This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera and Jay Gonzalez sound Fox Sports
fourteen fifty powered by Nova Insurance Services and Sure Your most Prized Possessions kat z
R two SAD and iHeartRadio Station. Good afternoon, everybody. Welcome to I
on the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera. Jagan
Zalis is out today. I got my guys, Sammy, this is your
president for graduation. This man really all right? Fair enough? My last
show too, that's what it's for. It's sorry, you can get to
wrap it up for you, so you'll wrap it up for us. Oh,
well it was. It was Ana Lisa's last show yesterdayesterday. J became
tyry eyed. At least I thought so, I'm sure, and I gave
her grief. Of course, if they were here, he would be at
Yeah, that's Sammy. This is golf buddy. Yeah, exactly. You
probably didn't give him any lessons, did you. No good for you?
Just think of Charles Barkley. Okay, no, I don't know how he's
sawing. That's probably I scream like Charles Barkley. Hey, good afternoon,
everybody. You two Samon, thanks for coming in saving the day because Jay
is out and I don't know any of those buttons that you press. So
good for us, good for me, Thank you. A lot of stuff,
A lot of stuff going on, but not a lot of stuff going
on. I know you have some breaking news involving Arizona things. Uh one,
I kind of want to talk about the big one, uh kerr.
We talked a little about him yesterday. I know Annaly saw him around and
about the city last week. I think it was that General Ben's not gentlemen's
uh give me the other one stirbacks. I think that was what she said.
And uh, he's going to Kentucky so as a roundabout way to become
a wildcat again and to the fame school. Yeah, he said in his
Instagram post he's a wildcat for life. I wonder what number he's gonna go
back to five, probably twenty five. Well he's a guy who's sign a
few lives, right yeah. Uh, And we know Kentucky has this blue
blood which it is, which it is it is, don't don't go jay
on me. It is it is because he's established itself. It's more of
a blue blood than Arizona is. Yeah. So historically the story, that's
what Blue Blood's YEA, once you're a king, guess what you are,
You're always a king king. So that's what that's what he is, that's
what that's what they are, and he's going I think that Pope is gonna
Mark Pope is gonna do a fantastic job. One because he's a good coach.
Two he has some players and he's not into all the what it done's
like Cali Party was os. Yeah, I think we Cruz collegiate career seems
like it's just one big roller coaster. Comes here in the Shawn Miller age
as he's on his way out, and you could kind of see he was
very this small guard from Europe that was really trying to figure out how to
play college basketball. And Tommy comes in and kind of breathes this new life
into him, at least from watching him being coached by Sean to then having
the team with Tommy and Ben and La and Christian and that team was the
team was great, pretty good. He was the point guard. And say
what you want about some of the shot decisions, the lack of shot making,
whatever it was, but he was the he was the conductor of the
train and if without without him that he pushed the ball. He gets it,
he gets everyone in the right spots. He made ben Azuliz Christian look
a lot better than maybe someone else could have. But nonetheless, transfers go
ahead. Would you say that train went off the rails a few times?
Sure? Sure, but I just want to make sure. But you're you're
you're talking him up. So I just wanted to make you go back to
reality. No, I know, but I don't. I don't think you
could say Arizona six cess or lack thereof in that season. Both don't happen
without him, No question. You The conductor is a good word because it's
true. Uh, you know, for the good and the bad. Like
you just said, Uh, it was kind of like Boswall this year.
And guess what position they play? Point guard? And you that you know
what that means, you point the damn good point guard. And we were
talking about this with somebody else, one of the Boosters today, and they
haven't had a good one since TJ McConnell, and that team was fantastic.
They didn't get to the final four. They were inches away on one game
and got blown out in the lead the second game, but they haven't had
many good ones in point guard. You that too is a blue blog because
it's so long ago and it's just a name. Now. Yeah, it's
just it's just a it's a bumper sticker. Well, what's hard is that
you had so many guys come in that were like, Oh, he's going
to be the next you of a great point guard. I personally, I
grew up playing against Nico Mannion and I thought he was going to be fantastic
for okay, so I'll get my impressions on that and what else? Why
why did you think that? Because A, I mean, it's really easy
to see what's in front of you all the time. Like we played him
club ball, high school basketball. Fantastic player. He was fantastic and and
having played basketball my entire life, you can kind of see that his game
was going to be good at the next level. He had a really high
basketball like Q. He was athletic enough and in high school and whenever he
could really shoot the ball, and it comes to you of a and it's
I don't want to say it's a complete flop, but it was. His
His confidence was was shot was shot by whom Sean Sean Uh, he was
a fantastic player back when he decided to come. I talked to Mike Bibby
about him because he played against him. He's fantastic player. Used to do
a lot of things here when he got here. Sean let him play for
maybe a week or two and then and then took the rest about it.
