This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera and Jay Gonzalez on Fox Sports
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R two, SAG and iHeartRadio Station Yet. Hey, good afternoon, everybody.
Welcome to RYE on the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm
Steve Rivera. Hey's Jagan's Alas. Got a guy Kevin in for the week
or the day. I hope you guys remember who we are. We're actually
here. We are. We're here like one day in a row. We're
not done yet for about two minutes in a row. Welcome back, everybody,
and I hope we're listening. We're here, We're here. Hope you're
back. I hope everybody's back. I know we've been missed a lot of
airtime over the last few weeks. Steve more than me because I've been here.
I was here for a couple of weeks, just you know, flailing
away while Steve was running around. Where were you in Salt Lake City and
then you went in La? Yeah, well we were in Vegas together with
that was then then and then saw Lake La Glendale for the final four and
then again back in scott still for something else. I'm tired. I'm tired,
but I'm here. I'm tired, but I'm here. There's a lot
of stuff going on, a lot of movement. We might take some of
your thunder away, Kevin, because of all the movement there going fo Yeah,
a lot of basketball and Newsy stuff happening, you know, with basketball
and football over a lot of you know, a lot of personnel stuff to
talk about. Yeah, I was a bit surprised if you if you remember
the names for football. Uh. Here we are midway through the spring practices,
right, I think in two weeks we have the spring game, or
less than two weeks now. Yeah, and and two people, two people
are jumping ship, at least two people. Yeah, the big guys,
Bill Norton. Yeah, and who's the other one, George Joe Borjon you
guys, he thought, I mean Bill Norton, you know, at the
after last season announces yeah, I'm staying. And then he's now going into
the portals. So who knows what what happens there? And everyone's pointing in
the direction that we probably think, right, well, everybody's gonna always assume
that any type of guy you know, go somewhere and it happens. I
mean, are you are you concerned or or anything. I don't think there's
a reason. You know what, if a guy leaves, you go out
and get another guy, because you know what, there's a guy just as
good as Bill Norton in the portal that might come there. And you hope
so at least you hope so well yeah, yeah, and like to borrow
a phrase from you, if you don't want to be here, well there's
the door rather than not be here. Yeah. And there's two two key
guys though, I think two guys on Barson's and offensive Lineman, right,
for whatever reason. And then and then Bill Norton was really a you know,
a big part of the defense last year, you know, plugging up
the middle. But you know, you can make a lot of assumptions about
you know, what you're looking at, why they're thinking, either they're leaving,
all that kind of stuff. But you just you just go, okay,
fine, you know, and you move on and go and go go
replace them someone. Yeah, that's the whole thing. Just move on and
see what happens after. So there's that, and I'm sure there will be
more. I'm kind of reading there might be more and then basketball not a
surprise, Kylan Basseball going back home to Illinois, which is probably a good
fit. I don't know if it's a good fit, but at least personally,
I think it's a good fit. Yeah. Well, you know what,
if you ever, if you had asked me where was Kylin Boswell from,
that wouldn't have had for you. Really. I didn't. Well,
you just knew that he was seventeen and eighteen. Yeah, I knew that
he was. Yeah, I just knew his age, and I knew that
he was here. I didn't know where he came from. And so when
he said Illinois, I'm like okay. And then I saw these things that
he was going back home, and I'm like, oh, okay, he's
actually from where the university is, right, He's actually from Champagne. So
good luck for him. I don't wan to him. We may or may
not know his personal life, but it's been out there kind of Yeah.
That's the one thing I don't like about Facebook or whatever. And you know,
I mean, Steve, I think we said that it was gonna be
hard for him to be here. The fans really kind of blamed him for
a lot of what went wrong last year, for those for those who feel
it did go wrong, and uh, and you know he got you know,
he took the beating, not to the same degree, but in the
neighborhood that that Kirk Crisa. Did you know the one thing that anybody who
says they know these kids, uh, that's in our job. They're lying
to you. They don't know. We get to speak to him at length
and during the tournament get it, and we don't get enough. So I
didn't realize how well spoken he was. I had a chance to spend some
time with him in Vegas and on the right and very thoughtful, thinking,
very very mature kind of guy, very exactly. But I'm thinking I didn't
expect this because I don't really We didn't get to interview him a whole heck
of a lot after games and well all of them, you know, no,
you never, I mean unless they brought him to the to the to
the press conference, you didn't get to talk to him. And they did
for him, but not at length, you know, maybe three four minutes
here and there. And I thought, oh, he's he's pretty good,
he's insightful, and now he's gone and and another one another one. We
won't know at the end of the he's gone. How how well do we
really know Humarbala and he is here a while we don't. And guess what,
of all the guys that have come through, I think he's the more
the most popular, right, of all the ones that have come through.
