This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera and Jag and Sala sound Fox
Sports fourteen fifteen powered by Nova Insurance Services. I'm sure your most prized possessions
kt z R two SA at iHeartRadio Station, gooy, Good afternoon, everybody.
Welcome to Eye on the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm
Steve Rivera. He's jagan'saus got our guy Juan in today Friday. Didn't think
you'd get here Friday. Thank you for being here. One two more hours
and a week called a week a week. You can tell it's summer,
reaching the end of the June here. We posted our guests an hour ago,
not even yeah, love me about an hour ago. Actually one guest
and then we got another one. Yeah yeah, So we'll be it will
be okay today. In fact, we'll continue Jay will continue to rant,
and I'll continue to ask the question. I was ranting already, but this
was a private matter, so we're not gonna We're not gonna talk. Yeah,
okay, so we'll talk about whatever you guys want to call it for.
That's fine. FUT two four one forty h should be a good show.
We have one here and we have a couple of quick guests. How
will you pronounce his name? I'm gonna I'm gonna go Shreya Lata, Shreya
Lata. Okay, I'll write that. We'll ask him thougheah. When do
you get him on the phone. He's from the Kansas City Paper. We're
gonna talk a lot about what the hell? Maybe I want you to talk.
We know here at the PAC twelve they suck. They suck at the
Big Big twelve. Well here's the thing. Well there's that, and here's
the thing I was thinking about. You know, to to here here in
Arizona, it's a really big deal to play Kansas because so many of the
conference games in the PAC twelve are bad games. You're dying for, you
know, for good exciting environment and good exciting games, and you go to
the Big twelve and all the games are like that. So when you miss
out on a chance to have a team like Kansas come to town, you're
you're like, what the hell to them? You know, And I'm gonna
predict that he's gonna say, it's not as big a deal to us as
it is to you, because you know what, we play Baylor, we
play Iowa State. We play Kansas State. They have all these great games
that they get. Arizona is just another one of those, right right.
But for us, you know, playing Kansas is like getting Duke, you
know, and when when we think we should get him and we don't,
we're pissed. And that's what happened when the schedule came out yesterday. So
and we'll see what they say on that side. This is all okay,
well, yeah, yeah, well you know we'll play you guys, fine,
then no big deal. I'd just be interested to see what he thinks.
And if he thinks that the Big twelve office was as stupid as we
as we think they were, okay, well ask the US that stupid question.
Stupid question, Okay, no cool. And then at the other hour,
we're gonna get a regular guy, George Modes yep from Showtime Cards.
Well, the the Brownie James Jersey got released today. He's number nine.
And so you know my carrier curiosity. You know, you're I'm already saying,
you know, i'm a i'm a I'm a I've got an account with
Fanatic and some other you know sports, uh not memorabili, but you know
sports uh uh Gear websites, and so his jersey is all over my Facebook
and Twitter feeds and stuff like that. I'm curious, you know, is
there any value or you know, do you get one now to keep it
for later or are you wasting your money if you get any briannye James Gear.
I've seen some things. I saw one said that it's a it's a
nothing burger. But you know, George, you know, I thought,
maybe George can tell us a little bit about what Kate, what he can
expect from from that market. And I thought i'd be fun, fun conversation
for a Friday afternoon, you know, Okay, simple get out, in
and out with it. Yeah great, okay, what else anything else?
I know, it's just kind of crazy here. And as we get to
the holiday weekend, we'll let them know we're not gonna be here on the
right, we should remind everybody. Or the fifth. Yeah, we're gonna
we're gonna be off obviously off on the fourth, and then Steve's just gonna
be a slacker for the new day and for the year. So he talked
me into taking off the fifth. It was he had to really really twist
my arm to do that said, so you want to, and I said,
yeah, So we're gonna take off the fourth and the fifth, so
Steve can maybe get out of town and I'll be here. But you know,
we do our Mount Lemon thing on fourth of July, which always a
ton of fun, and so you know, it'll be nice to get a
couple of days off. Okay, yeah, we'll do that, and Juan
will not have to come in here. He told me he wasn't coming in
anyway. Scott, what, yeah, first time? Yes, I'm very
excited. What can I do to talk you? Wait? Wait wait wait
wait, I'm sure a girl convinced you to do this? No? Oh,
so pretty well? So wh who you're doing with? Somebody with my
dad? Okay, a couple of family members okay, in San Diego too?
Oh okay, I mean if I go worst comes to where you know,
I'm going out with the good view which comes and your family they're they're
doing it too, or just you just me and my dad? And is
this a bucket list or whatever word you want to use, summer thing?
What? Okay? What what are you looking to get out of this?
