All right, let's get it drives high Thursday afternoon, seven.
Minutes past the hour, two o'clock. How do you like? Seventy seven degrees and mostly sunny.
The clouds have settled in a little bit this afternoon, But man, did we have a beautiful, beautiful morning on this beautiful Thursday afternoon, this March Thursday afternoon. As we are getting ready to turn our calendars to April coming up next week, and as it is every single day.
It's gonna have you along for the ride.
Spend seconds beyond the mic, Porter Larsen behind the glass today producing the program. Got some really good guests, some good guests to talk uts, some good guests to talk NBA, some good guests to talk men's college basketball. The madness of March gets back underway tonight. You know, it's this it's interesting thing with this tournament. It's so much fun right out of the gates, and you're inundated with basketball for like four days.
Then you got to take a bit of a break.
But it's back tonight, starting with the BYU Coubers taking on the Alabama Crimson Tie at the Crudential Center, Newark, New Jersey for five h nine tip time, so we'll be on air as they get going. Then following Byubama, it is Maryland, Florida.
Maryland's head coach is.
Taking another job, but he's still coaching the game tonight Arizona Duke seven thirty nine CBS Cooper Flag in Action. For all you Jazz fans wondering why the Jazz are doing what they're doing, you should watch this game tonight and see what Cooper Flagg has to offer. And then the late game is going to be Arkansas, Texas Tech Chase Center, San Francisco, California. So excuse me. The madness of March continues tonight. The Utah Jazz are at action
tonight as well. They welcome in the Houston Rockets to the Delta Center for a seven o'clock tip time. Jazz doing the best they can to make sure that their odds of grabbing the number one pick is intact. Houston's an interesting case study. We've talked throughout the show this season about teams in the NBA that were where the Jazz were at not too long ago and how they've made their way back to relevance. Houston's an interesting team to talk about because and we'll get into this a
little bit on the show today. We'll do some NBA. We've got a good NBA guest later on. There are certain case studies like Detroit or Orlando, just to name a few, But where it falls short to try to draw parallel with our local basketball team is Orlando has Polo van Carrol and quite frankly, Franz Vadner might be better Larry marketing as well. You know, you might be rolling your eyes, go look at his numbers. And then Detroit has Kate Cunningham. But Houston doesn't really have a
franchise type guy. They've got some really good players, some really good young players, They've got a really good coach. They're the number two seed in the West RDE now they're one point five point game. They're one point five games ahead of Denver and then two point five ahead
of the Lakers and the Grizzlies. Lakers got to win last night, but if you've been following the news cycle, you wouldn't even know the Lakers played, because apparently ESPN is now WWE where basketball players go on dopey shows to talk smoke about other media members. And then that's what we're supposed to talk about. I guess kind of a weird news cycle for the Worldwide Leader. We're there, affiliate in the markets all be nice, but it's just it's lame.
What they've become, is how I'll put that.
So Jazz basketball, college basketball Opening day in Major League Baseball, and it's baseball weather outside. Even though it's a little windy, a little cloudy right now, it's still really warm. Yankees and the Brewers going on right now. The Yankees have a two to one lead middle to fourth. Utah hockey clubs in action tonight as well. It's a busy, busy night in local sports. It's also an early tip or an early drop of the puck, is what I should say. Basketball.
In the mind, Utah is taking on Tampa Bay. Tampa Bay's a really good team hockey club clinging to the potential of qualifying for the wild wild Card. I've been talking about it now for a few weeks. Not sure that it is going to be a reality this year, but nonetheless, it has been a lot of fun to have hockey in our market, so a lot to do on the program. Ralph Salt Lake takes their act on the Road to Ali ouncefield in Minnesota see if they can get a.
Result on the road.
We're still awaiting word as to whether or not reinforcements on the way, namely a number nine.
They need help up top badly.
Pablo Pablo mas Johnnie on the show yesterday and we talked about that dynamic. Pablo dropped the timeline of like four to five days before we can hear some news about the hockey club potentially. Excuse me about this. I've got the hockey club, I score in front of me, about the soccer club, about RSL adding some reinforcements. So if anything comes down, of course while we're on air, we will bring it to you. On this busy Thursday afternoon,
good guest list, Ute fans. Right out of the gates, the athletic director for the University of Utah makes his triumpher return to the program. His name is Mark Harlan. He'll be our first guest today on this Thursday afternoon. We go from the ad to the voice, the Voice of the Utes, Bill Riley.
He stops by.
We'll do some spring football with Ryle's. We'll do some big twelve pro day as we are less than one month away from the NFL Draft. Latest on the NFL draft rumors with some signings that could throw a little bit of a monkey wrench in things, namely Russell Wilson.
To New York. But we'll bring Bill in today to do a little football.
In some basketball in an hour long conversation with Richard Smitty Smith forty years with the.
Jazz front office.
We'll do some college basketball, we'll do some draft, we'll do some jazz. We'll do some NBA with Smitty on the program today, as we are often wont to do on a Thursday afternoon. We'll bring in our friends Garrett and Preston Handy from the law firm of Handy and Handy for the latest in the legal side of things in the world of sports. So that's what we do pretty much every Thursday. So busy, busy show. Good to
have you guys with us. We'll go Mark carl and Bill Riley, Richards Smith, Sports court, Mee Spence, Jeckets, all of you, the great listeners, and Porter Larson producing the program on a Thursday afternoon.
It's always weird, you know.
The Thursday and Friday of the NC DOUBLEA Tournament are insanely entertaining it's jam packed Waaldwall hoops morning tonight. Then you get you know, games over the weekend. Then there's this like four five day break. But the madness begins again tonight. Are you ready for it? I think tonight it's gonna be I think we have four really good college basketball games ton.
I know this is a me problem, and I say it when we talk about like hockey intermissions. I say it when we talk about the the kind of weird four days between the nc Double a college football playoff that they made. But I'll say it again here. The time off really hurts me as a sports fan. I think that they could bring it together just a little bit. I know it's a lot of basketball. I know it's a it's a lot of hoops. But yeah, I'm more
than ready for the Sweet sixteen. It feels like we've been waiting like a year for it.
Yeah, it'll be fun tonight and we'll see if by you can get it done. They're gonna be the first game right out of the gates, so by U Bama tonight. But like I said, I think we have four really good college basketball game tonight.
So let's get into it.
Mark Harlan Will be our first guest on this Thursday afternoon before we catch up with the ad himself. Courtesy of our good friends at Prize Picks.
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first five dollars lineup. So download that Prize Picks app today. Use the promo code ESPN seven hundred. You get fifty dollars instantly after you play your first five dollars line up. Prize Picks run your game all season long. The madness of March returns tonight. It is time for the Sweet Sixteen. BYU has the record as far as college basketball history with thirty two NCAA tournament appearances without making a final four. Now, is this the year where they can break that? Honestly, No,
And it's not about tonight. It's more about what they would face should they win tonight. If BYU is able to get by Alabama, then most likely they are going to face Duke in the next round. So I'm not knocking on BYU as far as you know my belief as to whether or not they can win the game tonight. I actually think they can win the game tonight. We'll give you picks before we sat off air. I'm not saying they're going to win the game tonight. I'm saying
I think that they can based off of recent form. Now, Alabama the Crimson tither a five point five point favor tonight, and the line's been a little bit interesting to follow because it opened up at five point five and it moved on two separate occasions towards BYU, and for about twenty four hours or so, it was Alabama minus four point five, and then it's shot back up, which is interesting to consider. So it has settled as of now at five and a half. We'll see if it moves
prior to the start of the game tonight. The over under is one hundred and seventy six point five, which is a massive number for a college basketball game. So Alabama number seventeen in a country, BYU number seventeen in a country, Sweet sixteen tonight. So as far as the way these two teams match up, it's kind of interesting because they're very similar, and Alabama is also very similar to Wisconsin. Okay, so if you're a BYU fan, that should give you some hope. It should give you some faith.
This is not a Houston Cougar. Physical We're gonna beat you up and we're gonna guard you ninety four feet. We're gonna bring pressure and we're gonna make your guards, you know, break pressure and.
Dare them not to turn the ball over.
Alabama wants to get up and down the floor on offense. They're the number one team in the country as far as pace goes. Natos is a really good coach. He's been in the college game for a long long time. And Alabama was in the Final Four a year ago and return a grip of players that were on that team, namely theyir two headed monster that you need to get to know.
If you're a BYU fan Mark Sears.
The easy comparison for Mark Sears is Jalen Brunson because Mark Sears is a left handed point guard that's very ball dominant, and Alabama runs basically I was looking at this this morning. Basically all of their half court sets is with Mark Sears having the ball in his hand as the primary initiator and decision maker. And he's a really good ball handler. He's an excellent passer. He's first team All American. He will be the best player on
the floor tonight, including anyone Brigham Young has. Okay, So Alabama's offense starts and ends with Mark Sears as the primary initiator. But they also have a player named Grant Nelson who had some injury issues year ago. He's been healthy this year and he's a tremendously skilled big that can step out and shoot it from three, and he
can also handle it on the wing. Okay, So Mark Sears the year we're talking about nearly nineteen points, five assists, three boards, shoots forty percent from the floor, eighty five percent from the line.
He's just an okay three point shooter.
He shoots thirty three percent from three grat Nelson on the other hand, twelve points, eight boards, a couple of assists, forty ft CE, fifty three percent from the floor, sixty seven from the line, twenty seven percent from three, and then they've got four shot makers from the outside. They're like BYU this way, they want to shoot the three.
Now.
One of the dynamics of this game that's going to be interesting is the defensive metrics will ultimately favor Alabama overall, but not by much. And if you kind of sort the metrics on Basketball reference dot Com to favor BYU over the past twelve games when they're eleven to one, BYU's defensive metrics lately are actually superior Alabama in one category, which is the outlier here that could be interesting. So outside of Sears and Nelson, Aiden Holloway is a knockdown
Cheery shoots forty two percent from three. They bring the Cris young Blood kit on and off the bench. He shoots forty percent from three. They want to spread the floor with Mark Sears. They do a lot of one four flat and a lot of pick and roll, a lot of isolation and let Mark Siars and Grant Nelson create and then they've got a bunch of shooters that they can kick out to and guard the three. Alabama
here's your outlier on defense, though, which is interesting. Alabama is the twenty eighth best defensive team guarding the three in America BYU last check, two hundred and twenty eighth in the country. BYU does not guard the three that well. Okay, so when you look at Mark Siars and Grant Nelson, it's gonna be interesting to see what Kevin Young decides
to do with those matchups. My guess is moet mag will get the assignment right out of the gates to guard Grant Nelson, and then I think they'll probably utilize Trey Stewart, a player that Kevin Young has relied upon during the final portion of the season in the way that he didn't prior to So Jegor Demon, who's got great length and is a really intriguing pro prospect. He does not have the lateral quickness to keep up with Mark Spears. I would Mary, you know, Mark Mark Spears
is an NBA rid. I would be surprised if Mark Sears sees jeg Or Demon outside of switches, of course, and BYU likes to switch sometimes they switch one through five. But BYU is gonna have to guard the three in a way that this season they have not been able to do.
It's not one of their their strengths.
The other thing Alabama does is they crash the offensive glass.
Okay, So I often talk.
About this in the prism of what BYU looks like when they play against elite athletes that have speed in physicality, and that means Caba, Cata and Fos Traiori are going to have to have good games. CABA's they're starting center, of course, former ute who's comes in off the bench. And Fus isn't the athlete the Keba is, but he's a big, you know, big dude with a big bass who can box out and get boards. They're gonna have to protect the glass. They're gonna have to protect the glass.
They're gonna have the defensive rebound.
It.
I wonder if Kevin's gonna send four guys to the glass on both sides of the floor. And therefore you gotta be careful because Alabama will get out in transition if you only you have one player back Alabama if they get a rebound on the defense is end of the floor, and if it's yegor demon back and everyone else crashes the glass because you have to get rebounds.
Alabama will have a lot of sprintouts.
Okay, so the elite athletes that BYU has, they are going to have to step up because Alabama simply has more athletes across the board. So elite athletes on BYU. It's certainly Kavakat, who is one of the most elite athletes in the entire country. Richie Saunders has great athleticism in size. Who's Treori coming in off the bench and mawap mag as the defensive stopper in addition to Trey Stewart. I don't know if this is a Trevan Nell game.
You know, Trevin's such a knockdown shooter, even though he's like two years older than Luka Doncicch. You keep him in the game with the opportunity to knock down shots. But there's nobody on Alabama who you can hide anybody on BYU defensively, so that goes for Trevin.
No.
