Streaming live on the iHeart Radio AP. This is I on the Ball with
Steve Ribera and Jay Gonzalez on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. They welcome back to
Iding the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Ribera, He's
Jaken ZoZ. Now we have Jay with some breaking news allegedly. This is
I on the Ball breaking news on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. All right,
while we started to talk about a little bit, but Arizona baseball, which
has been having a rough year, really rough year. Uh, kind of
knock days. You're on last night. I need nothing. So so our
buddy Javier or Morales posts this thing on internet or somewhere on Facebook or Twitter.
Um, is that twenty to zero in baseball equals seventy to seven in
football? I would only say there's a little too. I think there's a
little caveat to this game, and that it wasn't while it was still Arizona
SU. It wasn't a conference game, so it really didn't mean anything other
than another win. So I disagree with that. He was just asking,
does oh it does not? It does not because had it been, had
it been, had it been a game of real importance between the two teams,
like a conference game that maybe one of them's going to get into the
tournament one is not, and then that happens. Sure no, no,
not even that, because baseball is not football, right, Okay, baseball
is not football? Is that? I mean? Is it a big deal?
You know for the for Arizonner to do something like that. Sure they
need something, They needed something like that. You know, it's the kind
of thing that you know, maybe terms or season around because they feel,
you know, they walk on the field field a whole lot better about them.
So it is. And plus they did it to a sure dress look
great. Um but I think that overall big deal but not a big deal.
Okay that makes any sense? Yes, twenty to nothing is twenty to
nothing. I mean, you don't want to lose twenty to nothing. Long
was a game he was just hoping. I can imagine. Man, Well,
I know a su didn't bat for a long time in any in any
inning, so maybe it wasn't all long. But yeah, that I mean,
you know, uh no, it's not doesn't compare seventy sent that,
does it. That's seventy seven The d a whole lot more, all right,
Um uh staying on staying on the Arizona side. A football got a
commitment from uh UH Indiana defensive line transfer. Yea, if I'm not even
gonna, I guess I could tramp pronounce his last name. CEO. Now
got total And that's what are the concerns on the line, right They need
they need help on the six three three fifty. But that's what they need.
You know, he came, he came to he came, He visited
this uh uf A last weekend, and he picked Arizona over Oregon State.
Okay, which is a big deal. Now in the past, if you
picked them over organ State, you said, oh, okay, big deal.
But organ State it's gonna be pretty good. Yeah. He started all
twelve games in Indiana last year two and a half tackles for loss um So
you know, didn't get a ton of tackles. Says, because this is
from Jason Shear's article on it on Wildcat Authority, that UH Indiana's defensive scheme,
defensive linemen don't generally get a lot of tackles. But he did have
two and a half tackles. He played forty one games in four seasons over
there, so this is a fifth year guy, how many tackles did you
have? Forty one? Forty one? Okay, two and a half sacks?
Yeah, two and two and a half sucks tackles for lost last year
said two and a half tackles. That's not very good, but your tackles
for he's a New Zealand kid. Um. Uh. Then he moved to
American Samoa and that's where he came from. You know. Again, a
nice nice pickup for Jetfishes. They need those players all right. Um.
Something that Arizona basketball fans were like, yeah, I just heard a thing
the day that the the LSU and Kansas. Uh yeah, RP AI R
what I RP cases are sort of coming to to a cloth. Um.
In an article from Sports Illustrated, Billy Preston, who was one of the
Kansas basketball players involved in all of that, uh, said that, uh,
the Jayhawks staff knew about the payments. Is his mom was getting from
Adidas that the staff knew about it. Oh. Um, so whatever,
but that's a smoking gun that they never had on air. Sure, so
let me ask you what happened to Steve Stephen Preston. Okay, Billy Preston.
Billy Preston and not that Billy Preston that you and I, um,
I don't know where you're where you want because if you're that talented, you
must have had some talent to play in Kansas. And if you didn't make
it to the NBA. Um, Okay, well they're wasting money on the
guy that didn't make it to the NBA. Yeah. Uh but uh basically
saying that everybody knew about it, and so he says they ain't no victim
because see that the thrust of the case of the trust of the court case
was that the schools were victims of the guys who were doing the prime stuff
like that, and and and and uh. Preston was saying that that they
weren't a victim. They knew what was going on. They put the whole
thing together, They set it up. KAYU was the whole reason we even
met, right, It's like shooting yourself in the foot, and says,
well, yeah, there was a robber here, but the robbert was me
and the and the mom. The mom is saying the same. The mom
was quoted basically the same, the same. So, well, like everybody
else know what, Tuan didn't come on it. It's gonna be Okay,
they didn't do it. I haven't done anything to any of the other school
right overall of this this is Kansas and yeah, so let's see what happens,
all right, Um, okay, let's see what else did I have
here? Uh oh minute always said Max Scherzer was looking at a ten game
suspension. He is being given, Yeah, a ten games. Did they
say what it is? He was saying it was rosin and sweat. They
don't know what it is. They just know it was something on his hand.
