This is Eye on the Wall with Steve and Jacin Sound Fox Sports fourteen fifty
powered by Nova Insurance Services and Sure Your Most Prized Possessions kat z R two
sad In iHeartRadio Station. Hey, good afternoon, everybody, welcome to I'm
About Hero Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera. He's Jacin Zalaz.
Got our guy. Who's you want? Your name? There? Today?
Ryan? Ryan? Right, he's still Ryan. Two kids. He was
Ryan last Thursday and he's Ryan to too many kids in this house. You
know when you tell Hey, Kim Ryan, Kevin, Jimmy Twan, Yeah,
that guy. Welcome everybody. Good to be indoors. It sucks outside.
God, it's hot, it is so hot. How how long is
your drive to get here? Fifteen sixteen minutes? Okay, but let me
tell you something. I'm old now, like everybody else except for Ryan here.
Last year was the first time I said what the hell am I doing
here? And I guess I'm gonna say the same thing this year because for
the first time in my life, it hurt last year and it's gonna hurt
again this year. It makes no sense, But you know you've been I've
been here for thirty some years now, and I'm you, I was used
to it, and I take this over ten degrees. But see, here's
the thing. I you know, I grew up, you know, I
grew I grew up in that in that time where in the summertime, your
parents you well, you you went outside, you left that you went outside
in the morning on a summer morning, and you didn't come back until it
got dark, not because your parents, maybe because you didn't want to be
home with your parents, Okay, And I just don't remember feeling all that
hot playing. You know, we'd go out and play baseball, football,
basketball, whatever in the middle of the day in the sun, and it
didn't feel hot like it feels now. I don't know if it was.
I mean, yes, it's hotter, but you know, a few degrees
hotter, not like, yeah, twenty degrees hot. But even if it's
one hundred and five hundred six back then, because it was I mean,
we'd go you know, we'd go play. You used to be able to
golf if you were if you were under sixteen, you used to be able
to go play golf eighteen holes at at the city courses. So we'd go
to Randolph because it was on the bus line for fifty cents, and we'd
go. We'd go, pay her fifty cents. We'd go early in the
morning. My dad would give us a ride because he worked downtown. So
we'd throw all our clubs in the back of his truck, jump in the
back and give us a ride. Drop us off at Alvernon and Broadway,
and we'd walk to Randolph and we'd play thirty six would pay, We'd pay
her fifty cents, then would sneak on because we didn't have another fifty cents
to pay for the second eight and we'll played thirty six holes and my dad
would pick us up on his way home. Oh nice, But in the
in the middle of the summer. Yeah. Now, and now it's like
I think, as we get older, you just gotta say, what the
hell are you doing here? We do that two three times a week.
Global warming indeed, holy craft, and it you know hot to you.
Yeah, I mean I work I work out it. Yeah yeah. Yeah.
Because you're young, Like he's talking about what we were, you're talking
young teens. I'm talking you know, te thirteen, fourteen, fifteen years
old. Yeah, when you're that young, you don't pick. Did you
just happy to be outside? Did you work sunscreen as a kid? Oh?
God, no, no, no, I probably have. I probably
have been dead. I went out to work in the yard for like two
hours on Sunday. My wife wouldn't let me out the house without putting on
sunscreen. She watch you forever. But it's not sure why you got a
good bronze color. I did. I got my color in Rocky Point like
that. No, it's funny. It's funny because back in the day,
we didn't do anything like you know. No, we just kind of like
you better do this or not. Just get getting out of the door and
walking to the car. Yeah, you break into a sweat. No,
it sucks. It sucks, but it's uh, we're here, so yeah,
we're here. We show up. We still show up every day.
Yeah, and there's eight c in the building. Yes, it's it's actually
cold in your right. No, that's good, it's good. Well,
welcome everybody. Sorry for a gibberish, but it is hot out there.
You guys know that a lot of things going on. Great show today.
I think potentially we'd like to think we can put one together with these guys.
Although I thought yesterday show was very good. People commented on of course
it wasn't because of us, It was because they were just tough to talk
about, right, And and we'll see we get with that with coach Brennan,
yep, because you know, the last time we had him on,
you know, we got we got a ten minute interview with him as part
of a media day thing. To today we actually get him on and there's
nobody else around to you know, steal our questions and stuff. So we'll
talk to uh Bran Brennan. But a lot of stuff to talk about,
uh, you know, getting ready for I mean getting ready for the season,
Steve, you know, media days coming up and what maybe a little
over a month, a big twelve media day. You know, he's had
some days to the first game. He's got all these camps going on the
transfer portal is you know, he's filled up his team you know, out
of the transfer portal and you know, and then he's been on this tour
around uh, you know, around the state to gay people don't get to
know them. So we'll talk about all the busy stuff he's been doing.
Right to write to get a meeting, those shaking hands, kissing babies whatever
it is. Yeah, that these guys do because Tommy and the a D
and all these guys are kind of trying to sell tickets. Yep, they
are trying to set and you got us some guy in there and after some
guy. He shouldn't be golfing right now. Well, I'm guessing if Don
Pooley is out golfing, he's doing it early in the morning. But uh,
we like to talk, you know when we you know, one or
two of the majors each year we want we want to talk to Don Pooley.