I wouldn't be surprised if Dawson Baker gets more minutes than Trevin ne Dawson simply a stronger, better athlete than Trevin is okay. If Yegor Demon, who's had a really really good NCAA tournament, starts to show his tendency, which we've seen quite often in the past against Houston and Iowa State. Specifically, if the speed and pressure of Alabama starts to disrupt BYU's attack because Jegor kind of cowers.
Away from it, then this is a down Hall game.
Down Hall A seasoned veteran point guard who has a season.
Of Big twelve basketball under his belt is the answer.
It is the anecdote if a young player and Jegor Demon is not ready to handle the speed and the pressure that Alabama brings them. These are two good coaches that run very similar offensive styles. You know, even though Natoates does not have the NBA background Kevin Young does, he runs a similar style, a similar NBA style that
Kevin does. Both these coaches have been asked about it, and both of them have kind of alluded to the point that it kind of it's kind of like look in the mirror and when you dig in the tape, dig into the tape with both these two teams. If you're a BYU fan, I think the good news is there are a lot of similarities because you're not running into a team like Houston that simply has undressed you
twice in fights that have not been fair. And ultimately, if BYU wants to break this historic streak, if never going to the final four, they're going to have to beat a physical team at some point like Houston. But this is not that team. Alabama doesn't play like that. Alabama plays a lot like Wisconsin. Like I said, there Wisconsin on steroids and they play a lot like BYU. Now, for BYU to beat Wisconsin, they literally had to be
historic with their splits. I mean the splits that we saw BYU put up offensively against Wisconsin were literally historic, literally as far as we've never seen it in the NCAA tournament before. Over forty nine percent from two, over forty six percent from three, over ninety three percent from the line. Putting up ninety or more points with eleven or fewer turnovers and twenty or more assists has never happened.
And you needed every point because you only won by two.
Okay, And let's make no mistake here, Alabama is a better team than Wisconsin.
They have up upper class leadership.
They just made a run to the final four year ago, so BYU had to make history to win by two over Wisconsin. I have a hard time seeing them winning tonight, but it's the NCAA tournament. Players get hot, players spraint ankles, you never know. And if you're BYU, you certainly have enjoyed this run. And we'll see what they're able to do against a really good NATO's coached Alabama Crimson Tide team tonight at five oh nine Mountain Time on CBS. Well, if you listen to the show, you know by now,
once I start a bit, I can't quit it. So we can't quit the bit with Mark Harlan athletic director from the University of you Tom making his triumpher return to the radio program on this beautiful Thursday afternoon.
Mark howerd you, sir, thank you for the time, Spence.
I'm doing great, man, Always good to talk to you and get caught up in all things Utah a plitics. But hope you're doing great.
Yeah, man, all good here, all good here. I know you've been busy, so let's get to it. And it's been a minute since you and I have been able to catch up, so I know it's not day's news.
But we'll start with the process.
It landed you on one of the greats to play at the University of You taught a former mister basketball in the state in high school, and a guy that seems to have been the hire. Seems to have been celebrated by everybody who has reacted to it. No matter what part of the ecosystem you're in, if you run the show like you do, if you played up there like a lot of the former players, if you cover the team like we do, it seems like this has
been a higher that certainly has been celebrated. So tell us about this process, Mark, that you went through after deciding to move on from Craig Smith and landing on Alex Jensen.
Yeah, it was something that kind of has evolved over time. You know, it was getting to know Alex, you know, prior to even the last time we discussed about this possibility. You know, I'd gone to breakfast with him a few times when he was working with the Jazz and just
really enjoyed being around him. In just a great intellectual thinker and just just fun you know, have him walked me through the time that he was here, and so just always kind of remained in that kind of contact with him, and then when I elected to make a change here, obviously it's not hard to figure that he's someone that I, you know, very much wanted to dig in with, and we were able to connect early on in the process, and I could see his excitement for
the opportunity. I walked him through it. You know, you got to catch him up and all the things college athletics that are going on with you know, this transition from the nil to revenue share, walk through what that looked like. Because whenever you talk to someone that's got a great job, right, you just really have to explain, less selling and just explaining, you know, everything that's going on.
And then he went about thinking about the opportunity, and we had some other great folks that we talked to. But eventually, you know, after a lot of conversations with me and certainly the president and trustees at Revolving Process, he elected to go. And it was exciting. I was excited, we all were excited, and you know, you were just alluding to the public being really excited. So it's been
fun to see that. A lot of work going on as he builds his staff at the same time, we have Josh who's just done a remarkable job as interim head coach, getting our team ready to go down to Vegas on Saturday to start that tournament. On Monday, matter of fact, it was just down at basketball practice checking in with everybody. So a lot going on, a lot of work, but a lot of really good work as well.
I want to go back a little bit further, And you know, when it comes to a position like yours, Mark, I'm sure some of the decisions you have to make are difficult, and there's a personal side to all these things. And yes, I know that contracts in college sports include buyouts that allow coaches a bit of a soft landing
while they're figuring out their next move. But you know me, I'm a child of an NBA executive and we moved multiple times throughout the course of my father's career and I had to say goodbye to friends and family and all the things, and Craig had to do that. I wonder if you could illuminate us on some of the dynamics you considered before electing to Landing on moving on from Craig.
Well, I think what I'll say, out of respect for Craig is that he's just a wonderful man. I really enjoyed working with him, joined his family. I thought he got here at a time where, you know, the world was changing, and you know, it's always hard to take a new job coming off COVID, you know everything that he had to manage, you know, I just came to the determination that we needed to go in a different direction.
I've also had some time for for myself to look in the mirror and figure out what we could do better in terms of the administration. I mean, I think you have to when you when you have to make these kind of changes, if you don't look at yourself as a leader, I don't think you're you're serving you know, the institution. Well, so you know, we we have been going through that process. Obviously, we are going to manage basketball differently, and I think he's seen by by one
of Alex's hires. That's a big part of what Alex and I talked about. But as far as Craig goes, you know, I know he'll land on his feet. He's too good of a coach, not too and I wish him truly the very best.
Let me let me follow up with something you just alluded to, Mark because you know, you obviously have had an interesting year with everything that happened after the BYU Utah football game. And I don't want to re litigate things that are months and months and months in the past. But you just alluded to wanting to look in the mirror yourself. And you know, you're a guy that's achieved a lot of success, and you're an athletic director at a major college institution, a P four program, And as you.
Know, you forgot my birthday last week. I forgive you.
But as you age, certainly as I age, I look at certain things that I've done a little bit differently and wish that I maybe have done this or that or what have you.
But you got to move on. You got to learn. What have you learned this year? Personally?
Well, if you're are you specifically talking about the by you're talking about.
Basketball, everything, everything that involves your job.
Everything that involves your job, Mark, We all have to learn and grow and evolve.
Yeah. Sure, you know, I've been an athletic director for now eleven plus years. I've been in the business for there'll be thirty actually coming up, which is probably why I forgot your birthday. You know, I'm starting to get up there. You know, I think you always learn and you try to grow from the good from the bad. I mean, you know, you go back to back Rose Bowl games. That doesn't mean we're doing things, you know,
every way that we should. In my job, in anybody's job, you always have to you always have to grow and figure out different ways to do that, especially in this environment that we are in where it's just different. Right. I mean, this job, along with so many others here in elsewhere in college athletics, have dramatically changed. I mean, I'll put it as simple as this. Our compliance department
are the people that negotiate our contracts over here. Now think about that for a second, right, that's our compliance office negotiating contracts for student athletes. It's great, right, you got to evolve, you got to something differently. But I think for me personally, I would say after the BYU incident, it was a time to reflect because I think that obviously I have such great respect for Kilane and Tom and everything that they do. It wasn't I didn't say
the right day. And I've said that since and I continue to mean that. So you learn and you grow how do you handle stress? How do you how do you how do you handle things that don't go your way? It's all the things that you got to learn in
your role. So I think I've grown from it. I've learned from it, And as far as just everything else going on in our industry, I do think we've built such a great team here administratively in our coaches that I am excited as we go into this new era where we're going to be and where we can go.
Yeah, Mark, and we all deserve grace for moments that we wish we could have back, and we all have those moments, so you know, I know you understand the spirit of the question, and it's an ever changing landscape and you're under a lot of pressure, and sometimes pressure can cause us to say and do things.
That we wish we would not have done.
So I wonder, though, I'll stick with this theme for a little bit, when you went through the process of hiring Alex, what did you learn from the process you went through last time around that landed you on Craig.
Yeah, I think I was probably a lot more open to NBA background. I think if you look at how much things have changed and you've got locker rooms with different pay scales, and you know how you distribute funds. You know, that's something that someone like Alex has tremendous experience with, you know, every night, including his experience in
the G League. And so you take that combined with his incredible acumen in what he runs in basketball defensively, offensively, and just who he is as a person, much less the fact that he that he you know, wore the colors here, which is a great additive, but I would suggest even if he didn't, he'd be an incredible candidate here.
So you throw all that together and I think that, you know, he just made perfect sense for where we're in and as we talk, you know, three or four times a day, which we've been doing, as we build the team together, the folks that are around him, you know, that's a real key thing that we're looking at the
folks that have just really a mixture of experience. I think you're going to see less people on the bench because I think we're going to really look at, you know, just extreme quality of everybody that is sitting next to him. And I you know, quality and quantity don't mean the same thing all the time. So we're just like I said, we're willing to try different things to turn this thing around ahead in the right direction.
Were you, and I don't want to imply the last time around, after you were looking for Larry's replacement, you were not open to former utes and I'm not implying that at all, but were you more open to that dynamic this time around?
Yeah, I mean, certainly open to it last time, but I think now way more assured that this can work right. And I just again the experiences of where we were four years ago and where the game is now, it has literally changed, not just you know, a little bit, but a lot. And you know, the portal is different now, the the the money that's involved, and so much more, much more believing that someone with this type of background can be very, very highly successful.
You referenced something earlier, and you know, I've known Alex and his wife Natalie for a number of years, and I know that they were happy in Dallas, and I know that Dallas very much liked Alex, and I know that they very much wanted him to stay. So you know this to your point, this was not a guy that needed a job.
This was a guy that had a job.
And this was a guy that had been in pro basketball for a number of years, And I honestly thought and still wonder at some point and hopefully Alex coaches Utah basketball for twenty five years. I always thought he was an NBA head coach with how much I saw him develop players and how impressed I was with his communication style. But what did it make it a little bit more difficult to kind of make the sell?
And was there a little bit.
Of a push and pull because he did have a good gig and they lived in a place that they liked.
Well, you know, when you get a chance to talk to him, I think that he's better served to answer that. I just think you nailed it when when you're talking to someone that has a really good job and in a great situation, and he really liked living in Dallas, and he really liked Jason Kidd and the folks there.
I just think that that when he was able to process how things were changing here in terms of rev share and how that would work, and explained to him how we're going to do that and the money that he would have, which it's not everything, but it's extremely important. When he had a chance to talk to President Randall and his incredible support of athletics. I think he just all came together for him. I you know, again, you'd have to ask him directly. I think there was a
series of things. But what I loved talking about him, and I've always with him, I should say I've always enjoyed this with him anyway, but in this particular instance, it was just how thoughtful he was, the kind of questions that he asked, and because I think with Alex what is probably a little under said is he is extremely competitive and he wants to come here and win. He's and he's really serious about it, and he's very
strategic in his thinking about it. So once he believed that everything kind of lined up, you know, he strongly believed it was time to come home.
So of course, whether it was Alex Jensen or whether it was the ghost of Rickmanjeris or Phil Jackson, it doesn't matter who the Canada was, Mark, I'm sure they all would have asked you the same question, and that is, what is the finance infrastructure of the program? What is the what are the economics surrounding what we're able to do based off of how I can pay players or how I can pay staff. Where we at with boosters, where are we at with the Crimson Collective, et cetera,
et cetera. My takeaway is simply because Alex took the job, he must have liked the answers you gave him.
Can you shed any light on those conversations?
Yeah, well, I think the key thing and we're going to do some town halls on this for everybody in the community that wants to engage with this on this because it's a complicated time. But quickly on your radio show, you know, July one is another monumental day in the history of college athletics. You know, when the settlement's approved, and by all indications it appears it will be. We'll find out sometime after April seventh. Then everybody gets to
that cap of twenty million. I think we've talked about this before on your show. So what I explained to him is how we're going to handle that cap. We're certainly going to be at the full amount for the University of Utah letics that's allowable with the settlement, and obviously our two major revenue sports are going to get a majority of that money based on what the settlement's all about so, you know, I walk through that number
with him. We're not going to go public with that just yet, but I walk through that number with him. And then I also explained this interim period between now and you know July one is a period where we can call it the wild wild West, can call whatever you want, but it's this period that we've kind of been in, and so we still can work with the Crimson Collective until we move on from that that model. Again, always forever grateful for the Garths for setting that up
for us. And so we have the combination of pretty healthy revenue share number after July one, and we've had some unbelievable people really lean in, some that have been leaning in. I mean, this narrative that we didn't have anything is just false. We've been pretty healthy. We could always be healthier, I admit that. But so we've got a combination of the two for him to build this roster going forward. And he was really excited about that.