His hand was sticky, and you know that's what guys try to do.
You know, it helps them. It helps him grip the ball,
put a different different rotation, all that you ever do, spitter a little
bit, Yeah, it helps with definitely with injury too when you're gripping the
ball, because some of those balls can be real slick. Yeah. Now,
they try to use anything they can, anything they can get their hands
on. Um, he's trying to make the argument that because they checked him
going in and they said, look, you got something on your hands.
You got you need to go get rid of this. And then he went
into the dugout washed his hands with alcohol in front of a staff person a
Major League Baseball staff person, did everything that staff person asked him to do,
went back out on the field. They said, you still got stuff
on your hands, and they threw him out of the game. And he's
basically saying, I did everything they asked me to do, and still they
tossed me. That was got He is getting into ten game suspension for having
something on his hand. All right, Um, he's just an interesting thing.
This may be more for discussion. But James Franklin, the head coach
at at Penn's football coach at Penn State, we gotta call let's take this
higher on the air and I on the ball. Hey, it's Mike Mna.
How you guys doing. Hey, Mike, what's up? Let me
hear your measurements today? Oh you know, sorry, yeah, I thought
I was calling into Dan Patrick last week. Now. But I'll tell you
what, guys, I love your show. This is coming from a you
know, I live in Chandler, I live in Phoenix, and you got
me addicted to the show. Now. I listened to it, you know
when I get home at night and stuff and laying in bed and you guys
talk about all the stuff. I like sports cards, you know, you
got the n I L guy you had all was great. My favorite thing
though, is that he's point of reference for everything is Arizona basketball. And
it's just like me, like, I didn't feel like I got old until
all the guys from the ninety seven h NCA tournament we're out of the MBA,
you know, years and Antoine James, san Vince Carter. At that
point, I was like, damn, now I'm old now. Yeah,
but anyways, I wanted to I wanted to plug my event. Uh most
time. We got it coming up in a couple of days. Yeah,
absolutely good, go ahead, give us. Yeah, we've got We've got
Maya Nag from the Arizona women's basketball team. She's gonna be at our Cricket
Wireless store at fourteen seventy five West Saint Mary's this Saturday, April twenty second,
from twelve to two pm. I just found out that she's also bringing
Kaylin Gilbert, Helanta Abuyo and Um and Um Martinez as well, excuse me
for as as Marie Martinez. Yes, so we're gonna have you know,
almost the starting five of the team out here, not not quite the starters,
but enough to to field the team out there, Um, come out
and play some basketball games with them. We're gonna we just up there.
We're gonna do one hundred free Sonoran Hotdogs. So bring the family out,
bring the kids out to play games. We have a face pain or a
jumping castle. We're gonna raffle up some prizes. This is going to be
a lot of fun for the community. Come down to the Cricket Wireless Store
on fourteen seventy five West Saint Mary's this Saturday from twelve to two. Are
they going to sign autographs? What can the fans expect? Hey, I'm
printing out these autograph cards. I've got a couple hundred of those that we're
going to pass out to get autographs, to get pictures, to just interact.
I want them to be a part of, you know, the community
and really just interact with everybody. I've been a fan of of all types
of basketball. I'll watch kids basketball, women's basketball, whatever, But I
know the popularity of women's basketball is on the rise in the whole country,
but also in Tucson over the last few years. With a Da Barnes and
what she's doing here, it's very popular. So here's your chance to come
on out, meet some of the players, some of the young rising stars
in the program, and have some fun with them, connect with them.
You always talk about how we don't get to meet the team the players like
we used to back in the day. Well, we're bringing this back to
the community so you can meet the players and connect with them on a personal
level. Yeah, good point, Good point, Michael. Thanks all right,
Mike, thanks a whole bunch. Man, appreciate you listening too.
All right, Warriors, Go Warriors. I almost wanted to give him the
one eight hundred next Step number, but since he says he's addicted to us,
I love that. I love somebody. Yeah, he hadn't been listening,
he called, and then yeah, good all right. Yeah, So
get out there noon to two o'clock on West Saint Mary's Road, the uh
the Cricket Cricket Store. Anyway, so I was getting to this one.
We got about four minutes before we have to break for Clancy Shields. Um.
James Franklin, Head, the head football coach at UH at Penn State,
said that the there's gonna have to be at some point, and he
said sooner rather than later. Revenue sharing and or a collective bargaining agreement with
college athletes that he said, what's worth. What they're doing now is not
working, and it's not it's it's not sustainable. He said, I think
most people would prefer that being collective bargaining or revenue change for that than the
current model, because I think it's better for student athletes. But there's because
they're gonna be able to get contracts and know what they're signing up for.
And I think for the schools as well, I think there's going to be
value in knowing what you're dealing with. They don't know now, I mean,
you know, they don't. I won't they think they The schools don't
because they get a guy and they don't know how long he's gonna stay and
if somebody's gonna come on with some other money and take him out of there.
