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Speaker 1: It's time to talk some college basketball on Cougar Sports
with Ben Cripple.
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VP products and VIP service. Let's get out to the hotline, bookman,
former b YU bucket getter, the Brazilian bomber. We got
Jonathan Debernario on the line JT for three.
Speaker 3: How the are you? Buddy?
Speaker 2: Oh man? Is it? Is it golf season yet? Is
it football season yet? Is it volleyball season? Can we
go back to the track and field season?
Speaker 1: I know, man, Uh, it's uh, it's hard, man, because
we know that this team can be good. We know
that this Boa basketball team has been good. It just
doesn't look like they want to be good.
Speaker 3: JT. I don't know if they really want it. There's
there's a lack of effort, and I think that's why.
Speaker 1: Bau fans are getting a little bit, uh frustrated with
this team. It's the effort, not necessarily anything else.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Like here's the thing. There are there are losses
and losses and you're gonna understand this because you know,
as someone who walked on and had to earn things,
you know, Like, my biggest issue with this team right
now is how they're losing games. It's not that they're
losing games because they have all of the perfect excuses
of why they're losing games. They don't have Richie Saunders,
who's supposed to be the phase of the program. They
don't have Nate Dickens, who's supposed to be the backup
point guard and play fifteen plus minutes a game. They
don't have Dawson Baker, who was supposed to be the
six men for this team and play fifteen to twenty
minutes a game. So I get all of that, I
get all that. I'm not even considering you know what
Brody Kraslowski could have potentially given this team, what Xavion
Stanton could potentially give this team, although they had to
go and get i know, Abdullah Ahmed because Xavian just
wasn't delivering right. So it's they have all of the
perfect excuses. My biggest issue is where is the pride.
I'm not even talking about representing YU forget about that
for a second, right, it's not even the Hey, you
got to represent the program, and you know, BUYU and
blah blah blah. Where is the pride of being able
to say I was given an opportunity. I I'm doing
the best of what I can with the opportunity, so
I can earn a lot of nil money in the
portal and I can potentially earn a really big contract
in Europe or a long shot in a summer league.
That to me is baffling because Aj and Rob have
been tasked with doing the impossible and score seventy percent
of the team's points by themselves, and because that's just
what Uyu needs right now, but the other three players
not doing everything that they can to then bring glory
to themselves above anything else. Forget about Biu for a minute.
That is baffling to me. To see five guys standing
in the last possession shot of the West Virginia game
that if they grab a rebound they give themselves a
chance to tie the game. That was crazy to me,
and I think that that is the microcosm of the
only thing I will blame Kevin Young. Kevin Young is
how much is he holding the guys accountable behind the scenes.
That is the only thing I would say that is
not super positive about Kevin because everything else then you
were a player. I was a player. Can you imagine
the amount of attention this team is getting being given
the opportunity to play twenty minutes a game. What would
you have done, Ben, when you're a walk and someone said,
Ben Critto, you're now the guy that's going to step
in and you're going to really show us what you
can do. What would you have I know what I
would have done. Then, you know what I would have done.
I know what you would have done. But please tell
all of your listeners now that the tens of thousands
that are with us right now, what would you have
done then?
Speaker 1: I mean I would have been jumping for joy, I
have had gratitude. I would have been I've been preparing,
I would have been engaged.
Speaker 3: All those things, right.
Speaker 1: I mean, I think what I described it last week
is just the lack of gratitude. When you don't put
effort forth, you're just not grateful to be there. You know,
you don't have any sort of like gratitude for life,
for the ability to compete and play.
Speaker 3: That's what I see when I see lack of effort.
Speaker 2: And to me, it's difficult. It is extremely difficult to
just not completely and orderly lose my crap because like
you know, I, you know, I come on your show,
I have a couple of other contracts of being media,
you know, exposed to the public. It is difficult to
stay positive, Like why can't you just play hard? Why
are you not diving for loose balls? Why are you
not hustling? Why are you not fighting for a fifty
to fifty ball? Why is the other team always getting
it to me de fight that effort, not having that
been It's it's pretty to me. I don't want to
say embarrassing, because I'm not embarrassed, but it's pretty sad
to see right a program a university that you know,
there were you know, blood sweat and tears dropped and
fought and it's you know, and I will say this,
you know, I blame to me, the biggest corporates are
the players Kevin Young. Is that Like I said, The
only thing is I wish I could know how much
he's holding them accountable on the back, behind the scenes.
