WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.440 --> 00:00:04.280 All right, let's get it drives high Thursday afternoon, seven. 2 00:00:04.120 --> 00:00:06.160 Minutes past the hour, two o'clock. How do you like? 3 00:00:06.200 --> 00:00:08.160 Seventy seven degrees and mostly sunny. 4 00:00:08.199 --> 00:00:10.359 The clouds have settled in a little bit this afternoon, 5 00:00:10.400 --> 00:00:14.000 But man, did we have a beautiful, beautiful morning on 6 00:00:14.039 --> 00:00:17.280 this beautiful Thursday afternoon, this March Thursday afternoon. As we 7 00:00:17.320 --> 00:00:20.600 are getting ready to turn our calendars to April coming 8 00:00:20.679 --> 00:00:24.039 up next week, and as it is every single day. 9 00:00:23.920 --> 00:00:25.280 It's gonna have you along for the ride. 10 00:00:25.359 --> 00:00:28.640 Spend seconds beyond the mic, Porter Larsen behind the glass 11 00:00:28.640 --> 00:00:31.719 today producing the program. Got some really good guests, some 12 00:00:31.800 --> 00:00:34.880 good guests to talk uts, some good guests to talk NBA, 13 00:00:35.119 --> 00:00:38.880 some good guests to talk men's college basketball. The madness 14 00:00:38.880 --> 00:00:42.960 of March gets back underway tonight. You know, it's this 15 00:00:43.359 --> 00:00:46.000 it's interesting thing with this tournament. It's so much fun 16 00:00:46.119 --> 00:00:49.320 right out of the gates, and you're inundated with basketball 17 00:00:49.399 --> 00:00:50.200 for like four days. 18 00:00:50.240 --> 00:00:51.520 Then you got to take a bit of a break. 19 00:00:51.560 --> 00:00:54.920 But it's back tonight, starting with the BYU Coubers taking 20 00:00:54.960 --> 00:00:58.640 on the Alabama Crimson Tie at the Crudential Center, Newark, 21 00:00:58.719 --> 00:01:01.920 New Jersey for five h nine tip time, so we'll 22 00:01:01.960 --> 00:01:06.280 be on air as they get going. Then following Byubama, 23 00:01:06.920 --> 00:01:08.599 it is Maryland, Florida. 24 00:01:09.439 --> 00:01:10.519 Maryland's head coach is. 25 00:01:10.519 --> 00:01:13.079 Taking another job, but he's still coaching the game tonight 26 00:01:13.640 --> 00:01:17.400 Arizona Duke seven thirty nine CBS Cooper Flag in Action. 27 00:01:17.519 --> 00:01:20.640 For all you Jazz fans wondering why the Jazz are 28 00:01:20.680 --> 00:01:22.719 doing what they're doing, you should watch this game tonight 29 00:01:22.959 --> 00:01:25.920 and see what Cooper Flagg has to offer. And then 30 00:01:25.959 --> 00:01:28.760 the late game is going to be Arkansas, Texas Tech 31 00:01:28.879 --> 00:01:34.200 Chase Center, San Francisco, California. So excuse me. The madness 32 00:01:34.200 --> 00:01:37.799 of March continues tonight. The Utah Jazz are at action 33 00:01:37.879 --> 00:01:39.959 tonight as well. They welcome in the Houston Rockets to 34 00:01:40.000 --> 00:01:43.280 the Delta Center for a seven o'clock tip time. Jazz 35 00:01:43.359 --> 00:01:45.439 doing the best they can to make sure that their 36 00:01:45.439 --> 00:01:49.280 odds of grabbing the number one pick is intact. Houston's 37 00:01:49.319 --> 00:01:53.519 an interesting case study. We've talked throughout the show this 38 00:01:53.680 --> 00:01:58.319 season about teams in the NBA that were where the 39 00:01:58.400 --> 00:02:01.200 Jazz were at not too long ago and how they've 40 00:02:01.200 --> 00:02:04.239 made their way back to relevance. Houston's an interesting team 41 00:02:04.280 --> 00:02:06.920 to talk about because and we'll get into this a 42 00:02:06.920 --> 00:02:08.639 little bit on the show today. We'll do some NBA. 43 00:02:08.879 --> 00:02:11.560 We've got a good NBA guest later on. There are 44 00:02:11.599 --> 00:02:16.560 certain case studies like Detroit or Orlando, just to name 45 00:02:16.599 --> 00:02:19.360 a few, But where it falls short to try to 46 00:02:19.439 --> 00:02:22.520 draw parallel with our local basketball team is Orlando has 47 00:02:22.560 --> 00:02:26.080 Polo van Carrol and quite frankly, Franz Vadner might be 48 00:02:26.080 --> 00:02:28.159 better Larry marketing as well. You know, you might be 49 00:02:28.199 --> 00:02:30.400 rolling your eyes, go look at his numbers. And then 50 00:02:30.479 --> 00:02:34.520 Detroit has Kate Cunningham. But Houston doesn't really have a 51 00:02:34.560 --> 00:02:38.080 franchise type guy. They've got some really good players, some 52 00:02:38.080 --> 00:02:39.719 really good young players, They've got a really good coach. 