And so what he's saying is that they're gonna if they do this,
there's gonna be contracts. But the only way that's gonna work is if there's
also a contract with the coach. It says a coach can't leave either right
for this contract, regardless of a buyout or whatever. You just can't go,
you know, put it in this cause if you leave, you can't
coach for five years. You know, this fairytale, fairy tale world,
it's not gonna work. I mean, they screwed up by doing this in
the first place, and not having the rules already already in place, by
thinking it would take care of itself, and not putting the rules right right,
Well, let me tell you. You don't even have to tell me
what you're gonna tell me be for. But you you found out some stuff
about the UA basketball team, right that we had the nil guy here before,
what players were getting right, and it kind of was too. My
point of if Jay's getting more than me and he's passing me the ball or
whatever, well what about shouldn't I be getting something like that exactly right,
exactly right, exactly so anyway, So that's just you know, not coming
from somebody like the guy Penn state. Um, what happens, I think
Steves when a conversation like that starts, it always gains moment, and then
other coaches will join. Eventually something happen right, right. If it was
okay for him to say it, I can say it too, and then
you get this ball rolling true and ultimately things That's how things like nil and
whatever come to fruition because you build momentum towards those things. And I just
see the players now getting together and doing the union or whatever. Once I
did, the other guy shifts, and you know, it comes back and
forth and again. You know, you're trying to do a union. Uh
you know remember the Northwestern kid, right, and it got shot down.
But now there's their support in government. They're supporting government for this, you
know, in Congress and at the state legislatures. And this is the thing.
This is not the stuff you and I grew up with. It's not
it's a it's a different it's a whole different aspect of the business. Anything
else you have. I have one more Cardinals are getting in your uniforms.
Did you know that the Arizona Cardinals. No, they're launches in uniforms supposed
to get lunched to night. Again, I've always thought uniform changes like this
are a money grab by the next They're still gonna be bad, said,
it doesn't matter what you put them in this, they're still gonna be bad.
You got a question, but still look good playing bad. See that's
to my point. So the A's are gonna get there. Let me ask
you. You you're there in Vegas for four days. Uh, and you're
there for four days and the team's playing, they're playing maybe a team.
You want to see you getting off the tables to go or do whatever you're
doing. You're gonna go to the game. I don't know. The only
reason I haven't gone to a Raiders game in the you know, when I've
been there and there's been a game, there was a home game there last
time we were there. I haven't gone because the tick three hundred dollars to
go to go sit in the in the nosebleed of of their stadium. But
if I got to pay six or seventy bucks to go to watch a baseball
game and I can throw some money on the game and then go watch the
game, I love that. I will do that. Yeah, I will
do that. Yeah. They the bit that I saw that they they bought
a piece of property just north of I don't know if ibout a mile north
of the of the football stadium, and it's across the freeway from team on
the other side of them. Basically you want you can walk that bridge over
the freeway like you have to do at the at the football stadium and you're
there, but it's right there. Okay, we've been like that. All
right, let's hit the road. We're gonna come back. We will.
Uh, We're gonna have Clancy Shield head coach of the Arizona men's tennis team.
They're they're on a roll, looking to win another Pack twelve championship and
they're going to ASU this weekend, so trying to get some another one of
those territorial cup points. We will be right back with Clancy Shield. For
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to two pm. Smile You're in cricket. This is I on the Ball
with Steve Rivera and Jay Gonzalez on Fox Sports fourteen fifteen. Subscribe now to
the podcast on the iHeart Radio Whip just Surgey I on the Ball. Hey,
welcome back to Win on the Ball. Here h Fox Sports fourteen fifty.
I'm Steve Rivera. He's Jakinsons now on the phone. We have Classy
Shields head tennis coach at you A. How are you coaching? I'm doing
good. Thanks for having me on. You're continuing to roll, continuing to
roll as we near the end of the year. Are you doing it?
Yeah, we're having a great We're having a great year. We're nineteen and
five on the year. We've been top fifteen for most of the year,
so it's been a it's been an exciting sea then and like we preach all
you year long, we want to you know, it's all about finishing strong.
So uh, you know, as good as the season's been so far,
that's our mission and that's what we're focused on. And nothing no more
important than playing our arrival ASU this week. And so we're gearing up for
a tough one. So let's first, let's first go into that, because
you know, you have a lot more going on. You would you you'll
be in the postseason or whatnot. But tell us us a little bit your
approach to a su I mean, just kind of the same as everybody else.
We want to beat the hell out of those guys and maybe get a
billboard out of it, or how do you how do you approach this?
I mean, I think this is my seventh year at Yo Bay, and
I think this is one of the craziest rivalries in all of college sports and
even draw us fans. I don't even like tennis to the match. I
mean, I think they dislike us a little more than we dislike them.
I have that feeling when we go up there, it's a little bit more.