You know? What? What? What? Why do you want to do
this? Just a little bit of excitement in life. You know, summer
has been kind of dull, it's been a second Did this goes to your
point that I said, what the hell you thinking? When at least tickets
say you got drafted? Now you can say at least I jumped out of
a plane. Exactly, good for you. Now you have to jump attached
to somebody. There's no way going yeah solo. Yeah, yeah, man,
there's just like four hundred bucks. I got one of one of those
two for one. Yeah. The family packed or something? Oh yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah, Okay, they study. It's not cheap where
like like where in San Diego? I mean like is it near the beach
or just over the city somewhere or outside the sey just a little bit outside
the city. Cool? Cool? Good luck do you have? I know
a few people have done it, they survived, so they're good. Do
you have some more potential Friday interns? Yeah, we got we got enough.
We've got more covered if you know we got well, good luck with
that, man. I hope you have fine. I hope it's everything you
want it to be. What are you looking most forward to? So it's
very specific, but two years ago my dad did it for the first time
with a couple of family members. My cousin he sat right at the door
and he scared off I. He was sort of livers the entire time.
So that's what I want to know. Where I'm going to be placed in
the planks. If I feel like, if I'm at that door, it's
gonna be better for me, I'm just like, right, it's right there,
Okay, all right, man. I hope, I hope it's like
I said, I hope it's everything you want it to be. That is
one thing, one thing that's never entered my mind about doing. Remember where
you were you remember why? It was Anthony Jimino, John Wilner, I
think have maybe Holi but Tom Aliba all went up to Moran and did it
together. You remember that. No, I thought there, Well, you
would have been here because Wilner was here. He was one of the guys
that did it. I thought you were going to tell you all these guys
finally got a date. Well maybe it was their way of getting a date,
right, they'll jump out of the plane with you if you'll go out
with me or something. But they all did. They all did it.
Yeah, I think did it well? It was that was that group?
It was it was, but I know it was Anthony and I think maybe
like Miles Standish stargut Star. Yeah, they went instead. There were five
or six of them and they all went and did it. Have If you're
listening and you were in that group, give us a call because we want
to talk to you about this. This is a crazy unexpected topic. But
maybe you can. You can talk to one all about it. But yeah,
there was those are like five or six of those guys all went and
did it. I didn't hear that one. I'm okay with not hearing that
one. Well all right, man, all right, that's cool. Well
see if I don't chake it out, that's the real question. But your
dad's done it. He's not gonna let you check it paid for. Oh
y, your dad's not gonna let you check it out because he's done it.
Okay, good luck, you don't you'll be fun. Do you know
how high you'll be jumping from? Have they told you? I don't want
to You don't want to know. I get up there and you'll have you
ever watched one of those videos of like the you like the Navy Seals or
the Navy guys that you know parachute into a stadium. Have you ever seen
one of those? And you go, you from where they jumped, the
stadium looks like a posted stamp, and then you just watch them and they
make that. I'm like, how they hit that? I'll never know.
They remember there was one practice I think there was an Arizona Bowl where the
parachuters missed the stadium. Oh, I don't remember that. It was either
an Arizona Bowl or a U of a game. I don't somebody missed the
stay outside the stadium. I don't remember that. I remember I remember seeing
they've done it a few times. Yeah, where they've made it insign.
Yeah, well I didn't know that. Yeah, just just missed it.
Okay, I know if you know, miscalculated the wind or what we just
missed the stadium. Yeah, person was okay, but just he just ended
up a bomb. Dubs had to gather up his parachute and you know when
the cars out there getting the ball, the ball, he's over there to
the practice field. All right, okay, all right, Well, well
I guess we'll see you in two weeks. If you don't show up,
well, you know, I know not now I'm motivated to make sure that
I just stay on my couch on Friday, not take any chance. Yeah,
I'm not gonna take any chance. Okay, well, good luck.
What else is going on? We have about five minutes again our number five,
two, four, one, six, seventy four forty. I'd like
to hear from you. A lot of things going on. Did the guys
showed up in Miami? I think to uh to talk to the Miami prep.
I try to reach their guy too. Maybe we do that next week
and see what what to expect the chance actually getting ninety on that team.
I guess they'll be in Vegas for the summer league. Well, and the
thing is, I mean the two guys Pali Larson and in Kisha Johnson,
they played different positions. You know, they're not really playing for the same
position. But you know, there's only so many RUSSIH spots roster spots available,
so you know they're gonna have to beat out different guys to make the
team. But you know, look, one one second round draft choice.
Making the team is hard too, is obviously, well even harder, like
I say many times, when these guys get drafted or and don't make it.
I still wish I had their potential because guess they're gonna make it somewhere
to make your upper right, they'll make a ton of money back home.
You know, whatever, did you read a story on Johnson his background,
his family background. Well, I saw there was a story story. I
haven't read it, and I keep meaning to read it. But also I
haven't read the Kim moll Key story, So yeah, what the hell you
doing something? I'm busy doing what. I'm a busy guy. I just
I'm writing them working. I've worked for people, and I do things.