And you know, where a revenue share number is going forward in the Big twelve is very healthy.
So there are several wealthy folks who have gone on record publicly, whether it's venture capitalist, private equity. I think it's Mark Lazri who talked about his desire to potentially buy into college football program specifically where we'll use a hypothetical. They write you a check for five hundred million dollars or whatever the number is, and in exchange, you sell them forty nine percent of your football team. Then you
have five hundred million dollars to play with. And then they owned, you know, a good portion of your properties. And once college football moves into whatever it's going to move in and nobody knows, then obviously they're going to make a lot of money. Is that anything you guys have considered up with you Well.
I'll tell you what what I've said on this matter before is if we're not looking at anything that makes sense for us, then we're not doing our jobs. Certainly, coming into the Big Twelve, Commissioner, your markets brought forward opportunities in private equity for the conference, different folks that would come and invest, summer operators some or not, but
you know, learning about that has been great. Whether or not the Big Twelve decides to do, some of that will play out over time, but it's also allowed Taylor and I to consider, you know, what would that look locally and so you know, as we talk today, no one in our space has gone that direction because it's very very complicated, right where state institutions and how would
that all work, and et cetera, et cetera. But when you go into a situation where you're going to have to now use twenty two to twenty nine percent of your revenue student athletes, you have to start thinking differently and you have to start doing things differently. So it's something that I think that that vetting out makes a
lot of sense. But at the end of the day, it has to make sense, right because if you give up forty nine percent of your revenue and you're supporting twenty plus sports, you can have a big lump sum. But you know that'll go away pretty quick if you're not careful in what what can change with the folks coming in. But there will be institutions that will do it if it makes sense for us, we'll certainly take it very seriously.
News broke a few weeks ago the Huntsman Center, which is fifty five years old and a place, I mean, I walked in to do my show last Monday, prior to AJ's presser, and I've just flooded with great memories, and there are other memories that I'm not old enough to remember.
I mean, it is such a historic building.
But I think it is safe to say a facelift or something more certainly could benefit the community. Can you illuminate us a little bit on this process and what you hope to see once it comes to fruition.
Yeah, it's kind of this alignment of a few things, right, I think the president's vision of what he wants to do with the campus overall, and encourage people to go online and look at that, I mean college Town Magic, which he's named it. You know, it would be incredible. You know, you talk about restaurants and shopping opportunities on campus and a refresh to the student union and all
of those things. At the same token, we have this incredibly awesome arena that does need work, There's no question about that. And some of our early looks start to suggest you start getting close to what a refurbishment would be compared to a new arena. And when those numbers start to look similar, of course they wouldn't be totally the same, then it starts making you think, Okay, you know,
we really look at opportunities and options ahead. So we're going to follow the president's lead on this and our trustees who voted for this. We're going to work really hard with our campus partners to look at places we could go. A lot of work ahead, nothing imminent, but certainly something that we're really excited to examine. And people ask me what size or where it would go. Those are the questions that we have to dive into and
really study. At the end of the day, what we want to have happened is just a fabulous arena that has the type of customer experience that you want, what people expect these day days. It has more accessible parking, it has ada stand that has all those things at the same time provides the very best student athletic experience to compete here along with fans that come. So that's the work gets ahead and we're really fired up about it.
So I've known the name Wes Wilcox for a long time, and when Pete Thamil reported this as a possibility, I went, wow, like that would be a big hire. Wes is very well respected, been in the NBA for twenty plus years. He's filled a myriad of different roles, including being the general manager of an NBA team. He hired Alex and Cleveland around the G League team. He's coming from a Sacramento team that right now is a little bit of
a mess. But he becomes the highest ranking NBA official to take a college job.
This is not nothing.
Of course, a lot of the attention is on Alex, but you do have a new general manager, which is a new role in the world of sports. I believe you referenced this being Alex's higher Is that accurate?
Well, it's first of all, been great to get to know Wes his family. We stuck him out here because you know, someone like you would recognize him, and we stuck him out here and I got a chance to really visit with them. We walked around and was able to you know, I got friends in the NBA too, was able to learn more about him, and you know, he and Alex are very close. So Alex and I, you know, we talked about it and I just thought
it made so much sense. And going back to where we started the interview, you know, it was Georg I should say it is in the game right now about roster management. I mean, whether you're Duke, whether you're anyone else in between, or down below. You know, you're building these rosters every year. You know this fifty eight to sixty two percent turnover every year, So you need extreme organization. You got to be in contact with all the agents, know them, and it's a lot like again, what they're
doing in the NBA. You know, I would say even more roster movement as you would know. So I'm just really excited to have him. His family are just awesome people. He'll be out here, I believe as early as tomorrow. Can't wait to see him. And give Alex so much credit for you know the fact that he's got these kind of contacts, but most importantly that they want to work with him because the kind of person Alex is, so it's just great for the youth. When we got the word that he was coming, might.
Have to knock the NBA knowledge out of my mind, Mark, because in the NBA, the coach reports to the GM. How does this work with your hierarchy? Do they both report to you?
How's this going to work?
It's a great question, man, because you're seeing more of that right Like at USC, the general manager there has got the joint report to Lincoln and to Jim, my friend, the ad there.
I'm not ready for that. You know, I have such high belief in our head coaches. So it's set up that Alex reports to him. But it's going to be a partnership. I should say that he's reporting Alex, and that's the way it is. You know, down the line, we could see certain changes like that, but I, you know, I want this to be the traditional way. We'll see if we can still go that way.
But I.
He definitely reports to Alex as well the other assistant coaches as we continue to fill out the staff. But the work that Wes will do working with Alex with my team getting into resources they need. Those things all have to align. That's our goal, so that we aren't watching this tournament, rather we're participating in it.
Just checking my sen items in my email here, did you receive my resume for consideration for the general manager of SPOT?
I believe I sent it over.
Did you receive the invoice from the Crimson Club and the Crimson Collective?
Well played? Well played? All right? Mark?
Before I say you lose, I have one spring football question. I mean spring football. I mean, it's fun to have football back. But here's what has struck me. I mean, you know, you listen to coaches and players and mostly it's like, hey, it's going to be back. You know, we're positive, we're happy, blah blah blah. But coach Wit on a number of different occasions already has said that there's more positive energy in the building and surrounding the team than there has been in years past, which it
just struck me because Kyle doesn't suffer fools. He's going to tell you what it is, and he's going to tell you the truth. I don't know if that's an indictment on anyone or anything or the teams in the past. Maybe if it was the ambiguity of quarterback and all the health issues. But what do you make of Kyle saying on multiple occasions already there's just more positive energy in the building.
Well, first of all, it's absolutely accurate. You can feel it when you're over there, and you know. So the question that you have is why you know I could? I could? I could guess, And that's all I can do is that the season was hard. It was a slog It was filled with injuries and close losses and just wasn't us Well, you pull the car back in the garage, you make changes, you go out and find some new guys on the offense, and it's just it's
just a different feeling, right. I Mean, you got a bunch of leaders on the team that that have been to rose bulls and championship games, and they're just the taste is there. So you combine the desire of the guys along with the staff and and there's a there's a lot of mojo. You know, we know there's a ton of work ahead. I'm gonna end this in a in a bit to get down to practice. But the energy out there is is it's it's pulpable. I mean, it's it's real, and I think it's gonna bode well.
And then lastly, you know, it's kind of like we know we're not gonna be picked to win. We'll be wherever we get picked, and and you know, maybe that's not a bad thing for the use, you know, a pick against us and we'll see what happens.
You having any fun with all this going on?
Yeah, I appreciate that. I got asked by a buddy the other day. Listen, it's it's uh, it's still an incredible thing to be around young people.
Man.
I mean, whether they're getting paid a block or more. There's still people pursuing their dreams and you're fostering that environment to make sure they can do it. I mean, I'd say the best moment I've had is when we got worded about our ninety five percent graduation rate, as despite two years of transferring in, transferring out and this money going there, we're still graduating these incredible people. And I think that puts us right up there first or
second with public schools in the country. And so that's cool, right, That's the kind of stuff that when you call it a day, that's the stuff you lean on. So still loving it. Great interview here, and you know, can't wait to see what happens next.
All right, before I set you loose, you alluded to this earlier, and a assistant coaching hire has been made, Raphael Chilius, who's very well known and both pro and college basketball circles. Of course, a lot of rumors about Andre Miller as a gen xer and a ute student in the nineties. You bring Andrea into a gym, you get instant credibility. You reference the process of filling out Alex's staff. Last question for today, where are we at in that process.
Yeah, he's you know now that I think that Wes has been secured, you know, Alex, now get on to the rest of the group, which he's he's he's he's working on you know, he's as I mentioned earlier, he's he's kind of not just looking at a typical model of kind of what a lot of folks are doing. He's more looking at what's gonna work best for him and what do you think is going to work best for our program. So he's working really hard, you know, Like I said, I'm on the phone in them all
the time. He's got incredible contacts, not only locally here obviously, but all over the world. So you know, I anticipate, as we've done over the last week or so, we'll have we'll have more names coming, whoever they might be. I want to protect the process. But what's great is watching how thoughtful he's being what he truly believes we need going forward, and I have no doubt he'll come up with some great guys.
Mark, thank you, sir for the time. I always appreciate it. If we can be of any assistance over this way, please let us know.
Okay, all right, Svince, thank you say hello to poorer for.
Me, We'll do anybody order.
Mark says hello, Hey, Mark, all right, Mark Carlin, athletic director at University IF brought to you today by if A Country Stores. All Right, Any drive to the basket begins with the first step on the court. That's the ultimate power move IFA Step one. Crabgrass Preventor and their lawn Food is the first choice to give your yard the healthy green look you admire.
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Today we got Smitty.
Live in studio for an entire hour coming up in just about I'll call it twenty five minutes right now, especially thanks to Mark Harlan athletic director from the University of Utah stopping by.
In the first hour.
We go from the ad of the utes to the voice of the Utes, Bill Riley Thursday Afternoon, Ryle's happy Thursdayuddy, how.
Are we doing?
Sorry about the down great spence, Not at all big, but you had the big boss on.
That's good.
I'm fow tough fact to follow here, Not at all, not at all.
Ryle's always good to have you on?
You know, I realize I've never asked you the following question, what landed you on where the streets have no name on your for the intro for show? We had that inthrow together for years. I've just never asked you. The question just dawned on me.
Well, I love you too, big U two fan, And it's one of those It's got a great build up, so you could you know, it's kind of a build into the show type. You can play some highlights over it or voice track stuff over it. So it was one of the few songs that had like a decent build.
Up to it. Plus I always liked the song too.
So that's a great song. There's no doubt. There's no doubt you've seen you two live.
Yeah, I've seen them seven times.
Well, don't be that guy, Bill. You know you don't have the brass.
I've heard you talking about seeing Dave Matthew's band like fifteen thousand times.
You know what, It's funny you bring that up.
When I was young, I thought it would be cool to be the guy that's seen Dave a million times. And now that I'm old, when people ask me, I truly get embarrassed. I don't like to say the number.
Okay, well seven, I won't say it again. But the last time I saw them was at the Sphere last year and it was pretty cool.
Okay, Bill, you live a life that the rest of us dream of. We get it, well, you know.
I just I've had great seats to see him before. But the Sphear thing, it's really really cool. I don't I don't know if you if you've been down there yet, have you seen anything?
No, some of us still have to do radio every day.
Oh my goodness.
This is when I was still doing radio every day. That's when I was still working with you every day.
I'm just messing with you. Somebody has to I know you missed this.
I do, I do, all right.
We have the banter, yeah, indeed, and we have a lot to get to because I haven't spoken to you since the news became official.
I did see you up at the Huntsman, but you were busy with the MC duties.
So it's Alex, Alex Jensen, it's AJ, it's youte legend, it's mister basketball in nineteen ninety four of you Mont High. So what's the reaction and what also is your reaction? Of the process that unfolded and landed Mark Harlan I Alex Jensen.
Well, I just you know, I mean, you know Alex. I know him in passing. You know, we know of each other and we chatted a little bit and we had a chance to sit down. But you've known him for a long time of Spence, he just he checks all the boxes of what you want, both as a basketball coach but as a representative of a school in a university. And then when you factor in the guy is from the state of Utah, He's a legend at
the school. He ties to the golden years, he ties to the greatest coach in school history, and he wanted to be a head coach, and the opportunity presented itself. I just everything fits the boxes. All check here for the Alex Jensen higher it's a slam dunk for this program. It may not have been a slam dunk if Marquette wanted him, or if Villanova wanted him, there might have been, but for here and for now, everything checks both the basketball side of it and the non basketball side of it.
