WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:03.160 It's Dick Gabriel taking a little bit of time off, so we thought we 2 00:00:03.200 --> 00:00:07.759 would replace some of the best interviews from over the last several months. Please 3 00:00:07.839 --> 00:00:13.960 enjoy the best of the Big Blue Insider. Incredible going, Juega Hota, 4 00:00:13.960 --> 00:00:17.320 spree throwers, they got it they wanted, We'll put it up. It 5 00:00:17.359 --> 00:00:23.559 doesn't matter if it goes as Kentucky has pulled off a comeback miracle in Baton 6 00:00:23.600 --> 00:00:30.039 Road and unbelievable Fetais. Kentucky wins at ninety nine ninety five over LSU. 7 00:00:30.440 --> 00:00:34.000 What better way to open this edition of The Big Blue Insider. Dick Gabriel 8 00:00:34.039 --> 00:00:38.679 with you live on tape from Spartanburg, South Carolina. I'm with a UK 9 00:00:38.840 --> 00:00:42.799 baseball team. I'll be filling in on the radio tomorrow. Darren Hedrick on 10 00:00:42.840 --> 00:00:49.200 assignment with UK women's basketball baseball Wildcats open up with USC Upstate here in Spartanburg. 11 00:00:49.280 --> 00:00:54.920 But today is the thirtieth anniversary unbelievable of the Marty Gras miracle. When 12 00:00:54.920 --> 00:01:00.399 the Wildcats came from thirty one down. That wasn't the halftime margin. That 13 00:01:00.560 --> 00:01:03.840 was with fifteen and a half minutes to play, but Kentucky still made it 14 00:01:03.920 --> 00:01:08.000 up. Thanks to just an incredible run and a huge game from a lot 15 00:01:08.000 --> 00:01:12.640 of guys, including Walter McCarty with twenty three points four of seven to three 16 00:01:12.680 --> 00:01:21.719 pointers. You heard Brad Nessler and Larry Conley for the SEC TV network ESPN 17 00:01:22.239 --> 00:01:26.400 calling the action. Here is the way it sounded on the UK Radio Network 18 00:01:26.439 --> 00:01:30.120 the final seconds with Ralph Hackery was working with Kyle Macy and I know some 19 00:01:30.159 --> 00:01:33.840 of you had problems with Ralph, but I tell you and both of these 20 00:01:33.879 --> 00:01:38.040 guys are good friends of mine. Full disclosure. Ralph gave me my first 21 00:01:38.120 --> 00:01:42.599 job in commercial radio. But here's what impressed me in the most. Neither 22 00:01:42.680 --> 00:01:47.799 one of these guys lost their friggin minds during this comeback. They stayed very 23 00:01:47.840 --> 00:01:53.400 calm and cool and very professional. And I give Ralph so much credit because 24 00:01:53.680 --> 00:01:59.159 I got to think an overwhelming majority of not just SEC announcers but college basketball, 25 00:01:59.159 --> 00:02:02.200 even pro guys, especially pro guys, would have gone nuts at the 26 00:02:02.280 --> 00:02:07.319 end. Rafts stayed very calm, very professional, and I thought framed it 27 00:02:07.680 --> 00:02:10.800 extremely well with his remarks. And this starts with Travis Ford hitting the game 28 00:02:10.919 --> 00:02:16.479 clinching free throw that made it a four point advantage. Travis Freeze hard bunts 29 00:02:16.479 --> 00:02:20.800 a shot of the air. It rolls good. Kentucky should win it, 30 00:02:20.840 --> 00:02:23.639 no matter what happens. Long past midport two, one shot is up by 31 00:02:23.639 --> 00:02:28.319 Anderson. It is no good And ladies and gentlemen, I've seen the Wildcats 32 00:02:28.360 --> 00:02:31.400 play nearly every game, so it's nineteen and sixty six. Never and I 33 00:02:31.479 --> 00:02:37.599 remember a thirty one point deficit on the road or at home where the Wildcats 34 00:02:37.639 --> 00:02:40.120 came back to when the basketball game, We'll be right back as well as 35 00:02:40.120 --> 00:02:46.199 should have bet a moment you gave basketball not I was actually in China on 36 00:02:46.280 --> 00:02:50.639 a trip with a group of friends when I heard about it. Somebody had 37 00:02:50.680 --> 00:02:55.120 called home, and so I rushed to a newsstand in our hotel grabbed the 38 00:02:55.159 --> 00:03:00.520 International USA Today and they had like one tiny paragraph on it. So when 39 00:03:00.560 --> 00:03:04.319 I got home, I watched the whole thing, and as Larry Connley pointed 40 00:03:04.360 --> 00:03:08.159 out, it was incredible. While we're sharing Playboy play clips, I thought 41 00:03:08.159 --> 00:03:12.639 I would bring up Vern Lunquist, who was announced this will be his final 42 00:03:13.159 --> 00:03:17.280 Master's call. He had retired from calling football games on CBS a few years 43 00:03:17.280 --> 00:03:22.800 ago, and he will wrap things up now from AUGUSTA. Two of his 44 00:03:22.960 --> 00:03:27.919 most famous calls of course, one of them in nineteen eighty six, when 45 00:03:28.080 --> 00:03:31.599 Jack Nicholas dropped in a putt that gave him a surprising victory, and Vern 46 00:03:31.759 --> 00:03:40.080 was at his best. Maybe yes, sir, that might be his most 47 00:03:40.080 --> 00:03:45.439 famous golf call, though later on somebody brought it up, and vern agreed 48 00:03:46.120 --> 00:03:50.360 he had heard somebody else on the broadcast a day or two prior had yelled 49 00:03:50.360 --> 00:03:53.159 out, yes, sir. Vern said he very well could have pulled that 50 00:03:53.280 --> 00:03:57.479 out of the back of his mind and used it when he called the putt 51 00:03:57.840 --> 00:04:00.719 by Nicholas. He freely admitted that that just was siwhere in his brain, 52 00:04:01.360 --> 00:04:05.080 and it dropped onto the broadcast, and we're all better for it. The 53 00:04:05.199 --> 00:04:12.960 other call in twenty oh five, Tiger Woods knocks one in from the sixteenth 54 00:04:13.479 --> 00:04:15.279 and this is the one where the ball hung on the edge of the cup 55 00:04:15.879 --> 00:04:32.319 and dropped in. And here's Vernon, man, Oh my goodness, in 56 00:04:32.399 --> 00:04:38.959 your lights have you seen anything like that? What was so great about that 57 00:04:39.079 --> 00:04:43.199 call was that's what everybody was thinking. In my life, I've never seen 58 00:04:43.279 --> 00:04:45.839 anything like it. So best of luck to Vernon. I don't know the 59 00:04:45.879 --> 00:04:48.519 guy, I think I've met him a couple times. By just a class 60 00:04:48.519 --> 00:04:51.800 act all the way. Of course, the other huge headline in the Big 61 00:04:51.839 --> 00:04:57.879 Blue Nation is the hiring of Handen Bush as Kentucky's offensive coordinator. I had 62 00:04:57.920 --> 00:05:02.040 already left the Big Blue Insider Best of show for you as we left for 63 00:05:02.240 --> 00:05:05.720 South Carolina, so I didn't have a chance to talk about it last night. 64 00:05:05.800 --> 00:05:10.879 But I think it's a good hire. He comes from success, he 65 00:05:10.959 --> 00:05:14.319 comes from a winning program. He's got a good track record. You already 66 00:05:14.360 --> 00:05:18.279 know all about that. But what I find fascinating about college football coaches, 67 00:05:18.360 --> 00:05:23.040 especially a guy like this who has worked his way up, was a backup 68 00:05:23.120 --> 00:05:29.399 quarterback at Boise Boise State. But I just like looking at their track record, 69 00:05:29.439 --> 00:05:33.040 their employment history, because there's such nomads. I mean, here's a 70 00:05:33.079 --> 00:05:40.240 guy who started his career as a student assistant at Colorado's coaching career the Maryland, 71 00:05:40.639 --> 00:05:46.720 Sacramento State, Florida, Arkansas State, Davidson, Washington, where he 72 00:05:46.959 --> 00:05:50.399 worked two or three different jobs, ultimately the passing game coordinator. Then he 73 00:05:50.439 --> 00:05:55.800 goes to the Falcons for a year in the NFL, back to Washington and 74 00:05:55.839 --> 00:06:00.800 then Missouri, back to the SEC. Finally Boise State last year as the 75 00:06:00.800 --> 00:06:04.480 OC and quarterbacks coach, and now with the Wildcats, So that means people 76 00:06:04.600 --> 00:06:10.639 recognized his talent, his abilities. Each time he moved he helped himself. 77 00:06:10.680 --> 00:06:15.879 He moved up either in stature or money or both, and was just gathering 78 00:06:15.920 --> 00:06:19.800 knowledge, collecting information about how to do his job. And now he comes 79 00:06:19.839 --> 00:06:24.879 to a Kentucky program that, like Boise State was back when he was there, 80 00:06:25.480 --> 00:06:29.839 fighting for respectability. So this is gonna be fascinating and by all accounts, 81 00:06:29.839 --> 00:06:32.800 the offense he runs will be the kind of offense that Mark Stroops was 82 00:06:32.839 --> 00:06:39.600 looking for again and had gotten from Liam Cohen. Up next on The Big 83 00:06:39.600 --> 00:06:43.040 Blue Insider, this is the eve, as I said, of UK baseball 84 00:06:43.199 --> 00:06:46.639 season. We'll have the action for you tomorrow three o'clock, first pitch, 85 00:06:46.959 --> 00:06:50.800 two forty five pre game on our FM station ninety eight point five, and 86 00:06:50.959 --> 00:06:54.639 I hope you can join us for that one. I'll be sitting in again 87 00:06:54.959 --> 00:06:59.959 for Darren Hedrick and Darren's gonna have women's basketball coming up at six forty five. 88 00:07:00.160 --> 00:07:02.560 So just a couple of segments left, But in those segments you can 89 00:07:02.600 --> 00:07:06.480 hear my conversation from earlier this year, just a few weeks ago with Nick 90 00:07:06.519 --> 00:07:12.439 Menjeon as we set the stage for Kentucky basketball. I did want to say 91 00:07:12.439 --> 00:07:15.800 one thing before I pitched a break, and that is the events that happened 92 00:07:15.800 --> 00:07:20.000 in Kansas City more madness. I guess all we can say now is thank 93 00:07:20.040 --> 00:07:27.079 god only one person was murdered, but eight children were wounded. And no, 94 00:07:27.240 --> 00:07:29.759 I'm not going to bang a drum for getting rid of all guns. 95 00:07:29.800 --> 00:07:33.079 That'll never happen. But something has got to be done by politicians on both 96 00:07:33.120 --> 00:07:38.560 sides of the aisle. But ken it happened, probably not because they're swimming 97 00:07:38.680 --> 00:07:43.079 in too much blood money. I'll leave it at that. They're listening to 98 00:07:43.120 --> 00:07:46.279 the best of the Big Blue Insider. More to come here on six thirty 99 00:07:46.560 --> 00:07:50.360 WLAP Welcome back. It's the best of the Big Blue Insider. Going to 100 00:07:50.399 --> 00:07:55.279 take you back to a segment we did right after Mark Pope was hired. 101 00:07:55.319 --> 00:07:58.720 In fact, it was the Monday after and we had been at the news 102 00:07:58.720 --> 00:08:01.399 conference, had a chance to talk with a lot of the former players about 103 00:08:01.439 --> 00:08:05.079 the hiring of the newest Wildcat coach. We've been hearing from some of the 104 00:08:05.120 --> 00:08:11.120 former players who were there when Mark Pope was announced and introduced, reintroduced really 105 00:08:11.480 --> 00:08:15.920 to the Big Blue Nation. One of the guys who instantly supported him on 106 00:08:15.959 --> 00:08:18.920 Twitter. Was a guy who was right here in the garage with us a 107 00:08:18.959 --> 00:08:22.879 couple of weeks ago, Rex Chapman, who spoke really eloquently for a long 108 00:08:22.920 --> 00:08:28.199 time to whoever would listen about the new head coach, Mark Pope. Mark 109 00:08:28.199 --> 00:08:33.200 Pope and Jeff Shepherd both are two of the more exceptional human beings to come 110 00:08:33.240 --> 00:08:37.720 through here. And when I mean that, I mean morally, socially, 111 00:08:37.759 --> 00:08:45.039 emotionally. They even when they were in school and they were young people while 112 00:08:45.039 --> 00:08:50.039 the rest of us were young, they had a very mature mindset. They 113 00:08:50.120 --> 00:08:54.000 knew that the basketball would stop dribbling someday when most of the rest of us 114 00:08:54.039 --> 00:08:58.720 didn't. They they were sort of the compass moral compass for those teams they 115 00:08:58.759 --> 00:09:03.279 were on in the nineties. The soul of the of those teams. Their 116 00:09:03.320 --> 00:09:07.200 teammates will tell you the same thing Mark Pope learned. As you saw today, 117 00:09:07.480 --> 00:09:13.240 You can't be around Rick Patino for more than an hour and not take 118 00:09:13.279 --> 00:09:20.879 away something that he has said. He's just so motivational and Rick really formed 119 00:09:20.919 --> 00:09:24.720 these guys. They love and revere him and Mark Pope. Mark Mark Pope 120 00:09:24.799 --> 00:09:28.879 plays Rick Patino style basketball. He gets after you gets up and down and 121 00:09:28.960 --> 00:09:33.399 shoots a lot of threes. He's gonna get talent in here. He's gonna 122 00:09:33.399 --> 00:09:35.039 have talent he's never had before. He didn't have that, he didn't have 123 00:09:35.240 --> 00:09:39.240 Utah Valley State or b YU. He's going to have that here. Pressure's 124 00:09:39.240 --> 00:09:43.080 on. He said it himself. But man, am I excited about it? 125 00:09:43.159 --> 00:09:46.480 You gotta be so happy for him, But you also like he deserves 126 00:09:46.559 --> 00:09:50.679 us. Well, I've said this before. No, two guys that played 127 00:09:50.679 --> 00:09:56.240 at Kentucky deserve what's what they're getting anymore right now than Reed Jeff Shepherd, 128 00:09:56.639 --> 00:10:01.960 Stacy Shephard, and Mark Pope. Those guys and Stacy blood sweat and tears 129 00:10:01.960 --> 00:10:07.120 for this program for years. Tough times for Mark, tough times for Jeff, 130 00:10:07.279 --> 00:10:13.399 both of them playing behind really good NBA players. They could have transferred 131 00:10:13.480 --> 00:10:16.080 at any time. Both of them stuck it out. They made it through, 132 00:10:16.559 --> 00:10:24.240 and that sort of stick toitiveness and work ethic. Well, you see 133 00:10:24.279 --> 00:10:26.399 he's now the coach here, and Jeff and Stacey have one of the best 134 00:10:26.399 --> 00:10:31.440 players on the planet. Rag, So did you win Mark from day one? 135 00:10:31.679 --> 00:10:35.200 If you'd have told me Mark was in the mix from day one, 136 00:10:35.240 --> 00:10:37.919 I'd have been like yes, let's go. Well, I mean you saw 137 00:10:37.000 --> 00:10:41.559 this, Dick. I've had a really good time. I need to say 138 00:10:41.559 --> 00:10:46.720 this. I've had a really good time since news broke about Mark's hiring, 139 00:10:46.960 --> 00:10:54.320 because there's a few people in here that just shiit on the whole thing, 140 00:10:54.519 --> 00:10:56.399 and over the last few days, I've had a great time saying, well, 141 00:10:56.480 --> 00:11:01.440 you know what, I kind of like that higher look around here today 142 00:11:01.840 --> 00:11:05.360 they like the hire two Rex. What statement do you think the fans made 143 00:11:05.399 --> 00:11:07.919 today? And that was pretty pretty amazing. I just, you know, 144 00:11:09.120 --> 00:11:13.200 I just feel like that, you know, you did you guys hear the 145 00:11:13.519 --> 00:11:18.320 eruption for Jack Gibbons when he got off the thing, and I was afraid 146 00:11:18.360 --> 00:11:22.360 they might boom me. They even cheered me, and then Chef and Tony 147 00:11:22.480 --> 00:11:26.039 Delk and that those guys. And then when Mark got off the bus. 148 00:11:26.120 --> 00:11:31.639 You know, people who remember that era know what Mark Pope meant to this 149 00:11:31.639 --> 00:11:37.320 this entire state and that he's back here representing us and representing the university. 150 00:11:39.320 --> 00:11:43.720 That bus that we were on out there, Mark got on the bus and 151 00:11:43.759 --> 00:11:48.480 there were guys from fifty sixty years ago on that bus, Jack Gibbons, 152 00:11:48.559 --> 00:11:54.360 Jim Master, it was it was just phenomenal, and you could tell Mark 153 00:11:54.559 --> 00:11:56.440 at one point asked, hey, cut the cameras off. They had the 154 00:11:56.480 --> 00:12:01.159 cameras on people, and he just sat on the back of the bus just 155 00:12:01.279 --> 00:12:05.360 like we were all going to a ballgame, and he laughed with his teammates 156 00:12:05.679 --> 00:12:11.720 for twenty minutes back there. That stuff's invaluable. And you can also see 157 00:12:11.799 --> 00:12:15.320 why he does so well when he sits down with young men in their living 158 00:12:15.399 --> 00:12:18.360 rooms with their parents. I wasn't there when he told him, but Rex 159 00:12:18.519 --> 00:12:24.559 also talked about the fact that Mark's wife bakes cookies for each opposing team that 160 00:12:24.679 --> 00:12:28.840 comes in. I assume she'll be doing that in rupp Aerna. So that 161 00:12:30.639 --> 00:12:33.919 was an incredible story. Speaking of Jeff Shepherd, he said, yeah, 162 00:12:33.960 --> 00:12:39.039 his ex roommate knows what he's getting into and knows Kentucky basketball inside out. 163 00:12:39.399 --> 00:12:43.879 There's gonna be a lot of lot of words that are spoken between now and 164 00:12:43.000 --> 00:12:48.279 the first game, and that's great. It's what makes Kentucky basketball so fun. 165 00:12:48.360 --> 00:12:52.039 We love to talk about it and everything. But Mark knows, as 166 00:12:52.080 --> 00:12:58.720 he said, so good in the very beginning. He understands the assignment and 167 00:12:58.879 --> 00:13:01.879 he has worked do he knows he has work to do, but it's what 168 00:13:03.000 --> 00:13:05.720 he lives for. He lives for hard work. He enjoys it, and 169 00:13:05.759 --> 00:13:11.159 it's neat to see his family all in and the fans all in. So 170 00:13:11.000 --> 00:13:16.879 Funday in Kentucky mentioned earlier, it's my understanding Reid is going to move on, 171 00:13:16.159 --> 00:13:20.799 not a surprise to most people. I sure hope Jeff and Stacey keep 172 00:13:20.840 --> 00:13:24.159 coming to the games front center like they have been. I hope they do, 173 00:13:24.279 --> 00:13:30.320 because they'll be supporting Mark Pope, no question about that. Jared Prickett 174 00:13:30.320 --> 00:13:33.919 banged in practice against Mark Pope, and he believes, of course that his 175 00:13:33.960 --> 00:13:39.080 ex teammate is the right man for the job. The more that people are 176 00:13:39.080 --> 00:13:41.799 around him, the more they'll understand him and how good of a person he 177 00:13:41.919 --> 00:13:45.799 is. But at the same time, you know, he wants to win. 178 00:13:46.399 --> 00:13:48.759 You know, it's a period and he understands that, and that's you 179 00:13:48.799 --> 00:13:52.440 know, I think he said that two or three times over there, like 180 00:13:52.840 --> 00:13:56.039 I'm not here to you know, to not win. He's going to win 181 00:13:56.080 --> 00:13:58.960 the SEC tournament. He's going to win every game, and he wants to 182 00:14:00.080 --> 00:14:01.679 win up banners. So he's like, you know, clear the spot off, 183 00:14:01.759 --> 00:14:05.080 let's put a banner up there. It's a fun style basketball that he 184 00:14:05.120 --> 00:14:09.399 plays. His upbeat's what you can. You know, it's fun to watch. 185 00:14:09.440 --> 00:14:13.320 People will be excited about it, and you know he's a fantastic person. 186 00:14:13.960 --> 00:14:16.759 And when I first heard it that he had the job, I'm like, 187 00:14:18.600 --> 00:14:22.559 he's the perfect fit. Like he can handle the public, he can 188 00:14:22.639 --> 00:14:28.000 handle being down, he's he's going to be great with his team. He's 189 00:14:28.039 --> 00:14:31.840 just going to figure everything out and it's going to be I'm just I'm overly 190 00:14:31.840 --> 00:14:35.480 excited because I just know him inside and out from when I played with him. 191 00:14:35.519 --> 00:14:41.879 So it's it's a good thing. That's Jared Prickett, the new coach, 192 00:14:41.960 --> 00:14:43.919 Mark Cuell introduced, is it. Of course his family, you all 193 00:14:43.960 --> 00:14:48.320 saw it and each daughter and my one of my favorite moments was this one 194 00:14:48.360 --> 00:14:52.399 I'm going to share with you about one of his daughters who came in the 195 00:14:52.440 --> 00:15:00.639 house and almost immediately began chanting something that was quite meaningful. Back during their 196 00:15:00.679 --> 00:15:03.960 title run in nineteen ninety six, when Mitch offered us a job, he 197 00:15:05.000 --> 00:15:07.799 gave us a couple hours to consult to his family. We didn't need it. 198 00:15:07.159 --> 00:15:09.600 He knew I would walk all the way here to take this job. 199 00:15:13.200 --> 00:15:18.159 But as we gathered the girls from all their various places. Layla Pope walks 200 00:15:18.240 --> 00:15:22.159 in the door and I kid you not. Her first words were, because 201 00:15:22.200 --> 00:15:24.720 she knows the deal, tell me who's in the house tonight, UK. 202 00:15:26.360 --> 00:15:33.039 She did exactly that, exactly that. I love that because it was such 203 00:15:33.039 --> 00:15:37.320 a key element to not just that team, but the documentary that camer Mills 204 00:15:37.360 --> 00:15:41.960 and Jason Eperson and I put together on that ninety six ball club called The 205 00:15:43.080 --> 00:15:46.519 Team. It's available on Vimeo for ninety nine cents. Check it out. 206 00:15:46.559 --> 00:15:50.720 And we had to work a little bit to find the clip. The video 207 00:15:50.799 --> 00:15:54.639 clip of Walter McCarty was back in the hallway prior to a game. Walter 208 00:15:54.759 --> 00:15:58.399 McCarty came up with it, shared it with his teammates, so they began 209 00:15:58.480 --> 00:16:00.559 to do that before each game and it was kind of a rare clip of 210 00:16:00.679 --> 00:16:07.559 video. And they came back to that on the party boat where they celebrated 211 00:16:07.600 --> 00:16:11.720 their reunion six years ago with Rick Patino, who told them this, if 212 00:16:11.759 --> 00:16:17.279 I was coaching today, I would The last team I'd want to face on 213 00:16:17.360 --> 00:16:21.600 the face of the earth is nineteen ninety six. I would. There's no 214 00:16:22.320 --> 00:16:27.080 I could not devise anything to beat all basketball team. Nothing Patino said, 215 00:16:27.120 --> 00:16:30.200 you can't go back to the wooden era, but in terms of the modern 216 00:16:30.200 --> 00:16:36.039 era, best team in the history of college basketball. And I do agree 217 00:16:36.159 --> 00:16:40.559 with that. And they chanted one more time on the party boat at their 218 00:16:40.600 --> 00:16:52.039 reunion in the House to Die, in the House to Die. Ye boy, 219 00:16:52.799 --> 00:16:55.759 you're listening to the best of the Big Blue Insider. Want to come 220 00:16:55.799 --> 00:17:00.639 here on six thirty wlap Welcome back to the Big Blue Insider, cabrew with 221 00:17:00.720 --> 00:17:03.840 you taking a little bit of time off. So it's the best of the 222 00:17:03.840 --> 00:17:07.839 Big Blue Insider. And I thought we would go back to March when we 223 00:17:07.920 --> 00:17:11.000 had Rex Chapman right here in the garage. Rex, of course, has 224 00:17:11.039 --> 00:17:17.000 written a book with help from Seth Davis about his struggles with opioids and basically 225 00:17:17.440 --> 00:17:21.279 his life in general, and we broke it up into two separate evenings, 226 00:17:21.279 --> 00:17:25.440 but here's part one. Last night we had a chance to sit down here 227 00:17:25.440 --> 00:17:27.720 in the garage with Rex Chapman. We had a long, long conversation. 228 00:17:29.279 --> 00:17:33.559 We'll present some of it tonight and the rest of it next week, but 229 00:17:33.880 --> 00:17:37.839 I wanted to get started with that as we welcome Rex to the garage so 230 00:17:37.880 --> 00:17:41.799 he could talk to us about the book that he has out now, and 231 00:17:41.839 --> 00:17:45.279 as you'll be able to tell, he's still a little bit shy about talking 232 00:17:45.319 --> 00:17:51.279 about himself, and he still has doubts about some of the things he put 233 00:17:51.279 --> 00:17:55.680 out there, doubts in that it was very difficult for him to open up. 234 00:17:55.720 --> 00:17:57.920 He's glad he did, but now he has to go around and talk 235 00:17:57.960 --> 00:18:03.839 about it. That doesn't make him comfortable. But he was more than willing 236 00:18:03.880 --> 00:18:06.720 to come to the garage and we loved having him here. Part one with 237 00:18:06.759 --> 00:18:10.680 Rex Chapman. We've had a lot of people join us in the garage and 238 00:18:10.839 --> 00:18:12.440 I had a lot of fun with him and we opened the door and who's 239 00:18:12.480 --> 00:18:15.240 waiting on us? But Rex Chapman. Good to see him. Man, 240 00:18:15.279 --> 00:18:18.200 good to see you, buddy. Thanks for having me. You've been just 241 00:18:18.240 --> 00:18:22.839 a whirlwind of media stops, so we appreciate you drop by the garage. 