25W: Most Memorable Conversations from 2025 PT1

This is a podcast called twenty five whist Stalking Parts, and they were a whizz So yeah, it's too bad, But what did you expect. It's a podcast called twenty five Whistles twenty Wine.

We've had some awesome guests sit down with us on the podcast this year, so I want to look back at some of our favorite interviews that maybe you missed. First up, head coach of the number four seed in this year's college football playoff, Joy McGuire from Texas Tech Text twelve and one on the year they won the Big twelve. Coach McGuire's put his name up there with

And what's up?

Brother?

So good to see you and be on your show. I appreciate it.

Man, where on the priority list is it for you to make sure you guys have maybe an advantage or are just ready to take a shot at the NFL.

It's high.

You know, we talk about it all the time. You know, Number one, you're coming here to get a great education, and one B, you're preparing yourself could be a pro. Now we talk about being a pro like being a great dad, being a great husband. You know, I mean, you're a pro at what you do. But these guys that we have on this team, there's a lot of them that have the ability and athletic and mindset to be in the NFL. So we want to make sure

Are you all football all the time, even when it's not your football?

Yeah, I love it.

I meat up with it, you know, especially college football. I love watching It's just a pageantry and and you know, it's it's almost like a movie at different stadiums, and you know, it's I'm heat up with it. You know, I'll watch a little bit of pros pro wise, I'm trying to watch our guys. Anybody Wou's playing, you know, I'll tune in and watch a couple of you know, we have it in the background while I'm watching Feeling.

Is it different every year what the players do as leaders? You have some years where you just trust your captains to actually have meetings with the team, and some maybe your captains aren't established. Is it based on you know, who the captains are every year?

One hundred percent? You know, we we've got a really strong group. Three of my captains are back. We had five captains last year. Three of them returned Baron Morton, Jacob Rodriguez and Brostromirez.

But one thing that we did.

There were some really strong alpha males that came in and they had big voices. They had been captains at their previous spools, and so we wanted to make sure they had a voice. And so like a guy like Skylar Gil Howard has been huge for us. And so this is a player led team. You know, I can send out one text to my leadership group. Whatever that text says, it's gonna get taken care out.

Next up is the runner up in this just Heisman Trophy race. Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia. Diego became Bandy's first ever Heisman finalist, led Vanderbilt to their first ten win season of program history, had thirty six total touchdowns and had over four thousand total yards cards. The crazy part is when we had Diego and studio before the season, he said, Hey, I want to win the Heisman, and we didn't like, oh yeah right, but it was like okay, but he did it. Congrats to Diego on a great

Appreciate you, Bobby, Thanks for having me.

We were talking to coach Lee last year and he was talking about, you know, it's hard to get into Vanderbilt. Oh yeah, and to recruit players, it's got to be a special type of player. I didn't realize that. You It sounds like juniors and seniors can't transfer in. You have to have graduated to come in. So that puts a lot of stress on You didn at school right, like to get all that done for sure.

I mean I was taking twenty one credits. I was still working out, you know, two three times a day, still going to practice, watching them practice. But it was all online, so that was cool.

Whenever I tried to do like online when I got a ticket, I spent way less time invested in being on because it was like easily available. So I did terrible at taking like Driver's Head online. Yeah yeah, so I feel like if I took online classes, I would not pay attention.

We should have just typed it into chagbt what we got to do it?

That's true, Yeah, different times, not.

Saying I do that, not saying I do that. Just a few students.

What's Vandy like to go to class? I'm assuming you're going to class.

Oh yeah, you meet a lot of interesting kids at class. They want to like basically own the world, you know, where someone like like their parents are just really interesting or they just tell you their background. And that's what I like doing. I like learning about people and then

Can you go online classes now?

So I have an all online major right now? Yeah?

Awesome.

So I'm really bought into football.

Yeah did they make sure do most guys do that?

No? Actually, not from Vanderbilt. We got a lot of smart kids on our roster. That's what makes that's what makes us elite.

Yeah, you know, why did you choose Vanderbilt? Well?

I chose it because at New Mexico State are my head coach, offensive coordinator, safety's coach, quarterback coach at think who else running back coach? They took vander picked up about six or seven of our coaches, and then they took like four of our players, and then so I was like, shoot, I might as well join them, you know. And then once coach kill really went to Vanderbilt That's when I was like, Okay, I'm bought in.

