To Steve Rivera on Fox Sports fourteen fifty powered by Nova Insurance Services in sure your most prized possessions.
Hey, good afternoon, everybody. Welcome to Iron the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera. Look who's with me today, Lamont Huntley, you got me back? You finally said yes every time I go how you pulled me back? Oh so that's what David Kelly saying. Hey, I'll be nice to you too, because are you a little sensitive when I asked you? Yeah?
Yeah, you know it's kind of like, you know, at the last minute you.
Want to dance, you gotta you know, I can't ask I can't ask you week minute.
I'm not that type of a guy.
I'm not going home with you to last week you know. At Please give me some warning. Oh yeah, you gotta dress up, put on the heels. Okay. I got a big kobe at the at the head of this command here, so we should be okay U good to see you. Lamonk You've been busy.
Yes, I've been busy. There's been a blessing for us.
We still out there trying to create things, make things happen, and keep people healthy.
Keep people. Uh, I know that's one of your slogans, and that's one of ours too. Everybody wants to be keep them healthy, get on your machines.
How healthy are people? Well, they're not that healthy. Spend the money in my store, you know. I mean, I just think it is what it is. As far as in life. You know, people are very busy. Yeah, got a lot going on, you know. I mean your particular customer to looking at your body structure, use.
About twenty pounds to break your news. No, I've lost twenty. I need another twenty.
We got a piece for you.
Well, look at you all fancy because I gave you a grief. I complimented you. But about two months ago, and I say, I said, you've been losing weights. Yeah, I've been dancing. Yeah, I've been dancing a ballroom dancing.
Making my wife happy.
Okay, that's what it takes, that's what Because you going to I'm sure you're going to the game.
Oh yeah, we're going to game.
Then they will be there, ruined them on and you know, hopefully it could be a little different than it's. Yeah, you know, let me ask you, because it's been a h I don't want to swear your your your thought here, But what do you think about the season? The season? Uh, as a fan going to games one and to the overall outlook of the season. So first as a fan going to games because you you have good seats, you cheer mine, how has that been frustrating? Up and down?
You know, as far as that end of it. I mean there's there's some some games.
I mean, you go to you god man, they don't it could beat everybody, anybody, and it's it's like it's almost like you, I mean, what game plan Tommy came up with this week? Because it's always seemed like me, it's something different I'm seeing weekend and week out other than you know, love shooting a three pointer every time, and and then like the other game, other game, the other,
the last game. I mean it started out he's oero for six shooting three pointerers to me, Tommy coach wise, I said, look, kid, I got a spot for you right here on this bit. Come sit down for a while. Let's get the balls to someone else.
Was that the bu Au came was one of those big games when they did they lose that game be Buyu, we lost the by Was that the game that you're trying. So it has up and down. It's perfect. You know, you're you're, you're, You're entitled to that, and it has been. But has it been entertaining because if you didn't expect this to happen in the Big Twelve, because it's a heck of a basketball conference, you're going you're going to You're going to watch a good game. You've gotten some good games.
You know what you're right now, I reflect backed on today, it has been entertaining simply because of the fact of the competition playing versus the past years.
Who knows, you.
Know, you knew what the outcome was in the Big twel in Pact twelve and stuff.
You see s U c.
L A.
You know what happened, and those are the exciting games. But every team that came in here has been exciting in some form. The defense, to me, has really really been elevated, no question, since we've been in the Big Twelve. The defense that we're playing too now as well as we're playing against our opponents, but the opponent's come in here playing some hell of a defense.
Right here. Here's my thought. I wrote about it Saturday after they lost to Iowa State, and everybody was happy, and I'm sure you will too. They went eleven in one, right, played really well, but they hadn't played anybody. I think because you're an athlete. Because you're an athlete, you know you can beat Sam, Houston State, you can beat New Mexico State, blah blah blah. Until you played the USC's well, God, these guys look good, look good. Then what the hell happened against you?
Was?
Well, it's a different it's a step up in games. Houston, Iowa State, Texas Tech. You know what I'm saying, You're gonna have a difficult time because you're not the top of the top, but you're right in the middle and having to struggle against that upper middle.
Correct.
Does that make sense?
Yeah, that makes sense, you know.
And I mean the competition brings out a different person exactly weekend and week out, and you know, and and and to me, that's where the coaching comes into effect too, as far as coaching these kids up and get them ready for the game, because and you know, another two I think a big difference is the officiating. I mean, they let these kids play more, i think, within this year than they did in the past. And to be more physical, so so they know that they're gonna let them be physical.
A foul really ain't going to be a foul.
So I think all players, there's a particular players that constantly goes up expecting a foul. I don't think you can. You can't expect a foul in this league. You got to expect to score.
