Steve Rivera and Jacin Salles. They have their eye on the ball on Tucson
Sports Stage Chat Fox Sports fourteen fifty. Okay, welcome back to whying the
ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve, he's Jay. Now
we have Kevin. We're breaking news. The is I on the ball breaking
news on Fox Sports fourteen to fifty. All right, So yesterday I was
talking to Jay and I heard you guys about how Esmi Martinez was the AP
Player of the Week Arizona Women's basketball tweeted out today, I saw this statistic
that she's the only active player in all of Division one with fifteen hundred points,
twelve hundred rebounds, two hundred assists in addition to two hundred steals and
one hundred blocks. Wow. Yeah, I saw that last night. Stat
filler, right and the only one. Yeah. Yeah, that's take that
kid, stat take that Kit put a decal on the court. As Marie.
So, I was hearing the debate again today and some I think it
was Dan Patrick's show, the debate between you know, Kaitlyn Clark versus they
were at Cheryl Miller, okay, you know, and the conclusion they said
was, well, Kaylyn Clark's a you know, incredible shooter and scorer.
And you know that cheryld Miller was a better athlete, better you know in
that regard, but that Kaitlyn Clark has totally changed the game. Was a
comparison just who's the who's the best, who's the greatest player? Because the
conversation started because I guess Jay Williams came out and said, you can't consider
that, you can't consider her the greatest of all time until she wins a
champion. Well he doesn't, you know, that was the debate A lot
of times. He doesn't make sense. Yeah, yeah, well yeah,
I know a lot of people I'm not I'm trying to be not trying to
be funny, but I'm serious. He comes up with some crazy things.
Swoops got on her too. Yeah, and then uh, and then I
guess there's a for those of you, for young guys. You know,
women's sports weren't actually part of the n C Double A till like the eighties.
Yeah, and so there's a there's a women's player who actually has the
women's back college basketball scoring record, but she was never in the n C
Double A. Who is not the n C double A record. I can't
remember. She's gonna she's still gonna break that record too. But there's still
somebody, well, there's still somebody a women's player, college player who scored
more points than Caitlin Clark. Is it Lynette Ward? Yeah? Yeah,
yeah, she played from seventy seven to eighty one. She scored thirty six
hundred. I remember seeing her and she was fantastic. She played for the
Globetrotters too, like the figure, but she's she's well known. That's strange
that I didn't know that she played, so they they can. They don't
consider her record to be the n C double A record because they wasn't a
women's sports weren't NC double A yet, right, which is kind She did
play for the Globetrotter to play, she was a Globe. Yeah, yeah,
her and Nancy Lieberman and Nancy Lieberman, all these great athlete athletes.
So it's kind of like the Steph Curry, Michael Jordan, Michael George,
Yeah, yeah, who's better? Who's been? I don't know, Well,
Michael Jordan to me, but a hundred times better player, but two
different players. Curry, you know that the game has changed because of Steph
Curry and the and that's the point that the women's game is changing because of
you know, because of Caitlin Clark and and yeah, I kind of agree
with that, but you know, I saw Cheryl Miller play, and Chiel
Miller was pretty damn good. And at a time she was like Welt Chamberlain,
you know, just somebody don't wren't any other No, but they weren't
any other players like her at during her time, and so she just dominated.
I had something to say about Kareem because somebody told me the other day
that Kareem isn't an all kid great, because I was like, because they
made a whole move, they changed the rules because he was too good.
He told me he wasn't good in compared to I don't get it, but
no, the game has changed. And I think there's a story this week
that showed me. I was like, the NIL era is insane, Oh,
miss quarterback. I don't know if you saw this. Jackson Dart has
made NIL history, becoming the first athlete to sign with a private jet company.
The deal through Nicholas Air, says that he can use the company's fleet
of jets for travel, training, and philanthropy. Now what that means?
Don't know where you could go? Good time to be alive. I guess
the team's taking coach and he's just all right, I'll see you at the
airfield. I don't know, okay, but I saw some people discussing.
You know, I hope that his contract says that it's you know, tax
exempt, because the taxes on those flights is like two hundred thousand dollars for
flight would be tax exempt. I mean, I think these guys are getting
taxed on this stuff, aren't they on the NIL stuff? Yeah? Yeah,
I mean maybe that's maybe that's why they threw the word philanthropy in there.
But all right, could you have imagined this ten years ago? Jay?