I wrote a story about that when when Sean was actually let go that it
seemed like he let them play in the first semester, let them do what
they could are you were you here? I was, you know, freshman
year. Okay, so he let them play, and you can go back
and read my calm. Did he let them play that first semester because he
didn't want them to transfer? Right? And then they stayed obviously thinking that
things would be the same or get better. And he and he put the
kebash on that the reins were tightened exactly, uh, and talked about playing
defense, YadA YadA. But he was that guy him. Look at yeah,
Nico Manyon and you know, I'm sorry you have you got Denver Oh
and you and Manyon. Isn't that a fantastic threesome? You would think,
because Josh Green is still in the playoffs, and doing very well with some
good backups as well, with the good core of reserves and all that stuff,
and it didn't do well. This didn't enjoy playing for Sean, and
to be fair, Nico's having a really successful career in Italy right now.
But it was It was really interesting because they came in and he and Nico
and Josh Green had played basketball together for a long long time, and so
you kind of figured that Sean was gonna kind of just let them play.
But when it got a little out of control, that was when he was
gonna kind of step in in play coach, which I mean, not play
coach, but no, no, and he did, but it came really
fast because do you like my theory? Yes, because it's true. And
I've said this to Tommy and he won't say yes or no. But that's
why Tommy was the perfect person to follow Sean. He left them or does
let them play, And that's why I think you see, not to say
Kerr would have done a lot better if Sean were to just let him play,
but Tommy kind of instilled like you're gonna get the ball ahead, You're
gonna be the guy that starts our offense. It may not always end with
you getting shots, and I think that's kind of when it derailed a little
bit bit when it started to end with him getting shots. But he instilled
in the cur like, Hey, the rest of our team, including yourself,
if we do what we're supposed to do, you're going to be the
setup man and if you're okay, like as a point guard, you have
to be okay with that. And that's why I think Ben had a fantastic
year. Dalen was really really good both both ends, and I think Azulus
Tabellis was probably his best self in that last year for her in my opinion.
Sure, we also remember that they had a Kiinjo. I think it
was a kid. Joe was the guard and guess what before him, and
guess what he did, and he took the shots. They hated playing for
him, they played, they hated playing with him. They were not going
to see the ball. No, and it's it comes back to the ball.
Dominant guards and college that's not what that's about. No, you can't
be You got to be the distributor. That's why we thought. That's what
last year they had. Well, the curve before, right, they thought
he'd be able to do it and he and he did to it. It
was his It was his lack of accuracy and his shot selection. Yeah too,
and kind of like all over the map. And that's why when he
left, they said, Okay, no, Biggie Boswell. We got Boswell,
the guy who played pretty well at the at the end of his career.
First year. Oh, no problem, he's gonna be able to handle
it. And then and then they went the same kind of issue. Well,
let me ask you, do you have any skepticism and that that's gonna
be Jayden Bradley next year? Oh, good question, good question. I
don't think he lacks for confidence, so there's there won't be that. I
still thinking that this is maybe the I'm the only one that in this town
that thinks that he's dribbled dominant too. Yes, he goes downhill too much
and he doesn't look at the court enough. Is that what is that you
create to Probably he's not the point guard, but he's gonna have to be
the point guard. He's probably going to have to be the point guard.
Unless did you guys talk about the weird Caleb Love situation? Yeah, yeah,
we talked about that yesterday that he's in or not in and yeah,
it was weird, but nonetheless, the do we're still open I think right
for him to come back. So I was again with that booster today and
we talked about this and I asked him, do you want There's no wrong
answer, yeah, do you want Caleb Love back? And they said,
I'm not so sure. And if you're I'll ask you, yeah, do
you want Caleb Love. We had this conversation a little bit ago, but
I'm in the camp that I would want him back because because he's the reigning
Pact twelve Player of the Year, and I think you know what he's capable
of. I know what he's capable of, and especially in because Boswell's gone,
Ballow's gone, I think not to say this season will look a little
differently next year, but the players on the floor will. And that's why
I'm excited that jayde Bradley's coming back. That's why I'm excited Kay Jesuis Lewis
possibly is coming back because you have some guys that have been here, even
if it's just for a year, Caleb, kJ and Jayden. They understand
what Tommy wants and on the floor what needs to happen, and so That's
why I think I think he could be. We talked about this the last
time we talked about this. Of the you know, good and bad,
Caleb Love is going to get his shots up where Cayleb Love is going to
try to get his points. But I think if if he has to be
that point guard next year, Yeah, you think he has that in him?
