This is I On the Ball with Steve Rivera and Jay Gonzalez on Fox Sports
fourteen fifteen, powered by Nova Insurance Services. Hey sure, your most prized
possessions, kat Z R two SAD and iHeart Radio Station. Hey, good
afternoon, everybody, Welcome to is the Ball here. I'll Fox Sports fourteen
fifteen. I'm Steve on Rivera, You're Jay On Rivera, Rivera Gonzalez with
Jason What the heck your last name again? Day? Yeah? That one
Jason Dayon. Uh, there's a reason for that. Go ahead and tell
him. Well, uh, if those of you who have been around,
like Steve and I remember when Tony Dorsett became Tony Dorsett sometime during his career
with the with the Cobbe Do you remember that? Yeah? You do,
Okay, you remember who he is? Yeah, So Tony Dorsett became Tony
Dorsett. So the story you told me, just so it reminds me of
the Darryl Lewis story, right, that's right, when Darrell Lewis we found
out that he had two els at the end of his name. So now
we're finding out that Bijean Robinson isn't really Beijean Robinson. He's Bijean Robinson.
He goes by either. He even uses he says Bijean himself. Has a
funny interview that's been going through social media that his name is technically and his
mom has told him, your name is Bijean, not Bijean. So I
don't know if well, you know, we'll call him Beijean now right,
Well, he's Bijan Robin. Sounds more mustardy, doesn't it anyway, So
he's it's Bijean Robinson. But he was, uh, there're just a you
know, brief interview with him, Uh, talked about about his name.
Uh, he was asked, you know, he told people just pronounce it
whatever you want, and he said, you know, call it, call
me Beijean if you want. And somebody said, well, well, your
mom get upset at us if we do, and he said she might.
So I guess we're gonna go with beij Yes, sounds good to me.
So you didn't have to. You can call me Ray. He just don't
call me late for dinner. Yeah, exactly. And you know, just
it all it's all pronounced the same once you get to the bank. So
it's Bijean Robinson. So there you go. So it's Steven, Jayon and
Jason for the day were Sports fourteen fifty and we're gonna have brad On Ellis,
but we'll join us. At about four fifteen he did He's got his
Wildcat Sports Report podcast, sort of did a eulogy to the PAC twelve,
and I feel like, just one last time, let's kick it around.
I was wondering where you wanted to Google move on with? You know,
he has we still more dirt. Well, he just it was kind of
some interesting take similar to what we've had. But it's kind of like,
Okay, this is it. We're done talking about it. Everybody screwed it
up all the way, you know, all over the PAC twelve. Yeah,
I mean kick kicked the ball all over the enfield and now we are
where we are. Yeah. In fact, I'm sure this won't be a
bricking news. You hear all the news. What's his name, the former
the former commissioner somewhere, No luck. It's kind of stepped in as doing
some maybe combining the forces acc right, right, So I saw a tweet
earlier, I don't know if you saw it, where it looks like DC
kind of sinuated. It's not not done that. The George maybe out well
he's got doesn't have a conference left. That's why. Even though because Luck
has kind of stepped in and say okay, come on, let the professional,
I was gonna say, why would you let George do anything else?
Yeah? No, he's got to go back to what he used to do.
I mean, he wrecked the car. You wrecked the car, take
the keys away direct the car that Larry Scott said, be careful with it.
Yeah, yeah, right, what did you do with it? It
has been in the shop for he trashed. He trashed the car. He
drove it over left. Now we'll see what you might argue that Larry Scott
got it to the cliff. But George and Louise did he did? He
did? Did you get that reference? Yeah, yeah, I don't know
about Yeah, he just got it. Got it. Donna Summer, Yeah
I got that. And Tina Turner Yeah no, no, okay, see
what happens with that more j Yeah. So uh well, we can get
to this in a minute. But we also mentioned that here at three fifteen
Beckham Marrows the soccer coach in Arizona, and we got the fall sports kicking
in. We're trying to get UH three to Stubbs, the coach at Arizona.
They practice at the same time as our as our show, but we're
trying to see if there's a time that we can we can get her on.
So we're working on that, but uh Becka Morris will be on with
us at three fifteen talk about the women preview. The women's soccer season coming
great, good, A lot of things to talk about with Decca who we
had a great impression on us ago when you came on the scene. You
know, it's taken a couple of years, but you know, I was
looking at you know, they won four four of their last six matches last
year, you know, maybe built some momentum into the into the end of
the regular season. So let's see what she's got, what she's got going
on here for twenty twenty three. You could use that word, I won't.