Didn't get a foul, right, had a hard time because that's all he did was complaining about the foul. You're the guy who's not not done well in this situation is kJ Lewis. That's who I'm talking about. He can't expect that he's going to get fouler every time or good. But he's more of a fouler.
And he's a foul and he's a hell of a defensive Yeah, he's a heck of a defensive player.
Yeah.
But you know, I just think that you know that that portion of of what I've been seeing with out with our team is need to be And you're close enough, you're close enough with your tickets that I think you because we're a little up above you, right, that you can kind of tell whether the team.
Has it emotionally or not emotionally. I think that sometimes hasn't been there. He's admitted it. You know, sometimes they just come and played a little lax.
But do you think because of the rotation instead of stand up certain rotations a certain group, that's a good question.
I don't I don't know. But his routation, he only has seven dudes, only the routici.
But it seems like to me when he brings in, gosh, what's the kid number four? Townsend Towns When he brings Townsen in off the bench, everything goes a little flatter.
I think it's because of Townsend. But okay, so if that's the case, he has lived up to his hest. But he was starting at the beginning of the season. Yeah yeah, yeah, then he got hurt, right, But you.
Know, once he got hurt, I mean, I think our level play increased. The way we was playing as a group was much better just as well. But then you bring them in and change.
Up their rotation.
Well the effects I won't disagree with you there, but the thing is now you're limited with the number of people you have.
Think young kids, let them run.
No, no, hey, I'm I'm with you there, because you're seventeen, eighteen nineteen, that's what you do. That's what you want to do, right, But now here we are five months into it with a month weeks left, and how tired are you one? And how beat up are you? I know, I know you're going to say that, and I totally get it, because if you give them a ball, they'll play forever.
They'll play fifty minutes.
But and you're in the league where they're not calling files anyway, So let the kids play. Yeah, well that's what he's trying to do because his offenses let him play and go let them go, and other teams aren't allowing that to happen.
Yeah, that's true, that's true.
But it's it's it's it's frustrating just to watch, and that's what's frustrating.
Frustrated on that end, and watch you know where you where? You leading by nineteen and all of a sudden you lose them by two. Yeah, let me tell you.
We talked about this yesterday in terms of oh, I'll ask you who who are these guys? What is the team? And I'm gonna ask you or shut this. You are who you are, We all are who we are. What is this team? What are the good things and what are the bad things? We have about fifty seven minutes. You know what I'm saying? You are who you are? You just you just gave up one of the things. I think who they are. They have a big lead and they give it up. Guess what's going to happen eventually?
That could happen, right at some point. But the thing you said, who they are, I don't know who they are still, No, I'm really not sure who they are. Can you say that they're tougher, oh, compared the last year? So just just who they are? Just are they tough? They tougher than last year?
Okay, tough to compared to the rest of this fact that this is a conference.
Okay, you're you're right, But they're tougher than we've seen in the past in the past. Okay. Are they good shooters?
No?
Okay, so then we know that, right, we know that that's what they are. But tougher. Can't shoot? Can they defend?
Yes?
Okay, so that's a good thing. That's How do they defend all the time?
No?
Okay, so that's what they're not consistent with the defense? Do they can can? Okay? Now we're going to individuals. Caleb Love, can you trust him? No, and that's who he is, and that's who he is, right, consistent, right, And can he get you six straight games to get you where you need to go?
Okay, but he can give you one.
Okay, but you need to say six. Henry Basar, I like what I see in Hindry. So he's been more consistent. He's the most consistent player. And I think he's the player in that category. Okay.
And I love a Walker. How how tough he is?
I mean, and he and he knows what He's been consistent, Yeah, very consistent. His role is is to get the offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds, and get the tough baskets down low defense and very inconsistent offensively defensively. You can't ask for a better play, Okay. Jaydon Bradley, Jayden Bradley has been steady. To me, he has been steady.
He's kind of a little up and then just steady.
He's been steady.
Okay, So maybe Henry Jayden, Uh Carter, you must be impressed with Carter.
Well, I think Carter is showing he's a freshman. I mean, he's showing he's a true freshman person because there's a lot of immaturity that I do see in his play. But yet and again, you see why the NBA want this kid because he does have.
That NBA calib He's that NB caliber player right.
Right, I'm not sure if I'm missing anybody else? Am I missing anybody else?
I said?
Okay, oh the guy who doesn't choose. Yeah, he's there to shoot right right. Your job is to shoot the ball, but you're not going to shoot the ball. So so inconsistent up in your little thesis here that I got your your facts here, How do you like this team? Given the ups and the downs and are they capable?
I wouldn't bet the house farm on them going into the Big Twelve. I wouldn't bet the farm at all. Too many ifs, too many f's that that that they're not. You know, I can't expect them to even I mean the Big twelve tournament, you know, I expect them to be one and done.