He's a he's a senior US Open champ, but played in the US
Open a number of times. That's coming up this week at Pinehurst in uh
in North Carolina. Just get some of his thoughts on you know, on
the on the tournament, them and the tournament now, you know, and
the thing's going on here. There's a guy, Scotty Scheffler. They're starting
to use the T word with Scotti Scheffler, the Tiger Woods thing, you
know, that saying he's dominating, not as much as Tiger Woods did back
in the day, but he's there saying he's getting there because he's hard to
beat, you know, he's he's won five times this year already. He's
he's got he won the Masters, he won the Memorial. Uh, you
know, he's uh, he won the Players Championships. So he's won three
big tournaments. And now the US Open is coming up and he's the you
know, he's the odds on favorite to win that. Mm hmm. So
that'd be good. We have him every time, right, and once at
least once a year, Yeah, at least once at least at one of
the one or two of the majors. Uh. We had him on once
we getting ready to play the Masters because he had played in that. Uh.
You know, we'll ask him about, you know, playing in the
US Open. And the course is the way they set up for the US
Open because they're you know, they're hard courses already and they make them as
hard as they possibly can. You know, my son and my son and
I played uh Tory Pines about a month after the US Open had been played
there, and you know, they had they had eased it up, but
it was a hard course and I was imagining, you hit a ball,
you're not on the fairway at that golf course, and it's it's you could
see kind of trouble. It could be. So we'll talk about Pinehurst.
I see if he's played at Pinehurst. Yeah, okay, cool, so
it should be fun. Ye, No, great, great Gray so good
guests. So we'll hope we won't screw it up here in the next hour
or two. We'll try not to. Yeah, uh, anything else going
on UA is pretty much shut the door. Right, We're done with the
U of A Athletics. Right for the year, we'll see. I don't
know, do do points come out for the overall standings for the Directors Cup.
Yeah, I haven't called. I haven't seen that. We can look
that up. We'll look that up and see what they're because back in the
day they used to be pretty good in Arizona was good at it. But
you know, the non revenue sports have not you know, particularly swimming they
were good at. Every year tennis has come up. Golf is still doing
well, but you know they did betteran gymnastics, but you know, I
don't know, you know, I don't know where they say, Well,
we'll have to look that up. We got our interns. That's when you
show up interns, whatever your name is. Yeah, looked at a director's
coup. I don't know what it's called something you go serious on what's called?
Uh? They changed the name so often? Okay with that, and
then what else is going on locally? Still still a lot of fallout from
uh discussion from Dan Hurley not taking the job with the Lakers. Now it's
about, okay, what's what's wrong with the franchise? Why doesn't why does
it? Why did Dan Hurley not take that job? You know you saw
it. I don't know if you saw Lebron that tweeted out? Is it
me right? You know? And and maybe it is right, you know,
maybe you know Hurley goes over there and said, and they told him,
well, you've got Lebron. He's gonna be forty, he's aging,
but we're not gonna let him go, and you got to take his kid.
If I'm Don Hareley, I'd say you can keep your seventy million dollars.
Yes, because you in time, it could happen. It's funny though
everyone cycle analyzes things when when things go wrong or great. I guess they
should. But maybe it was just in the right fit and maybe it was
up not to be now and it might be and maybe it was just like
in the end, it wasn't him. Although then the other thing that that
that I've heard today is is people saying, okay, you you low balled
him. You know, why didn't you just give him one hundred million you
know the six years Oh yeah, one hundred million dollars that would have been
hard for him to turn down. And the saying, you know, it's
a typical Lakers thing, trying to you know, trying to get by who
knows what the finances are of the Lakers and stuff like that. There's still
a lot of people saying, you know, one hundred million dollars like magic
number that you say, Okay, I cannot turn down one hundred million dollars.
Yeah, it's funny. I just think that we in the world of
media, I said this, yes, straight overthink things. Uh, yeah,
we do because we have to create a story. You know, your
editors on usays, uh, give me a story for the next day,
and then then the next day and the next day, and try to figure
out you know, give me a call him in fact, right, give
me your analysis and it could be totally wrong, but maybe he just didn't
want to go in this right, And it may yeah, it may be
as simple as maybe as simple as his wife said, if you're going,
you're going without me? Sure, you know, I mean, and that's
that's not out of the realm of possibility. And he's and of course he's
got a good gig. He's got a nice gig. They want him back.
You know, he's back. He's he's gonna you know, he's gonna
be a favorite to win a third straight NCAA championship. Yeah. Well,
let me say this to you. We got five minutes this week, can
kind of be us here and give you a hypotheticals. Okay, so that's
a bad question for you. But uh uh, serious calls, serious calls.
We're gonna give you X amount of money one hundred thousand dollars to go
to, uh San Antonio. You gotta go to San Antonio. You gotta
live, but you gotta you're gonna work for serious but you're gonna work on
San Antonio and you gotta go. You gotta go in the next three weeks
to take the job. You can take the job, not fo one hundred
thousand dollars, Okay, okay, Okay, what there's the number? But
I don't know what it is. Okay, So what's the second reason that
I'm not gonna go. Yeah, well I don't want to live in Texas.
Two. Okay, there's a third reason because this is my home right
here. You have your family here, right, Okay, So not because
the money is said, let's say two hundred thousand dollars still not enough exactly
exactly. So it's sometimes not about the money, and it's all relative,
right, it's circumstances. It's all relative. Okay. Now they say,
they say four hundred thousand dollars, I'm probably going Okay, So there's a
number. So there's a number to take you in from your family, right,
it's got to be enough for me to fly back for football games.
So no, you know, I mean no, it's steven and for me
because my entire family is here. There was you know, after I was
asked to leave TEP, I got a call from San Diego. I had,
unfortunately, had just accepted a new job and so I just couldn't.
And but I really thought, hmm, would I take a job in San
Diego and leave all this stuff here? And it would have taken a lot
for me to go anywhere out of town. There came a time, I
mean early before we had kids, you know, like like all of the
newspaper people, you know, my wife and I looked at jobs outside of
Tucson, but we never left. And and and then there there came a
point where we're just dug in. We're not going anywhere. Sure, and
that could be the case too, the same for me. I have my
family here, Why would I leave? I love Tucsons. Of course there's
a number. But still, you know, you've got to give up some
to get get some, right, you do, so, and it's your
story. It's your story, right, that's mine. And and again,
when you're making five million, what he is now, what's seven million?