Tommy Well, I think his story was great in that, you know,
he came with Tommy. He really wasn't getting the chance that you know,
he had hoped Ford Gonzaga. He came here, made the most of it,
got really good. Was a key to you know, how good Arizona
was, you know, the last couple of years. And so I think
that's what people love. Nobody's blaming him or the fact that he missed six
free throws against Cus, you know, I mean it was just like Umarballo.
You know, he was a good guy. He was a good soldier.
They liked him here and and he and he and he did a really
good job and and they I think the miss free throws kind of endeared him
to the fans because they're kind of like rooting for him. Make a free
throw, make a free Are you are you both of you guys? Are
you Sadden's I are you whatever about him leaving? What are you We've we
probably already talked about him already, but he's probably gonna go see somewhere east
obviously. No, he's already Indiana or North Carolina. I think he's got
that. I thought he said Indiana. No, No, that's not a
final. He has other schools too, So so you're okay with it or
another guy. I'm okay with anybody leaving. I think we've talked about because
this happened two two weeks ago or whatever it was, and there's guys behind
him. Look, there's guys behind him coming up, right, And you
don't know what's going on in the coaches office. No, right, you
don't know his his postseason conversation with Tommy Lloyd, what Tommy said to him.
We don't know that. And we're never going to know that unless unless
one of them comes out and says what it is, because they're probably the
only two guys in the room, and unless one of them decides, you
know, if if Umar gets to Indiana and gets and says, yeah,
well I knew that. I you know, Tommy wasn't he was done with
me at Arizona that's the only way we're going to know that. So,
you know, not knowing that, how can we sit here and say Umar
you're you're you're you're dumb for leaving, or Umar you know you should have
stayed, or Umar this we don't know and and and you know, those
those conversations are private with between coaching player, and whatever comes out of that,
they they make the decision that's best for them. One are the things
that I saw that I thought was funny, just what the post was.
Some guys said, oh, he's gonna go to Indiana, L O L
thinking that Indiana is not the same program that Arizona is. And I'm thinking,
do you not pay attention? Do you not pay attention? Indiana may
not be Arizona today, but Arizona has definitely not been Indiana of yesterday.
I mean not even comparatively, not even close. Well, well again,
Steve, it's it's a matter of these programs change in a heartbeat, right.
Uh. You can be great one year and you're not very good the
next year. You know, look look at what you know, what's going
on over at Kentucky. You know, it's just like uh, you know,
to Kentucky Standard it's not even close, not even close, right,
you know Arkansas was you know, went deep into the tournament two years ago
and then their coach left after this year. Well, let's let's go to
Arizona. Let's go to Arizona because we can do this and do so.
When was the last time, When was the last time, Jay, that
Arizona lived up to its so called internal reputation and I'm talking internal from the
fans. Well, I think I think the two lead eights under the last
two lead ates under Sean mill and that's what exactly eight years ago I was
hoping you were being nine years ago, nine years ago. Yeah, yeah,
I mean you know, Sean obviously after that never got to where you
thought his team should get to, particularly that twenty seventeen team that or twenty
eighteen team that just kind of you know, kind of well, and the
seventeen team yeah at yeah, the sweet sixteen. Yeah, so you have
to go back to those elite eights, which I guess in a way says
that that's the expectation here least at least get to the lead A and then
get to a final four. Yeah. Now, and then because when you
think about you know, those loot years lout went in eighty eight, ninety
four, ninety seven, two thousand and one, no more than a four
year gap in twenty five. Actually there was a six year gap between eighty
eight and ninety four. But you know, you know, four times in
that in that period of time, and they haven't been there since then.
I think the expectation becomes here maybe once every four or five years to get
into the final four. Yeah. Well and they haven't and they have it
and they have and that standard has been washed down there. I mean they
had you know, Sean had three lead eights, but you know, well
one was a surprise, but then the other two, you know, that
was you know, they there was a thing they should have gone in to
the final four. But I think I think Elite eight becomes a sort of
a baseline. Yeah, and let me tell you, Jay, it's not
their fault. Wisconsin was damn good. Yeah. Sometimes you run in to
do a team that's better than you at the matchup, and in Wisconsin was
both times. Yeah, So you know, I mean that's that's kind of
where where it winds up. And so you know, you uh do you
do you find uh do you find yourself being uh with your group, your
grade ten on Wednesdays or whatever, is being more of a sensible guy with
them to tell them come down. It's come down. Not calm down.
It's the world's out or the houses on fire, but calm down. Arizona.