53 00:02:40.199 --> 00:02:43.080 They're the number two seed in the West RDE now 54 00:02:43.080 --> 00:02:45.960 they're one point five point game. They're one point five 55 00:02:46.039 --> 00:02:49.360 games ahead of Denver and then two point five ahead 56 00:02:49.360 --> 00:02:51.360 of the Lakers and the Grizzlies. Lakers got to win 57 00:02:51.439 --> 00:02:54.840 last night, but if you've been following the news cycle, 58 00:02:54.879 --> 00:02:57.479 you wouldn't even know the Lakers played, because apparently ESPN 59 00:02:57.560 --> 00:03:02.400 is now WWE where basketball players go on dopey shows 60 00:03:02.439 --> 00:03:05.360 to talk smoke about other media members. And then that's 61 00:03:05.360 --> 00:03:07.840 what we're supposed to talk about. I guess kind of 62 00:03:07.840 --> 00:03:11.439 a weird news cycle for the Worldwide Leader. We're there, 63 00:03:11.439 --> 00:03:13.520 affiliate in the markets all be nice, but it's just 64 00:03:13.840 --> 00:03:14.360 it's lame. 65 00:03:14.439 --> 00:03:16.240 What they've become, is how I'll put that. 66 00:03:16.520 --> 00:03:23.000 So Jazz basketball, college basketball Opening day in Major League Baseball, 67 00:03:23.039 --> 00:03:25.560 and it's baseball weather outside. Even though it's a little windy, 68 00:03:25.560 --> 00:03:28.439 a little cloudy right now, it's still really warm. Yankees 69 00:03:28.439 --> 00:03:31.120 and the Brewers going on right now. The Yankees have 70 00:03:31.159 --> 00:03:34.360 a two to one lead middle to fourth. Utah hockey 71 00:03:34.360 --> 00:03:36.560 clubs in action tonight as well. It's a busy, busy 72 00:03:36.639 --> 00:03:40.120 night in local sports. It's also an early tip or 73 00:03:40.159 --> 00:03:42.800 an early drop of the puck, is what I should say. Basketball. 74 00:03:42.840 --> 00:03:45.319 In the mind, Utah is taking on Tampa Bay. Tampa 75 00:03:45.319 --> 00:03:49.560 Bay's a really good team hockey club clinging to the 76 00:03:49.599 --> 00:03:53.360 potential of qualifying for the wild wild Card. I've been 77 00:03:53.400 --> 00:03:55.120 talking about it now for a few weeks. Not sure 78 00:03:55.159 --> 00:03:57.159 that it is going to be a reality this year, 79 00:03:57.199 --> 00:03:59.520 but nonetheless, it has been a lot of fun to 80 00:03:59.599 --> 00:04:02.599 have hockey in our market, so a lot to do 81 00:04:02.840 --> 00:04:05.599 on the program. Ralph Salt Lake takes their act on 82 00:04:05.639 --> 00:04:09.800 the Road to Ali ouncefield in Minnesota see if they 83 00:04:09.800 --> 00:04:11.000 can get a. 84 00:04:10.719 --> 00:04:12.479 Result on the road. 85 00:04:12.520 --> 00:04:15.560 We're still awaiting word as to whether or not reinforcements 86 00:04:16.240 --> 00:04:18.680 on the way, namely a number nine. 87 00:04:18.720 --> 00:04:20.879 They need help up top badly. 88 00:04:20.920 --> 00:04:24.199 Pablo Pablo mas Johnnie on the show yesterday and we 89 00:04:24.240 --> 00:04:26.959 talked about that dynamic. Pablo dropped the timeline of like 90 00:04:27.040 --> 00:04:30.120 four to five days before we can hear some news 91 00:04:30.879 --> 00:04:33.839 about the hockey club potentially. Excuse me about this. I've 92 00:04:33.839 --> 00:04:35.439 got the hockey club, I score in front of me, 93 00:04:35.480 --> 00:04:39.240 about the soccer club, about RSL adding some reinforcements. So 94 00:04:39.319 --> 00:04:41.519 if anything comes down, of course while we're on air, 95 00:04:41.600 --> 00:04:44.639 we will bring it to you. On this busy Thursday afternoon, 96 00:04:44.680 --> 00:04:46.600 good guest list, Ute fans. Right out of the gates, 97 00:04:46.639 --> 00:04:49.199 the athletic director for the University of Utah makes his 98 00:04:49.279 --> 00:04:52.879 triumpher return to the program. His name is Mark Harlan. 