Ca Yeah, do you think he has that in him? No?
No, you are who you are and he's not that. He's not that
because he's not. He's better at it. Giving up the ball at North
Carolina he did not, and now he shared it better. I think he
had like four assists a game or whatever. But he is what he is.
He's the shooter. I mean, you've heard the scorpion and the frog,
right They trying the scorpion of the frog analogy. The scorpion wants to
get across the river. The frog says he'll take him. Halfway through,
the scorpion bites the frog. This is why you do that? You want
to go across. I'm the scorpion. What do you think I do?
I bite people? Get So what Cayleb Love does? He shoots. Here's
the thing. If you're Tommy Lloyd and he's already set him down. Oh
this last year, Oh Caleb, I love you. I love the way
you play. I know you're a good score. And he did it because
he even kind of mentioned members I say, you need to shoot less,
be more efficient. Look for you guys, you're kilb love you gonna listen.
I mean that hesitation right there. It tells me, Well, genuinely
depends because I think last year it was it could have been really easy for
him to be like what depending on when this conversation happened of say, hey,
coach, look what we've done so far with me. Yeah. Yeah,
Like we were the number one team in the country. We're going to
be a top three seed in the tournament. And in his head at the
same time, it's he's probably thinking, well, I gotta have some good
tape for the draft, right right, good point. And I'm not to
say that I'm not sitting here saying that's exactly what he's thinking, but it's
probably in the back of his head of like, if I can put together
a good tape at a really high program school and I decide I want to
go to the draft, that can only help me. Sure Okay, So
I'm gonna go here with you because I've done this a long time. You
know golf much more than I know golf. You see good players, and
you see mediocre players, and you see great players. Right you know the
good ones that are gonna make it to the next level because you see him,
Sure you should. Okay, So Caleb, if he's not good enough
right now to go to the league, no five minute tape is gonna get
him there. Because if he goes to Combine and works his butt off and
does really well, guess what they'll find that he's good enough right right another
year here. Won't do that. Won't do that the only way that It's
one of those cases where maybe after his Carolina title run would have been the
best time for him to go to the draft, because at that point he
really had lit the college basketball world on five, He had some presents,
he had some actual presence and grant they should have won that national championship game
against Kansas. But if that, if that wasn't the time, then I
don't know what is. He's still who he was two years ago. He
would honestly have to probably win a national championship or win Player of the year.
So final answer is, yes, you take him, I would take
him back, And there's no right or wrong answer. No, I just
think that if you do take him back, he's got to fit into this
mold of what I want. kJ Lewis is going to be a fantastic player.
So where does he fit in there? What if he goes to the
draft? Well he could, well, well he could. He's the he's
the guy with the most upside, a lot of those. So, hey,
we got to talk about who we have today because it's shit naked show.
I was looking forward to this all day. I've been trying to get
Tom Tunnecliff, or find Tom Tunnacliff. Finally found him through a couple of
sources, and he's on the show today. I want a fantastic quarterback back
in the day. And then I have Vincent Smith in the second hour at
four seventeen, So Tom will be here in about three four minutes and let's
go. I'll be looking forward to having this conversation. Yeah. Sweet.
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I mean, iHeartRadio WAP. This is I on the Ball with Steve
Rivera and Jay Gonzalez on Fox Sports fourteen fifteen. Hey, welcome back to
WY on the Ball Hero Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera. Jay
is out today. I got my guys Sam you working the boards here and
now on the phone. Happy to say it's Tom Tunacliffe, Arizona football quarterback
from nineteen eighty to eighty three. Tom. How are you, hey,
Steve? I'm doing great. Thanks great to have you on the line.
You are an elusive quarterback. It took me a while to find you.
