Wednesday, May 22, Hour 2

Steve Rivera and Jaken Salez. They have their eye on the ball on Tucson's Sports Bag Jack Fox Sports fourteen fifteen streaming live. I mean iHeart radio wapp Hey, welcome back to Wing the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera, He's jacins Aus. Now we have Henry who's breaking news. We'll just go straight into this then. So Arizona will be playing Washington in the Pac twelve tournament tonight at seven pm in Scottsdale. Washington had lost

the COW twelve nothing yesterday. Who Arizona plays tomorrow and Arizona has to win one of the next two games to advance out of the pool play to the semifinal rounds. Right, So I didn't realize that Washington got beze so bad last night by cal So. Yeah, we were explaining that the how the bracket works. So aarri Zona wins both its games and Oregon State can beat as they can still be in the in the fourteen bracket. If aar Zone loses a game, but it wins one and loses one, they still get

in the bracket. It's just but that could kick Oregon State to the curb, so we'll see what happens. Colton Smith of Arizona Tennis won his third round game today and is now in the Elite eight of men's singles, where tomorrow he will take on Murphy Cossona of Arizona State. What he's what? What see does he? He was the twenty second there was there's a guy. Yeah, and the issue guy is he's done unbelievably. Yeah. Well the guy he beat today was sixteen sixteen, so he's knocked off two.

Yeah, she's ahead of it right, right, and you know he's planning to be, you know, an individual national champion, which will be a huge deal. You know, Arizona's other guy that got into that into the individual bracket got beat in the his first match. But Colton Smith is there and it was cool too. They because the Arizona So this tournament's being played in Stillwater and that's where the softball team is. So the whole softball team went to chair Mint at his match, which is very cool. Cool.

Yeah, I saw I saw that. I was running what he was talking about. It was a meme or yeah thing from you yeah, yeah, So the whole softball team was there rooting him on and he said he really felt like it helped him, you know, to have people cheering for him in the crowd. So that's very cool. Yeah to ask you guys number

eleven. Okay, so maybe another upset. Yeah, that's great. The Arizona versus Kansas State game time was announced for five pm Mountain Time on Friday, September thirteenth, and this does count as a non conference game for Arizona Central Clutch. When's the first game the Labor Day weekend? It's the thirty first against? Is it the week zero? Is it the week that's week one? Week one? Week zero will be the week before first? Yeh,

it's Labor Day weekend day week. The thirty first is a Saturday, and then the Kansas State game is a week later, weeks two weeks. It's the third game of the season. Who's the second game? Au no NAU then New Mexico? Oh, I thought it was in New Mexico, and then I think they opened with NAU right. Oh wait they opened with New Mexico. My bad, So New Mexico, that's what thirty first Labor Day weekend? Uh? Then they get then they got an AU here.

Then they go to Kansas State does should be a good game with New Mexico. But here's what I'm already liking in the game times. What five o'clock, Well, just that you know it's gonna be This would have been an eight o'clock game or seven o'clock game or something. You know, you getna. I want to remember Henry Shustill with us. Remember to talk to him five o'clock about these games when it's one hundred and two on the field. I don't I have no problem with you know why because I sit on the

side of the field where you're in the shade at five o'clock. Selfish fish, you know what I mean. All about me, Steve. It's all about me and the fam. You know, we're on. We're on. We sit on the west side for a reason. And that's one of the reasons. Well, no question, because the times are going to be better, yeah, but in the first month it's still going to be. People are just gonna still say, oh, it's too hot, too good the game, Steve. They always do. It's either too hot or it's too

cold, or it's too early or it's too late. It's never right on the money. Goldilocks A bunch of people, a bunch of wienies. Hey, I'm on your side. I complained about these fans. Who I mean, I've sat there at a at a day game because they people bitch and bitch and bitch and bitch a bitch. Game's too late. Seven thirty is too late. Seven o'clocks too late, eight o'clock too late. Then you got a day game. It's a beautiful day, and now it's too hot too. I'm in the sun. I don't want to be I don't want

to go to this game. I'm in the sun, Like, shut up and go. You can't have it. Yeah, I can't have it everyone. No, I've tweeted at a game saying, where the hell is everybody? Because you beg for this game, you got it and now it's still you know, now you're not here? Yeah, all right. I hate that UCLA and Arizona have final Line. It's an agreement to begin a multi year series for basketball. And next year they're gonna play at foot Print Center.