The crowds are a little bit tougher on us, but certainly I mean
number one, I mean, we always want to win our state. We
want to you know, we want to win the territorial cup point for our
school, and so there's a lot of there's a lot more pressure than just
winning a tennis match. And I think that's the beauty of this and why
are we training so hard and why we get ready for this? And I
know, I'm sorry, certainly have circled this this match on their calendar the
whole year, and I'm sure ASU has as well. So when when you
talk about you know, some of the other sports, particularly football, they
talk about how important it is to win this. For from a recruiting standpoint,
you want to be the best team in the state, and it has
an impact if you can get a player that a SU can't, that those
things matter. Is that Is that also the case with uh with tennis?
Yes, I mean, you know, sometimes you're on the recruiting trail and
people mix you up, you know, as are you guys the Arizona State
and I'm like, uh no, where Arizona? And so, you know,
I think it's I think it's fun. I mean, obviously in recruiting
it's big, um, but certainly for us, we just you know,
this is a match that we you know, we the first couple of years
we haven't been able to beat them, and then the last two years we've
we've gotten them, and so I certainly know they're going to be hungry to
beat us this year and we've got we want to keep this thing going.
And I think I think it's the biggest the bigger part of our guys.
Is it really since that they're representing the University of Arizona this week and think,
you know, not just our tennis program. And I think that's what's
so cool about this is that it is the Territorial Cup and you have a
lot more meaning than just a lowly tennis tennis program. So I'm gonna ask
you, maybe a dumb question, coach, but you've done a fantastic job
there. Obviously you're offered an extension a couple of years ago doing fantastic things.
What's your style in coaching tennis? Um? Some people think do you
even need to have a style? When do you coach tennis? Because these
kids can play, but you've got to find something within them. How do
you do it? Because you've done a great job with it. I don't
know. I mean, you know, we number one. I really love
this job. I love working with kids. You know, I got my
degree in education. I wanted to be a teacher, and this to me
just seems like I'm going to a school and I'm teaching kids. I guess
I have twelve guys on the team, but our family and I care a
lot about them, you know. And then when you're teaching tennis, I
mean going back, look number one, you got to show these kids you
care. And if they know you care about them, and you can pretty
much say anything you want as a coach because they know that you care about
them, whether that that feedback is pos negative or constructive criticism. At the
end of the day, they know you care about them. And you know,
I think I think the biggest thing that I've learned to miss is eatan
every day we have to engage the kids. And what I what I mean
by engaging the kids is kids them check in and dialt in in a good
headspace and ready to work and ready to do all the things that we're asking
of them. And you know, I think that's my favorite part is checking
in with the team each and every day and engaging them and getting them in
a place where they can really improving, get better, and where we can
chase after our goals. And you know, I think part of our motto
in our program is trust your work. And each and every day we're gonna
we're gonna go in put some work in, and then and on the weekends.
We got to trust the work that we put in. I think the
guys have really bought into that. Yeah, no, okay, before Jay
asked another question, I'll remind them about the Grubio stuff, you know,
because we had them right. But for you, you've done this with facilities
that are how can I say this? I can say this, you probably
can are not up to snuff for probably Pack twelve at least. I kind
of behind the scenes, I've talked a couple of people. Uh, and
you've done this without the fancy smancy stuff, you know, um, and
you continue to win and not just win a little a little lot. How
has that been? Well? You know, I think we recruited players that
have embraced this color and mentality that you know, we love the conditions.
We love when it's one hundred and ten on the courts in August and September,
and we love when it's you know, twenty mile our wins out there.
We love when the you know, the sand and the dust is blown
up on the court, and you know, I just think we're just trying
to embrace, you know, all the difficult things that we have, and
it just made our team a lot tougher. And you know, you can
complain about things or you can just embrace it and make it a part of
your identity. And I think, you know, that's what we've done in
our program, and I think it starts with our staff and myself that you
know, yeah, maybe the things aren't the very best in every area,
but you know, we're going to be the very best in the people we
have here. And that's the one thing I love about Arizonas And we've really
invested in incredible people. I mean, our strength and conditioning coach, our
nutritionists, are sports medicine people, I mean everybody who's in a part of
our team, they're awesome. Understand, We've got great people that we work
with day in and day out, and we don't you know, all those
other little things they just don't matter when you have great people. And that's
kind of what what we feel here. That's I mean, that's just a
great answer, because you have to write you are who you are and you
do the best with with who you are. Let me ask you this,
because you know tennis being an individual sport, even that they're on a team.
But you know, these kids come and they've already been playing tennis for
a long time. Some of them probably have their own coaches and those kinds
of things like golfers do. As the coach of this team, how much
do you actually work on their games with them? And and what besides,
you know, bringing them together as a team. What you know, what's
your role as a head coach of a team of in a sport like this
where some of these some of these players already pretty well prepared by the time
they get there. Yes, yes, you know, Um, you know,
I think I think. I was just telling our coach the other day,
I said, I can't believe some of these guys have gotten this far
in their games of the game of tennis without learning some fundamentals. So I
think I think there's it's a yes, and now I think these kids have
come a long way. But I also think we're teaching these kids quite a
bit um while we're here. And I the thing that makes our programs so
unique and why I think we've had a lot of success is that each player
on the team spends one hour a day with a coach one on one,
and so you have twelve players and that's twelve hours that's theyvit up with our
coaching staff. I mean, that's just an incredible how much you can accomplish
when you beg into the fine details of your swing and your contact point and
weight transfer and trying to stay you know, emotionally calm all the time.