I'm glad to have you on this show. First of all, a guy
texted me earlier today. He wanted me to tell you this. It was
interesting, and he says, be sure to tell Tom Tunnecliffe thanks for making
my time at UVE versus ASU of thrill back in the early eighties. So
I guess you had that impact on people. Yeah. Well, I'd like
to think it was me, but it was the team as a whole,
and certainly didn't play the game myself, but we just our teams back then.
You know, we seem to have a character where we'd just rise to
the moment, the bigger, the challenge. It seemed like the bit we
played and a lot of those ASU games, you know, fell into that
category and we came out on top. How was that good memory? How
was it when you first got here? You did not play for Larry right,
You played for Mason at the time. Now, I was recruited by
Mason and then he got fired in the spring and they brought in Larry Smith,
and that was the first year that I was there. I played under
Larry Well. Okay, bad. I thought he was maybe a year or
so. No of how was it playing for Larry? We've had his wife
and maybe a daughter on the show. How was it playing for him?
It was fantastic. It was a real blessing. I feel absolutely grateful for
that opportunity. You know that when the coach that recruits you ends up not
being there when you get there, usually that could be a problem. In
my particular situation, I welcomed it because it meant that new coaching staff really
didn't know anybody, and so they were going to have to get familiar with
everyone. And I also really liked it because I was recruited kind of at
the beer option type quarterback, That's what Mason was running as an offense at
that time, And of course coach Smith went to more of a pro style
office offense, which really was more suited to my skill set. I'm glad
I didn't have to run the ball too much. Who was your I got
here in eighty seven, so Jay's the historian of the group here. Who
was your predecessor before you start to just started to play? Jim Crown was
He wasn't on our team, but he preceded me under Mason and then you
know, I played my true freshman year and it was we had a little
bit of a battle for the first couple of games, and then the first
start was against Notre Dame at Incucsan. Okay, okay, In fact,
I had hope this Damelle Eric Thompson on I don't know, two three years
ago he was one of your backups. No, I don't recall that name.
Okay, okay, uh he had he has been a quarterback back and
then too, maybe a little deep into the into the system there, okay
uh. For you, how how are those memories? Because let me say
this, I guess you've been to a basketball game or two. That's when
I saw you on the screen. I said, hey, Thom's here.
I got to find him, and then you were here for the spring game.
How has it been kind of being a fan? It's spectacular. I
couldn't be more thankful and excited about it. My daughter is going to be
attending my oldest daughter is going to be attending U of A in the fall,
and so we bought a house down in Tucson, and I plan on
being there as much as possible. I joined the collective that is at nil
program for the football team, and I'm committed to that in any other way
that I can help the program or any of the players. It just feels
good to be able to give back and it's warranted and I'm and I'm thankful
to be in a position that I can do it. And I couldn't be
more excited about Coach Brennan, the team. You know, Ricky Hunley and
Chucks Ecil still being involved in the program, and those were guys from my
era. Ricky was on my team and we played together. And so having
guys like that the influence these young men and provide guidance, as well as
the other great coaches that Coach Brennan brought in, including Coach Akena and Bobby
Wade. And you know, he's got brand Pit Sanders in there helping with
alumni and other matters and it's a fantastic mix. And couldn't be more excited.
And the team is great, and you know, I'd be remiss if
I didn't mention this. This is what I'm so impressed by, and I
want to make a point of getting this out. What Tmac McMillan and Noah
Fafida did by staying with that program should be celebrated and promoted. I think
personally they should be promoted for the Heisman, but which would do nothing but
bring attention and to the program. But what they did in the in the
era of the NIL, where they could have went probably anywhere and made a
ton of money, they chose loyalty to their to their teammates and that school
and the program, even with the coach leading, who I know is chasing
them as well, and for them to stay and commit to that chows the
kind of character and commitment at the school is trying to build in that program,
which goes even beyond the money they had to be celebrated, Yeah,
no question. I know the fans love both of them because for exactly the
reason you talk about, and they're pretty darn good. What do you make
of the NIL? This is you were eighty three of your last year.
What's that forty forty years ago? What do you make of this? It's
in cotal insanity. I guess I'm jealous in a way because back when I
was playing, if the coach gave you a T shirt n C two A
would want to put you on probation. Right. In fact, we were
on probation my senior year in nineteen eighty three, So think of this.
