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 Ahip just surgeony
I on the Ball. Hey, welcome back to on the Ball here Fox
Sports fourteen fifty MTE. He's Jay and we're gonna try to bring you some
breaking news. We really are. That's what we're gonna do. Have a
good time. This is I on the Ball, breaking news on Fox Sports
fourteen fifteen. We have a good time. That was proposed that kind of
funny. Okay, Um all right, lots of stuff. Well let's start
with let's start with this, um uh, because we've been we've been kind
of keeping eye on that. The Kylin Boswell and Philip or Vichen playing the
Under nineteen World Cup both UH both of their teen's Boswell with the US,
UH Philippe with Serbia. They both went three and ozer in their group play,
so they both both teams advanced through the round of sixteen. Um Serbia
plays UH like no. US plays China at six o'clock in the morning tomorrow
and Serbia plays Korea at ten thirty in the morning our time tomorrow. So
both guys doing well, obviously having a great experience. They're in Hungary.
So, um, who's the coach of the American team? You know,
I don't know because he's he's playing like eleven twelve minutes. Yeah, he's
not playing a whole lot of minutes. Yeah, but he's playing key minutes.
Yeah, I don't I couldn't tell. I couldn't begin to tell you.
Um, whose coaches? And the story doesn't say who it is.
But anyways, both whom done well? You know? And UH and and
Boswell not playing he clearly not starting right, he's getting eleven twelve minutes a
game whatever, but he's been very crucial. Yeah, no matter what,
it's gonna be a great experience for him. Well, without question, without
question. All right, Um, okay, everybody's on on edge with the
waiting for the announcement from Elijah rushing, the UH, the defensive alignment from
UH from South Point, who has said that he's going to announce his commitment
on July the sixth, that choices, do you have his choices? They
say he's trending towards Oregon, and he has Oregon Arizona, but he's got
Oregon Arizona, Tennessee and Notre Dame, all these you know, all these
schools that are that have made offers. I think it's finalists according to this
or Notre Dame, Tennessee, Arizona, and Oregon. The one thing that
there's a difference between it was how it was five six years ago is that
um Arizona was in on them right before. They weren't even they weren't in.
They weren't even in. I mean they were there were a pimple on
someone's butt. Yeah, because they didn't pay attention to getting a sniff from
him, which is much more bigger deal than than I think people realize that
he's uh you know that he's considering that he's even got Arizona on the list.
That's headway no matter what. But uh, you know, he's he's
clearly got uh you know, he's got he's got everybody's attention. And so
we'll find out next week what what he's going to do. Um. Okay,
big news coming out of the NC double A. So did you see
this? Um? The NC double A has told schools that they have to
follow NC double A rules even if those rules conflict with the various state laws
that are in place, that a number of states have different different laws regarding
nil uh. And that that also that your school's foundation cannot be providing nil
money. So you know, like the like uh the UA foundation, that
type of stuff cannot be provided in our money. But the key thing is
that you saying, violate state laws if you want to comply with our rule.
And basically all the states have come around saying if they violated the state
law, they're in troubble, you know. And so you know who's in
charge, Well, historically the government's in charge when it comes to that.
So we'll see, we'll see what happens. But that's that's kind of a
messy thing. Now. It's like seeing he's just gotten so far out of
hand. Yeah, it's not even it's such a mess across the boarding,
right right, No, and that's a shock, right No, of course
it's okay, um, hey, just uh just off the off the transaction
wire. Khalil Tate signed by the Edmonton Elks and the CFL. He originally
he signed with him at the beginning of last year, got cut after the
second preseason game, ended up with the Toronto Argonauts. He's now been signed
back with Edmonton. Good for him. So he must be about twenty six
ish, Um, twenty six ish. I mean twenty eighteen was his last
year, right, five years? Yeah, about twenty twenty seven, twenty
six still young enough. I'm fast enough obviously. Uh and and probably probably
given from his tweets and all that stuff, that he's been humbled a bit.