It is a really complex puzzle that we're trying to put together each and every
day. And I would say we do a we're really a developmental program.
I mean, we've had some good recruiting classes, but buy in March,
we've just been able to out develop our competition. And that's always going to
be our motto here is that we're going to get the kid a level below
the top programs because it's hard to outrecruit a lot of teams, and then
we're going to out develop them where they're going to be a lot We're going
to be tougher than them, grettier than them, and you know, I
think those things that is a combination for success. Yeah, answer, but
go ahead, So let's talk a little bit about yourself, and that is
I mean, I that's Rubio stuff, just coaching the kids, well,
you know, the the you know we you know, David Rubio retired this
year and one of the things that he said, he was very open about
was that, you know, he just didn't have the continued frame of mind
to be able to coach today's athlete. He even, I think he said
to the point too, I don't feel like I can relate to him like
I need to to be their head coach. Are the tennis players changing in
that way or are they the same tennis players? Is their approach the same
as it's always given today? Right, given to all the stuff going on
today, nil, transfer portal, all that kind of stuff. I mean,
how is it dealing with the athletes that you know at that level?
Do you have to Are you finding yourself having to do more off the court,
you know, as well as you know, continue to do the stuff
on the court. Yes, I mean yes? Or no, I mean
it is it is more challenging now than it was five years ago, ten
years ago. Um, you know, the kids kind of just it used
to be ten years ago, twenty years ago the coach would say jump and
the kids and say how high and that's just not the way things rolling.
More. They ask a lot of questions, they're you know, but I
but I think we have a role in all of this as coaches. I
mean, I told our team today, like, I don't want you to
listen to respond to me. I want you to listen to understand what I'm
talking about. And so we we spent some time like trying to break down
some simple concepts and get them to wrap their mind around it, because you
know, there's a lot of life lessons that we need to teach these kids,
and um, beyond the tennis court. But you know, to your
point, yes, it's more difficult, and luckily we're winning and we're we're
having success, and so maybe I just you know, and they're going really
well for us. Um, you know, call me back when we're not
having a grade, Yeah, exactly, and then I'll then then then I'll
be poking holes and you know, the areas that we're falling short. But
um, certainly we fall short all the day. I think the main thing
is that we're all imperfect beings and we're all human. We all make mistakes,
and I think when you humanize people, everybody can find a common ground.
And I think we've been able to do that with each individual. I
mean, heck, we have players from cent or eight different countries. You've
come from all different backgrounds and they've found at home here and they've all gotten
on the same page and they're all working towards the same goal. And I
think that's a pretty unique thing to do. And um, I'm really proud
of that. No, it's funny because swity sells a lot of problems,
right, it always does, always ask. But for you, I'm sure
you recruit also players that you know that you can find extra from them or
you know what I'm saying. Yes, And that's that's the beauty of recruiting.
It's that you get us spend quality time. And I mean we really
work hard and the recruiting piece to make sure that these are good kids.
And I think it's really simple. I mean, our staff has a simple
thing. Number One, we want kids who love the game. Because if
the kid loves the game, man, whatever bag is, they bring with
them and that is such an important component. The second question we ask,
do we want to come to work for this kid for for four years?
Like it's he a kid that we're going to wake up in the morning,
be excited about coming into the office sport, and it's like, if they
check that box, then you know, that's pretty good. And then the
third thing is are these are these guys competitive and they hate to lose?
And they are they gonna? Are they gonna? You know, how bad
do they really want it? I think if you could check some of those
boxes and you feel really good about it, and there's a high, high
chance that you know, it's going to be a success story for both parties.
So looking at your looking at your your season, Um, you had
you put together a nice run of wins and you lost your last one and
that happens. But you know, you had the string of what seventh straight
seventh straight match wins including beat in UCLA and you in the same weekend.
And as I recall, you guys hadn't beaten USC in like forever, and
you beat them last year and then you beat them again this year. How
is that happening? Coach? I mean how, I mean, how is
that coming together for you guys to you know, take on a team like
USC that's always really good? Yeah? Well, I mean, just like
in Judge program, it's personal. I mean I think It is really personal
for our team when we play the California Schools because those guys always think they're
better than us. They've been better than our players in the juniors. Um.
You know, they have everything. Their stadium holds eight thousand people.
I mean, they have everything at their disposal. UM. And I just
think our guys really play with a chip on their shoulder when they play those
teams, and it's certainly very personal to them. And I know, I
think I think I think our guys, if they can play the way they
did it against those two teams, I think our team can go all the
way. I mean, I think I think this team is really dealt to
make a deep run and then a tournament. But I think you have to
stay true to your identity of a greaty team. We're a tough team.
