the newest AP twenty five, Auburn is four, Florida's three, Houston is two, and Duke.

Is won or any of those guys are gonna win it.

I picked Florida. I think I picked Houston in one of my pools. Yeah, I don't know. You want to get one shot, David, you.

Know, yeah, five dollars I'll never get back.

It's called dead money, man.

But I to Vegas, have gotten to Vegas on this particular.

Week two three years ago? Did you really three years ago? It was not what I expected? Did you just go to one casino? Which is stayed A good question? A little bit both. I did for one day and then the next day it was kind of like, it's crazy, it's just so much there. You know, which game do you watch? Blah blah blah. But it was I want to do it. I did it because I want to do it, because there was one it was not in. It had to be twenty nineteen, okay, when they didn't

It's you know, I mean basically.

The way it's staggered though, it's not too tough to watch, honestly, but it sounds bad. Yeah, but there's only like, you know, there's a few games that are gonna be on at the same time, but you know, basically just have to outlast the whole day because it's started so.

Early and end's late. Yeah, I can't. We went to a few of them. Circle We didn't get the circle, but I love circlech is amazing. Yeah, but so many, so much fun, you know, just an all day of you know, what the heck did I just watch? You know your eyes are like holy craft? Yeah, yeah, but cool, I did it. You know, this is my first time. I'm not going to the term this week this year, unless to get to the final four. But this is

Listened to an interview actually, as I was coming over here.

He's been to like fifty two final fours, you know, going all the way back to like the late sixties or whenever he got to college.

Yeah, I've been to nineteen nineteen final fours. Yeah. In fact, we're kind of friends. We talked a lot at the Phoenix for the final four. Okay, and he's still the Christy Kresty dude. You don't know, it's not still. He's been that way from a long time. You know, I should try to get on tomorrow. You should get him.

He you know, he talked about are we good on time here?

Yeah?

Get because I mean he was talking about when he went to the final four. Maybe it was the one in Phoenix where he just you know, in the old days, you know, you'd walk into the press room and I knew all the writers, and everybody knew everybody, and there were a hundred of us in there. Because now you go in there, I maybe know five of them, and all there's all these young guys and they're working for websites. They aren't even like printing newspapers anymore. It's a totally different dynamic.

Very true.

This isn't coming from a guy who's you know, probably seventy five years old now at least, very true in the business forever.

Very true. That's true. Was like that, Yeah, that's true. Was like that. And because I know a lot of the guys. It's the Pat forties, the Dick Wises, the the Dan Wilkins, and those guys, the what's the name, who's gonna un Dennis dogs. Those guys were all you know, they're and I'm friends for them because they've been around a long time. But yeah, there it's a different generation. They're all working for websites and you know I have about these podcasts.

Yeah, and they don't have to necessarily be in the press room, you know, doing what we used to have to do. We had to be there, really, we couldn't just somehow get the stories right.

Well, that's what you missed the most, because you're going to get access to the press conferences and then the quotes from there, but you don't get to go into the into the into the locker rooms. Yeah. Yeah, that's what Bruce was telling me, you know, telling us a couple of days ago when he was the lonesome guy

Well I mean, even as you know Michael was talking, or maybe it was the caller who called in earlier about the TV coverage. When's the last time I think I ever saw Caleb Love interviewed one on one after a game. Maybe he did it a couple of times during the season, but you know he did it after some of the games in Kansas City. Yeah, I had him like, oh okay, he was okay.

The only time I remember saying, they have the Arizona has its in house. Okay, a person the young woman who does it and they get about ninety seconds, right, and he does this thing. He's not a great quote. He's just not a great quote. But sure, and that's what you need. You need great quotes. But that's when I see him by himself.

They need practice. That's the problem, you know.

That's what they're protecting these guys and letting him go out and talk. They need to very sure that and build their brand so we can learn about him.

Well, that's the funny thing. And I think you'd agree with me with this. I think one of the things, and I say this to the administrators as often as I can, is one of the things about Loot. And he had his criticisms also, but he let his kids grow up, talk to us pretty much open locker rooms until his end days. Right, But Sean's on TV, Channing's on TV. All these guys have media experience because they were.