Twenty twenty five, they're gonna play at Las Vegas. They're not gonna play twenty twenty six and twenty twenty seven. They're also going to play a last fagas well. Jay, all I have to say is I hate going to Vegas, but I know I have to go. You're already looking at flights six and a half hours. Okay, I this came up in my list today with that my group, right, my group of fans, basketball fans, football fans. The complaint now about this is, yeah, there's

a complaint of course. Why can't they play these games at the school sites? Why won't they play at Michale and Polly. Why do they have to play it in Phoenix? Why do we have to go to Phoenix? Why do we have to go to Vegas for this game? Isn't the answer obvious? It's a it's a neutral court game and they get to play each other normally. I mean it's I like it. I'll go to Vegas. Yeah, Phoenix, so Vegas, and the third one would probably be back in

Vegas, or so thought. I thought the third one was in l A somewhere, like maybe it's Staples or something like that. Well, and that's fair. I saw to Vegas to Phoenix. Okay, so even better. But I get the question, but no, it's a special game. Put them on a true course. But that's what they're saying, they're special games to play. It's a rivalry game. Whatever you say, it's still a rivalry game. Play these at the campuses. Don't play them a neutral car

was the question from more than one person. A couple. Yeah, and the reason, well until until we said one of them is in Vegas. The like, okay, that's fine, I'm good with that. Yeah, I understand. That's it's perfect. They're not there. It's not a home and a home situation. You know, if it's a set, you know, if it's a Saturday afternoon game on you know in Vegas up on Friday, spend the night. Yeah, go to a buffet, gamble little, go to the game on Saturday, come home Sunday morning. A nice,

cool, fun weekend. Yeah, it's like going to the Indiana game back in the a couple of years ago. Yeah, yeah, I think it'd be fun. I don't know. Your friend, you're old guys, your friends they are they are. Actually, this was promon of the younger guys though, just saying I wish they were playing these amachale because he'd want to go Yeah right, right, no, just right. For you know, it's the atmosphere, it's a home game for each team, and it's like,

keep keep it like it's been. I'd rather go there than go to UCI because you may not get a ticket to go watch that game. Yeah, you will, because they don't. Therefore, well, in Arizona they actually said that's the one game, that's the one game. Yeah, but you know, I think I think we heard didn't didn't Ben Bolts do a story or tell us that, you know the only times right that Mitt Cronin's not coming back to Tucson Like ever, Oh, that's right that I heard

maybe the line you know what, that could be? Right? I have some kind of that they're that they're I think Ben told us that because of the spitting incident and then the situation that happened at this last game and the Justin spears, Uh yeah, that they just that they're just not gonna want to come here. That I think he predicted that if they continued this series, it will be on the neutral. Yeah, and that makes sense.

That that makes even more sense because now you know, you know, the the degenerates that do cause problems, that probably aren't gonna spend the money. And it's funny you say that because when sales Crown is a baby. Well, remember that you didn't go back to New Mexico for a reason, right, same kind of reason. It's hard to win there. Well without saying that, right, right, I mean there's really he didn't play Indiana all those years, and Bobby Knights, he just look, I don't have to

play those games, So I'm not gonna have why should I? Right? And you say it's going to have enough issues of its own. Moving over to the Big ten. Last thing Next year will be the last year of NBA on tn T, as the NBA is forming contracts with ESPN, NBC, and Amazon for rights that would start the twenty twenty five twenty twenty six season. Yeah, out of here, those three guys are one of those guys that again, I like that show. I just do. I make

my plans to sit around and watch it. No, but you know, if I'm watching an NBA game, particular playoff game, you know the halftime show comes on, I'll watch it. You know, I'll watch ten minutes of the postgame show because I think those guys are entertaining. So I think they'll be a that show gets moved. Okay, Well we'll see if all of them come back together too. Yeah. I think there's reports that Ernie's definitely saying on TNT. But the other three micro yeah, yeah, they're

kind of free agents anyways. All Right, So here we go with some of the we're going to start to see the Big twelve media, all right, just kind of the whole I'm going to say, the whole media bias thing is going to exist for a while. That, Okay, Arizona and these schools are coming over to the Big twelve. Well, we still think

we're all better than you guys. So a two four seven sports, a guy named Isaac Trotter put out a a too early packed a Big twelve football, basketball, Basketball, okanky, okay, where do you think well twenty four seven? Okay, yeah, where do you think you put Arizona? Third? No, seventh, fifth, fifth? Who'd he's got? Kansas Okay, okay, which that's legit. Houston, Houston, Okay, Kansas Houston, Iowa State they're good. And Baylor okay, and then Airs.

