Speaker 1: Welcome back to this so marches right around the corner
and the Cougars are in the metal of it.
Speaker 2: It's time to talk some college basketball on Cougar Sports
with Ben Crittle. Welcome back here your sports one of three,
nine ninety eight point three ESPN the fan, I've bet
fittal broadcasting from our Vanderwilt Studios, Vanderworld dot Com. Get
on that free Q and A no obligation to advance
Q and A with our tax more wealth advisors, certified
financial planners. Nobody does it better at his time for
little college basketball. Is even gonna welcome in a former
BYU head coach to talk some ball with US Brigham Basketball.
One of the things that we've been discussing this season
is the brig three, the Big Three, essentially Richie Saunders,
the Todd King, AJ Debontsa maybe the first overall picking
this year's NBA draft, and obviously Rob Right the third
who had himself a bucket. Getting Frenzy versus Texas Tech
wasn't enough. He dissicated his pinky and had to come
off and got cooled down a little bit, but hopefully
he continues to ball out the Big three. Is this
the best trio in BYU basketball history. We're going to
discuss it with a former head coach of BYU in
this segment. This segment's going to be brought to you
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Men's Health, Game Day, menshealth dot com. Let's get back
into the game with former BYU head coach. We got
Steve Cleveland on the light. Steve, how the heck are you, buddy?
Speaker 4: I'm doing well. It's a great time of the year
with who's going on and football is just winding down.
So there's been a lot of wonderful things to watch
on the NAL Dissster, Sure I know that. About the
Big Twelve basketball, this is going to be an awesome year.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's funny like everyone talks about the college football
SEC Gauntlet, the true gauntlets in the Big twelve Basketball league.
Speaker 4: Yeah, there's no question about that. Absolutely when you started looking.
When you're you just consider some of the games we've
recently seen where b YU got a close win against
UYU at Utah winning a YU comes back d TCU
by six. There, Texas tenth kind of puts a wokment
on the Cougars eighty four to seven. You won, And
every single game you're gonna play in this conference, there's
gonna be a nail buyer. It doesn't matter what place
they're in, if you're playing someone on their home court,
you've really really got to compete, play well, and just
kind of fight to the end because any team can
beat anybody here on any given night. That's the cool
thing about basketball, whereas maybe football methodically you go through
this process, you're going to see what it's gonna look like.
But you know, you get into those last five or
six months of a game where up a few or
down to you and he maybe down maybe double figures,
there's always a chance and an opportunity to come back
and win.
Speaker 2: Yes, indeed, what do you make of the brig three?
What was the best trio that you got to coach
at b YU. I mean, he had some squads, you know,
mckelly Wesley was pretty nice with his crew, Terrell the day.
Speaker 3: I think it was like you had Hopa.
Speaker 2: Travis Hansen, and I would say big Alow.
Speaker 3: That was a pretty good trio.
Speaker 4: Yeah, no, there's no question. You know you started looking
at Popa, who was just a beast himself coming out
of the junior college and then having a huge impact
in the program. You got to go back to m
kelly Westway and Torell a Day because I'm not even
knowing Travis Answer and Mark Biglow because they were they
sustained this thing long term. But when you looked at
coming off a one win season and what mkelly and
Torell did in terms of really turning the program around
and fighting through it, and then you put it into
the hands of Ratha and Travis and Mark Biglow and
all of a sudden, you're able to sustain something over
eight years. And then it continued to be sustained by
you know, Coach Rose and Coach Pope and you know,
and everything that's going on with Kevin Young these days.
So it's been fun to watch and it's been fun
to watch it and also be a part of it.
Speaker 3: So who would be the third there?
Speaker 2: Was it Trent Whiting behind m Kelly Tolla Day and
is it as well as.
Speaker 3: A third right?
Speaker 4: I would say I would say it was Trent because
you know, it's interesting, Trent didn't play a whole lot
He's played in the second half of his senior year,
but he had a huge impact in big games. And
it's not to take anything away from Kelly and Trell,
but Trent came in there and had some big games
and really had an impact on the program. And then
when they're done, as we mentioned before, you have Travis Stephane,
and you have Big, a little of others that came
in and really sustained it and took it to another level.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's an underrated trio man. And look Terrell to day.