Good at it.

Josh Passner was on for hours. He continues to me, he's fantastic. Yeah, he's going crazy on ESPN SA.

Yeah, you're right. These guys had that chance.

They grew up, they were able to, you know, again, build a brand a little bit, especially at a college level, and then you know, they graduate, they go on to coach, and then they can handle the interviews and news conferences and things like that.

So yeah, people don't talk about that often enough, and they do such a good job. People at Duke do they you know, obviously bright kids and now they're who they are.

Right Grant Hill, Yeah, Bobby Hurley.

And the point guard Williamson Jason Williams PEMA basketball lead from start to finish as they cruise to the national quarterfinals after beating sixteen seeds Souning Niagara.

They are now thirty three and oho on the season.

Yeah, that was the first game. Yep, there's a first game. They play Thursday three pm. Thursday three pm in the quarterfinals and then the women play too. You have that score, so.

Yeah, I mean the man just just destroyed them ninety nine to sixty six.

I mean, the typical you know, offense.

They scored like fifty eight points in the first half in a junior college game.

It's just amazing.

And the women on one last night seventy four to sixty five in the semis. They're in the quarters. Tomorrow they play and they not in the semis but in the in the sixteen or whatever it was. They're in the quarters tomorrow they play at six pm. And both coaches were named Coaches of the Year in the West District after winning their regions.

I mean, Pema just blew them away in the first I mean they had had a fourteen oh run today, They just you know, they're They're a powerhouse, and I don't know who's gonna be able to stop them. The way they've been playing, shot what uh not even fifty percent, shot forty eight percent and still outscored these guys by you know, forty points whatever it was, ninety nine sixties, thirty three points.

Last thing that I have is Cooper Cup has signed his contract for the Seattle Seahawks.

Being an official Oh okay, yeah, I'm thinking I'm thinking basketball right it Cooper Cup and I'm thinking what and then he the player to say Cooper Flag the Cooper Cup. Okay, anything else on that wire there.

Sir Darien he mentioned Darien Devrees Sons, more injuries. Bradley Beale he hurt again, surprising. Yeah, the team's toast. They're just they're just jinxed. They're just thinking, so I don't want to play. They're just not they're not good together.

They said they're probably going to fire the coach. Some reports one one one season, one season.

Yeah, so that's how many? How many in the last five years? Williams Williams and then the next guy, and then the next guy, and this.

Guy and Money Williams and then Frank Vogel. Right, he was next because Miles was with him. Where's Miles.

I think he's not doing anything, you know. Yeah, I'm a little surprised by that because they loved him on TV.

I know, I think he would go back unless he's just waiting for something else.

Yeah, maybe maybe, Okay, anything else, Oh, that's it. Okay, we don't have a guest. I was still trying to check somebody down. But we don't have a guest. Maybe we will take some calls. Let's take a break here and come back on the other side, and maybe we'll take some calls.

For today, for the next what's that number again?

Yeah? Five, two zero, there you go, four one, six, seventy four.

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This is I on the Ball on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. Want to take part in the show call out Steve now went five to two oh four one, six seventy four forty.

Hey, welcome back to my on the ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve, your Dave and Kobe Kobe. You were playing a little reporter work today. Oh, I was that. It was fun. Good to hear from fe Fida and Brennan on the.

What was the result from the first day of practice, would they say? Yeah, they talked a lot about the new offense, how the o ceth dojer He's a new scheme, he's an up tempo offense. They're getting used to it. And Fafida likes that, he says.

I would hope that he would say that doesn't have any choice third offense in three years for him? Yeah, yeah, uh, smart guy though. He'll be able to and I think the fans will like it too. You know last year last year was the offense. The problem with the defense or was it everything.

I think it was a combination, especially with the offense, was not too.

Imagine, it wasn't too much, right. I think a lot of the problems last year was because the running back. You know, he played one game and then he was done. I think he played one game, just one game, maybe one game, and then he got suspended or whatever whatever happened to him. I don't think it was fully explained. And then he turned out to be just a good player, right. I guess he was an All Star and did really well. So okay, so.