I mean, this is crazy style. How many schools or programs went
on probation tons for the extra benefits for prohibited benefits? Yeah you know,
yeah, you know, Yeah, it's crazy. More NIL news yukons a
Leah Edwards. She's a Canadian resident and so she inked an IL deal in
Canada. When she came across the border and had a media day, they
asked her about her NIL responsibilities and what she could do now that she's in
the States, and she didn't. She couldn't discuss it because she she said
it could get her in trouble because of the different goals for international like that,
right, Well, Arizona does the same or did the same thing with
the international players. Yeah, yeah they do. And then me and Jay
were talking about this in between the break last night. Texas and Texas Tech
had a little bit of the rock cunning hand Hockey Tech somebody when they were
up twenty five. That was a hard hit. It was a hockey hit,
he said. Again, the guy gets up like, what did I
do? The first thing? He didn't throw it out? Yeah, yeah
he did. He checked him into the board. A coach have to get
on a mic and reprimand the fans. Yeah, but then people started throwing
stuff on the court. Do you think we talked? I don't think it's
happened this year. But do you talk about this the handshake line? Do
you think that they should be done with that? No, people are talking
about that. Get in again. Come on, man, They started talking
about that last year with Howard. The whole thing like this, Well that
was coaches being idiots. Come on, well, and these things that happened
in line, I think there were some issues yesterday in a game where they
were, you know, get into it. You remember remember the show a
little control and some orders like the like the court store. No, but
you're you're talking about fifteen guys that just got to hold it together for two
and a half minutes to go by the in the handshake line. And for
coaches not to be punching each other out come on show it be an example.
Unless you're one of those hot headed coaches, you should be able to
have a level head of team. And well, although I wouldn't although I
wouldn't be surprised off it any day that somebody punched mc cronin in the face.
Yeah, that's what I was thinking. The Pack twelve tournament or so.
Welcome to the mister Rogers. Lest everybody be a good name. He
still reminds me of the caw mascot he stands. Yeah. Jordan Morgan uh
is now projected to go apparently at the Green Bay Packers in melk Hiper's most
recent draft. Yeah, I know the number twenty five spot and he I
mean he's been considered the first round draft picks since last year, even you
know, after he hurt his knee and certainly came back to you know,
make sure that he solidifies that. So good for him. I don't know
if I've seen, if we've seen any I don't know how far these mock
drafts golf. It's just first round or whatever. But you know where if
Michael Wiley, Jacob Cowing, and Tanner McLaughlin, where they might wind up,
you know, probably second or third day guys, well probably no more
after the combine. We were talking McLachlin. I mean, he's you know,
he'll I think I think the question we asked was which of those other
three guys would get drafted higher McLachlan Wiley. It's interesting to see. You
know, Jacob comedy is so short, how yeah, you know, but
he's so fast and I just by by happenstance that the alim was on my
on my TV as I walked by, and that touchdown that he scored,
you know towards the end where Fafita scrambled, you know, hit him coming
across the field and he just outran everybody. That's NFL speed, NFL talent.
So we'll see. I don't know if you listened to the Dan Patrick
Show today, but they were talking about like the death of the kick return
and how there's a whole class of really skilled guys just don't get jobs anymore
because well, we're not kicking the ball to anybody, so you have no
reason to pay you. What's his name, Michael Bates? Yea, right,
Michael. He wouldn't have had an NFL career if not for you know,
the kick return. But then he that's pretty good. Special team Devin
Hester, who is still trying to get him into the Hall of Fame.
Think he got in? I think did he get in? Yeah, think
he got in. Adam says he got in because he's he's a bear guy,
isn't he. Yeah? I think he got in like two years ago.
Yeah, all right, And then the Chiefs have released Marquez about Scantling,
I figured that was relevant to mention just because of all the different news
stories about him in his hands throughout the year, and then he came up
big in a couple of moments in the playoffs. So yeah, they're gonna
save twelve million by releasing him, which seems like such free money for the
organization somebody to pick him up. Yeah, and then that's all I had
as far as breaking news for on my end. I don't know if you
guys had anything that he thought. No, just uh, you know,
watching getting ready for baseball to start. Show, Hey, gotta hit a
homer in his first game, and it was one of those that the sound
of it was just there was an A's player that that ripped one the other
day that just it was one of those perfect baseball sounds. I can't I
can't wait to be able to watch him because I would. I would.
You know, I've got to be able to watch the Dodgers. I've got
the MLB package, and you know, if there wasn't a Dodger game and
I would watch, I go on and see where show he was in the
bad and Nordmon he's coming up. I put it on just to see him
bad. He's one of those athletes where it's like you got to watch Michael
Jordan type of guy. Even watch Arizona baseball. I want to mention while
we're on the topic, they play number five TCU tonight undefeated TCU as well,
and we're on the road. I believe on the road. Yeah,
did you see the l s US favorite to win it all? Plus six
fifty? Mister Johnson has a pretty good team again. Yeah, that's it,
and that's and that's he's a pretty good gaming over there. Because it's
a program, it's got a lot of support, got a lot of money.