Is this It's not what you think it is this. Oh god,
this is what the world has come to. And I'm okay with that because
you spent a lot of time with me in this room. So but but
you reason so because they are what unrealistic or just overgunned. They just get
angry, over zealous, Yeah, they get they get angry. They should
be able to do this. And I'm like, there's a lot of teams
like Arizona exactly. And and when year to year it comes down to yes
to you, year year comes down to being good enough, but then also
being lucky with your matchups. When you get into March, sure, right,
and you play a team that either has a bad you know, has
a bad game, or you play out of your you know what that day,
or maybe instead of playing the two seed, you're playing a seven seed.
You know, those kinds of things are the things that have to happen
unless you're a dominant team like Yukon was this year. Yukon was just gonna
wipe out anybody they played, and they did. Arizona never never had that
team that just walks on the court and the other team doesn't have a chance.
Sometimes you pull out North Carolina State from your backside and you get to
it there. And then remember when Chase Buddinger and those guys got to the
Sweet sixteen sixteen and that was kind of by But what happened there, right,
They didn't play they played in the second round. They were playing a
team that had upset a higher seed in the first round, right matchups,
So you know, you get lucky like that sometimes. Now, look Arizona
the ninety seven championship team. Yeah they went to be three number one seeds.
They just got on a roll. There wasn't any luck with who they
matched up with. They just got on a roll and they had the talent,
as it turned out, to go and win that tournament, which led
you to believe that they didn't use that talent throughout the year, right right,
Well yeah, where was that talent all year long? When they finished
in fifth place in the Pac ten that year? But that's just the way
that is I wanted to just bring that up because of fandom is kind of
well, we know this, it's you know, but getting back to the
initial part of this conversation is that you know, whether it's football or basketball
or wherever, guys leave, you go get new guys and you try and
pull that together. And you shouldn't be offended or insulted if somebody leaves your
program, because you're just gonna go out and get another guy. Anyways,
and there's so many factors. Maybe tomorrow we get the nil guys because I
heard numbers on the internet, which of course doesn't mean it's true being valued
about for the for the international players, and we already know that that's not
possible because they have some obligations or restrictions student visus restriction restrictions, and to
see if if some of the numbers are true or none true, or what
they would have to do to make the money right. And everyone's saying they're
running because of the money. Not necessarily. Not necessarily. In a lot
of cases, it's you know, the coach. A lot of cases,
it's the opportunity here versus an opportunity somewhere else. There's there's so many factors,
but it's just the ni L is an added fact and right, it's
a mat a factory. And maybe it is not an invisible factor but an
incorrect assumption factor where people always going for the money as simple as simple as
that. It's not always that. It's not always I do that. I
mean I said my first Okay, I put my first thought when a guy
leaves, not in the case of kind of possible and really not in the
case of Umar's I guess maybe not always, but when guys, you see
guys, when guys leave a good situation to go to another situation, like
a Bill Norton. Okay, he's in a good situation, he's starting,
he's on a good team that can be really good in the Big twelve next
year, and he's looking and he's looking to leave. Well, that tells
me that there's something beyond the opportunity and or simply that he feels more comfortable
with a different coaching, different coaching staff. Yeah, exactly. You know,
sometimes the pretty girl is he was gonna leave. I'm surprised he didn't
leave, right, Well, maybe he just wanted less unless in the in
that time something's been put together for him. Somewhere or that he saw here
that maybe the new situation is not good more. Yeah, you know,
sometimes there are no answers to questions. Okay, all right, let's get
to the guests real quick. All right, we have Adman. He's just
included in the States Arizona Sports Hall of Fame with a few other people from
from the right, Terry Francona, Terry Kendall, Richard Jefferson, I'll put
in there. So we're going to talk to Abdi to you know, get
some of his thoughts on just his time here, and I mean he's the
local kids, sort of went to Tucson High Pima, you of as a
long run believable, unbelievable. And then we're going to talk to Steve Potkin,
the head coach of the Tucson Roadrunners. They're in the playoffs they start
Wednesday, so that's the main thing we want to talk about. But there's
a whole lot of stuff going on behind the scenes regarding where the Roadrunners may
wind up. So Chief Pop and will join us at in the four fifteen
segment. A Abdi Rahman in the coming up right after the breaks and stick
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This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera and Jacob Salez on Fox
Sports fourteen fifteen. Hey, welcome back to ilbe Hero Fox Sports fourteen fifty.
I'm Steve Rivera. He Jacinsaws fell on the phone we have of the
Aronman the new member. You one of the newest members of the Arizona Sports
Hall of Fame. How are you upd I think we're already having a bad
connection. Can you hear us? Okay? Yes, I can hear you.