Let me tell you that they can play. They could play right away or I mean after the second game is Houston and Texas. Yeah, it's it's it's it's gonna be. It's gonna be tough to If they win one, they can be one done. I mean, they could be out are you. Are you part of the theory that, Okay, they lose early, come back, get ready for the tournament. The rest is ready to go if they lose or get ready for the Yeah, you have to I meaning no, it's.
Not a good day. It's never a good thing to lose.
I mean no, No, I'm sure they want to win the whole tournament, sure of the opportunity.
Of course.
No, they don't want to just lose one game and be out of it.
Not purpose I'm not saying purposely, but if it.
Does happen, it happened. But I don't think in their mindset they'll be happy with it. They shouldn't be happy with it.
You know, we talked about this at the beginning of the year, where Okay, it's a great league, we're gonna see some good games, like we were talking about, have to convince you go, you paid a lot of money for those tickets. Why not be entertained, right? And you have been. I think you've got your to night's another game. Uh, and then you're and then you're like against the pac twelve year old thinking, oh we got tickets, you want to go there, you know, and whatever.
Not entertaining.
But every game has been every game's that've been and we've been to has been an exciting game. Excited win a loss, It has been exciting. Tonight's game would be really exciting because of what happened, you know, off the court at the end of the game up there.
And issues always bring that bring that to it craziness. So we'll see what happens. And we said, uh, they're gonna pay the tournament, play the season, and then get to the tournament. We'll see what happens, because it's going to be a heck of a tournament, even part maybe better than the n C DOUBLEAUE tournament.
Because of the everything. The teams that's in it are very very good right to get to win. This is going to be I mean, you got the Houston even Kansas. I mean, you can't count Kansas as much.
Houston Kansas. I always stayed again Texas Tech, Texas Tech, Baylor, Yeah, I mean I still like but Baylor brings and then Arizona. So we'll see what happens. I will talk a little about football. Two on the other side, we're gonna take a break here. We don't have a guest here at three fifteen or three seventeen. We're gonna have Richard Page at three forty. He's the former sid atu of a covered he was the right hand man to Loot for
about fifteen years, I think. And then on the other side, we're gonna have hold Robino from a issue of The Devil's Digest talking about the tonight's game.
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Breaking down all the xys and ohs. This is I on the ball with Steve Rivera on.
Box Sports fourteen fifty.
And the ball here in Fox Sports Fortune fifty. I'm Steve Rivera and today with me is lamont Udley. So we start to find every now and again we know.
We will win. That's an easy one.
Physically, yes, mentally I got that. I got it. Where are you're gonna start? So we're gonna get our guest here about at the three forty mark, we'll we'll talk more about stuff. Anybody want to call, This is your time to call five two zero for one, six seventy four forty if you want to get ahold of lamp for a question or meet for a question. What about tonight's game? What do you think is gonna happen? How fun is it gonna be? If you're gonna go another
late I'm sure you hate these leaks. Oh, I'm gonna take a nap before you go. You're gonna go home home to take a nap. Yeah, m hm, that could be. Well, it's been if anything, you talked about the fun schedule, this has been brutal.
Oh yeah, I mean these late night games we have about form.
At least at least you know, eight or nine, eight or not. Yeah, And that's been rough. You know.
And the rough part is is leaving there after the game take it out about an hour, no half, so that's a two hours.
You notice on another thing, the games are taking two twenty twenty extra minutes, do you They're usually two hours because of the got to go to the monitor, got to take the time out to look at the monitor, got to do this because the TV timeouts and the extra time. It's like two twenty now.
See, I wouldn't be as as that much breast on that, like.
You guys, yeah, because you know it's a TV everyone. I'm sure when you watch it at home, you have to wait for them to because everyone else is dealing with it too.
I never noticed that. Now I'll notice it a little more now.
Because we were getting to the locker room. We're getting into the press conference, and takes ten to fifty minutes for them to show up.
Let me ask you what you said when you go to a press conference when after the game, Tommy Lloyd, he always go to the radio right and answer questions or get on it and talk talk whatever.
Either. This is what is a deal is could they win the game, lose the game? Whatever, goes to the locker room, talks to the guys, and he does go to the locker room for me. Yes, it depends if he's on the road, It depends on the mood. He goes to the radio first and then goes talk to the team and goes to the press conference. So this
is how it normally is, because they would lose. They go to press, to the to the to the locker room, blah blah blah for like five minutes, go to the radio for another three four minutes, and then go to the press conference. So that's going to be another twenty minutes, right, But he said the same thing over, isn't it from where the radio to the press comvers. Yeah, but we're not on the radio. We're waiting for him.