So I think it was a really easy hire for Mark to make. And the fact that I think Alex is ready to make that jump now too, makes it even better. And I think he's because of where he's been and what he done on the pro level, and because of the way collegiate athletics is becoming so much
more a pro game. I think it's a great hire on that side of it too, And I think the two hires you've seen him make from Rafael Chilius, who's got so many ties to both the NBA college and high school, and then the hire yesterday of the general manager, to me, I think Alex has had a plan in mind, and I think he kind of knew what he wanted to get accomplished when he took this job.
So I asked Mark this question when he joined us last hour. I wonder what you believe or perceived to be the main difference between because we know, and it's really no secret that after Mark elected to move on from Larry, he did speak with Alex before landing on Craig, and this time around, there are a lot of differences
on both sides. Quite frankly, it's not just the differences on Utah side, it's the differences on Alex's side, who probably did the calculation and said you know, there's a chance, so maybe I'm not going to be an NBA coach, even though I think he'd be a damn good one. What do you think the differences were this time around that ended up with Alex getting the gig?
Well, clearly more you know, four more years of experience on Alex's side. But I think, go back to what I just talked about a minute ago, the way the college game has changed and evolved, the way that it's now much more a pro hybrid than it is the college game that you and I grew up with. And I think Alex's experience in that world, both in the D League now G League obviously, and in the NBA, I think it lends him even more so to today's game.
I just think that the college game has gotten so much closer to the game that Alex has been coaching for the better part of, you know, the last seventeen eighteen years.
Then I think I think it would have been a good fit.
I do. I think he would have been a good fit four years ago, but I think now even more so, with his experience, it makes all the sense in the world.
There's a lot of conversation, a lot of which has happened on this little radio program about people in the community believing that former utes need to be the answer almost across the board. Now we'll get to Wes Wilcox and you reference Rafael chilias neither of who are former utes. And you know, Mark was good last hour to kind of illuminate us on the process that's going on to fill out the rest of the bench. But as somebody, I mean, I know you're a transplant, but you've been
here forever. It's essentially home now, and so you know the market and you understand what you need to do to traverse the space that sometimes can be a little bit complex, but ultimately it's a great place to live.
Are you one that believes that in order.
To be on the staff or coach at Utah you really need to understand this market?
No, I don't. I think you have to have people on the staff that do understand the market, but I don't think the entire.
Staff has to.
I think you have to have somebody that understands, whether it's an assistant. Alex clear he does because he grew up here, went to school here, lived in the market even when he wasn't coaching here. But I think people can be educated on that. I didn't know this market spence when I moved here twenty four years ago. It's not that weird to say twenty four years ago now, but you adapt quickly, and now I know it as well as I think anybody that's probably grown up here,
because you've got to educate yourself on that. So I think people can do that. I think if you can find good Utah people to put on your staff, you do that. But you have to find good coaches and people that fit your philosophy. Alex knows what he wants. He didn't really tell me what that was. I kind of picked his brain and he kind of gave me an idea, but he didn't get into specifics. He did tell me that hiring a GM was a top priority, and clearly he got his GM yesterday. But I don't think that.
You know, if you can find guys that have ties.
To the program, whether they were players or staff members or whatever that might happen to be, I think that's great. But I think in today's day and age, people are a lot more adaptable now than they've ever been. I think our society in general just moves so fast and if you're successful in life, whether it's as a radio host, a coach, an attorney, a salesperson, whatever that might happen to be, you learn to adapt in assimbily pretty quickly.
So if there are some people out there with Utah ties that Alex wants to bring on the staff, hey, that's great. But I don't think that that is a prerequisite for joining this. But I do think having somebody that has lifetime knowledge and such a feel for the program, I think that certainly helps, and I think Alex fills that role, But I don't think you have to have a staff full of that.
Reference Raphael Chilias or coach chill as his nickname is on Twitter. What Ryles is a good nickname. But build a chill? I mean, is there anything there.
Can we roll with? Bill the chill?
Would build a chill?
Or will the chill? Better?
Well? Will the chill? Isn't that?
Wasn't that the third basement from the Giants back in the day?
That was will? That was will the thrill? Will the thrill the first basement?
Yeah?
I will say, you're you're more chill as you've I think Bill the chill actually works because you are more chill than you used to be.
Is that fair?
I don't know if that we can have two guys working in the same department that have the chill as a nickname. So I think Coach Chill's probably got that over me.
Okay, we'll stay with Ryles.
Who was it when you and Donny were calling RSL games who said they were gonna nickname you the Killer Bees?
And I had to put an end of that?
Was he you?
No, I was the one that said we're not doing that. I just can't remember who it was that just came to my mind. But the reason I bring him up is I don't know him. We've had some guests on the show that do and apparently, you know, like for instance, Sharif Shah right, Sharif up with the Football Program is known for his front facing, outward personality and apparently Coach Chill is kind of like that.
And I don't know him, so I mean anxious to get to know him.
But one of the things that I just wonder about Alex and I don't think this is a bad thing, I want to be clear, but he is introspective. He's a bit of an introvert. If you want the personality that lies with his bride. Okay, that's kind of how it goes. And so I wonder if the fact that coach Chill happens to be more of like a front facing more of I don't want to say affable.
Alex is a sweet guy. He just is more of an introvert.
I wonder if there's a little bit of a yin and a yang there, because Rafael Chilius is thought to be more of an extra extrovert as opposed to the introverted nature of AJ Well.
I think every good staff has to have some different personalities on it, you know. Sometimes you have a fiery coach, you have to have that buffer assistant coach that can kind of be in between there. Alex, as you said, is a very introverted, kind of introspective, a little more soft spoken guy. Maybe I've only met Rafael once. I met him in the hallway the day he was hired up here, and we talked for about.
Five to five minutes.
But then once I met him, I made some calls around the basketball world, and everybody thought it was a slam dunk higher from some NBA people I talked to to some college people that I talked to, So that might that might be that your your point, he might be that bigger personality out on the recruiting trail. I mean, you've read the resume, You've seen some of the guys that he's both coached and recruited and developed. Uh, there's a lot of guys from you know, from from the
Yukon Days and beyond. Did you, by the way, in high school ever play North Kenth Prep?
I did not, but I spent a summer at Saint Thomas Moore.
Uh.
And when I was at St.
Thomas Moore, we did play with players that played up there. Like the prep school scene in Connecticut is insanely competitive.
When I was at Saint Thomas.
Moore, the other guard was Ed Coda, who was the starting starting point guard of Carolina. So, you know, not consistently, but I'm familiar with the school because a lot of players end up going because when you go up to southern Connecticut for prep school, you just can't get any trouble. So I go up there, you know, just play basketball, get your grades up. So it's not uncommon to have tremendous talent besides me up there, you know, playing for those Connecticut prep schools.
Well, I mean you of course you know ed code all right. He had an okay go of it, but you know, he coached Alan Wright's brother, Durrell Wright.
He developed a lot of those Yukon gas.
I just I think it's a great hire because he's got ties in all places, from the prep school area to the college area to having been in the know. He came to Utah from Memphis, where he was a personnel guy. I'm very curious to see and I didn't hear your interview with Mark because I was tied up
with something. I'm you know, like everybody, I'm just kind of curious to see who some of the other staff hires are here in where they're at, because you know, the head coach is one thing, but you've got to surround yourself with a good staff, and if you surround yourself with a good statf you're going to be in pretty good shape.
Are you hearing anything about Andre specifically on his way potentially to beyond Alex's bench.
No, I've not heard anything different than some of the rumors that you got as have heard out there. I'd heard that he had interest in coming here, but it's I've not heard anything different from that recently. So there was a lot of chatter about it when Alex first got the job, but I haven't heard anything further from that, so I don't have anything to add to that. I know that a year ago Andrea was very interested in just joining the staff in any way, shape or form,
and that didn't happen. Then you would think that there might be an opportunity with obviously him and Alex having been teammates, But I've not heard any news on that front.
So while I was unfamiliar with Raphael chilias certainly familiar with Wes Wilcox. I mean when I saw the Pete Dama report, I went, wait, wats I mean, he's been a general manager, He's run an NBA team. He ran the Hawks for three years, he was their assistant GM prior to that. He's been a high level executive and has served a bunch of different roles in the NBA for basically twenty two years. Like you, fans need to know like this, this is a good hire that signals
intent the same way the Alex hire signals intents. I don't know what they're paying him, Bill, but I know what NBA gms make and I wouldn't be stunned if this is close to a seven figure deal.
I don't know that.
I want to be clear, so I know this is a name that's unfamiliar in the market, but I can promise you this is a good hire with a smart basketball executive and mark last Hour reference that Wes will report probably to Alex. In the NBA, the coach reports to the GM, but this is kind of going to be an opposite thing there. So tell me your thoughts on this new general manager that's going to roll into town and help Alex build this thing.
When I talked to Alex today, he was here for the press conference and everything he's hit. My top priority is getting a general manager in place. What I didn't know at the time was Wes was here. Wes made the trip. I saw him at lunch with Alex and a big group of people, and I wasn't sure who he was, to be fair, at the time, I thought at first it might have been Alex's agent, because sometimes
sometimes your agent will come on a trip. That it was Wes, and when when Alex told me that that was a priority, I knew he was very serious about it. And Spence this is the way now, whether it's football or whether it's basketball, you have to have somebody because it's it's as we've talked about, there's there's this is a real money deal.
Now you're not just.
Talking about scholarships anymore. You're talking about, you know, negotiating with agents. You're not negotiating with somebody's uncle or their AAU coach anymore. You're now negotiating with agents and you're managing in essence, a salary cap that you have, So you need to have somebody on that. But but I think on the other side of it too, because as you just said, he's had so many jobs in the NBA, I think a guy like Wes is going to be able to also help out on the personnel side because
we all know this. Now you're going to be looking at international players, You're going to be looking at players that are are for potential portal bounds. You're gonna you're gonna be evaluating talent year round. This is not a oh, we're going to recruit in the spring and summer anymore. So to have this position with somebody with his credentials, to me is a huge thing. And much like you, I reached out to a couple of people, including Bobby Marx, who you know I used to have on my show
quite a bit. And Bobby said, this is a great hire for Utah basketball. So I'm sure you've I'm sure you Smitty will talk about it as well. But I think this is another one. You know, there's people that are like, well, they're getting serious about this. I think when you make hires like this, that really shows, Okay, we're in this game now, we're serious about upping our level and upping our game to match what some of the big boys are doing around college basketball right now.
And maybe Ryle's like, we can't ignore the fact that the team about forty miles down south who's going to play tonight has a model in place that so far has proven to be proof of concept.
And I don't know.
And Mark actually said, and let me repeat this for listeners that the Mark Harlan interview, he referenced to town Hall that they're going to hold after the house settlement is expected. They're going to learn the details in April and then July first is when they expect to have everything done. And after that, Mark reference to town Hall, he's going to hold to answer more specific questions.
But if BYU's paying a j.
Debants is seven million bucks for five months of basketball and the reports are cannon catchings and jegor demon or seven figure players, they're obviously spending a lot of money down South to build a roster, and they're obviously doing it in a way that has shown that it's the right way, at least so far. How much of this do you think is a reaction to what's happening down in Provo.
I don't think the people have been you know, you've heard the same conversation, Oh, they've hired a pro coach because BYU did now they hired a guy that was a really good coach that's got ties to the program,
who just so happened to be in the pros. But I think the other stuff, and the hiring of the GM and some of this, some of this stuff, I think, I don't know that it's a direct reaction necessarily to BYU, but BYU might be the closest school when they happen to be a rival that is now kind of, you know, kind of doing what college basketball is trending in the direction what some of the other people in college basketball are doing and you might say that they were maybe
a little bit of ahead of the curve a year ago when they decided to do this. More and more people are jumping on board with this now. I don't know that it's a direct reaction to say BYU though they're close, But I just think it's a reaction to really what it's going to cost to do business now in the big time world of college basketball.
Let me ask you this.
You know, the Big Twelve wasn't the best conference in college basketball this year.
That was clearly the SEC.
But every single year the Big Twelve will be top two or three, and some years it will be back at the top. I mean, you're a Kansas guy, I'm sure you've heard about their incoming recruiting class, like they're going to be stacked next year and Houston's not going anywhere if BYU gets the bulk of their roster back, and I do think they will. Outside of Yegor, I think gone, they're probably gonna be preseason top fifteen, maybe even higher.
Then there's Arizona. I could keep going, and.