Speaker 2: Not many BYU fans remember how good Terrell day the
Day was and how good he was overseas. He he
had a long and llustrious career overseas.
Speaker 4: Oh he did have a sixteen seventeen years. Yeah, and
he's you know, the thing is I hain't coached him
obviously at a couple of different levels, and but I
just think the one thing about there was such a
fact especially with mcklly and Terrell, where you know, I've
got some great images and you know, a book that
I just recently released called Touch all the Lines, one
of my favorite photos is nets over Terrell in m
kelly and uh with their taps on winning About West
Conference championship, and it's just, you know, it really really
makes me. I got so much respect for what they
had to overcome. And I'm not taking anything away from
Travis and Mark and others had stepped in them offa
that sustained it. But what mcklly and Terrell did was
pretty special. And I mentioned before that I just recently
read the book. And when I was going through the book,
I stopped and because you kind of when you write something,
you kind of forget, well, let's din and all of
a sudden I picked that day and then all of
a sudden, I saw Charrell mkelly and that's over her
head and winning a championship. That that was the foundation
of where this program has gone to the Neil novels
and great coaches and big time basketball love it.
Speaker 2: I wanted to get your thoughts on this current by
U basketball team. Obviously, Uh, they they're playing great basketball,
doing great things. What's been the most like what has
stood out to you through Now we're almost we're getting
into three fourths of the season, now getting close to
March Madness.
Speaker 4: Well, I think a J. Davatsa. You know he he
he speaks for himself. Everybody knows you he is. He's
not going to be the first set He'll be the
first or second pick in the NBA. Spending on what
people need. And when I watched this young man play selfless, uh,
kind good teammates, amazing teammate. You know, all this attention
on him in the whole world watching him, He's not
lost his composure. He hasn't he hasn't gotten a big
hit about anything. He is a great teammate. And when
you take a young man like that, who you know,
everybody kind of knows he's a one and done, he's
going out. But then you have a senior, Richie Saunders,
who has done incredible things averaging nineteen five and two
and really is the foundation of that team. And then
maybe the most surprising thing for me personally was seen
just the Rob Wright influence on this team, and they
needed a point guard and he steps in as the
sixty three sophomore averages eighteen four and five and has
become the leader of this team, has made some big
shots and has really been the cohesion part of this team.
Because everybody kind of knows what AJ's you know, they
aj riche an't going to be with the next year.
And I'm not so sure that Rob Rant doesn't test
the market himself in terms of, yeah, he want what
he looks like in the NBA. That would be a
I have no doubt that Kevin Young can replace and
still and do whatever he has to do following me
this year. But to lose all three of them, that's
that's a lot of experience. And I have no I
have no insight information. Uh we know Richie and Hey
j are gone. Where the Rob is? Uh Eritana Tim
Tana is a senior. You've got Cannard Davis, you know,
You've got Cadimo, Jamal Day, You've got Maruse, You've got
you've got some younger guys. But they're kind of all
the guys and have five sixty seven points per game.
And so I'm quite confident that the coaching staff is, uh,
they understand that A J and Miss not going to
be there for sure. I'm thinking that maybe Rob uh
will stay and be a part of this thing. He's
he's just did a great influence on this team. But
potentially youth the Drews three Stiper star guys, and that's
hope that doesn't happen. I'm wanting, you know, Rob to
stick around, and I want to see you know, Davis
and and my Boop and Jim and Day and Ruse.
You know, I want to see these guys develop and
become who they can become. But I do know this,
if this is a coaching staff at BIU that has
a pulse. You know, I was reading the bios of
all of the coaches today and thinking about all over
the world where these guys that coached have contacts, you know, internationally,
all over the planet. And I don't doubt for a
moment that they won't, you know, start this thing right
back up where they left and they'll fight a lot
of guys. And hey, one thing about it, when you're
having a really good year like this and your coaching
and you've got a coaching staff, you know, I've got
my assistants going all over the world trying to find
guys and identify guys, knowing that we have to replace
some of three good players. So nobody's going to be surprised.