Okay, that's better. How does it feel to be a new member
of the Hall of Fame? You know, it's amazing. Is it's amazing
actually and whish meant and also just being recognized as an Arizona and what I
have done throughout my career. I was just so thankful when you when you
began your your your your career as a runner. How how far did you
think you would get with it? I mean did you even think about it
like that or did you just take a step by step? How did you
approach sort of long term what you wanted to do with your with your running
career? I you know, to be honest, I'll give it to crezits
to my coach of Dave Murray as a former University of Arizona coach. You
know, I never thought I was going to get to this point in my
career and become a Hall of Famer instead of Arizona Ti, MA County U
of a team of community college. You know, just like we take one
year out of time and I'm still running and I'm also you know, just
I just want to say thanks to Coach Murray. Actually he's the one who
guard me this this u to this career. So this little little skinny kid
too so high, had no idea that is going to happen. Right,
I never thought I was going to get to this point of my career,
and especially just even I'm still running and I'm also forty seven years old,
So whoever thought someone will still compete at the high level while there's still forty
seven So at any point, because I can't run across the street without getting
winded, did you say, okay, Coach Murray, I'm not sure I
want to do this anymore? I never say it. Actually, to be
honest, I enjoyed. I love running, and you know, just can't
I can't even imagine doing something else but besides running, to be honest,
out it's my passion. And even when I'm retired as a professionality, I
will keep running. I will involved with that running community, and you know,
just you just have to love running to be honest, you have to
love the sports to be doing this long. Yeah, well, so is
there something about it? Why did you love it you know so much?
Is it because it was it because it was easy for you? Uh?
Maybe it wasn't easy. I don't know, I mean why, why?
What? Where did the love for this come from? You know, the
love of the company. It's just something I do. I developed throughout the
years. And just I just love competing and just and you know, I
love all the other sports I love. Actually my favorite sports is a football.
I love watching football, but I love moreern running because I'm involved and
I'm you know, just I have control of my destiny, you know,
just like I can'mnot playing on some way. If someone doesn't play, make
a play or make a mistake, that's all come to me because this individual
sports, and I try for one individual sports. I try competing with that
athletes. I try when someone tell me you can't do anything, you cannot
do that you cannot qualify the Olympics. I love that motivation. Yeah.
So obviously Murray helped you, like you said, but before you met Murray,
you were a younger, a younger kid man who ran. So at
what point did you kind of say, hmm, maybe I could be good
at this what age? No, To be honest, I never realized I
was going to go to pro until I was done with the U of A.
I just remember when I finished my OLGIS at the University of Arizona.
That's when someone come to me. It wasn't even me, someone from the
Nike IRA come to me. They say, hey, we're going to offer
you a contract to run for us. And I say, oh, I
never thought there was a contract to run. And I said, you know
what, why not I give it a shot. And that was the beginning
of my career. Before that, I was just running for off and I
enjoyed. I enjoyed competing at both a team and the U of A.
I have the same drive. And also, you know, when I turned
pro, I just you know, they say you have to get a coach,
and I said, why don't. I just think who's song with my
coach? Right right, right right? So you were kind of right after
you finished school here you got nil deals right after right after you know,
you were you were ahead of your time. I don't know about that,
but that was a professional contract. Yeah, I got some money when if
at the UVA. No, don't you wish that, because look at what's
going on right now. It's unbelievable, isn't it. I don't know there
is, It's just I don't I don't like it. It's just kind of
like, you know, this is when this one of the people build the
character, you know, just taking that like you know, it's just as
this when you grow as a person as an athlete. This when you learn
everything in life. But you're coming in on a college just as a professional
athlete. You're taking a recruit not because of the school, it's just what
they're about to offer you. You're negotiating. It's crazy. You sound like
two old men. We feel the same way. So so a couple of
years after you leave the JO you're done, great career, the y of
a Male Athlete of the Year in ninety eight, you're in the Olympics.
Two years later. What was that like for you? And when did the
Olympics become a goal for you? You know, Olympic become a goal of
goal of mine? What right don't I graduate from the U of A.
You know, I just want to coach Murray told me, Okay, the
next chapter is for you to make the Olympics team. And I say wow,
And I said, you know what, I didn't know how to make
it. I don't know what it was, but you know, just just
for me, just believe in Coach Murray and believe in his system. And
he said, you know, just follow my guardians. I will just tell
you. And I never asked questions, and I knew what. I know
what he has done for my career, like leading while I was at the
U of A would lead to bigger and bigger, bigger and better things.
So I just listened to him. And I remember just going to the Olympic
trials in two thousand Sacramento. All I have to do, Coach Murray told
me, just all you have to do is just make sure you get the
top three, top three goals to Olympics. Now, that was the main
goal for me, not to win it. That's only what rates. You
can say the third place is as good as the first place. And I
think you finished third, right, Is that what it was? Yes?
Yes, I finished thirty yeh. And then you were in Australia in two
thousand. Yes, I was in Sydney, Australia, my first Olympics.