We're not the most talented team, but we set together, we worked together,
and certainly, I think that plays heavily in our favor when we played
the California Schools, because you know, I think we're the typesis of everything
that they are. You know, I mean that they are talented and they
look good and we're kind of different. We're tough, we're great you're kind
of ugly, and um, we've bet it worked for us. So coach,
thank you for opening the door. Last year, we talked to you
and we're all excited for you. We really were. In fact, when
you lost in the first round, I was disappointed before you because you were
fantastic and you can kind of hear it in my voice. Uh, don't
do that again, because yeah, well, look as with everything we learned,
and we've I learned a lot from last year about what happened, and
we're I think we're really dialed that. I mean, we lost the youth
last week. That would have put us top ten in the country. Um,
you know, that would have clinched us the share of the PAC twelve
title. And you know, I think the same thing as the guys battled
hard, they competed were we were one point away from winning four one and
having those things happened for us. But at the end of it, but
honestly, at the end of the day, the guys competed so hard that
you you take a loss and you just say, man, I'm just so
proud of our effort and that's all that's all that matters. And I you
know, the winds and losses will take care of themselves. You just got
to prepare the best we can. Hope, hope that up. That's enough,
all right, coach. Well, we appreciate the time and best of
luck first of all at ASU this weekend and uh, you know, let
you know, beat them so bad you get to put up a billboard and
then uh and then you know, good luck in the postseason, you know,
hope again, hopefully it goes better than it went last year. But
you guys sound like you guys are all set for that. Well, I
appreciate it, and thanks for having me on. All right, thank you,
coach. Good luck. All right, those clients of Shields head men's
tennis coach are up at ASU trying to get another territorial cup. The women's
off team got one because they finished ahead of ASU in the Pactolf Championship.
So trying to pile up some of those points. So we'll be right back
and we'll take your calls to close out the show. If you're an Arizona
men's basketball fan, you'd know it's been successful for newly forty years. Now.
Take a look back at the Ludolson era in my new book, Lessons
from Loot. It was a labor of love through the eyes of twenty five
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at five two O two four H two nine one zero again rescue home improvements
in HVAC. Called it. Hey Steve Ravera and Jacoen Solis. They have
their eye on the book on two sons. Sports station Fox Sports fourteen fifty
Hey, welcome back to the ball. Fox Sports fourteen fifteen. I'm Steve
Ja. We have a lot thirteen minutes left to do in the call us
please do four five, two, four one, six, seventy four forty
the Tinker calls, so let us know what we're up to or how we're
doing whatever. It was interesting, clients. I love his philosophy. It
tells a lot like Tommy Lloyd to me in philosophy. Yeah, yeah,
I mean it's like, we do what we do. We embrace the things
that we need, you know, that we need to do for our program.
We're not usc we pretend to be rescribed be we're ugly, but we
get to win, right, and then yeah, and he's doing it.
I still think and I you know how I feel about that first round to
Princeton and some of the other games Arizona has to return. There's all the
basketball now has to return to have been a chip on their shoulder, being
pissed that that they lost, right, and they have to say, we're
Arizona, I don't care. We're gonna play tough. Yeah, we're gonna
play better. I know it's easy to say. And I think fans are
disappointed that after you know, getting to the Sweet sixteen last year and losing
the way they did to Houston, that that didn't seemingly piss them off enough
to to get to the tournament the next year and have that chip on their
shoulder. Right. Yeah, I mean I think that's what the thing that's
appointed the fans as much as anything. No, I agree, and well
yes, I yes, umbrust and I think he made a great point.
This town gives them a lot of love, right, a lot of them.
When you go thirty sum in five or whatever, you get a lot
of love, you start believing the love. Yeah, they do it at
Houston, they do it at the Alabama they do it. And it's what
poison. What's the poison thing? You're you're taking the poison and it happens
here. It happens a lot here, and they need to stop that together.
They gotta get they don't have to be a blue collar team, but
they need to get a little more of a blue collar attitude without the lunch
payout question. Yes, you know, to do the hard work, do
the grind, all that kind of stuff. Forget the other stuff. Just
work. And it's not that they don't, but when you have a lot
of success, you start to think maybe we just can turn it down a
little. No, no, no, no, no, and again people
can't. And then and Don the other day made the point Tommy Lays been
a head coach two years, and I get it. He was an assistant
for a lot of years under a good coach. He saw probably everything that
he needed to see in order to be a head coach. But when you're
in the seat, it's still different. It is different, no matter how
much you think you know about how to be a head coaches. And Tommy
does a lot of great things as a head coach that that you think,
okay, that you know he was ready for this. But on the other
hand, in the end, you don't know if behind the scenes that there's
some things that are going on that he's kind of trying to figure out more.
And I think he kind of said that, right, didn't he say
that he's sort of in the towards the end of last Look, I'm still
in you know, I'm still learning. I'm still learning stuff, right.