I love it. Which was? Which which was? Would have been
crucial here when he was on Sid's cover and all that stuff. So many
of those games from from twenty seventeen keep popping up on Yeah, impact up,
mister October seven yard game, and you just watch those again, you
shake your head. I think I tweeted out and somebody put a highlight of
him. I saw that and I said, you know, just pisses you
off that Arizona had that here and did nothing with it, right, did
zero? And he and he was you know, I remember that one game
in the first game and he threw like thirty five times whatever was even asked
him, is that right for you to be doing this? Says, well,
that's what quarterbacks do. That's not what you do. Yeah, right
exactly, So okay, um, Aaron Judge, man, he they're starting
to say he might be out for the year for the little got a torn
ligament in his tone. Look, you know you've heard it. I mean
athletes. They tell him the most important thing you can do is take care
of your feet because you put such a stress on them. And he's got
a torn ligament and a toe, I think in a big toe, which
would make it hard for him to hit ron do anything with them. I
don't think you don't think about how much you use it until, of course,
come on, getting out of bed every day is did you watch the
Speaking of Feet? Did you watch The Wall and Stuff? Yet? Watch
it? I had to finished Ted Lasso? Did you watch it? I
should? But it was very cool. I'm glad. I a friend of
ours, a friend of ours actually sent us an Apple TV box and with
a subscription. It's just say, I'm giving you this so that you will
watch ted Lasso. And we did start watching it. We got hooked on
it and it ended, and so we've been finally a little jed in him.
Yeah a little bit, yeah, a little bit. Yeah, it's
pretty cool. Could you matter? Yeah? It was? It was.
It was great dead all right? Um, okay, who is generating?
Who do you think is generate, at least in Caesar sports book, the
most bets five percent to win the Pac twelve Conference Championship. He was Utah
football. Yep, who in the right said? Is that a true question?
Forty three percent are picking of the bets to win the PAC twelve Conference
Championship. Oh, don't tell me. That's dead money. That's dead money.
You know what dead money is. Yeah, you're giving it away.
They're giving it away their plus five thousand. Oh mind the money. Forty
three percent of best No, they didn't say forty three percent of money,
but they said forty three percent of bets are on collar. Oh god,
I guess the Dean Sanders had a surgery. He's doing well. He didn't,
he didn't bets to win the Pac twe that's free money. Whoever's taking
that much are are on Toronto? All right, big game, bower time.
I saw a thing today yesterday, the top fifty best rivalry names in
college football. Rivalry names, the names of rivals. You're never gonna get
the first one, the second one maybe, but no, no, I
won't even But where do you think duel in the desert falls? They did
the top fifty fifth top. Did the top twenty No, dude, than
I want to thirty twenty six? Okay, twenty six. Um the Moonshine
throw Down between Marshall and Western Kentucky. He named his number one, which
I've never even heard of. That the Moonshine Moonshine throw Down Oklahoma, Texas
Red River Shootout second. Okay, the Egg Bowl is third, Backyard Brawl
is fourth. I like I like the well he calls it the outdoor cocktail
party. I think it's really the world's biggest cocktail party. The Georgia Florida
game that they play in in uh Jacksonville every year. I love this one.
One hundred miles of eight. That's Middle Tennessee in Western Kentucky. The
Holy War Yu in Utah, which always it's at the Iron Ball Alabama Auburn.
That's number nine. Um. The Apple Cup is eleven. Washington,
Washington State. And this is just names. Yeah, these are names of
the ball, names of the of the of the rivalry game, you know,
the Border War Kansas and Missouri. Um. Uh, let's see,
I've never even heard of. The Rocky Mountain Showdown Colorado, Colorado State.
Uh. Deeper than Hate is Appalachian State, Georgia Southern Game, so a
bunch of stuff like that. But anyway, they're duel in the Desert comes
in twenty sixth place, according to our friend Bika. Okay, I just
sent you a on text. If you want to take a tuck real quick
about that. This will fall into the line of your blue blood and my
blue blood definition. This is from college basketball, college basketball, one of
these. Let me see, I think I sent it. Oh you know
what, I just got a tweet from somebody I know very well. We
said that Tad Boyle is the head coach of TUSA. Okay, Oh,
well, well, thank you, thank you. At least now we now
we know. And then how the connection, Well that's kind of how I
wanted to know. Why he's not getting a lot of time. Oh,
I saw this one. You saw this one, so Arizona's I don't think
this is This is my conversation for you, because it's it's you have your
blue bloods, Ucla, you Kentucky. Who's that third one? The third
one? Duke and Kansas your blue bloods? Easy? Easy. The next
group is first ballot Hall of Famer, right, Chigaan and then Indiana.
So they can kind of sneak in there a little over time and then the
rest kind of fall into place. And this is just the number of national
titles each team has championship appearance in basket appearance, and these are the first
five are the ones with ten or more. The next or sixteen or six
title appearances with Michigan and Indiana, four appearances, Ohio State, Villanova,
uh Yukon and George Tarns, so you know what I'm saying. And then
two appearances. That's a bunch of them with the AZA. So this is
kind of what I was talking about, just for perspective, I know.
But but okay, but you look at who are some of those teams were
in the two title appearances. Nobody out there thinks that uh Utah is on
the same level as Arizona as a basketball program or some of those. I
think Boston College is one of those because they're all time, all time.