I still remember was like was yesterday? Tell me how it was because I
remember covering you there. I was there as well, just crazy time,
great weather. How was it for you? I know it was amazing experience.
I remember that was when I run that ten thousand meter. At that
time, you have to run the pre leams like a couple of days before
you have to run the ten thousand freedoms to make the finals. I remember,
like just at a young age, a twenty one year old just got
out of the U of A. I just run the race. I qualified
for the finals, and I finished eighth of the finals, I think,
and so and then you had many more Olympics to talk about each each one
after that, you know, what was the approach in terms of, you
know, you had your first one, so now I'm going my second one,
my third one. You know, you kept you kept getting into the
Olympics. But how did you see the Olympics after that? Did you become
more of I'm just trying to qualify and you know, obviously I'm trying to
win. But what was your approach as each one came along? You know,
each one like except except my first one, all the other one was
I was trying to win a medal, to be honest, and and they
only give like three medals away to be honest. Just and also you know
in that, you know, being an American, I'm going through our system
isn't difficult just because we run Olympics before the Olympics. Just US Olympic trucks
almost as big as the Olympics, you know, just because we have some
of the best athletes in the world. Sometimes the best the best athlete get
letter at home is stay home. They don't even make the team. But
for me, you know, it takes a lot out of you. And
I think if I look back on my career, and I said, the
reason I didn't get medals because I put a lot into making the team.
And sometimes when I get to the trials, I was already when I get
to Olympics, I was already tired. Sometimes, you know, just right,
there's so many things that went through. But I have no regret,
to be honest, Like just making the five ollum victim was amazing. And
as you get older, you said, you're forty seven, Uh, how
does you get more tired? Or you still got the same energy. I
still get the same energy, you know, I still train as hard as
I used to. You know, I'm not as fast as you used to,
but I still have the endurers and I still love running, you know,
but at the end of the day, I and the reality is sometimes
you have to realize you're not as good as you used to be. You
just that's just a fact. And I know I'm not as good as I
used to be, but I still can compete a high level more than average
people. So does that push you harder or if you can't. If you
know that you're not as good as you're as your past, but you're still
competitive, how do you how do you kind of cross that line? How
do you try to get more out of yourself, more about myself? You
know, I just listened to my coach, I listened to my friends,
you know, just at the end of the day. And that's why they
say, it's just surround yourself with good people, people who believe in you
and let you know and just give you the truth about yourself. Because sometimes
as an athlete with stubborn like that's why they why they have the nbas.
Sometimes a lot of people don't don't want to retire, but they the team
just tell them have to retire the team, tell them they're not good enough
because they always think you as good as you are. Because you look at
Lebran James. Now he's he's almost close to forty years all but and he's
playing a high level. There's the same athlete who have it, and some
athlete just don't like Tom Brady plays he's early late forties, almost forty five,
you know, just and I just look at those athletes and then inspiration
to me and just trying to do the same thing that they do. So
as as these athletes that are coming into a different time for college athletics,
and and you know, maybe you know we we know track and field and
some of those sports are different from football and basketball as far as things like
NAL, transfer, portal, all that kind of stuff. What kind of
advice would you have for somebody who says coming out of high school in terms
of, you know, what they should be looking for if they're looking to
go to the next level. Uh, you know, what they should look
for in a coach, what they should look for in a program. What
would you advise some an athlete on that, you know, my just to
be honest athlete, it's just it's just what do you want to do?
What you want to do with your life? You know, just like at
the end of the day, like like as an athlete, we're not all
we're not all going to go to a pro as a professionals as a professional
like an athlete or play sports, we're going to go. We're going to
go. We've become we're going to become a professional people. We'll go like
maybe become a professional accountant. So you need to figure out what do you
want to do with your life? What's you good at it? And what's
your chance are what's your chance are like making to the league or making like
becoming an Olympian. Not everybody become an Olympia or not everybody go to the
league. So just a true wisely, just make sure you what do you
want to do with your love? They have a good program and also like
you know, just someone that you trust, you know, just also coaches
a big part of it. You know, just make sure the people who
who you're going to go play for it knows about the sports and also we
will build give you like fundamentally physically and mentally. So what are you up
to these days? You know, these days I'm still I'm still competing.
I said, I think this is going to be my last say as a
competition as a professional business runner. You know, I just I just gotta
I just got in back to the Sports Hall of Fame. And also you
know, there's that's a lot of things that I want to do. I
want to you know, I was living in blagsup most of the time,
so now I want to permanently move back to Tucson to start a road race
and hopefully Tank you the meter to to fund my foundation, the Right Hoop
Hope Foundation, which I'm which I started already like in the process, so
we already filled the papers everything, and so I just you have to just
start the race and do start doing the fund race and make peece and give
people hope. What's the name again? It tell us a little bit more
about that the right to help on right, right to have hope, right
to have hope, you know, yep, Okay, go ahead, Yeah,
And the reason behind that for me, someone give me, you know,
like someone like Coach Milky, Dave Murray, Nick Partner, those people
who give me hope. You know, I don't know what I want to
do left at the end of the day, just like I know I want
the sports, but you know, someone give me the hope and make my
dream come through. Like that's what I want to do with the kids.