Would you just be at the radio waiting?
No, it doesn't work to tell me. I'm just saying, because we get him. He does that for three four minutes, then we get him for like twenty or fifteen to twenty minutes with more questions because Brian's Brian's asking him, you know, answer this, it's hard, and that's what did they do? And we ask him, you know, you know, what the hell happened here? What the hell happened there? And he's been a little testy lately. I don't know if you've noticed, but he has been a little testy.
He's protecting his kids. Probably answer, that's a good point. That's a good point. So that's another fifteen and then the kids come out after him. Okay, so then we got them for like seven minutes.
So what do you think as far as I mean, the way the kids are reacting now? Been a kid was almost like no, they defined in regards to what you guys may ask.
Him, No, you know what, the funny guy, the only guy that's really ever done that is Kirk. No. No, kind of like a kind of like a smart ass. He you know, you know, you know you ask me that and I'll give you an answer. You know what I'm saying. Just the smartes what he is. Yeah, exactly, he is who he is. But he's probably the only one it would last five six years. That is fun because you get to quote him. You know, he's a good quote. Tommy's been a good quote too, Yeah he has.
You know, he got he got into the press conference two three games ago. I know you guys think we're gonna get her, asked you and now that was out of the that was kind of like, where's this coming from? And then he's used us to kind of says, uh, where they're gonna play better. I can't remember what he said. We got to be tougher, stronger and blah blah blah. He didn't tell his kids this, but he used us to tell the story it out there.
Yeah, he is. I mean that those are the things that I see in him. I really like as a coach, and he really protects his kids. I mean, and he's totally different than Oh yeah, he's totally I agree with that and any and which is which me as a player, I would totally appreciate that, surely from a head coach and stuff.
And that wasn't wasn't a smith like that too. Yeah, he was very protective of our of his players, you know. I mean, he would never throw his players underneath the bus, and you, as a reporter or or a beat writer couldn't come after us.
Yeah, you know, he would be there for us and stuff.
And I think there was there was certain times that that he would let the reporters come out after practice and if we talked to and talk to the players other than that, it was untouchable.
Yeah, yeah, no, And that used to be the case for a long time, but it's not the case anymore.
To be touched.
They want to be Oh yeah, yah, want to be because now you have name image and like this, right, what do you know? You're kind of different because you have an insider and there you know people, uh, we don't get to tell the kids' stories. You know, who's who's this their job to tell who's a kid? Now I want you to tell when I can tell, let me go there. You could tell it, but you don't have an avenue really to tell it outside of Instagram
or whatever. But now that's how that's how people get to know who you are, and people like you in the business world. I really like that guy. He comes out very smart and intelligent. Or the girl or on her female really I would I wouldn't mind giving her an il deal whatever it is. But you know, we don't get to know these people to that level back in the Smith Times, the Tony Times, the Loot Times. Now it's all saturate, it's all watered down.
They looking for the future, they're looking for that bag, you know, and and they do. I mean, and I can't see anything wrong with that because I mean, these kids trying to brand himself and make themselves.
Be noticed so they can get paid.
Well, that's my point that you doesn't allow that to happen.
But the kids are doing it still.
They're they're trying to on the platform. They're doing it. They are getting noticed on the platform they're doing it. They getting noticed to where is enough for them?
As far as that, I want you to give an example.
I don't look at the kid, the punter, the kicker, loop out, a backup kicker, cash Perlman, tell me what's what's what cash pim So tell me? I mean this what this kid had? How many followers there? Six and fifty something? Because because he he goes and he creates this what is it called the TikTok TikTok?
Oh?
Yeah, but that's what they all do. I wonder how much he was making if he's I can't tell you that's what it's for. But you know, I just they just had an article about this kid and they named some of the people who are back in here. Okay, not just so that's what it's for. That's exactly. He is getting big dollars from somewhere else. He must know some people. You know, this is a national guy like who and Google find.
It was some some real strong names.
And that's what it's for. That that's exactly what. That's what and that's what the kids are doing. That's what the kids. But you just listened to one. I don't know very many other ones. I really don't know if you with this. I think I think kJ Lewis does it well. kJ Lewis, he has some appall out right now. He got some shirts, a cap you an IL guy.
Oh no, no, no I'm not.
Because you're the target audience.
I am the target out.
No, I'm not the tie audience you have the I'm the person that they think that, But no I'm not. I just don't think it's I think I totally respect a kid going to get in himself.
I don't disagree with that. I mean, to me, that's that's awesome. But you shouldn't give him a check just to give him a check. I totally agree with that, agree with I don't agree with but that's how it's been again. It's n I l name, image and likeness, go sell it, you know, No, no, no, I'm with you on there. And if you can't kill it more power to you.