Guys wanted to go there, and uh, you know, you can
win national champion championships, so you can win national championships here. But uh,
you know, LSU is sort of in Alabama territory, you know,
when it comes to when it comes to baseball. Okay, would you guys
sit there and want I'm just a clips just shut up on my on my
screen of the drills and stuff at the NFL combine? Does that I only
interested like when guys have incredible performances go to or bad. I think I
think watching Lineman run the forties kind of interesting because there's always like a couple
of real true athletes in there and you're like that big boy, that guy,
Yeah, that guy can move and you see you see that. There's
some stuff that I can find appealing in there. But in general, Adam's
night in his head, big we gotta I think we have a sports freak
right here sitting in this chair. If he's a supporter of the Chicago Bears,
you know, he's a sports freaks? Are you? Are you all
Chicago sports or just the Bears? Like? Okay, all right, okay,
Dodger fan like you like the Dodgers are your favorite major league team?
Why Chicago? Then? Like your dad's from Chicago. Socks is interesting though,
he's he's rare, he likes all right, okay, all right,
Well we're gonna find out more. We're gonna were gonna get him on the
mic while you're gone. You can take medication for that, so that could
be fixed. Or a lot of losing does that to you? You know,
I used to be a sports fan. I'm not anymore. It's true.
You can't say that, Steve, because people are gonna turn off the
damn radio. They're not gonna turn somebody. The guy talking sports is not
a sports fan. I don't like. You're not a fan of teams.
Say it like that. You're not a fan of teams, but you love
sports? You love sports? Okay, tell me what else you you love
sports, don't you? Well? I love sports, okay, but I'm
not a sports fan. But he's dumb team right, Okay, I get
not. You need to finish the sentence when you say that you say I'm
not a sports fan of the Cowboys. Of the Cowboys, love these Chicago
club you love sports, otherwise you wouldn't you wouldn't be here. Uh okay,
so your creator, that's a little more mentioned for you. You're killing
the credibility to this show, though, is not yours. You killed yours
a long time ago. I never had it. I walked in the dorm.
People are going I guarantee, I guarantee you our callers or say,
well, Steve doesn't care, I'm gonna turn this. Um. I told
you he doesn't know what exactly. You know what, you know what it
is. You're just embarrassed that you used to be a Cowboys fan. But
that's what it is. You're embarrassed, and so you just say I'm not
a fan of that. Guilt. Guilt, guilt and shame in there totally.
Like you're like you like you secretly have a felony on your record or
something like that that you don't want anybody to know about you. So you
just deny, you deny how much you love this stuff. No, I
don't love this stuff. But you're right about the Cowboys. They ruined my
life. All right, Let's go and take our break. We're gonna come
back. We don't have a guest in the next segment, where we're gonna
just take your calls and chat over here. Kevin's brought up a great topic.
The NFL has done its survey of the players Association, and clubs were
rated for a variety of things. We'll kick into that. We'll let you
Adam get on the microphone a little bit here, can he's itching over here.
He's a huge sports fan. We just we just the teams sold out
him that he's a he bears Cubs, he likes the Doctors even thoughs from
LA and he's a Lakers fan. So we'll kick him around for that as
well. So come on back and we'll take your cost five two zero four
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evaluation Today. Steve Rivera and Jake and Saliz they have their eye on the
ball on Tucson Sports Stage. Jeff Fox Sports fourteen fifty streaming live. I
mean, iHeartRadio whom Welcome out time the ball Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm
your host for the rest of the day. Ja Gonzalez. Steve is literally
hitting the road heading up for the ASU game up in Tempe. Game starts
in four or three hours and forty minutes, but he felt he needed to
get on the road to get there in time and just left me hanging here.
Dinner he will, Yeah, this is somebody's up there's gonna buy him
some dinner. He's buying somebody dinner. He's got a friend up there or
something. So that's what it is. But I've got a couple of capable
guys here, uh interned Kevin, who's running the board, and then a
new guy who's coming in and checking us out. Adam. We've just been
picking his brain on his teams and so Adam is a Bears fan in a
White Sox and Cubs fan, more Cubs than White Sox. Yeah, I
gotta go with the team. That's okay. And then a Lakers fan and
he says he likes the Dodgers, which I'm like, Okay, you're from
LA, but you're Cubs fan. So I don't know what to make of
that. But anyways, Adam, welcome and thanks for being here. So
Kevin broke out the the nflpa's survey, and so we wanted to kick that
around a little bit and let me ride in the college before reminder, before
we move on, Hod Rabino, who's the publisher of Devil's Digest, the
fan site up up in ten p covering ASU, will be our guest in
the last segment and we'll be kicking around the game tonight, so you won't
be able to call in the last segment. So if you want to talk
to us and give us a call on anything we've been talking about, call
us during this segment. Now five to zero four and six seventy four forward.