They won't finish fifth, They're not gonna they won't finish fifth. They may finish third, but they won't finish in the top If they fish in the top two, that'd be fantastic. It's gonna be that kind of kind of thing you hope for that. I don't know if you hope for that. But it's gonna be competitive and it's gonna get you better for the for March until you don't show up in March and then you lose and you say, what the hell are you doing here? Yeah? So fifth, you can

live with that. It's gonna be it's gonna be like the It's like the sec of the of the I think you gotta put them at least third. I said there, I did. But those teams that they're there, they're very good teams. But yes, because Arizona was gonna face stuff they had never seen before in the back twelve packed crowds, crazy crowds, obnoxious crowds. Uh and and and and Arizona's gonna have its mark. People are gonna say, Arizona will show you you come from from uh uh not so good.

PAC twelve. I'm trying to find the word for it. But you know the the soft PAC twelve Welcome to our building. Yeah. So anyways, but to me, this reeks of you know, we don't know you well enough. So that's true. And that's true. You know, we don't know you well enough, so that's true. But you but you know, going in because we've with a lot of people, it's gonna be tough

and it's gonna be hard. I know, how many teams eighteen, how many teams there's sixteen, sixteen, eighteen, eighteen, but fifteen and eighteen in a tough conference. If they win it, more power to them. Got them. I don't have the number a seconds, still looking, but I don't know. Sixteen six sixteen, they've got Colorado sixteenth. Uh, they've got U toh fifteen, Oklahoma State fourteen, ASU thirteen, So three of the four teams coming over they got him from thirteen to sixteen in the

league. It's like, you know, we we always thought the Pac twelve sucks and we think the Pack Dove still sucks. So here you go. You know, we'll see, well, I think it's fair, but it's you know, we'll see Arizona can easily prove that otherwise finished top three and maybe win it. Who knows. Again, they'll be underdogs, so they'll play well until they don't. An if you get else lest minute, No, you know, I was gonna look, you know, who do we

have on Roman Bravo Young. Okay, so let's let's go. No, I just think his four seventeen will be about that time we said we call him so yeah, all right, okay, stick around a Roman Bravo Young. We'll talk about again his path to the twenty twenty four Olympics coming up, how he feels about that, and we'll see what he's got to say.

And then again after that in the last segment of the day at four point forty, Steve Kerr will join us and we'll just have all kinds of fun with him when he gets when he gets on, so stick around. The Windows Depot is more than a Windows store. The Windows Depot is a one soft warehouse with everything you need for your complete Homer model shot the aisles of pre built cabinets in a variety of colors, granite and courts, countertops, sinks, highlights, and hardware. To complete your project. Need a

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a free Kids Mile, and rock and Roll on the main stage. This is Tucson's biggest running party. Serun Tucson dot net for all the details. Dreamy Live, Honey, iHeartRadio WAPP. This is E on the Ball with Steve Bravera and Jay Gonzalez Fox Sports fourteen. Hey, welcome back to you. I in the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera. It's Jacobs always. Now on the phone. We have Roman Bravo, young Olympic wrestler, big time wrestler at Penn State and locally. Roman,

how are you very Hey you guys doing Thanks for having me on. Yeah, No, great to have you on. You're what just a few months away? Where are you at in preparation. Yeah, I just picked up prep uh pretty heavy. Now I'll be competing here in about three weeks in Poland. We'll go up there to get some reps and competition in in the

Warsaw Poland. I think I head out in June nineteenth and then we'll come back finish out training camp, and then we'll fly out to Mexico maybe like a sendoff, and then we'll head to Paris and kind of just the opening ceremonies and training camp, and then I think wrestlings were the last events in

for Suth August. So some of this international traveler. Have you traveled much as a you know, certainly you know as an as a college athlete around the United States, But have you had much experience with international travel and how is that going to be for you? Yeah, you know, this is my first year on the international scenes. So I went to Grands back in January of rust in Mexico a couple of times, and I qualified in Uncle

Poco. So you know, it's an international competition of day thing. It's a lot better you travel, You get to see all these new class and you know, at the end of the day, I'm doing what I love and I'm wrestling to get against the best in the world, so it's definitely exciting against fun Romant. You must be about twenty three years old something like that. I'm twenty five. Yeah, twenty five. Okay, what would fifteen year old Roman be thinking? How did you make it this far right?