All gets going in August thirtieth, gonna be a little toasty for Hawaii here.

Yeah, so let me let me ask you, David so so Kobe here says, how did how did Jay go? It was fun? When was the last time you went to to practice? And the press converson?

David?

How was these practice? Was it fun?

If I could tell my stories?

Now?

No, I mean we weren't even allowed.

To go to practice back in the day, very sticking there for like a half hour if if that, and then you had to leave.

I don't know how things are.

They're gonna be kind of wipes down too. But Duke told me you can kind of sit around and kind of watch, and the thing.

About the shoot what are you watching exactly? They were so worried about us reporting on stuff. We had no idea what we were watching. Basketball, maybe you can sort of see things, Hey, that guy's got a pretty good outside jumper or whatever.

But for football practices.

It was basically, you know, a bunch of guys standing around trying to figure out what are they even doing really, And the coaches were so paranoid because one day, you know, there was a spy that snuck into some practice if U C l.

A or something, and they I don't know it was there.

I remember the one time and Stoops was the coach

You know, we were doing stories and we would like say, you know, say it was Noah if we would be shooting, just Noah, we wouldn't be shooting, you know, some wide scheme, offense, trick play or Dick told me was fantastic coming over and telling us turn the cameras off for a few minutes because we're gonna do some stuff don't want anyone else to see, and I'll come back and tell you when you can turn them on.

So that was great to have that.

Let's also remember that that was way before the live tweets and the uh and this guy that guy and all that. Yeah, but he was a.

Good sport about it, and he understand, you know, he understood in the job, right, you know, it's a generation ago, So I don't know.

You're right.

The coaches, all they know trick plays could get out on the internet, you know in March.

Guess what, David, everybody has them. Everybody has those trick plays. Really Yeah, nothing new good. I can stopping them. You can't use them all the time. Yeah, So that's what it is. Just keep an eye on that phone there, Kobe. Uh, if you guys want to call them, we have no guests here, so we'll take some calls. Five to zero, four, one, six,

Hey, we've got to score out of Dayton. Oh yeah, one Saint Francis and Alabama State. Uh, Saint Francis winning twelve to ten. It just they just started. So they they get the number. Who they're they're gonna play.

What one of those things? Yeah, I can't remember who it is. Like I said, I haven't looked at my bracket yet.

They're playing, uh waite, who are they playing?

What do you think the first the first game? To me, that's going to be interesting. Arkansas versus Ken's.

They're playing Auburn versus Kansas.

That should be a good game with the Calipari, my guy and favorite favorite coach and uh self, two guys who can be a good one, you know, two Hall of Fame guys going against each other and then with the winner with the winner possibly uh facing Patino.

Mm hmm.

I'm scared about Saint John's. I mean, and you know every year, I mean kind of gets kind of cliche ish, but that five twelve game is always.

Yeah, you got to find that one. Well.

Oregon and Liberty, so you know, I don't know about Liberty.

No, they're they'd like to slow it.

They slow down.

A couple of years ago, I'd like to slow it down. And there was one up they faced the team like that they would have a hard time. But I agree with was it David with the mic? Uh that uh Arizona a facial team that likes to move up and down right into their wheelhouse, right into their wheelhouse.

Michigan got Michigan.

You see San Diego our buddy Steve Quis covers those you see San Diego and this is I think this might be the first time ever for them.

Yeah, I know they're in.

They're a good team.

Thirty and three years thirty.

Yeah, yeah, they won like fifteen in a row or something.

Yeah.

You doing a bracket, Yeah, the either one.

You got Clemson and McNeice.

Clemson and McNeice. McNeice is with the UH with the LSU coach that got in trouble, and I think he has some ties to comps in something. There's so many storylines. Should be fun, should be really fun. I haven't done my paperwork. Get you said you did a few?

Yeah.

I keep changing going back and forth with mine in terms of the winner. Yeah yeah, I keep changing it up.

So who you said Florida? I have Florida.