99 00:04:52.959 --> 00:04:55.319 He'll be our first guest today on this Thursday afternoon. 100 00:04:55.839 --> 00:04:59.040 We go from the ad to the voice, the Voice 101 00:04:59.079 --> 00:04:59.959 of the Utes, Bill Riley. 102 00:05:00.079 --> 00:05:00.720 He stops by. 103 00:05:00.800 --> 00:05:03.560 We'll do some spring football with Ryle's. We'll do some 104 00:05:03.600 --> 00:05:05.639 big twelve pro day as we are less than one 105 00:05:05.680 --> 00:05:09.040 month away from the NFL Draft. Latest on the NFL 106 00:05:09.120 --> 00:05:12.639 draft rumors with some signings that could throw a little 107 00:05:12.680 --> 00:05:15.240 bit of a monkey wrench in things, namely Russell Wilson. 108 00:05:14.920 --> 00:05:16.639 To New York. But we'll bring Bill in today to 109 00:05:16.639 --> 00:05:17.720 do a little football. 110 00:05:17.360 --> 00:05:20.959 In some basketball in an hour long conversation with Richard 111 00:05:21.160 --> 00:05:23.000 Smitty Smith forty years with the. 112 00:05:23.040 --> 00:05:24.040 Jazz front office. 113 00:05:24.079 --> 00:05:27.040 We'll do some college basketball, we'll do some draft, we'll 114 00:05:27.079 --> 00:05:28.920 do some jazz. We'll do some NBA with Smitty on 115 00:05:28.959 --> 00:05:32.319 the program today, as we are often wont to do 116 00:05:32.480 --> 00:05:34.879 on a Thursday afternoon. We'll bring in our friends Garrett 117 00:05:34.879 --> 00:05:36.800 and Preston Handy from the law firm of Handy and 118 00:05:36.839 --> 00:05:40.319 Handy for the latest in the legal side of things 119 00:05:40.319 --> 00:05:42.560 in the world of sports. So that's what we do 120 00:05:42.600 --> 00:05:46.240 pretty much every Thursday. So busy, busy show. Good to 121 00:05:46.240 --> 00:05:48.240 have you guys with us. We'll go Mark carl and 122 00:05:48.240 --> 00:05:52.160 Bill Riley, Richards Smith, Sports court, Mee Spence, Jeckets, all 123 00:05:52.199 --> 00:05:55.199 of you, the great listeners, and Porter Larson producing the 124 00:05:55.199 --> 00:05:56.639 program on a Thursday afternoon. 125 00:05:56.959 --> 00:05:58.040 It's always weird, you know. 126 00:05:58.160 --> 00:06:03.560 The Thursday and Friday of the NC DOUBLEA Tournament are 127 00:06:03.639 --> 00:06:09.439 insanely entertaining it's jam packed Waaldwall hoops morning tonight. Then 128 00:06:09.480 --> 00:06:11.519 you get you know, games over the weekend. Then there's 129 00:06:11.560 --> 00:06:15.560 this like four five day break. But the madness begins 130 00:06:15.680 --> 00:06:17.399 again tonight. Are you ready for it? I think tonight 131 00:06:17.439 --> 00:06:19.000 it's gonna be I think we have four really good 132 00:06:19.079 --> 00:06:20.360 college basketball games ton. 133 00:06:20.639 --> 00:06:23.360 I know this is a me problem, and I say 134 00:06:23.399 --> 00:06:25.879 it when we talk about like hockey intermissions. I say 135 00:06:25.920 --> 00:06:28.319 it when we talk about the the kind of weird 136 00:06:28.480 --> 00:06:32.560 four days between the nc Double a college football playoff 137 00:06:32.639 --> 00:06:35.279 that they made. But I'll say it again here. The 138 00:06:35.360 --> 00:06:38.519 time off really hurts me as a sports fan. I 139 00:06:38.560 --> 00:06:41.879 think that they could bring it together just a little bit. 140 00:06:42.319 --> 00:06:43.800 I know it's a lot of basketball. I know it's 141 00:06:43.839 --> 00:06:47.079 a it's a lot of hoops. But yeah, I'm more 142 00:06:47.120 --> 00:06:49.160 than ready for the Sweet sixteen. It feels like we've 143 00:06:49.199 --> 00:06:51.240 been waiting like a year for it. 144 00:06:51.959 --> 00:06:54.439 Yeah, it'll be fun tonight and we'll see if by 145 00:06:54.519 --> 00:06:55.959 you can get it done. They're gonna be the first 146 00:06:55.959 --> 00:06:58.399 game right out of the gates, so by U Bama tonight. 