Yeah, yeah, well, you know, it just gave us a
feel for you know, yeah, yeah, what she's got here. A
lot of a lot of players back from from last year and so how do
you know, can that carry over into this season? I think it can.
And no matter what you say about momentum, Steve, it's there.
It exists. It's a thing I beg to differ, but two hours to
talking about that at some other times some other times we already spent two hours
at another time talking at them other time. Yeah, okay, cool,
cool, Uh you're last week with us? Right, Yeah, make you
good, go out with the bank without saying, without get us it is
in trouble. Yeah, don't cut, just don't cuss, but go big
for sure, go bigger, go home. Just be sucked yet time,
you know, Yeah, I talk, Yeah, sure, has some fun
conversations in here. We've made fun of you for not knowing what we know.
Yeah, because you're just young music. Right. And then where he
talks about players that we have no no idea who they are. You know
what, It's funny you say that because I watch things now differently, and
I see these transactions. I'm thinking, who's that dude? Who's that dude?
Who's that dude? Because I don't pay attention like I used to.
Yeah, I just don't. These guys are traded. I'm thinking what did
he go there? Yeah, And it's bad to say it on sports show,
but that's that's the point. I don't talk about players. I'm talking
about situations right right, No, we do. I mean, you know
we've I mean it's again going back to this thing that's on on online,
that immaculate grid thing where you know, you try and think of players who
played for a couple of different teams or whatever, and all my players are
you know, nineteen eighties and earlier. And then you know my son and
my godson who are in it, and they're like thirty and they got all
the new guys. They don't know, they don't know the guys you know,
you know, I had I young and went in a box last week
and they're like, but they didn't know what he really had done it.
Then he was a good pitcher, Yeah, because the award is named after
him. So stuff like that. Okay, no, no good. We'll
have these two people, like you say, Becky Morris, but Alice again
for the pact. Let's put a lid on this man. Yeah, I
think we do. Let's put a lid on it with with Brad until I
listened to his podcast on the way in and you know again you know,
talking about you know, the pac twelve cities and the apathy in some of
these places and stuff like that and things that we've talked about. But it's
sort of like good you hear it from from another from another side and another
angle, and that's what we'll do. No. Cool, as we get
closure. They had another practice today, you'll have some breaking news probably with
Delora today. Uh and good on a good thing. Good yeah, good
note and the team. You didn't go to practice, right yeah? I
didn't go either, So it's just I have other things. As far as
we know what happened, right, No, it did because people talked to
the Special Team's coach show pump Its spoke. So, like I said,
I was with somebody that I really liked. The team. So far,
so good. The number of wins five, we talked about that yesterday.
I still think it's six. I was listening to the Game Day Guy.
Oh yeah yeah, the Game Day Guy, the host Street, No,
not herb Street. He's the main ESPN guy on it. Oh yeah yeah,
yah yeah, I know what the hell is that? Come on?
Jason? Jason helped me out. We know we're talking about it. We'll
get a text here, yea god? Then what did you say? Well?
He and Pete Thamil you know, did do you know? A podcast?
And Reece Davis's Reece Davis. Reese went under for who for Arizona.
No, Reese went over and Thamil went under on five on Arizona. Yeah,
that's straight. You know, everybody has an opinion, right And what
did I say that they both think the number is five? Yeah? Okay,
but they had to go over under it's gonna be five five or more?
Yeah, so so uh so a family went under Reech Davis, it's
gonna end up at five. Well if it doesn't, you know. The
one thing that the one thing that did explain, did they explain. Yeah,
one of the explanations was that, well they think the Lawd's a really
good quarterback. No, it might have been the other way. I'd have
to go back. One of them went under, one of them went over.
I think Rich Davis might have gone over because he was talking about he
thinks Arizona will win a game or two that they're not supposed to win,
you know, as he was going because what they did, they did a
rundown of all the teams, and so he you know, talking about you
know, he said Arizona going to USC said that's a that's a game that
you just think as the USC win, he said, but watch out Arizona
and Arizona went to UCLA last year, and one he talked about Washington coming
here. You know, you know, it's just a game that you know,
first of all, Washington never plays good in Arizona, either at a
s U or in Tucson. And he said, that's another game that you
feel like there's a game in there. He talked about Oregon State, talked
about Utah. There's he said, there's a game in there that Arizona's gonna
win that that you don't expect to win. And so and I think Pete
Tama was talking about the fact that, you know, Jade Delores kind of
a gun slinger, you know, maybe a little reckless sometimes, which is
a lot of what we saw last we've seen said if he doesn't fix that,
they're not going over, right, And so that was kind of the
kind of the two things could be accurate. Ye, both of lam are
And if Jade Delora doesn't you know, doesn't play, isn't bad Jane Delora
that we saw last year, then they're gonna go over. But if he
has a couple of games where he's bad Jade Delora, well then they're probably
not going to go and I don't I don't want to put this all on
Jaden. They've got to play defense. They defense. But and also you
know how much of what he did was because of the offensive line, you
know, not you know, not being as good as they expected to be
this year. He ran around a lot last year. Yeah, there's no
question they're going to be better on both sides of the ball. We'll see.