242 00:18:23.079 --> 00:18:27.079 What has life been like for you since this book was published? Oh? 243 00:18:27.119 --> 00:18:30.759 Man, A lot of interviews, Yeah, a lot of interviews. It's 244 00:18:30.799 --> 00:18:41.279 been weird, really weird. You know. I feel like I lived so 245 00:18:41.400 --> 00:18:47.720 much in my life that I'm not real proud of, kind of ashamed of 246 00:18:47.799 --> 00:18:52.000 in some ways. And you know, being I know they're not celebrating that 247 00:18:52.160 --> 00:18:59.440 aspect of it, but kind of being celebrated for something like this is very 248 00:18:59.480 --> 00:19:03.920 weird. I didn't you know, I've said before, I didn't set out 249 00:19:03.960 --> 00:19:06.359 when I was a kid. You know, you think I want to. 250 00:19:06.799 --> 00:19:11.599 I want to be like who is it? Joe Theisman and those all American 251 00:19:11.680 --> 00:19:17.240 kind of guys who don't think about you know, live a straight and arrow, 252 00:19:17.359 --> 00:19:21.599 right. So yeah, it's it's been. It's been odd. Ye 253 00:19:21.839 --> 00:19:25.920 been odd because I certainly didn't think that. Aren't people celebrating the fact that 254 00:19:26.000 --> 00:19:30.799 you you've overcome so much? Yes, and you had the courage and it 255 00:19:30.839 --> 00:19:33.599 took courage. What do you think it did or not to tell your story? 256 00:19:33.119 --> 00:19:36.400 And I know it's humbling and you're not a guy likes to talk about 257 00:19:36.480 --> 00:19:41.640 himself, but now here you are, well, I don't know, uh 258 00:19:41.920 --> 00:19:47.880 uh yeah, I I don't know. I guess I had, you know, 259 00:19:48.039 --> 00:19:52.759 just over the years. I honestly thought growing up that as long as 260 00:19:52.799 --> 00:19:59.119 I'm not drinking and drugging and then anything else is fine. And you know, 261 00:19:59.200 --> 00:20:04.960 I just kind of ran and wild, chasing girls. And I played 262 00:20:06.000 --> 00:20:11.160 basketball all the time, sure, which was really an escape and it was 263 00:20:11.200 --> 00:20:14.680 really all I liked, liked to do, you know, I escape from 264 00:20:14.759 --> 00:20:19.119 what though, Yeah, I think depression. You know, looking back, 265 00:20:19.519 --> 00:20:22.680 you know, I always had to be busy. If I wasn't busy, 266 00:20:23.079 --> 00:20:29.000 you know, I could get into trouble. And so basketball really kept me. 267 00:20:30.200 --> 00:20:33.400 I knew I had to make certain grades to be eligible to play. 268 00:20:34.839 --> 00:20:40.599 I didn't care about what those grades were as long as they were eligible, 269 00:20:40.799 --> 00:20:45.640 right, And so I didn't really I didn't really take school that seriously. 270 00:20:45.799 --> 00:20:49.079 I was a good enough student that I could kind of bs my way through 271 00:20:49.480 --> 00:20:52.759 a lot of help. Yeah. Yeah, and then I you know, 272 00:20:52.799 --> 00:20:56.640 I got to UK, and still it was more the same. I didn't 273 00:20:56.680 --> 00:21:02.039 really bust it that hard at school. But yeah, I think, you 274 00:21:02.079 --> 00:21:04.759 know, looking back, there was I didn't feel like there was pressure on 275 00:21:04.839 --> 00:21:12.559 me. Uh because the basketball part, it wasn't easy. It was it 276 00:21:12.640 --> 00:21:17.160 was natural. It was something that I you know, I knew I could 277 00:21:17.240 --> 00:21:22.160 do. Had I not you know, had that had I not been as 278 00:21:22.160 --> 00:21:25.680 good, I think it would have been really tough. Because off the court 279 00:21:25.799 --> 00:21:29.440 was really hard for me. While I was here, I was on the 280 00:21:29.480 --> 00:21:33.519 court was not I mean it was, but it was you know, it 281 00:21:33.559 --> 00:21:37.039 was good what I did. Yeah, yeah, yeah, so if off 282 00:21:37.079 --> 00:21:41.799 the court when you were here what was going on, it made your life 283 00:21:41.799 --> 00:21:45.119 a little tougher than you thought it might be. Well, so, when 284 00:21:45.160 --> 00:21:49.240 I was in high school, you know, my first real girlfriend, a 285 00:21:49.319 --> 00:21:52.400 girl named Sean Higgs. And then Sean and I are still the best friends, 286 00:21:53.240 --> 00:21:59.039 loved to death. Yes, and Mark Kenny, Mark Kenny's little sister, 287 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:03.400 Kenny's and Mark's little sister. Yes, Kenny played at LSU and played 288 00:22:03.440 --> 00:22:07.359 in the NBA and was just a great player. And uh, and then 289 00:22:07.400 --> 00:22:11.400 Mark was really good here at UK. In fact, he would have if 290 00:22:11.440 --> 00:22:14.599 I was the best basketball player here at UK. At one time, he 291 00:22:14.640 --> 00:22:18.839 was the best football player at the same time. We all grew up together 292 00:22:18.839 --> 00:22:26.640 in Owensboro, and uh, Sean was two times state one hundred meter champion. 293 00:22:29.599 --> 00:22:33.720 But we had dated and we just we liked each other, and people 294 00:22:33.000 --> 00:22:38.200 didn't. People didn't really like it, and so we kind of kept it 295 00:22:38.240 --> 00:22:41.319 a secret and kind of hid from people. All the kids knew, but 296 00:22:41.839 --> 00:22:49.000 adults for the most part. That was really confusing. Then we got to 297 00:22:49.079 --> 00:22:57.000 Kentucky and Sean came to Kentucky and we just assumed because and the schools that 298 00:22:57.039 --> 00:23:02.319 recruited me news that Sean was my girlfriend, and so we just assumed that 299 00:23:02.400 --> 00:23:03.640 when we got here we'd be able to go to class together. She lived 300 00:23:03.680 --> 00:23:07.039 right across the street at Blazer when I lived in the Lodge, and so 301 00:23:08.440 --> 00:23:12.119 first or second time we walked to class together. I got called into the 302 00:23:12.160 --> 00:23:18.680 office, the coach's office, and and Eddie was in there with James and 303 00:23:18.759 --> 00:23:23.240 Dwayne and James Dicky and Dwayne Casey, and he just he let me know 304 00:23:23.279 --> 00:23:26.119 that, you know, he said, hey, you know people are talking 305 00:23:26.160 --> 00:23:30.480 about you guys. You know, we don't care, but you need to 306 00:23:30.880 --> 00:23:33.599 if you're going to see each other, do it at night time, do 307 00:23:33.680 --> 00:23:37.839 it in private. I thought it was I thought that was I thought it 308 00:23:37.880 --> 00:23:45.920 was a joke. And you know, in that moment, I I really 309 00:23:45.920 --> 00:23:49.839 wanted to get up and leave, and I was content going to Louisville. 310 00:23:51.000 --> 00:23:56.880 But if I hadn't had to sit out like that was my first thought. 311 00:23:56.920 --> 00:24:02.160 And I made eye contact with Dwayne, and he kind of nodded and look 312 00:24:02.240 --> 00:24:08.240 Dwayne, as a young African American coach, that's I think felt very fortunate 313 00:24:08.240 --> 00:24:14.440 and grateful to be at his matter at the time. And he nodded at 314 00:24:14.480 --> 00:24:15.880 me kind of like, you know, hey, get make it through this 315 00:24:17.000 --> 00:24:22.279 meeting and we'll go talk. And so when Eddie said that, I instead, 316 00:24:22.440 --> 00:24:25.160 I you know, did the most cowardly thing possible. And I looked 317 00:24:25.200 --> 00:24:30.319 at him and said, yes, sir. And then you know, over 318 00:24:30.319 --> 00:24:37.759 the next two years I had versions of that meeting several more times. And 319 00:24:37.039 --> 00:24:44.119 I should add this, Eddie, I honestly don't think Eddie had any problem 320 00:24:44.160 --> 00:24:52.559 with it. Eddie was a forty nine year old alcoholic, and he he 321 00:24:52.640 --> 00:24:56.799 had coached black players forever. His black players swear by him. Yes, 322 00:24:57.279 --> 00:25:02.920 I honestly believe, and I've told Sean said in this in the Family a 323 00:25:03.000 --> 00:25:06.440 million times that I don't think it was Eddie. I think he was being 324 00:25:07.079 --> 00:25:14.880 guided by boosters to make sure that you know, they're white. All American 325 00:25:14.920 --> 00:25:19.880 player was not dating a black girl. And when I say that, that's 326 00:25:19.920 --> 00:25:23.400 the meanest thing I think that, you know, I don't. I still 327 00:25:23.400 --> 00:25:27.680 don't understand it, Dick. What Like, you know, the time, 328 00:25:29.920 --> 00:25:33.440 most if not all, of my black teammates were dating white girls. So 329 00:25:33.720 --> 00:25:37.759 what was the They weren't discouraged from this though, What was the difference? 330 00:25:38.720 --> 00:25:42.480 There wasn't one, I know, did you know at the time, Yeah, 331 00:25:42.559 --> 00:25:47.359 yeah, all the young people knew. But again, you were young 332 00:25:47.440 --> 00:25:51.039 and powerless. Yeah, you know, And when I look back on it, 333 00:25:51.119 --> 00:25:59.920 all everybody knew, but U k At the time, you guys couldn't 334 00:26:00.240 --> 00:26:04.400 really, you couldn't say anything because you would lose access to UK. Let 335 00:26:04.400 --> 00:26:08.400 me let me back up. I knew you dated her in high school because 336 00:26:08.400 --> 00:26:11.440 we all knew who Mark was. I don't think I knew that she came 337 00:26:11.480 --> 00:26:15.359 to the UK as well, but I knew, but I did know. 338 00:26:15.440 --> 00:26:17.920 I didn't know if it was it was her, but I knew you were 339 00:26:18.000 --> 00:26:19.640 dating a black woman, Yeah you know. And I was like, all 340 00:26:19.720 --> 00:26:30.920 right, you know, yeah, you know they I think it bothers me 341 00:26:32.000 --> 00:26:38.599 today, and but they're telling me, you know, what are they telling 342 00:26:38.640 --> 00:26:44.920 me? She's you know? And the other part about it is they never 343 00:26:45.000 --> 00:26:48.200 met her. They never met her. Well, so yeah, so it's 344 00:26:48.240 --> 00:26:55.200 just plain racism. It's not anything other than that. And when most of 345 00:26:55.240 --> 00:26:59.480 the best basketball and football players in the school are black. And this is 346 00:26:59.559 --> 00:27:02.519 also Mark and I. Mark and I knew each other from the time we're 347 00:27:02.519 --> 00:27:07.200 ten years old. Sure, we're doing photo shoots and what not together, 348 00:27:07.519 --> 00:27:14.039 and everybody knows that every football player, every basketball player. Every everybody knows 349 00:27:14.079 --> 00:27:18.119 that Shawn's my girlfriend and that I'm being discouraged from seeing her publicly. And 350 00:27:18.440 --> 00:27:23.880 so I I did my best while I was here, to do everything that 351 00:27:25.119 --> 00:27:33.279 UK asked of me. But at that time they were not very good to 352 00:27:33.319 --> 00:27:37.160 me. That was the underlying and happiness. Yes for you here, Yes, 353 00:27:37.599 --> 00:27:41.200 and basketball was your respite. Yeah. And I loved it, and 354 00:27:41.240 --> 00:27:45.119 I loved playing for the fans I loved well, Yes, I did. 355 00:27:45.400 --> 00:27:49.559 However, I also knew that some of those fans did not really like me, 356 00:27:51.079 --> 00:27:53.119 because you know, I would come out and I mentioned in the book 357 00:27:53.160 --> 00:27:59.160 I three different times while I was at Kentucky and one time I caught a 358 00:27:59.240 --> 00:28:02.880 Kentucky fan And after a ball game. Reggie and I are coming out after 359 00:28:02.920 --> 00:28:06.799 a game game, Yeah, Reggie Hansen that we'd won, and we see 360 00:28:06.799 --> 00:28:11.640 some people milling around my car blue. They're leaving rep Aarenas just like we 361 00:28:11.680 --> 00:28:14.960 are, wearing blue and white. And came around and they ran off when 362 00:28:14.960 --> 00:28:18.160 they saw us, went down and saw on the side of my car was 363 00:28:18.319 --> 00:28:23.720 keyed in N word lover so many car that this happened three times, just 364 00:28:23.880 --> 00:28:30.960 like that, and so oh of the and that's very I mean, it's 365 00:28:30.039 --> 00:28:36.039 just confusing. It's you know, all my teammates are are black and you're 366 00:28:36.079 --> 00:28:40.759 how old eighteen unbelievable. Well, I couldn't find my shoes when I was 367 00:28:40.759 --> 00:28:45.160 eighteen, and you're going through this. Yeah, more to come with Rex 368 00:28:45.240 --> 00:28:47.799 Chapman. On the other side of the break, you're listening to the best 369 00:28:47.799 --> 00:28:51.480 of the Big Blue Insider. More to come here on six thirty w LAP 370 00:28:52.079 --> 00:28:55.759 It's Dick Gabriel. Welcome back to the Best of the Big Blue Insider. 