We were on probation, couldn't have playing a bowl game or anything for infractions
committed under Tony Mason, where on our team, not one player or one
coach were a part of that. But yeah, the team is suffering this
consequence. It was insane. Now it's the wild wild West. Anything goes,
And I'm all for the kids making money and being compensated for what they're
doing for the schools. I just don't think it's got the right bumpers are
in place, so to speak, because it's a little bit insane the way
it's set up, not much boundaries to it. But you know, if
they could refine that, I think, you know, it could be a
really great thing for the kids, for sure. But it's the moment,
you know, I hesit. I was hesitant to jump into it and support
it financially, but then the reality is if you don't, you're going to
just be put at a disadvantage. And so even if you don't fully embrace
the format, you got to get on board. So I encourage anybody,
every u of a fan, every former player, to bite the bullet and
contribute to the Arizona Collective, Desert Collective. Call me if you want to
talk about it or know how to get involved and support this team and these
players, because we got to do it to stay competitive, right, no
question if you got to keep up with the Joneses, right because everyone else
is doing it and doing it even better, even better. So do you.
I'm sure you've been a fan all this time, since you're since you
left. Now you're more visible because we see you. But how has that
been following the program from from Larry to Toy to Stoops to Rodriguez tow.
Yeah, it's it's it's kind of almost surreal being so removed from it after
having made such an impact on my life and still to this day it impacts
my life, and that's why I want to give back. But it was
most of the time really enjoyable to me, and some of the coaches were
spectacular him in particular. Some disappointments for sure, but usually those didn't stick
around too long and made a great great moves going forward. Coach Brennan,
I couldn't be more excited about. He's a He's a great person separate from
just being a good football coach, and it's going to serve the university well
and the new ad who I think is a real win for our for our
school. Yeah, I'm sure you had some time to speak to her or
meet her. No, I haven't yet. I'm trying to coordinate sometime.
Actually, schedules have been a little tricky, and I'm over here in California,
but I will I plan on it when i'm down there more and support
her completely. So so let me talk about your career real quick. So
it's been forty one years since you were here. You're still among the top
three career passing got quarterbacks in the program, Nick Foles, will Tutama and
then you anu right behind you. Is that surprising to you? In addition
to your I guess forty six touchdowns because that's like in the top five too.
It is a bit surprising. You know, we didn't run a pass
happy offense back at all. You know, we'd be lucky to throw twenty
twenty five passes a game, and the offenses have changed so dramatically. And
so if the athletes these kids are should even call them kids young men,
are unbelievable athletes. So that is pretty shocking. Noah Will should destroy all
these records. He's excepterate from being a great athlete and competitor. He's just
he's a winner. He's the guy who just has it winner tag attached to
him. Meate binds away. He's a great competitor. I think he'll end
up, you know, surpassing everything, especially throwing the guy like mcmillington.
That's it got to be a DB's nightmare. I don't even know how you
guard that right. Well, he's tough. So going back your biggest moments,
you faced Notre Dame a couple of times, I think just maybe some
of the big games. What were they? Well, we're very fortunate.
So one of the big ones for me personally, I mean the team,
but personally was we beat USC in the Coliseum when they were ranked number one
in the nation, undefeated. Marcus Allen that year was their tailback won the
Heisman Trophy and we were a twenty three and a half point underdog and we
went in and beat him on their home field. That was super satisfying because
I'm from that. And we went up to South End and played a Jerry
Faust undefeated Notre Dame team. I think they were ranked in the top for
sure, top ten. I want to say they were five or six,
and we beat them in their home stadium and that was a spectacular memory.
Also that what I really remember is how classy all their fans were towards us.
But that was a great experience thanks to Max and Dejas and made that
kick. At the end. Of course, beating ASU at home was spectacular.
The year all they had to do was beat us and they would have
been in the Rose Bowl and their fans came into our stadium, many of
them carrying rose scented air freshener and were splaying it around in air fans.