I think I think they're a really good team. I have some upsets. I have Yale beating Texas A and m m M. Yeah, I liked I saw Yale. They have a really good lefty shooter. I think average like twenty five a game.

Yeah.

How many teams out of the SEC made it fourteen fourteen, Toledo fourteen. I don't even know who the last two did not. Some of them I didn't even know they were in the SEC. Texas A and M.

Vanderbilt. That's pretty amazing though. Vandy.

Yeah, well, let's see if they hold up the bargain, because, uh, it's a lot of teams. I see how far they get Saint John's you're from how far are you from?

There?

Like forty five minutes they've kept. I'm a supporter, I wouldn't say I'm a fan, like I'm happy for them for sure.

The other five twelve is the Memphis Colorado State match.

That's that's an interesting one. I've been following that one for a while. I've been watching a lot of the TV programs. Again, I don't kind of believe anything out here, but they've been talking about I think I might take Colorado State in that one.

And then right after that, the four thirteen is Maryland Grand Canyons. So Grand Canyons had a nice Yeah, it's just the two Arizona schools make a tournament.

That's the funny thing about it. When we were I think it was gonna add in the in our commercials that look we have Arizona, you know, kind of a staunch or a long time basketball power issue hasn't figured it out right, maybe once or twice in this whole time, and then Grand Canyon has come on the scene recently. I mean, I'm strong and very good, the second best probably the team in the in the state. The issue is still kind of still trying to find a way just.

I mean the conference they're in whatever it is, the whack, Yeah.

But they're good. I mean I remember we were usually we're in Utah last year watching games, and they were pretty good last year in the tournament. They played well until the end. You gotta find those five twelve You gotta find.

The right twelve middlesh games, the four thirteen's and stuff. You know, like you mentioned Kansas Arkansas. You know it's a pick them. What the odds are.

In that game.

I think Kansas will be favor by four and a half. Actually I would take Kansas. I still have to go to my last year.

I mean, most of the mismatches are going to be, you know, the two in the fifteen's or eighteen point difference for Tennessee.

Don't say that wasn't it just last year where two years ago where Arizona Princeton was a two or fifteen, right right, and then Arizona was a two. Arizona was favored by what thirty something big and then you just fill apart in the say in half. So we'll see if you again, if you want to call five, two, zero, four, one, six, seventy four or forty we read appreciate it if you want to call it. What else do you have there? The women? I think the women I thought, you know,

No, it's whatever this tournament is wb I T what it is.

There was a little partion to me that said, if they get invited, they may not go. But yeah, they'll they'll get five thousand, you know, a deal will continue her career here. We'll see what happens beyond that because we don't.

Yeah, it's kind of I mean, well, I guess the men's game is not going to be up against it, but that that would have been rough if that that turned out that way.

Right, right, So it's good they'll get you know, they'll get their crowd there.

Yeah, and it's totally different cars and crowds. I mean, so we'll see, we'll see what they do. And they lost to them. They lost them first time, and you they lost up and that's right.

You know, I think I remember watching that game of all.

The lost that game and they don't have a couple of players as short again. Yeah, I mean, that's how many times have we said that?

If I remember that game, Arizona had a pretty good lead and just any you went on some ridiculous run where they scored like eighteen straight or something like that, and then cats couldn't couldn't catch them. But yeah, that's kind of a surprising. And remember because like lut would never go up to flag staff. No, basically can make them come down here. But I guess it is more comedy. They have to pay. They have to pay. Well, they paid them too. Yeah, games, and they don't play. I

But wouldn't they I don't know.

Isn't there some I don't know. I don't know speaking I'm not quite sure.

Yeah, well he went there, he went there when he first got here in eighty three, and they drove, if I remember, just to kind of show, yeah, because you would know you were here. Yeah, just to get the word out, you know, connect the caravans that they're doing now, right.

Coming this was Yeah, this is like throwing Pete Williams and Eddie Smith into a bus or something.

Did you know those guys back then? You know they came here accommodating and then Tate Eddie Williams. No, he was half half a half the year.