371 00:28:56.079 --> 00:29:00.319 Here is part two of our conversation with Rex Chapman. Here in the garage's 372 00:29:00.359 --> 00:29:04.440 talking about his book and his experiences in UK. Seth Davis helped you with 373 00:29:04.599 --> 00:29:07.400 this book? You know? Was he the guy who and I'm sure you 374 00:29:07.480 --> 00:29:11.720 met him through your work for CBS. Was he the guy who urged you 375 00:29:11.759 --> 00:29:17.279 to write the book because of your your story became public. I envisioned him 376 00:29:17.279 --> 00:29:18.960 saying, hey, man, that's a there's a book in that Yeah, 377 00:29:19.000 --> 00:29:26.680 probably so. I mean I knew several media people pretty well writers, but 378 00:29:27.200 --> 00:29:34.240 I wouldn't have proactively done it. Seth reached out and caught me at the 379 00:29:34.319 --> 00:29:40.400 right time. It was right as the pandemic was starting and so it took 380 00:29:40.440 --> 00:29:45.680 about four years to finish it. And yeah, it's it's just weird. 381 00:29:45.720 --> 00:29:48.599 The response to it. Well, i've heard you and it's been a great 382 00:29:48.640 --> 00:29:53.359 response that I know of. But i've heard you say in multiple interviews every 383 00:29:53.359 --> 00:29:56.920 time I turn on the TV, you're popping up, but which I know 384 00:29:57.079 --> 00:30:02.640 is not your goal. But I heard you talk about how Seth kind of 385 00:30:02.640 --> 00:30:06.240 brought a lot of stuff out of you and encouraged you, and it urged 386 00:30:06.240 --> 00:30:08.400 you tell me about that process. Yeah, you know, he he. 387 00:30:08.559 --> 00:30:15.000 Uh. There would be times that we'd start talking about something that I couldn't 388 00:30:15.039 --> 00:30:21.319 really I didn't want to talk about that day, or for whatever reason, 389 00:30:21.440 --> 00:30:23.920 just couldn't emotionally bring myself to do it. And there were times that, 390 00:30:26.279 --> 00:30:30.559 for lack of a better term, I would ghost Seth for a week or 391 00:30:30.559 --> 00:30:37.000 two. And I think at first he kind of, you know, was 392 00:30:37.039 --> 00:30:41.720 shocked by it, but at some point he just realized that it was a 393 00:30:41.720 --> 00:30:48.519 lot of this was stuff that I'd probably not dealt with and ever, and 394 00:30:48.599 --> 00:30:53.160 so, uh, yeah, we it took a long time and then he 395 00:30:53.319 --> 00:30:59.400 called up about oh man, we'd been working on it for about eight months 396 00:30:59.400 --> 00:31:03.359 and he called up and said, hey, listen, I've got kind of 397 00:31:03.359 --> 00:31:07.160 a time sensitive book that I you know, got a chance to do, 398 00:31:07.279 --> 00:31:10.279 and wonder if we can put yours on the back burner for a few months. 399 00:31:10.279 --> 00:31:12.960 And I went, kidding me, yeah, I love that And I 400 00:31:14.000 --> 00:31:15.440 said, why who is it? He said, it's sister Gene. You 401 00:31:15.480 --> 00:31:18.799 know, he's one hundred and four. And I said to him, that's 402 00:31:18.799 --> 00:31:26.319 a really sweet Seth that you think I'm an outlived sister. The none from 403 00:31:26.400 --> 00:31:30.160 Loyal Seth was great Seth. Again, he did all the heavy lifting kind 404 00:31:30.200 --> 00:31:37.119 of organ well. He did organized my erratic thoughts and helped. So how 405 00:31:37.119 --> 00:31:40.640 did you relay? I don't see you send down on a keyboard. I 406 00:31:40.640 --> 00:31:44.279 can't do that. Yeah, so done you over the phone or in person? 407 00:31:44.359 --> 00:31:48.839 Okay? So he just basically interviewed you. Yeah, and then you 408 00:31:48.880 --> 00:31:56.400 know, he would send drafts and I would again, I can't like sit 409 00:31:56.440 --> 00:32:02.640 at a computer and edit like a document like that's not It's just not something 410 00:32:02.680 --> 00:32:07.759 I can do. I mean, uh so you know that process for him, 411 00:32:07.799 --> 00:32:10.880 I know was maddening because we'd have to get on the phone and I'd 412 00:32:10.960 --> 00:32:15.920 have a paper copy. He would have a computer copy, and the pages 413 00:32:15.920 --> 00:32:20.559 were different. And and but I just couldn't, like, I just weird 414 00:32:20.880 --> 00:32:27.279 with how I learned and how I absorb information. And he you well, 415 00:32:27.400 --> 00:32:36.079 I mean again, he's he's a well respected right. Yeah. And as 416 00:32:36.359 --> 00:32:43.839 as the book evolved and unfolded, was it becoming something that you liked or 417 00:32:43.960 --> 00:32:45.880 I was gonna say, or was it something that was getting tougher? It 418 00:32:45.920 --> 00:32:50.039 was getting harder? Yeah, you know, because a lot you know, 419 00:32:50.079 --> 00:32:54.799 the first part of it is me growing up and playing basketball and yeah, 420 00:32:54.839 --> 00:33:00.680 and then you know the basketball was always good, I mean, or but 421 00:33:01.279 --> 00:33:06.359 you know, I was wrestling with well, I'd always been an addict, 422 00:33:06.400 --> 00:33:08.480 Like I grew up going to the track with my dad. Right from the 423 00:33:08.519 --> 00:33:13.200 time I was a little kid, I just thought that, you know, 424 00:33:13.240 --> 00:33:17.160 that's what adults do. They gamble, And so I gambled from time I 425 00:33:17.160 --> 00:33:24.160 got to UK till you know, till I got arrested in twenty fourteen, 426 00:33:24.200 --> 00:33:29.839 un till I didn't have any more money. So when you were arrested, 427 00:33:29.920 --> 00:33:34.559 you were feeding your drug habit drug and gambling, but at gambling at the 428 00:33:34.559 --> 00:33:37.359 same time. So she had two different sources draining Oh yeah, wow, 429 00:33:37.440 --> 00:33:42.839 yeah, at least two Yeah, did you realize it at the time. 430 00:33:43.039 --> 00:33:47.880 No, well, probably, but you know it's at that point, you 431 00:33:47.920 --> 00:33:52.839 know, I've lost so much money and gone through divorce and all that. 432 00:33:53.039 --> 00:34:00.319 You know, I'm gambling, but it's like emptying a a up swimming pool 433 00:34:00.359 --> 00:34:07.920 with a spoon, you know it. You're so you can't stop and you 434 00:34:07.960 --> 00:34:10.480 can't really start. You just lost and something had to happen to me. 435 00:34:10.800 --> 00:34:15.199 And friends tell me that all the time. You know, I hate what 436 00:34:15.320 --> 00:34:19.719 happened to you, but something had to happen. Yeah, I'm sure you're 437 00:34:19.719 --> 00:34:22.119 like most people. You don't have a lot of really close friends. Very 438 00:34:22.119 --> 00:34:27.519 few people do what was going on with them at the time that you were 439 00:34:27.679 --> 00:34:30.159 approaching rock bottom. Yeah, Well, the thing with a lot of addicts 440 00:34:30.280 --> 00:34:35.639 is you push those people away, and because those people know you the best 441 00:34:36.000 --> 00:34:39.559 and they can see you, and they can immediately they can look in your 442 00:34:39.599 --> 00:34:44.320 eyes, or they can look around your apartment or your house, and they 443 00:34:44.320 --> 00:34:50.119 can tell you're not in a good place. And so addicts a lot of 444 00:34:50.159 --> 00:34:54.039 times push all those people away or have burned those people so much with their 445 00:34:54.719 --> 00:35:00.159 addiction, the lying, the you know, the money, the mainly the 446 00:35:00.199 --> 00:35:07.119 line right that I was just really fortunate that I had so many friends and 447 00:35:07.119 --> 00:35:13.840 and I couldn't really hide anymore once I got in trouble, like everybody knew, 448 00:35:14.719 --> 00:35:21.719 and I had to kind of face you know what was you know again, 449 00:35:22.000 --> 00:35:25.320 face things that happened with when I was younger that I didn't really deal 450 00:35:25.360 --> 00:35:30.360 with, you know, with the stuff at Kentucky and and a lot of 451 00:35:30.400 --> 00:35:34.480 anger and resentment that I had over that, and you know, stuff like 452 00:35:36.840 --> 00:35:43.880 some misplaced like with Eddie regarding his alcoholism. Right I we we hated it, 453 00:35:44.159 --> 00:35:47.280 like we hated Eddie because of this. This was not something again, 454 00:35:47.360 --> 00:35:51.599 this was not something he could control. We didn't understand that at the time. 455 00:35:51.880 --> 00:35:55.159 We didn't understand that this was a like, this was a thing, 456 00:35:55.239 --> 00:36:00.119 and he was. He was really bad for my whole freshman year, but 457 00:36:00.199 --> 00:36:04.480 my sophomore year not a drop. He went to Betty for over the summer. 458 00:36:04.800 --> 00:36:09.079 He called me into the office and told me that personally, and the 459 00:36:09.159 --> 00:36:16.920 problem was I had already lost trust with him with basketball because of my whole 460 00:36:16.960 --> 00:36:24.400 freshman year and personally because of the meetings I keep having with him regarding who 461 00:36:24.480 --> 00:36:30.760 I'm dating, and you know, so some of that was misguided. He 462 00:36:30.840 --> 00:36:34.280 was doing the best he could. He's fifty years old man and going through 463 00:36:34.480 --> 00:36:40.639 alcoholism, which hell yeah. And it wasn't until I finished playing got out 464 00:36:40.639 --> 00:36:45.559 a rehab. I didn't talk to Eddie the whole time I played in the 465 00:36:45.639 --> 00:36:52.800 NBA Wow. And then I went to see a ballgame and scout somebody for 466 00:36:52.840 --> 00:36:57.679 the Suns in Stillwater and made a point to set up a meeting with he 467 00:36:57.760 --> 00:37:00.519 and James Dickey were there at the time, and I think Sean was working 468 00:37:00.559 --> 00:37:05.199 on the staff, And so I got to sit with Eddie and we talked 469 00:37:05.639 --> 00:37:13.159 and I won't say it was it was. I wouldn't say it was a 470 00:37:13.239 --> 00:37:17.159 love fest, but we both said some things that you know, and Eddie 471 00:37:17.199 --> 00:37:21.000 said a lot of things to me that were valid that I didn't like at 472 00:37:21.000 --> 00:37:23.360 the time, like your shot selection this is terrible. And I was like, 473 00:37:23.440 --> 00:37:25.320 man, who, Like I thought, well, who are you to 474 00:37:25.320 --> 00:37:28.840 tell him? What? What do you mean? I can get that shot 475 00:37:28.880 --> 00:37:30.400 off, I can make that shot. That's not what he was saying. 476 00:37:30.480 --> 00:37:35.920 So he was telling me the truth sometimes about things that I had lost so 477 00:37:36.000 --> 00:37:39.280 much trust in him that I just wasn't going to listen. And unless we 478 00:37:39.320 --> 00:37:45.280 played perfect basketball, and we were talented, man, but unless we played 479 00:37:45.320 --> 00:37:49.400 perfect basketball, we were going to lose because we weren't connected, you know, 480 00:37:50.199 --> 00:37:53.599 the you know, and if you think about back about those years, 481 00:37:54.719 --> 00:37:59.960 those three or four years and the guys on those teams that have had issue. 482 00:38:00.760 --> 00:38:06.320 I won't go into everybody, but a lot of guys that have had 483 00:38:06.360 --> 00:38:13.400 some trouble with the law and drugs and alcohol, and you know, those 484 00:38:13.400 --> 00:38:17.000 were formative years for us. It really were. Rex Chapman, the former 485 00:38:17.159 --> 00:38:22.920 Boy King who had quite the fall from grace drugs and gambling and addiction and 486 00:38:23.199 --> 00:38:29.800 rehab and has written a book along with Seth Davis of Sports Illustrated and CBS 487 00:38:29.840 --> 00:38:32.519 Sports and you've probably seen the title by now, it's hard for me to 488 00:38:32.679 --> 00:38:37.320 live with me and yeah, I can understand that. After my conversation, 489 00:38:37.400 --> 00:38:42.199 we are more from Rex, and that comes up in hour number two, 490 00:38:42.320 --> 00:38:45.039 right after the news break at Gabriel with you. We are taking some time 491 00:38:45.079 --> 00:38:49.039 off, so it's the best of the Big Blue Insider. More to come 492 00:38:49.280 --> 00:39:21.519 here on six point thirty wlap, Hey, it's stick Abriel. Welcome back 493 00:39:21.519 --> 00:39:23.880 to the Big Blue Insider. Our number two taking a little time off, 494 00:39:23.920 --> 00:39:30.639 so please enjoy the best of the Big Blue Insider. This is our conversation 495 00:39:30.840 --> 00:39:34.320 with Rex Chapman. He came by the garage to talk about his book It's 496 00:39:34.360 --> 00:39:37.760 Hard for Me to Live with Me, And I asked him about the fact 497 00:39:37.760 --> 00:39:40.559 that a guy who grew up in the spotlight then was out of it for 498 00:39:40.559 --> 00:39:44.280 a while, then back into it for the wrong reasons. But now this 499 00:39:45.000 --> 00:39:49.280 book has cast a spotlight on him again, and you can tell he's not 500 00:39:49.400 --> 00:39:55.920 real happy about that, you know. I Stephan Curry said something the other 501 00:39:57.000 --> 00:40:00.199 day, and Stephan's my little buddy, and he's in the book and that 502 00:40:00.239 --> 00:40:04.159 stuff. But he said something the other day that he's he is perfectly happy 503 00:40:04.199 --> 00:40:13.039 to leverage all of his influence for good in the world. And I thought, 504 00:40:13.599 --> 00:40:21.800 wow, what a what a fantastic statement. And these guys players. 