Right? Eight nine million? Whatever? Well he was it was going to
be ten a little over ten million. But at ten million, ten million,
five million, I know, you know, it's monopoly money at that
point. Sure. And but the thing is you still have to live in
things have to matter, right, Yeah, there's a lot of things that
matter. Unless I lived in the arena at Crypto, I don't know if
I want to live there. We were just there. Well, you know,
when when Larry Smith went to la you know, went to the USC
and this we're talking in the eighties now, right, we're talking in the
eighties and there, you know, we were doing stories on him, you
know, you know what it was like. And I remember there was a
story and I don't I don't remember if Jack McGruder wrote it or if Greg
Hanson wrote it, but talk talked to Larry Smith and how he talked about
in his first year coaching at USC, he drove to work and and he
he got so little done that in his second year he got a driver so
that he could work, be on the phone and stuff like that and use
the time that it took to get to work, which is you know,
USC isn't you know, downtown l A. And And you have to take
those things into account when you when you take a job like that, or
if you decide to go to New York. You know, you go to
New York, Are you gonna live in the city. You can live in
a suburb and commute. What are you gonna do? Same thing, same
thing with l A. And you know he's in stores, Connecticut, right,
How hard is it to get to work there? Sure? Sure?
And you only deal with the weather. And you're the guy, Yeah,
you know you're gonna, you're gonna, you're gonna be okay with the snow,
but you're not gonna be okay with the traffic. Yeah. I think
that's one of the reasons why you Uh, well, Loot stayed. He
had his Jesus here, he got his family here. He moved here for
a reason. Uh and he was older, you know, Yeah, and
money wasn't Yeah, he just he didn't he didn't don't want to deal with
that stuff. And he he had a place here where he could just be.
Yeah, you know, and that and when you know, look,
when you're making a lot of money, you still want to be You still
just want to be sometimes and just you know, do what you do and
sometimes you just can't when you know, when you're in when you're the Lakers
coach. Okay, we got to go because I know Brendan's going to call
us. You here, right, he's calling us right, So let's get
out here, get a commercial gain or two, and then have been good.
Right. The window Depot has everything you need to create the kitchen or
bathroom of your dreams. Frowsyisles of instock cabinets available in a variety of sizes
and configurations, and instantly elevate your space Today visit a showroom and let our
experts guide you. Whether you're choosing for money to go designs or creating a
custom masterpiece. We can help you select the perfect wood, type, color
and style and top it off with unique hardware to complete your luck. Find
a location near you at the window deepot dot com. The window Depot more
than a windows store. Steve Rivera here to talk about Dorattle Rocking Materials.
I needed a lot of gravel from my driveway, so I called Eric Dorato
Rock. He found out the amount and color I needed and boom, it
was taking care of and at a great price. How do I know radio
commercials work? I heard one of his on the radio. Doronto Rock and
Materials provides a wide range of landscaping materials, including decorative rock, boulders,
gravel, soil, and sand for residential and commercial use in the Tucson area.
They are locally owned and have been around for more than fifteen years.
Give them a call at five two zero four zero zero four two three three.
Where do you buy exercise equipment? Arizona Health Arizona Health, Arizona Health.
Of course, to feel better and look better, it makes sense to
buy your fitness equipment from the people who know it better than anyone else.
At Arizona Health, our goal is to help you choose the equipment you need
to reach your goals, your health and fitness to serve the best you deserve.
Arizona Health the leading edge in exercise equipments on twenty seconds just west of
will Not We're into twenty twenty four and it's time to think of recognizing your
employees, salespeople, managers, team members and agents with a Creative Award for
the great job they did in twenty twenty three. Come visit Creative Awards beautiful
showroom with over one thousand items to choose from, located the two to twenty
eight West Drachmann Street, or visit their website at Creative Awards az dot com.
Celebrate fifty years in business and see all the creative products they carry,
from recognition to promotional products and premium gifts for your special clients. Give Creative
Awards a call today five two O eight A two eighty six seventy seven.
At Nova Home Loans, we believe everyone deserves the opportunity to enjoy the independence
that comes with home ownership. Paul Volpi is ready to help you find an
option that best fits your needs, whether you're a first time or veteran home
buyer or want to get cash out with the refinance. Nova has a variety
of home loan programs to meet your unique situation. Visit Volpe team dot com.
That's Volpe team dot com or call five two oh six one eight five
six two six today n MLS three oh eight seven, arizon A b k
O nine oz two nine four two Equal Housing Opportunity, how to commitment to
Lindrixson. Credit rates and available loan programs are subject to change with un notice.
Did you know sports cards a memorabilia are setting record sales last month of
nineteen fifty two, Tops Make so for twelve point six million, Lebron James
Rookie so for five point six Also, collecting cards is a family fun hobby
that can be very profitable. If you want to start a collection or expand
your collection, check out Showtime Cards. They are one of the leading card
shops in the country and have served our local community for twenty five years.
They are located on e Speedway. That's Showtime Cards. Ready to save but
not sure where to begin? Take the Pyramid Bedroom Credit Union ten thousand dollars
saving challenge and we'll guide you along the way. Save five hundred dollars over
six months as a member and you could win big. Watch your savings grow
to help you reach goals like buying a car, owning a home and more.
Visit Pyramid FCU dot com Slash ten k challenge to get started today.
Been really insured NCUA. It's that time of year, summer in Tucson.