Think that's all he lasted. I remember because we've talked to Pete about that. How he thought he was super gonna be good. Yeah, but you know Kerr was coming in and brock Bunk brock Bronk Horse was finishing up basically, so that first team, you know, all the holdovers from the Ben Lindsay era Ben Lindsay season, and then you know, he brings in the two JC guys and John Edgar came. I think maybe the next year. I can't remember exactly how that came.

Oh okay, I thought they came in together.

Maybe there are another Buddies next now, but neighbors pretty much. Yeah, but yeah, it was it was a quick especially now when you think about you know, the transfer portals and how you're you know, remaking your rosters.

That's basically what happened here.

Well, you know, I never yeah, exactly at that time, and that's going to be happening for the rest of our time covering games because every team you said, wow, this team is pretty good. Well when they come together, well just in August, you know, because everybody's new.

Yeah, you know already there's somebody I don't. I just saw some headline already about somebody's alreadys made their decision on where they're going next year. Basketball guys are making their well, even finishing the semesters.

There was a kid here at a unil Via guard because they fired Lon Kruger's son Kevin. Kevin Kruger. Yeah, so be right, So they fired him. I don't know who they're gonna get, but their guard is a pretty good guard. He's leaving. I think he was all whack or all conference whatever Melton West, and they said, now that Caleb's leaving one and two h Bradley needs some help with the with the spot that this guy would fit in perfectly. Well, there's times there's out there and.

His high school kids gonna be ready to walk right in and play like Carter Bryant.

Well, they have this other kid that they're chasing. I forget his name, A big name that and I think that he's favored to head somewhere else maybe you will see. So the question is Canny retreat those high school kids because he really he really hasn't you know, Kobe?

Or he gets guys from around the country, around the world, right, you know, right, what's what's going on in in Estonia this year?

You know who wants to come?

So I think he's doing fine. He's such a So you read my story about him and being uh being animated in the in the in the huddle. That got a lot of attention. I'm not not my story, but the situation and there was did you.

Well that it happened?

It was just like, you know, we have not seen him do that exact cameras are not usually allowed in that spot.

Right right, So it happened, and I'm thinking this is odd. I'm sure everybody did. Did you read my stray and then bald WoT be killing this? My mom texted me she said, does he having a heart attack? So that was part of the story, and it kind of it was would you say to me manufactured?

Well, yeah, you could tell. I'm sure it was manufactured. You and he had to agree to have the cameras right. It wasn't like you they just popped the camera in there and he was so I'm sure he probably thought about it.

Well. It was kind of like the moment that I think it was during the Final four Runner or the chemps that run, where she was caught on camera. She swore she know she gave the finger the finger, and it's like, to me, it's like, what's the big deal? These are coaches, man, don't you want to see these guys and women do this? That's what they do.

It's an emotional game, It's exactly. You know, so much is on the line, and you know.

I wouldn't rather have them do that than not do that, right, you know?

Yeah, and you know it just gives us another side of Tommy that many of us haven't seen. Yeah, I don't think we have ever except the players get practice.

And I asked. I asked because that was my story for today. But I asked, and I purposely had this story in mind, so I asked him about it. Initially, he says, what, what what was up with that? It's as well, you know, my friend kind of egged me on to do it, blah blah blah. And then how did it feel? Because every kind of reaction in the public got reaction. And then I'm assuming that it's not going to happen again because it was that one time thing because he said, I don't want everybody think I'm

Yeah, it was. It was one of those moments we'll never forget.

The first time we saw Tommy, you know, explode on camera. Speaking of coaches exploding, Xavier gets to play tomorrow too, Sean Miller, We'll get to watch him tomorrow against.

And we saw him doing a lot.

Oh yeah, that was. That was Sean Miller's what.

What I say to this? And I and I did this big story on this two sound on Tommy last year year at this time to me and I hate to go back in this one. I'll do it anyway. He was the perfect guy to replace Sean be for that reason. Sean did it all the time, and he was just that dude who yelled the scream and did stuff, and Temmy was the soothsare. He was kind of like everything's gonna be okay, and the kids at that time needed that.

After that, right after Shawn's it's gonna be interesting to see what happens with U. C. L A.