Okay, I'm not gonna I don't lie. I slacked a lot today,
but the whole thing of getting guests for today took up a lot, you
know, the angst of it took up a lot of my a lot of
my effort today. Honestly, didn't do a lot today, didn't get much.
Well, you're gonna have to do some work eventually. Yeah, because
he's got a great story about background and his brother being shot. And this
is when someone send me that story before, I think, before the draft
last week, I'm thinking, these are the stories that we we here at
the universities need to tell. That's what we're here for had we been able
to kind of talk to these guys one on one or whatever, that story
would have come out months ago, not now when he's gone. When he's
gone, right and he finally got to sit down with somebody for an extended
period. We just don't get that time. And if we do, we
get three questions at the podium. Yeah, and how can you get into
a story like that? I mean, you know, I mean we you
know, we've got guys you know on our show during the season, but
it's just it's hard. You know, you have to ask ahead of time,
and you know, and you know, most of the time the ability
you don't get the information and stuff, so you know, it is it's
difficult. So and they're fine with it, you know, the people that
were the powers that be, you ay, this is this is one of
the only problems I have. And then that's it access and and then this
is how and we are We were times where we have the show and they're
doing their practice and we can go or do the interviews, right, uh,
And that's on us and that's on them. But but this is my
philosophy. If they don't care enough to make them available, why should we
or why should I why should you care enough to write about it? Right?
I hear you, you know, And and look, I mean we
you know, we go through this, Steve, and we you know,
we did today. We were trying to reach people that, you know,
to just see if we can get somebody on the show, and not even
a response. And that's that's what that's what's difficult for me, is that
we're trying to help people, right, like you know, the guests that
we were trying to get yesterday, Like we're trying to help and never even
got a response, right. And and you know, I don't know if
people think, well, you know, if I go on this radio show,
they're gonna ask me some hard questions. If you listen to our radio
show, we don't ask hard questions, no, no, but from time
to time we have asked interesting questions. Yeah, and it's topical and people
put people want to know, right, you know, right, but you're
not coming on our show to you know, right well, you know,
we're not dateline, we're not forty eight hours. We're not coming on to
kind of you know, do that stuff. And it's uh, it's frustrating
sometimes when all you want to do is tell the stories, and you can't
get people to let you tell their story. That's hard. And then that
and as as journalists from a time when that was what we did that that
I mean, yes we covered the games, but that was just a piece
of what we did. We wrote the stories about the people, right,
and that you can't really can't do that anymore, right, and especially the
games. You see the games, you know the games. When was the
last time you sat down and had an interview with the player? And how
long was it? That's a good question, that's a good question. Well,
well, it's the only time we get to do is postseason in the
n CUAA tournaments. And so this last tournament, I went to Utah,
I went to Vegas, I went to La So you had some extra time.
So that that was it. But I'm talking about you call somebody and
you say, can I get this player for half an hour or an hour?
It hasn't been It's been a long time. It's been probably when I
was with Fox, maybe ten years ago, but that was like, yeah,
not really. And you get to the coach and we've talked to Tommy
a few times, talked to his dad. Had that in story but no,
you're right, and it's been a long time. They do, they
do, and yeah, and then you and me. That's that's what moved
on to the next thing. And that's what we do it for. We
do it the fans so they get to know these guys, especially in this
in il time, they would get to know the players and maybe hey,
I can help, I can help. Hey, we got to go.
All right, we do have to know your bitch. You started it.
Let's take our break. Shreya, I believe it's Shreya Lata, the beat
rider covering the Kansas Jayhawks for the Kansas City Star, will join us and
we'll ask about what he thinks about the schedule that came out yesterday. Stick
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free evaluation today. Breaking down all the exes at OHS. It's Steve Rivera
and Jagen Salvias. This is I on the Park on Fox Sports fourteenth fifty.
Hey, welcome back to I on the Ball Hero Fox Sports fourteenth.
I'm Steve Rivera. He's Jiggins Austin on the phone. We have trail a
lota from the Kansas City Star Trail. How are you here? Are you
guys? We're doing well, Thank you. We hoping to jump on this
Kansas team thing yesterday that two days ago. The schedule came out and we
were a little peeved. You don't get to see Kansas twice in the year.
Yeah, I think it's gonna be a fun one. I think the
fact that they had put it together where they have all these different teams playing
each other once or twice, and you know, they have some interesting matchups.
I think it's going to be a great anicipation. And then you look
at the Big Twelve. But you know, he look here in Arizona being
in the Pac twelve conference, there's a lot of conference games that aren't good
games, so you know, we're always yearning for great games. Everybody was
hoping we were going to see Kansas in Tucson and on the road. The
Big Twelve didn't do that. Was it any big deal over there because it's
a big deal here. I don't think so. I think it's kind of
business as usual over here. You know, I think there's some excitement that,
you know, new teams come in the conference, huge opportunities for fans
to travel, check out some sites, check out some new places. But
you know, it's it's kind of like a you know, expected outcome of
basketball season. Everyone's excited for Kansas basketball season. No matter how good or
bad they are supposed to be. Because even the bad years what last year
was, and they were still top, they receive what can I think that
most of the basketball fans here are pretty savvy. They followed Arizona forever.