No, he said that, Ennis, I'm gonna take this one. It's
on me. Yeah, I'll figure this out, you know, blah blah
blah. Um it happens, and say it happened to Loot a number of
times. It happens to Sean. Yeah, it happens to the best of
it. And it happened lout well into his career. Right, Loud had
been around the block a number of times when you had that. Stuff happened
to him in ninety one and ninety two, you know when he lost those
two first round games, two teams that he never should have lost too.
Uh, you know there still learned things along the way. Hey man.
The seventy six is are big trouble. They're down nineteen to eleven, three
shots of the turnover, three shots and they're playing on the road, right,
they're playing. They could lose this game. This is one of those
games, big game for you to I man, Golden Golden State three to
sixty six and a half point favorites. Uh win by the money line,
right, they just have to win, just have to win. But they
may not. Who knows. Um um, we'll see what happens. Don't
don't don't do it. Another thing you need to know, they're said,
is uh sid it si sid he go? You tell him no, you
tell him I want to hear from I want to hear how you describe that
he is the kiss of death. Do not tell him what you bet do
not tell him who you like, because he like it and you're dead.
He's nurse. He has a big curse. Most of the guys he drafts
in in MLB get hurt at some point, have bad years after not having
bad years. In fact, we had a we had a uh NC double
a picking pool with Jeff Kings. I call it the kod Killers because yeah,
that and it's documented. I'm not joking. This is documented. That's
what the skull is about. On the desk here, Oh I see now
that's our that's our, that's our. KAO sull's rub I try to rub
it for good luck, and you're exaggerate. I'm in last place in my
fantasy baseball league. All right. I've got Juan Soto, one of the
best players in Major League Baseball, who is currently batting one ninety seven.
He's got voodoo dolls in his house. We gotta show this. I know
he does. I had Walker Buller last year. He's not gonna pitch until
next year. Yeah. I think you have the Dodger curse too. I
think, yeah, well he's not allowed to pick any Dodgers anymore. Right,
your son told well, he's told me not I still got some on
my team, you know. But uh uh yeah, I got Will Smith.
He's having a great year. But he's on the il now. He
got a concussion. Of course I do. It's a thing. It's officially
a thing. So don't tell him anything until you've already kind of completed the
game. So by the way, just then he'll get on it and then
you're done done, wait to share with you. Wait, all right,
right, all right? But no, but uh well, the Dogs,
I mean, the Dodgers aren't aren't good right now because for a lot of
reasons, not because of me. So the t starts tonight tonight. Back
to the lineup in Phoenix. I think they're in Phoenix. Where they're at?
I think they're in Phoenix. Um, so we'll see what they do.
Ye enough, set how many seven? Yeah, that San Diego is
at Arizona tonight, and that is is in the uh is in the batting
order for the first time in eighty games. Right, shouldn't be fun.
We'll see what happens. Okay, again, if anybody wants to call,
we have seven minutes five two o seven five two four seventy and I want
you can call some hotline somewhere alright. No, I you know, talking
about the Dodgers a little bit, and I know we've got some Dodger listeners
out there, but um, you know, they're just they just don't have
the punch in their lineup that they've had the last several years. And even
though a guy like like um, um Cody Bellinger, right, he's he
was crapped the last two years after winning the MVP, but he was still
a threat in the lineup. You know, Justin Turner has gone. I
got to I saw him. I actually went to Finnway to go to see
him there. I got a couple of base hits. Um, you know,
but there's some key guys are going. Trey Turner, you know,
going and signed a big contract with the Phillies. So, uh you know,
they got three good hitters at the top of the order. And that's
kind of like that's all they have young guys right now too, or a
bunch of young guys trying to figure it out. But they're they're they're middle
infielders uh Vargas and uh Rojas. They're both batting under two hundred. You
can't have three guys in your line up batting under two hundred like they have.
There will be a move made. I think they need an upgrade for
sure. They need some help. They definitely need some help. They're nine
and ten right now, which is just not or the Dodgers ought to be
so Jay, did you see espn uh the other story on Robinsona Bijan.
Yeah, we're trying to get him on the show. He was on Dan
Patrick this morning and then I think he was on Rich Eysen after that occasion.
He's doing the big shows. I mean, he's like, we're I
said another request today. I saw to see if we can get him on
the show. I saw who gotta call real quickly? Okay, hang on
higher on the air and I on the ball. Hey this is James.
James. What's up? How are you? How pretty good? How are
you guys? What's going on? Yeah? Ordered to touch base. I
haven't heard all your episodes, but haven't heard much about the recruiting for the
basketball team for next year on what they're looking at. Doesn't seem like they
have many people recruited for next year. Yeah, they're just waiting now.