Yeah, that was your j That was yeah eighty two and they had the
number one defense in the country, and so yeah, that win was was
very satisfying. And then if UCLA and the last in my senior year,
last home game Beatenham throwing the go ahead touchdown to Jay Dobbins, who's a
wonderful football player but also a great person and contact with today, right right,
all these guys, and we talk about that because Jay has been a
freaking guest. Ricky Huntley, You guys, even though the team was pretty
good or the program was good in the mid seventies under Jim Young. You
guys were kind of like the lunch pale guys. Yeah. Yeah, well
we just, like I say, you know, we were competitors and the
bigger the challenge that the more we rose to it in the moment. And
credit to the coaching staff for preparing us and having good game plans. Steve
AxMan was my position coach and offensive coordinator, and he's a brilliant guy,
and not only as a football coach and a football mind, but he knew
how to use the talent that he was working with instead of trying to force
something. And they did a great job. And you know, now we
were also kind of a gambler's nightmare because there were some games we lost that
we should have never lost. That's Arizona football. That's Arizona football to a
team. Yeah, you know, you got to remind yourself. I do
still to this day that. So, you know, you got a lot
of nineteen twenty year old kids out there playing this game, even though they're
spectacular athletes, and they have a lot of other things going on in their
life right that can impact the game. Well, if there's one thing I've
heard in my sports running business and now doing this, it's that emotion.
Emotion of a player plays a huge factor. Girlfriend's, school, a lot
of different things, and it's hard to gauge where they're at. Absolutely yep,
on any given moment. I mean, it still happens to you know,
as an adult. You know in that game is such a demanding game
that if you're not if you're head not on straight and you're not approaching it
correctly. I don't care what kind of athlete or athletic skills you have,
you won't succeed. Yeah, you just won't. A couple of quick questions,
again, this might be a dumb question, but I don't think you're
not You're not a taller quarterback. You were a shorter quarterback, right,
Yeah, I was listed at I mean I'm six feet tall, and so
I was. I was considered short and I got a lot of a lot
of grief for that. And I remember get an interviewed and asked about it,
you know, and how that would relay to future playing opportunities and stuff.
And I remember saying any coach that felt that I was too short to
play, it was too dumb of a coach for me to want to play
for Yeah, right, Well, then you see Noah who could be five
ten maybe on a good day. Yeah. I talked to him briefly during
spring practice and that's correct. But you know, he plays like he's six
' five. I mean, he's just a winner. And that's that's the
difference in the in the football world, is it doesn't always come down to
just a taller or faster athlete. It's football instinct and just you know,
the inmate ability to lead and win. Right, right, final question too,
So you came here for the spring. How was it getting to see
some of the guys, you know, your former teammates Ricky and some of
those guys. It's spectacular. It's just you know, it's inspiring, it's
really satisfying. It's it's surprising, you know that we still kind of are
stay connected after all these years for whatever it is. But you know,
at the best I can liken it too, is maybe you know, guys
that are in the war and make friends. You know, when you're in
the foxhol fighting all the time, you just create bonds that can never be
broken. And some of that is how it feels seeing the guys, and
it's it's wonderful. I'm going to do as much of it as they can.
And now you know how to read me. Yes, call me or
reach out anytime. I can do anything to help you and your program and
anyone else down there. I'm all in for Arizonay, well, next time
you're in town in the fall with your daughter, let us know. That'll
be great. I will for curious. Thank you, Tom, I appreciate
your time. Good to talk to you, you too, Steve bear Down,
Take care Tom, Tom Tonercliffe. Which was great. I've been trying
to reach out for two years. Let's take a break because we're really late,
and then we'll talk more about it. If you're an Arizona men's basketball
fan, you know it's been successful for nearly forty years. Now. Take
a look back at the Loudolsen era. In my new book, Lessons from
Loot. It was a labor of love through the eyes of twenty five former
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who led them, competed against them, and inspired them twenty five chapters for
his twenty five years as Arizona's beloved coach. Lessons from Loot is an insight
to how he built the program into a national powerhouse. Want one, Email
me at Steve dot RIVERA ninety five at gmail dot com. Hi, this
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plumbing. Tucson, It's Centurion time. May the fourth be with you the
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online at the Centurions dot Com. That's the Centurions dot Com breaking down the
hall the exes at OHS It's Steve Rivera and Jagin Salves. This is I
on the ball on Fox Sports fourteenth fifty. Hey, welcome back to my
I in the ball hero Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve, You're Sammy.
Got twelve minutes if you guys want to give us a quick quick call
five two oh four one six seventy four forty. So if you had a
job like this in future life, but you you're gonna have a great job
here in a couple of weeks. Who would you want to talk to?
Uh, I'm gonna give you restruction, former you of a guy, former
U of a guy. H take your time. It's a really good question.