Anyways, we broke out the surveys because the Cardinals are at the top
of the list right and the because the Arizona Cardinals once again and we saw
this slash hip across the across the board. Just not consider a very good
organization whatsoever, A D plus on treatment of families, a D on their
food and their cafeteria, and F on their locker room, which that makes
no sense because the stadium is not that old, is it. But at
least they got a bat and training staff. They've got an A and a
minus for their head coach, put an F for their owner. The Bidwells
so interesting stuff, but you bring up you brought up something that cut your
eye. I was gonna say, maybe maybe there's more similar between the Cardinals
and the current champions that you think, because the Kansas City Chiefs have been
rated an A plus head coach Andy Reid, obviously one of the greatest of
all time, but an F minus ownership group the Kansas City Chiefs. I
mean, I'm not pretending to know that. I mean, I guess I
don't know how you can be bad owners if you're winning championships, right,
and guys are playing and you're paying guys and we're know where You'd have to
delve into it to find out why they got such a bad grade now that
I'm looking at it. The Chiefs got F nutritionist, dietician F, locker
room F, training staff D training room C minus. Food and cafeteria D
plus. Treatment of facilities, Well, they're in an old facility. You
know, the Airhead Stadium is really really old ownership. Yeah, and you
know, maybe it has something to do with that. But you know,
it's it's interesting stuff because these are players who you know, are living this
stuff. They go to the locker rooms, they work for these uh you
know, for these organizations, it's the pool of it's a pool of seventeen
hundred NFL players that were that were surveyed and that's how they're getting these ratings.
But you know, again, one of the categories is treatment of families.
A lot of d's fs C C minuses. The Cowboys got an A
plus. We'll give them that, Dolphins with an A plus, Vikings with
an A. But then you look at the Buccaneers of the F the Commanders
with an F minus, Steelers F minus, Patriots F minus. What does
that mean? It's like your families aren't welcome around. Oh they snubbed me
on my six free tickets and didn't let me get a free suite, yeah
or something right right. Facilities I think is always an interesting stuff for locker
room is it is the locker room or just facilities locker room, training room,
weight room, training STATFA of the facilities into a category, so like
locker room, training room. Yeah, but lot you know, you go
locker rooms, which we've always said they're so important. You know, guys
make decisions based on you know, particularly in college. Do you guys have
a good locker room. Yeah, I got, I got a TV and
xbox in there. I'm coming, I'm coming. I'm going to Oregon,
right, but locker room, f locker rooms. The Cardinals, the Falcons,
the Chiefs, the Chargers, which they're in a brand new stadium unless
there's a it's that includes their practice facility. Chargers got an F cafeteria too,
you know. Uh we said the Chiefs, the Chargers, the Steelers,
and the command The Commanders have f's across almost across the board. They
got an A in one thing, and that was strength coaches. So they
love their strength coach, but they hate everything else. Although their ownership got
to be and their coach got to see. They got a Magic Johnson there
now too, So yeah, every game is a new tweet. The Dolphins.
The Dolphins, though across the board, the Vikings almost as across the
board. They got two b's. Yeah, look at that. Vikings being
matt high in every category kind of shocks me, though, I can't think
it's all that hard to be living and playing in Miami, right, that's
just got to be kind of kind of cool. Well, the complete opposite
of living in Seattle. Yeah, exactly, yeah, I mean it's got
to be miserable, but it's not. Now. They got b's and c's
mostly, you know, and A for their coach, C plus for their
ownership. Okay, let's go. Let's go through the ownership groups. Get
to see, uh the forty nine Ers, uh an A minus the Eagles
in A, Dolphins and Vikings A plus Jacksonville and A Packers, and a
Broncos and a uh Buffalo Bills in A. The fs, like we said,
are there are the Cardinals, the Chiefs, and the Steelers. So
those are the only any of the A plus or A ownership groups cand of
surprise you at all about the Broncos. Everything's going on with the organizations kind
of a little bit the jack Jacksonville, but you know, they're they they
you know their game has improved, especially but you know, you know it
all a lot of do they have good players, right, and if they
have good players, are they treating those players as well? You know,
you see you see the Ravens and the and the Bills with you know,
with A's they're they're good. They they're paying, they're paying their guys and
and and all that kind of stuff. But it's cool stuff, you know.
I when this thing came out last year, and of course the Cardinals
got bad grades last year as well, so and you know, you got
a culture, right, and it kind of it just stays that way.
It's hard to get out of something like that. Sometimes it takes a new
stadium. The team's got to get sold something like that to be able to
change. You know, the bid Walls aren't going aren't going to get rid
of their team. They're not going to sell the team anytime soon. Michael
Bidles, the relatively young guy, you know, he's you know, he's
not gonna he's not gonna get rid of it. That's their legacy. That's
what they do. I mean, the Cardinals. For the longest time,
that was their business. You know, most of these other owners they do
something else. They made their money somewhere else. The Cardinals, you know,
particularly when they were in Saint Louis. I don't know if that's changed
over time because of money and so like that, but that is and as
being their business. That's where they make that family makes its money is with
the Cardinals. So you know, when when you when you're doing that,
you know there's there's a lot of other considerations in terms of what you're doing
with your money and stuff like that, but really really interesting stuff. So
we we're gonna talk about the au came here in a little bit, since
you know, we'll be on. I'll be on with old your thoughts tonight.