Those are all time, right or cal You know, you know, when
it comes to again, when you talk about Arizona as a basketball program,
you talk about them among some of those others right up there at the top
of that. Even though they've only got two championship game appearances. Because the
other thing you have to remember is averyone who wasn't good in basketball until the
mid eight right, right, right right, there were there were Bob Elliot
We with apologies to you, seventies were pretty good, pretty good, but
yeah, but I didn't make it. They didn't have a national profile until
after the eight very very true, very true. Right, Okay, I've
breaking something breaking real quick. Our girl, our girl d made her first
appearance on FANDUE TV over the weekend. I was speaking to her yesterday.
He happen to do more of it, but she was on TV. You
know, if she's gonna do well, yeah, yeah, she's still a
child, Yeah yeah, she knows about horses and stuff, you're going to
do well. So she was going to see her on NBC doing the Kentucky
Derby, you know, wearing the goofy had, right yeah, and knowing
when she's talking about what she's talking about, right and being and being an
expert good on her mansion. We gave her her start step right, Um,
Okay, I found that stat that you were looking for. J Johnson's
coaching career twenty fourteen, first year with Nevada twenty fifteen, Mount West champs
twenty sixteen, he's at Arizona right when it goes to the College World Series
championship game. When he's here five years, when's the Pack twelve champion championship,
goes to the College World Series. Then he goes to LSU. One
year, second year, he's a national champion. I meant, handed,
that's boom boom, boom. You gotta handed. That doesn't, like you
said, doesn't happen by accident. You don't fall into success. The key
has and and you know, like and as Love was saying, that guy
lives breathes, you know, college baseball, right, And if you got
a guy like that and you could get him to do that in a way
that's constructive and makes a program better as opposed to doing it in a way
that drags everybody. Well, no, no, no, you're exactly on
the money you don't want because I was just gonna say, Sean Miller,
the guy is twenty four seven basketball, right and Arizona. I think he's
changed a little zebra, but twenty four seven almost to obsession, right,
And he admitted that, he admitted that now he's kind of loosened his ways,
right, And you have to find that really mean the ground, here's
your strike zone and he found it. Yeah, but you have to be
obsessed, but not crazy, but not nuts. You can't. You can't
be nuts for nothing else matters, because you have to have other things.
You have to have a you know, personal life and and all that stuff.
And I don't know what J. Johnson's personal life is like, but
you know you have to you know, there has there has to be some
balance, I guess is what we're saying. But you know, if some
guy's gonna do that in baseball, you're gonna win. You're gonna win some
games. And he's doing at a place where it's you know, everything's in
place for him to do what he's doing. And he's won an ass A
championship. So congratulations J. Johnson, and bring on the nasty comments for
us. All Right, we're gonna take our break, we'll be back.
We're gonna have um um um, we're gonna have uh, we're having a
four fifteen God, I should know that still that, oh, Josh Right.
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We'll put the work in for you. Jacob Solis. They have there I
on the ball on Twosons Sports station five Sports fourteen fifty. They welcome back
to Wyn about you know, Fox Sports Sport teen Coiltie. I'm Steve Jakins.
Also now on the phone, we have Josh Pastner, former you of
a basketball player, former basketball coach atage level. Josh, how are you?
I'm doing well, just as thanks for having me on, Just like
everybody else, trying to h stay stay cool the best you can this summer.
I know, as we were talking, just the second theyre off air
that two Sons about one hundred and ten Atlanta right now, I'm in Atlanta.
Uh, it's you know about ninety two today, ninety three, you
know, Yes, year at ninety four and it's you know, but any
it's hot, hot all over the country right now, and everyone's got to
make sure you hydrate and try to stay in cool places the best you can.