I don't disregrate with both of those analysis because because they're right, they're
accurate. We've seen it, we've seen in memory of times. Rees seems
like he's been here because he's a fan like you who said he sounds like
a fan like you who who's who knows right? Because you witnessed it right
for the years, right, he gets he gets a lot of information and
you know, you know, and so you know what he sees the whole
answer. But here's the thing, here's the thing. These national guys know
what they know, but they're not here. They're not they're's on the ground,
they're not here, so they can it's like me and this is I
hope it doesn't offend you know, I have no idea about pregnancy, even
though I have two kids. I mean, what do I know? You're
you're you're right. I know a little bit because I've had Guinney Stone,
Okay, I have hold on. I hope that never happens to me.
But you understand what I said, I know about kids, what I know
about so so that's kind of odd analogy, but it is what it is.
We know what we know, and most of the time we're not right.
There's still a lot we don't know, always exactly pretty much in everything
right, pretty much. I did infected that. Oh I didn't think of
that, you know, Yeah, no, I hear you. So,
you know, so an interesting analysis from those two guys. You know,
Arizona is everywhere, you know, from six to eighth place. Predict to
finish sixth eighth place, Yeah, you know, six, five or six
wins. You got guys like you know, our friend Jake Fisher and some
of the others have said seven or eight wins. I haven't asked my brother
yet, didn't I'm afraid to Rick. Yeah, he's gonna say ten,
yeah, he's yeah, and try to convince you that he's right. Yeah,
yeah. What about Jean, Jean's more? Jean's more seven he's gonna
be in the seven or eight. Okay, what about the really sensible brother
Ed, he'll lean towards six. I bet six or seven, you know,
a winning season, you know, because they're fans, they're they're fans,
and they they hope for the best. Jean doesn't go to the No,
No, Ed doesn't go to the tailgate? Does he? He does?
Sometimes he'll go to two or three games a year. Yeah, you
gotta go, so you go say hello, Yeah, he'll yeah, he'll
come to a few games. Yeah, he's uh, you know, he'd
he stopped, you know, he stopped doing the season tickets just it's hard
for him to get in these games and stuff, and especially the late but
he comes a couple of times. Well here from man, have we heard
anything about or if we haven't had Dave, But we asked Dave to come
in to the show soon after we saw him last week for the press conference.
What do you think the season tickets are gonna be? What would you
think they would be, given the excitement, given the hope, all that
stuff, and I don't know what they are normally, although a lot of
people back, you know, in the in the stoops and Dick Tommy years.
If they got to like twenty two or twenty three, that was really
good? Was good? Okay good? I bet you they're approaching twenty.
Don't you think I would? I would think so. I mean, Jed's
made a plea out there, and there's a lot to hope for. Ye
Jay, let me let me throw this at you. Uh. If they
don't, if they don't win, Uh, if they beat a NAU Let's
say they beat in. They don't beat Mississippi State and they don't who they
face the third game, they're gonna win. They're gonna win. I was
gonna put it hypothetical. How would fans like this team if they're one and
two going into the third game. I was supposed to three and one and
two? Yeah, two and one one, and I was just trying to
go one to stream to the other. But they're going if they go one
and two, there's nobody coming. That's kind of where I wanted to go
with it. That's not gonna happen. And win to it if they do,
If they do what's expected, and if you're three and one going into
the Washington game, I think they get a pretty good crowd for watching.
