Well, let's some marvel. The snad for a mun dance with the star up above and your eyes a brand tab a snack to make romance need the cover of October's skies. You know, the leaves on the trees are bowing to the sound of the breeze of that blood. You know.
I'm trying to so as you are, as you get a little older, how old are you?
Order? How old are you?
Again? I always forget you're like twenty eight? The no, you're no, you turn thirty this year. You're so, you're barely thirty years old. As you age like I have, and continue to rapidly, you get very excited about dumb, mundane things. Stop by seven today on the way in they were selling peanut Eminem's for one dollar. That's huge, It's gigantic. So I've got a nice little you can hear it in the mic. Gotten my nice little pack of peanut Eminem's favorite and ms. Your preferred style of Eminem's,
what is it? I might have to go with the og just the plane Eminem plane Eminems, but those are those are good. The peanut minems might be a close second. Peanut butter M and M's also solid. I'll go Reese's pieces over those. But yeah, concur but the peanut m and m's were a buck I got. I got five of these today. You can't beat that. No, I'm pumped. I'm pumped. Sean Mooney is old like I am, best type of eminem Sean, what is it?
Oh peanut eminem's for sure. You knew that about me, though, Spence, because I am a nut. I'm crazy. I love them.
Look at you, Look at you and Sean. I've got to say, I don't know if it's age, but I walk into Sev and I see dollar peanut eminem's. I'm grabbing five of those bad boys.
Oh. And if they had the nachos, I would put every chip in vertically so I could get as many chips as possible and get all the cheese in the jalopenas I could.
We are the same age, because you're talking my language, man, I mean two am young Spence, checkets University of Utah student. I'm walking to Sev. I'm smashing nachos. I'm with you.
Yes, yes, man. We for Scrip and Ogden and so it was on thirty six and Washington, so we'd be dragging and then we would get that and I would drag for another couple. And when I say drag, I mean like drive a car. Sure, sure Washington Boulevard. Did you brother?
Did you? Did you ever? Did you ever drag State Street back in the day when it was legal.
I mean we like they didn't really let Ogden kids into Salt Lake City, you know they were they were a little nervous about us, so every once in a while we would. But I think they I don't know if it was legal when how when did they stop it from being legal?
I don't know. I don't know. It felt like because it was legal throughout my time in college. I think early two thousands they may have put a stop to it because the problem was way too many, like dumb dudes would see girls in a car and then they would get all their attention and then they would like run into the car in front of them. So I understand why they stopped it, But no, we did. We
did not want your kind down here. You know, if there's a scrap dude, you know, want to mess without town, I know what time it is shot.
It's so true. Hey, I heard your interview with Chris Hill, and I got to just dig in you just a little bit. You were guarding Andre Miller. Were you trying out for the team?
Tell me about that? Yeah.
No.
So I went to Rix camp growing up, and you know Rick, I got letters from Rick and he was kind of interested in and look, I just I transfer out to Bountiful. We had a good team, and you know, Rick offered me the opportunity to come just play with some of the walk ons and some of the scholarship guys and see if it was like a fit. And it lasted like a month because Andre was and you know, there were a lot of those walk on guys there. A Cody Huger who was an assistant for BYU, was
kind of in some of those runs. And within a few weeks, it's just like you know, and I went in and I talked to Rick, and he was very honest. He said, look like Andre is the guy, and you know, if you want to stick around, you can walk on the team and maybe earn some playing time as a junior. But I was eighteen years old and thought I was better than I was, and I just walked out. I probably should have transferred, but I joke all the time that Andre Miller made me realize what it's like to
play like that. And I was not near on his level.
I mean, here's the deal. You got unlucky because I know who you played against in high school. Sham God? Is that right?
Yeah?
Sam, Yeah, Sham and then Andre Miller. Come on, that's ridiculous.
No, it's ridiculous. But it also puts it into proper perspective. You know, Sham God. Wells was the first and God, Sham God. Now he's in his Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Providence PC Friar's kid. He was the first pro I played against that I was sixteen. It was at five star basketball camp and the drill was simple, you just had to It was a half court drill and it was two guards. One was guarding the ball and then the ball handler had to beat the guard to get
past half court to break a press. And he picked my pocket three straight times, and it was so embarrassing, like and it just it made me realize at that age that there are clear levels, no matter how good you think you are, they're always Let me ask you who was the first? Because you were a good player, who's the first dude you played against? Where you're like, nope, I'm not like that.