Right So, Josh, you know, there's so much going on in
college sports right now. We're you know, nil and the all the uh
the rule stanton stuff you got you got NC double A coming out today and
telling telling schools you need to break your state law by following. You know,
if your state law is in is in conflict with our rules, you
got to violate state law as relation and all that stuff. There's so much
of this stuff that just didn't used to be part of coaching. I mean,
how awful is that for these coaches right now? Well, first of
all, let me just say this with in regards to the NIL and US
three have talked about this in the past, and I said it last time
on your show when I was on, I said, NIL is just a
is a cover. It's paid for play is at least in in for the
main sports of right you know, where where people are just you know,
are are just paying to to get recruits and um and and so that's really
what it's become. Unfortunately, and again as we discussed it, that wasn't
the intent of the NIL you know, it was supposed to be being able
to profit off your name, image likeness, not getting huge money for recruiting
to go to a certain to go to a certain to go to a certain
institution. And that's what has kind of become. And and it's not going
to two things. One, it won't get kind of um um you know,
on a on on a level level playing field or within the um guidelines
of stuff until probably there's federal legislation. And as you guys know, that
could be never you know, I mean, I mean, there's a lot
of things for Congress and send it to be dealing with. I don't you
know, I don't this is not something that's that I assume that's on their
priority list. And um Otherwise, the NC two A is always going to
be in a fear based as of right now, of possibly getting sued that
if you try to um you know, uh come down on somebody because of
because of the I L deal. And then secondly, as it has come
out today, as you talked about the memo that went to all the different
schools, you know about the rules and what's allowed not allowed. But the
question is you can say that, but can you enforce it, because if
people are breaking the rules of based on what the NC two A says with
how you can you know, technically make money and there are no enforcement of
it because they're afraid of possibly getting sued and everything else. And it becomes
where, you know, you can kind of just continue to do what you
want. So I know the new president, President Baker of the ncable A
is trying and he was a former governor of the state of Massachusetts, is
trying to get federal legislation that way would stop the lawsuits. But you know,
as guys, as we discussed, I mean, not to beat a
dead horse to it, but you know, I mean, look, I
mean it's it's you know, the name im his likeness was really for or
to be able to profit off of a great idea that you had of a
name, of a of an image, or you you had you did something
of a likeness. It's it's really the intent had nothing to do is to
recruit to come to your school or to retain the pliker based on money.
That war is more like a salary cap and a salary structure, and that's
kind of what it is that especially for the retainment of guys as well too.
So I don't want to change the somebect but I am going to.
But so you're forty five ish. I think met you when you're about eighteen,
those letters to loot. What are you doing for the first summer in
your life not having basketball in your life? Yeah, you know what,
it's interesting you said that, Steve. I mean, you're right. I
mean, you and I've known each other a very long time, and and
this is really the first time. I mean I've been hard charging for a
long time, getting after it and and and then also you know, being
a head coach for a long time, and you guys know I mean I
I mean I literally lived every possession. It was like life and death.
Heck, I lived it as a player at Arizona as an assistant coach.
I mean a whole life spend it like that. And so, UM,
I really have tried to Um, I've spent a lot of time with my
family. I've tried to get healthy. You know, I needed to change.
But I was, when I say unhealthy, like I was just I
was unhealthy with probably how I was eating and sleeping. Um, the stress
that I that I put on myself. And when you go to a doctor
and get checked up and they're saying, hey, you need to be better
in this, this, this, this, this, this, this,
this, this, this this otherwise, you know it's not going to be
good for you. So I've been able to change and this time has allowed
me to do that. That being said, I I want to get back
into coaching, um, and I want to do that, and I'm the
next spring that opportunity will allow it. And when that happened, I think
I'll be a better coach because we'll give me a clearer picture. I'll try
to be more healthier on just my overall health. And in this fall time
period, I'm going to try to go around to see some different practices,
different coaches. You know, Steve, it's almost like a sabbatical. You
know. It's like, you know, how like a professor at a university
gets to take a sabbatical. It's almost like you're getting a sabbatical to go
around see different people in your profession, learn from different ways of different coaches,
and then, um, you know, I'm hoping that at a point
I could even get up to Arizona Toe coach Tommy Lloyd and his staff.
I know they're preparing to go to a foreign tour in the summer, and
you maybe get some practices in the summer. Worst case, maybe try to
make a a West coast swing in in the fall. You know, you're
signd like somebody very close to home, Sean Miller, who I think went
through that. And you know when you read some of the stuff that you
know from the media that he did this last basketball season, you could tell
that the year off was good for him. And so many people get you
know, use it that way, re energizing type of thing. Yeah,
you know, you're you're exactly right. And and and actually I talked to
Sean Um. Uh you know about that. We I talked to me this
spring and um kind of the same thing. I mean, it's just you
know, and obviously hit an incredible year as Xavier this past season, but
it reached it recharged him. He was able to kind of reinvent himself and
and and look, he was very successful before before this year, but he
able to resent himself and and have a different perspective on some things. And
um, you know, it's hard to turn it off when you've been when
you're just you know, it's it's you know, you're just in it so
much and you're just like where everything you're thinking of and I and I can
tell you that, you know, uh, this my just my sleeping.
I mean I hadn't. I was such an awful sleeper. I rarely slept,
or if I fell asleep, I'd wake up two in the morning and
I couldn't go back to sleep. And I mean it was just there's just
a lot of stuff and then you're you're eating at midnight one in the morning,
and then you're just going and going and you're just thinking and stress and
all the time. Now, a lot of it is self inflicted, because
you know, look most of it when it coaches, it's a self inslicted
wounds that you're putting on yourself. But that's part of the process of learning
to be better and trying to be more healthier so you can stay around as
long as you can. Yeah, no question. I also said that I
think you'd be pretty good on TV, al radio, whatever you decide.