Like there's some kids who are like A who are athletes, but they're not
the best athlete. They don't get recruited. We want to give them the
opportunity for them to have their dream come through. Hopefully send them to the
schools that they want to go and tell the coaches, you know what,
we will take this kid to scholarship about all you have to do for us
and let him compete with this team. Just be a walk on and he's
not going to take you a scholarship. Very nice. That's that's an incredible
view that you would want that you would do that, and too that you
would come back to Tucson and do that. Yeah, that's what I want
to reap. And also it's going to be to be from her in the
state of Arizona and not only two some but you know, just want to
give all the all the kids instead of Arizona the hoop. So, with
one year left that you in your pro is there something that you definitely want
to chase before you call it a day? I just to be honest,
I was chasing to make the Olympic team this year, but unfortunately I just
get into out the trials and it didn't go my way. And I know
that just, you know, just I think age have to do with because
I put a lot of work in it. So that was my dream.
But there's nothing else I need to chase. You know, the people always
want to make one Olympic team. I have made it five of them,
and I'm so thankful. Now time for me to be on the other side
and help people. Very nice, Abdy, You've always been a good guy.
Abdy, thank you very much. Appreciate you, thank you, thank
you being well. Congrats again on the Hall of Fame. All right,
thank you, have a great day to thank you. I couldn't run to
the refrigerator. I tried to run down the hall yesterday chasing, chasing my
grandkid. He he ran me. He's fifteen months, he's got I wasn't
catching him. His strides are like I had to pull up a little handy
there. We didn't go. Well, well, that's great, OBD.
You know again, a great guy. A treasure for Tucsonde to have a
guy like that who not only came here from somewhere else again, one of
those guys came here from somewhere else with a great story and his continue to
make Tucson, you know, his home, and it's appointed him all these
guys, a lot of those Yeah, Okay, all right, we're gonna
take our break. We're gonna come back. Don't forget. We've got Steve
Potman, the head coach of the Tucson Roadrunners, coming up next hour.
We'll take your calls after the break. Five two zero, four, one
sixty. We're right back. If you're an Arizona 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, it was a labor
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the excess at Alls. It's Steve Rivera and Jagen Salvinz. This is I
on the Ball on Fox Sports fourteenth they Hey, welcome back to Iron the
Ball Hero Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera, he's jaginsawis got our
guy Kevin in with us today. We got about fourteen minutes to you'd like
to call, please do five two zero four one six seven four four zero
h. I remember the number had been gone that long, which is fine.
You guys want to call, give us some grief and we'll be back
for a while. Yewh. We don't plan on going anywhere. Yeah,
we've got anything on the on the horizon for the rest to be out.
Yeah, for for for a while now, okay, cool? Anybody want
to call talk about the transfers. What's going on in the world today today?
Is what time is the breaking news your stuff with with the w n
B A, oh, the draft that that's seven o'clock to night Eastern,
So I think four four four, okay, so in the second during your
breaking news stuff? Okay, cool? Anything else? I guess maybe there's
a chance maybe a U A or two players might go to the w n
B A. I don't know. Well, uh as Mary Martinez and and
Helena fail, but I don't see either one of them getting I I've not
looked at any w n B A Mark drafts, even if there are any
left. No, And but I you know, obviously the interest is you
know, the top of the draft where you know it's Kaitlin Clark going to
be the number one pick? Is somebody else gonna did somebody else have something
else in mind? Where is Angel? He's gonna go all that kind of
stuff? You know? Uh? But no, did you see that Kate
and Clark thing on Saturday night Night? Good? And she she just by,
you know, just all over the place, right. I mean,
you talk about a person that's just you know, got all the bells and
whistles. And do you think do you think and know we're talking about a
sport that we have no idea what we're talking about, but that she'll have
a tough at the next level. I think that's what they're saying. Yeah,
I think and and and look the players already in the NBA. Yeah,
you're they're saying, well, you know what about us, They're gonna
make it tough on her, you know, And that's what they do,
That's what they do with rookies. Right, We're gonna show you that you're
not all that right and and so yeah, yeah, I whether she will
have a tough time, I don't know. But are they going to try
and give her a tough time? I think so. I think she'll do
fine, but she won't achieve the things that we think she's going to achieve
immediately. I think it also depends on the team around her, because they're
mocked. They're projected to also pick up Leah Edwards as well. I'm sorry
they already have a center on that team. But the point is she was
scoring crazy numbers at Iowa because she had to. That team did not have
the talent around her to make it all the way without doing that. But
I think she will be able to show off for passing and her playmaking ability
and her facilitation at ST level. So will she be the scoring superstar Dynamo.