Yeah, and that's over fifty forty eighties, high forties. I'm gonna say
high forties, maybe maybe hit fifty. But remember, technically, the Oregon
game last year was the sellout. Now the stadium wasn't packed, but I
guess they sold all the tickets, right, so I don't. We'll see,
all right, we gonna go. We gotta hit the road. Beckam
Marrows, Arizona soccer coach, will be calling in here in just a few
minutes, so we'll we'll talk to Becca about her season coming up. Get
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put the work in for youtre me Live on iHeartRadio WAPP. This is on
the Ball with Steve Rivera and Jay Getzalez on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. Hey,
welcome back to I'm the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen. Cookie,
I'm Steve Rivera. He's Jacobs else now in the phone we have beca morals
the Arizona Sucker coach. At you A, how are you coach? I'm
great? How are you guys? We're doing we well? Excited to talk
to you. One of our favorite interviews. As we start the year school
year. Like Jetfish and a couple of other coaches, you're in year three.
Did you have a plan for year three or did you kind of just
go with it? No, I definitely had a plan. It's been changed
nine hundred times, but we did come in with a plan sort of phases
of development year one, year two, year three or first six months,
second six months, third six months, and it has adjusted as we go
based on kind of how the team performs, and some things get on boarded
faster and something's flow down a little. So when when you think when you
think of year three. Is this sort of like is the transition so supposed
to be complete now and you're just you know, going on with your plan
or is it are you still in a little bit of a transition. I
think we're pretty pretty close to complete in terms of like team culture, identity,
like playing style. You know, this this would be the year that
we could hopefully put together the consistent performances that we would need to sort of
win the games we should win and win some of our bigger games as well.
So I think a lot of that transition is done. I think there's
things that we as a staff are getting better at, and the team is
getting better at, and you know, different personalities and players come in and
it sort of changes some of that as well. So I think there's still
a lot of growth that we're going to see. But overall, I would
say the team is it's our team now. If I correct, you didn't
come from the college game, you came from the pros on the East Coast.
Was it a bigger challenge than you thought? Was it the same kind
of challenge? Did it present to you? And now here you are three
years later? I think I was aware just from people sort of telling me
how big of a challenge it was going to be. But I don't think
I could have anticipated what it would feel like, or you know, what
the process of tackling those challenges would be. So I came in knowing that
it was going to be a tremendous challenge, and that the first couple of
years of taking over a program and culture setting and you know, you trained
differently do all these things. Even even taking over a well coached program has
all those challenges. So I knew that the experience of it has definitely been
something I never never experienced before, and so you know, was really challenged
by So when you talk about you had these six month periods, so the
one that you're in right now, what are sort of the main points of
it? Are the main objectives that you feel like our team has to do
this or is doing these things to get us to the you know, the
next step. Yeah, I think all of the tactical foundation has been set,
so now we're we're elevating. It's a little more sophisticated, tactical details,
a little more tweaking, higher expectations for the players individually for their ability
to problem solve, think quickly, be very clean on the ball, the
kinds of things that allow you to play at a faster pace but in control.
And so it's it's a lot of little details. The back line has
a lot of new faces, so some of that is repeating things and getting
people comfortable in those roles. And then the front line looking to score a
lot more, create more attacking chances, more dominant attacking chances, and convert.
Did you in this process to get to this point? And I'm sorry
if I kind of beating a dead horse, but did you have to become
more patient with with your style? Because it was still fresh year one,
year two? And now here we are. I think I've been you know,
ebbs and flows of patients first, feeling a strong sense of urgency.
Some of that comes from the players as they're kind of tackling challenges and getting
better. I feel immensely patient, you know, while I see growth and
see things I'm proud of, and they're proud of each other and themselves.
It's a lot easier to be patient when we've kind of hit little plateaus.
That's when you feel that sense of urgency to to sort of, you know,
kick it in the pants and get ourselves moving faster and going. But
you know, as a player, growth has always been the thing that you
know, made me feel purposeful and maybe come back every day and fall in
love with the process. So as a coach, I think that's pretty similar.
So it's really just the periods of stagnation that I start to getting into
the well to this point, why don't you go ahead and ask you a
question that you brought up to me with the end of the season, Well,
let me ask you, because okay, you're you're gonna, you're gonna.
We're gonna thrust you into the middle of a debate that Steve and I
have all the time, and it's about momentum. Okay, I'm a strong
believer in momentum, whether it's in a game, in a season. You
know, over the course of a couple of seasons, you finish strong.
Last year, at least, I thank you. I don't know if you
think you finished strong you won four out to six. Does is there some
carry over into this year because of that or are you somebody who moves on
from that? Well, let me defend me myself. You're on. So
I'm a guy who every game is a season. So the momentum doesn't play
a part. I got you. I'm probably on the momentum train, you
know. I think that's the real thing. Players feel good and then play
better, you know. So I do think there's an emotional component and when
you have that momentum, it feeds into the next performance. I do think
things can change from game to game. You know, when you win,
you ride really high when you When you lose, you can have some lows
and you need to be mentally strong enough to banished those and reset and do
all of that stuff. But I think those are really real challenges for the
players. And when you have a series of good performances in a row and
everybody's feeling good, the energy in the locker groups different. The white people
are chattering at team meals is different. The kinds of things they're talking about.