I think the world of Arizona and maybe to some degree of painfulness. What
can Arizona fans in that league expect. I think it's going to be a
fun league. It's a very competitive league, the best league in the country.
I think it's a league where every game matters. You know, Kansas
saw it last year that there are teams that they took for granted, I
think a little bit, and they lost us wasn't great last year. They
lost them at home, start on the road in zer Florida. They lost
some games that should have lost. I think we gets Opahoma as well on
the road. Like there's no such thing as an easy win in the conference,
right, and that's the thing that we're looking forward to. I think,
you know, because you know here, if you lose to one of
the you know, one of the quote you know kind of bad teams,
people lose their minds and think the whole season is over. And I I
you know, looking at the looking at the schedule that came out, and
in terms of just who the opponents are, I'm like, there are no
gimmes in the in the Big Twelve, not not one, which is something
that Arizona fans are going to have to get used to from a Kansas standpoint,
you know, do they feel that way or are There's some teams that
they, as you said, take for granted. Sometimes I think, you
know, you can't, like it's hard to get your get up for like
the Oklahoma State when they were last year, right, they were really bad,
or some other teams that are pretty bad, but they on talent alone
should win nearly a lot of their games. And Kansas knows that how important
Big Twelve play is for not only league aspirations title aspirations, but you know,
seeding wise. You know, two years ago they're the number one seed
because they won the Big Twelve and the conference is so so stat and last
year it was even better, and they weren't even top two, you know,
they were number three or number four. Obviously they had some raw seriushues,
et cetera. But like everything that the Big Twelve does, it's great
operation for the answer every tournament. Yeah, no question. I think that's
the one thing that we think about Arizona. They're going to face different type
of teams, tougher type of teams, so that should help their perception of
being soft at least we think that. No, absolutely, I think the
all the different types of teams, the different ways they play are great preparation
for whatever solid basketball a random and of the team's going to be. And
you know, there's a decent shot that you might see them three, maybe
even four times a year if you make a deep run. Okay, So
Arizona it's been you know, they haven't gotten very often, but they've had
some success at fog Allen. But we know, you know, when the
hardest place is to play in the country, some say the hardest place to
play in the country. Take us around the league in terms of what Arizona
fans can expect at some of the other venues and where you think you guys
have no idea how hard it is to play at f What are some of
those Some of those places, Hilton Coliseum at Iowa State is, Oh my
goodness, it is its next level. It's loud, the fans are crazy,
the students go crazy. It is one of the best college basketball experiences
as a fan you can get. I think ev you know, they are
really tough to play at at Hilton, you know, and usually you're playing
them in the cold, so you got to make that trip down to Iowa,
and it's just it's a tough all round trip for Kansas usually. I
can't imagine how Telton's gonna be for the new covers of the conference. You
get used to playing in Hilton. Another big one is Bramble's Coliseum. You
know, they get up for Kansas games. Case States a tremendous job of
being loud. It seems like they've had Kansas is number at home the last
few years. They've beaten Kansas at home both times. So there's no gimme
there. Even if how good or a bad Kansas State is in the state
seves to be a kind of middle conference, a little better a team.
Another big one is probably, you know, Oklahoma State. They have a
pretty good it's a smaller arena, but they tend to pack it up,
which is nice. I know there's a lot of excitement around the team because
of a new coach, a new roster. A little bit those three are
huge. Houston is phenomenal, Like Houston was my first time experiencing it last
year, and my goodness, they are allowed. That stadium is built so
they can be very loud, even if it's a little smaller. They always
have tough teams and there's no such thing as walking to Houston without a couple
of battles fars wear loss right, tough dudes, Tough dudes. How was
this year for you? Covering Kansas and build self? Because a very good
team at least that they thought going in and then things happened, things happening
with the team. And then he says, you know, he kind of
not he didn't say this directly, but he kind of inverted that he had
checked out later in the year because he was already looking forward to next year.
I mean, I think I felt it from a lot of like I
felt it from the playing players standpoint, and I felt it from the coaching
staffand point. And I think it definitely infected even the reporters a little bit,
like there was just a lot of exhaustion and kind of tiredness. I
mean, we all knew what this team is going to be by the anti
of the turn of time. They weren't going to make a deep run.