What do you think?

I don't know, but he's kind of kind of the te leaser, kind of he's always busy.

Yeah, well that's yeah. I mean he's kind of the Sewan. He's out of the same mold.

Yeah, you know. Yeah, but he's apparently off the off the courty. He's a pretty damn good guy since what Ben Bell both says. You know, he's not that guy in interviews or in conversations, but he's tough on the kids and then he rags the kids.

Yeah, so they play Utah State and then they have to play Tennessee if they win the end of that. Yeah, you know, he's kind of always been kind of on the bubble. It seems like for the last few years. What makes a good coach? Tell me what makes a new coach? You gotta be able to do a lot of things, honestly, this time, in this day and age.

So I said this, I think with you Dave or on the show. To me, the best coach in the country is Rick Patino. I'm just seventy two years old. Could you imagine it's been twenty seven years twenty eight years, right since everyzon'a played in the final four, So twenty eight minus certain two. He's prout. He was like forty five. I thought he was way older than that when when they played it, you know, looting him in the ninety seven.

He's seventy two. Yeah, so he's been around.

But he's been around, and he's got that show and he's just a tough dude. He's a tough dude like Sean.

I mean, you know, different background, but you know, came out of the New York City area.

Things like that.

I mean, I don't know, different, different and all these all these teams now have like these general managers.

You're asking, like what takes to be a good coach.

There was a I can't remember which game it was somewhere this past weekend, you know, and there was a woman that stood up in the crowd and they showed they zoomed in on her and she.

Was like some teams general manager. I forget what college was.

I don't know if you guys were watching it, but it was somebody like, oh, I guess now we're I mean, we I know they have them, but they're really identifying them.

Well, you have the guy from ESPN, what's his name, woch Och. He's the one the same bottom on a venture. They're not in the tournament.

I'm sure Arizona has one. We know that too, And it's just that's also part of the organization now, the coaches to be able to coach and the gms maybe the one handing them the players and here's.

Your bag, you get too, I get one to, you get to. So yeah, it helps solve the coaches problems because they don't have to deal with it. Yeah, yeah, Okay, let's take a break, come back and finish this show off. If you're an Arizona Man's basketball fan, you know it's

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Streaming live on the iHeartRadio app, This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera on Fox Sports fourteen fifty.

Hey, welcome back to the wall here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera. You're Dave Silver, got Kobe waiting for some calls. My story on I guess Sunday after talking to Tommy was before the school got into the Big Twelve, right, maybe more than a year ago. You're thinking, okay, cool for basketball, because they shouldn't. They should be prepared, yep, for what's ahead. They're not going

Well, I mean that's a good point you made, because I think that's kind of what the storyline has been really well, the softness and maybe things have gotten a little bit tougher to play in the Big Twelve, and they're set up like I don't know one of one of the guys. I think it must have been Bruce or someone wrote a good story about, you know, the types of teams they were playing through the Pac twelve as opposed to times the teams they were playing, especially

You can't use that use anymore, right, that's for sure.

Yeah, it's like, oh, we just got worn out by some team. They're one of the teams that should be.

Wearing people out now and they're capable of doing that. You know, this Friday, they're going to play Acron, who likes to run it up shoot the three. They're small, Arizona should have a huge height advantage, so kind of right in their wheelhouse if they defend the three, of.

Course, and that's kind of been their kryptonite, you know, basically the last couple of years. So you know, they know that. I don't know what, I don't know what use to say. They just they need I'm sure they're going to scout them. They're gonna know who their hot shooters are, and they just need to get a body of sure.

Sure, that's the one thing they've been hot and cold with that defense because maybe from January to mid February maybe to March. Do you think this team has been great defensively? Exactly defensively and then all of a sudden what happened to the defense?

That's why I was it was weird the last you know, a month or so where it just kind of fell apart and like where was that team that Basically when they had that big streak of you know, winning a ton of games in a row or a ton of you know, most of their games, that was what was doing it right. They're scoring their eighty five a game, they were giving up you know, seventy.