But to me, Ben, this is all by product of
the system we're in, of the nil of the lack
of continuation, which that's not Buyu's fault, Kevin Young's fall
or the player's fault. That's just the truth of the matter.
Is players enter the portal and they will trade the
teams every year. They are chasing a bag, which you
can blame them because this is life altering money for
a lot of them. But it's it's it's a it's
an interesting dynamic to know where we are. And uh,
you know, not all of the players will own up
the BUYU mantra. You know, prop to AJ, like AJ
didn't have to do like a third of what he's
doing showing BYU love. But you know what he is
doing with the AJ Foundation and everything he's doing. Even
if somebody says, oh, that's just for optics, he didn't
even have to do that. Well, you know, I just
wish the level of commitment of every player was, you know,
for us to be able to say, you know what
they're losing, but these guys are playing hard. We're not
even seeing that right now.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think the effort is is what's so frustrating.
And and b YU fans they're losing their patients right
and they're losing hope.
Speaker 3: What's the expectation.
Speaker 1: Right now for this BAU basketball team. How many more
games can they actually win when they're playing in this
form and fashion.
Speaker 2: Well, you know, I think I think there's different ways
that you can tackle this right as you there's different
ways that you can you can peel the onion right,
and so you know it's to me, I think it's missing,
you know, just the intensity on defense. Offensively, the ball
is just not moving very well. And so you know,
there are different things that you can point out to Ben.
But you know how many times been would Bronco come
to you guys and say, guys, as long as we
play hard, we're gonna win this game. Like you know
what I mean, Like that happens to us all the time.
Dave Rose would say, as long as we play hard,
we're going to win this game. And I get it's
the Big Twelve. We've never seen any of this. The
level of basketball we're seeing is crazy. But you know, again,
I have a hard time thinking that if YU plays
a little bit harder, they win a West Virginia. If
they play a little bit harder, they probably give themselves
a chance to win at Oklahoma State. If they play
a little bit harder, they don't get beaten by you
know which, Let's be realistic here, you know, losing by
thirteen by UCF. That game was over as soon as
the second half started, and so you know, to me,
it all comes out to effort and all of the others,
you know, strategies at this point, you got to throw
them out the window.
Speaker 1: Jonathan da Bernard talking to him the YU Basketball here
on your Utah ESPN Radio network. I think that the
individual that that people are perplexed by right now is
rob right the third I think, if you're gonna but
even Keba right, Keba looks a little bit like, I
don't know, just not as engaged. Now that could be
injury related, but just not as high intensity, and it
kind of rubs off on everybody else, like who are
the energizer buddies, who's supposed to lead?
Speaker 3: Who are the leaders?
Speaker 1: Maybe that's the biggest issue right now is there's not
true leadership on this roster and therefore the lackadaisical efforts
are being showcased game in, game out, and there's a
lack of consistency of execution.
Speaker 2: Yeah, what I would say then is, you know a
lot of people are disappointed with Robert Wright. I think
he's going through a slump. You know what I mean,
I think more more than anything, what I'm disappointed the
most is, you know, Mahilo had an incredible showing against
Iowa State, Like incredible showing. Well, why haven't we seen
the Mahilo all season? Like, you know, is it the
fact that a broken clock is right twice a day?
You know? With Kostitch Coastitch came to BYU was such
amount of hype, you know about shooting and scoring. We
just haven't seen that, you know. I'm an Abdullah, I'm
at it coming from the G League like he was
playing against pros day in and day out, what like,
you know, and now he's playing against college kids, Like
where's the upside? And you know, like we can go
on and on, right, Cornard Davis being inconsistent. My main
thing with Cornard is I wish we could see the
level of engagement because when he is engaged, I think
he's very very good, very very very very very good. Right,
And you know, I I that's my thing. And then
you know, Hadem I think a dem is doing the
best he can as just a true freshman. Right. But
again to your point, I think it goes beyond Robert Wright.