I mean, I I don't see that them screwing it up to you.
I don't see them screwing it up. We were talking to Steve about
the line the line earlier. I don't know if almost twenty they're on the
road. I could see like fifteen, I could I could see it.
But I see this being a double jEdit victory. It could be in the
low double jed. It's like eleven twelve. Yeah, you know, I
could see su hanging in it kind of you know, being inspired, you
know, taking you know, shoot, shooting their shot kind of thing.
I mean, I don't know what you thought I mean, every time we
think you have is going to take next step, sometimes they have a letdown.
So obviously this is a rivalry game. You want to cement yourself.
They just took back number one in the conference after the Cougars loss, so
this is a big game. They should try to win out and see what
happens. Well, and that's the thing, I mean, they know they've
got to win every game. They can't take any chances that Washington State will
lose another game. And that's what I was gonna ask you, what do
you think should happen tonight? And what do you think will happen tonight?
Well, I think I think Arizona should should not be threatened. Okay,
take a lead, keep a lead. Maybe it's ten, maybe it's twelve,
maybe it's eighteen, I don't know. Kind of a double digit,
comfortable lead through the whole game where you never feel they're going to lose.
That's what I would expect, right, That's what I would expect. I
wouldn't be surprised if it went down to the wire because they as sue plays
out of it. But and I wouldn't be surprised if Arizona blew them out.
By twenty five. But I would expect a game kind of in the
middle, you know, off point lead, fourteen point lead, they kind
of maintain that lead through the whole game. Maybe a stew makes a run
or two gets it and single did just like Washington did last Saturday. Fans
getting nervous, that kind of thing. But I would expect Arizona have sort
of be comfortable most of the night. Uh. Look, they just got
better players. And it's that simple. And if Arizona's players show up and
play well, Colin Boswell plays well. We've always talked about We've talked about
how important it is for Pella Larson to play well. Uh that Arizona's just
better when those two guys play well, because Caleb Love is gonna do what
Caleb Love does, Keisha Johnson gonna do what he does, Lumar Balo is
gonna get his double double. You know, the missing pieces when they when
they don't do well, are those two guys have bad games because they they
rely on those two guys for so much stuff. You know, Pela,
he's got a rebound, he's got to play defense, he's got to he's
got to hit a couple of threes. He's got to drive the lane and
get some baskets. He's got to put up ten twelve points. Right,
he's been a spark as well, right, yelling screen right, Yeah,
when he does that in that moment, those are the things that he brings
to the table and that he does game in and game out. That when
he does all of those things in a game, they're a whole lot better
because he's on the floor and Colin Boswall just has to keep managing. People
are upset that he's not scoring a bunch of points. Well, he doesn't
need to be. Caleb Blove's taking care of the scoring on the perimeter,
but he's he can't do He can't be dribbling at the top of the key,
lose focus and have the guy pick him clean and go in for a
layup, and then you know, then he doesn't cover on the next possession,
doesn't cover the guy who drains the three when he was told to cover
the guy. He's just got to be fundamentally sound. He doesn't have to
fill up the statute, and he's got to get some assists, play some
defense, not turn the ball over. And if he gets six, six
or eight points, then fine, six eight points. It's like four to
six, seven assists, whatever, Right, don't be a not be you
know, a detriment when he's on the court. He can't be a minus
guy. There's been on the course where he just hasn't scored and they've had
like three point losses. There a couple of games where they just needed something
something right. Yeah, and he's got to contribute, no doubt, he's
got to contribute. He's the point guard. He's got to I think,
you know, some of the games that he had earlier in the year,
people thought he's gonna score a lot of points. Well, one, he
doesn't need to, uh and most you know, most teams with great,
real good point guards don't need the guy to scuff. They've got pieces all
around and they've got all you know, they've got a nice inside game with
Umar. That's one of the other things that you know, people are saying
that Umar is not having a great year. He's got six double doubles in
a row, six or sex or something. Yes, he was supposted seven
consecutive double doubles, right, and it's something no Arizona player has done since
Alf Fleming had ten straight in the seventy fourth of five season, and he's
just fourteen rebounds, shy of being the thirteenth player in Arizona history with one
thousand points and seven rebounds. How do people say he's not having a great
year. I think it's because he started. And I was one of those
people. He started so slow. He started really slow, and I just
didn't see any improvement over his play last year in like the first I don't
know, eight six to eight games, and I was like, well,
we're playing bad teams in these first four and I'm like, you got worse
from last year? Is possible? That's it gonna be like when it's March.
But he has kind of grown into the news. He's been really good,
and I think that's something I underestimated, was the effect of him and
his new role on his right right. No, he's been really good.