Have you looked into anything like that? Has anybody approached you with that?
Yeah? Yeah, I'm hoping I have some opportunities to do television for this
season. I'm really looking forward to that. I've had some I've had some
talks with some people in the network in that world, and you know,
like I love coming on with you guys, and I mean I loved part
of the media part, and I'd love to talk and basketball all and uh
you know, bring a perspective on it and and um having good energy about
it. So I'm looking forward to that and seeing how that goes. And
you never know where that can where that can take you. So uh yeah,
No, I've had discussions. Obviously, things don't get going for for
college basketball as in terms of Televire's just stuff more towards November. And obviously
right now the focus for most networks is football and getting that wrapped up and
making sure that that's all air type. But they'll really start looking in basketball
here in July and in August to get that get that going. So this
season is shaping up to be one where I know a lot of people are
saying Kansas and whatnot, but it seems like this one could be as wide
open as as we've had in a long time. And we just had one
yeah, yeah, and there was yeah, really, you know, I
mean the tournament this last year was crazy. You know what, what do
you see as far as that goes? I mean you think it's that wide
open as people think, or or how do you see the season coming up?
I think Duke's I think Duke is really good. I think Kansas is
going to be really good. You know Florida Atlantic who made it to the
you know obviously to the all the way to the final four. Um,
they've got their entire team back, so they're going to be good. But
what I would tell you is also this, uh speaking on UM and I
think USC in the West Coast, usc uc are gonna be I also think
Arizona is gonna be really good. Let me say this on Arizona because I
know probably a lot of Wildcats fans might be listening. Um. You know,
they get did a nice Tommy Lloyd and the staff that a really nice
job in the portal, and they and they got a kid late the kids
from North Carolina, Caleb loves and I think he's really good. Now he
can score the ball, You're probably gonna have to live with some tough shots
that that makes sense, or you know, and or you know, he's
a tough he's a tough shot taker, but he can fill it up.
And he's got great size and probably just getting a fresh started Arizona on he's
going to do great. And they've got and the guys they got coming back,
and and and with the some of the guys they signed the portal,
I mean, I think Arizona's gonna be really good. And uh so,
yes, you're right, it is wide open. And I think that's just
that's just kind of who it was or how it's going to be in college
basketball with NIL slash pay for play, the transfer portal, all these different
things that are in hand in hand right now, Um, this is the
way it's gonna be. And and and it's you know, I was reading
somewhere the other day where actually they said, is this is actually good for
college basketball the portal, the NIEL because there's so much talk about college basketball
in the offseason that there it keeps the interest alive, sort of like NBA
free agency, if that makes sense. Uh you know, maybe not the
same exact thing, but in a way where there keeps keeps the fans interested
in no one's going on and who's making the transition from one school to another
and what's going on and all those types of things. So again, there's
different ways to look at it, but it isn't in a unique time and
there's gonna be. It's more so than ever that it's just a wide open
environment or for college basketball and anybody can anybody can win. So baron with
me for this question here. Jay and I were talking earlier, We talked
earlier this week about this too. Give me a percentage. And I know
you're a little biased with this, Give me a percentage. You have good
players and you have a coach, good coach. What's the importance of a
coach to good talent? Is it seventy percent to thirty fifty fifty because you
recruited very well and and this is could be up for any coach. You
know, Loot was Loot. He had players. He didn't have a lot
of great players, but he made them play together. So you know the
importance of a coach when you have a team. Give me a percent Yeah,
you know what, Steve, and you witness it firsthand, you know
even longer. I mean, yes, I was played and worked for,
but you were there the whole you know, pretty much the whole high time
with coach Olsen. Um and and coach Olsen was was as good as anybody
at a team, and and and cohesiveness and and having an eye for talent,
and and and getting the team to play together and play so hard.