Whenever you come over or you're thinking about coming over, are they like, hey, diego, there's a good shot you can play or is it just you're just believing yourself and go not really knowing I guess, not knowing how to say it, but not really having an understanding of where you're going to fit the depth chart.

Well, there was a quarterback battle going in. I kind of scouted that going into it, but the starter had just left, so I knew the spot was open and there wasn't going to be no favoritism or anything like that. And all I asked for going in is because I know there's a lot of politics in the SEC and like these big conferences. So I told him I'll come if you promised me that it's a fifty to fifty shot and the better person will play.

So you didn't even ask for the guarantee to start. You just wanted a fair shot to win the job.

I just wanted a fair shot to win the job.

What was the scheme difference? Offensively from New Mexico to here? Same thing Because the coaches came there, a lot of it were running the same same terminology and everything same terminal.

There was a little bit of a twist because of our offensive line coach. He coached like Lamar Jackson at Louisville, and so we took a slight little twist with that, and so I had to learn a little bit, but it wasn't too much learning that I had to do.

Did you feel that when you came in you were equal to the guy immediately? And I don't know who you run the quarterback battle with. Did you guys start at the same place or did you come in a little behind and you had to catch up.

I would say I was probably ahead, just because I was at New Mexico State for a year and a half with the offensive coordinator and stuff.

So you knew what he was saying, Yeah, what you were expected.

And I was in the So I like practice. I would go watch practice every single day in the spring because they could in practice, and like on seven on seven and team reps, I would take my drop back when he said hike, I would take my drop back. I'd go through my reads and I'd throw the I'd fake throw the ball before like the quarterback would do it.

So it's like being on the on deck circle and time pitches. Yep, you're there taking cuts just you.

Know, uh, timing it just mental reps.

What are you like in the huddle?

Oh, I'm a I'm real serious in the huddle, Like once it's business, Once that clock starts, it's all business from there on out. And then I try to just get everyone prep give everyone confidence to go into the next play and just succeed. If someone misses a block or something, you know, I'm smacking him on his ass and just tell him, hey, you got it.

Why do your guys believe in you?

I think they just see that. You know, I'm not going to go out without a fight, Like I want to win more than anything else in life. Like this is all I know. All I know is football. Without football, I don't know what I would do.

Do you like before game to be extremely hype or because we've had other guys come in like ma fighters, they don't want to be hyped. They want to have good adrenaline, but they don't want to be hyped because then they don't react and think the same. They want to be as calm as possible. Where are you before the game starts?

Oh I'm hyped. I'm jumping up and down. I'm ready to go, you know. And then sometimes what's kind of like embarrassing though, is sometimes when your energy is too high and then you're just like starting to come down and focus, you catch like these yawns that are like really kind of embarrassing and you don't want no one to see us, or you're like eating like one of these or something like that.

What are the facilities like at Vanderbilt? And I would like for you to walk back to both schools because I would assume each time was a big come up and it felt different.

So from coming from Juco, we worked out in a tent literally, Uh, it was squat racks, like if you walked out on the on concrete and you were working out in the parking lot. We just put squat racks on them. And it was a a dome kind of kind of like Arizona State's indoor, but it was just concrete and we just we squatted in there. We benched in there.

And then it sounds like prison I'll be honest with you, that's what it kind of what it sounds like, the prison yard with like a little ten over the top of right right.

It was a military school, and the only way that you were able to get like an extra workout in is they had like the pull up bars, the dip bars, and so at Mimi, you really couldn't be up at a certain time, and I would like sneak out of my room four thirty in the morning, and I'm like trying to like creep on the wall so no one

Five because it was military institute.

Yeah. And then when when I went to New Mexico State, it was like, oh my god, this is heaven, you know. And obviously, you know, they had a really actually a really good weight room there, but there was like no indoor, no grass filled. And then I come to Vanderbilt and I'm like They're serving steak every single day, chicken every single day. I'm like, what, like what's going on?

You know, the nutrition is a big difference, oh, the biggest difference for sure, And so you can get whatever food you want whenever.

Yeah, shrimp. There's sometimes lobsters.

That's what I was crazy.