Maybe not. She would be one of the best point guards, like,
not immediately, but maybe well. And there's been some good ones plumb
maya more more, there's been some great ones. Has been you know,
the shooter that she's she's still the shooter that she was in college, right
right, And and I'm sure the team that drafts her Indiana for likely will
protect her obviously, and she'll buddy get grief by her teammates too. You
know. That is it's it's an unsung how much money she's gonna make?
Well that well there and guess what she's she's already making tons of money now,
and that is that's gonna follow her. Yeah, that was gonna stop
because she's not playing for Iowa. Yeah, and that that was one of
the dumb comments with me towards the end of the season, saying, you
know, she's got another year of college. Why she would she just stay
because she's going to lose all her money. No, she's not. That
money's going with her. She's she's on Farmers commercials. I mean, that's
national stuff that she's gonna you continue to have to continue to make the most
of that. I heard the same thing, and I thought the same thing.
That money travels, baby, it does. It sure does what it's
going to Yeah, now you know I'll probably keep like, you know,
a little side eye out on you know, and how she's doing. Uh,
just out of you know, general interest in sports, right. I
mean like when Lebron got into the into the league, you know, there
were guys out there who are saying we're gonna make it a shirt out of
course. Let's take this call. Hi, you're on there and eye on
the ball. Hey you guys, this is Gabe. How are you guys
doing, Gabe? Welcome back, We're here, We're fine. Okay,
that's good. Do you want to talk about so? Do you? Guy?
I know that Bill Norton transfer out of Arizona, so that kind of
it sucks. But it's college football right now in twenty twenty four, and
I bet Brent Brennan and the whole coaching staff are have a couple of contingency
plans on who they're going to get the transfer potals. So so let's just
be prepared for Arizona fence. Let's just don't worry about this. This is
gonna happen every single college college fan base from from Alabama to Washington or so
on so forth, so I wouldn't worry about it. Wow, Gabriel with
a rational dude, what's going on? That's good to Gabriel. Let me
ask you a quick question, just to maybe get the old Gabriel back.
How long did it take you to get over the loss in the Sweet sixteen?
It took me a couple like two days, and then you said,
okay, enough already we're moving on. Yeah, and and then and so
I just thought, well, Tommy Lloyd is gonna get players in the transfer
portal and get ready for the Big twelve, and they're not. I don't
think tom and Lloyd is gonna get get those soft ass to Europinion players because
we need we need players from the transfer portal are gonna basically are big ol
bigel grizzly bears who are basically tough and not take jiguani iced tea from anyone.
Yeah. So let me ask you, Gabriel. You said you're like
twenty seven, right, twenty six? What the Holaday seven? Twenty seven?
When at what age will you be when Arizona gets to the Final four.
I don't know, hopefully soon, yeah, say twenty eight. Yeah.
Hey, I'm still looking for the fountain the youth, and and I
don't want to get older. Another question I have is in regards to Arizona
Athletics and Arizona and Arizona and the president of Arizona. I just thought about
the idea about if if Arizona wants to stay, it has every single college
that has a lot of il money. Should Arizona just cut to the chase
and be the first college to have their student athletes to be employees of the
university and that will start a chain reaction. Well that's what talked about.
Yeah, that's a that's a tough one because whatever they do, it's got
to be within n C double A rules, right, So uh, and
so the NC double A kind of has to decide that, or the courts
have to decide that for the n C double A and then they become employees
of the school. Yeah, or Arizona could just leave then nca I mean
it's a matter of when all the all the schools in the SEC and the
big ten will leave to will leave that n c A. So why why
not Arizona just leaves the NCAA and just start a change change reaction. Well
also, and also Arizona leaves from the Arizona leads the border regions because in
the SEC, all those SEC SEC schools don't have any border regions. I
just still find that that's so eediotic because because I live in California and all,
and we basically have the same scene the California border regions. I just
find that really pretty pretty eadiotic. No, the state schools like University of
Alabama. I don't know if Auburn is a state school, but they're they're
governed by state boards of some sort, whether you call a border regions board
of trustees or whatever. They're they're state government funded schools. So so Alabama
does have a board of trustees of some sort, and all the all the
other state schools like you know, even well, you know the California set
up because there's two there's two uh uh state university agencies, but in Arizona
just has one. But no, all all those you well, you know
when you see University of Michigan, Michigan State, all those have they have
trustees like or boards of regents or whatever you want to call them. They've
all got them. Okay, well, yeah, all right, thank you
for asking my question. I didn't say the word dumb as we just assumed
that we call the morons on North they have pretty disgusting colors and dumb ass
college. Oh yeah, well that's the game, we know, Thank you,
getting all right, thanks a bunch, You're welcome. Beard his own
cap. You know, we almost got out of there, and then we
got not one, but two, I think that's what he calls. Anyway
you wants to see those ways a game? Yeah? Anybody else want to
call police? Do five? Two, oho, four one, six,
seventy four forty? What's on your mind? What did you do? I
won't ask you because I was asked about the Suns. You can tell you
about their playoffs next, because I didn't know where they fell in terms of
and Golden State thinks in the playoff or whatever. So that's gonna happen.