I say all that to say this first of all, coaching matters. It
does. Now. You can't win without players. I mean, you gotta
have talent. So there's gotta be a there's got to be a a check
mark for that that the talent has to be included in all this because it
doesn't matter what the coach knows or how he can bring teams together, you
still got to have the players that can perform on the floor. I mean,
it's no different than Bill Belichick, who's, you know, maybe the
greatest football coach ever, but he, you know, he hasn't won as
much without the great players of Tom Brady and Bronk and and those type of
guys. I mean, it's just that's the reality of it. And so
Um I would tell you this, I would probably say that. And I
think it's an interesting dynamic when you think about this. J and Steve,
you know, at a school, I'm going to use Arizona as an example,
because it's a big time blue bud Blood, one of the best programs
in the country. Where Arizona is recruiting the best players in the country,
Well, you're Tommy Lloyd is going to be able to have talent for seventy
to eighty percent of the time, his teams are going to be better than
anyone else they play against, just talent wise. And that's the credit to
Tommy in the Arizona program because of what they've built to that point. But
when you're playing the UCLA's, when you're playing the USCS, when you're playing
Kansas, when you're playing you know, Duke or North Carolina, that's where
the coaching comes in in the sense of how do you develop the team and
as in terms of team karterie team chemistry, you know, bringing everyone together.
Now, if you're a team that doesn't have that type of talent that
maybe in Arizona has, boy, you've got to coach your butt off to
be able to really have such great connectivity and cohesiveness that everyone's together. So
sometimes it's actually harder to coach more talent than it is the coach left talent.
But I would say coaching is a big part I mean it's it's probably
I would say it's probably around fifty to sixty percent, you know, in
the forty to fifty percent range. But but look, coaches aren't as good
as they say they are. They're not as bad as they say they are.
They're probably somewhere in the middle. You in the end, you still
got to have great players to put the ball in the basket. And I
go back to this Steve j even in Arizona with lut with Coach Olson,
one of the greatest ever to do it. I mean, you look at
the pros that he had, which again is a credit to him, the
developing and the recruitment. But you know, if you if you put that
roster and reversed it with Washington States Foster at the time, you know,
Rudolsen is not Rudolsen, if that makes sense, you know what I mean?
And I think Coach Olsen would say that you still got to have the
players to perform and be at the level. And that's why a guy like
Coach Olson what he's done. It allows a guy like Tommy Lloyd, you
know, to Sean Miller, who are you know, Tommy Sean, who
are tremendous coaches, but to be able to to be able to recruit the
same guys like the Kansas Dukes North Carolinas because it's an elite, blue blood
program. And that's what coach Olsen has allowed to do. And that's why
when you're in that spot, seventy eighty percent of time, Arizona will be
better who they play talent wise. Then the other things come in when you're
playing the teams like UCLA, USC, Duke, North Carolina, et cetera.
As I mentioned, I just gotta we just gotta call hold on,
Okay, hold on, Well, no, I mean that happens, and
I will say this, it's a one game scenario. And and we discussed
this in the end. We discussed this, you know, the after the
after that happened. I you know, look, Priston was good. They
had a really good team and a good season. But in a one game
scenario, and Steve, you know this, I mean, in a one
game scenario in the tournament, you know, it says road to the final
four. You know, Arizona won the Pac twelve Championships, which is so
hard to do. Tommy Lloyd has been a two time head coach. Two
years. He's been a head coach two years one time, they're the one
seed won, they're a two seedies National coach of the Year. But what
you've done in the regular season can get forgotten so quickly if you don't perform
at the tournament. And that happened to coach Olsen, Steve, you know
that. I mean, people were getting on coach. And again I wasn't
there during, but people were telling me they were getting on because you know,
there's some early season upsets where they had such a great regular season.
That happens, that's the magic of the tournament. But everyone, I mean,
look at Purdue. Purdue was maybe the best team for most part of
the country and they lost the FDU in the first round. Things happen in
college basketball on a one game scenario. No, we're aware of that.
There's the headquarters for it, Josh. You know that. Well, Josh
be well, we'll see you soon. Hopefully we'll keep in touch as always.
Thanks a bunch, Thanks for having me on. Guys. Look forward
to staying and when basketball gets going, let's let's talk a bunch. That's
great, Thank you, Josh, appreciate it. Thanks, guys. He's
so good. Oh yeah, he's so good. He's he should be on
TV. He will release here and he'll get another coaching would be a crime
if he's not on TV. Yeah, and he will. He will get
another coaching, John because what he deserves it. But dude, he's just
good. Yeah, I agree, he's just good at what he does.
All right, let's take our last break where to come back. We'll take
any calls five two zero, four, one, six, seventy four,
forty And as long as we appreciate you listening, we appreciate you jumping on
the podcast when you can't hear us lives. So thank you all very much,
and we'll be 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 Ludolson era. In my new book, Lessons from Loot. It
was a labor of love through the eyes of twenty five former players, coaches,
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A Team Apply online today at a Team Security dot net Steve Ravera and Shaken
Salez. They have their eye on the ball on two Suns Sports Stage Chef
Fox Sports fourteen fifty streaming live on the iHeart Radio app. Welcome back to
Why I'm about here at Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera and you're
Jagan's awesome. We have about ten and a half minutes if you want to
give us a call. Becase three five, twoe seventy four forty Did you
have something that you wanted to bring up? I had something to bring up.