Yeah, no, and then the desserts are great too.

So they just have like chefs, cooks, always cooking food.

What about snacks, Oh, dude, they have like a thing from this wall to this wolf filled with what's your favorite snack?

I mean, I love a lot of fruits. I love a lot of cookies, So I'm a big fruit and cookies probably.

Yeah, they got that. Yeah, they got gushers. What's those climb bars.

Or something, and those are any time one in the morning, eight in the morning.

Eight.

Yeah, all day, dude, they wouldn't have anything left. We were there, dude, I know, we can't even have a break room.

Oh you should have saw my sister. So my sister came down. Well, we took it into Mexico State. Obviously there was like just bagels and stuff. We go over here. She asked for a bag and she's like walking around making sure no one looks, just like putting snacks in the bag.

We went to Auburn and worked out with the basketball team, that's what we did, and we walked. We got They had like a trail mix with Eminem's that's the whole Yeah, so we took we were like putting them in our bag. So like I understand what your sister was doing. Yeah.

Yeah, the stuff's expensive too.

Anything is awesome.

Oh yeah, I remember I asked for like a protein shake and they took me to the back and uh there was like stack to the top with it was costco, you know. And I remember I took like a protein box just home, and I was like, I'm the man.

I wouldn't tel the same way.

Yeah.

What was your greatest high school game?

Oh? Shoot, So junior junior year, I had to actually play JV because of the transfer rule, and I would say I probably had maybe six touchdowns in the half and then like I just sat off like the rest of the day.

So they made you had to play JV and then you just dominated. Yeah that's awesome.

Yeah I played. Uh freshman, I played varsity. Uh, sophomore year, I played varsity, and then my junior year I transferred and uh they made me sit down and play JV.

The whole year.

Yeah.

The whole year was that boring?

Oh it was bad, you know, Like it was there was like a crazy play. I was playing running back receiver. I was just I just like told me, hey, just throw me the ball real quick. And like we had this other kid who played quarterback too, and if they drew up the route for him, I'll be like, hey, switch, you play quarterback real quick and I would run the route.

You know, how was your senior year? Then?

Oh, I ended up getting hurt the first game and I had to sit out for like six games. But we were eleven and one and we lost in the playoffs like forty nine to fifty six.

So you missed your whole junior year, Well missed it. You had to play junior varsity, and then you missed a big part of your senior year because of injury. Yeah, so is that why you didn't get the offers at least any Division one offers?

No, I felt like because towards the end, I was still playing football and I was still playing really good.

But were you playing quarterback?

Yeah? And no, I don't think just no one wanted a five ten, five eleven quarterback. They didn't believe in me.

So why did you choose to go to what did you?

How did you what do you call in New Mexico Military?

Now?

Why did you choose nim Oh?

My brother chose it for me. Really, I was thinking about maybe walking on to like a powerhouse, maybe like Oklahoma. Obviously Baker Mayfield was a walk on Yeah, Oklahoma exactly. And so I was thinking of doing like maybe one of those. And it was like literally a week before and then the Nimmy offensive coordinator, coach Kaiser came into my school and was like, Hey, you need to come to NIMI, Like this is it'll work out well for you. We've had five Division one quarterbacks in three years. It'll

Did you start to get other offers other than New Mexico State like Jeff oh I had.

I'll tell you when the offers came in, so I switched. My Twitter has all the offers like that's how you get offered nowadays. And on my Twitter I said I'm from Albuaque, New Mexico. I changed it to Tampa, Florida. And then once I changed it, literally a week after, I started getting offers and started talking to schools. It was crazy.

Because you said, you're a Florida player, and they just respected the Florida players more.

I guess that's how it works, you know.

Are you sure they just didn't get put onto you.

The same time. I don't switch it, Hey, I don't know. But once I switched it. It was like, oh, now these coaches want to talk to me. You know you're a three star. No, I was a no star.

You're a no star.

I was a negative star.

What sports did you play?

I wrestled and played football.

Or a negative star?

Okay, so they have your ranked as you wrestled, wrestled, I played football and then I played baseball for two years.

Which sport were you the best at?

People thought I was the best at wrestling, but I believe that I just loved football so much.

He loved football more?

Yeah, way more.

Could you have wrestled in college?

Yeah?