We won't know the names, we don't know the schools,
we won't know the communities where they're from. But this
is a program with under the Turtles coach out. They'll
find guys. They've already found guys and del Field And
that being said, it's never easy to fill in for
an Aja and Mitchie Samers who have been really, really good,
and then to see rights development in those three Uh,
it's been a wonderful, wonderful group of guys to watch playing.
And the last thing too, is that the guy the
next six or seven guys are all contributing five, six,
seven points a game. So uh, but they're gonna they
are gonna have to replace, there's no question. But let's
just enjoy what we have. Let's see if this team
can get to a final four, they will finally to
whatever it might be. But this is an awfully good
team coached by amazing coaching staff with lots of experience.
And I have so much confidence in the coaching staff
and the support groups, and specifically about these young men,
these players. Uh, they've come together. And let's borring any
any type of injury. Uh, this is a team that
you can't get to a final form.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 2: If we're to point out one position that it's been
tough to recruit to BYU over the last you know,
thirty forty years, and to get high level guard play
has been difficult, especially at the point guard position, someone
that's dynamic. I remember you had, you know, Kevin Woodbury,
a good player. I remember having to I remember going
to basketball games when I was like a freshman.
Speaker 3: I think he was a senior in Arizona.
Speaker 2: I mean, definitely a dynamic athletic dude, came from the
JUCO ranks. And having a guy like I don't know
if we've ever had a guy like Rob right the
third is what I'm getting at, Like you.
Speaker 3: Know what I mean, Like, I don't think we've ever
had a point guard like him.
Speaker 2: Jim Or was different, he was not the same type
of player. Rob is completely novel in BA basketball history.
Speaker 4: Yeah, you know, eighteen games.
Speaker 2: I mean you can take anybody off the bounds, can
literally get to any place on the floor with like speed, quickness, agility,
and physicality.
Speaker 4: I know if a j Or Solders, if one of
those players you know had just you know, finished their
uh the retired of BYU and so you know we're
going to lose those two. But if that happened earlier
down the road, you know, right, like, your guy's averaging
thirty a game and not eighteen. And because he, for me,
has been the biggest surprise of his team. And it's
only because I'm not made myself fully aware. I mean,
I know who Rob Ryant was, and I've rid a
few things, but not until I started watching him play,
did I really get a sense and a feel that
he's gonna be He's the piece that makes this team
a Final four team, borring injuries and other things. Because
the coaching staffs elits, the players already lead, the culture
is elite, and everything is just kind of in order
to be successful and make a long run in the
NC two tournament.
Speaker 2: Steve Cleveland, former b YU head coach doctor said, b
YU basketball here on your utah is Radio network. As
we we get down the stretch, what are some key
things that look this it's been a blessing watching this team, Like,
it's very difficult to critique anything they're doing.
Speaker 4: Right.
Speaker 3: You got two losses, one against.
Speaker 2: Yukon and then one on the road on a neutral
court technically a.
Speaker 3: Uh not.
Speaker 2: I mean it was a home game for Yukon and
then one on the road to Texas Tech, ranked top fifteen,
top ten team in Lubbock.
Speaker 3: So there's not much to complain about.
Speaker 2: What is it that that is that that baby BYU
needs to do though, to to become a Final four,
Elite eight type of team, do what only one other
team has done in BA basketball history.
Speaker 4: So hold on to that question for a minute. Okay,
I'm gonna come right back to me.
Speaker 3: Okay, there's some really good.
Speaker 4: Stuff there, but I had something on my mind. I
just want to talk a little bit briefly, because you know,
most of the fan base, everybody's being the fan base
knows who Kevin youngs. Yeah, and he had an NBA
experience in Arizona. I mean, he is a season coach
around the world internationally in our country. And I started
looking at Dutch student who's the chief of staff. He's
dealing with all of the nil He's been at Tulane,
he's been in Nevada, he's been at Ouria State, he's
been a Brown, he's been a basketball coach. They're a
team family. And the associate head coach who's just has
a complete post on the euro basketball. He's recruited all
over the world and isn't basically an NBA draft expert.