I think I think talking to t J. McConnell would be that's a
good one. Would be great because he played in and you were here when
he wasn't here, and I grew up resenting you of a basketball I was
a big a s U fan. My dad went there and I watched James
Harden at a s U and I knew who t J. McConnell was a
little bit. He was like that Aaron Kraft type. That's what I was
like, reflected or compared him to, and probably not even as good as
a probably not because collegiately right even as a player. And then he turns
into this guy, and so I think I think it'd be really interesting to
pick his brain about a the the dynamic of Sean and that team, and
because he played with he played with Aaron Gordon, right, yeah, TJ.
Yeah, because that team, that team was awesome. It it's been
one of the best ones ever. And I think it'd be really interesting to
get his opinion on what the atmosphere was that surrounded that team and kind of
listened to it and compare it to the teams I've seen here the last five
years. Yeah, we've had some really great teams. We've been number one
in the country. But I don't think, at least if my memory serves
me right, there probably hasn't been that type of buzz around the team.
No. In fact, that that's that was probably Sewn's not Powerty. It
is Shawn's best teams in that two years that he was able to play.
In fact, in fact, when I was talking to Loot in twenty fourteen,
I think it was when TJ was sitting out and we kind of didn't
know much about TJ. He he told me a couple of times he's the
best player is not even playing on the court. And this is before he
started. I said, who could that be? Because they're loaded, and
he says, that guard the guard that McConnell, and I think, you
really And then he comes out and you see him play methodical like your point
guards that we talked about, right, that these guys aren't. He's that
guy. Yeah, shoots minimally, he takes a good shot, but makes
everybody better. And that's that's what you see with him on the Pacers now
or whatever team he's played before. It's like he's never been a guy that's
gonna go out and average fifteen plus or a ton of minutes. And then
and then he does, and then he can. Yeah, And I think
he's just a guy because I grew up playing and loving the sport of basketball,
and I was a smaller point guard as well, So he's kind of
picking his brain both about the game of basketball, both collegiately in in the
NBA. I think because he doesn't have as long as a career in the
NBA. Yeah, just move the phone down so I can see the light.
Oh okay, he doesn't have as long as a career in the NBA
that he's had without doing something extremely well. Being a great teammate and so
and on the flip side, I think another person that would be really really
fun to talk to, just from a content perspective would be Gilbert Arenas.
Oh God, keep your hand on the and the on the button with yeah.
But because he he probably had a wildly different experience, oh, no
question than TJ. I covered him day to day. I covered that's what
that was. The era of the in my time is I think the best
time, the best team to ever play at Arizona with Gilbert and Jason and
Luke and Richard and and and no, no, Channing wasn't here. Uh
it was now You're gonna make me Michael Wright. Uh, those guys,
those Fort Richard Richard uh and oh man, I just had him on the
show, good friend, the seven foot one guy from wake Forest. Why
am I spacing this name out on pulling a jay? But well, it'll
come to it. So the best team I think they lost the Duke Gilbert
got hurt in the finals, Luke had hurt his hand, so but would
be fun. The reason I ask is Tom Tonacliff was one of the guys
I've always wanted to go really and I probably smashed this interview. You know,
didn't do a good job with it, but he he uh, just
because of who he was back in the day. He was like he was
like the dude at quarterback. He did all these things undersized for a six
footer, okay, but but helped them win and kind of establish the program.
And see, I don't like you have a football. Even in my
years here, I've enjoyed watching it, I enjoy going to the games,
and the last couple of years the team's been exciting, but it's never been
something. I've always loved college basketball way more than I've loved college football.
But I do think in fifteen twenty years, if if this next team,
this next year can again go back to a bowl or have a really good
season like Fafita and Timak are gonna be one two good punches. Yeah,
a guy that in twenty years, maybe someone else is sitting here really wanting
to get them on the type thing, because I do think they can be
that good next year. So let me ask you, how how did your
dad take you wanted to be at an Azult. Well, so my older
sister went here, I'm here and now my brother is a junior here.
So after my sister. After he started writing tuition checks, he just gave
up. So but nooo, how did this happen? It was It was
one of those things where and and and you wanted to be a journal you
want to be so I definitely could have gone to the Froho. It was
more kind of I really wanted to get away from home just for hope,
you're not listening, yeah, mom and dad, if you're no, they're
in My mom and dad are in Rome right now, so they're not listening.
But yeah, right, So I wanted to get away from home.