Could you play baseball in college.

If I would have worked at it?

Uh?

Yeah?

What coaches had the most impact on your career? Jerry kol Why what's special at him?

Oh?

He's hard, had lunch pill. He's just different, Like you just talked to him, and he just realizes that you realize that he would never like he's never lied to me. Even at New Mexico State, I was going through a bad time because I wasn't in the starting lineup. We were one and five and it just sucked being one of five, Like losing just is just terrible. And I was like, hey, like I want to help the team. I want to come back. I want to go to a bowl game, Like, how can I step on the

There have been times where if I were playing a like a celebrity golf tournament, we're playing a big course that I can play as a video game, I'll get on and play the video game, or I have a simulator in my house, or I get on and look at the course. Yeah, do you get on? Can you get on college football? Or do you have that that like that? Jayde Daniels was famous for even doing stuff in the simulator. Do you have any do you have the ability to do that at all? Like look ahead?

Oh well, we watch film, like uh so say we play Kentucky, We watch film already in the Kentucky stadium, but you don't realize what it is until you actually play in that environment.

What do you mean in the stadium?

Like once, once you're in it, once you're there. Like sometimes like Auburn's debt perception is kind of different than Kentucky's because it just like goes up higher and stuff on the on the walls, but.

So I don't know what you're saying on the walls, like.

Like like they don't.

Did they digitally put a room around you?

No? No, no, no, Like this is like when you step into the arena. Okay, in real life, real this is real life. Okay, yeah, got it. Auburn holds like one hundred and four thousand, Kentucky doesn't hold as much. Sure how much they hold, but it's like a whole extra layer you know, that goes up, so like the depth perception is a little bit off.

Could you play college football twenty six though, and diagnose like look at coverage as they're putting in and go, okay, what would I do here? What would I do there?

Yeah?

Have you played with yourself?

I've only got to play once and that was at the media days.

Can you call every defense. Though, Even even if you're not good with your fingers on the sticks, could you go okay, they're gonna blut safety, They're you know, go to obviously, so we'll look at the hook here.

Yeah. I always do that, But sometimes it's the video game is different than real life, and so that's why sometimes it's kind of cracked. But I also like to mess around on the video game. Just throw one on one jump balls to Eli.

Well, that's what you guys are doing in JV chunk balls.

I try to get him to widen me out how Cam Newton did at Auburn, But Eli's like man I throwing a jump ball to No. Five time Mexican.

What quarterback do you watch or did you watch as a kid that inspired you?

Johnny Manziel He was cold. He's a That guy is just a different athlete.

Has he reached out to you at all?

Oh?

I we talked a few times. He's a real cool dude. He's just when I watch his tape two, he's just he's wired different. That's what I really like about him.

What do you do right after a game for your body? Oh?

Shoot, I usually just relax. Let me think that's a good question.

Do you ever get in that like that the chamber of the cold thing that the cryo.

Or the chiro therapy. No, we don't have one of those at Vanderbilt. I probably I just go in the next day. They have treatment, like at eight in the morning. So I always go into there and just I'm big on my legs, just making sure those are healthy because my arm's always gonna come with it.

After the season. NFL aspissions for sure.

I mean they can't tell the highs and winner that he can't get drafted.

You know they can't. And it's also you know there have been other five, ten, five eleven.

Quarterbacks right that have gotten drafted and have played well exactly, Yeah, I haven't. I had. I actually know more quarterbacks over six foot one who have played I guess less not as good than people under six foot.

With coach Lee being such a defensive guy, do you spend much time with him?

Oh?

Yeah, I asked him a lot of questions about the defense. He's like thinking about different types of ways, Like we see NFL coverages all day and like they'll get to a cover two doing some weird stuff and it's like, bro, how are you doing that? That's not even a true cover. He looks like Cover three, you know, but that stuff is just way different, just a lot of third, third and long stuff that they get to Eddie have final question.

Oh man, it's just awesome having you here. I mean, my favorite was watching you in New Mexico because that was like late for us, right, you know, so like after I'd lost all my bets of the day in New Mexico.

So dude, it's really cool avening here. That's funny because those are the games we watch after Central time Zone, after all of our games Eastern and Central Go, we're watching like Oregon State, New Mexico. Yeah, you guys been playing later so we can watch those games later.