I've talked to a lot of people, like what's reasonable expectations in your opinion year one for Utah basketball under Alex in the Big twelve. And I've had a few people say, well, maybe top six or seven. Guess what if your top six or seven in the Big twelve, you're an NCAA tournament team. Right So we don't know who's gonna play for Alex. It's impossible to accurately analyze right now. But what's a Bill Riiley reasonal expectation? You're one in the Big twelve under Alex Jensen?
Well, yeah, I think you know, it would be unheard of to go and win the league next year, but who knows. I think we'll have a better feel for this.
When we see how they fail out the roster.
But you know, I think it's realistic to say, and we've seen other teams do this. Iowa State didd with tj Otselberger. If you're able to identify the right talent to bring them in, you don't have to have ten all stars in the first year, So you don't what you need to have this two or three difference makers to go with a good corps of guys, and you have two or three difference makers. And to be fair, Utah hasn't had a lot of difference makers in the
last couple of years. But if you can find a couple of those guys to go with a good core, that's what BYU has, you know, by you have, I'll be honest. I mean Yegor Demon if he's drafted, is a lottery pick.
It's on potential. He's had games.
Where he has he's looked very much like a freshman. But Richie Saunders is the star of that team. But what they've found is they found two or three really
good players and surrounded them with a terrific cast. If Utah is able to go out and find two or three difference makers and surround them with a good supporting cast, to your points, Spence, I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility to say you could be a top six or seven team, maybe eight team in the league next year, and you could be certainly competing for NANCAA Tournament Berth next year.
I rose before I say you lose.
You know, spring football is an excuse just to talk about football, and it's good for the Attics to get there fix and to be reminded that yes, football will return and you're gonna be okay. So most of the things I hear report like of Nate Johnson's fast you don't say like okay, like most of the stuff I hear reported, I've just kind of let let go. But I'll listen to coaches, I'll listen to players, and when something kind of piques my interest, and as my intennas
go up, I do pay attention. And on more than one occasion, coach Witt has said there's more positive energy in this building than there has been in a while. And Kyle doesn't suffer fools. He's a straight shooter. He's gonna tell you the truth. And to me, that's not nothing. I'm not trying to make anything out of it as far as blaming certain elements in the past, as far as ambiguity the quarterback position, or injuries all over the place.
But when Kyle has said on multiple occasions there's just more positive energy in the building than in years past, to me, that does say something, even though most spring football storylines are a whole lot of nothing.
Tell me what you make of.
That, Bill, No, I think it's I've been out to practice three time spence and I'm in the building all the time, because that's one of you know, I split my time between the Huntsman and the football building, and there is a different energy and vibe this spring around the program. Maybe it's just, you know, Kyle coming back. Maybe there's something to that that's settled down. I think a lot of it has to do with the new
offensive staff. Not completely new, but you've got a new offensive coordinator Jason Beck.
You've got a new running.
Backs coach, and Mark ottawaya mikeah Simon's coaching wide receivers. When you're at practice, it's a different energy and a different vibe than it's been the last couple of years. There's some new play You've got a new quarterback who's an energetic, big personality guy who will chirp back and forth with some of the defensive guys from time to time. So I think that's a lot of it.
I just think there's some newness in there.
And again it goes back there was nothing wrong with Andy Ludwigs offense or any of that, but just sometimes when you freshen things up a little bit, it brings a little bit of a new energy, and I think we're seeing a lot of that, at least some of the practices I've been out to this spring.
My guy, appreciate the time, always illuminating the way.
Who do you got tonight? Do you have BYU or Alabama?
You know, ultimately I think Bama gets it done. Look, BYU holds the record thirty two NCAA appearances with no Final four. That's not going to end this year because if they beat Bama, they get Duke. But they you know, Alabama plays a lot like they do, and Alabama plays a.
Lot like Wisconsin does.
Okay, and you know by you needed a borderline historic performance to be Wisconsin. But ultimately I wouldn't touch the line. I think it's gonna be a great game and it's gonna be a shootout. But Alabama went to the Final four last year. The series kid is an All American and BYU when they have struggled this year, it's been against elite athleticism and speed and Bama has that, so I wouldn't be stunned it's a one off. BYU's playing so well. But I do think Bama wins a high scoring,
close game. What about you?
I think so too.
But I think it's a game in the eighties, maybe nine, maybe the first team to ninety wins tonight. I'll tell you the team that I love. I just I saw him in person this year, and I think this is the year for this guy.
I think Houston. I think this is the year for Kelvin Samson. Those guys. I've never seen anybody.
Warm up harder or play harder than that team. And they've got some guys who can shoot it and score the basketball, not just guys that are great athletes.
I think Houston's they.
May cut down the net. So I don't know, but there's something about that team that I really like, and I love the way they play.
Yeah, yeah, I wouldn't be surprised. Man, they're really really good. Bill, I appreciate the time.
Man, be good.
Okay, Well, Julius Fence.
Voice of the You. It's Bill Riley brought to you today. But I love volleyball. Love volleyball is back with games on April fourth and fifth at the Bruins Arena. Our next guest is definitely dangerous. He's definitely honest. The question is does he know what he wants? He is Richard Smith. He's live in the studio for the next hour. Smitty dangerous, honest. I know that about you. But do you know what you want?
These these are all major questions that people have been asking about me.
For most of my life. Oh yeah, this is nothing new.
Where are we at today?
You know?
Hey, by the way, like I thought, I thought my so called intro song was was where the Streets have No Name? And then I hear Bill Bill Riley gets it, and then I hear, well, this is what we used to use or whatever. And so obviously Porter just elbows me right to the side, into the gutter and he goes with something else, and and I got you know, I see, I see what's going on here now?
Porter, you want to stand up for yourself.
I'm out, I'm out.
Of town for a couple of weeks, and all of a sudden, it's just you know, bing bang boom.
I don't think he gets the context, but I'll let you go first.
I mean, a man wants his walk up song, You want his walk up song?
That was? That was the intro to Bill's show for the years.
I know, That's what I'm saying.
You know what, if you want, we got one more segment with you. We can bring a little the Streets out No Name if you want. But my question remains still on this day, do you know what you want. We know you're honest, we know you're dangerous, But do you know what you want?
Yes?
I always know what I want, Spencer. Right now, what I want I want to be able to spend a good solid hour getting education. You all things utes, basketball, youte football, by U basketball, jazz. I know you have all the answers for the jazz. You know that's what we've been waiting for all year long.
S Matty, you're the one that educates. I just asked the questions, No.
This is If this is the premise, then we're in a lot of trouble. Let me tell you.
Well, I'll tell you what you're uniquely qualified to talk about the UH and we'll do mostly college hoops here and I don't know, maybe we'll do some jazz. Alex Jensen, it is official. Since you and I last spoke last Monday, we were up at the Huntsman Center doing the show, which was a lot of fun. You worked with Alex Jensen closely with the Utah Jazz for a number of
years and we have discussed this. But now that the news is official, Smitty, what should Ute fans know about the seventeenth head coach in Utah men's basketball history.
Yeah.
Well, well Alex is obviously everybody one of One of the key things I think right right off the bat, Spence is that for just for Utah fans, is that there's no acquainted period. There's no like, Okay, who's this guy, what's he about? What's what?
What?
What is this going to look like? Everybody in this community. Everybody who's a Utah fan knows Alex Jensen, knows who he is, knows what he's about.
Uh.
They know his lineage, they know his background, they know all the experience he's had as both a player collegiately and professionally overseas and then in his coaching career and so so none of that is is uh is they get to know me period. So so everybody's hitting the ground running in that regard. You know, he knows what
he's doing. It's just you know again, Uh, it's just it's just going to be a question for the utes of you know, how long it takes them on the recruiting trail to start getting guys uh that can compete you know, the big twelve level and uh and be able to go to war night in the night out and I'll tell you what. They got two great people working with him right off the bat in Raphael Chilias
and Wes Wilcox. Those are two guys I know, and two guys who are really big gets for Alex, and so I'm excited for them because that is a good start to building a great foundation in terms of your staff.
And your programs.
See this is good because I don't think there's anybody else in the market that knows Raphael Chilias and Wes Wilcox.
I certainly don't.
I know Wes's pedigree more than I know coach chills pedigree. But let's start with Rafael Chilias, who is the first assistant that Alex has hired. And when you read through his background, he's done a lot of different jobs at a lot of different levels, high school, college, and pro very well known in circles that you run in. So what should you fans know about this new assistant coach.
Well, he's first and foremost, he's a top flight recruiter, and he's a guy who knows all the grassroots. He knows all the AAU people, he knows all the guys around the country West coast, East coast, in the South. He knows how to get into homes into with with agents now that that that are working a lot for these high school kids and even the portal kids. And you know, he's a guy who knows the landscape. He knows all the levels. Spence, you're talking about the prep level,
which is you know for people around here. I'm familiar with that and it's a big thing on the East Coast. But the prep level is the high school level. So you talk about the top of kids who want you know, Donovan Mitchell was a prep, prep school kid, you know, from from New England. You know all these these this level. He knows those guys. He knows everybody in college. He was a great recruiter for Lorenzo Romar in two different stints when he was at the University of Washington and
had it rolling up there for a while. And and of course he's been working in the NBA and in a couple of different stints with player development, so he's got the full scope of the landscape of what you need to do and who you need to get in with. So now he's the guy who can can get into doors, can get the ear of some kids, some agents, and then you know from there, you know, what the what's the U offering, what's their program, what it's what's it
gonna look like? Or how's Alex gonna coach him? All that kind of stuff. But uh, Chill will be a great, a great resource for him in that regard.
Uh.
And then Wes Wilcox, of course is uh you know, is a proven veteran NBA guy who's worked his way up, you know, from a college and the intern you know, to a video coordinator, through being an assistant coach on the staff, to being to being in the front office with player uh play a personnel uh and being a GM in Atlanta.
And now assistant gym and in Sacramento.
So they've got they've got two main guys in key positions who are top flight guys that you would want when you're trying to retool in a situation like the U is. So I'm not sure that you can have a better start to assembling a staff than getting guys like coach Jill and like Wes Wilcox.
You know what, Porter, I've decided something. I need a cool nickname, like everybody has. We just had Bill on Ryles. We got Smitty coach chill ll cool tray ll cool Tray maybe the coolest nickname? Do you have a cool nickname? Because I think I need a cooler nickname than than what I have. I don't really all right, we need to work on that. You and I coach chill, Smitty Ryles. My grandpa did nickname me Doobie when I was young. He called me Spencer Dooby.
See that That's where we had our issue is because that's literally what my family has called me since I was a baby.
Well, okay, so Porter and I have the same nickname, but but Dooby has double meanings. My grandfather certainly had no context for what doubey meant. When I got into high school, my brother DearS.
Did so my my family called my dad. No one knew his real name. It was Doobie because when he was a baby be he was wrapped up in a little thing and his his aunt, who they left called him made him said he looked like a little Doobey because he was wrapped up in a white blanket.
I see you as Doobie.
Forever, I still, Smitty.
You knew my mother's father, my grandfather, There's no way he knew what a Doobie was I can promise you that I have no idea why he decided to call me Spencer Dooby. And then I get in a high school, I'm like, you want me to smoke a what? What are you talking about? So Smitty, we need to work on this. I need a cooler nickname than what Hey.
I think you guys could could easily go around with matching t shirts that say Doob one and Doob two, Like I think I think that's something that you guys could roll with.
But we could be sued because the Doobie brothers might take issue.
You spell it differently. You know you spell it do ob. Why you spell it do ob?
I so you're an idea like that?
Yeah, yeah, you do some trick thing with it, you know.
Okay, let me but let me ask you about coach Chill's personality, because you know, Alex is a little reserved and he's a little more introverted.
And it's not a bad thing. I mean, it's just is a thing.
So when it comes to kind of that yin and the yang, is he the type of person that's a little bit more front facing than Alex tends to be.
Yeah, and and and and Uh.
Uh.
Coach Chill is is. Uh, he's a great gregarious person. He's an outgoing guy.
Uh.
That's how you get to uh be able to be sustained in this business, if that's what your niche is, Uh, being able to get into into homes relative to recruiting, being able to make get relationships and sustain them with agents, with coaches, you know, in the grassroots level. Uh, that's what he's been able to do, you know, for a long long time. He's well known, he's he is the kind of guy who will be outgoing more so than Alex.
He'll be a kind of guy who, you know, maybe on the bench, you know, and Alex is more of a subtle, you know, quiet leader, and and Chill will be the kind of guy who's you know, ranting and rais being on the sideline yelling at the kids or something, and Alex may just be there pointing to a spot or two or say, you know, get over here, whatever, and uh, you know, in the heat of the battles,
so to speak. But uh, he'll serve as a great counterbalance uh to Alex in that regard, you know, which is I don't know if that's planned, if that if that just happens to be, you know, part of the makeup.