Exactly. And this cash kid is killing it. If you found it.
It is one hundred twenty endorsement deals.
Yeah, come on there, and I've never heard the guy, so tell me who because you're not his audience. TikTok a door dash target, doctor Pepper listen, and he's not with Arizona Healthy.
No, you can't do nothing for me but this.
And but look at the images that he got or the endorsements he got.
Is the doorseless? Where these young kids are after? You know, door dash? You know young kids go door dash. I don't do no door What are the other ones? Whndy's t c O and the NFL?
Well in the NFL, yeah, I saw that too, and so you do the super Bowl? There was a he had a big endorsement during the Super Bowl. Both he's exactly then what this is about?
Exactly what it's about.
I mean, if anything, Arizona, you know, the athletic director should.
Put this kid up on the stage. This is this is what we need to be doing. Yeah, this is what you need to do if you want your name, image and.
Likeness out there, just like what this kid is.
Yeah, instead of well, now what do you think about the new amendment or whatever word I want to use, where they're gonna get about two hundred thousand dollars.
Each, two hundred twenty, two hundred thousand.
It's from the two billion or two twenty million, but that's twenty million, twenty million total for the school, for the focus for the athlete. I mean, have two hundred thousand I was looking at when they give you all up its thousand.
That's a lot of money.
I'm telling you, so so so we as a media we I'll put my name in there. Should we still be treating them with kid gloves? You're making two hundred bus No, No, I don't think so.
I mean because at this point in time, you're an employee to me, you know, so I gotta treat you.
Many employees get paid that dollars.
You're right, but I'm I'm gonna learn to treat you that way, you know.
So now you you, I mean, you know the money's coming somewhere, so you know, earn it, no free rides, earn it.
You know, and god, that's that's a lot of money.
Do you think eventually that this whole thing could be an an employee employee employer relationship will they have to be.
To me, it's heading that way, you know.
And I mean if I got to if I'm giving you a you know, a tax return, you got to you know, somebody, somebody gotta you know, you know, be accountable for that money coming in.
So so if Lamar Hunley doesn't do his job very well, you get fire. You know, it was just gonna go there.
Get fired.
And I think at this point in time it leads to that way, you know, as far as if the kid's not producing and either you take the money from you or take the scholarship away.
Yeah you know, yeah, I'm talking that there's still a scholarship.
Yeah, exactly.
But now the way the scholarship is, that's very protective, you know, as far as you I mean, you have to do something very bad.
To lose your scholarship. Yeah, to lose your scholarship. So that that'll be that'll be interesting on it. You're forty three years too late.
I know it.
Man, I'll be giving me a two million dollars of my and I.
Yeah, you would be doing.
I'll come up with something. I'll come up with something. Boy telling you, I mean, I had no problem selling myself.
I could do it back, and though it's kind a ton Yeah, I think I think I think we would have had we would have had some uh some players that probably had a personality to make some not you know, well they produced very well, but they were their personality to make some dollars.
Too, because you have to have that.
Yeah, I mean Randy Robbins, you know, I think he would have shined himself on Byron Evans, of course, Joe Drake, you know, God bless Joe Drake, Jewish Hope. I mean, we we had some some studs out there that I think would have would have done well.
Yeah, and the community embraced you, right, they felt sorry for us too, because yeah, but you know back in the day when I was playing, we.
Was on probation.
Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, you know, so they really feel sorry for us, so they would have gave us.
Those were probably I don't know if you were part of it, so kind part of what I was gonna say, part of that time, that era, I was gonna say, part of that where it was the.
Tougher times, when very tough time by that, what do you mean, I mean it was, well, it was it was tough financially as far as the student athlete, you know, as far as you know, trying to make ends meet, and and you know, and again, I.
Don't think it has changed as far as the the actual culture of players and the players that that comes to universities. Most kids that come to university economically, you know, they come from a bad situation in it. I mean, that's not much that doesn't change, that hasn't change at all. So so so God blessed the getting some money to
take care of the sun. So imagine, you know, forty years ago in those setting situation where you know, we had to figure out, you know, how to put gas in a car or or get some and the only thing we got, you know, was was student union.
That was it.
We got one meal at the student union, you know, versus what kids get nowadays.
You know.
So I mean I was hunger twenty four hours a day, you know, and you have to keep your big way. I had to keep my big weight up at that time, try to keep it down. But you know, it's it. I mean, the times was different than the times where they were, but but we didn't know any difference. So how do we compare it? Because we really didn't know any difference and stuff. So you know, I was happy to be here. I was, you know, playing with my brother En doing some good things.
So back in eighty two eighty three years, right, so it was it and I kind of know the situation was it us against them?