Class you can start watching the NBA. Yeah, we can start watching NBA
and the playoffs are on, and the NHL playoffs are on as well.
Yeah, I don't know anybody. Well, you probably do because your son's
probably involved watching them, But I don't know very many people who watch the
regular season outside of maybe a favorite teen or now there's this guys, guys
who like watching the players, you know, and now now the players are
here, people start paying there about the teams and all that kind of stuff.
No, absolutely right, you know, and even you know. I
mean, yeah, I guess I'll follow even the early early rounds. I
won't sit down and watch an NBA game until they get further than the plasts,
but I'll be paying attention who's in, who's out, who's loses.
There's gonna be some great matchups in the first round because Golden State plays Sacramento
I think it is, and there's some other Lakers and whoever. They play
like Pelicans and they just played them. A lot of great matchups that could
happen and upsets that could happen. Yeah, yeah, well you got yeah,
you got the Kings and the Warriors at the Pelicans Lakers. We'll let
we'll let Kevin break that down for us. We got to break in news
bad. You know, they get going today. And I love the play
in format. I think it's very cool the way the way they do that,
where you know there's based on your seed and you know you don't have
to win as many games or whatever. You're like, you're like if you're
the last one in. Man, it's a hard road. It's a lot
more excitement with the plan. It's a really hard road. Now, that's
fine. I'm fascinated by the fact that the Warriors have gotten so bad that
they're in the play in Yeah. Well, they were in the play like
two three years ago, I think it was, and they got beat in
the first in the first round here they had like a gazillion injuries and stuff.
Yeah, but they were there. I mean they're still good enough.
Think they've been playing kind of better than Yeah, and and Thompson's coming around.
Now. I'm looking at the bracket. If you would ask me who
is the number one seed in the West, I know you want to you
want to find out Oklahoma? Yeah, Oklahoma. Right, they've done a
fantastic job with you, with with your guy, with your guys chid homeroun
Yeah, well you know, I say that's our guest, you know,
seven five and forty five pounds, you know, I remember those days,
forty five pounds at least. Yeah. No, and then and they played
out of their mind. And then the East. Uh. In the East
it was Boston, right, which no surprise, they've been locked up for
six games. The surprise team was Milwaukee. Had they fell the three?
Yeah, and who's the two? Oh? The next? Quitch? Nick?
What what? Yeah? What we have asked me about the next?
I had said, well, when was the last time they were in the
player? I was just gonna say, we were like caveman who fell asleep
and didn't wake up for a few years. This kind of like it feels
like you woke up from like a long nap and you're like the sun's gone
down and dinner's over and gone. Right, what happened here? So we'll
see what happens with that, and we'll obviously continue to talk about that party.
Give a phoenix or guy or two to come on and see, you
know, see what happens, See what happens. Maybe we can see Could
you look up how DeAndre Aiden finished his season, because I mean they moved
him for a reason. Yeah, I went to Portland. I went to
Portland. Did you hear much about him outside of him not making a game
because of a snowstorm? Oh? Yeah, there was that. This season,
DeAndre Aiden averaged sixteen eleven and one assist sixteen a mediocre Portland team.
Yeah, with the same same identity that he's always had. Ironically, it's
actually his exact average like for his career is sixteen point seven, and he
averaged sixteen point seven this season. He had one extra rebound in the same
amount of assists. DeAndre is who he is no matter where you put him,
no question. Good days and bad days, Yeah, more bad days
and good days probably Okay, hey, are you ready? All right,
let's let's go in. Let's go and hit and hit it. Kevin's gonna
be back, got breaking news, more stuff coming out of the NBA player
smare transfer portal stuff, and who knows what the heck else. So you
all good for that, ready? Right about? Lots of good stuff,
all right, So let's go and take our break. We'll be back break
your news at the top of the hour, and then at the in the
second segment, we're gonna have Dennis Potman. Did I say that right?
Steve Potkin, Steve Potchkin, the head coach of the two Suon roadrunners.
We're right back