And and you know, and I agree with you. I mean I I
you know, I thought the kind of the same thing, like he hasn't
taken the big leap that we thought he was going to. But he has
over the last several weeks. And you know, he's the guy that they're
gonna nee. He's going to need to be physical. There's still a lot
of questions about how good he is defensively or how physical he is under there.
He goes up for some shots, they've dunked that, and he doesn't
dunk it, or lays it up and gets blocked or whatever. But he's
getting his points, he's gaining his rebounds, he's having an impact. He's
even made some free throws. I like what he's been doing lately. Yeah,
he's a they go as he goes. I agree, I agree,
So I you know, again, I think I think Arizona handles it.
But what the hell do I know? Right? And especially if you look
as you're saying Arizona goes as Bollo goes. You know, maybe not in
the way that people think about it, but like if you think of the
teams we're going to have to play to win it, all right, you
know, the Produce, the Yukon's, the Houston's, the Tennessee. He
has to be a factor in all those matchups, whether he has to be
a big factor and Donovan Klingman and all those guys, or being the biggest
guy against Houston. He has to be effective in some way. Right,
you can't just be out there right and and again he's you know, game
as the games go on, you see you see that happening. So you
know, I think that's a great sign for Arizona. All right, let's
go and take our break. We're going to come back. Hold Rabino,
publisher of Devil's Digests, one of the SU fan sites, been a frequent
guest to the show. Whenever we're talking to a SU stuff. He's going
to join us and we'll preview the game tonight, see what he thinks and
get some more thoughts on this on Devils, Let's stick around. If you're
an Arizona men's basketball fan, you know it's been successful for nearly forty years.
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iHeartRadio. Wow. This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera and
Jacob Salez on Fox Sports fourteen fifteen. Welcome back on the Ball on Fox
Sports fourteen fifty. I'm jacobn Zalez, your host, because Steve has hit
the road for heading for Tim p for tonight's game with ASU. But on
the phone now we've got Hold Rabino, the publisher of Devils Digest, one
of the ASU sites up up in Phoenix and the Phoenix area. Hode,
Welcome to the show. Thanks for joining us. Not bong guys, thanks
having me. Well, I want to talk a little obviously, you know,
big game and as everybody's noted, the last regular season PAC twelve game
between these two longtime rivals. Now they're neithery're both going together to Big twelve.
So the rivalry continues, but it is the last one. You know,
I was looking at the you're looking at the season that the sun Devils
have had the peaks the Valleys which have been big, right, I mean
big dips and big big I think at the gap play right. I mean
I always tell people that the the resume of Bobby Hurley and MP is a
very complex one. I mean some absolutely unbelievable peaks, like beating Kansas,
you know, back to back years and having all those NCAA tournament appearances when
you compare them to other coaches, not name ned Walk and MP, and
he's definitely done better in that department. But sometimes the Valleys definitely do hit
hard. You know that that COVID year when they had two five star players
Josh Christopher was still playing in the NBA and Marcus Bagley, you have a
team that really underachieve quite a bit. And you know, when you're talking
about the peaks and valleys, I mean, here we are an HU team
that last year won twenty three games, tied for the most under Bobby Hurley
and MP, and a year later you're basically reduced to a five hundred team
losing a lot of key players from last year mainly because of nil. So
yeah, I think peaks and valleys, roller coaster, pick whatever term you
want is something that definitely defines Bobby Early's ten year and tenp and this Arizona
State basketball for them, you know, and you know I'm I'm an Arizona
guy born, you know, born and Brad went to school here, been
here all my life, and I haven't got I mean, I got myself
to admit when when a SU got got to five and two in the league,
had beaten USC and I thought, God, they might be good.
And then what is it? A five game losing streak? I mean,
what what happened mid season? Yeah, it's interesting because a SU had a
horrendous ending to the non conference slate. They lost to University of San Diego
on the road, UH in a game that really had no business whatsoever,
losing, then losing both to TCU and a neutral side and they really fort
Worth as well as losing to Northwestern and a game that was played at the
Phoenix Suns Arena, and those of the last two games the margin of defeat
was just around nineteen points. So you talk about a team that was backing
into pack well play the worst way, and you just didn't feel that something
could happen over holdy break, that this team would look a whole lot different
to start we'd play. But sure enough, as you did start out on
fire, there were four and oh to your point, five and two after
seven games, and you really think they were able to be able to turn
the corner. But I just feel that this team has been very disjointed.
At the very tail end of the conference play really showed that the chemistry in
cohesiveness with a team that had no fewer than eleven newcomers, right, the
things really were coming together. But for whatever reason, after that five and
two start, it's almost like they were playing too much hero ball. And
their defense has been an absolute staple of their fine play when they did play
well this year and definitely last year in the won twenty three games. Was
just one of those aspects that that really kind of came and went. And
look, maybe the four and zero start was a mirage after all, because
both on the road and Stanford and Nat cal Asu trailed in double digits in
the second half. I believe it was the super game with that to overcome
a sixteen point deficit in the second half, so they were able to streak
out those two games. But maybe just those type of victories were you do
get exposed, even though you can put a game in a W column,
but just because we got exposed in those contests, the you know, chickens
kind of came to roosts, you know, later on in the year.