505 00:40:21.880 --> 00:40:28.760 Now I think about Reed Shepherd right now, right the power that he has 506 00:40:29.440 --> 00:40:36.960 right now. If I knew what I knew now back then sixteen seventeen, 507 00:40:37.000 --> 00:40:38.840 what would you have done? Well? You know, I joke about this, 508 00:40:38.960 --> 00:40:49.000 but like Mitch McConnell, for instance, Mitch was a you're not a 509 00:40:49.039 --> 00:40:52.039 fan, not a fan, brilliant man, had a good, really good 510 00:40:52.039 --> 00:41:00.280 career, don't agree with almost anything policy wise, and he was a freshman 511 00:41:00.360 --> 00:41:04.679 senator when I was a junior in high school. And I talk about this 512 00:41:04.719 --> 00:41:09.679 in the book. So and he flew in a helicopter from Frankfurt to Owensboro, 513 00:41:09.960 --> 00:41:14.960 and for whatever reason, we had to go school assembly out on the 514 00:41:14.960 --> 00:41:17.119 football field and meet the new senator out on the football field. And he 515 00:41:17.199 --> 00:41:22.719 got off the helicopter and right behind him he had a, you know, 516 00:41:22.760 --> 00:41:25.480 a couple of guys that were assistants or whatever. One of them had a 517 00:41:25.519 --> 00:41:31.920 briefcase that had a Confederate bumper sticker on super And so I just turned right 518 00:41:31.960 --> 00:41:37.760 around and went in school. And I passed by the teachers and said f 519 00:41:37.880 --> 00:41:43.920 this guy, and went inside. I got detention for three days. But 520 00:41:44.719 --> 00:41:50.199 you know, looking back at that time, I'm a rising senior. I'm 521 00:41:50.199 --> 00:41:53.039 about to be a senior, about to make my decision where to go to 522 00:41:53.039 --> 00:41:59.079 school. Everybody wanted you if I just said I'm going to go to an 523 00:41:59.119 --> 00:42:07.000 out of state school, well, unless this dude just steps down, what 524 00:42:07.199 --> 00:42:12.039 happens? Maybe nothing, but maybe something? What if reed? What if 525 00:42:12.079 --> 00:42:15.679 reed? Shepherd said that right now, you know what, I'm going to 526 00:42:15.880 --> 00:42:20.599 the NBA next year, or I'm transferring to Louisville unless rand Paul resigns. 527 00:42:22.400 --> 00:42:25.920 Would people put pressure on rand Paul to resign? Some would question, is 528 00:42:25.920 --> 00:42:30.400 how many? Yeah? Yeah, weird, Yeah it is weird. Of 529 00:42:30.400 --> 00:42:32.480 course, Reid's not cut out that way. Oh he's not now, and 530 00:42:32.519 --> 00:42:37.239 that's why near nor were you? No, Reed is Read's perfectly wired to 531 00:42:37.280 --> 00:42:42.639 do what he's doing. Is raised not perfectly, but so best. His 532 00:42:42.719 --> 00:42:49.480 parents are the best anybody, anybody that knows them. Uh, it can't 533 00:42:49.480 --> 00:42:52.639 be totally surprised by what's happening with Ree. I don't know mom. I've 534 00:42:52.840 --> 00:42:57.000 interviewed her when she's playing, but I know dad, you know, And 535 00:42:57.320 --> 00:43:02.360 got to reacquaint with him when we did the documentary female version of him exactly, 536 00:43:02.440 --> 00:43:07.039 and God could she play? Oh yeah, steals, assist, handle, 537 00:43:07.239 --> 00:43:10.880 pass, tough, tough, tough Jeff run and jump. And I 538 00:43:10.920 --> 00:43:15.199 tell people Jeff was a better poundful pound, a better athlete than I was. 539 00:43:15.559 --> 00:43:21.760 He was he he was bounce here, he had better feet my opinion. 540 00:43:22.239 --> 00:43:29.000 I was just longer and had bigger hands, and I and Jeff would 541 00:43:29.039 --> 00:43:32.559 miss a shot or two and never shoot again. I was didn't wasn't wired 542 00:43:32.599 --> 00:43:39.599 that way. Read run and jump just like Jeff. I mean, maybe 543 00:43:39.639 --> 00:43:45.320 even bounce here. He's a point guard like his mom. Though he can 544 00:43:45.360 --> 00:43:52.159 pass the ball, seals assists. Yeah, he's just he's he would be 545 00:43:52.159 --> 00:43:55.840 a dream of to measure your peripherals sometimes athletes, Yeah, I wonder what 546 00:43:57.840 --> 00:44:01.599 has Reid has incredible instant and his feet are great. But his hands, 547 00:44:01.760 --> 00:44:07.119 he's got like boxer's hands, and he can disrupt things. He can move 548 00:44:07.199 --> 00:44:14.239 his body without moving his arms. He's very well balanced, and his anticipation 549 00:44:14.480 --> 00:44:16.599 is out of this world. Off the charte. Now once in a while 550 00:44:16.840 --> 00:44:22.079 he'll make a freshman mistake. Yeah, yeah, Oh, I watched man, 551 00:44:22.360 --> 00:44:25.920 he's so much better than we were. I mean, he's just he's 552 00:44:27.039 --> 00:44:30.119 just good. Do you see him though at the top of the NBA draft, 553 00:44:30.239 --> 00:44:35.079 Yes, really, yes, even though his defense is a little suspect 554 00:44:35.239 --> 00:44:40.880 and nobody can guard anymore. That's true. I heard Gilbert Arenas believes it's 555 00:44:40.880 --> 00:44:45.000 because of the European influence in the league now. He said, those guys 556 00:44:45.039 --> 00:44:50.760 don't play any defense overseas. They don't play any now, and there has 557 00:44:50.840 --> 00:44:52.880 been good defense in the league, but of late, do you think it's 558 00:44:52.880 --> 00:44:57.559 just eroded? No, the rules, Oh yeah, you can't. You 559 00:44:57.599 --> 00:45:00.119 can't touch anybody anymore. They're gonna have to out some more, and I 560 00:45:00.159 --> 00:45:04.960 think they will over the next few years because the numbers that got this it's 561 00:45:05.039 --> 00:45:08.440 just not I really enjoy it, but there's got to be I don't like 562 00:45:08.519 --> 00:45:15.840 watching a basketball game that there's seven straight threes taken and nobody makes a shot 563 00:45:15.960 --> 00:45:20.920 and there's one pass and it's just not aesthetically pleasing. I like a little 564 00:45:20.920 --> 00:45:22.559 bit of defense. You know, you'd like to be able to, you 565 00:45:22.599 --> 00:45:27.760 know, guide a guy a little bit, but you can actually body guys 566 00:45:27.960 --> 00:45:30.119 on the perimeter more so in college now than you can in the NBA. 567 00:45:30.280 --> 00:45:34.280 So now it's a good time for Reid or Rob Dillingham. Oh yeah, 568 00:45:35.719 --> 00:45:40.679 yeah, yeah. Something struck me when you were talking about the struggles you 569 00:45:40.719 --> 00:45:46.840 had emotionally and mentally. I thought the most fascinating storyline and with this team 570 00:45:47.559 --> 00:45:55.400 was read helping Justin Edwards was his emotional wellness and I and when Justin I 571 00:45:55.400 --> 00:46:00.320 don't know who wrote the story when when Justin said I wanted to quit basketball 572 00:46:00.400 --> 00:46:04.480 in high school and his mother, I mean, you never hear that. 573 00:46:04.639 --> 00:46:07.559 I thought that was fascinating and good on read Shepherd good on read Shepherd good 574 00:46:07.559 --> 00:46:12.440 on Justin Edwards for pub admitting that, yes, I mean, that's just 575 00:46:12.519 --> 00:46:15.840 something that you know, we wouldn't do. I I don't This is not 576 00:46:15.920 --> 00:46:20.480 in the book, but there was a guy when I was playing in Charlotte 577 00:46:21.320 --> 00:46:25.119 and I was starting to realize that I was sleeping a lot. You know, 578 00:46:25.440 --> 00:46:30.480 I was, you know, still barely twenty and all of my friends 579 00:46:30.480 --> 00:46:35.519 were in college and most of my teammates were married and had children. Yeah, 580 00:46:35.719 --> 00:46:38.920 so I was kind of going through it. It's a depression, right, 581 00:46:39.039 --> 00:46:43.119 Yeah, but I didn't know that. And so, and I took 582 00:46:43.199 --> 00:46:46.599 naps on every game day my whole life, so you know, I felt 583 00:46:46.639 --> 00:46:52.000 that was normal, yes, yeah, yeah, and so so I really 584 00:46:52.000 --> 00:46:54.559 didn't know, but I knew something. I just wasn't happy. And and 585 00:46:57.559 --> 00:47:01.000 so there was a guy named Willie Burton that played at the University of Minnesota. 586 00:47:01.159 --> 00:47:04.400 It was a couple of years younger than me, and he played with 587 00:47:04.400 --> 00:47:07.639 the Miami Heat. And Willy had several really good years in the NBA, 588 00:47:07.760 --> 00:47:14.599 but he got fifty one night down in Miami and a couple of weeks later 589 00:47:15.719 --> 00:47:22.599 he had had an issue. He had had a mental episode episode and he'd 590 00:47:22.639 --> 00:47:27.639 been out and then was probably drinking and whatnot, And everybody was like, 591 00:47:27.760 --> 00:47:31.599 what happened to Willie Burton? And so within a couple of weeks, you 592 00:47:31.639 --> 00:47:39.480 know, he revealed that he suffered from depression. The media and athletes in 593 00:47:39.559 --> 00:47:46.719 general crucified withal and like, what would a million, multimillion dollar athlete have 594 00:47:46.880 --> 00:47:51.400 to be depressed about? Well, that's not what he was saying, that's 595 00:47:51.440 --> 00:47:58.559 not what but it made it sure made people like myself zip right up and 596 00:47:58.599 --> 00:48:00.159 not. You know, you can't admit that that If you admit that, 597 00:48:00.199 --> 00:48:04.000 they're going to think you're soft. They're gonna think you you know. So 598 00:48:04.599 --> 00:48:07.800 the mental health stuff for a long time has just been very taboo, not 599 00:48:07.960 --> 00:48:13.519 now, thankfully. Uh. And you also you've mentioned more than once things 600 00:48:13.519 --> 00:48:19.760 that aren't cooks, things that aren't beverage. Again, we can pop that 601 00:48:19.800 --> 00:48:22.960 in a washer if you want. You talked about stuff that's not in the 602 00:48:23.000 --> 00:48:29.559 book. Were there things that you just chose clearly not to put in there, 603 00:48:29.599 --> 00:48:30.800 consciously said no, I don't want that, and you don't have to 604 00:48:30.840 --> 00:48:35.199 tell me what they are. But things that you and Seth talked about. 605 00:48:35.559 --> 00:48:39.840 I know that I'm sure everything and everything I could remember, and there were 606 00:48:39.880 --> 00:48:47.039 things that you know, it just didn't make sense to tell you know things 607 00:48:47.079 --> 00:48:53.400 too that you know, when you when you blow as much money as I 608 00:48:53.480 --> 00:49:00.440 did and take it, oh it's around forty million dollars. When you blow 609 00:49:00.480 --> 00:49:02.480 as much money as I did and do as much many drugs as I did, 610 00:49:02.519 --> 00:49:07.719 there's a lot of things you do that you're not really proud of that 611 00:49:07.960 --> 00:49:13.199 are you know, instances and different things that you know. I included many 612 00:49:13.239 --> 00:49:16.000 of those in the book, but all of them. Jeez, you're right 613 00:49:16.039 --> 00:49:20.039 forever. I was going to say, yeah, uh. And I also 614 00:49:20.159 --> 00:49:24.239 know obviously from putting documentaries together and news stories that it's tough some you can't 615 00:49:24.280 --> 00:49:28.519 get everything and that you want, you got to leave things on the edit 616 00:49:28.559 --> 00:49:31.159 room floor. Then there's legal stuff you know that I even thought about that. 617 00:49:31.239 --> 00:49:35.239 Yeah, there's I mean, And this was again, this was I'm 618 00:49:35.239 --> 00:49:40.840 not This book is not to diminish you know. You don't want to hurt 619 00:49:40.840 --> 00:49:45.400 anybody, No, not at all. And this is just about me and 620 00:49:45.760 --> 00:49:52.159 you know, me trying to take be accountable for what I've done. I 621 00:49:52.199 --> 00:49:55.719 say this would love. Why are you not dead? I know? Oh 622 00:49:55.760 --> 00:49:59.000 you know what I mean. I mean when I heard you and you told 623 00:49:59.079 --> 00:50:05.800 me five years ago about the appendicitis in oxy and I'd heard you say more 624 00:50:05.800 --> 00:50:10.039 than once how many pills you took a day? And obviously you you you're 625 00:50:10.079 --> 00:50:15.320 an athlete, You've got the constitution, You're still in shape relatively speaking, 626 00:50:15.480 --> 00:50:20.199 like we all are. But I'm like, how did he survive all that 627 00:50:20.639 --> 00:50:24.199 in your system? Probably because I didn't drink? Okay, if I had, 628 00:50:24.239 --> 00:50:28.480 I had I been drinking when and I didn't. When I say I 629 00:50:28.519 --> 00:50:31.719 didn't, like I never did, right, And so had I been drinking 630 00:50:32.079 --> 00:50:37.000 at all, you know, taking the amount of fills that I was taking, 631 00:50:37.119 --> 00:50:40.800 you know, forty fifty a day, you would just die, you 632 00:50:40.840 --> 00:50:45.280 would you would die. Absolutely. Yeah. So that's really the only I 633 00:50:45.320 --> 00:50:49.400 think, probably the only reason I am here. Plus drinking alcohol is a 634 00:50:49.519 --> 00:50:52.639 depressant. Lord knows what that would have done if you. Well, now 635 00:50:52.719 --> 00:50:57.239 I can't say that I've never done like before I was ever addicted. I 636 00:50:57.320 --> 00:51:01.639 remember I got had had had a surgery, and I was still playing and 637 00:51:04.920 --> 00:51:08.599 we were in the playoffs, and I was anyway, after a game, 638 00:51:08.800 --> 00:51:15.119 I took a Viking and had a beer and I was so messed up, 639 00:51:15.400 --> 00:51:22.559 like I was, it was it felt like I had drank a dozen beers. 