You know.
I think I think coach Chill's uh track record and resume, you know, is what really got him in the in the his foot in the door in terms of being considered for a job like this, and and in the conference like the Big Twelve where you have to go against you know a lot of heavyweights, and in the recruiting battles, you know, and so so that's that's that's a big time get in my opinion, you know, for the you No.
It's really good to know, it's really good context. You're the guy that knows a lot of people in this ecosystem that most do not, So that's good to know. And you know, coach Wait has Shreef Shaw, who's more of like a front feet seen kind of our word. Funny dude, didn't I was trying to think of like the Jerry phil dynamic. I mean, Jerry was the guy that was kind of firing and Phill is the one
that's trying to make sure he doesn't get ejected. But in coaching staffs, it does help to have different types of personality.
Of course, you know, in the early years of the jazz you know, Frank Frank Layden was the gregarious, outgoing guy. Jerry Sloan, you know, was the hard nose you know, a teacher, a former player guy, and and and that balanced off, you know, at that time Scott Leyden was on the bench, and Scott was a studious guy, you know, and and was really involved in the UH in the scouting and and the the pro scouting advanced scouting game planning that consot say had a balance around a lot
of that. Now, one thing I was interested to hear from Mark Harlan in your interview earlier with him where where I think he said it. I don't know if it was you. I think he here's what who mentioned that they maybe, uh, they may end up with a smaller staff.
Yeah, yeah, I thought you would like that.
Well.
I just think that that, you know, I think if they're looking at things, I think it's you know, you know, you can have in my opinion, you know, there is such a thing as too many cooks in the you know, totally agree with you, and and you know, staffs have
grown over the years and people have different responsibilities. But but I do think there's been a wave and this isn't isn't new you know, last ten, fifteen, even twenty years, and in both college and the NBA, where where organizations are afraid that they're missing something if they don't have somebody who fits the role that the other guys have, and if the other guys are having any success, then
it's a copycat situation. Right, So you get you get staffs where there's you know, seventeen guys in the in the in the pullovers and in the half zips, on the on the on the bench, and you're going, well, they have more coaches than they have players on the thing and whatever. Both yeah, both collegeen and pro you know, and it's uh, and it's overkill, you know. I mean, Uh, Gary Briggs are great trainer for the jazz and the in the in the two thousands. You know, he used
to do the job when he was in Cleveland. We were talking one night about this where uh he did the job uh in the early days where now there are literally six other full time people doing the different responsibilities that he used to do by himself.
And Gary probably didn't get six the money.
No, that's exactly right.
And so you know, these things can be done if you're smart, if you're efficient, if you know what you're doing, Uh, you can do it, you know more is it always more to coin the phrase?
Uh?
You know, if you're smart about who you have on your staff and what they're about and what they're trying to do, you know, then sometimes that can be a benefit to you so that you don't have too many voices in the room and too many conflicts going on and you know, in terms of what you're trying to get across and.
Work with with your team.
So let's move over to Wes Wilcox now. And when I first saw the Pete Themill report, I went, man, that would be a be a really good hire. Leg Wes has been a GM. He ran the Hawks, he was the director of player development in Cleveland and then the GM of the G League team. And Wes hired Alex to coach the Canton Charge where Alex won G League Coach of the Year D League back then and
won the D League championship thirty nine years old. From what I understand, very analytically driven, and Mark actually referenced that Wes most likely will report to Alex now. In the NBA, the coach reports to the general manager. At least historically speaking, coach wit Bleckin is the general manager who reports to Kyle. So maybe this is a new college model. But tell me what you make of this, and also what should we know about Wes Willcox.
Yeah, I think that I think that model Spence is what's taking place in college is that the head coach is really the guy who's who's the point per for the whole program. So he's gonna he's going to hire a person to serve in the GM role, the GM role, you know, maybe you know in the NBA, we're used to the coach reporting to the GM, the GM reporting to the owner kind of thing. In the college, they're
they're kind of reversing that. They're having the head coaches the main guy, the GM reports to him, and then the head coach in turn reports to the athletic director. And so, uh, this won't be an unusual setup if that's what they're what they're doing, because most of the college setups are are doing that now. So that so that there's no miss misperception about who's who's reporting to the athletic director or who's reporting to you know, the main booster group or whatever it is.
Uh.
The general manager is going to be the person who comes in and keeps everything in in ther in the uh, within the program organized heads up, the people who are doing the recruiting up the overseas, the NIL stuff or whatever it's going to be, the revenue sharing stuff going forward,
however that falls out through the NCAA. They're going to be like the guy who keeps everything organized so that the head coach can spend a good chunk, not all and maybe not even majority sometimes, but a good chunk of their time actually coaching basketball, actually trying to get their players better, to be more competitive on the floor, and to leave the so called day to day business
stuff to the guy who's the GM. And so Wes Wilcox is perfectly situated for that great resume, a great experience, really an organized guy and and will be really good
for Alex. And again, those guys know each other. Alex reported to Wes when they were in a part of the Cleveland Cavaliers organization, you know, almost twenty years ago now and then uh, and now it's come kind of full circle and uh, Wes is going to be part of his staff and uh, you know again a nice balance because while alex can can concenter in the basketball part.
Wes will concentrate on organizing the office, the people who work there, how they're doing all their their stuff on a day to day basis, recruiting, n I L blah blah blah, all those kinds of things, and and what's is very uh he's a very organized, very streamlined type of guy. And so that's uh again another great get for them now they have they're getting a good staff in place. They're getting a good core of the guys that that that you like to see and and what
their what their skill sets are, and what they can do. Now, what's the bottom line, spets? You gotta get horses. Yeah, So so that's what it's gonna be. All these guys
can do what they want to do. And you know, the great lesson I learned way way way back when the Jazz were playing the Lakers and Lakers eighty eight playing with pat Riley, and pat Riley's in an interview with the press and they're talking about this new stuff they were doing at the time with video stuff, and the press was asking, do you think that gives you advantage?
And he said, I don't know, Well, you're using this technology, which at that time was new, using plays and watching video halftime, which teams didn't do at that time, And finally they were pressing him on it, and pat Riley finally said, well, and I don't know if it helps us that much or not. He said, I think I think the better advantage we have is that we have Kareem and magic. And to me, you know, at that moment,
I remember thinking, and I thought about that ever since. Specias, Yeah, we can do all this other stuff behind the scenes, and we can dance around, and we can spend money, and we can have seventeen coaches and we can do whatever whatever we need magic and Kareem on the floor, and if that's what we have, then we're gonna be okay. And I was the recipient of that because, you know, my basically my first eighteen twenty years in the NBA, you know, I was riding on the coattails with John
and Carl and that's that's how that went. Everybody was and that's why everybody looked good and whatever it was they did because John and Carl were there and we're playing every night, and so okay, thank.
You very much.
Nineteen eighty eight was I think probably my first real indoctrination in a playoff basketball right. And I just remember that Jazz Lakers series. Remember going every home game, I did a little project Wassatch Elementary Missus Farman shout out fifth grade, I did a little Jazz Lake and I remember when I'll say we lost Game seven, how gutted I was as a ten year old, and I think I was just hooked for life. I'm like, man, playoff
basketball rules because that was so fun. And that was kind of like, uh, okay, you know, the Jazz aren't not some little team out in saut Lake anymore. Like the Jazz actually are building something. It felt like that was a and then was it the next year where the Warriors got pretty Yeah?
The next year was it was the Yeah, the fame, the famous sweep you know, was you know, but but yeah, eighty eight was really the you know, from a historical perspective, the way I see it sought then now even more so in my mind was the coming out party was that, well, these guys are for real, you know, and uh and then you know, hey, during the nineties, what they what the Jazz did, And then like in ninety eight, you know Lakers with Shaq and Kobe and oh oh those
guys are pretty good. The Jazz going and whack them forth straight yep, you know, to get back to the finals, and you know that was you know, that's you know, all all that's time in between, that's when you knew, you know that your team was was competitive and was able to fight with anybody night in the night out, and that that's really what will be the test for the you know, going forward, as all this other stuff will, we'll obviously play major roles in it behind the scenes,
but at the end of the day, you know they're gonna have to get players there and gonna have to figure out a way to be competitive on the floor in the Big twelve.
You have to have talent.
I mean, just while we're in the space, I can remember, man, you reference Scotty. My freshman year at the U, professor gave us an assignment. You need to go out and find somebody in the field you want to work in and go interview them. That was kind of the deal. And Scott was the GM of the Jazz when I was at the U, and so I sat down with Scott. One of my first questions was, and I thought he was gonna say Larry. Thought he was gonna say Larry Miller.
I said, who is the most important person in the jazz organization? Scott didn't hesitate. He says, there's two. It's John and Carl in the whole organization including I thought he was gonna say ownership, and he said John and Carl.
Yeah.
Well, you know, the most popular people during the so called heyday was hot Rod and the Bear. Those are the two most popular, uh in the organization with the fans. And then but the most important you're you're you know, Scott's exactly right, is is because when you have players and they're driving, winning and you can do that, that's that's what trickles down to everything else in the organization.
That's that's where it comes from.
Uh. That's why you know the current iteration of the jazz where they're trying to you know, get some traction and and uh really you know, slipping and sliding so far. You know in this uh, this new approach that they that they they've chosen to take. It's it's surprising that they chose to get rid of players who were main
guys who were in their prime. You know and under contract, you know, for whatever the reasons were, uh, and and to let them go because because those things are hard to find as they're as they're they're finding out there in the middle of and and when you have those you try and hold on to them as long as you can to make sure that you can sustain success and have everybody else do what they do to the best of their ability.
I can't remember what year it was, but at some point in the nineties when Riley had gone to Miami and Jeff took over for Pat in New York Van Gutn he was the head coach of the Knicks in New York. It was after a game and I can't remember if they played the Bulls. It may have been the game where Jordan came back and dropped fifty five with the Garden the double nickel, the famous game. And Jeff was getting ready to address the media and Phil Jackson had just released a book I think they called it.
I think it was Sacred Hoops, and Frank I saw last Jeff. He said, Jeff, have you read Phil's new book? I may have told you this, and Jeff said, oh, I actually have a copy of her write here and he took a blank piece I think it was a statuet, turned it over and he wrote number twenty three on it and handed it to Frank Iola because obviously Phil wrote sacred hoops after a great run coaching somebody named Michael George.
That's right.
And Phil Jackson a very smart guy and a good basketball guy. But what was he even smarter at He knew that he had the run in the nineties with the Bulls, had a couple of years off, and then he had other opportunities, and then he looked around and go, maybe I'll go coach the Lakers.
They got Shaq and Kobe, right, Yeah, maybe I'll do that.
Yeah, you know, yeah, I mean that's the smart park, because you know, if you got him in place, then you just you know, you you do a little dressing around the edges and then you let those guys go to work.
Richard Smith forty years in the NBA with Utah Jazz is Live and Studio on a beautiful Thursday, mischiet Bonnie this morning.
I know, I know, I'm sorry about that, man.
How'd you do forty one thirty nine?
Did you really? Really?
And I didn't make any putts. I don't know why I was. My ball striking was both surprising and very pleasing. Really yeah, I played well Wow, but no putts, Smitty, I gotta start making putts.
Let's get out soon. Huh.
All right?
Coming up next BYU with a big one tonight Alabama. Maybe we'll do some jazz. I don't know, but Smittye Live and Studio brought to you by Burt Brothers. With over thirty years of experience, ariance and nearly thirty locations. Burt Brothers AC certified technicians bring expertise in professionalism INTE every interaction industry leading warranties and low price tier guarantees.
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Smitty coming up next. Right here on ESPN seven hundred, Richard Smith live in studio, so we've hit our YouTube quota for the day.
I will not knock on Porter.
For giving the people what they want. Little streets have no name with Ryles. Have you seen you two in person and live.
In person several times?
And Bill okay, yeah and go yeah, it's you know, they put on quite a show.
That's great, terrific. Yeah, all right, we.
Got the Madness of March resumes in one hour from now as Breagham Young will take on Alabama and the Sweet Sixteen.
We've got four.
If you're a college basketball fan, I cannot wait to go home, and just I will marinate on the couch tonight for hours.
I've got all of them recorded.
Because if you've been paying attention between commercial breaks and video reviews, oh my gosh, man, can we please play basketball?
This is this is this is what's driving It's this whole thing, the whole thing. I think if you really taken a thirty five thousand foot view of the whole thing, it's really kind of funny. Like you know how much money they pull in and how much they market all this and and you know what used to be amateur sports, right, it's is a whole different thing, and it doesn't it doesn't matter. All that stuff's out the window.