I may not be clear with this though. Yesterday I was looking through
some sections and I didn't click on the story, but there was a story
in Washington Post. I was trying to find it now that came across and
says in today's world the dynamic of old school coaching dealing with the new kids
coming up, and how there was a clash of the times, especially with
the parents that they that the kids have now. Right, that's you can
You've seen it for years, but now it's kind of coming to a head
where I don't have to listen to you because guess what, I have options,
right, I get Yeah, Okay, I'm here at this university.
Well, I don't like where you're talking to me, so I'm gonna go
to that university and guess I'm gonna go over there. I'm gonna get more
money, right, so they're dynamic of or I can just leave and you
can't do anything about dealing with people, right, Well I heard that,
of course. Well again, and we've seen a bunch of coaches already.
You know, just three three of the you know, long time coaches at
Arizona who got out because they didn't feel like they wanted to deal with all
of this stuff. Yeah, you know. And David Ruby on particular set
it was he didn't feel like he could deal with today's affe. And now
that you kind of now that you say that, and now that I'm reminded
of that, it was it was a noble move by him. And I
could be wrong, but this is my thought because it takes some self reflection,
right that your style is not doesn't work. It doesn't work anymore,
and how many and you get it, and you're getting a nice paycheck too
to come to work and maybe hate it, but you get a nice paycheck.
Then you realize you don't want it's not what I bargained for or not
what I live for. Think of all the people and whatever jobs that they
have, Steve, who've been doing things in a certain way, and come
how or high water, they're gonna keep doing them that way. And then
there comes a time when, you know, the production of that sure falls
off. Sure, what's that note that I've used before? Because we've done
it, this is how we've done it all the time. Right, Yeah,
it doesn't work, doesn't It doesn't work, doesn't. And and you
know, and some coaches or business people or whatever, rather than change,
they'll get out and that's fine with them. You know. Look, Rubia
had a long had a long career at Arizona. Mike and Andre had a
long career at Arizona. Uh Andy Lopez had a long career overall, you
know, Pepperdine, Florida, Arizona. So you know, those guys all
had long careers and they're like, Okay, I've done what I'm gonna do.
This is who I am. I'd rather not do this anymore than have
to start all over and you know and figure this out again. And and
that's fine. It's and then other coaches like Sean Miller, right who realized
what he was doing wasn't gonna work anymore. So he's gonna do it some
other way. Josh Pastner just said that. He said, no, I'm
taking this time to figure out, Um, you know how I'm going to
do things, and you know I'm I'm changing myself. Right, He's he's
looking at how he's got to change him self so that he can become a
better coach down the road, because he'll feel better about himself, he'll be
healthier, and it'll make him a better coach, right, and a lot
you know, some people can do that and some people can't. Some people
say screw it, I'm not gonna do this anymore. Yeah, I've been
doing it this way, do damn long. Sure. Sure he'll be better
for it too. Yeah. And I think if he even is not a
head coach, he'll be a pretty good assistant coach. I mean, if
you can somebody who can, and again it doesn't have to be a coach,
right, somebody who can look at themselves and say this doesn't work anymore,
so I better do something different, right, and then do that and
be successful at it. Those are the people who are as successful as anybody
because one they get better at what they're trying to do, and two they
feel better about it well self reflection and pivoting. And I tell the kids
today and you were because we've had kids here in our business specifically, if
you're not creating your own magic, right you, you better you're gonna be
in trouble because someone else is gonna call the shots for you. Yeah.
Uh. It took me who had a paper closing, for me to realize
that you've left a few times from a few places, and probably we're unhappy
at those places. Uh. And and us now finding this thing that we're
having fun with. Uh. But but today look at the ESPN, look
at the laying awful lot of people. The b media business is crumbling about
all these people who are beloved and who are are being asked to leave.
You know. So some of those people go, you know, go out
and reinvent themselves doing something else, or get on another network, or just
do something completely different, you know. And that in a lot of ways,
that's the nature of the business that we're in. But you know,
other businesses where people have been around a long time and just keep doing what
they're doing. Maybe teachers, maybe uh, I don't know what other what
other you know, business you might you might be in, but you know,
there comes a time when you've got to take a look at yourself and
be able to say this doesn't work anymore. I got right and now and
now that you know, I covered college basketball mostly, but college football you
have more of those stuff dudes than you're doing basketball. And kind of the
older dudes have kind of been right, they've retired. Why is Jed Fish
doing a good job? What is it about him that? Because he's like
he sees, he sees the landscape and so he's he's trying to hit all
the you know, all the high points on that landscape. Right, He's
trying to hit all the spots where he knows he can make one make a
difference too, where he's happy being. And then all that comes together.