I remember at New Mexico State we were like ninety three against a spread or something like that.

That's pret Eddie. You should know that. Yeah, that's why he's watching diego. Good to see you. Man, really appreciate that.

I appreciate you guys having.

Now let's get over to Minnesota head football coach PJ. Fleck. Coach Fleck has been leading to Go First since twenty seventeen. Known for his high energy and row the boat phrase, coach holds the school record for most ball wins his head coach with six, and he hopes to extend that this week when they play New Mexico in the two only twenty five Rate Bowl. Good luck to coach and his team here he is coach PJ Flack, What up? Coach Hobby Bones?

What's up? Man?

There's a lot of things that I do now in the different jobs that I have where I can use AI. Is Have we got to the point now where you can just like stick other teams in AI to see what their what their tendencies are through a computer program?

You can.

I think that we have been doing that for years. We've been doing that in a very different way though. The analytics have been around for a while, but AI's taking it to a completely different level in my opinion. But there's still a human element of football. Remember, our product is people. Apple's product is the iPhone, the iPad, the earbuds, and you know, like that's the product. When you're dealing in a world where the product is eighteen to twenty two year olds, there's still a sense of

That mean?

It's crazy. It is the most unpredictable sport I think in the entire world.

Have you been to a concert lately at all? Coach?

Yes, love concerts, love concerts.

What'd you go to?

Well, we've been to a few concerts. We went to UH. We took the staff last year to Bruce Springsteen. I'm a big fan of Bruce.

Uh.

We went to UH. We went to a small concert for the TV one F Foundation, which is a great friend of ours. She's a she's a teenage girl has cancer and unfortunately's got it for the third time. But she had like Graham Barham in and got to spend some time around Grand Barham, who I thought was absolutely awesome. Uh, you know, having that that oil Money song. And I'm a big country music fan of Luke Combs, Riley Green. I got to see those guys. Oh gosh, last one Kenny Chesney.

In the sphere?

Did you go?

How would I forget?

That?

Unbelievable.

In fact, went to the show, not necessarily with but met up with Matt Rule, the head coach from Nebraska UNLV Dan Mullen, the head coach there, and we were all at the show kind of together. Got to be around Kenny a little bit. He was so gracious. Matt Rule's friends with the guy, Dan Mullen's friends with the guy. I'm not friends with him, so I was starstruck.

Man.

I was like, hey, I met you outside this Malibu hotel like five years ago ago, and I was like, fangirling, man, it was crazy.

I know Kenny Brellan overly well. And he invited me out a couple of times and I didn't go. And I was like, I've seen Kenny before, but that's Spear show. Is it pretty special? Just that that venue?

It is the greatest entertainment spectacle I think in the world. I've seen lay Mis in London, I've done a lot of like things. What people say, you have to see this show. I love concerts. I go to a lot of concerts. By far, the greatest thing I've ever seen. Immersed in the experience I don't think I've had, and we were sitting was perfect, but I don't even remember looking at Kenny Chesney or the stage. Like it's the only concert I've ever been to where I never looked

You feel it.

I mean, it hits your heart, your soul. It's unbelievable. I mean, I've never been and Heather and I love Vegas, so it's great, but this fear is unbelievable. And Kenny put on such a live show.

What an entertainer, all right there he is Coach Flake, good to see a coach.

Big fan of you, Bobby, Thank you very much for having us on the show.

Thanks coach. See later, let's change the sport for the final interview of this episode and our talk with Tennessee head basketball coach Rick Barnes. Coach Barnes spent a decade at Tennessee turned them into a consistent contender in college basketball. He built his name up with the Longhorns, where he coached Kevin Durant. We talk about that he just signed a lifetime contract with Tennessee. Here he is coach Rick Barnes, hey coach. I was doing a little little intel onya.

Well, I appreciate it. Good to be with you.

I was living in Austin almost the whole time that you were there and then moved to Tennessee. Basically, when you moved to Tennessee, some would say you chase me that's fine. That's fine, coach, you can chase me if you want. That's it's all good. But what's the real ut?

Well, you know what, when I first got here, I don't think I bet you for two or three years, when I would go out and meet and speak, everybody says, welcome to the real ut. And obviously their line was, hey, you know what the line was or would not be at Texas if it wasn't for Tennessee. And uh so they I got to go with the University of Tennessee.