You know, something their teammates is in the game that was amazing,
or you know those things that are really contagions in the group. So I
do think we have momentum from last year, a lot of it. I
think the girls have stayed focused and locked in, which is just a big
slogan of ours. They really have have taken care of business since since the
spring, like with us, but then also going home in the summer,
They've come back in a tremendous place, better than I've ever seen. So
I'm just eager to actually watch them, and they keep growing each day.
They just look look more and more cohesive, and it's it's pretty neat to
see. So you had a friendly the other day against Pepperdine. You don't
get a lot of those, So what are you trying to accomplish in that
and what did you see? I think that was terrific for us. Last
year Peppertine really overpowered us in a lot of ways, and I think this
was a very evenly fought game, So certainly on the soccer side and the
tactical side, we were in a very even matchup in terms of being able
to take care of the ball, take up our offensive positioning on the field,
and flow in and out of our offensive defense and defensive offense transitions.
So I think there were a lot of things that we really showed we've improved
on. We gave up a couple of set piece goals that I would consider
a little soft. I mean, you can get scored on on set pieces
and it's not soft, but you know, you lose a mark a little
bit, or you don't make yourself as big as you can on a block
or whatever it is, and it SARTs to kind of be a little bit
of a soft goal. So I think those are things we can fix,
and we've been we've been focusing on them, we've been working on them.
I think the team will, we'll get better at them, and we'll eliminate
those kinds of goals going in against this at least. But yeah, I
thought I felt really good about our teams deep and we're fit. So we
finished, you know, the second half was better than the first, and
we finished the half really strong with with a lot of players getting significant minute
so I was very happy with it. I didn't look at your roster,
but did you go mostly East Coast for new players, and if so,
how have they adapted the Tucson We have a sprinkling from from all over the
place. We have some kids from Texas, uh Maryland, from southern California,
one from the Bay Area. We brought in a transfer from Utah who
we had wanted a couple of years ago, who was originally from Boston.
So they're kind of all over the place and they're a really good group,
great personalities fitting right in and really you know, our kinds of soccer players,
so they're they're integrating really well with the returning to players. So I
know we had this conversation, you know, the first time we had John
the show, asking about what kind of team you're going to be. But
since I don't remember what I had for lunch yesterday, I don't really remember
the conversation. But you know what, you know, how would you characterize
your team and has that changed over the last couple of years in terms of
what you thought you were going to be when you got here and what you
are today. Nothing's changed except that we are are more of that team than
we were when I got here. We are a possession team. We want
to control the game. We love having the ball. The girls thrive on
being in control of the game. The more they can touch the ball,
the happier they are. It's that way in training the games as well.
So we really want to play a beautiful brand of soccer, a kind of
soccer, you know, a Dutch Spanish total football type of philosophy, a
really exciting style. We want to surprise fans and want people to think the
ball is going to go over there and then it pops out somewhere else with
all the little cleverness and tactical sophistications. So I think we are in that
place and we've got the depths to maintain it as we change, you know,
personnel at times, and as we're playing two games in one weekend and
then maybe doing it again the following weekend. So I think that we are
the exact same team we set out to be when we got here. We're
just a lot farther along. Let me ask you a Naivesh question, although
it pertains to today. We just saw the women's team lose in the World
Cup. Surprisingly maybe not how important chemistry is and things like that. Your
women are older ish nineteen twenty twenty one, so they've been there, done
that at the highest level at their level. I'm sure that's still a teaching
moment that you need to be on the same page everybody does to be success,
for sure, and we talk a lot about it. We talk about
team culture. We talk about how you support your teammates even you know when
you may not be feeling the best yourself or whatever's going on, or you
have hardships or we all have things that go through in life. So you
know, that's real life, and we're responsible for the environment we create,
not just for ourselves but the people around us. And you got to give
more than you take. And we all want to leave the program better than
when we got here. And you know that's that's a brick by brick type
of process of putting it in each day and and doing the best you can.
And when we're having a bad day, we have you know, thirty
something people who want to pick us up. And that's that's a real privilege.