Time to take control with temperature control for all your air conditioning needs. We'll
keep you cool during all the hot streaks. All you have to do is
stay in control with temperature Control where we handle everything you need with prompt response,
affordable pricing, and sound solutions. We also excel in plumbing and electrical
work. We handle everything you need. Give us a call at five two
oh eight one five five six sixty five or visit our website at tempdash con
dot com and remember, stay in control with temperature control. Need concrete hardworks,
Concrete has it. We have more than twenty five years of experience with
all things concrete. Installing sidewalks and patio floors are our specialty, and handle
masonry work and retaining walls. We're locally and family owned. Just let us
know what you need, how you want it, and we'll take care of
it. Leave the hard work up to us. We're hard Works Concrete.
Call us at five one two nine six two five six six zero or visit
our website Hardworksconcrete dot com. We'll put the work in for you. Gout
bugs, termites, bees, or rodents. Zona Pest Control We'll hunt them
down. Arizona Pest Control is your complete desert pest management specialist tests can't run
or hide from Arizona Pest Control. They use only the latest and most technologically
advanced methods of pest elimination available, which minimizes the effects on the environment.
Let Arizona Pest Control get rid of your bad bugs, termites, bees,
or rodents serving Tucson and Southern Arizona since nineteen forty seven. Go to azypest
dot com to schedule your free evaluation today. Breaking down all the exes at
all. It's Steve Rivera and Jagen Salmons. This is I am a proa
on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. Hey, welcome back to my I Naval Gerol
Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera. He's Jaginsaus. Now on the
phone, we have Arizona football coach, coach Brennan. How are you,
coach? I'm doing great. How you guys doing. We're trying to survive
this one hundred thousand degree data. We're okay. Uh, you've been busy.
You've been a busy man the last few months. How's it going in
this in this town of yours? Now? Well? Cool? Great,
having a great time coaching a great group of young men, and love the
coaching staff and the people we've assembled to do it. So every day it's
coming to work is a lot of fun. You know. So I was
looking back and you know, how has this been different from when you took
the Santase State job. You've come to the U of A a place you're
a bit familiar with, but you know, you're you're an assistant and you
took the Santa's State job and so you were starting a program. But as
a first time head coach. Now you've been a head coach and you come
to Arizona, what's been you know, what's been kind of the same and
what's been very different for you? Aside from the obvious things like transfer,
portal and all that stuff. Yeah, you know, I think the thing
that has been the same is it At the end of the day, it's
about you know, developing young men on off the field, and the game
of football is a great tool to do that. And so that doesn't that
doesn't change. The stuff that's been different is the obvious stuff, right nil,
transfer, portal, those things weren't part of it when I took the
job at San Jose State. So right now or not right now, but
the last five months there's been such a bigger emphasis on retaining the team and
keeping the team together versus when we went to Santase State, right there was
a penalty for transferring, like all those old archaic rules that were in place,
you know, eight years ago. So it's a much different challenge when
you took over this program because we inherited a program that had success here.
Success here, so there was good players and there was good culture, and
so trying to do everything good to keep that thing together was much different than
the San Jose thing. You know, coach, I've run into about five
or six seven people who've met you at these events they go to and you'll
be going to some in your future, you know. They said Steve.
He's a normal dude. He's just a normal dude, which is refreshing.
And I said, yeah, that's how he comes off. And we talked
about this with Rich told me two three weeks ago, you're the closest to
Dick Tolmy, who's just a normal dude who loves the coach football. Yeah.
I think you know, the fastest way to get your butt kicked in
this game is trying to be someone that you're not. And you know,
that's a big thing for me. I enjoy people. I like I like
meeting people. I like meeting the fans. I love the fact that people
are so passionate about Arizona football and want to talk to me about it.
I've taken ten thousand pictures with random people all over the state of Arizona,
you know, and I'm like, you know, my seventeen year old son
is like, Dad, what the hell is going on? But it's been
fun. I love the fact that people care so much. That's exciting to
me. So, you know, people want to share their excitement for Arizona
football with me, and I get to share my excitement for Arizona football with
them. It's a win win. Would have been some of the I don't
know, more interesting things that people have said to you about the kind of
coach they want you to be, or the kind of players they want you
to get, or you know, you know, advice they've given you about
living in too something. What been? What are some of the things that
stick out to you that fans have said to your asked you as you've gone
around it, You've been on this welcome tour and all that type of stuff.
What are you getting from fans? I think in general, the fans
are just really excited. They're excited. There's a lot of enthusiasm for the
program. There's incredibly high expectations, the new conference, the new athletics director,
just a lot of change, their new head coach. So like that
part has been all positive. The funny stuff that people have talked about,
Number one, Like everyone here, everyone lives here, complains about the heat
all the time, which is just funny to me because I'm like, you
live here exactly, This is not new. It didn't just all of a
sudden one hundred degrees in June. That's like kind of a standard, right,
But like that part of it's been funny. But like I don't like,
I like the heat and I love the sun, so I'm happy.
Yeah, that's what I just posted about that on Facebook. Everyone complains it's
Hunter ten like it was supposed to be right with that Christmascember twenty fifth,
to be aware, Why are we surprised? Yeah, yeah, Well one
of the things is you have to get these fan base to get them to
buy tickets, right, we're hoping that that happens here after last year's success.