640 00:51:22.719 --> 00:51:29.280 So I knew that from that experience and probably a couple others like those. 641 00:51:29.840 --> 00:51:35.960 I knew that alcohol lit the light opioids like a match wow, and 642 00:51:36.239 --> 00:51:42.760 just that alcohol and opioids are just a horrible, horrible mix. So that's 643 00:51:42.840 --> 00:51:45.920 really the only only reason. And don't you find it fascinating there were people 644 00:51:45.920 --> 00:51:51.239 who seek that out, who want to feel that way. That's what amazes 645 00:51:51.320 --> 00:51:55.519 me. I understand it completely. Yeah, because you're well. For me, 646 00:51:55.719 --> 00:51:59.159 I just didn't want to deal with other stuff that was going on in 647 00:51:59.159 --> 00:52:04.840 my life, and so yeah, I can understand completely why they're doing that. 648 00:52:05.920 --> 00:52:09.000 I had your running bunny Josh Hopkins on the show. You were doing 649 00:52:09.000 --> 00:52:12.360 a podcast with him, But you got to bring that back at any time. 650 00:52:13.320 --> 00:52:15.760 I wish you would really entertaining. I learned so much from book Club. 651 00:52:17.880 --> 00:52:22.920 But I know that, and I've heard you tell people about how you 652 00:52:22.960 --> 00:52:25.000 slept on his couch. Yeah you know. I mean he was one of 653 00:52:25.000 --> 00:52:29.159 your friends that came to the rest of Rescue. Yeah, yeah, no 654 00:52:29.280 --> 00:52:31.719 question, man. You got to appreciate people like that. Man, there's 655 00:52:31.760 --> 00:52:38.559 so many people, Josh, my sister, countless those people. Is it 656 00:52:38.639 --> 00:52:44.559 difficult now with the book to relive those parts of your life. Yeah, 657 00:52:44.599 --> 00:52:47.519 it's that's been hard because you know, I'd kind of dealt with a lot 658 00:52:47.559 --> 00:52:52.840 of that stuff, and my family, my kids, my ex wife have 659 00:52:52.079 --> 00:52:54.639 dealt with a lot of that stuff. Bringing all this stuff back up and 660 00:52:54.679 --> 00:53:00.519 in a public way, that's really hard. It's opening up old wounds. 661 00:53:00.559 --> 00:53:06.400 And did that give you pause when you know? I mentioned in the book 662 00:53:06.440 --> 00:53:08.360 that while I was at UK, I had a panic attack. I didn't 663 00:53:08.480 --> 00:53:12.159 know what it was. Nobody really did, and they hit it from the 664 00:53:12.199 --> 00:53:15.480 media. And was that when they they didn't want to take you to a 665 00:53:15.519 --> 00:53:21.280 hospital. Yeah, they and so because we'd find out, because you guys 666 00:53:21.320 --> 00:53:23.880 would find out, and they didn't know what to say. They also didn't 667 00:53:23.880 --> 00:53:27.480 know what was wrong with me. This was the day after they told me 668 00:53:27.599 --> 00:53:30.360 for the first time that I shouldn't be dating Sean, and so I woke 669 00:53:30.480 --> 00:53:35.159 up that morning and I do remember feeling like a big fraud, Like here 670 00:53:35.239 --> 00:53:38.039 I am, I'm the poster boy for everything they have going on. But 671 00:53:38.400 --> 00:53:45.239 they are ashamed. They are ashamed of me and how I handle my private 672 00:53:45.280 --> 00:53:51.360 life. And I felt I was just overcome and I couldn't move, and 673 00:53:51.440 --> 00:53:55.519 I asked Reggie to go get Dwayne to tell them to take me to hospital. 674 00:53:55.519 --> 00:54:00.239 I need to go to the hospital. Dwayne came in, he had 675 00:54:00.280 --> 00:54:07.320 Reggie go get James Dickie, and they both came over and huddled up and 676 00:54:07.360 --> 00:54:13.760 decided that what needed to happen was that Sean lived at Blazer and they needed 677 00:54:13.760 --> 00:54:17.360 to go get Sean and take the two of us out to Don Johnson's farm 678 00:54:17.400 --> 00:54:22.360 out at Bryan Station Road. Don knew about Sean and I, and he 679 00:54:22.480 --> 00:54:25.880 was great, and they took us out there. The reason that I'm in 680 00:54:25.880 --> 00:54:30.079 this position is they're trying to keep me away from her, and when I 681 00:54:30.159 --> 00:54:37.079 get in a bad way, they go get her. And so we stayed 682 00:54:37.119 --> 00:54:40.960 out there for two days and then came back and I was fine, got 683 00:54:42.000 --> 00:54:45.159 I was fined. Well, yeah, I was fine. And I never 684 00:54:45.239 --> 00:54:49.679 remembered it again ever until we started doing this. And about six months ago, 685 00:54:49.679 --> 00:54:53.880 I had another panic attack in Brooklyn and Whitney lost and my girlfriend was 686 00:54:53.880 --> 00:54:58.199 there and took great care of me for a couple of days, two or 687 00:54:58.239 --> 00:55:01.360 three days, and I started triggered it all this stuff. Oh really, 688 00:55:01.440 --> 00:55:05.960 yeah, the book and yeah, I'm sorry to hear that, but I'm 689 00:55:05.960 --> 00:55:07.280 all right now. Okay, Like I said, I'm glad you're in the 690 00:55:07.280 --> 00:55:10.800 garage. Yeah, thank you. Thanks. More with Rex Chapman on the 691 00:55:10.800 --> 00:55:15.880 other side of the break here on six point thirty Wlap Welcome back to this 692 00:55:15.920 --> 00:55:19.320 special edition of The Big Blue and Cider. More of my conversation with Rex 693 00:55:19.400 --> 00:55:22.639 Chapman, who came by the garage to talk about his memoir. It's hard 694 00:55:22.679 --> 00:55:28.599 for me to live with me listening to you describe yourself back then. And 695 00:55:28.679 --> 00:55:32.719 I do remember this, and I remember thinking this back then. I was 696 00:55:32.760 --> 00:55:37.320 impressed with, God, what's the word I'm looking for? You were despite 697 00:55:38.079 --> 00:55:45.159 your high profile. I was pleasantly surprised with how grounded you were, you 698 00:55:45.159 --> 00:55:47.400 know what I'm saying. And maybe it was just a facade because you're grinning 699 00:55:47.480 --> 00:55:51.039 right now. Well, my parents, No, my mom and dad, 700 00:55:51.039 --> 00:55:52.599 they did it great. That's what I was raising do. Yes, you 701 00:55:52.639 --> 00:55:57.960 know, yeah, there's some things that look their parents, we're all parents, 702 00:55:58.159 --> 00:56:01.079 right, there are things that they wish they'd have done different, blah 703 00:56:01.119 --> 00:56:05.960 blah blah. But no, they're great parents and they know they raised me 704 00:56:05.960 --> 00:56:09.760 and my sister to be polite and respectful. And what you were not was 705 00:56:10.119 --> 00:56:14.719 you did not as far as I could tell, have a feeling of entitlement. 706 00:56:14.800 --> 00:56:17.840 No, and that's what we see now. That's also my dad because 707 00:56:19.039 --> 00:56:22.719 I didn't. He never let me believe that I was really very good. 708 00:56:22.239 --> 00:56:28.559 Like, uh, I liked it. I kind of liked it because yeah, 709 00:56:28.599 --> 00:56:31.920 because I you know, I knew I was decent, because I'm better 710 00:56:31.960 --> 00:56:37.360 than all the players around us. But also, Kentucky's a small state, 711 00:56:37.320 --> 00:56:43.079 you know, I know there's other people out there, but you know, 712 00:56:43.159 --> 00:56:46.800 he, yeah, he messed with me from time to time. Like I 713 00:56:46.880 --> 00:56:54.840 remember being a sophomore at Apollo and I'm averaging I don't know, twenty points 714 00:56:54.840 --> 00:57:00.239 a game, and he's recruiting a couple of kids that I'm playing again who 715 00:57:00.320 --> 00:57:08.159 are like juniors and seniors and they're not like I'm, in my mind, 716 00:57:08.199 --> 00:57:14.599 I'm better than they are. And I asked him one day, like why 717 00:57:14.639 --> 00:57:19.199 are you ignoring me? Like you can't recruit me or you know he and 718 00:57:19.239 --> 00:57:22.480 he looked at me and like what are you talking? And he said, 719 00:57:22.559 --> 00:57:25.760 Rex, you might be You're probably gonna be too good to play for Kentucky 720 00:57:25.760 --> 00:57:30.960 west Lynn, And like I thought he was joking in that moment, and 721 00:57:30.039 --> 00:57:35.159 like, what are you talking about? Like I never thought he because coach 722 00:57:35.239 --> 00:57:39.800 there. Yeah, but also like he didn't give compliments, so I didn't 723 00:57:39.840 --> 00:57:43.639 know if he thought I was any good or not. Because and then you 724 00:57:43.719 --> 00:57:47.000 gotta remember, like the next week, maybe I might have played a game 725 00:57:47.039 --> 00:57:51.920 that he saw and on the way home he might say something like you couldn't 726 00:57:51.920 --> 00:57:57.360 play for me at Kentucky West Lynn, you know. So I was constantly 727 00:57:59.079 --> 00:58:04.719 trying, well, I was trying to please him. Yeah, but yeah, 728 00:58:04.760 --> 00:58:08.119 And I also think he recognized that I was very nice, Like I 729 00:58:08.280 --> 00:58:13.280 was polite and all that stuff, and my mom is very much that way. 730 00:58:14.360 --> 00:58:20.599 And you can't really be that way and be you can maybe maybe get 731 00:58:20.639 --> 00:58:22.840 through college, not you know, being a little nice. You can't do 732 00:58:22.960 --> 00:58:28.760 that and play professional basketball. And I think my dad saw that, you 733 00:58:28.760 --> 00:58:32.199 know, if he didn't toughen me up some, that I was probably just 734 00:58:32.400 --> 00:58:36.880 I could flitter away more with Rex Chapman on the other side of the break 735 00:58:36.920 --> 00:58:40.239 here on six point thirty wlap. Hey, it's Dick Gabriel and you're listening 736 00:58:40.280 --> 00:58:45.400 to the best of the Big Blue Insider. Welcome back to my conversation here 737 00:58:45.440 --> 00:58:47.719 in the garage with Rex Chapmin. When we left off, he was talking 738 00:58:47.719 --> 00:58:52.320 about growing up with a father who played pro ball and was a college coach, 739 00:58:52.360 --> 00:58:55.719 and how tough he was on Rex. I tell a story in the 740 00:58:55.719 --> 00:59:01.199 book about being at Apollo and I was a and I was, looking back, 741 00:59:01.239 --> 00:59:04.159 I was probably the best player in the state. Yeah, at the 742 00:59:04.159 --> 00:59:07.559 time, you were. He got to you know, he may have only 743 00:59:07.920 --> 00:59:14.119 seen five games a year, but because his teams were playing and when he 744 00:59:14.159 --> 00:59:19.599 came to watch me, usually afterwards he was he would like, let me 745 00:59:19.719 --> 00:59:25.159 know how hard I didn't play. And you know, at the time, 746 00:59:25.239 --> 00:59:30.599 I'm a kid, I'm I feel like I'm playing hard. And when I 747 00:59:30.639 --> 00:59:34.920 look back, I understand, you know, I wasn't. I didn't know 748 00:59:34.960 --> 00:59:38.159 how to play hard like it was. The competition wasn't very good, and 749 00:59:38.239 --> 00:59:44.920 I only played hard when I felt challenged. So I understand now at the 750 00:59:44.960 --> 00:59:50.480 time, I didn't. And I remember getting like forty points and you know, 751 00:59:50.840 --> 00:59:54.760 fifteen twenty rebounds, ten blocks. We played at Butler County. We 752 00:59:54.800 --> 00:59:59.519 should have won by a million, but we won by like fifteen or whatever. 