And I, like my sister, like my brother, we all just how
tough was that place? Great family, but nonetheless a su was so big
it was here, especially when it came to journalism. I felt that I
could be a big fish in a small pond as opposed to and I know
the program is great there, but it probably would have taken a little bit
longer for me to gain a lot of experience there. And I was able
to do that there. But my parents, they are they love that we
are down here. They like to come visit and the other so it benefited
them too. The benefited them because did you guys run the house they probably
have the same reactions. Get the gas, honestly, get We were tired
of you guys for real. So that's that's how that happened. Like I
said, once you're cutting tuition checks, you don't really care where they are,
right right, right right, because they're checks exactly, they're checks.
Yeah, okay, No, that's interesting. I'd never asked you that before.
Okay, and now you now we'll talk more about your life. But
you've got a good job now with the Diamonbacks. Yeah, going starting May
sixteenth, working in the media and content space for their zone Diamondbacks, which
made my breaking news a little bit. But you know, the team went
to the World Series last year. I grew up a huge Diamondback fan,
and it's one of those things where it's a season long job and so hopefully
you try and make a good enough impression to where they want to keep you
around. Right, But they be living at home living with my brother,
which would be which would be funny. But I'm excited because this team is
one of the again still the one of the younger teams in the MLB.
I'm twenty four. A lot of these guys are right around the same age
as I am, and so hopefully being able in the content space to kind
of be creative with kind of the stuff we make with them, and they're
fun. Team needs to get better to them, he needs to get healthy.
They're they're not playing like they should or I guess because of the health,
right, the team needs to get healthy. We won last night and
extras beat the Doyers, So yeah, he was supposed to go tonight.
He kept the hell ja was that? Was that? The behiveh game?
Behive game? Okay, so was it delay like ninety minutes? Yeah,
it was kind of like in case you missed it, there was like this
how does that happen? I really don't know. I think what happens is
during the day, the roof stays open, and so this huge like colony
of bees or whatever just decided to the queen came out. The queen came
out and like put her her markings on like the net right behind home plate.
And if you've seen pictures on it on like social media, Twitter or
x now or Instagram, it was like this huge, huge thing. Right,
we had to call a a what are they a bee keeper and he
had to come in and they raised him up. Did it, and then
they actually like let him throughout the first pitch, which was actually really really
funny. So it was like a ninety minute delay, right, and then
his suit too, Yeah, you had to get a suit, all this
stuff. They interviewed him after the game. He was like, yeah,
I was at my son's litle league game and I got a call and they
were like, can you come do this? And he's yeah, sure,
I'll be down there. Like that's just crazy minutes. Yeah, he took
him a while to get there, and then he did it, and then
throughout the first pitch, and then on top of that and when an next
your inning and Christian Walker hit a walk off home run. Oh okay,
okay, because I gave up about the six that were up two to one.
I think we were down two to one, and then we tied it
and then went to extras and then bottom of the tent for Christian Walker walk
off home run. Maybe in maybe in like three weeks when the Diamondbacks go
on, like it'll be the Bee it'll be the b game where you can
yeah, well, yeah, what game did it? Well, not not
inside, but it was outside with the be guy and he just kind of
vacuumed all the vacuumed it all off, and it was I saw the notification
on Twitter and it was like the Diamondbacks game has been delayed because of bees.
And I was I was like, what this doesn't this doesn't happen.
Sure sure that Like every once in a while there'll be like this huge swarm
like out on the outfielder whatever in any baseball game. It's kind of weird.
They stop it for like five minutes, but not a behive right because
it was right above the stats, the right behind home play right and kind
of yeah, and then with the crowd underneath the crowd kind of there.
I had some friends that were there and they said they kind of had to
move just to you don't want to get stun stun by a bunch of knees,
so right, the b game. But yeah, So I'll be working
for the Snakes come May sixteenth, and good for you. Then we'll see
what's see what's for you going on after that? One of these days you're
the president of some company and you'll take me with. You'll be seventy years
old, You need a job, need some tickets? Yeah, Well that's
definitely I'm going next week to the game, and I called my boy,
you gotta be tickets, and he said, yeah, go, yeah,
you'll be tickets, probably in August when you've established yourself. Sure. I
hope I get some. We'll see. No, my brother and my sister
are using I'm sorry. Yeah. Hey, good first hour. Good to
kind of go by memory Lane with Tom and and you will have some breaking
news, right yeah, maybe even more curse stuff. And then we have
Vincent Smith as our next guest.