I mean, come on, you must think he must think there there's no way, or maybe there is a way. What would he be saying, I can't believe this might happen. Yeah, it's crazy. I kind of I don't get my credit some time. I really enjoy the things that I've done, so I look back at it and now I'm just trying to just enjoy everything day by day and just be present. You know, my Grandpa's always been hard to me growing up. Just keep your hand down to

work and you're not doing enough. So I kind of have that mindset. But as I'm being don I'm sarting to realize that I have done some cool things and just to make sure that I'm enjoying it and still having fun with it. So yeah, where I'm at right now, Like I tell everyone, I'm living my dream and I get paid to strain my butt off every day and I'm grateful for it. But when did that dream start roman to be, you know, in the Olympics as a restaurant. I mean,

was it, you know, in middle school? Is it at Sunnyside? Was it a pencil? When did that become maybe even real for you? I think it really some came and when I got to Penn State and I was in the starting lineup. I mean, obviously I did well and twos on Arizona at Sunnyside, but you know, I feel like a lot of

kids in Arizona is something that I'm trying to be a role model. And I go back and how when the times ride, it's just these people the doorway that there's more than this high school state championships and stuff like that. Let's use when the spot we use to get to callers to get to make world teams, national teams, because it's it's doable. But it's hard for kids in Touson. I feel like to buy any because they don't have someone

leading them who's done there and been there. And that's why it's so easy to be successful and here at Penn State. Because I can look back in my corner, I know that I got Klee Sanderson who's been there, done at all, and I can buy into him and trust him as a leader. If he tells me to run offa run through a brick wall, you know I'm gonna do it, even if even if I know I shouldn't.

So I think this comes down to the leadership. And I think it all really started obviously in Sunday Stop, but I really got to Penn State. That's when everything just teems and yeah, it's the mindset everything, just because even this moment, the whole new person. Well, I would have thought you would have said when you were really young, what did you still remember your first match and how that was and how maybe you thought maybe I can continue to do this. Yeah, I don't really think as much as I

kid. I justmet my grandpa taking me to the Saturday tournament, and I think nowadays it's kind of you don't know why we're doing it, and uh, for me to find my why wasn't really tough. I got to college and it was like, Okay, this is why I was working so hard because the me in the moment, I really to undershot why we're going to practice this. Boy, it's not fun and it's hard to be my community.

But you know, we started getting the disclosure. You know, thinks of the line the winning is winning, the more winning, more matches, and and people are starting to look up to you and stuff like that. I feel like, now I know why, but you know, it's kind of the way I see it. Now, what was your record in high school? I think I was undefeated, but I don't really talking about it.

You know, origin I asked, you could say one hundred thousands of zero, but I'm thinking, you mean to tell me you didn't know where your wing you can. Everybody's asked I do I do it? Go to be a four time stage champ? But my grandpa always wanted me and that was it for me, Like he didn't expect to expect me to do any of this stuff. We always just said he wanted a four time state champion and that was the cosed mind he has. And now everything that I'm doing

is kind of for him. And he's one of my wives, and now that I'm doing this stuff, it's super easy for me to both be motivated and I just like to make him happy. So okay, so, so as we as we mentioned, you're you're representing Mexico, there were some issues with I think the weights and stuff like that. It got changed for the Olympics, and it really kind of put you in a in a tough spot.

So tell us a little bit about how that, how that happened, and and and and what your situation was as it relates to, uh, you know, the the Olympic competition. Yeah. So, I mean, obviously I could stick around here and trying to make the US world team, or I can go rest for Mexic. Go and you know, it's one of the things where I can just sit down in the mirror and think about what you want to do for your life and the goals and how you want to set yourself up. So you know, I took that leap of faith

and I went to go wrestle from Mexico. And now I switched this. I got dual Ciniship and then I switched and I can't never wrestle with us again. But when Olympic year comes around every four years, is only six weight classes and then call it. I wrestled with one hundred and thirty three pounds and now the Olympic weight is one hundred and twenty five point eight pounds. So as you can say that's eight pounds liar than what I've wrestled for

about five years in college, and I'm only growing. So I really had to do really how to get with the right people, get super disciplined to

make this weight and do everything right. There's no taking shortcuts, there's strict diet, there's a lot of work being put in, and you know, I think that's one of the biggest things I've proud about myself, is just how discipline has to be to get down that way, because people don't understand how hard it is to shrink your body down to weight that you never competed after college when you're still growing right near maturing. Yeah, you know it's

hard, but you know life parts. So I don't do what I gotta do and that week. Now I can say I'm Olympian for the rest of my life, but that's the job's not done, and that's not what I want to want move So now, so now comes a task of your family, family members trying to go see you out in Paris. Did they see you a lot in college and and what are you trying to do and how can we help get people out there? Yeah, I don't go back home to Tucson much more than I want to. I'm just so busy walked in.