Whenever you leave a school that's color because you're in two distinct you went from one very distinct. I mean, even if it clems in distinct colors of the version of the color. Do you all your burn orange stuff? Does it go away like it's there's that fire cell and then it's all now that the Tennessee orange.

Oh yeah, yeah once I you know, the colors changed. People that you know that are there, that you were close to you, I've always said, hey, come get what you want.

It's all here. Getting ready to get a new wardrobe.

Well ties and everything. Yeah, you gotta think it's not even just like the stuff with the logos on it like ties, hats, everything you have, like all things must go. So you guys at Tennessee have been it's an awesome experience, Like you guys have a great game day atmosphere. Now I've been there and I've lost. I'm an Arkansas guy and you guys pounded us. That's terrible. It's miserable experience. But I respected how passionate and how loud those fans were.

You know, I will say this on that every People tell me all the time just how hard it was to play in Stokely Athletic Center back when before they moved into the Foods which is now the food Citing Center. They our fan base here is incredible. I mean you think about it. We're the only programs in the country that sell out, you know, women's softball, baseball, football, and basketball. And I can.

Tell you this.

We've had people tell us that they think this is as hard a place play as there anywhere in the country. I could say the same thing about what you're talking about. You're an Arkansas fan. Uh, that's that Walton Arena is a tough place.

To play when that thing's cooking.

Now it is that ceilings blow that that uh that is we sit around a lot and we talk about Justin Ganey and I and people have asked me the question all the time in my lifetime of the hardest arenas,

Employ.

Yeah, Tennessee sucks to play because you guys are so loud. I'm biased Arkansas Auburn. It's small, but that's it to Auburn gets loud and because it's so small and right on top of you. So there's a dynamic there towards the whole, like nine thousand people but doesn't allow freaking nine thousand people.

Right, yeah, it is. I mean you know that, does you know?

I think about you know, Old miss can get going, you know, I think now you know, obviously a lot of people have cut their arenas down. You know, you go out in Texas, now think about it. Baylor wins the National Championship, goes from a ten thousand seed arena to like of what the seven thousand and eight thousand seed arena. Texas goes from a seventeen thousand seed arena

You fill it up.

But there's a lot of them that can be loud in some ways, obviously, but they all have their own really unique personalities.

What about stand in that box. I don't feel like they give you enough room, and you know, you come out of the box and give a little warning. You feel like that box should be extended a little better way.

Well, what I think they ought to do, they ought to move the officials where I have the worst seat in the house, where I sit on the bench the officials but is right in my face the entire game. His job is just staying at the foul line, and my seat lines up with the foul line, and so that makes me have to get up and move. But sometimes I will literally he said, I'll push them to the side a little bit.

But that's where they're supposed to be.

But uh, you know, back in the day, you know, you know, you could walk down as far as I remember when you could walk to half court. But uh, you know, again, it just goes back to where they want to try to feel like they got control of the game and trying to keep people under control.

When did they hit you though with the tech? Because I'm assuming they'll say, coach, do they give you like a quiet warning? First? Allowed warning? Second? Like, at what level do they go that's too much? We've told you twice three times already.

Pends on each guy, you know, back earlier. I'll never forget one night when I was coaching the province in the Big East, and you know, coaches and referees, you know, we all I thought we had pretty good relationships. We

He teed me up. I looked around.

I said what and he looked down and I promise you my foot was a half an inch out of the box. He looked at me, he looked down and said, you're out of the box. And then he turned back and I said, are you kidding me? He said, Coach, I had a bad day today. I don't want to hear it, you know, And.

That you know thing. But you know, I go back.

I think there's guys that referee the game, and there's guys that managed the game too. And if you asked me what I'd rather have a guy that manages a game or referee is a game, I'd probably I just want referees to call the rules of the game, but they need to mana is it too And I think older guys probably are a little bit better at that. Uh, as it gets experienced.

Do you have a person on your staff that whenever you have been triggered so much, they go, all right, coach stop that you actually will listen.

To not really uh, you know, not really.

I mean if when I get if, if I do get going, I I.

Want to get going. You know, this is really funny.