They had too many injuries. They just weren't built basically. Tournament not just
with the injuries, was standing. But their style of basketball was not conduced
to modern basketball. They took the least amount of threes in the build Self
era by it quite a percentage they made. They only had three or four
conference games where they made more than three or four or three pointers. Then
most they had one conference game where they made one more than more than their
opponent three points. Like, you can't win basketball games that way. And
no matter what Bill did, you know, no matter what levers he tried
to pull, nothing was continuous. Nothing is quite working. And I don't
like, you know, I'm not really surprised by him saying that. I'm
not surprised that he did say that. It's it's one of those things that
if you are around that locker room, you could feel like everyone was just
waiting for next year. And out of curiosity, I was in Utah Salt
Lake for that game. Was it a block or a goaltend? That's that's
a great question. I mean, you know, I think it's it's I
think it was a gold end. But you know, like, you gotta
trust what the rest are saying. Under Dickens would say, you know,
if they call it a block, might as well call it a block.
Right. It was the best game but I saw all year. It was
fantastic that team South Alabama, which Alabama or whatever, it was, fantastic
team. It was fun to watch. It was a great game. Uh.
You know, they did a great job of to keep it in close
to Kansas. You know, as a as a writer, there's always her
palat patience when everything you were in just goes out the window in the last
ten minutes. So let's uh, let's let's move on to football a little
bit, because you you do you cover to the football team as well,
right, yes, okay, so you know Arizona and you know coming in
there, so the same kind of the same question. You know what,
you know, what can Arizona fans expect on the road again, the tougher
places to play, like okay, OKLAHOAM and Texas are gone. So now
the conference as we see it is kind of wide open, uh for everybody.
Do you see it that way? And then you know who do you
look to and when when you're going on the road, where's the toughest place
to go. You know, I definitely see it that way. I mean,
I think there's a couple of different teams that can really contend. I
mean, this is not a candas team level where they're rolling over and you
know, maybe lucky to win pre games. There's an expectation around this team
and this group that they want to win a victual championship. They felt like
they had a shamp last year, you know, like I think that was
the big thing, was like they felt that they let the opportunity slip in
between their hands. And uh, you know, I think the the Big
Twelve, like as a whole, the conference, like you said, it
is wide open. I think there's a lot of teams in the country that
feel like they can be are in this conference, they can win the conference.
And you know, I think tough place to play, that's a great
question. Cincinnati was not bad. It's pretty loud down there. I'm sure
to think where else conference wise, Iowa State another big, great conference game
aims. Those guys just do a great job of getting fans to come out.
It's chaotic, it's a lot. Oklahoma State another great venue. I
think those are kind of just the ones that can pop off in my head
right now. And Kansas has come on the scene as a pretty good football
program after all the years of not being a good football program. Yeah no,
Lance Lippoles and this coaching staff have done tremendous job of building a healthy
amount of respect for this Kansas football team. It's shown in the recruiting data
base, has shown in just the transfers that they picked up. And you
know, like they won nine last year. The year before that, they
were in a bowl game. Last year they won their first bowl game since
I think two thousand and eight or so. H there is an expectation that
they can contend for a big fellattle and they've won a playoffers and you know,
I don't think that's I don't of the realm possibility that the schedule.
Yeah, that's how and that's how Arizona fans are looking at it too.
You know, they went ten and three last year beat Oklahoma. So you
know, look, Arizona's it's been crapped for a while, and you know,
Jed Fish did a good job. But we're looking forward to this.
So let me ask you from a news media standpoint, with these four teams
coming in you've heard of all of them, but I don't know how much
you all really know about the four teams. Maybe Colorado a bit because you
know, uh, there's some history there. But what's been the general impression,
I guess of how these four teams are going to impact the league,
maybe individually or even as as a whole. I think there's a lot of
excitement. You know, the two Arizona schools, there's a lot of excitement
from media standpoint of traveling there. But also just on top of that,
I think what they're going to add the conference both FASTBA and football, Like
you know, they're both very strong, I think in that sense of adding
something in both those big sports. And you know, obviously Colorado, no
matter how good and bad they are, they're always in the media because Dion
has away with words, right. So I think there's a lot of excitement
that the four schools that they've added are going to make the conference better,
more competitive, and in a way to keep up with the ASC in a
Big ten. Yeah, yeah, it sounds like fun. Have you ever
been at a game with Bobby Hurley on the bench. I have not.
I covered Yukhon for a year, so I've got to know. Dan Hurley
has brothered pretty well, and you know, he's one of my favorite coaches
in the country. Great guy, and I can only imagine how much how
alike they are brother to brother before we go, we don't let Daniel Burke
push you around exactly. Yeah, we appreciate it. I think care we'll
see you soon at the game near near one of us. Thank you absolutely
sounds great, CHERYLT thank you from the Chemis City. Start appreciate good stuff.