Yeah, Kurt Miller for sure. Okay, So Kurt Miller played at Ben Loman, which is our crossdown rival, and he was younger than I was, and I got to play as a youngster kind of right away at Ogdenheight because I was tall and dumb and set good screens. And Mark Heslip was on my team who played at b YU, who could really shoot it right, And Kurt Miller, man, I mean, I've never seen anything like it. I think,
like I get a catch inside, post him up. Think I got a nice little shake and shimmy and shot and that shot gets rejected like it breaks the you know the wall that he I mean crazy. He was just so much more athletic and so much faster and everything else is crazy.
Yeah. My claim to fame is I threw an alley up to Tim Thomas at five star.
Oh my gosh.
You know, you know it's wild Sean like back then, you know, the the dudes that everybody looked at as like the next Jordan or what it was, Tim Tom I miss and lamar Odom where I grew up, it was those two, and so just being on the same court with some of those guys. Was a great honor, but it just made me realize exactly where I was in the ecosystem. I was a fine high school player. We should never really talk about my basketball career on the show.
I'm so sorry. I can't help it. I heard it not that. Your interview with Chris was really good. For all those listeners out there, go back and listen to it. You did it good. You do a great job, Spence.
No, that's nice of you. All I could do was shoot it. And if you're a five to eleven white kid, you better be able to shoot it because there's nothing else on the table. I'm not talking you.
Say you were good. You can't get that invite and play at that level unless you were good. I wish you would have. You know, who cares you are where you're supposed to.
Be right for sure? For sure? And you know I loved playing. I wish I could have played throughout college and then beyond, but it just wasn't in the card. So I had to find something else to do, and I landed on this, which I enjoy very much. Sean, But how are you man? Everything good with you?
I'm good? Yeah, No, really good? Thanks for asking It's been a good week. I'm so glad it's Friday right now. And I mean, like, I can't believe smith would just happen in the last twenty four hours. I know we may talk about a bunch of things today, but West Virginia, Derez goes to Indiana, And how about Utah State. My dad played at Utah State as a football player, So I'm an Aggie at heart. I was born in Logan.
Every time they get a coach, and they get a coach that does great, next thing you know, they're gone. He's at West Virginia's crazy.
Wait is that official?
I don't know if that's official. I may be in trouble on your shot right now. That's what I was listening to. And if I get in trouble, please forgive me.
No, no, no, it's all good. It's all good. Because I saw the rumors. I just didn't know anything. I had gone down Sean because Utah State got on dress last night.
Yeah, Andre, I mean listen that the tournament's so hard. You know this. I mean, you get to that first round and you've really done something special. But the reality is they're really good coaches at that level and you know, the talents at a high level, and a lot of those teams, especially from the Power four conferences, they have two or three players. You guys were talking about this me play at the next level and or go play in Europe.
Yeah, yeah, now for sure. And the tournament is tough. And that was a tough draw because McK cronin's a good coach and UCLA is big and physical and you know, just not a lot of space and so unfortunately Utah State goes home. But since we're kind of in the space and I didn't know this about you as an aggie, how do you articulate sean that culture up there where? And look, I don't want to diminish any of the coaches Danny, you know, of course, Craig or now Jared Calhoun.
I'm not saying anybody can go up there and win. But dating back to Stu going through this, you know, day and age, somehow, some way in Logan Utah, Utah State has this like under the radar, incredibly successful basketball culture. Why do you think that is? How have they done that?
Yeah? A couple of things. Number one, I want to give a shout out to Jerry Bobe because and I know he won't be instrumental in this next high but I think he's been instrumental. And then I won't name names, but I I've had the pleasure of meeting some of their donors. A good friend of mine is Doug Boxleen. He's kind of we call him the Aggie Mafia. And so I've been introduced to some of their high level donors and they know basketball. I would say there are
two things. One, Smith Spectrum is special. That place is special. They're going to be students. They're going to come out to those games every single time. It's loud. It's crazy, you know that. Back in the day it was eul Levie coming in and Greg Grant was putting up thirty and the game was great. Josh's older brother. But I think Smith Spectrum and then they know basketball. Man, what a hiring strength. I mean, it's crazy how well they've done.
For sure, it is. For sure it is. So let's move over now to the news of the week, as Alex Jensen was officially introduced as the seventeenth head coach in Utah men's basketball history on Monday, and we'll get to the higher he made that became official today and We've talked about this throughout the course of the past month or so, Sean, so we knew it was coming.
We heard the announcement, But now that it is official, what's your reaction and what's been the reaction of people kind of in your ecosystem?
So, I mean in terms of Alex or in terms of chilliest chach chow.
We'll get to the hire in a second. Let's hone in on Alex first.