The caveat is that that they were playing the bottom half of the league, Yeah, and that the top half of the league. Yeah, So so we'll see. But the thing is they've been tested. You can't use that as an excuse we needed to be tougher, No, you know, you need to be tougher. You can be.

And they've got a break.

They haven't played since Friday, since Saturday, you know, there's an extra day they get to come home or whatever school starts restarted, I guess, and then they'll leave and go up there tomorrow. And they've been to Seattle most of the guys have made this road trip before.

There's gonna be some fans.

I've even been contacted just by some of the people I used to work with up there that are excited to have the u of a drop in all of a sudden again, Well.

That's that's the thing. What I traveled with them forever. People say that they travel, well, not necessarily, they'll have a contingent. But the good thing as you well know that they have lums in all these West Coast places, right La San Francisco, Seattle, Phoenix. You know what I'm saying.

Well, you know they're going to bring I don't know, they don't. They usually bring like two planeloads or something. People are from Tucson are gonna fly up. So that's you know, maybe a thousand people or so. And then you're right. I mean I've been to I've been to some games in Seattle that were it was at the heck Ed wherever the name of the arena is what that small place that seats maybe six thousand fans, and

And don't forget the coaches from there, so he'll have some continent people still have the The Tommy family is growing as we speak. It's right, grandson and his family up there. So no, I think it's gonna be great.

And you know again, Oregon's gonna have some fans there too, being right there.

So and what do you think the fans from Arizona think about that? Oh? Man, how can we go? And Portland's gonna be right there?

Yeah, yeah, that's true. Yeah, it'll probably be important.

Fans are not what they think they are, but they have a hard time selling out their place or it's not as popular.

They can drive there, they could, they could get on the continue.

You can get there in day.

Well how did that work for Anaheim? How did that work for.

Laf We can sit here today and just go through this and talk ourselves to sleep.

But I mean those things.

That's why I wish I wish we had, like I should get one from from Nate where it's just the booklet, right, you can go down the games for the games that you and I saw in the late eighties and nineties and say, okay, this is why they lost, this is why they lost, this is why they lost.

Well, I mean, I've got great memories of of the Seattle games. Were you there was there an eighty eight when they advanced in the Kingdom.

Yeah, I was not unseen by the Yeah, I mean we were.

It was freezing. I think it was the eighty eight.

Maybe it was. It was one of those two. They were up there a couple of ninety one.

Okay, ninety one when heard his thumb broke his thumb and they lost a seat in hall.

Yeah.

But I mean, you know, one of the greatest moments in Arizona sports history was winning the North Carolina game in the eighty eight. So that was in the Kingdome, and you know, we all knew that, I mean, we were Arizona was great.

That team that was obviously was a special.

That was the team that you know that started started to crack the door open to get to the final four. But that was a great moment. And say, I don't really remember the fan situation. They're playing in a dome, there were like sixty thousand people in there, but later, like I guess I said, I was just I remember was the DeAndre eight in the year and I was in that game. No, I was at the game in Seattle the season when they lost to the Huskies. But there were a ton of you of a fans there.

They are very very.

Vocal, and there's there's plenty of some kind of similar party. Two.

They always do pepper Allis. Yeah.

Yeah, so they're everywhere. Game is a good time. It's you know, don't have to wait up all night and play that last game. It's going to be like the first game in the early first game of the evening session.

Right. So then the winter they played the winner who plays it right after right? Right?

Oregon play after that.

Yea, So we'll see, we'll see anybody on the phones. Okay, So what.

Do we know about the Zips Just that they're one of those American conferences.

Yeah, but re member they played Mimi of Ohio and ninety five yep, got beat. So you just can't take these guys lightly. If anything, in my history of covering the team and even writing about a number of times. It's it's more about they have to take this game seriously. You went with me with Jim Moore came on and they played Wisconsin in one of those games, and they had that attitude in two thousand, I think it's two thousand when they were the number one overall seed then

Well, just I figure we can win the game if you can figure how to score and at least thirty eight minutes of the game and instead of only thirty five.

Yeah right right. So you you followed the team for a long time, I would assume because the way you speak, is this a concerning game the first game for fans because of what the history is shown.