Interesting. I like what he said about you know, the media is
kind of excited about this and having, you know, having these teams come
in because but I don't what you don't want is for them to be seen
as outsiders by both the media and you know, the fans in the Big
Twelve. I mean, you know, they're all legitimate programs. It's not
like they're it's not like they're bringing in the scrubs of the league. You
know, in any of the sports. You know, I think that you
know, all of them are immediately in the middle of the pack or even
a little higher in Arizona's case in basketball when it comes to how competitive they're
going to be, particularly in the major sports. And I'm sure the media
that comes down here in December or or November appreciate it. Or January or
February. They're gonna go, wow, yeah his goal. Can we stay
like no, get your stuff and go. I remember when Michigan and some
of those teams from the Middlewest and North come came down here in December for
the Brother Festival, right like, holy crap, you have this place like
this December it was like seventy five degrees. You can take him out.
They goes out of it Atna Canyon or or whatever. They see the guy.
People were golfing right out the window, right, Yeah, crazy,
that's great. That was fun. Shrey and Latta from the Kansas City Star.
If you want to look him up, see what he's saying about the
Big twelve. He covers the Jayhawks. So hey, we're gonna be right
back. We'll take your cause five to zero, four one six, seventy
four to forty. So be sure to come back. If you're naars on
a man's basketball fan, you know it's been successful for nearly forty years.
Now. Take a look back at the Ludolsen era in my new book,
Lessons from Loot. It was a labor of love through the eyes of twenty
five former players, coaches and friends to give insight to the coach and the
man who led them, competed against them, and inspired them twenty five captors
for his twenty five years as Arizona's beloved coach. Lessons from Loot is an
insight to how he built the program into a national powerhouse. What one email
me at Steve dot RIVERA ninety five at gmail dot com. Hi, this
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here work in a state of this week? Are is it hot in dear
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streaming live on the iHeartRadio WAPP. This is I on the Ball with Steve
Rivera and Jay Gonzalez on Fox Sports fourteenth fifty. Hey, welcome back to
I'm the Ball here Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve p'sj we have whole
one with us today. We have fifteen minutes. If you want to call
five, two, O four, one, six, seventy four or forty.
Uh, maybe give us a call. Well, what are you looking
forward to this football and basketball season? Being in the Big twelve? You
know, it's a lot of anticipation, right, a lot of unknown So
it's gonna be new and we we just don't know. And but you know
what we do know, as as we expected to hear from from Srey a
lot up from Kent City Star, is that no game's on the road right
right, Every venue you go to is gonna be nuts. And we know
that. And I think that's that's kind of the fun part of it,
you know. I mean, remember we talked to Jake Fisher last week.
You know, it's more fun to be in a in an environment that's nuts
and crazy, you know and stuff than going over there and you can hear
the basketball boat. Well, that's that's why you go to play or come
to places like this, right. You know you want to get a challenged.
Yeah, you're playing against good guys, tough food guys. You get
better that way. Yeah, you know, I I was listening to a
podcast on the way home yesterday, and I guess EA Sports put out the
thing on the toughest according to them, right for their game, the toughest
football venues, and they were debating which ones are really the hardest, because
I think LSU was number three, and they unanimously agreed that lic He's the
hardest place to play. You know that you can't you know, far none,
but you know, all of those places are places where you go and
you know it's going to be nuts, whether you're any good or they're any
good or not. You know, Texas A and M, even when they
suck, they fill up the place and and and they're crazy. I think
Texas A and M has listed number one on that Yeah, yeah, you
know who's two? Alabama too, Okay, in addition to being tough teams,
well see, and that's what they were saying. They were saying,
Okay, Alabama's a great venue and it's loud, but it's tough because of
the teams, well, not because of the venue. Arizona's the same way
Arizona throughout the years. And in the book with Mia Montgomery, he says,
you know what was the difficult thing about Arizona in my Kale since Steve
mccale's wasn't that bad. It was the players in Yeah, you know exactly.
Yeah, that's the point. And that was the point they were making
about Alabama. Say Alabama's not any good, he said, Ryan Tanney Stadium
is a fun stadium, and it's big and there's a lot of people.
He said, but if you're talking about just the venue, regardless of who's
on the field, that LSU was hands down the toughest place to go,
and then probably Ohio State is next. In Ohio State was even further down
the list, right, I think I think so yeah, so you know,
I think they were ten. Yeah, so uh and that's kind of
what you would expect. And then they said Michigan is like twentieth even though
there's like one hundred and five thousand people at those games, because you know,
it's just kind of a And Notre Dame they said, another one that
you think, you know of the history and stuff like that, but in
terms of a hard place to play, it's only hard if Notre Dame was
good. Look at the look at the west, what would be the hardest
Maybe Oregon, Oregon, that's the one that that was in the top ten.
There aren't There isn't one. Right Washington used to be, but Washington
now has gotten to the point where if they're not any good, you know,
there's twenty thousand empty seats, whereas you know, even you go to
Nebraska now and the place is full. You went to Washington time or two.