So I mean, like, the reaction is great. Obviously I was there with you. I wasn't I wasn't down on the media seating. I mean, you know, they don't let the they don't let the color guy go down to the media seating. So Christine and I had to sit up in the in the chief seats, but we got to hear it. I don't think Alex is gonna win any like Dynamic Speaker awards. But the two things that I heard, and you may you may back me up on this is I'm going to be genuine and I'm diligent,
and I love those two qualities. I don't think we need someone to come in here and be coach Majaris or be someone that is big and bold and you were right in your conversation with Chris Hill. His wife is the opposite of him. My goodness, she's outgoing and warm. And that's not necessarily Alex, and I don't think we need that, but I love that we have genuine and diligent coming to touch University of Utah.
Yeah, for sure. And you know, I have wondered whether or not Alex's introverted nature, and everybody that knows them talks about how funny he is and kind of a dry sense of humor. A lot of the jazz guys have been asked about Alex over the past couple of weeks since the announcement became official, and when the jazz We're in Minnesota, one of the beat writers asked Gobert about aj as well, and they all kind of said
the same thing. Just what a good, solid, genuine person he is and the quiet nature doesn't mean anything other than he's introspective and he actually does have a very dry, funny sense of humor. Is he gonna have to come out of the shell a little bit in order to, you know, recruit at a lot because this is his first I mean, he was a G League head coach,
but he's now the face of Utah basketball. Is there gonna be some sort of adjustment that he's gonna have to make in order to be more of a front facing head coach in college basketball.
Yeah, that's a really good question. No, I don't think so. I think that the fans will embrace him for who he is, and I think where his strength is going to lie. Now again, I'm just based on what I'm learning. As you learn too. I know Alex a little bit. I think he even knew who I am. Of course we shook hands and talked to a Scotch when we were on the road trip to the Big Tell Tournament.
But I think his personality is the kind that you get him in a room with a lot of people and he's not going to be that dynamic everyone cheering. But if you get him in a room with less people, he's going to be very powerful because he's going to give you face to face contact. He's going to be intent when he's talking to you. This is my impression, and I think those types of interactions can be more powerful because they do seem genuine because they really are.
And I think that's going to be his strength, not only with his athletes, but with fans and people that are going to appreciate that his words are you, but what you see on the court is true. I think that's going to be obvious once he starts coaching.
So now let's get over So Coach Chill, I like it. Is that the nickname for Raphael Chilius.
So I heard a little bit about this hire and his his ex handle, his Twitter handle is coach Chill and uh man, he's I think he's a great hire. You probably know a little bit. I think he was ended up being the associate head coach at University of Washington under Romar, so you know, PAC twelve level, and he's been all over the place, I think most recently obviously he's in Memphis, but before that, he took a
high school and really changed their fate. And he's worked with obviously lots of athletes in particular some that have gone to the next level. Just what I've just a little bit of digging in that I did. H Yeah, coach chill is. I mean, I love that name, and I love that he's got connections across the board from high school really recently to the pros to major college basketball.
So it's interesting, Sean, because a lot of the conversation I've had a lot of guests on this show too, about Alex's staff and how this is going to look when he fills it out, has been like, yeah, you should just get former utes, and that's just kind of the deal. And look, I think the former ute nostalgia thing is something that will work in Alex's favor. You know, the students there weren't even born when Alex was playing.
I mean, you know, so I don't even know how much they really understand what he means to the basketball ecosystem on our state as a Utah mister Basketball at Beaumont and then a whack Player of the Year and then obviously seems like the one player that Rick was nice to according to all the guys that played with Alex and played for Rick. So this hire indicates and
I've been talking about this quite a bit. I mean, Alex, of course spent nine years with the Jazz, so it's not like he's been out of the market for twenty years. But he hasn't been around Utah basketball since he graduated. And I'm sure he's maintained great relationships with former teammates and such and I'll continue to say, if Andre Miller wants to show up and coach for the Utes, you
make that higher. But this indicates that Alex certainly has relationship that he's built and cultivated outside of the Utah basketball stratosphere. What do you anticipate moving forward as we hear some more of these announcements.
Obviously, if Andre it fits, I mean, he's an obvious one to add. But I love the fact that he's bringing in different thought patterns and different ideas and people of different backgrounds and different cultures, and this is only going to be helpful for him. And I really love what he said in his presser he took. I think he he said he really thinks about something when he's doing it, and what he doesn't want to do and what he's not doing is rushing into it. I love that.
I mean, basically, he's putting his own team together around him, and I believe this is true. Spence. This is why you have Porter. You know, he gives something, He brings something to the table that you can't. I think Alex is going to do that. And now we know Porter's bringing a thirty thirty year old to the table. We don't have that, so you got that with what he also brings. But Alex is going to do the same thing.