Was it?
What was me? Uh? Because you guys won a lot of good games, but you also lost some games you probably should not have exactly how was the attitude it was?
I mean it was more like us against them, you know, going into every game situation and I I and because not only that, we just had that tag on our back as far as we can't I mean, what are we playing for each week without playing for a bowl game? On an opportunity to play a bowl game at the
end of the season, you know. So it did get to that point in time where we had to, you know, make it fun for us and make things every game was a bowl game some sense and stuff, because that's all we had to look forward.
And you did do that with some big games.
We did. We did with the big games.
But you know, it's it's amazing that that even you know, Coach Smith was one of these guys that always prepare you for whoever the opponent was you know, I mean be an Oregon State or be an l s U.
They prepared us the same way.
Was that good?
Very good? Who'ld you lose to that? You shouldn't have lost Fresno State? And remember losing the Fresno State. We shouldn't have lost a team like a Fresno State, a team like Oregon State once twice.
That's about it.
So I've talked about I don't know if you've argued do all this, but this is one of the things I've learned in this long time that I've been doing this, that emotionally plays a huge part, part apart far part in how you succeed. Right, you playing against l s U. You know deep down you got to play your butt off to to do this to win it. But you know, Friendsne State, now we got this.
You know that that's true, very true, very true. And And unless.
You're that player or that person and that personality that I don't care who I'm I'm lined up against, I'm gonna get my all every snap. And there's there are some players that play that way, and there's some players that do not. Well, here's the thing too, it's contagious it's a contagious player. Yeah, because you think an almost collective group of we got we just beat Notre.
Dame, rest no wet this. It is very contagious.
I mean you get to that point where you, you know, think the game is won before.
It the snapped him right, and how many times does that happen? It happens more.
I'm a product of it.
Yeah, I think every athlete can say that. Okay, let's take a break here, come back and talk to Richard. If you're an Arizona men's basketball fan, you know it's been successful for nearly forty years. Now take a look back at the Ludelsen era. In my new book, Lessons from Loot, it was a labor of love through the eyes of twenty five former players, coaches, and friends to give insight to the coach and the man who led them, competed against them, and inspired them twenty five chapters for
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This is I on the Ball On Fox Sports fourteen fifty.
Want to take part in the show call up Steve now went five to two oh four one, six seventy four forty.
Well, welcome back to Ian Thebaull Here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty, Steve Rivera, your I am Laman again, Laman Hunt. You're still here. You haven't left me. We're waiting for Richard to call us.
I wouldn't leave you, Steve. Nothing, although you called me late at night.
No, I don't call you.
I you text me, text me, you d M me? Is that what they call it?
Yeah, Well that's that's how we communicate.
You called me so you can hear me say no.
Okay, apparently he's gonna we're gonna have to call him. It's not coming through. Let me give you a number here, Okay?
No?
Cool, Well and kind of reminisce about some issue games with lou to some good old days. I know that rich has a lot of a lot of big games to talk about. I don't think he was here with the Freeder time. I think that was somebody else when they beat Arizona.
That was one show you guys did with the gentleman who said he did the marketing for or the advertisement for.
Oh yeah, yeah, Steve, Steve, Yeah that guy, Steve. Hey, Richard, Hey, this is Steve and Lamont. Steve. Can you hear me? Can you hear me? You can't hear me. He just call him back because his his phone's not coming through. So, yes, Steve, when I want to see Steve Lynn the marketing guy for he was with the one the bank, bank ones or whatever. Yeah, the good.
Old Actually I heard that story. I was driving around town and I listened to that was a really good story.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, he had a lot of those fun, fun things back in the day later mid nineties. I didn't realize it was put together that way, you know. Yeah, I had no idea was put together that way. Okay, so we'll get back to to him. Just a lot of the things. There was one incident I want to hope that Richard can tell me about. Uh it was Evans, coach Evans for the issue. Yeah, and he had he had finally beat Arizona for the first time in forever. In the shake hands, you know the line are you
for or against the shake? Shaking hands?
That's respect.
Yeah, So there was something that happened, an incident that happened in that.
Ast shaking hands.
Because of all what's going on now, I'm not I'm just a question all the problems. No, no, no, no, because of the potential getting into a fight. It happens a lot now. So if I go shake your hand, that means I'm gonna fight you.
No.
Thanks, Oh no, that's not good. It's not good. He goes the wrong person. No, no, he has on let me see answer your phone. Rich Do you shake a person hand that might cost the is that? Is that why? Bobby Hurley? Yeah, they were. They were afraid of a fight happening. Like to b why you get there was something happened after the shake cup shaking up the hands down there the intention I thought, you mean coach to coach? No, no, oh yeah, I think you got a monitor that yeah, yeah,
you think it should be doing it at all. If you have to monitor it, well, you know what I'm saying, you can do you do? You played the national anthem. Let him stand out there for that. Yeah, well not they're not gonna get a fight for that. No, but you know, you know how, I'll never get lost in the woods. You know why I don't go to the woods. You know how they won't. You don't do it again after exactly, you don't shake hands, You don't.