He played with mccabie for six years and coached there
Will White. Another associate head coach in Europe. United States
the NBA Brandon Dunson Stanford Denver, Fullerton, as U, si U,
Chris Purchase, who is a by U and UU and
Indian Hills and Saltwake Community College and played professionally for
eleven years in Turkey. It was pretty South Korea, Egypt.
So when you look at this coaching state aff and
where they've been and what they've done, it's real easy
for us to give a great deal of credit to
the recruiters and the development guys that are really working
with great guys here. But I don't know if there's
ever been a coaching staff that has been just prepared
for this moment. And I consider Dave roh is one
of the all time Hall of Fame coaches and I
spent a lot of time with him, but there wasn't
the kind of support that we have now. Well, we're
bringing guys in and just back then in those days,
you weren't. You weren't bringing in players from all the
world internationally, and it is it's just a different climate
and it's a different sense of how we're going to
go about doing things. So anyway, that's my feeling on
the coaching staff.
Speaker 2: Well, let me let me follow up history and let
me fall up with this, like you know, with this
coaching staff thing, Like.
Speaker 3: I brought this up to you.
Speaker 2: I want to say when the new coaching staff came
came about right, like right now currently with all the gas,
all the nutrition is strength and conditioning, It's like it's
two to one ratio right now, coach to player. Okay,
I don't know what your ratio was, right, but you
know you're you're laughing here. It was it was like
three to fifteen, right. I don't know how many guys
you had in gas and student assistance you had, but
like you had to get creative.
Speaker 4: Yeah, no, we had like five myself and you had
four assistants, and then you had a personal trainer, and
you had some guys dealing in the you know, we
had a great room guy. But you've probably put all
of our guys together. And you're talking about six seventy
eight people that are there day to day. I'm not
talking about trainers and all those people today that numbers
in the twenties. Yeap, and and God bless them. I
mean it works, and I love it. And if I'd
have had that opportunity, I jump out and.
Speaker 2: So let me ask you this, where is it that
you needed more help when you're at buy If you
had it your your way right, if you could have
executed your vision with some you know, to a certain
set not unlimited resources internally, but like robust resources. Where
did you need maybe a little bit more aid in
support to take maybe BOI basketball to the next level
at that time, you.
Speaker 4: Know, probably financially recruiting all over the world.
Speaker 2: Yeah, so like a robust recruiting, like a recruiting staff,
like an internal recruiting staff.
Speaker 4: Yeah, you know, you're talking about adding players, and you know,
and can we mentioned them briefly about all of the
staff they have and all the experience and you know,
and all of these assistants have coached and played and
prepared teams to be the best they can be. And
so yeah, I think recruiting is the foundation of anything
you do in all sports from that matter, but certainty
for basketball, where you know you're depending on eight or
nine guys and like you know, you're gonna lose aj,
You're gonna lose Saunders. I think I think makes days.
I don't know, but at the end of the day,
all of a sudden, I have confidence in their staff
that they already have people in place that will come
in and have an impact. But it's not going to
be immediately. AJA soldiers a run that little niche that's
you know, twenty three nineteen and eighteen points a game,
four or five assists the game, you know, steels. This
isn't a group that we're just going to throw people
in there and immediately have what we have. It'll take
time to develop it. And they're recruiting now and this
staff is so prepared. We've had so many different experiences.
I just love being Adam. I love watching them. On
the other day, I was in a high school game
and I sat there with Kevin for about fifteen twenty
minutes and just kind of talking. Not the most bastologists people,
and we're looking at one of the recruits that's that
came to high school, and you know, it's just down
to earth and connected. Is the best board out He
just this spot is so connected. These coaches are so
connected to these players. And you're right, we did not
have those tools and we didn't have the sustainability to
do what's being happening because you're different, and it doesn't
mean you can't win. I mean we got we turned
it around and got success. Dave Rose took this thing
to new levels and had year in and year out
at the tournament. But with this group approaches and players.