I just want I went once or twice, and the only thing I
can remember is the rain coming side with that. We were in a sideways
rain. That was in eighty nine. Yeah, so you know, the
game was good, I guess I can't remember now. And again that was
another point they were making about Washington said, Washington is a hard place to
play because usually you know, it's raining, it's cold, sometimes the rain
is coming in sideways. But they don't have seventy thousand people in every game
anymore. Like one of the best looking stadiums in terms of the views.
Oh yeah, because the water's right there right And I loved it, though
I was a little scared that that overhanging press box. It hangs from the
from the from the top to the top from the overhang, I mean that
was scary. Just that little cat walk you walked across and I'm like you're
looking down and it's straight down, and if you fall, you got a
long way to go. If you lose a screw or whatever up there.
I mean I was nervous about that the whole time. Okay, but but
he's going on skydiving. Come on, what's up wrong with you? Yeah,
we didn't have parachutes, Steve. We didn't have parachutes up there,
as I recall. But now again, you know, I think, you
know, we saw the Oklahoma State game from you know, from several years
ago, and there's like, you know, from the sideline to the seat,
it's like fifteen fifteen feet. It's not very big, and I exaggerate,
but it's not very far. It's maybe what eight yards maybe ten yards
at the most. Yeah, a space on those sidelines. They are really
on top of you. Jake Fisher talked about that as well. Okay,
anybody want to call, please do five to two four one, six seventy
four forty. We have about ten minutes. It'd be feel free to give
us a quick call. What else is going on? Guys? That was
good. I think we're going to continue to try to find people in the
big Big twelve beat writers beat writers administrators, administrators and stuff like that.
It's Look, it's a big change. It's a it's a huge change.
I mean, they're they might not ever have to do this again. Maybe
we hope they do. We hope everybody comes back to you know, but
you may you may not be careful what you wish for because if this is
a pretty cool thing, I don't know if you want to come back,
because because the league is going to be fun, it's gonna be comp be
fun. What are they going to come back to the same old, same
old. You don't want that? Well again, I mean, but there's
always you know, there's always this. There's this talk of you know,
regionalizing the league, and that would be the case, and they only do
that is if the money is right for everybody, right, you know,
the SEC isn't going to give up any of the money they're getting. Neither
is the Big Ten. So it may be that it stays like this,
which would be you know, again, if this is the worst thing we
get, I think we're fine. Yeah, right, I think we're fine.
You don't have to get used to it. Well, even if they
go west, and who are they going to include in the West, in
the West, you know from where to where it's gonna be a water down
league compare to what you're gonna be in. Well, well, yeah,
because it's not gonna be the it's not gonna be the South, right,
it's not gonna be the Big ten, so you know, to be back
to where it was and what kind you know. But again, if it's
some sort of a you know, a you know, an NFL type organization
where there's fifty teams in it, and then okay, we're gonna put you
know, twelve of them here, twelve of them there, twelve of them
there, twelve them there and whatever whatever the numbers are, thirteen and you
say, okay, you got a west West, you know, midwest or
south in an eastern while you know like that you got then okay, but
it's that's gonna have to be a thing where everybody agrees, okay, we'll
do that, and everybody shares the money and we'll be fine. And the
idea of getting people to agree to share money doesn't seem very likely right right,
because you still have teams trying to get to the ECC right, trying
to get more shares of what they what they think they deserve, Yeah.
Yeah, so we're we're a long way from that. Look, we've gotta
try this out. I think we just got to try this out. I
do expect to have fun. I'm gonna have one watching the games. Not
going to any of the road games, but you know, it'll be fun
to see us play, you know, see Arizona play some of these teams
that they never got to play. I mean, yes, we've seen Texas
and Houston in recent years, even Oklahoma State in recent years, but you
know, Kansas, Kansas State, you know TCU. Last time Arizona played
TCU, John mckovic was the head coach. That was the last game he
coached and then he got fired. So that was what two thousand and three,
two three, Yes, two thousand and three, I think that was.
That was the first game that came after that. That when the players
revolted. Yeah, that was the big meeting they had. Yeah, and
he eventually, yeah, came out when they all went to the UFA Administration
building and we wanted to talk to you. You know, I wonder maybe
in a book down the road, I wonder how many times that's happened without
us knowing where, you know, players went to the ad minute Christians.
And you know, I'm not sure this is gonna work. I don't know
that there's been a coach that they wanted to do that. Well, I'm
sure there's been players that have not liked their coach. I'm uh and kind
of maybe not rallied to that extent, but uh, you know, you
know kids are you know we were one once. But I will see I
never tried to sit in off my teachers. Though you didn't go to this
class. That's a lie. College. Yeah, you you get the tapes
we had the proof. I mean I missed a few classes, designate a
few. I have a degree. What do you call the guy who for
this is second lass in med school? Doctor? I have a degree,
and I have a legit degree. I mean, you know I got I
had better than a two point zho something. Describe for me. I want
to do a little better, please, I did all right. Look,
I grew up during college. I rallied from my early college fun. I
won't even call it fun, just you know, I just was immature about
about school my first couple of years, you know, and then my dad
threatened my life when he found out I was on academic probation and I took
care of business. And I don't think I got to a three ye oh,
but it was it was close. It's close to it. And I
got my degree. And you guess what, I had a job the day
I graduated from college. I had a full time job there. That's all
it was about me. We're very proud at all. It was about That's
all My parents wanted to know. Do you have it? Do you have
a job. Do you have a job, And yes, I do,
I have a job. I'm getting a paycheck and I'm off the payroll.