You know, we had to plant it out and I've been I've competed like every two months and mean that small injury I got to take care. But yeah, when I want to get it back to Tucson, I want to get my family out of Paris. So yeah, I started to go fund me just to help get my get my family because people don't It's like me from Tucson. It's not all the easiest, and you know that's why I work. I work my butt off because when I go back home, there's not much there for me. So this is what this is why I'm

so motivated. But yeah, if anyone wants to help, you know, greatly appreciated. To get my family there. Obviously, this is the once in a lifetime opportunity, but my goal is not. This is not gonna be my last Olympics. Obviously want to make it to twenty twenty eight too, but uh, you know, this would be a cool experience for them. And I'm just gonna go out there and appreciate all all the support so far. And I've had just my whole career and then I'm just gonna keep

doing, keep doing my best, and that's all I could do. But yeah, you know, I appreciate the support. And eventually, when I'm done wrestling, I'm definitely gonna help out the community and Tucson and get some wrestling fitness going out there. But just waiting for that, for that movement I want to be. Uh, I'm gonna be a light there at Tucson for young athletes. Yeah, I just got to wait for my time. But I'm still competing before we get back to the go fund me. There's

another reason why you don't come back to Tucson. You have burritos. You know why you're gonna make wait here. I'm pretty I'm pretty disciplined now, but I do this though. So after I'll go after August, I'll go back for a couple of weeks. Hopefully I go back with the metal run mind. So right, yeah, you can eat whatever you want. So okay, So how do people find the go fundme? They'll go fundme page. I think it's on my Facebook. I'm not really too sure how to

work it too much. I posted it, but I really haven't posted it too much because I'm not really I don't really like to ask people for but you know, if it's for my family or do whatever I need to. But I'm not too sure that. But I know if you look up on my Facebook, it should be on there. All right, we're looking at that right now. I think we might have an all sports twosun dot com.

I think I of your shared it as well. But anybody who's listening to us, you can go to your to your your Facebook, right yeah, yeah, okay, yeah, I just found it. It's right at the top of your Facebook. And if you go on to the go fundme page, I think if you just search Roman Bravo, you'll find you'll find the page trying to get your family to pair. So goal of fifteen thousand dollars, you're about it a little over a third of the way there.

So let's get going. So sometime, let's get going. Yeah, you've been a great you know, you've been a great representative Tucson, so you really deserve this, right right, let me ask you a dumb question because Jay were wondering why I'm asking you this. I mean, I asked you when you were here last time with us. You you're one thousand and zero as a as a as a high school guy, you did very well in at Penn State. How did it feel when you lost for the first time.

Yeah, I think that's a good question and no questions. But I feel like losing is good at the same time. Obviously it sucks, but you know, now looking back it up, maybe I had to lose to

make the Olympic teams. You'll never really know what if a loss is a blessing at the same time, because obviously I was just lagging a really long winning streak going for my third title and I end up losing in the finals, and you know, hurt, and it sucked, and I questioned myself if I even wanted to wrestle, and then you know, something happened and it clicked at me and I was like, you know, I'm gonna wrestle, and I'm gonna take this leap at sayth to Mexico and look where we're

at NATS. Now we're going to the Olympics. So like I can you can do all in the past, or you can kind of just put your head down your work and double down yourself and now look where we're going. So I feel like losing, obviously, no one likes to lose. But in the big picture, the big eternal picture of life, like, it's

not that big of a but it's just a repping match. So I think as they're going up and get you have kid in Marizona and then you don't get the same video all like you think, like the Olympics, people make it a big deal, but at the end of day, it's just it's just more repping matches and that's it, and then it's be common. It can go thing. Losing is good. It definitely helped me get me to where I'm at. I could, I could be excuse of it. Yeah,

tell us a little bit about the qualifying process. You know, how do how do you make the team? You know, what did you have to do all the way from how do you just sign up? Right? And then you mentioned you had to go you had to get dual citizenship, so you had to go through a process and then you had to go through the qualifying Walk us through that a little bit because I'd be interested to see how this happens. Yeah, so just getting builds. So people who don't

know what wrestling is. Obviously it's international and there's a lot of the just don't be good rushing in the world. There's Russians to wrestle with Belarus and things like that. So like the the world champ at my weight last year named Stefan Michik. He lives in the US trains here, but he wrestles for Serbia, so it's known everywhere. But so how to get dual citizenship. Our grandparents are born there, so they got a bug certificate. My

mom's for her birth certificate. I got mine done, and then you get that, you get a Mexican passport and then once you're once you have that in your citizenship, then you go to the United World Wrestling and tell them that you want to switch nationalities, so that I just have to like pay a fine to leave the US right switch national aladies, And then now I'm competing for Mexico. So now I got to get in contact with the Mexican Federation. Okay, what's the process? This is my goal. He's like,

you're this because of your resume, Like, doesn't mean crap. I don't want nothing given to me, So I gotta make weight scratch, I'm gonna earn everything. So I showed up to two tournaments. One of the tournams I needed to. Then there was a qualifier in Alca, Polco in February. They get into the top two to qualify the weight for Paris. So I went there, made the weight, qualified, got top I mean you make the finals. They don't wrestle the finals match because top two go.