Most people don't walk around, you know, rolling thirty deep of people
who are are looking out for them. So I think that it is an
important thing. They always highlight team chemistry and opportunities to team build as as
things that really help them on the field and make their experience, you know,
as a student athlete, as the U of a richer and you know,
we're really big proponent to that. And as a former player, the
thing I actually miss the most is not training, but it's the locker room
and the goofy stuff that goes on in there and the kind of bonds that
are just really unique when you're a part of a team and I'm still part
of the team now, and I'm part of a bigger team in the athletic
department. But you know, the blood, sweat and tears in the locker
room just bonds you in a different kind of way. And I think they
have a special, special opportunity and something that they get to do together that
most people don't get to do. So to that point, and I agree
with this on the Wentthum side with Jay is that you're winning brings a lot
of happiness. Losing doesn't. So that kind of that culture where you win
a lot that the locker room feels good. It does, it really really
does, and it makes you kind of put the group first. You know,
when when when the team isn't doing well, everybody's you know, sophisticated
enough and knowledgeable enough to start having ideas about what they want to do differently,
or what could be done, or what they could do, or what
someone else could do or whatever. And when you're winning, you know,
you tend to feel like you're doing more things right. Even if you know
when you're losing, you win, you're doing the same number of things right
and wrong, it just feels like you're doing more things right. So people
tend to, you know, credit you for doing more things right, whether
it's you as a coach or or the team you know, on your teammates,
and so it does. It does create a lot more positivity and and
and energy, and it puts some people, you know, on their best
behavior because you know, when people are doing well, they don't really want
to listen to you kind of coming in as the negative one. So it
shrinks the audience for that kind of stuff too. So it just has a
lot of a lot of upside. So you the coaches, Paul came out,
you guys are were picked six in the league. As always, you
know, the particularly the women's sports in the PAC twelve are crazy good.
UCLA ranked number one. But you know, is that about where you would
have put yourself and hope to, you know, go prove yourself over the
course of the season. Where do you think you fit in the league going
in? I mean I'm really used with that, just because to get voted
you know, from twelve to six from people who are on the outside,
you know, is good. It's a good step in the right direction.
I don't think any of us internally think that we're going to finish the six.
But I bet you know, everybody other than UCLA things they're going to
finish higher than they were ranked, so and then as at least planning to
finish higher than they were ranked. I would expect us to really compete to
be in the top three. And I think, you know, we just
have hit a consistent level that is just better than our best level was last
year. So I think we're going to be a hard team to play against.
We've got a lot of depths, so you know, as people fatigue
or pick up littler injuries, you know we can get them the breaks they
need to make sure they're ready to go, and in the meantime getting somebody
else the playing time they need to be at their best. So I really
rate where we're at. We're a veteran team for the first time, I
haven't had upper class and then like we have now ever, and I think
that makes a very big differ. Prints they know what it takes and they
show you that every day in training when they set the standards and things like
that. So I feel really good about where we are, and I would
expect us to finish above six. I know, you know, if we
all got to pick where we finished, there would be nobody below us the
number there. So I'm aware that you know it's my bias as well,
but I really think we'll compete in the in the top three this year.
All Right, So you open Thursday at Iowa stayed. We're assuming you're hopping
up playing tomorrow to get over there a future Big twelve foe. Well,
how do you feel about the Yeah, I mean we seem to have started
a year or two early with Steck in our lineup and then I always coming
in last year, and we'll play them both this year, and you know,
they're great programs. I enjoyed both of the coaches at both of those
programs. I've heard I Alway State now has a grass field and so does
Texas Tech, which also makes me happy. You know, no soccer player
wants to play on turfs, so it's great they're investing in those programs and
put put a natural surface in just for us to come play on. So
but yeah, I really rate those organizations and that the coaches and what they're
doing. So I'm happy to play against I always State again, and I
know they try to play a good brand of soccer. They have a bunch
of transfers coming in who I've experienced from other big programs, so it'll be
interesting. I don't think they'll be similar to what they were last year.
So we're kind of going and blind in that sense, just taking care of
our our side of it, right. And then you got your home opener
on the twenty fourth, Thursday, the twenty fourth here against Grand Canyon,
and you get your your home season going. So looks like you guys got
you know, kicking it off right. You guys are the first ones to
start playing league games are regular season games. Yeah, we are always bring
it in so uh, you know, everybody comes onto campus and then and
then the energy starts to bump up. But I think our home opener is
already pretty well sold. And I know Graham Kenyan has kind of had our
numbers since I've been here, so whether it's in ties or even having lost
to them last season, so I know that that is ah, that is
a big, sting, stinging point for us. So we are looking forward
to that game as well. Well. Coach, good luck to you.