Yeah, but spitty, like, I'm a grown up. I know they're making money, play your ads, but the reviews, like, dude, we can all see what is going on. We do not need a ten minute stoppage to decide whether or not the ball went off the player.
Yeah.
Yeah, it's always it's always that that that that stuff in this sport and also in football, you know, in the NFL. It just it drives me crazy when they you know, I don't know, I always think, you know, I don't know what they did in the old days, the old days. Uh spence, Spence, check its was the line, judge. You just said it was this or that and you went on like, well, you know, now everybody's got a
way in they scrutinized. Of course they're afraid if they're wrong that that, you know, millions of people are going to get on them because they they saw the tape and everything.
It's just it's awful.
But before we get to the games tonight, you were good enough to remind me during the break commutual friend of ours and the man who was the original jazz Bear and the jazz Bear for two decades plus, I mean more than twenty years, and just the sweet guy. His name is John Apsey. We got some bad news about John and we're all here to support him. So Smitty, for our listeners that are not familiar with the news that came down over the past week or so, why don't you fill us in?
Yeah, John, John Absey, the longtime bear for the Utah Jazz, has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer stage three. Talked with him last night. I asked him if if he was okay with me just mentioning it on the air today,
and he said, of course. His His goal is more to educate the public and to try and help people who might find themselves in similar health situations, who feel, you know, when they get a shot to the to the gut like this, and and all of a sudden it comes out of the out of left field, Adam that that you not only get staggered, but you also sometimes your head is spinning about, Okay, how do I
handle this? How do I systematically go about getting the proper care, getting my insurance stuff lined up, making sure I can try and and and deal with whatever my
health issue is. And and and John really wanted to just get the word out that, you know, while he fights his own individual battle, that that he's trying to put together information that will help other people who get you know, similar type diagnoses during their lives to maybe have a starting point of of a how to how to start looking for care, how to start doing this
thing that that might that might help them. So he's, he said, along his journey that's still in front of him, he's going to be trying to put together a guide book of sorts or or a blue book, so to speak, to try and help people. You know, these are the
steps you should be taking. This is the stuff you should do, you know, when the if if in one you or some loved ones, uh find yourself in this kind of a situation to try and help you more organized, because I can tell you, Spence, nobody has done more in this community, not only in their job, which which was his job with the Jazz for over two decades, and in that regard in terms of charitable efforts, but John did so much stuff outside of the Jazz on
his own, for groups, for kids, for disadvantage people that I can't even tell you, you know how many people you'll really owe a debt to him, just in terms of how he has lived his life to this point in service of others. And it's you know, he wants. He's not putting all this stuff out there to to
get people to be feel sorry for him. He's trying to put it out there to get people to rally around others and to help other people, you know, find their way through whatever their challenges are, to help them to to get to get better, to get the kind of care and support that they need, and whatever their individual challenges are. So so we we love John and and we hope the best for he and and Sean and their girls and in this fight and we're with him on.
So John Absey, the original Jazz Bear, is fighting pancreatic cancer.
Okay, So that's the diagnosis.
There is a go fund me and I would just encourage you to google John Absey, which is spelled j O N then A B S E Y. You can include go fund me and your Google search and the link will come up.
Uh.
These types of things, uh you know, the cruel reality is they cost a lot of money and even if you have insurance, oftentimes it only covers a portion of it. I will not give you a commentary on my take on the social uh you know, situation regarding medical care in America and how many I think it's twenty million plus US Americans per year go bankrupt as a result of the inability to pay for medical care, which is pathetic in a lot of ways.
But let's just leave that there because we won't get political.
But John Apsey, Original Jazz Bar fighting pincreatic cancer. If you're able to donate to the GoFundMe, they are trying to raise money to help John fight this this horrible disease. So there you go, smitthe I appreciate that reminder. I was going to bring that up, and I'm glad you brought it up. And to your point, the sweetest guy around, you know, and for so many years nobody knew who the jazz bear was, right because you weren't supposed to do.
And then you know, now we know that it was John who I thought among, if not the best mascots.
And I'm dead serious, I'm not just saying that.
I mean, I've been so of you, how many NBA arenas, probably all of them. When John was doing the John stuff at the top of his game, I don't know that there was anybody better.
Well, they have a thing that you know, most people don't know about. It's probably more of an internal organization anything, but the mascots community, you know, both on the collegiate level and the professional level across all sports, they they have their own community. And John, while he was doing it, he was he was the seventh time Mascot of the Year.
Whoever votes on that and however that's decided. You know, he's considered a pillar in that, in that community, and it's in the in the Mascot Hall of Fame again whatever however that's decided. But but you know, he's just he's been seen over the years by those people who are inside of that that that business as one of the best to ever do it and one of the kindest guys to ever do it, and that's that's why he's so highly thought of by the people in the sporting community.
Well said, all right, last segment, If you missed it, really good insight. Smitty is one of the very few people in the basketball ecosystem that is familiar with both Wes Wilcox and Raphael Chilas. So we did some Utah basketball talking about the Alex Jensen Higher becoming official. If you missed any of that, go to the podcast page and hear what Smidia had to say about coach chill and Wes Wilcox hired by the U. Tell if Alex build this thing, how much middy before you give the
games tonight? Kevin Young, former NBA coach, You guys can go look at his staff. They're all former NBA G League guys. There's a little bit of a BYU flavor, but not much. Charles Abuo is on his staff, but it's mostly x NBA guys or X G League guys and Bringham. Young is reported to have two seven figure players on the roster this year, and if the reports are true, they're paying aj The bands is seven million dollars to play five months of basketball next year in Provo.
There are a lot of people that are doing the narrative like Utah is just ripping off the BYU model to try to build their program. Certainly BYU is not the only only program in the country that as XNBA guys are a grip of NIL support. But things are happening down in Provo on the basketball side of things that are hard to ignore, right, I mean, as far as the money they have and the NBA model they put in place.
Well, they have a lot.
You know what BYU has to my understanding, I don't know this you know firsthand, but I believe that they with the new NIL influence in college athletics now, BYU has been able to tap into their donor base and their support base, which involves a lot of people through this tech corridor if you will, spend between Salt Lake and Prova Silicon the Silicon Slopes, and there's a lot of BYU people involved in that. And my understanding is that there's a lot of them who have chosen to
get involved on a financial level for the program. They don't want a lot of publicity. I know a lot of them saying hey, look, I'll get involved, I'll donate, I'll do this or whatever it is.
But I don't want to be that guy.
I'm just you know, I just want to do my part and you know, slide in the side door and sit down in my seat, watch the game and go home whatever. So there's a lot of those people. I think Ryan Smith, the owner of the Jazz uh you know, is a big b YU booster. You know, he's right front and center. You know, he kind of gets a lot of the attention, you know, for what's going on. You know, whether that's accurate or not, I don't know.
I do know he's a he's a terrific uh b YU supporter, and he's had a lot of the games with his family and and and they're big boosters there. But there are a lot of other people involved also that have helped by you in that regard. And and we've mentioned before Spence on on this show, there's there's you don't normally get if you're you're if you're a church related school located in Provo, Utah, you don't normally get into the living room of the top A national
recruit who happens to be from Boston Massachusetts. You know, without something going on, you know that that that attracts that individual will to to a program like b YU and so uh and and and look it's it's all, it's all above board, it's all. That's what it is now, that's what's going on. And so uh until that changes, uh, you know with the revenue sharing or how they're gonna how that's all gonna play out in college athletics. You know, the you know b YU has uh has figured out
how to do that. To this point, they're on a nice little run here. I love how people always you know, these things get amplified this time of year, right or wrong, Uh, based on how you you play one game or or a particular game.
You know.
Colorado State, you know, maybe should have could have won their game last week against Maryland. They hit a game winning shot with six seconds left. Maryland comes down, the guy hits a floater, you know, fallaway shot at the buzzer, and they end up winning instead in Colorado State goes home. But Colorado State would be a nice story if they had that shot hadn't gone in and and and they're in the sweet sixteen. But b YU played two good games.
Shot the ball well. Played well against Wisconsin and was able to hold on at the end even though they tried to lose the game the last couple of minutes the way they played, but they had enough of a cushion to survive and then had to stop right at the end to win the game. So they're in a great position tonight playing a tough Alabama team that is really athletic, and it's gonna test BYU's ability to match up to be able to defend them and to be
able to be able. They're going to have to be able to shoot the way that they're capable of doing if they're going to have a chance to be in it at the end.
So that brings us to tonight, And before we get to BYU Alabama smiddy, there are sixteen teams left in college basketball and zero Cinderellas. Don't tell me Arkansas of Cinderella Cal has like three or four pros. They were just hurt to start the year and they didn't play well. And when I watch them play Kansas, you could tell that the talent on that roster did not actually reflect the ten seed. Only four conferences represented seven teams from
one conference. Is this the new re I mean, I know you don't though out of bracket and I fill one out and like an idiot, I picked Cinderella's because you know, I've watched the thing my entire life. Is it the new reality of college basketball where we're just going to see more separation from the top to the bottom.
Yeah, well, I think I think for two reasons, Spence. One is is it the nil stuff Until they get a handle on that, until there's some form of so called salary cap like they have in the pros, programs are going to be able to get the top players. And no matter what you say, how you phrase it,
how you approach it. You know kids who are juniors and seniors in high school who have aspirations to, you know, maybe play someday as a professional, or even if they don't get there, maybe their college experience will end up being their professional experience in terms of financial reward. So they're looking at schools that are going to give them an opportunity to earn some money right out of the gate. And then the other the other equation is the fact
that you have this open transfer portal process. So you know, Randy Ray, you know, the great weaver state coach who retired a couple of years ago, and by his own admission, probably the three or four years earlier than he wanted to or had originally planned to. He got out because
he said, I can see it coming. I don't want to have to deal with it because if I get fortunate enough in the recruiting process to get another Damian Lillard to come to Weaver State and play well my fresh his freshman year, he doesn't come back his sophomore year because he's going to Kansas. So he's going to Texas. So he's going to use CLA or whoever has the money. And I would not want to stop them, because that's what it's all about, right, Yeah, I mean so uh,
you know, so that's what's gonna happen. So you're you're seeing the so called cream rising to the top. All the big boys are going to continue to be the bigger boys because as long as they have those kind of financial resources and the situations that they're in, you know, to to attract collegiate players, that's what's gonna happen. And and you know this thing like you know, going up to the U this year, and I'm an you but
I like all the teams in the state. I go to the U Games because there are five minutes from my house and I and I support I've supported the program for a long time. But I go up there this year, and you know, they were competitive. Craig Smith is a good coach. He knows what he's doing on x's and o's stuff. He just didn't have the horses.
And and if you looked at that roster, all these guys who came from different schools from last year other than the Madson kid, you know, we're from different schools that they plucked from the transfer portal. And you don't have any connection to these guys. They're not the kids who are freshmen and sophomores now. They're your juniors and seniors who you've been rooting for and that's my guy
and whatever. You don't see him grow up. They're just passing through because as soon as they get a different thing, they're gone to the next thing, whatever that is. And that was born out last year when when Utah had the Devin Smith kid who came in Davon and and and uh and he played well enough and boom boom, he's off to Saint John's you know, this year, and
so that's just going to continue to happen. And unless you have you know, some unusual, you know, magic potion that gets your kids to want to play for good old you know state to good old University and be part of that fabric for three or four years, like the old Alex Jensen days and Michael Doliacs and Andre Miller's and Keith Van Horns and all these guys who stayed four years, and we're part of the fabric of that that that's everything's just gonna be a revolving door.
And so how do you root for them?
In fact, I asked I was on a trip last week with a bunch of BYU fans and and and as we were visiting, I just asked them casually, Hey, I'm just curious now that this whole landscape has changed, and we know kids are getting paid, and we know what's going on, you know, in that regard you as a fan, do you find your fandom having changed at all in terms of how you think about the kids
you're coming to root for every night. Has that changed your the way you look at it, or it just doesn't matter to you as long as they're winning.
That that kind of thing.
And everyone I asked, you know, individually, they they said, nah, you know, I know it's changed and whatever. But you know, I go with my family because it's a good time and you know, we can root to something we can do together as a family or as friends going to a game. But obviously if they're winning, that makes it much more fun, right And the other part how they're winning, Why they're winning. They're paying the guys the most money, so they got the better guys.
Whatever.
I really don't think about it, you know, I just think about they're wearing. You know, it's the old Jerry Seinfeld bit about laundry, you know, laundry. I'm not really rooting for my guys. I'm rooting for laundry because whoever's wearing the shirt of my school, that's who I'm rooting for.
Yeah, you know, yeah, I wonder one more thing here that I do want to get your thoughts on what we could see tonight. B Why you getting going just about forty minutes from now. But my listeners are probably sick of hearing me say this. I just think it's the only solution, and I think it needs to happen sooner.