So I made that and then once you qualify the weight, then you're good to go. They take sixteen countries to the Olympics. Well, have you faced any of the other ones yet? Before I faced one of the Egyptian guy, I wrestled them in France. So I wrestled him, I beat him, and that there was like four or five Yews in the US that I've just known. I wrestled for different countries, but the US citizens that I know who they are. But yeah, you haven't wrestled anything.

The world champions, the multiple worlds, not a winnings, World Champions, the limit champions, the weight. It's gonna be fun, and you know all you can do is show up and hope for the best. But I know that I'm prepared and I'm gonna be putting in the work and leave no sounds don't turn. So I'll be at piece. What's whatever happens. But I'm excited to go out there and get my hands on the best guys in

the world because this is something that I've been chasing for a while. Do you let yourself think about being on the podium, you know, with any kind of a metal deed, Do you let your mind go there or would that be kind of distracting for you? Yeah, I mean, I mean it's always good to matifest I think it's good to write down your goals of stuff. I really just like to keep my goals to myself and don't really put it out there too much for everyone, because that's when it starts losing

value. But but yeah, I mean, like I said, that's obviously the goal of everyone going there. So I got pulling first though, So we're gonna take that one at time, and then my next goal for me is just we win a world medal and I'll be done wrestling. So however long it takes you, very nice, very nice role, Roman, We appreciate your time. Good luck again. Go to his Facebook young looking him

up. Look him up on Facebook. There's a link to it. But if you go straight to the fund me page, I think if you search Roman bravo, young you'll find a Roman. Bravo, You'll find it. So and you get to the golf trying to raise fifteen grand you get your family over there, so good luck with it, Roman and all the best. Thank you so much on come bless be well, thank you. That's cool. That's cool, dude, to be that tough. And let me

tell you the wrestlers of the tough dudes in the world. Ud you know right right, watching these guys in high school, right, you thought those are the badasses of the school, right, Football players, yeah, whatever, But wrestlers, you just go. They make fantastic football players to angles, big leverage, all right, stuff, Okay, we gotta go. We have luck, We have a g take a break. We're gonna come back in about six minutes. We'll have Steve Kerr on, so come back

and uh we'll be chatting with him. Stick around. 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 Ludolsen 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 and the men who led them, competed against them, and inspired them. Twenty five chapters

for his twenty five years as Arizona's beloved coach. Lessons from Loot is an insight to how he built the program into a national powerhouse. What one email me at Steve dot RIVERA ninety five at gmail dot com. Hi, this is formal wildcat Leman huntly with Arizona Health. Imagine how home GM can change your health, your comfort, and your time. Arizona Health is everything you need to transform your personal space and your life. We off a complete line

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and you could win big. Watch your savings grow to help you reach goals like buying a car, owning a home, and more. Visit Pyramid FCU dot com slash ten k challenge to get started today. Been really insured and CUA. Do you want to be part of a winning team? A Team Security is looking for friendly, outgoing event security guards and event staff to be a part of our team. We've been providing our outstanding services to some of

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Salvinz. This is I on the Ball on Fox Sports fourteenth Theory. Hey, welcome back to Eying the ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera. He's Jenkins Owes Snow on the phone. We had one of Tusson's favorite sons, Steve Kerr. Steve. How are you? I'm good? Thanks? How are you guys? We're doing well? Thank you very much for joining us. How the heck you doing? And now that the season is no longer the season. Well, definitely feeling rested. Not that

I want to feel rested. I'd much prefer to be playing still, but that's the way it goes. So you got to take advantage of the time. Do you sit down and watch the NBA playoffs or how much attention do you pay to them? I think I'm a bitter guy, so I think if I was out, I would just get not even care about him anymore. You know, when we lost the Sacramento in the playing game, I went home and I swore I wasn't gonna watch anything, And two days later