I think I don't remember the last time I had tactical I think I think it was here when John was at Kentucky and he got a technical foul and I looked at him and I was laughing because he didn't I didn't think he had done anything. And he turned around teed me up because because I didn't think, I'm like, what did he do? And they teat us both up, And that may be that's one of the last ones I think I remember.

That I got.

But uh, you know, officials, you know, I think there's been a lot that has gone into helping the officials to learn how to communicate. That's the key between games with coaches and referees and the communication level. And obviously some coaches are going to get along better with others and vice versa.

But it's a communication factor.

That has been You know Mike Keys, who is our supervisor of official, he has done just an incredible job. Incredible and I will tell you this, I really do respect those officials. I was on the rules committee for five years and knowing and learning how hard they work at it, have to work at it, and it's a really difficult game to officiate. Uh, that gave me a whole different perspective. But it also helped me because I can I know where they're supposed to be.

They're not there.

I can kind of get at it a little bit. But they work at it and they want to get it right. That's all I'm going to tell you. They do want to get it right.

It's important to them.

And back in the day, everybody used to feel like there's a part time job for those guys.

It really isn't.

Those guys you know that money if they might have another job, and it feels important to them to help take care of their families. And I think you got to respect him because really it's a tough game to officiate.

Beaddi, Hey, Coach.

My first job out of college, I was a news

Hey, if you want me to get up, I'll walk in my locker and I'll get that machine.

You remember that, Coach.

Oh yeah, I'm sure I've done worse than that, but you know, sometimes you just want to have fun doing what you're doing. And I'm not sure who it was, but I'm sure it was good reason why we put it underneath their chair.

That's funny. Okay, final two questions. I'll talk about Kevin Durant for a second. How cold was he as just a freshman at Texas?

Man?

Oh man, I could tell you, I could tell you stories all day about him. I remember, you know, I tell everyone, when you coach a guy like Kevin Durant, he's the hardest workers. He's as harder worker, maybe the hardest worker.

That we've ever coached.

He's just an incredible teammate, very unselfish. All he cared about was winning. But you know, he just loves being in the gym.

And he still does even today.

I mean, I mean he works as hard as now or harder. I mean, he just loves the game of basketball. And so when you coach a guy.

Like Kevin, and you know, he came in and.

We had lost three guys early to the NBA Draft and Daniel Gibson, PJ. Tucker and LaMarcus Aldridge, and we were down to three players in our program, and we signed best recruiting class in the country. We had, you know, Kevin and DJ Augustine, Damien James, and we signed seven freshmen and four I'm started, but Franfretchell had called me in September. He was doing getting ready for the season.

Rolling and playing at just an incredible level.

And Texas Tech comes back and right before the game, you know, five minutes before the game, you know you're supposed to put your starting line up in and we had prepared for Texas Tech to come in, and next thing I know, they come in. It's a tax changer line up. They're starting to walk on and I'm like, what in the world I'm looking there, and I started thinking,

I want to be out of here.

And that game was that half was over in thirty minutes, but Kevin put on and then I can just remember some of the things he did. One of my favorite stories is we go to Kansas and place as you know is gone and we start that game and Kevin Durant, I'm telling you it's one of the greatest twenty minutes in entire college basketball history. And Danny Manning told me later he was on the bench with Bill and I mean,

Put it's up to kd Just to pick it apart.

And every gallon court had scored a point because he neither made the pass or did something. And Danny, they couldn't stop him. I mean, he was unstoppable. And Danny told me that Bill looked at him and said, what do you think? And Danny said, I looked at Bill and said, Bill, that's a bad mother. But he gave it to him any and every way you could.

Everybody I know that knows you loves you, and so it's really nice to talk to you. Thank you all right, Coch, Thank you, coach. Thanks for listening to this episode and some of our favorite interviews from twenty twenty five at twenty five whistle Sports. If you want to follow us and leave a comment. If you're on Spotify, leave a comment. It helps us, helps the algorithm. Tell your friends. Appreciate

You can follow the show on Instagram at Bobby Bones Sports. Thanks our crew co host at producer Eddie, Segment producer at Kickoff Kevin, and executive producer at Mike Gestrove.

But most importantly, thank you for listening. Bobby Bones.

We'll talk to you next time here on twenty five Whistles