And look said, I mean this PAC twelve team, sorry Pack twelve conference
is extremely extremely full with parody. I mean, you of a Marshton state
above everybody else if you will, But I don't think there's a whole lot
of donation for the rest of the teams. And that's the unfortunately maybe also
caught up with as well. So there definitely were you know, a lot
of aspects. And I'll be the first one to admit that a very promising
start to ACTUELVE play by the Sun Devils is a little bit of distant membory
right now, right we're talking to Hod Rubino, publisher of Devil's Digest up
in ten p So what's what's the buzz around the program right now? And
you know, I mean, as I said, you know, twenty three
games you know in n C doua A tournament last year. Now you're five
hundred, you know, just a few games left obviously, you know,
any chance at a post seasonally since as far as the NC double A is
concerned, got to you know, get on a streak and win the tournament
and would have to win four four PAC twelve tournament games. But what's the
buzz you know, what are people saying? What are people thinking? Uh,
you know what, what's the impressions right now? What do they think
to Bobby Hurley? You know, as you said, you know, it's
sort of this inconsistency, these ups and downs that that he's had as a
coach. Where where's everybody's mind at right now? Well? Look, I
mean I think in the very very short term, you know, to call
a su that quote unquote the team that nobody wants to face in the Taxol
tournaments, Moniker, the definitely has some vilility to it because I feel when
they play defense at the usual level that Bobby early teams have played defense in
the last couple of years, and they have their their four guard lineup really
hitting an old cylinders and really be able to bounce the scoring, it can
be a dangerous team that really can be. I believe any of its conference
fos on any given day. So I know that the task of winning four
games in four consecutive days in the Pasov Tournament in order to win the tax
World Championship and get get in as an automatic qualifier, because obviously any at
large chance of getting into tournament is basically non existent. You know, maybe
that's something that can happen, but I don't think anybody is really disillusion to
think that as even has a fifty percent fans of that happening, which kind
of brings the bigger picture, you know, you know Bobby Hurley, I
mean, is that the coach that asdu uh you know, feels that that
can really still uh come back and play at the high level that they played
last year and even even some seasons before that. I know a lot of
people in the fan base just feel that this program is really gone as far
as Bobby Hurley can take can take. And then you know, maybe in
football, a SU and maybe you for that matter, don't really look at
the Big twelve as a daunting conference that they can really make their market.
But I think basketball it's a whole lot different. I mean that you a
you know should should if it's a comfortable that they could be successful in the
Big twelvel though they probably know that it's going to be a much stuffer tap
right than in the Pac twelve, especially to look at this season. But
I think to look at ASU, I mean, the big field are really
going into the lines then, and maybe with a lot of bullets in their
chambers. And you know, some folks do have their doubts about Bobby Hurley,
how he went from a twenty three win team last year to barely being
a five hundred team this year. And as you probably you've got the dynamic
here in TMP where an athletic director is not expected to be had at least
two three months from now, and both really saves Bobby Hurley's job, if
you will, and allows them to coach that first year in the Big twelve.
And look, I mean, if you're gonna get rid of any coach,
you better make sure that that you do have an adequate replacement. And
I don't know if he is really in that position right now. ASU has
well documented nil issues with in football, there's somewhat been able to be corrected.