Although to be fair, Rubber right, has not had a
really good game since. You know, I don't know if
it was Baylor or the game after Baylor that he
almost had a forty piece. But you know, like it
has been now about two weeks or longer that that
Robert has had a massive game, a massive impactful game,
And so I think there's a lot of question marks
about this team. Someone put it on social media, Oh,
this reminds me that yukon twenty ten to twenty eleven,
you know, the gym or year where Kimba Walker just
went on a tear, and that could potentially happen. Right,
I think at this point it's can we just get
through this week and next week and just get to
the NCAA Tournament, because I'll tell you this, Ben, If
BUYU doesn't win tomorrow in Cincinnati and they they don't,
they don't win Saturday against Texas Tech, BYU may be
a ten or an eleven seed, And that becomes very interesting.
Is this seem capable of going on a running one
hundred percent aj is one of one best playing college basketball,
But to climb that mountain just became really, really harder.
And so you know, I think that we're all just
hoping to just get through these next couple of games,
get through the Big twelve Tournament, and you know, let's
get to the NCAA Tournament, which is what really matters.
Speaker 1: Got to get to the NC DOUBLEA Tournament, no doubt, JT.
Do you think they win a game anywhere along the
end of the season, regular season, Big twelve Tournament, NC
Double A Tournament.
Speaker 3: Or do you think they out?
Speaker 2: You know, I wish you hadn't me, Dad oh Man.
I will say this, Bean, because you were saying last time, Jag,
you're so positive. I'm gonna be positive, and I'm gonna
say there's somehow we're gonna be one in one, They're
gonna split the last two games. I think that then
they're gonna win one game in the Big twelve Tournament,
just one, and then I think that they get to
the Sweet sixteen. I I don't think that, you know.
I I don't know if my excitement, you know, is
still caring that these guys are going to go to
the final four. But I will say this, Ben, If
if b Yu guts to the sweet sixteen, what a
special season just has been. And uh, you know, but
I think at this point I'm just I'm just bracing myself, man,
because these are just not looking good right now.
Speaker 1: The Tabinari ladies and gentlemen, the Brazilian bomber JT for three.
Make sure you're following him on X and listening to
him on our airwaves, watching him on by u TV.
Speaker 3: JT.
Speaker 1: Appreciate you hopping on to talk to BAU basketball today.
Speaker 2: Hey, I appreciate you and always in forever go Cooogs
and a big game tomorrow against Cincinnati, even bigger one
Saturday as the last home game and senior night. And
you know a lot of these emotions, especially for Richie Saunders,
It's gonna be an emotional day, man, And just like
the game against Colorado was emotional with the Jim or
Jersey retirement. But you know that's why these guys are
getting paid and so but always in forever, go Koogs
and thanks for having me, Ben. Yeah.
Speaker 1: You wonder if the only saving grace of the season
would be if AJ Debontsa gets Big Twelve Player of
the Year because of any number of issues injuries that
have occurred in the Big Twelve, it would that be
the saving grace for the season. If Aj gets the
Big Twelve Player or the Year.
Speaker 2: So I think that he were he's going to get.
I think he will get Freshmen of the Year. I
don't know about Player of the Year. But he leaves
the he leaves the country scoring, so it's hard for
you not to And so you know, I think there
are silver lines, right, you know, silver linings here that
you can look at. And so you know, you take
what you get at this point because again, five injuries
to you know, season ending injuries, three of them are
rotation players, and so you know, I think we're just
hoping for the best right now, and uh, you know,
kind of like I can't look is it gonna go bad?
Just hoping for the best, and so you know it's
uh the the fandom of sports, and uh I don't
I wouldn't have it any other way.
Speaker 3: JAT, appreciate you, love you, Thanks for hopping on today.
Speaker 2: Thank you, Ben. We'll talk Sumer Man.
Speaker 3: Take care the goo that's you, Oatath the Tebinari.
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