Always feel smarter when we talk to you, at least I do. He's
not lying. No, you said some good stuff. Thanks a bunch.
We'll talk to you next time. Thank you guys so much, appreciate it.
It was funny. I wanted to say that because I do believe that
I'm not I'm not blowing smoke. But the thing is, I don't know
if I want to talk to her much more because I don't want to make
her feel make me feel dumb. Does that mean, dude? I'm with
you, man, I'm percent. She impressed us from the first day,
from day one and continue, But what did we think the first day?
We thought, oh, bad this team is. And it's changed, you
know, And look, they did get bad her last year, and so
you know it's because you've got a bunch of coaches in their third year,
right, You got Jeed Fishness, Kayla Lows in his third year, Jet
Hails in his third year. All these people in there in their third years
in these transitions, as she said, they should be over. So now
they're doing what they're gonna do. And we said the same thing about Jed,
and I think I asked them that question too, because third year,
either you can't blame the past, and you can't really blame the puk.
You're in that simple line. You're in that limbo line, it's your deal,
Yeah, all right, mostly year deal. All right, let's take
our breakwoard and come back. We'll take it. Cost five two zero,
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The A Team apply online today at a team security dot net. Breaking down
all the exs and os. It's Steve Romera and Jakin Summits. This is
I on the Ball on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. They welcome back to win
in the ball. Hear old Fox Sports fourteen fifty Punch Steve, you're Jakin
Zas got a guy, Jackson want us today? You want to call in?
Please do two oh four one six seventy four forty. This is your
chance. Can you get about nine ten nuts? Yeah, give give us
a buzz. We'll tackling thing you want. You know, We're we're gonna
talk to Brad Allie about you know, you'll the kind of the leftover issues
of the at the PAC twelve pointing fingers at people and stuff like that.
Put it to be, as you said, he put it to bed.
And then let's let's move on and let's talk about the PAC twelve season.
We'll talk Big twelve again, you know, next year. So it's interesting.
I know we didn't go there with Becca because she probably wasn't prepared and
we weren't prepared to listen, she's gonna say, we're only thinking about this.
Yeah, so you do what I was stopping talking about. But but
it's interesting they're already going through it. And I'm Jay, I don't know,
and I don't want to know if I want to buy into the people
saying the travel and the travel. I'm nineteen years old, I'm twenty years
old. I'm not sixty years old. Guess what I would want to do?
Travel? Travel? Yeah? Yeah, And I know it's probably a
straight on academics or whatever, but you guess what you could take your books
with you? Well and that's the thing. I mean, I still hate
it, but I know that, you know, they're gonna have all the
resources they need. You know, they're gonna take tutors on the road and
they always have and yeah, maybe they step that up and you know,
they they they do a lot of things to kind of make this as as
easy as possible for you know, because I mean, it can become a
mental health issue for some for some athletes, and sure, that's the last
thing you want. I know, there's not so much. But I think
that this is most of the people you're hearing from, I think would be
people our age, older people. Well, Hitolindo didn't want to do.
How do we know that? Yeah, and maybe the students feel that way.
I have. I'm sure they've they've I've seen their texts or I've seen
there, but not all of them. All I know is I don't like
to travel. I really don't. I'm not. You know, I get
to a place and I can't wait to get home. And that's sure,
And that had a lot to do with my my leaving sportsman. You know.
Yeah, it's gonna be interesting to see how that how that plays out
going forward. Hi, you're on there are and I on the ball.
Hey, it's tea money. How are you guys doing pretty good? How
are you let me? I got the hottest of all hot takes. I
don't think the Pact weelve is gone or any Maybe a future iteration might be
coming. I just don't I don't know. I just don't feel that energy
dissipating, like what the West Coast has too much pride. I think think
about it this way. Going to Manhattan, Kansas in January. I think
a lot of these schools and a lot of these programs are gonna be agamas.
I don't know. I don't know if I want to do this anymore.
I don't know. That's just my take. I just think there's gonna
be another iteration of the Pact somehow, Tea Money. I don't distribute with
you. I went to Kansas twice for the candy Gate was one of them.
There was another one. It was freezing. I didn't want to be
there. It was cool, fog Allen, but you're right, it sucked.