You know what you gotta worry about it exact.
Coach, you shake hands like the game book players.
I respect that. I thought earlier you just said just to shake a hand. No, no, no, okay, no no.
As far as that, it's it's stupid stuff because you learned in kindergarten. Be fair guy O.
But the sportsmanship, I mean, that's the whole They still showing sportsmanship, and I think you still gotta put that out there for young kids.
No question that still got But these guys aren't young kids. They're they're older. But the young kids are watching. Yeah, they're watching. Richard. Are you there, Richard? Richard? Hey, can you hear me? Oh great, great, great? We last you the first time. Oh hey, how are you.
You don't know what happened?
How are you good?
That's great? How about you?
We're don't find them here with Lamont Huntley.
Oh you got an all cads today?
Yeah? Well, you know he calls me at the last minute. You know, he he's one of those they can't get the date, so you got to wait to the last man.
Rich, that's what that's why you and I are here.
Exactly, yes, exactly.
Hey, I wanted to talk to you real quick about good old, good old day stories A s U U of A. I'm sure you have some behind the scenes stuff. I was talking to Lamont here. I think you were there for the A s U game. You have a lost to the Coach Evans team.
Wait what year is that?
I don't know what year, but coach Evans finally pulled one off against you, of A. I think he was in Tempe. I know it was in Tempe, and they went through the hash, they went to the handshake.
Line and and and well, I mean think about that game that I remember the most wasn't necessarily the handshake line, because you know, after the after the game, especially there, you're trying to get off the floors quickly as possible.
The hardest part was the locker rooms back then used to be really close to each other, and we used to do our stuff, you do your postgame stuff sort of in the hallway or in the in the in the weight room across the hall and we had a little bit of a run in there because they were celebrating and and that was the first time we'd lost in a good long time, so our spirits weren't very high,
to say the least. But there was a little bit of some some shouting and some some some some chess pumps and things of that nature in the hallway that they we had to fix for the following year. But those kind of things happened because that's when a rivalry is supposed to be. It's supposed to be a two sided thing, and and you know, as a tough game to lose. But uh, we managed to rebound and and and and play pretty well in the series after that,
in my recollection, for the most part. But yeah, I mean, that's that's why you want a series like that, because it makes it a little more spirited on both sides.
The other time, I'll bring the Hashake situation later when when Arizona was killing him twenty thirty points and the students were getting on loot and what does Lut do you know, with about five minutes left.
Oh, that was yeah, that was the scoreboard game, of course, yeah, you know, I mean that was that was probably Lut. Luke loves you. You know, coaches never admit that they hear things from the crowd on the sidelines, but you know, they hear everything. And that was probably what of Luke's real cool sort of trolling moment at that point when they were you know, they'd say stupid things, you're down by thirty, and all Luke had to do was point
to the scoreboard. And it was almost like the fans weren't smart enough to realize what was happening because he would just do it. And you know, if you were paying attention, it was really super funny. But you know, they thought they were getting the loot, and of course loot when you're up by thirty, you always get the last laugh. And that's what happened.
There, right right.
Wow.
So, so you've seen some games, a lot of good games, a lot of crazy games. I was asking them on this about the handshake line on the controversy now going on all over the place. Are you for it against it? Or whatever you mean?
You mean about that? You mean specifically about the last time when Bobby pulled the team off the floor and didn't shake hands.
Well generally and generally.
Generally speak. I don't have a problem with the handshake line, because the guys should be cool enough on both sides to be able to, you know, slap five and take the game. But you know what I mean, it's I think I think there's a little bit too much bravado these days and what happens, and like, it's not hard to shake hands and then walk to the you know, to your locker room. We've been playing college basketball for one hundred and twenty five years, and if this is
what you do, that's what you do. I mean, Look, we've been Steve Waitnes games at the Final four and games for national championships that when the game's over, you shake hands and you walk off. One team walks off a loser in the only game you really don't want to lose, and the other team's a national champions It doesn't come to fisty cups, you know what I mean?
Yeah, you know, I mean, how do you avoid it? I mean because you're in such an intimate facility. Yeah, well, I'm not saying. I'm not saying to avoid the handshake.
Oh okay, do you I mean, I think it's just a process that has to be around foreverver. I mean, so I think it just goes with the territory and you just got to manage.