But I think basketball associal situation that leads a lot to be desired,
you know. On the other hand, he does have a top twenty five
recruiting class coming in maybe just maybe can really ease that transition into Big into
the Big Twelve. But I think the bottom line with as there's just a
lot of questions in marks. If Bobby Hurley is the right guy for a
lot of questions, Mark how they can singer in a much tougher conference like
the Big Twelve. But right now, I just don't see a whole lot
changing unless Bobby Hurley does want to leave leave on as Ford. Yeah,
so you wouldn't see that. Maybe if they able to bring back the core
of good players, which again is there's really contingent on al being better than
it is right now. If it's top five recruiting class can really play up
to the capabilities, maybe the sun Devils, you know, once again,
can surprise. I don't know how many people thought they could win twenty three
twenty three games last year. So maybe, you know, going back to
earlier point, just peaks and valleys, maybe because of the valley happening this
year, it means there's a peak on the corner next year exactly. Well,
you know, I mean certainly has shown that it's capable, right,
I mean, we saw, we saw what they did Washington State over the
weekend, you know, coming off that, you know, the beating that
they gave to you know, to Arizona, you know down here. I
mean, they've they've proven that they're capable of that. But you know,
again you see it and then you don't and again some inexplicable losses in your
mind, you know, analyzing that, you know what, you know what
Arizona's coming coming up there with. You know, they've got a lot on
the line. You know, they're they're back in the driver's seat for the
regular season PAC twelve championship. What has to happen for a s U to
have a shot to win tonight? Yeah, Look, I mean, first
of all, I mean I don't think that I guess the twelve point betting
line that's out there is really out of whack by any means. I mean,
sure, I think DAC is not going to repeat an historic forty five
point loss as they did into some let's listen to. But the other hand,
I think the talent disparity between both teams is definitely, you know,
very very evident. You know, we look basically at the front court plenty
with the guy like a gomor Balu, and sure, I mean he's a
play like that has given fits probably to every front court and in fact well
a lot of non conference opponents that that matters too. But with ASC,
I just feel like it's definitely a soft slop uh down down there in the
paint and the guy like Bodu and just Eva and in general just to really
have their way as they did in the paint in the first meeting between those
teams, that's something that it can't happen at all now. I don't think
it's realistic to think there will be one hundred and eighty degree turn from the
dominance that you've exhibited in that specific department someway fromhow really just has to minimize
the damage that the battle can do down low and just in general, that's
the front point play and then points in the paint for the Wildcats. But
the thing is, I mean, if Pantas is going to have, you
know, somewhat of a sagging defense is because there's so a concern within specific
aspect. Well, now you killed Love which has an absolutely ridiculous rage on
his jump shot, and if that guy just knows bombing and bombing from three
point ranger with regularity. Uh. Then you're just really in a huge bond
and trying trying to pick trying to pick your poison. On defense, you
know, obviously just you know, the general uh and obvious uh, you
know, aspects that they have to worry about is really making sure that that
they do they do take care of the ball with something they really have done
by by and large, you know, you know, fridly well, and
really make sure that that their defense that does come to play. I mean,
you know, Frankie Collins obviously, uh now the all time school leader
uh in in single seasons fields, obviously the best, the best in the
pack, camel right. You know, the Asies defense definitely had definitely has
to that has to come into play because as we know, this is a
Sun Devil offense that doesn't do too well at all with with the front kids
the front I'm sorry with set uh set plays on offense. I'm obviously if
you throw the zone at them, they definitely show difficulties over there. So
if the face you can really can really just you know, make sure that
they're fast. Great points are maybe the more dominant aspect of the statue.
That's something that definitely can go a long, long, long way. But
just you know, this topic that's three headed monster of Valu, Caleb Love
and Apendel Larsen is definitely gonna be, definite, gonna be PEMMT. I
know it's no different than any other team scouting report face in a new way,
and when you look at the success half hours an it's definitely one of
those maybe unattainable goals because of all the wall Cuts have had this year.
All right, well, you brought this up a second ago, and I
want to ask you about it. We've got a couple of minutes, about
a minute or so left the Catholic director situation. You said there's still two
or three months away from what are they doing? Well, I think I
think you just have really two aspects in play. First of all, you
have still looming into the blaze sanctions you know it's right now, and then
negotiated phase for lack of a better term, where the into the anas are
trying to agree on the quantity and equality of the sanctions. And it is
somewhat unrealistic to have an insect director of quality, I should say come into
the psych department to run it without knowing what really await the football program,
because that's obviously, uh, you know, the main that just makes makes
everything sick. I also, you know know that they Anderson, the outgoing
phylic director, did not leave the Psyche department in great operational shape, not
a great uh financial shape either, And there's definitely a lot of work that
has been done and will continue to be done just to really you know,
tie a lot of loose ends and really clean up and have it just a
more attractive infrastructure for any quality petic director Canada that he who was thinking.
So unfortunately it's just a slow moving process in general. There's definitely some logic
to it, but definitely did not help ease the mood of the Sun Devil
fan base. When you saw the Wildcats all hire in the flag director,
I's think, what just done it? Two? Two, three weeks after
that they may dismissed. So you know, that's uh an extra extra satience,
and I think everybody simply hope that patient's going to pay out. Yeah,
it's definitely something that's going to acquire. There's a lot of a lot
of fortitude for a lot of issues to be cleaned up right? All right?
Ho do we appreciate it? Hold Ravino from Devil's Digest, Sa,
SA, say hi to our friend Steve when he gets up there. Take
care of him. Don't let him get in any trouble, and don't let
him storm the court. All right, thanks a bunch, appreciate it.
All right, that's Hold Ravino, Devil's Digest. Big game time. I
think you can't take care of business, and I think they probably cover.
I've decided. I've decided the twelve twelve and a half. All right,
out there, go get it all right. I appreciate you guys being here
for sticking around. Steve, thank you for leaving, and we'll be back
tomorrow. We'll break down the SCU game and then talk a little bit about
the women's game going into USC tomorrow night. So thanks for being here and
come back tomorrow.