I had every game off. I can't can't stay away. Yeah, I'm sure, I'm sure. Sure, that's pretty funny. Do you how do you look at the games? Because we always ask ex players, how do you look at the games? Yeah? I think it depends on the time. There are some nights I just have the game on in the background and I'm not really paying close attention, and maybe if the game really grabs me, like last night's game, which was incredible, I really pay attention to

what. You know, what each team is doing down the stretch, plays they run, what what what they're doing defensively? And you know, there are times where you pick something up and you file it away and you go, yeah, I think I'd like our team to do that. Okay, So like you know that Rick Carlisle is not going to have his guy foul when there's three, you know, when they're down, when they're up three

at the end. You know, it's funny they mentioned that on the on the broadcast, but it's h It's actually one of the hardest things to do. At the end. It seems like it's an easy one, you know, to have that lot of fouling, but there's so many variables and we've been on both sides of that. You know, sometimes you foul and they you know, they determined that it was in the act of shooting. So you're worried. You know, the next time you're worried about fouling. And

you know, like I thought that play last night. You know, see hackem was clearly nervous about fouling in the corner because he didn't want to give up retreat throws. So's it's always a hot button topic, but it's more difficult than people realize. Over the years you had you guys have had a great run since you started back in what fifteen sixteen, whatever it was. Do you kind of look back and say, you know, it's been pretty good to us, to me, oh every day? Are you kidding me?

You know, the ability to to or the opportunity I should say to coach Steph Curry and Draymond and Clay and Andrea Gadala you meet these guys are are legends and for them to all be on the same team, you know, at various times of their careers, it's it's just been, uh, you know, it's complete honored to coach them. Have you ever given Steph Curry your shooting tip? You know your your elbow is out or you're you know, anything like that. Yeah, if you're old enough, you remember

the the advertisement TV for the may Tag repair Man. Yeah, much, you're your younger listeners are like, what the hell are those guys talking about? But yeah, the may Tag repair Man was was basically never busy because may Tags were perfect like being steps shooting, you're the may Tag repair Man. It's funny because you know obviously follow you and follow you from all time and as a I'm a Golden State Warrior fan. When I'm thinking, you

know what I wish I could be Steve Kirk for a weekend. And then I realized you put up with a lot of crap, and I just never mind. Uh no, you know, I think that's uh, that's part of it. The job is you just have to understand you're going to take a lot of crap and the fans are never happy. Uh you know, I I'm I'm well aware that there are lots of fans who would love to see me get fired and all that stuff. But that's that's the life of

the coach in professional sports, you know. And and the sooner you get used to that, the better, and you just you just don't worry about it, and you just do your job and enjoy all the the great parts of the of the job and ignore the rest. Okay, So now you're you're you're you got yourself into the Olympics. You're going to go do this this summer. When when does all that start for you? You know? In earnest and have you ever thought what the hell did I get myself into?

Or is it you know you're looking forward to this? Oh I can't wait. It's that We start in July July third, we go to Vegas, players arrived the fifth and we practice for a week or so, we get right into exhibition games and and and then to Paris, so it's all in all, it's only about a five or six week journey and I can't wait. I mean, it's gonna be so exciting. We have great players, great talent, hell of a coaching staff, and obviously going to Paris,

one of the most beautiful cities in the world. So it's it's gonna be really exciting, but very difficult, you know, even though we have the best players in the NBA on our team, so do other teams in the Olympics, by the way. Yeah, uh, there's some really really talented teams out there. And PIBA is a different game than the NBA, and our guys have to make a big adjustment. And you know, these teams now are very capable of beating us, and we know that very well.

Yeah, the European game with the international teams. Are you are you nervous at all about this because you know what they you know they hearing this expect gold medal. Does that make you nervous at all? Of course it does, you know, But that's the nature of competition. And I love the competition. I love being in the auction and having something on the line, having a challenge. You don't get that juice, You don't get those

feelings unless there's a downside, and there's definitely a downside here. We I coached the World Cup team last summer. We lost to Germany in the semi finals and uh, and then lost to Canada and in the in the bronze medal game, and uh. It's hugely disappointing. But at the same time,

it was an incredible experience. And I think all of this. When you're coaching at this level, you really learn to appreciate everything and and understand that these are the best athletes in the world, best coaches in the world, and you know, winning and losing is all part of it. That. Yeah, when you're the coach of USA men's basketball, you're supposed to win, for sure. Those are the times I didn't want to be Steve

Kirk. Well, yeah, I mean, what if you have to what if you have to yell at one of those guys, right, or you know, go sit on the bed, go sit down. You know, how's that going to fly? Yeah? Well, you know, it's it's an interesting experience for these guys because they're also used to being the stars on their team, and all of a sudden, they're looking across the locker room

at eleven other Hall of famers, you know. And I think it's one of the appeals to the experience for the players is that they really get to play together and be together, you know, when they're used to competing against one another, and in my experience, they really do just kind of got their egos aside and enjoy the idea of being being one. Let's talk a

little about Arizona. We talked yesterday, J and I about those guys that have come through the the Mikhale Doores historically and guys you needed on their team. I think you were one of them. I don't think. I know you were one of them back in the mid eighties because people played for you. And in fact, Harvey Mason in the book talks about he was he played hard because he went he didn't want to disappoint Loot and he didn't want

to disappoint Steve Kerr. Did you no, No, And I'm not I'm not joking, I'm being serious, because you had that presence about you. I think even Pete Williams talked about it a little yesterday. Did you sense that when you were on the team with them? Definitely not. I mean, you know, especially with Pete. Pete was a junior when I was a freshman, and my freshman year, I was just trying to you know, survive. And I think my sophomore year it was a different vibe and