I'm off your payroll. So that's all. I'm mad. I saw that
made left at my observation. We're very proud of you. You know,
I didn't get called me he though much after I was about in the fourth
grade. After that, it was just my my actual first name and sometimes
my first and last name when my mom called me. So, you know,
I just stayed out of the way, Steve. I just grew up
in steate. That was my job, stay out of the way. My
sister still gives me crap about that. She goes, you were never around
because she's seven years hanger than me. She goes, we never saw you.
I said. There was a reason for that. There was a really
good reason for that. I just knew if I stayed out of the way,
the chances of me getting and you know, having crap for my parents
was was slim. I just stayed out of the way. And that's how
I grew up, you know, in my formative years, which I would
call middle school through you know, even through college, because I lived at
home most of my college years. So that's how you do business man,
at least that's how I did it back then. Don't don't make him your
idol. How long? Come on, you know I can, I can
fill you in on some things. And well, you're but what do you
junior? Yeah, you know you know the ropes? Ye, right,
yeah, pretty well. For me, it was I'm close to my family.
I didn't leave, but you stayed quiet, quiet. That is that
the best best strategy. You wake up close school, so you did a
good job, go to sleep, stay out of the way, right,
come from a big family, pretty big family. Yeah, don't get caught
doing things. That's where my mom preach, She said, I don't care
what you do. Don't get caught exactly. Yeah, And that was that
was my thing. My my parents make you said, if the cops ever
bring you home, your life is over. You better be dead. Yeah,
your life is over. And you know what, they never they never
took me home, ever left the other quarter. You walk home. Son.
Now, I'm not going to say that I didn't have encounters with the
police, but they never. They never had to take me home. There's
a the time she was missing class again. I went to enough classes to
graduate. It's all I know. Okay, anybody called me and save me
for this history. Listen, come on, come on, Steve. What
were your college years like? As far as all that I worked? I
worked for most of them. I work. I worked too, Yeah,
but I was get a game. Let's step back the girls. Your high
school years. Your high schools, Oh, those are fun. You were
you were sports. I played sports. I played almost every sports everywhere.
I had very cute girlfriends, a couple of them. Yeah. Yeah,
yeah, Okay, you're party and doing stuff. No no, no,
not really. Maybe my senior year little, but not not much. No,
it's too much stuff to do. And not because you say stuff to
do, what does that mean? To play? You had to play?
I mean I played football and I played baseball and then I played basketball,
but track, and so I was busy for a year round just kind of
playing ball games, playing ball. Yeah, you had post games. Yeah.
No, we go to a pizza place and have pizza and then go
home. I mean it was it was. Yeah, it was just like
that, just like booney parties or things like No, maybe one or two
much senior year, but nothing. I didn't drink, so it didn't smoke.
So well there's the problem. Yeah, I'm not paying for it.
I'm okay with that. You didn't drink and smoke. You didn't. You're
going to my mom's service. I'm telling the story tomorrow. You'll understand.
And it wasn't because my parents are streak. They just you know, I
just wasn't interested. It's still kind of not interested. Okay. Just the
way I've built, man, Just the way I'm built. I'm telling you
too much infermation, in fact, make me pheeler comfortable to get some stuff
out of you here. That's the next question. He really is, you
know, But it's I wonder about guys like that. Really, it's true,
they were doing stuff and in fact, in fact, one of these
days when you seen some of my friends coming to ask him, was he
like that like my like my kids, right, we were unaware of anything
that they were doing. It's starting to come out, right, stuff is
starting to come out with my kids, sure, right, and I'm proud
of them that they didn't do things that they did that they did do things
that we didn't know about it. I'm like, way to go, man,
way to go again. Again, none of them got brought home by
the cops. They're all you know, they're all out of college and nobody's
got a criminal record. Nobody spent the night in jail. We succeeded,
right, they succeeded. And again things are starting to come out about stuff
that they used to do, stuff that they said about us to each other,
which is like cool, crazy stuff. But I'm like, that's who
I was, you know. Now, they didn't do a lot, you
know, as much of the stuff as we did, but they did stop
that you know of well, so far that we we haven't found out that
we haven't found out. All right, let's take our break. We're gonna
come back up. All of this is your life, I know, Wand's
loaded up with breaking news, and then we're gonna have George Midas, We're
gonna talk to some collectible stuff coming out of the NBA drafts. Let's stick around.