What do you see with that happening. Well, I think we're off
to a great start, and I think, you know, the athletics department,
the administration, our new athletic director has a lot of aggressive, good
thoughts on how we can kind of drive ticket sales. And I think that's
also something that I've consistently kind of challenged our fan base with because I promise
you this, every single game we play this year on the road in the
Big twelve will be sold out right right, every opponent, right, Because
we are going into an area of the country where fans are passionate about football,
and so that's something that we are going to have to counter. We
need Arizona Stadium to be a hard place to play, right. We need
the fans getting after that opposing team. You know, we need we need
a routy bunch in here, and we need to pack it so that this
place can be one of those places that all of our opponents, all of
our new opponents in the Big twelve are like, shoot, I don't want
to go to Arizona right Well, you know, I know I'm talking about
Big ten schools when I mentioned this, but you know, I remember the
uh An Iowa game, uh with Mike Stoops as the coach, and then
there was an Ohio Ohio State fans the year that they came here, I
think it was I think it was Dix last year, I think it was
two thousand Ohio State fans bought Arizona season tickets to make sure they had to
gain a ticket to that game, and then they sold. I mean,
they were you know, it was crazy. But that's what That's what it's
like over there, you know. So you know, I've been saying that
since Arizona was going to Big pubits guess, get ready for a whole different
deal, whether it's football, basketball, or anything else. I mean,
how much how hard is it going to be to get Arizona fans to understand
that even BYU fans bring more people than than you know, most teams.
No, absolutely, and I think that's that's one of those things. Number
One, they got to feel great about the product from the field. I
got to feel good about the players and the coaches that are that are involved
in the program. I think that's a really important component of it. But
also they want to see good football. And you know, that's the best
thing you can do to give people in the stands is to win games.
And obviously the previous coaching staff did a great job of that last year,
and there was a lot of excitement about the program and and really the home
crowd has such an ability to impact the outcome of the game. And that's
what that's what we need from our our faculty, our students, our lums,
our fans, the city. We need them to show up and show
out every weekend. We both of us were at your introduction when you came
on board, but we weren't able to get to the spring because you're doing
it. You're doing practice, doing our show. What did you make of
your spring practice? How did the kids take to you? They were great,
This group of young men like they like to work hard, they enjoy
competing, they enjoy you know, they're coachable, they want to be and
I think that's an awesome place to start. And like I said before,
I give the previous coach it's got a ton of credit, but also give
these players a ton of credit. Like these players have chosen this path.
They've chosen the hard way, hard work, staying together, being unselfish,
and that gives you a chance to play good football. Okay, So we
were talking with when the baseball season ended last week or a couple weeks ago,
we said, Okay, Arizona is now in the Big twelve. All
sports have to start thinking about Okay, now we're in the Big twelve.
You've probably been thinking about it longer than the others because your football season ended
a while ago and you're preparing. But how different is it preparing for a
league that maybe you don't know many of these teams that do you think the
other teams have an advantage by having the history that you don't have with the
Kansas States, Iowa States, all these teams that they play every year and
that maybe you haven't ever seen on the field. I think, you know,
I think that I think it cuts both ways, because they don't know
us either. Okay, you know, we might not know them, but
they don't know us either. And I think there's you know, and a
lot of those teams haven't come and played in Arizona Stadium. They don't know
what this environment feels like. They don't know what the Zona Zoo feels like.
When that thing is on your button, it's late in the fourth quarter,
you know, And so you know, I think in some ways it's
an advantage for us, and in some ways it's a disadvantage. Right,
we're going in the stadiums. We don't know what it's like. We don't
know which way the wind blows, or we don't know, uh, you
know what it's like to play there at night, or you know what the
crowds will be like. So that's that's part of it. But that's all,
you know, that's part of going on the road anywhere, And going
on the road anywhere is always an incredible challenge for your team, and it's
an exciting challenge. And this year is going to be new people and new
opponents and new venues not to be excited about exactly, right, Well,
I think we are right. I mean, you know, I look,
I hate what happened to the Pac twelve, but I'm kind of excited about
all these new teams that we're going to see that we've never seen before,
right, So absolutely, I mean I think a lot of people are so.
And uh, you know, how are you going to handle the You're
going to be picked to finish third or fourth in the league, which is
pretty pretty lofty early after last year's success. How do you handle that or
what do you tell the kids? I tell the kid that nothing matters less
than preseason, right, And you're right, You're right, yeah, like
it means nothing. You know, we were picked to come and last in
the Mountain West, and we won the conference. So I just don't you
know, I've just I've seen that not matter too many times. Right,
all right, So you've you know, you mentioned about you know, the
portal and all that stuff. So this, uh, you know, as
as you took the job, dealing with the transfer portal, dealing with n
I L having to fill some holes in the roster, are you just kind
of you kind of set? Now, where are you still looking at players?
Where are you as far as all of that goes, and maybe who
are some of the guys that you're really happy to see here. Sorry,
I think we're in a great place with that. You know, I really
give a lot of credit to our coaching staff and the players here. You
know, our players here were actively involved with recruiting the portal players that chose
to come. We're excited about it, you know. And really the majority
of the players are here now training and they're getting ready for the football season.
You know, they're in summer school or they're working summer jobs, but
they're training with coach Carroll and his staff every day and it's been intense and
it's been really good. We're fired up about that part of our program right
now, and a lot of our focus as a coaching staff has now shifted
to class of twenty five. So we have we have big official visit weekends
coming this weekend and next weekend, and that's going to be kind of the
space we're in for the next you know, three weeks. It's just heavy,
heavily recruiting this next class that will graduate a year from now. Okay,
So I just want to let you know that you're dealing with a with
an Arizona fan who's had his heart broken a million times uh, after great
seasons or during great seasons or whatever. And so I'm gonna I'm gonna preface
this question with that. But after the ninety I believe it was the ninety
eight season when you know, team went twelve and one. Uh. I
don't know, if you know, I played baseball with Dick and that City
League baseball team nineties ninety nine was a bad year, especially with the expectation
they had from ninety eight. I said, asked, what the hell happened?