But let me tell you, I don't distribute with you on the because
we talked about this, right, I think over time, in the next
TV deal five years that the West Coast will come back because of the four
regions right, there'll be it'll be regionalized again. I actually I saw it
in another very interesting take of three conferences, that there'll be a big ten,
an SEC and a Big twelve and kind of regionalized, and that you
know, it could be something like that. I agree with you that in
five years they're going to start talking about restructuring all of this. And I
would like to think, or I very much hope like you, that there'll
be a regional aspect again to the west and all these teams in the West
were trying to come back together. Maybe you have some of the Texas schools
and stuff like that in there as well. I think it has some kind
of natural attrition has to occur to where it's not TV isn't the be all
end all, And I know that's just a really thing to day at this
point, but I think in sports, there's something to be set for the
home crowd, something to be said for the home fan base, to be
said for regional pride. That's why the Big twelve still exist. It should
be gone, but regional pride to control and nothing happen was you don't have
any until this happened, and I think it it'll bounce back. Tea Money
is Tea Money taking his money to the Big twelve for the big game.
Come on, aren't you excited about what's going to happen at least in basketball?
Well, I mean I lived in the Big twelve country for a while.
I lived just just south of Lawrence, and I cannot stand Jayhawks fan
at all, and I do want to see that. However, I've said
this before and other places of loving. Uh, Still Water sucks, like
you know what I'm saying, Like it's not you see on TV is like,
oh that's great. It's a great call, its town, great college
atmosphere. But as far as like the total vibe and the travel and getting
there and all that, Dad, it's horrendous there. There's gonna be some
attrition there. We'll see how that goes. Man. Yeah, I'm curious
the people in Manhattan and Lubbock and all that say two Sons sucks. You
land there and it's all brown. I had that same I had that same
feeling. I flew into Fresno. What them? I'm like, what,
man sucks? Okay, okay, okay, we're getting in trouble now she
might. Thanks for the call. We appreciate it, Steve, buddy sounds
good. But Steve Normandy, you know, I look and I do.
I mean, there are people who think he's onto some you know, hick
town boy boots and horses and stuff. We've seen it. People didn't weak
or say what the hell? How would they being all upity on us.
We're better than that, of course, but we know we got here,
Steve. But I again going back to why you know why he called I
We've talked about it. I really do hope that in the next iteration of
of realignment, when the TV deals that were just done start to expire,
that somebody, somebody just can pull this all together and create something that makes
sense because none of it. I think the one thing you'll get from everybody
is that none of it makes sense. And that plus, I bet you
in six years because right in the next five years whatever twenty thirty is when
the big ten contra so six years, we're gonna be pretty much on the
internet. We're gonna be Yeah, that'll be on that'll be that'll be uh,
that'll be one of the things that if becomes a thing, you know,
is that, you know, the the whole streaming thing that and again,
you know, I think the PAC twelve is trying to make the argument
we were just ahead of our time on that. Sure it might have been
a good deal in three or four years, but in three or four years
you might be dead. Already. I can see Wired right now and it's
a horse scene. That car stuff is just going to be a fast.
So I was just looking up. The SEC deal ends in twenty thirty four,
the Big ten deal ends in twenty thirty, so the the ACC deal
ends in twenty thirty six, and the Big twelve deal ends in twenty thirty
one. So I'm gonna say around the time that the big Big ten deal
starts coming to they start figuring, figuring out ways to restructure all of this,
because you know, you can't wait till twenty thirty six when the ACC
deal is over. If everybody can get their money, being the meaning the
networks and the schools, I can see them restructuring it. Maybe at the
end of this decade. I would at least that's what I would like to
see. Yeah, the end of the decade, Yeah I can you know,
yeah, I can put up with the big twelve or five years social
security. It sounds fun. Jason's looking at it like I gotta get out
of here. I gotta get out of here, said, could you give
me a reference for something? I gotta get out of years? He's gonna
say, how long do you think you can give me a reference? Yeah?
You no affect. I don't want those two giving me a reference.
Yeah, man, you know, just just take some of our clips,
man. Yeah, okay, Well, thanks for the call, tea money.
Gonna finish today out now and then come back breaking news, yeah,
break news, and then and then brad Alice World will well, we'll kick
we'll kick around the death of the Pack twelve one more time, sort of
get a last word on it, and then and then we'll move on.
So I stick around for all that. We'll we'll get get into the breaking
news, some good stuff with you know at Arizona. Uh, some comments
by the Big twelve commissioner. I will say one thing we'll run that time.
I feel a whole lot better about the Pack, about the Arizona movie
being and having the break Your mark is their commissioner, and then the guys
that they've marched up. I love George Klafkoff. But he just did not
do it good. No, I don't know, Betty Britty people do anymore.
All right, let's go and take our break. We'll be right back
with the breaking news.