Now guys want to play here, right right, Tommy Lloyd is going through
the same thing. Yeah, you know, but the way Tommy Lloyd coaches
now, could that have worked thirty years ago? I don't know. I
don't know, I don't know, right, but today's Differently days athlete likes
what Tommy Lloyd is doing. That's why he gets a guy like Caleb Love
no crush, North Carolina guy who just played in the National Championship game,
and instead of staying with that team, says, I'm gonna go over here,
right, And and Sean who's reinventing himself, kind of realized, maybe
I'll have to loosen the reins a little, yeah, and enjoy my life
while giving them some leeway. Yeah. No, I mean though, you
know, successful people are the ones that can reevaluate what the flow evaluate.
He figure out to figure out new ways to win. And I use this
as my reference point because this is what I know. Lut had to do
that too when they lost many times, when they lost to h least Tennessee
State, they had to go from big to small and run and let them
run. Right. Uh, he's in basketball, big man's game, not
necessarily not anymore, okay, And an example of a guy who wouldn't change.
Nor Amazonian and Kevin Summon they said we're gonna do this our way,
and they wrecked the best quarterback Arizona may have ever had. Date had something
to do with that, but nor do they put the time in to get
it. You had a talent, and instead of saying, okay, we
what rich Rod did, right, I have this talent. So even though
he found out about that talent by accident, once he found out he had,
he turned it loose. Yeah, right. And then these guys come
in and they say, no, we see that he can do that,
but we want to do this. And what did they do? Right?
It screwed up the whole thing. And you know, I'm gonna you know,
like I said, I'm sure cloth Tate had something to do with that
in terms of how he handled it. But in the end, when you
look at it was like there was this talent set him there to be to
be used for to win football, and they chose to Forday, we don't
want to do it that way. We want to do it this way.
And it did work. I wonder if one of these days, if I
ever do something else, I get a chance to ask him, and I
would ask him if there's any things that he would change something, because I
don't know, I don't know if he would won and would he care,
you know, but he looked back, Steve, I screwed up or I
would have done this differently or whatever. You don't know too down the road,
yeah, you know, And would you get an honest answer. I
see. That's the thing. I don't know, you know what I mean?
If he ever coaches somewhere where somebody gets to ask him, yeah,
we're wrong. In Arizona. It's like John with the questions Jay, Yeah,
why didn't you just call? Yeah? You know what I'm saying exactly.
It's like a relationship with someone ANX girlfriend you see ten years down the
road, you know what, you know, I loved you. Why did
you just tell me you needed to see somebody else? You know what I'm
saying. You know what I'm saying. That's a simple question. It's a
simple question that sometimes the tough reporters have to ask. You're there for.
Let me tell you if isn't that the story that the connection with Jay Johnson?
And here that one question? Why did you do it that way?
Yeah? I mean simply yeah, not not that you did it. Why
did you do it that way? Absolutely no. If you have one question,
that's what I'm asking. Yeah, yeah, no, I get I
get it. And it's like, what the hell? You know? He
may not give you the answer, Bud mean, you were a really good
coach at Texas A and how did that not translate to Arizona. Yeah.
In the meantime, Yeah, how did this happen? Right? And screw
it up? For all this time, we're still digging out of it,
hoping that we six win season, you know, and that'll be great.
Yeah, I just want to beat Steve and this good. Exactly, It's
like it got so bad that right now we would be giddy over six wins
in a ball game. And pointed the Independent. I know that's a that's
a big number, six or not a big number, but it's a big
number of hards. I look at the schedule. It's a hard number.
And two years ago there were one win. You guys, are you two?
You and Justin today? Uh, Colorado, all these other schools,
Arizona did it. What makes you think that Colorado can do it? Because
they exactly, you're biased, you're biased, same rules apply. They're pot
capable because Dean Sanders has a messed up and it's hard for him too.
So there's always a reason a good show. Today. It was a good
show. It's fun. Thank you Justin Spears for taking the time this afternoon.
We know that you're probably needed a nap, but we appreciate the fact
that you came out and hung out with us a little bit and Josh Paston.
We always appreciate Josh Paston. He does such a great job, such
a great guy. It's such a spirited kind of guy, so it's always
great having him. So thanks again. We'll be back tomorrow. We're gonna
talk to ni Al tomorrow. It's more a more stuff about that, so
looking forward to it. Should be a good conversation. I'll be sure to
come back tomorrow.