Why did it go so bad? And he basically said to me,
we lost that season. During the summer, you know, your team,
your guys are coming off a great season, you know, but every ten
win season for Arizona has followed with a not so great season. What are
you saying to your guys this summer? And then how do you keep them
focused to not think about what they did last year and just think about what's
ahead? You know that, I would say that's the challenge. And really,
because as they walk around town here, everyone's telling them how good they
are and all that stuff, and like you know, people have people have
a hard time handling praise, really, you know what I mean? And
so our biggest thing is like focusing on what we can control. And we
can't control what the you know, what the fans do, or what the
you know, what the talking heads say about us on TV. But we
can control how we how we train, and we can control our process,
and so we just really dive into that. You know what. I think
the best teams are processed, you know, player process driven teams, and
you know, as long as the players are carrying it, it gives us
a chance. That was j by the way, that question. He's the
fan in the room, So coach, I don't want to go into fair
questions, right, yeah, well yeah he was. He was on the
Yeah, yeah, you know what, I want to have a talk with
that guy. That was a little upset of what they did in right,
So right, yeah, coach, I don't know if you believe in certain
dipity. But it's been twenty years. You were here last. I mean,
come on this, this this whirlwind that you got. You came,
you left, you have the chance to come now you're here. What a
life, What a nice life you have. I'm very fortunate, man,
I'm incredibly fortunate to be here at the universey Arizona. I love this place.
I'm excited to be here. I want to be here. It's pretty
It's a really special thing for me. And every day I walk up to
this, the Lowell Stevens facility, and I literally smile look out. I'm
like, Wow, this is awesome. It's gonna be a great day.
So we had Andy Lopez on yesterday and I asked him one question before he
left, what makes a good coach today? He said, Steve, we
don't have enough time, but what what what would you think? What would
you think because of all the all the stuff going on, nil money,
YadA, YadA, what makes a good coach today? That is a great
question. You know, I think any coach that's going about it, they
need to be authentically themselves. And you know nobody players can smell bs faster
and everybody else in the world. Yeah, and and so if you're if
you're not being sincere, if you're not being real, they're gonna eat you
live. And so, you know, I don't know. I think we're
all trying to find the best formula for how this is going to work right
now in the constantly changing nature of college football is making that challenging. But
at the end of the day, I really believe. Yeah, I know
I need to win games. I know this is big boy football. I
get all that, you know, But at the end of the day,
my job as a coach is to help prepare these men for life. Do
it through the game of football, love them, coach them, push them
and help them chase their dreams and achieve them perfect Well yeah, I mean
yeah, I mean in the end, that's that's the bottom line, right
That's that's the base thing. With all the other noise that's out there,
it's still still that is what's the most important thing in football or any of
the sports right now. Yes, I mean we're still working with you know,
eighteen to twenty three year old young people, right and it's like an
extremely developmental part of their lives as human beings, and so it's important that
we do the best we can to be good people for them, you know,
good mentors, good leaders, you know, good coaches and teachers.
And that's where you know, I think if we start with helping them,
you know, build a good life and have a good plan and all that,
I think the football takes care of itself, I really do. Well.
We encourage the fans to go see you this so this fault. Well,
and you said eighteen to twenty three, there's some there's some coaches that
have like twenty seven year olds and stuff like that. Coach, thanks for
joining us, Thanks for having me. We do appreciate to look forward to
catching up with you as the season gets gets Closereah, good luck sounds good.
Thanks, coach. I appreciate it. Brettan Brennan good good. Yeah,
Yeah, you know again, Steve, you know you said he just
seems kind of like a regular, regular guy. Yeah, who you know,
he was happy, who's very happy to be here. Look, we'll
talk about this on their side, but I think Arizona has a lot of
these people now right where it wasn't the case before. Right, No,
I agree with you. There were some guys who thought they were a little
above that. They walked on water. Oh they thought they did. Yeah,
yeah, they thought they did. Instead, they took us into the
ditch. All right, we'll be a right back. If you're an Arizona
men'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 chapters
for his twenty five years as Arizona's beloved coach listens 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 is
formal while get leman huntly with Arizona Health. Imagine how home GM can change
your health, your comfort, and your time. Arizona Health is everything you
need to transform your personal space and your life. We off a complete line
of padio machines, multi gms and freeway equipment. I'll certify fitness experts and
technicians will set you up with the right equipment and training to get you started
to keep you going. Visit our share room today at twenty second in Wilmot.
Arizona Health the lead edge and exercise equipment. What's your goal a new
career or career advancement? How about transferring to a four year college. PEMA
Community College can help you make some day today and reach your goals affordably on
your schedule. With over one hundred programs to choose from and financial aid available,
it's time to earn the degree or certificate you need to prepare for the
career you want. PIMA offers free career exploration classes so you can choose the
field that's right for you. Learn how at Pima dot edu. Slash someday
Heat there working to state up here? Is it hot in here? Or
is it just me? Honey? I always think you're hot, but it's
June and we all know it's going to get hot in Tucson. It doesn't
have to be hot in our house, honey. You should call Picture Rocks
Cooling, eating and Plumbing. They have the solutions for us for all your
air condition needs, all today by few zero four ninety two zero seven four
eight, or visit us at Picture Rockscooming dot com. Picture Rocks Doing and
Plumbing, Streaming Live I the iHeartRadio WAP. This is I on the Ball
with Steve Rivera and Jay Gonzalez on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. Hey, welcome
back to on the Ball, you know Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve,
You're Jay, and we got with us if you have about thirteen minutes.