I had a lot of more confidence and became a starter. But I think, you know, my experience that U of A was special because it was five years and I really did feel like I just grew from this, you know, a young kid or didn't know anything to you know, a fifth year senior and you know, playing on a final four team. It was just an incredible experience the whole run. And to be there for Luke's first year and to see him build it from the ground up was just amazing.

Well, we talked about when you got hurt that summer. We don't think that the history of the program would have been the same had you not and gotten hurt, because it seemed like everything fell into place in eighty eight where they needed you, you needed them, You helped tremendously with the team. Does that make any sense? It does it does. I think if I hadn't gotten hurt before that my senior year, my fourth year, we would

not have been a final four team. I think the rest of the guys that year that I sat out, they all made such huge strides and we brought everybody back and we were just loaded that that that last year for me, and I think that final fortrait really kind of validated the program, validated each of us individually, and and I think it helped set the course for, you know, the next twenty years where Coach Olsen just built this this

amazing program. Well you know, yeah, I mean you'll always be thought of as one of the as we call Pete, you know, Pete Williams, you know, the cornerstones of what Arizona basketball is today. You know, through Sean Miller now now with with Tommy Lloyd, that you'll always be thought of as the guy who helped build what is even happening today. Is that I don't know, do you put your hand on the pillow at night and ever think about that? Where do you think your place is there?

Well, it's a great source of pride for sure. And that was one of Loot's messages to you know, his first year or two was you know, we're building something special and and you know you're you're going to be you know, one of the you know, one of the groups that really got it started. And I think we all said a lot of pride in that. You know, that's that's a pretty unique thing to be able to do.

And obviously the way my career turned out and the way the fans you know, took to me and took care of me and cheered for me, it became something that I never could have even imagined. But when you were here and Sean was going through his his stuff here and being becoming Sean Sean Elliott right. Uh. In the book he admitted that he wanted to leave a time or two because was on him. He was on him a lot.

I'm sure you saw that. And did you know that, Oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah, Sean was you know, he was so good but so so raw and coach also and coached him hard. And I think

if that happened today, he probably would have tried. Yeah. But but but but back then, it didn't work that way, and it was a much healthier environment, to be honest with you, And in terms of player development, especially with with a coach like lude Olsen who would coach you hard but had total respect were you and and treated you like like a grown up. You know. He was never demeaning, he was never insulting. He was just very demanding and most young players need that. They don't always know

it though. Yeah, well, well Steve, thanks for your time. Good stuff, Steve. We appreciate your time always, we know it's valuable. And best of luck at the Olympics this summer. We have some fun with that, I will. I will appreciate you guys having me on. Yeah, well, Steve Kerr, thanks so much. Yeah, great to have one on the show. We always get him like, you know, it's kind of like we've got to He's one of those guys. I mean.

One of the best things I've ever written read from him. Remember he was a student and he went to cal and he wrote a column about about their band. Everything was a funny joke about everything, fantastic view of other teams. He's never look, he's a serious guy on a lot of things.

He's very good at what he does, but he's never taken himself so seriously that you think, you know he's so I mean, he's just he's he's a he's an average guy who happens to be incredibly successful and that and that's I think that that's the cool thing about say this, without any regrets. He is the smartest dude I've ever met. Yeah, because he goes a lot of different directions he does, and he handles a lot of different things. Whether you agree with his politics or not or whatever, it's just

sense. I mean again, a guy who came here, as he said, just that, you know, a young guy just trying to find his way. And when you think about what he's built in his you know, in his life is as a college basketball player, a professional basketball player, an NBA CO she was a general manager. I mean, you want to talk about a guy who's pushed every button, and it seemed to seemed to have pushed the right buttons. But you're right, though you think it's harder

than anybody think I want to do. It's very harder than anythings. All right, Thanks so much to Steve Kirk for joining us. That was very cool. So all right, I think that's it. Have fun. Show went fast, went fast. We'll be back tomorrow, but we're gone Friday. We'll be off on Friday and Monday for Memorial Day, so catch us tomorrow. Would love to take your calls five to zero, four one,

six seventy four forty. If you're just catching the end of that or missed it, it'll be up on the podcast today so tonight, so so be sure to check that out. So thanks for being here and we'll see tomorrow.