You know, we're jumping in that answer to a tournament
is a piece, but the next piece or two is
a final. You know, you're the final eight, You're a
final four. You played for a national championship and that
was year and that's you know, I don't see that
changing here as long as they have the youngest year
of coaching with that staff. Uh, that just wasn't something
that was plausible at the time. And I give great
credit for Days because Dave really turned it and got it.
You can imagine what both of us have said this
to each other before, which can you imagine having those
resources and being able to do those things and having
guys that were so experienced And you know, he Shorter
was one of my assistants for a couple I mean,
he's as good a coach as you can find in America.
He's an athletic director now and is doing great things.
But today is different. Today it's different, and we had
good coaches here, we just didn't have the ability to
sustain it. And especially as you reach out to the
world and.
Speaker 2: Recruit coach Steve Cleveland, former head coach b y U Basketball,
Hopefully this BOU basketball team does something that they'd never done,
which is get to the final four.
Speaker 3: They have the most NCAA tournament.
Speaker 2: Ventures and births and that without getting into a final four.
Speaker 3: And so this could be the year.
Speaker 4: I think, Steve, No, there is a door and it's
it's it's just filling up. And again just talk about
the experiences of coaching shafts at the international and within
the main line, all the things that are happening there.
When you just look at the resumes of just all
of these coaches and where they've been and what they've done, uh,
you know, Kevin Young, Gudge Stewart, Tim Fanning, Will Boyd,
that does Chris Burgess. I mean, go down the road
and look at what you know. And these guys either
coach internationally or playing internationally or playing the MBA, and
it's the pieces are in place. The pieces are in place.
I realize that injury here or there, anything can happen
to muddy the waters. But I love I love this team.
I love the staff, and I love what the coaches
in the past have done too. But this is with
different resources and different opportunities than any team that I've known.
Speaker 2: Here in turn out, Steve, we salute you. We appreciate you.
Always a blessing talking ball way. You let us know
if you need anything from us.
Speaker 4: Guys, thanks so much, love listening to you.
Speaker 2: Always love chatting with Steve Cleveland and appreciate his time.
Great segment there with former head coach Steve Cleveland. Great
nuggets of knowledge there. That segment was brought to you
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Any final thoughts Ronald the three Man Weaver as we
close out the show.
Speaker 1: No, no final thoughts, guys, just stay tuned in. There's
a lot still been to get to Tomorrow and Friday
and then Bay. You ticking on Utah. I know a
lot of us are looking at the number one team
in the country in Arizona, but the game against us,
you got to take care of the task an because
last time somebody tried to ask Kevin Young about a
team after that he completely ignored him. So so you
can't talk about Arizona until b what he takes on Utah.
But I do have to say, I think a week
off been is good for Bou men's basketball. I think
it's good for AJ, for the shoulder, for the sickness,
everything that's going around. Well, you got a sick house.
I'm starting to get a succ Everybody should be safe.
There's something to take your vitamin C, take the immunity emergency,
do all of it.
Speaker 3: Trust me.
Speaker 1: But now I expect a big win on Saturday from
Bou men's basketball before they have a big week next
week and not to have hYP probably which two big
important games that can determine seting in that final four
run that we think they're capable of.
Speaker 2: Boom Shaka Laka Ronald three Man. We for Big Kugarota, You,
Big Congoda Vic Kram, Big Cougaroda Brett always bringing the hammer,
habit type.
Speaker 3: Show branded c Currenty joint USh as well.
Speaker 2: We had a star studded cash and we appreciate everyone
that showed up showed out today on the show.
Speaker 3: Guys, we appreciate you. We can't our show without you.
Speaker 2: Thanks for tuning in as always, and we'll be back
Tomorrow's always here on your Cougar Sports Insider Radio network.
Youre Utah Sports Network one O three nine ninety eight
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