If you don't want to call, please do five to two h four
one six seventy four forty. We appreciate it. Uh, go back to
the good dude kind of guy. I think, you know, just kind
of in my history of coaches. Uh, these you got, you got
Brendan, Now you have Tommy, right, you have uh Clancy Shields,
Clancy Shields, and you have Chip Chip. Yeah, you probably Brandon was
the idea of coaches. Yeah, idea. Uh, just kind of people
who like to coach but are approachable. Yep, you know. Back you
know, I don't know if Jed was to tell you truth, but he
was kind of still kind of he retower. I'm gonna say he was not
Okay, I'm just gonna I'm just gonna say I don't feel that he was
approachable. It seemed like anytime we even wanted to talk to him, it
was like, yeah, you had to jump through hoops to do true.
That's true, Sean for sure. No, Yeah, yeah, Sean for
sure. No, you know another one, Kendre. Of course, yes,
he even to a degree he became a he became a big shot in
Puisson And understand you know, it was tough to get to him, right,
right, he was great in the community, but if if the media
needed more, luckily I had a relationship so I can get to it.
But yeah, he was still kind of kind of tough, kind of well
but plus he was pretty quickly on and even you know, I just remember,
you know, the first year I covered the team and they hadn't even
done much yet, right, They had won to Packed twelve Packed in Championship.
They hadn't gone to the final four anything. But you know, I
was a young guy and I'm like, okay, I'm you know, I'm
gonna go meet Loot. And I felt a little I'm not gonna say intimidated,
but he was a big of course for the first time you're reading it,
he was a big presence to me, right, and he was throughout
his career. I felt the same way when we met him. Bobby was
in the room and he had well, he had this regal and towering presence
that's always and he always did. He always did, even to the end.
It's just because and he was Loot. Yeah, you know, who
didn't know who didn't know Loot in the state or the city, right,
And then then then again, you know, the complete opposite was was told
me. I have told the story of you know, we were on a
on a trip. It was in fact his second is last year. We
were on the Booster trip to to Oregon State. We ran into him in
the lobby of the hotel in Eugene. And when he had put on when
he packed his shoes, he packed two left shoes uh, and he was
wearing them. So he had to two uh sneakers and they were the left
for the left foot and he was wearing both of them. It was like,
you know, it's just like that, and that was him. He
was like, I have to go I have to go to the mall and
get another pair. Well, let me let me say this. I think
you can say this will being in trouble because this is a note I just
got. And we've kind of heard the same thing. Uh. People hated
working with Jen. I think I'm okay with saying that. I think I
say that I can defense is my the jruth is my defense, right Uh.
And some people just didn't. He rubbed the people the wrong way there
right right, and and and I've heard all this same things, and there
was sort of the he had the sort of the car salesman, uh persona.
And and look again, as as as Brent Brennan said it, and
as as you know, and I'll say it too, we all appreciate how
he turned this program around what he should. The fact that he was able
to do so well that he got the Washington job, you have to applaud
him for that, and we do. But in but also you know,
there are there are you know, there's certain ways that people do things that
rub people the wrong way. And and and it's not Tucson. Does that
make sense, It's not Tucson to do that, right, because it kind
of Tucson's a normal person place. Tucson expects average people to be in important
positions. And and and by average I mean right, just kind of regular
people who are good at what they do. Right. You know, you
want your you want your mayor and your your your leaders to be somebody that
you'd like to sit down and have a beer with or stuff like that.
They don't want them to be all, for lack of a better word,
hoity toity. Well, let me throw this at you because this is one
of those questions that I threw it to you last call when the San Antonio
thing, coach. You know she left, right, she was one of
those people, a normal person who loved this place. She was a grad
right, She's had a national title here or two and she left. She
must have been pained paid to leave this place, right, But she's going
to a place that. How can you not say you say no to that?
No? I agree, you know, how how could you say?
How could jet Fish say no to Washington? Exactly? In fact, we
heard him, he was on Rome today and and it was it's kind of
old news, you know, how he left or whatever. But how could
you not? Of course, you're going to succeed. Guess what you do.
You get a rewarded forget, you get to be rewarded, yea.
You know, you'd like to think that if Brent Brandan is very successful here,
that he'd want to keep being successful here. But also if you know,
he gets so successful that you know, the Florida job comes up,
or you know, State or something like that, you know comes up that
that you know he would be tempted to. And you've been here long enough,
and I've been here long enough to know that Tucson and ve A is
what's Who's next? Place because they're gonna lea it's it's still a stepping stone
place, unless, of course, you're where you made it a home and
you want you could show that. Well, Arizona basketball is a destination,
right, but I can't think of any other sport here. And maybe maybe
baseball although Jay Johnson, you know, high tailed it for for the secure,
but you know, baseball could be considered sort of that foreig national championships,
you know, a long history a softball as well. There'd be only
a few other places that take you away from baseball, right, that pool
gets much smaller than it does for you know, particularly football, softball too,
Yeah, softball too. If you if you run that thing right or
well right, you can be best in the country. Right. No,
that's a saying. Baseball, softball and probably basketball are three sports at Arizona
that you can see is destinations. Maybe Clancy Shields is making Arizona destination a
place for tennis, who knows, But guess what, But guess what if
if if somebody from Texas or you know, somebody in the SEC comes calling,
you know, don't be surprised and and and we don't blame them,
right, we as Arizona fans have to respect that, right, you know,
thank you for your your time, thank you for your success. If
if ESPN calls you, you're going to ESPN. Yes, yeah, right,
yeah. I love Tucson. But to see gotta go. Yeah.
By the way, I don't have any family to hear I gotta go yeah
in April? No, yeah. And and and the hard part for Arizona
fans, And you saw this the most when Larry Smith left for USC.