753 00:59:59.599 --> 01:00:02.679 But I remember riding home on the bus thinking he's gonna have to love 754 01:00:02.760 --> 01:00:07.119 me up tonight. And I got home and he didn't say a word. 755 01:00:07.360 --> 01:00:12.360 Finally, I like said, what'd you think? He said, oh, 756 01:00:12.400 --> 01:00:14.159 you want to know what I think? I want to know when you're going 757 01:00:14.239 --> 01:00:16.360 to take an effing charge? Are you ever going to take a charge? 758 01:00:16.519 --> 01:00:20.519 He said, stand up. He started running into me, and my mom 759 01:00:20.599 --> 01:00:22.719 came in and she said, break it up, break it up. I 760 01:00:22.719 --> 01:00:27.639 went upstairs. She came up to apologize to me and said said, listen, 761 01:00:27.639 --> 01:00:29.599 honey, I'm sorry, And I said, get off me, Mom. 762 01:00:29.639 --> 01:00:31.000 If he doesn't tell me, how am I going to know? And 763 01:00:31.039 --> 01:00:36.800 so I took up for him, which is really weird. It's really weird, 764 01:00:37.320 --> 01:00:42.639 but I knew he knew like he was right. Also, I was 765 01:00:42.679 --> 01:00:45.360 a high school junior. If I file out in a game, we're going 766 01:00:45.440 --> 01:00:52.039 to lose. So I but he always let me know the truth about my 767 01:00:52.239 --> 01:00:55.639 game, and I knew because he'd done it. He had done it. 768 01:00:57.000 --> 01:01:00.360 Yeah, good college player and a lot of times we need that, you 769 01:01:00.360 --> 01:01:05.440 know. But that gave me a lot of confidence to know that, you 770 01:01:05.440 --> 01:01:09.239 know, hey, look so and So's dad didn't do that, and you 771 01:01:09.280 --> 01:01:12.719 know, but it gave me confidence that my dad knew what he was talking 772 01:01:12.719 --> 01:01:16.239 about about basketball, right right, right right. A few more questions for 773 01:01:16.280 --> 01:01:21.079 you. You've been very generous with your time. But hell, we haven't 774 01:01:21.079 --> 01:01:23.039 seen each other forever. We talked on the phone, texted a little bit. 775 01:01:23.079 --> 01:01:27.719 You used to do some TV shows and radio shows. But I'm so 776 01:01:27.880 --> 01:01:30.760 happy, even if you're not comfortable with it, with the success of the 777 01:01:30.760 --> 01:01:34.800 book that I'm very proud of you. I don't know if I have the 778 01:01:34.880 --> 01:01:36.960 right to be proud of you, but you're a friend, so you know, 779 01:01:37.360 --> 01:01:39.840 all right, it's stay tournament time, girls and boys. You got 780 01:01:39.840 --> 01:01:45.719 there once, as I recall, Yeah, tell me about your memories of 781 01:01:45.760 --> 01:01:47.360 that. And I don't mean where you depressed right here, but I mean 782 01:01:47.480 --> 01:01:52.679 just that has to be a happy memory. And people are amazed when I 783 01:01:52.760 --> 01:01:54.280 tell them. They're like, well, there, we're Rex's teams that they 784 01:01:54.320 --> 01:01:58.400 dominated here. I said, no, no, I said, he got 785 01:01:58.400 --> 01:02:00.639 to the same tournament once. That's hard to do. It's hard to do, 786 01:02:00.719 --> 01:02:06.159 but it's really hard to do in Owensboro because Owensboro High every year, 787 01:02:06.199 --> 01:02:08.719 oh and Red Devils. Yeah, and for people that don't know, it's 788 01:02:08.719 --> 01:02:16.159 a predominantly black athletic high school as far as sports are concerned, and they 789 01:02:16.199 --> 01:02:20.360 go, I don't know if it's still the case, but three out of 790 01:02:20.400 --> 01:02:23.480 every four years to the state term, and we had a big rivalry with 791 01:02:23.559 --> 01:02:30.039 them, and they had very good players who were also my AAU teammates all 792 01:02:30.039 --> 01:02:37.159 growing up, so and they were good. And those games against Owensboro High 793 01:02:37.199 --> 01:02:39.800 School my last three years of high school, especially the last two years, 794 01:02:39.840 --> 01:02:49.599 really helped prepare me for college basketball. We had two good players on my 795 01:02:50.320 --> 01:02:52.480 team, Greg Bond, my high school teammates, one of the best point 796 01:02:52.480 --> 01:02:57.440 guards I've ever played with. Teams are terrified of Greg and me. And 797 01:02:57.519 --> 01:03:00.360 they had five guys on their team that were really good, and had three 798 01:03:00.400 --> 01:03:05.559 guys on their bench that were really good. And in two years, our 799 01:03:05.639 --> 01:03:09.960 last two years, we split with them five five, five to five in 800 01:03:10.000 --> 01:03:15.079 those games, and they were wars. And we were also like the top 801 01:03:15.039 --> 01:03:20.199 two or three or five teams in the states, and we drew each other 802 01:03:20.320 --> 01:03:23.960 in the first game of the district oh No, my senior year, oh 803 01:03:24.000 --> 01:03:29.639 again, we had We were up five games to four going into that and 804 01:03:29.679 --> 01:03:32.239 they beat us on a last second show and we were out in the first 805 01:03:32.239 --> 01:03:36.800 game. We had gone. We had beaten them in the finals of the 806 01:03:36.840 --> 01:03:40.920 region the previous year, and we ran through Somerset and then We played Oldham 807 01:03:42.000 --> 01:03:45.559 County in the second game and we were running through them and I broke my 808 01:03:45.719 --> 01:03:49.639 finger, right index finger on a one three to one trap to start the 809 01:03:49.679 --> 01:03:52.159 second half. I played the rest of the game and I couldn't do anything, 810 01:03:52.199 --> 01:03:54.400 but I really felt like we were gonna win it. That year, 811 01:03:54.440 --> 01:04:00.800 Hopkinsville won it, but I felt like, yeah, it was eighty five. 812 01:04:00.920 --> 01:04:03.119 It was eighty five. And then Reggie and them won it the next 813 01:04:03.199 --> 01:04:09.199 year and they beat Reggie and them beat Owensboro, and that let me know 814 01:04:09.360 --> 01:04:15.280 because Owensboro was good and Reggie was really good high school, Yeah, really 815 01:04:15.320 --> 01:04:18.840 good. Anti shot ninety percent from the free throw line and got there like 816 01:04:18.920 --> 01:04:23.440 fifteen times a game in high school, so they we might not have been 817 01:04:23.480 --> 01:04:30.599 able to beat them, But yeah, I remember I was working at another 818 01:04:30.719 --> 01:04:33.440 radio station. We broadcast the state tournament, so I had the best seat 819 01:04:33.440 --> 01:04:40.960 in the house. And seventy nine was Dirkshire la fayette first year for the 820 01:04:41.039 --> 01:04:45.679 Sweet sixteen in rupp Arena, and some think it saved the Sweet sixteen from 821 01:04:45.760 --> 01:04:48.559 classes and all that stuff, and the crowds were phenomenal. The following year 822 01:04:48.920 --> 01:04:54.400 back to Freedom Hall, crowds weren't quite as good. Owensboro wins it. 823 01:04:54.480 --> 01:04:58.480 Yeah. Man, Then the following year, following a couple of years, 824 01:04:58.519 --> 01:05:01.119 it comes back to Rup. That was when Darren Field House in Mason County, 825 01:05:01.480 --> 01:05:05.159 Virgie with Todd May and there were people hanging from the rapt no question. 826 01:05:05.199 --> 01:05:09.840 You know that was such a great period. Uh. And then after 827 01:05:09.880 --> 01:05:15.400 I left, well, you know, my first couple of years out of 828 01:05:15.000 --> 01:05:19.559 high school, Richie Farmer and law Yeah, Alan Houston were emerging, and 829 01:05:19.719 --> 01:05:25.119 so you know, just what a where are those days gone? You know, 830 01:05:25.199 --> 01:05:29.199 the Internet took them. Now everybody's got their phones out. Yeah, 831 01:05:29.320 --> 01:05:32.239 so much more to do. I also feel too that great players like a 832 01:05:32.360 --> 01:05:35.599 rajah On Rondo didn't play a senior year at Eastern High School, right, 833 01:05:35.639 --> 01:05:40.599 he left a lot of guys leave. Let me steer you real quick, 834 01:05:40.719 --> 01:05:44.559 real quick to the Wildcats. You've tweeted the other day how much you love 835 01:05:44.679 --> 01:05:48.880 this team and love watching what's not the love? Are you envisioning yourself how 836 01:05:48.920 --> 01:05:54.760 you would have in that line? What's fun? I'm I'm just amazed that 837 01:05:55.039 --> 01:06:01.039 you know, guys like Reed and Rob Are you know, who are unquestionably 838 01:06:01.079 --> 01:06:05.119 the best players on the team have no ego about starting and maybe they do 839 01:06:05.639 --> 01:06:11.079 and if they do, great, but they've handled it. They've handled it. 840 01:06:11.960 --> 01:06:15.760 Do you think that I think that's hell yes, hell, yes, 841 01:06:16.239 --> 01:06:25.480 I like yeah not I so, But you know, again, Kyle does 842 01:06:25.519 --> 01:06:30.239 his thing, and Cal's got these guys believing and believing at the right time 843 01:06:30.280 --> 01:06:33.519 of the year. And he should talk as much junk as he feels like 844 01:06:33.599 --> 01:06:39.000 he should because this is what he preaches. Wait till March, wait till 845 01:06:39.000 --> 01:06:43.360 the SEC tournament. And how many times has this happened? It happened that 846 01:06:43.400 --> 01:06:46.639 team with Julius Randall in them. My gosh, that team was bad all 847 01:06:46.719 --> 01:06:51.519 year long. But what happened ran through the tournament. And this team, 848 01:06:53.039 --> 01:06:58.480 man, there's not a there's not a team in the country that it wants 849 01:06:58.519 --> 01:07:03.079 to face this this concern concerned about their tournament. So why not? No, 850 01:07:03.199 --> 01:07:06.679 Because I think the offense is so good. I think it's such a 851 01:07:06.719 --> 01:07:12.880 potent, powerful offensive, powerful offensive team. Yeah, I'd like for the 852 01:07:12.920 --> 01:07:16.079 defense to be a little tighter, but you know, got shot blocking back 853 01:07:16.119 --> 01:07:20.440 there. Guys are giving effort. It's not an effort thing. It's just 854 01:07:20.960 --> 01:07:28.639 they're freshman freshmen, you know, dearon Fox and Bam and Maleak. If 855 01:07:28.679 --> 01:07:32.519 we have played that game against whoever it was that they got beaten, right 856 01:07:32.639 --> 01:07:39.559 Carolina, and a month later we beat them. Our guys were just a 857 01:07:39.599 --> 01:07:43.760 month too young, just a month too young. You know, look at 858 01:07:43.760 --> 01:07:49.119 those guys now from those teams. I mean, so yeah again it's it's 859 01:07:49.199 --> 01:07:53.639 Cow's teams. I'm just thrilled. You know, we've had such good freshmen. 860 01:07:53.639 --> 01:07:59.960 But I'm just thrilled that we have such valuable and important upperclassmen like Antonia 861 01:08:00.519 --> 01:08:03.039 Crage. Is that, you know, you might not think a lot. 862 01:08:03.079 --> 01:08:09.199 I remember being an eighteen year old and having a twenty two year old Paul 863 01:08:09.239 --> 01:08:14.599 Andrews in the locker room, and for Reggie and I who were Reggie was 864 01:08:14.639 --> 01:08:19.399 seventeen, and so Reggie and I would get you know, we were kids, 865 01:08:19.600 --> 01:08:24.920 and we would be goofing around, maybe during a film session or something, 866 01:08:25.000 --> 01:08:28.199 and Paul could look over at us and be like, hey, pay 867 01:08:28.239 --> 01:08:32.520 attention. Really well, yeah, but that's that's the difference in eighteen and 868 01:08:32.600 --> 01:08:35.760 twenty two, and when you don't have those twenty two Paul didn't even play 869 01:08:36.279 --> 01:08:41.960 right. But I knew I better listen to Paul Andrews because he goes to 870 01:08:42.039 --> 01:08:45.319 class all the time and he's a serious person, and he's telling me to 871 01:08:45.359 --> 01:08:50.039 pay attention because I'm playing, you know, pay attention to what they're telling 872 01:08:50.039 --> 01:08:56.000 you. Rex. So those things are valuable, and if you don't have 873 01:08:56.039 --> 01:08:59.159 those old guys with that experience, it's really hard. Team that won it 874 01:08:59.239 --> 01:09:03.640 for Caldar Miller absolutely, I mean, so it's not it's not a secret. 