Some of that, you're I mean about. You're right, it does go with the territory, and it does need to be managed. A lot of that. A lot of that starts with the head coach and what the expectations are. And if he can just say, hey, you know, when we win this game, we're gonna walk off the floor and we're gonna do it this way, you know, blah
blah blah, and that's it. And hopefully that's enough. But you know, you that was one thing that Newton was always good at was, you know, he was always cool under pressure, so regardless of the circumstances, he managed to keep his head and be able to have a certain expectation for his guys. And and and that's what's needed now is somebody to quite frankly, be the adult in the room and say, hey, this is what we're gonna do. And this is how we're gonna do it.
Wow, let me let me say that.
Do you think what Bobby Hurley did the last game up there was managed properly by taking his team and tell him go into the locker room.
I I watched that game. I didn't have a problem with Bobby doing that, and it was under the circumstances it was probably the right thing to do. What was the only real mistake there, quite frankly, in my opinion, was just a simple fact that he didn't communicate that
very effectively with Tommy. He probably could have walked over, shake Tommy's hand and just said, hey, in the better part of of of cooling this thing down, let's just call it at that and move on, rather than walk to the end of the floor and kind of in a almost a confused way kind of wave and to say, hey, we're done. That. That looked kind of awkward you did.
But other than that, yeah, there are there are those games sometimes that get a little two heated where you might want to just say, hey, coaches, shake hands, everybody else in the locker room, and that's it. I mean, let's live to find another day, you know what I mean.
Yeah, kind of like you and me. Can you I want you to tell them the story about our Houston incident.
Well, we had sat back in the day before we chartered. Sometimes, especially on Saturday afternoon games, we wouldn't have a lot of time to get from the game and do our thing, you know, shower media, get out a bus and drive Acrosstown to an airport. And we were playing a sort of a mid to late afternoon game in Houston, and we were going to be really hard pressed to make our flight and Steve knew that and I do that, and we were trying to work out a plan for
how it was going to work. Well, unfortunately, the Cats didn't play all that well in the second half of that game in Houston, and we didn't win. And when you don't win, that slows everything down because the coaches think a little bit longer about what they should say. Everybody's a little heated, and you want to, you know, you want to address this thing properly. Well, we took longer in the locker room, and Steve's on deadline and he's hoping to get something and we're trying to leave
and nobody really he wants to talk. So what does Steve do. He gets mad at the only person that he could get mad at in the building, which is me, And so what do I do. I try to defend what's happening, and I air my grievances back at Steve. So now we're in the hallway of the locker room,
yelling at each other. There's a security guard who's sitting in a folding chair outside the door, who's supposed to protect the order, and he doesn't know what to do because all day he's seen Steve and I together talking through this, going back and forth, laughing and joking, and then all of a sudden we're at the end of the game, cussing everybody up and down like drunken sailors. And he doesn't know what to do. And so in
that capacity, what do you do? I know that you know, Steve's got a job to do, and I'm trying to help him, and Steve understands the same for me. But I've just got to figure out in short order how we're gonna do this. Guys on the bus, get somebody to talk to Steve, and and and keep looting. The coach is happy, and all this stuff goes with it.
It's a difficult and funny balance. That was one of those things that I bet if you ask that guy, he still tells that story about those two guys and just puss each other out for fifteen minutes in the hallways.
And I think the song was I got a hold of the loot on the phone and a couple of players on the phone, and then we just need it worked itself out. But the funny thing about it is that we yelled, screaming at each other, I'm gonna a beer with.
You later, and we still look together.
And then you gotta tell you before you leave your your bus incident at an organ.
Oh well, this is probably I've told this story, but we.
Got about get the do it in a minute? You got it a minute?
Okay, long story short. We pull up to Matt Cord in Oregon. It's the first time I'm at the on the trip. We're top ten team. We get there, they start shaking the bus because you used to exit at Matt Court, right at the front door in front of the student section. I get up, stand up to leave, and people are waiting, you know, we're getting ordered, and the bus door opens and everybody starts screaming and Luke gives me a look like he's not ready to go, so since I was, he said go ahead and go.
So I step off the bus and somebody goes, hey, loude, bleep you, and then the crowd cheers, and then somebody somebody looks up and goes, that's not loot, and then somebody else says, well, bleep him too, and the whole crowd just cheers and all it was all I could do. I had to walk into the building with my head down so they couldn't see how hard I was laughing. As I got off the bus, walked through the student section into MATC Court. I still think, I still think
to this day that Luke did that on purpose. Yes, that's absolutely what happened.
Yeah, that was crazy. That was my favorite place ever, not court. You gotta go. Thanks, Rich, appreciate it. Sure, Okay, take care. We gotta take a break here. But you have breaking news. Yeah, we'll help breaking news on the other side.