Yeah, right, that's what that's what was it a gut punch, a
total gut punch, because you know, and the thing is that Larry had
only been here six years, seven years. If he did seven years here,
it's not like he was a twenty year coach here. He got here
in nineteen eighty and he was here, he was here for seven years.
So let me ask you this, because he was successful here, he did
his job. And I don't know this, and I should know this,
and maybe I'd just forgotten. Did he regret taking the job? He probably
didn't because he was I mean he was then he left, right, he
left, he left, well, he got fired at USC. That's my
point. Do you think at some point and maybe Cheryl would know where.
Well, he wasn't regretting it when he played him back to back Rose Bulls,
That's for sure. And that's where you go right right. Uh you
know, did he I mean did he prefer living in Tucson over over La?
Of course he did because he kept his home here, right, But
did he did he regret being the head coach of USC? If he did,
I'd be I'd be really surprised. Right. Well, and we have
another guy too, and I still think that you think the world. I
don't know if you think the world, but you think he's a heck of
a good coach, rich Rod. Rich Rod did a good job here.
He got him to a nice level, went to the did something that we
didn't think think you'd do, come to the championship game with the BAC twelve,
played in the festival, and we but he was also a guy that
we knew once something came, Oh, he was out the door. There
was no doubt, you know. I mean, I mean, you got
a call, we got Okay, let's take this car Requick. Hi,
you're on the air and nine of the ball. That's Richard. Sure,
I'm glad we're talking football, Thank goodness, And it's you know, do
alow with anything goes. But you know, the one thing, one of
the big important things I think as you guys go to the Big Twelve,
one of the assets they have in the Big Twelve, one of the really
good things is you can get a great breakfast back there. You know,
hey, a lot of CAFs and uh, you know, you'll get your
big old plate of eggs and maybe some cheese grits and uh, you know,
the hash browns and biscuits and gravy, and of course it comes with
the later. So Richard, was was it a gut punch when Riley left?
Yeah? It was, No, certainly it was a gut punched a
certain degree, you know, but we filled it pretty quickly, and I
think we did a good job. See there's always there's always another one,
next up, next up, and there's it's well yeah yeah, yeah yeah.
But but anyway, I'm really excited about this coaching staff. I think
Brennan's great. I'm really excited about all this assistance. Dino Baber's dynamic personality,
great offensive coordinator, and of course they got from New Mexico Gonzalez I
leave and just all of them, I think it's going to be a really
really hot season and I can't wait. Richard, do you go to games?
I don't know, I have it in many years. Yeah, No,
I don't know how there we go? And so let me ask you,
let me ask you this. Around the Big twelve. The team's left
in the Big twelve. Uh, outside of how good the teams are,
just the fan bases and the the venues and and the way fans are,
where is Arizona gonna? Where's it going to be the toughest place for Arizona
to play in football? I'm looking at that schedule and you know, uh,
you know, it's it's just tough. I mean there's just every game.
Yeah, it's going to be a tough game. And I don't like
the way the schedule ends. I think it's at UCF, isn't it.
Yes, they go to Florida, Central Florida. That's a long way away.
That is a long way. I mean, I just very a lot
of athletes, really athletic. I think it was it was Mike Stoop's first
year, maybe first or second year. Well it was no. Towards the
end of my six they went to Oklahoma State and I remember watching that game
and they just got obliterated there, and I just remember thinking, you know,
that has to be just a really hard place to go to. It
is. It's very tough. It's the old stadium they built. They kept
the old stadium and built a new stadium around it. They're right on top
of you. It's extremely loud, and of course they're fanatical. Yeah,
so you know we throw in fanaticism, it becomes a whole new ball game.
Well, Richard, I'm a sixty year old man. I'm a man,
do you I tell you, Hey, they were chilling out. So
I was watching highlights last night at Mike Gaddis and he's the great running back
at Arizona Fate in nineteen eighty nine here in Tucson. Yeah, and hell
they kept him contained, but what a great running back he was. He
got injured, didn't get to play in the NFL. But I'm sorry to
get sidetracked, but you know, it is hot out. Well, the
Life and Crimes of Oklahoma Football, I remember, Well, that's fiction.
All sold a lot of books, a lot of books. But really,
what they're gonna do is they're gonna give Switzer. We're going to have the
nil Award is going to be called the Oklahoma Award ahead of their time,
right, Well, that's right. So we were, we were, We
did the right thing. And even Jake quoted Barry Switzer the other day.
Jay said, if if a kid needs to go to a movie or a
date or have a jacket and need some help, and Jake gons All quoted
Barry, give it to him exactly exactly. Hey, thanks, Richard appreciated.
Yeah, I mean again, ahead of their time, right. What
you know, people say John Wooden was ahead of its time, right for
even all the way back in this in the sixties and seventies. So anyways,
you know, he didn't know it's gonna be interesting. You know,
I think about that Oklahoma State game. You know they're gonna you know,
again, as as Brenton, as Brent Brennan said, every place they go
to, Iowa State, they packed the place, Pansas State, they packed
the place. We have a minute, I don't think we can get a
game, right, I mean it's we couldn't get in the car and go
somewhere. No closest is Denver, Denver. Did you go see uh Colorado?
Yeah, no, that's not that's not the same you're not. No,
And that nice place. It's a cool place to go to a game.
I know that I've been there for for one of those. But I
mean going to Baylor, Lubbock, Yeah, Houston, I don't know,
I don't. We have to go see my guys place in n Abilene.
God, I want to do that, I think. So, It's honest.
I think it's like ten it's like ten hours or eleven hours to like
Denver. In the car with Jay. Yeah, I'm not I'm not.
No, I'm not driving to Denver, that's for sure. All Right,
let's take our break. We're gonna come back. Ryan's gonna be back here
with breaking and stick around.