Rather than later, which is simply.
Leaning more into the model allowing the players to unionize and collectively bargained.
And therefore.
Gabe Mattson signs a three year contract with a fourth year option to play for the Utes, which means you're here for three years and then or whatever two years third year option. At least you've got the guy for two years, and if he's a pro after that, the third year options is and he leaves, or if he's not that good, the third year option is ours.
So your ours for three years. I don't see any other way around it. Smitty to me, that's the only solution.
Well, they have to have some kind of cap or ceiling on what they do. In other words, it's got to be some kind of stability. Right now, it's a revolving door for both. Look look at the coaches. Look at just in the last week. It's a good point the coaches who have moved on, you know, whether it was and how about the guys who were involved in the NCAAA scandal.
And the Maryland coach took the Villanova job, but he is coaching tonight.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, right right, I mean, you know, but I mean it seems like most people involved don't really care as long as you somehow have a formula that allows.
You to have some level of success.
Okay, whether it's a Sean Miller who got run out of Arizona because and in part because of that that bribery scandal, or Will Wade LSU who got run out because of the same thing.
And they go to lesser.
Schools, do do do do they have a couple of good years? Here we are back in the line light at the big schools, you know, with Sean Miller going, uh, going to Texas and and and and Will Wade going n C State. I mean, you know, like to me my opinion, you're like, you got to be kidding me, Like this is it's so blatant about how schools are handling their business now and uh, but who's on the
other end of the spectrum. Somebody like Saint Francis of Pennsylvania, Scott Layden's old school, who decides last week they get in the the the first four right because they won their league tournament.
They lose.
A couple of days later, they announced that they're moving next year to Division III, that they're getting out of this scrum. They'd say, we can't do it. It's not gonna work for us the way everybody else is doing it. We understand what's going on. We can't compete in that regard.
So we're going back to what everybody was originally supposed to be forty fifty sixty years ago, right, which was which was a student activity and the process of being a program on campus where the students came and they got scholarships to go to school and then they played for good Old U. And now it's not that. Now it's a big time business and it's really a professional sports business that colleges are running. And it's interesting that how many schools are just you know, just chasing that
that dollar down that rabbit hole. And it's it's really interesting to me that that more presidents of high schools, of higher institute higher learning aren't looking at that and going, wait a minute, do we do we need to have a meeting about this, like what are we doing?
You know?
And whether it's the Ivy League schools or whether it's other smaller schools who know they can't compete and they are getting out of it like that, So that's interesting to me. And that's but this whole march madness thing. This thing is like, this is some beast that's out of out of whack, and everybody, everybody goes along with it. Spence,
It's interesting. It's like Mark Cuban said years ago in interview about copyright infringement copyright laws, and the biggest copyright infringement company going is YouTube because YouTube uses everybody else's contact.
They have nothing that's the wrong.
They they use everybody else's stuff and they don't pay them, and everybody acknowledges it, and everybody goes whatever, all right, and they.
Shrug, right.
I mean that's and and we all fall into it because we all use YouTube right to look at something or whatever, and YouTube wouldn't have it if they had to pay copyright and image blah blah blah, And so we all fall into it.
We're all part of it.
We're all as guilty as the next guy for participating and being part of it. And it's it's just interesting that that's that's what we find in college athletics, and it's getting more so that way, right, That's that's the direction that's going.
As we currently have this conversation live on our YouTube streaming channel, you can subscribe to the ESPN seven hundred YouTube channel. All Right, somebody, before I say you lose. BYU struggles this year. For the most part, they've had some outliers. They lost to the U, they got smoked by Cincinnati randomly. Their struggles this year have been when they ran up against a team that has elite physicality, athleticism, speed and strength. That's kind of who Bama is. Bama's
not Houston. Excuse me, Bama's not Houston physical, but they're faster than Houston. They play with the best pace in college basketball. They're the fastest team in college basketball. I don't know you think about the Sears kid, but he's a really seasoned veteran college basketball point guard. They were in the final four year ago. They lost a great game to Yukon. When you look at the numbers, these two teams are similar. They want to get up and down,
they want to score. Alabama is a five point five point favorite. Where Alabama excels where BYU does not is Alabama guards the three a little bit better than BYU. BYU is one of the worst defensive teams of guarding the three. In Bama lets to shoot the three. Bama is a great offensive rebounding team. Okay, but Canada fus Treori. BYU's got some athletic bigs might be able to hang. How do they get it done? And you think they can as BYU takes on Bama in just about forty minutes.
Right, yeah, I think Well, if BYU is going to win and they're going to be in it at the end, they're going to have to They're gonna have to shoot the balls. That's what they rely on well the whole season. So they can't get away from that.
That.
You can't shy away and try and change your game plan. Now, this is what got you here, this is what you know. The girl you brought to the dance, that's who you're dancing with. So they've got to be able to shoot the three. They've got to be able to get good looks that they're comfortable with, and they've got to make their share. They've got to make eleven, twelve, thirteen threes during the course of the game and get in a
flow that they feel comfortable doing that with. The Other thing for them is, you know, Alabama is so athletic, can attack them. They've got to have a better transition defense to slow it down to get in some kind of a rhythm defensively for BYU. But then if they get into a clutch game, which is in the college three three points or less or two minutes to go, b YU has to handle it better than they did against Wisconsin. They did not do a good job at
the end. Wisconsin, they had a big enough cushion they were able to survive it barely. But they have to be able to handle it better and they're gonna have to rely on their key guy Saunders and Demon And then usually when you have a game like this, this deep in the tournament, Spence, someone else shows up and has the game of the year for them.
Who is that? I don't know.
Is it Trey ri who comes in and gets twelve rebounds and it goes six for six from the field because he keeps getting.
Duck ins and dunks or whatever.
Or is it Trevinnell who gets free because Alabama doesn't respect him quite as much on the weak side and he's able to drill four threes in the second half or something like that. That comes out of the woodwork that helps you to get over the hump. But I'm excited for the game It's gonna be fun to watch a.
Lot of good basketball tonight. Good night if you're a college basketball fan. Smitty, Great to see my friend, and we'll see you.
Next weekk neks Man, appreciate it.
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SHOPIFA online, at IFA dot co op, or stopped by one of their neighborhood stores. Today a lot of speculation about whether or not Dion Sanders is going to get involved in the landing spot for his son Shadoor. Dion gave an interview today where he said he will be happy with wherever Shador Sanders is drafted NFL Draft less than a month away. Skip Bayless is still doing media. I didn't know that it was on the Skip Bayless show today.
Quote.
Shador has told me he's talked to me intently about all the visits he's had with all the teams, so I know where his heart is.
I know where he wants to go.
If it's New York, if it's New York, if it's Tennessee, Cleveland Raiders, if it's New Orleans, any.
Of these teams that are seeking a quarterback.
I'm happy with it because I know he's going what he's going to mean to the organization.
Does that mean he wants to go to New York.
I'm still stuck on the Skip still do a media thing.
I didn't know that Skip Bayless was doing media, but I saw the the Dion Sanders story and I clicked on it, and Skip is still doing Skip stuff.
Yeah, he's still doing stuff. I don't know, man. I think that.
We hear a lot about this pre draft, not every year, but most years, and then it's only really come to fruition. I want to say, like Philip Rivers, Eli Manning scenario. Yeah, John Elway for sure. But I feel like we have a conversation every year. I don't know when the next time we see one of those types of power moves happen, but if it were anybody, it might be a Dion and uh Dion's kids to make it happen. But I I ultimately think that Shador is going to get drafted.
He's gonna go to that team, and hopefully it's in a situation where he can sit for a year or so, and then I think he might be a pretty talented player.
Speaking yeah, I mean the talent's there, but speaking of an obnoxious media members, I was honestly not gonna mention this. And for years, you know, because we like to cover the NBA on the show, wish we could cover the jazz more, but they're just not interesting.
I've always fought the narrative like that.
The NBA feels scripted in the league feels like the WWE. But what ESPN has pulled over the past twenty four hours where Lebron went on the McAfee show to take a shot at steven A and then steven A this.
Blowhart the media.
The way media members have ruined this business, namely Skip baylists and steven A Smith are so so exhausting, and look, I'm not a hater. Go get your bag, go get your money, but this feels scripted to me. You know, steven A comes out, he's claiming that he would throw hands at.
Lebron so embarrassing.
Yeah, the whole thing is embarrassing. I did think that Lebron actually handled himself really well for the most part. On the McAfee show. I thought his Windhorse stuff was a little cheap. I thought that was a little unnecessary. I think, for my prison, Brian Windhorst has done nothing but stand up for Lebron over the course of their relationship in his media career, I thought that was a
little cheap. But I don't watch the McAfee show. I did end up watching that, and then all that does is allow Steven A. Smith to do his YouTube thing, and then he's complaining and then he goes on first take. This feels very wwe ish to me.
Yeah, and you mentioned it, the stephen A stuff, that the Skip Bayless stuff. For me, that's where sports media has gone wrong in a big way when we engagement farm rather than just analyze right. That to me is something I've never had any interest in. The first take stuff, the back and forth stuff where you argue two sides of an argument that you don't even agree with. That to me is something that I have zero interest in
when it comes to covering sports. When it comes to why I'm in this business, But when it becomes the story, worry. I guess we talk about it and yeah, man, it seems contrived. It seems like something that they're they're pushing. Of course, Lebron goes on and hits a game winner on ESPN that night, which which only adds to it. But for me and and you're a you're you know, you don't hesitate to maybe critique Lebron here and there.
I think you're you're fair in saying that this has been ugly in a lot of ways, but more so on the ESPN side. Man, to have one of your lead broadcasts, your lead analyst, who is getting paid I want to say, one hundred million dollars. Steven A Smith going on and talking about putting hands like fighting a player, going on and talking about the the late Kobe Bryant.
For some reason, he mentioned Gloria James this morning. Steven A did like he is just going on like this hall of fame tour of hater uh and it's it's kind of a bad look if you if you ask me, I don't like steven A's approach in general, but this last has been a really bad look in general, the wind Horse stuff. We haven't heard his name brought up in those scenarios at all, because for twenty years he just goes about covering Lebron and doing his job and
we don't get the pushback because there's none there. I will say I watched First Take the other day and it was the first time in my entire life, following Braun, following Windhorse, that I heard Brian kind of maybe step into that realm a little bit. He was kind of speaking for Lebron and in some weird ways on First Take yesterday morning. So to hear Lebron go and mention Brian by name, I think it was directly connected to
the interview he did on ESPN the other morning. But Yeah, like you said, I think a lot of it's contrived, a lot of it's seems like an ESPN thing, And I know that's our the flagship, we have broadcast partnerships there, But I just I hate it. I think it's something we have to get away from it. Unfortunately, we're not getting away.
From nothing about it feels real unfortunately. So if you're an adult with internet act with internet access, chances are you heard about this. It was just dumb, all right, fun show, fun show, A lot of good stuff today Porter before we get out of here, what comes our way out of Friday edition of the radio show.
On a Friday edition of The Drive, Howard Beck stops by the program talks some MBA with Howard, of course, but we just were discussing it was a lot of college hoops on the show today. Andy Larson stops by for a little jazz basketball, maybe some RSL as well. Are you went to golf? PGA Tour Leaderboard update on a Friday with our friend Paul Pugmeyer as we do
each and every week. And then the final hour of the show Josh Eilert, who of course is prepping for a Monday college basketball Crown matchup, and then we'll chat with Larry Fulmer also got a pretty busy weekend ahead with the Golden Gloves at the Fulmer Boxing Academy which is just opening. So some fun stuff on the show show tomorrow, a lot of NBA, a lot of college hoops, and we'll go from there.
Good stuff on a Friday, Get your weekend started out the right way with us, and we will say good night with a special thank you to Mark Harlan, Bill Riley and Richard Smith for any of the sound you may have missed from the show. ESPN seven hundred Sports dot Com is where you go download our.
Mobile app, take us on the go. It's very easy.
It's the way I listen to our radio station. It's called the ESPN seven hundred App. It's available in the App Store of the Google Play Store. Then, finally, for what we do in our space, specifically four hours every day in the afternoon, the podcast page is the way to do it because you can consume whichever part of the show you want to on your time. Podcast is called The Drive with Spence. Check its It's available wherever you get your show. Subscribe, rate, review, say nice things
in the comments, give us all the stars. Also, we got our book today. Our February ratings. We're smoking our competition. Thank you so much for your years. We don't take any of you for granted. He's Porter, I'm Spence, Sagan and I have a great Thursday evening. We'll tatch you out a Friday drive as always, you can catch that right here on ESPN seven hundred.
Mm hmm