Yeah, well they got the k the kid kJ lewis coming in. Who's
supposed to be really good. He's the only high school recruit they've got right
now. There's a lot of discussion that they're going to get that that point
guard out of Crayton because he was recruited uh brother. His brother was recruited
to Gonzaga when Tommy Lloyd was there, so there's a family connection. Then
there's this kid, Carter Bryant, who's a six eight, two hundred twenty
five pound a wing player, who's like the number four player in the country,
who's down to Arizona Louisville and he's gonna announce his his uh his decision
live on the two four seven Sports YouTube page next Wednesday. So and there's
a lot of discuss He's from California, so there's a lot a lot of
belief that he's gonna he's gonna come to Arizona. They get all three of
those guys. That's a that's a really good recruiting. And there's also a
Lithuanian I that's pretty a tall stretch for Ish can shoot it. So there's
that, and you know how Tommy is with the with the international players.
So I think there's still hope. I think a lot of people I don't
know if you're this guy, James, but are impatient right now? Yeah,
you're not hearing a lot. So you just look at the recruiting class
for twenty twenty three and they just said the final rankings for ESPN and not
one of you of a recruits in the top one hundred. I know we
only have one recruit, but yeah, so let me ask you, James,
because you're a reasonable listener. Uh, there's the talent. You care
about the talent given what you've already gone through a lot teams that beat Arizona
don't have talent at all. Impick this way. Do you do you like
that let's go get as many five stars as we can get or how do
you how do you feel the show? And let me say this, James,
and we remind you you were not a Sean Miller fan. Yeah,
so I like getting talent, but you have to get the right talent,
the one that blends in with each other. I think little Olsen did a
good job of getting the right guys in the right spots to make a cohesive
team. I don't know if you guys seen that Gilbert Arenas's kid is one
of the top prospects for twenty twenty six class. He already has offers from
Texas, UCLA, Xavier, but Arizona is not out of the mix yet.
Do you know anything about that nobody issue? I think is that's been
mentioned as well. I haven't seen him. That would be interesting if that
would happen. I haven't seen him play. Have you seen him play?
I've seen a couple of games. He looks pretty good. He's six six
and probably still growing. He had like a fifty six point game one of
his games he had. He looks like a real prospect. I'm just curious
why UA hasn't offered him yet. Yeah, don't know, don't know,
no idea, no idea. But you know, again, what are the
things that people are saying is that there there doesn't seem to be enough public
discussion or word out about you know, who Tommy Lloyd is after and stuff
like that. So I think you've heard it out. We needed them,
Yeah, but that, Yeah, that's kind of it. So I don't
know that that's about all we got. Well, hopefully he can recruit,
because the best one thing millerd could do, I'll give him that he could
recruit every day of the week. It just I don't think he did the
XS and I was too great. But you guys do a great show,
and I'll talk to your say, Jim, James, hang on real quick,
because you followed the women very closely. He went to the final four
two. What do you think? What do you think's happening there? Um
yeah, I don't know. I think a lot of that has to do
with nil deal and stuff like that potentially. Um yeah, it's tough to
say, but you know, a d she uh started the program out with
a with a good bang, and I have faith in her that she'll figure
it out and uh get more wins next year. And she did pretty well
overall. It just didn't go deep in the tournament. But I think she'll
figure it out and with these new rules in place, uh find out a
way to win. Okay, thanks James, Right, thanks much, James,
appreciate the call, Thanks for listening. Right, But let me say
this to James, and we all love James. Right, he calls every
now and again. Um, see his tone change with the same circumstances with
Adia and Tommy. One was ill give some Tommy's What's what the hell is
going on? Yeah? And and there I think their situations are very similar.
I mean, right, they've lost, they've lost a lot of players,
and they got to go out and replant this same thing, but which
is no different than it really any other programs. Sure, no, no,
no, this talent thing, I get it. Loot Loot got talented
players, but he also got guys that fit in. Right. Um,
I think that's what Tommy's gonna start to do, what is doing, but
starting to do it, you know, and you've got to sprinkling, you
know, the highly talented player. If they get this kid Carter Bryant,
right, he's here one year, right, yeah, yeah, we don't
know what he's really good. But I mean I don't. I haven't looked
to see if if he's on the draft mocks drafts for next year. You
jay, if they got if he got, this's not gonna happen. If
he got three or four of those guys, three of those guys, do
you want to go through that again? I do not. I don't think
anybody, absolutely do not. I think you need maybe one who's just an
incredibly talented guy who just makes your team better, But I don't think he
can have a team full up. Do you think that if Zoo did not
have the year that he had, do you think he would have jumped?
He's still the same player. Yeah, he's still the same player. If
he had this year, he didn't have this year, yeah, I don't
excuse me. I don't know, because he'd be back for another year.
Yeah, I think he would have jumped. I think he was tired of
being a year I do. I think he was tired of being I think
I think it's tired of being in college. Um, he was ready to
go out and try and you know, make a living at this thing.
And he thinks he can somewhere, somewhere because I think he knows he's got
options. If the again, if the worst case scenario that he goes home,
then he goes home. All right, that's our show. We'll be
back tomorrow. We're supposed to have Dave Hiky on the show. Let you
know, keep an on our social media, listen to the podcast, and
we'll come back again. So thanks for being here. M