875 01:09:04.000 --> 01:09:06.800 Those those are the teams that do it. It's the Best of the 876 01:09:06.840 --> 01:09:11.479 Big Blue Insider, my conversation with Rex Chapman. More to come on six 877 01:09:11.640 --> 01:09:15.760 thirty WLAP Welcome back to the Best of the Big Blue Insider as we wrap 878 01:09:15.840 --> 01:09:21.880 up my conversation with Rex Chapman back in March. With Reid and Rob arguably 879 01:09:21.920 --> 01:09:27.680 being the best players on the team, what's that say to the guys in 880 01:09:27.720 --> 01:09:31.840 the lineup? It says, hey, you better you better play because I 881 01:09:31.920 --> 01:09:35.279 got two guys over here that are dying to come in and they have no 882 01:09:35.359 --> 01:09:41.560 ego about it. So that has to be a very well connected team to 883 01:09:41.800 --> 01:09:46.399 function as it is functioning right now. And that is that's a recipe for 884 01:09:46.439 --> 01:09:50.199 success. I mean, when you care about guys enough on the teams where 885 01:09:50.239 --> 01:09:54.640 you don't care if they play or you play or whatever, celebrate their success. 886 01:09:55.000 --> 01:09:58.279 You celebrate their success and Okay, tomorrow night's going to be my night, 887 01:09:58.399 --> 01:10:00.399 or tomorrow night's going to be someone else's. That they're able to do 888 01:10:00.439 --> 01:10:04.920 this with so many young kids is special. But also read Shepherd is special 889 01:10:05.079 --> 01:10:10.680 man, and so is Rob and you know they're they're And you mentioned yeah 890 01:10:10.720 --> 01:10:13.680 who you know talks to the NBA and they told him you need to do 891 01:10:13.720 --> 01:10:15.239 this, this and this, And he's done it all, hadn't he It's 892 01:10:15.279 --> 01:10:19.680 hard to average twenty points a game in college and about that, and uh, 893 01:10:20.159 --> 01:10:24.520 you know he's done it for I mean, he's a professional. He's 894 01:10:24.560 --> 01:10:28.279 really a professional scorer. He will go somewhere, whether it's the NBA or 895 01:10:28.319 --> 01:10:30.760 wherever else and make money for a long time. I went to Toronto because 896 01:10:30.800 --> 01:10:34.960 I've never been awesome city, as you know. But watch this team and 897 01:10:34.960 --> 01:10:39.920 everybody saw it back here on TV. When you were watching that, were 898 01:10:39.920 --> 01:10:43.399 you and I don't know how cludeing you were at all, but were you 899 01:10:43.479 --> 01:10:46.520 at all surprised at the way they shared the ball, move the ball, 900 01:10:46.840 --> 01:10:49.399 the flow of their offense because we were all sitting up there going, oh 901 01:10:49.439 --> 01:10:54.479 my god, no, And here's why, Because you can't play with Reed 902 01:10:54.560 --> 01:10:59.039 Shepherd and not play that way. It's not it's not. It's just something 903 01:10:59.600 --> 01:11:03.520 when you see a guy that gets the ball off the board and you're ahead 904 01:11:03.560 --> 01:11:08.439 and he hits ahead, that that that's a that's something that used to be 905 01:11:08.680 --> 01:11:14.520 just the thing that players did and hit ahead, hit ahead and play play 906 01:11:14.520 --> 01:11:17.000 the game that way instead of coming up and dribbling fifty times and throwing it 907 01:11:17.039 --> 01:11:20.800 between your legs. And when you play with a guy that hits ahead and 908 01:11:20.880 --> 01:11:27.600 he makes the right that that can't make the wrong basketball play like it makes 909 01:11:27.600 --> 01:11:34.199 the game really easy. And I like guys like DJ and Rob and Justin 910 01:11:34.399 --> 01:11:38.479 and those other guys eating even the older guys. When you play with a 911 01:11:38.479 --> 01:11:45.319 guy that's so good and so unselfish like that, you realize, oh, 912 01:11:45.479 --> 01:11:47.600 this is how the game is played. And if I do this too, 913 01:11:48.920 --> 01:11:54.399 then man, we're all really good. And so I think it just and 914 01:11:54.439 --> 01:11:58.279 it's nothing. Read again, I don't think it's anything Red does by design. 915 01:11:58.359 --> 01:12:00.520 It's just who he is. As Yeah, well I remember the first 916 01:12:00.520 --> 01:12:03.439 game up here in Toronto. He doesn't score. Yeah, okay, you 917 01:12:03.479 --> 01:12:05.880 know what he said, I had a bad game. We're like, no, 918 01:12:06.039 --> 01:12:09.880 you didn't, Yeah, because look at the rest of the stats and 919 01:12:09.920 --> 01:12:13.880 then the scoring game, and same thing with Justin Edwards. He kind of 920 01:12:13.920 --> 01:12:16.880 floated through those first two games, but then in the third and fourth games 921 01:12:17.439 --> 01:12:20.800 when they were replaying some of those teams, and those teams up there were 922 01:12:20.800 --> 01:12:24.479 like, we're not gonna let these kids beat us again, so they really 923 01:12:24.520 --> 01:12:28.640 amped it up and the game came to Justin and he was the man. 924 01:12:29.000 --> 01:12:34.000 Yeah, and it takes a lot, Like not everybody, it's really hard 925 01:12:34.039 --> 01:12:38.359 to come into the University of Kentucky and play as a freshman. I don't 926 01:12:38.359 --> 01:12:42.840 care who you are, whether you're Anthony Davis or Michael kid Gilchrist or John 927 01:12:42.920 --> 01:12:45.880 Wall whoever it is. And think about it, those are some of the 928 01:12:45.920 --> 01:12:53.159 greats, and it's hard for them. Imagine coming here and you struggle like 929 01:12:55.560 --> 01:13:00.960 Edwards, like Derek Miller, like Richard Madison, like Derek Horror that you 930 01:13:00.039 --> 01:13:05.720 come here when all that pressure is on you, Richie Farmer, uh and 931 01:13:05.840 --> 01:13:12.119 you and and the actual playing part is hard, like too hard. Initially, 932 01:13:12.680 --> 01:13:15.399 that's hard, man, that's hard digging through that, and that's when 933 01:13:15.479 --> 01:13:18.800 you have to have teammates that are that are solid. Joe hal once told 934 01:13:18.800 --> 01:13:25.760 me along these lines that I'm not going to recruit a local kid unless I 935 01:13:25.800 --> 01:13:29.640 know he's gonna play a lot or start. I'm like, really, like, 936 01:13:29.640 --> 01:13:30.439 I thought he might want to have him on the bench or whatever. 937 01:13:30.439 --> 01:13:34.479 He said. No, he said, because they hear it from everybody, 938 01:13:34.680 --> 01:13:40.159 mom, dad, girlfriend, minister, male, man, barber. Why 939 01:13:40.159 --> 01:13:42.600 aren't you playing war? That never occurred to me. You know, I'm 940 01:13:42.640 --> 01:13:45.960 not very bright, but that never occurred to me. Some guys aren't fine 941 01:13:45.960 --> 01:13:48.000 with that, and that I'm fine with. If you know, there have 942 01:13:48.039 --> 01:13:51.479 been guys who they're Kentucky fans. They grow up and they're really good players. 943 01:13:51.640 --> 01:13:55.560 They just want to come to Kentucky. And if they're and if they're 944 01:13:55.600 --> 01:13:59.079 fine with that, great, But it's really hard. You have to be 945 01:13:59.800 --> 01:14:02.960 I say it. You don't have to be, but it's it's hard to 946 01:14:03.039 --> 01:14:09.520 come to Kentucky if you're not really good. And that goes for whether you're 947 01:14:09.520 --> 01:14:14.239 a local kid or from out of state. Unless you're really good, it's 948 01:14:14.279 --> 01:14:18.239 hard to come here and have success because you're broken down so often, and 949 01:14:18.359 --> 01:14:21.760 the and the fans love it so much. You know, it's hard to 950 01:14:21.800 --> 01:14:27.640 not hear all the negative stuff. I've had it very easy as far as 951 01:14:27.680 --> 01:14:31.520 that that went. The basketball stuff was all glowing, and I still felt 952 01:14:31.560 --> 01:14:35.840 bad here, so you can imagine it was off the court stuff off the 953 01:14:35.840 --> 01:14:40.720 court, which was most of the time. Dick. Yes, now you're 954 01:14:40.720 --> 01:14:44.479 making me understand that. But to your point, I'll let you go with 955 01:14:44.520 --> 01:14:47.079 this. I was on I don't know why, but I was on the 956 01:14:47.119 --> 01:14:50.520 team Bust and at LSU. I guess I was doing something for the coaches 957 01:14:50.560 --> 01:14:57.039 show whatever, and I was talking to Pelfrey and Feldhouse and again back when 958 01:14:57.039 --> 01:15:00.000 we could forge relationship with guys, and we were talking about her. I 959 01:15:00.079 --> 01:15:03.039 was talking about the guys who had left. You had gone pro, and 960 01:15:03.000 --> 01:15:08.359 the nsafe stuff happens and guys transfer out, and I was saying, you 961 01:15:08.399 --> 01:15:11.119 know, yeah, you know a lot of good guys left. And they 962 01:15:11.159 --> 01:15:14.319 were like, oh my god, just imagine what our team would be like. 963 01:15:15.399 --> 01:15:18.239 And I said, yeah, but you guys wouldn't have all the minutu're 964 01:15:18.239 --> 01:15:20.760 getting now. You guys wouldn't be scoring all these points you're getting now. 965 01:15:20.800 --> 01:15:25.399 And they both said we'd have rings. Yeah, it didn't matter. Didn't 966 01:15:25.399 --> 01:15:30.239 matter to them. Yeah, like when I on my my sophomore year, 967 01:15:30.399 --> 01:15:34.439 So my sophomore year, Reggie and I sophomore year, Derek Miller sophomore year, 968 01:15:35.359 --> 01:15:42.439 Sean Sutton and John Pelfrey and Darren Feldhouse were all freshmen and they didn't 969 01:15:42.680 --> 01:15:47.279 like they didn't play. They in fact, I think, huh, maybe 970 01:15:47.279 --> 01:15:51.439 they weren't. They were gonna red shirt with John and and Darren, but 971 01:15:51.479 --> 01:15:56.000 they ended up not not doing that, I believe. But those guys didn't 972 01:15:56.000 --> 01:16:02.920 play. They were not a they they were practice players. And they were 973 01:16:03.000 --> 01:16:08.600 different than I was, especially John and Darren in that I did not grow 974 01:16:08.680 --> 01:16:13.279 up dying to go to Kentuck. I grew up really dying to go to 975 01:16:13.319 --> 01:16:16.640 Louisville, and so that was but it was really cool for me to see 976 01:16:16.680 --> 01:16:23.600 because they knew they weren't gonna play, and they loved it, and they 977 01:16:23.840 --> 01:16:30.600 were seriously, the three of those guys, Sean, John and Darren three 978 01:16:30.600 --> 01:16:35.279 of my most favorite teammates ever, because they would go nuts on the sideline 979 01:16:35.279 --> 01:16:39.720 when anything would happen for us. They loved it. They loved it like 980 01:16:39.880 --> 01:16:43.720 they loved it that their team was winning, that we were doing well, 981 01:16:44.039 --> 01:16:48.039 but they loved it from a uk. They were those kids that grow up 982 01:16:48.159 --> 01:16:51.680 dying to go there, and for me, that was really cool to see 983 01:16:51.720 --> 01:16:57.279 because you know, if everything would have stayed the way it was, they 984 01:16:57.359 --> 01:17:00.000 those guys might not have played until they were seniors. If then, if 985 01:17:00.039 --> 01:17:04.239 then, yeah, and uh so, just to see what happened after, 986 01:17:04.800 --> 01:17:11.840 you know, I left school and those guys just with Mash and Rick Man, 987 01:17:11.960 --> 01:17:15.880 man, it was just the best man. Well, hey, Dan's 988 01:17:15.920 --> 01:17:17.600 on a sad note, but I know that you really like Kenny Payne. 989 01:17:17.920 --> 01:17:24.079 Yeah, and obviously things didn't work. He loses his job. I hope 990 01:17:24.119 --> 01:17:26.760 you gets a chance to be ahead coach again. I think you will. 991 01:17:26.920 --> 01:17:30.000 Kenny's the best Kenny, and I said this on social media last night. 992 01:17:30.079 --> 01:17:33.079 Kenny Payne is the best of us. And when I say that, he's 993 01:17:33.399 --> 01:17:40.199 one of the best guys I've ever known, don't don't don't judge a window. 994 01:17:40.479 --> 01:17:45.680 Don't confuse what his success at Louisville as a head coach in two years 995 01:17:45.680 --> 01:17:53.159 where they were decimated. There was no talent left there. That has nothing 996 01:17:53.199 --> 01:17:56.199 to do with who he is as a man. And Kenny Payne, anybody 997 01:17:56.239 --> 01:18:00.359 that knows him will tell you Kenny Payne is the best of us as human 998 01:18:00.399 --> 01:18:03.840 beings. So he will bounce back. He will get back. I hate 999 01:18:03.840 --> 01:18:08.840 to see this happen like this because you know, Oh Kenny in Purvis took 1000 01:18:08.840 --> 01:18:11.880 me on my visit to Louisville. I've known them that long. Wow, 1001 01:18:12.359 --> 01:18:15.199 we go back that far. Kenny will land on his feet. I love 1002 01:18:15.239 --> 01:18:19.159 him to death. Rex can't thank you enough for dropping by the garage. 1003 01:18:19.199 --> 01:18:23.840 You are welcome here anytime. Thanks Pal. That'll do it for now. 1004 01:18:23.880 --> 01:18:27.760 Thanks for joining us for this special edition the best of the Big Blue Insider. 1005 01:18:28.079 --> 01:19:02.000 That's it. Good night from the garage in Lexington, sang