I think he's going to bring people to the table that aren't just yes people, Yes, Coach Jensen, this is what we want to do. But they're going to challenge him. They're going to challenge the idea of what they create together. And I love that he's taking his time. I know that seems scary, you know, because you want to try and get into the transferport and you want to be ready to go. But I love that he's taking this time, and I think he's going to put the perfect team
around him if they can do it right. It's hard to come from the NBA to the collegiate level. Often there's a discrepancy in pay, but you don't have a discrepancy of on the road all the time. That's the one beautiful thing, right When you go from the NBA, where you're on the road. It's a ridiculous league in terms of how much time you're away from home. You can be at home more when you're in college, which may be quality of life for some of these people if they're coming from the NBA.
Yes, to be clear, did you just compare porter to Andre Miller. Did you just say Porters de Andre Miller of the show.
Did not compare you to Andre Miller. I'm so sorry, That's not what I meant. Sorry, we can we can reach.
I just you know, I've got to keep him humble, because you know, our guy behind the glass at times needs a little bit of Docer humility. He's still young, he's in shape, he can dunk, and he thinks that's impressive. Nobody thinks young people doing athletic stuff is impressive. You're young, you should be able to do that. So I just have to make sure he has his Docer humility. Hey tell me this. So it's just an interesting time where coach Eiler is still preparing for games. Right, so we
hear today laws and lovering in the transfer portal. Officially, he'll have one year of eligibility as a grad transfer as well Hunter Hunter Erickson and then Jake Waaleen as a soft is also of the transfer portal. Any insight as to when the college basketball Crown takes place in a few weeks, who we are going to see on this team?
Yeah, I don't, I mean, but I do know that they committed like the word on the street is that now only the team committed to the Crown Tournament, but the coaches committed to the Crown Tournament, and you know, and the coaches really giving them a lot of honor. They've done a hell of a job. I mean, this is not an easy situation, and by any stretch of the imagination, I mean, as they sat there in the interview or the propressor for Alex, you know, there's just
so many emotions going through my head. But I think that you've got a team that is going to stick together. They're committed to that, and you're going to see that, and they're going to show up in this tournament and play hard all.
Right before it set you loose. You know, we have we have talked about this, but let's revisit it because the transfer portal officially Sean opens on Monday. And it's interesting. So I've got a brother and sister in law who live in Carmel, Indiana, and they went to the MAVs Pacers game the other night where Alex was with the MAVs as an assistant. And my sister in law knows Natalie well from their days in New York. So they talked to aj and Alex is finishing the season with Dallas.
He is in the middle of hiring his assistant coaches and now starting on Monday, he has to hit the ground running to make sure that he has talent at his disposal in order to be as competitive as possibly year one. So before I set you lose, I've not asked you this. I've asked most of our guests, including Doctor Hilloes in studio. Expectations, Sean are the cause of misery in sports and in life. Okay, so let's set realistic expectations year one. Alex Jensen, head coach Utah Basketball Big twelve.
I mean, my expectation is that we finish in a position where we're going to go to the NCAA tournament. That's maybe not realistic, but I believe it is. I believe that's who the Utah just hired. I do think that the realistic expectation based on where we are, like Chris scill said in September, is going to be easier to talk about. But right now, based on what I know about Alex and what I know because I played for Rick majeris there's like you know, he said that
we got ruined by Rick. It's true. Well, you're going to see that as fans again on the Huntsman Center floor, and it's going to flourish. We are going to defend at a high level, and you can win when you defend at a high level, in particular on the road, which we're going to do in the Big twelve tournament next year. So I think we're top eight next year and we have a real crack at the NCAA tournament. I don't even know who's going to be on our team.
Love it, Sean, love the optimism. I mean, look, it is wild that next year we will celebrate celebrates the wrong word, but we will be Let's see what's the right word next. I'll just lay it out there. Next year will be ten years since the last time we had a tournament team. Right, that's not a celebration. But for guys our age, a decade of Utah basketball with no tournament expirit, no tournament appearances, Sean, is just flat wild.
It's crazy. We would have never guessed it. We would have never thought we would go that far away from the thing that define U time men's basketball.
All right, my friend, Well, I appreciate the time Dancing of the weekend. Buddy, have a good.
One, Okay, I will have a good weekend.
Thanks all right. Sean Mody calls games with our guy Ryles for Utah men's basketball played for the U onner Rick Majeris. I always appreciate Shawn's time. Brought to you today by our friends at IFA Country Stores. Any drive to the basket begins with the first step on the court. That's the ultimate power move. IFA's step one crabgrass Preventer and lawn Food is the first choice to give your yard the healthy green look you admire. The neighbors will
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