Every game is a concerning game this season. The other season, I wouldn't be overly worried about it. But this season, I don't know what team's.

Going to show up Yeah, that's true, that's true, you know.

I mean, you know, we have all these we have a lot of talent on a team, but whether or not they produced out on the court, it is a different story. Yeah, And we don't know what's going to happen with them.

The beauty of beauty of sports, you just don't know from day to day and who's going to play well and what the mashups look like, who's having a bad day. It just doesn't feel good. I mean, there's so many things that could happen and things have to go.

I mean, I mean before we looked at it and we you know, we figured out, we know what's going to happen, you know, and we would take a drastic flop not to do well. But this team, you know, like one one day.

They're great.

That game against Houston, I'm sorry, but we should have won that game, you know, but in the last five minutes and thirty seconds, we can't seem to find a basket.

Yeah. Well, I think Houston Houston, like the first game they played, rotcheted up a little, it up.

A little, I know, but yeah, but still I really felt we got away from what got us there. And I know Houston took us out of some of that stuff, but we still just sat there and side it all. Let's go shoot some three pointers, you know, or let's not drive the middle anymore, you know.

Yeah, one of the things I think you guys need to be happy with. You should be happy with us. H Kaji Lewis has played pretty well the last few games.

Yeah, he has. You know, you know one of the things you were talking about, you know, people transferring the portal and everything.

Yeah, I've always.

Been thinking about what happens to our center who got hurt previous Does he come back?

I would assume. So I think that he's going to be loyal to Tommy.

Are going to have two seven footers, and plus you had the other seven footers sitting on the bench. She hasn't played much that step In is that his name?

Yeah, even, Yeah, I think he stays. I think you'll be there. It's the other guys. You know, he's Brian gonna stay.

You know.

Oh yeah, yeah, I mean, I'm sorry, but if I'm Bryant and some guy tells me I'm going to go in the first round, I'm you know, I'm taking the money now. Yeah, yeah, we had you know, for three years. That's guaranteed money. Yeah, and there's no way that we're paying him the same kind of guaranteed money that the NBA would pay real.

And I think initially that's what his intentions were, right, come here, do really well and get out and he's done, or he hasn't done really well, but he's good enough.

Or maybe he looks at and go, well, now that love is gone. Whatever, I've got a year under my belt and this stuff. Maybe I can come back next year and be a lottery pick.

Yeah, potentially, Yeah, we'll see. It's hard to tell. Yeah, Okay, thanks Brian. Wait wait wait, wait, wait, So do they get to this sweet sixteen? I know you're a little your little you know, skeptical, but do they get there? I'm hoping they get there. That's skeptical to me, okay, bros.

I mean in order the fact that you know, they play Oregon.

We don't know if they're playing Morgan.

We're going to assume they play orgon right, and you know in Oregon, right, that's true.

Who knows anyth about Oregon? Do you know?

You know, I have no idea. You know, Oregon has always played us tough.

You know they know how we.

Play, right, so we know how they play though.

Yeah, okay, thank you make for a great matchup. Thanks, okay, that's root for liberty. Liberty, And just what style they play? The anti slow, this low fifty four to sixty point game. And I don't think you would rather play Oregon, you would look score them just yeah, just and just played like Arizona. I mean, I hate hearing that from people now I'm saying it. But if you can just do what you do, it could be okay. But Oregon is gonna say some radio station in in new Portland saying

I know the things we've been talking about all year is the you know, the Caleb bad shooting day and not playing any defense.

He would be the mnic thing because we've been here long enough, Dave. If he go two for thirteen scores, you know, the two for thirteen, right?

Are we not talking about the tournament next week?

Steve Kerr Salim all these guys went two for thirteen and the end of the season happened.

That was the set really two for thirteen?

Wow?

Yeah, dejev, let's not even think about it.

Let's see see if they can get through a couple of games and we'll have a good week.

Thanks Dandy for coming on in. Yep, I might see you tomorrow. I'm not sure yet. Thank you Kobe for coming on in, and we'll talk to you guys tomorrow