147 00:06:58.680 --> 00:07:00.279 But like I said, I think we have four really 148 00:07:00.279 --> 00:07:01.839 good college basketball game tonight. 149 00:07:01.839 --> 00:07:02.600 So let's get into it. 150 00:07:02.639 --> 00:07:06.079 Mark Harlan Will be our first guest on this Thursday 151 00:07:06.120 --> 00:07:09.560 afternoon before we catch up with the ad himself. Courtesy 152 00:07:10.000 --> 00:07:12.279 of our good friends at Prize Picks. 153 00:07:12.360 --> 00:07:13.920 It is time now for your opening tip. 154 00:07:14.480 --> 00:07:16.920 Welcome to the Drive with Spence Check its on Utah's 155 00:07:17.000 --> 00:07:20.319 number one sports talk. Now into the studios of ESPN 156 00:07:20.399 --> 00:07:22.959 seven hundred to set the scene for the show. 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It is time for the Sweet Sixteen. 192 00:09:01.799 --> 00:09:06.039 BYU has the record as far as college basketball history 193 00:09:06.720 --> 00:09:12.440 with thirty two NCAA tournament appearances without making a final four. Now, 194 00:09:12.480 --> 00:09:15.080 is this the year where they can break that? Honestly, No, 195 00:09:15.720 --> 00:09:18.000 And it's not about tonight. It's more about what they 196 00:09:18.039 --> 00:09:22.039 would face should they win tonight. If BYU is able 197 00:09:22.080 --> 00:09:26.320 to get by Alabama, then most likely they are going 198 00:09:26.360 --> 00:09:28.559 to face Duke in the next round. So I'm not 199 00:09:28.679 --> 00:09:32.519 knocking on BYU as far as you know my belief 200 00:09:33.080 --> 00:09:34.799 as to whether or not they can win the game tonight. 201 00:09:34.840 --> 00:09:37.519 I actually think they can win the game tonight. We'll 202 00:09:37.519 --> 00:09:39.840 give you picks before we sat off air. I'm not 203 00:09:39.879 --> 00:09:41.960 saying they're going to win the game tonight. I'm saying 204 00:09:42.000 --> 00:09:44.600 I think that they can based off of recent form. Now, 205 00:09:44.960 --> 00:09:48.960 Alabama the Crimson tither a five point five point favor tonight, 206 00:09:49.360 --> 00:09:51.360 and the line's been a little bit interesting to follow 207 00:09:51.440 --> 00:09:54.240 because it opened up at five point five and it 208 00:09:54.320 --> 00:09:58.519 moved on two separate occasions towards BYU, and for about 209 00:09:58.600 --> 00:10:01.960 twenty four hours or so, it was Alabama minus four 210 00:10:02.120 --> 00:10:05.000 point five, and then it's shot back up, which is 211 00:10:05.039 --> 00:10:07.559 interesting to consider. So it has settled as of now 212 00:10:08.039 --> 00:10:09.879 at five and a half. We'll see if it moves 213 00:10:09.919 --> 00:10:12.159 prior to the start of the game tonight. The over 214 00:10:12.279 --> 00:10:16.039 under is one hundred and seventy six point five, which 215 00:10:16.080 --> 00:10:19.159 is a massive number for a college basketball game. So 216 00:10:19.279 --> 00:10:22.440 Alabama number seventeen in a country, BYU number seventeen in 217 00:10:22.480 --> 00:10:26.600 a country, Sweet sixteen tonight. So as far as the 218 00:10:26.600 --> 00:10:29.120 way these two teams match up, it's kind of interesting 219 00:10:29.200 --> 00:10:33.200 because they're very similar, and Alabama is also very similar 220 00:10:33.200 --> 00:10:36.480 to Wisconsin. Okay, so if you're a BYU fan, that 221 00:10:36.480 --> 00:10:38.639 should give you some hope. It should give you some faith. 222 00:10:39.039 --> 00:10:42.120 This is not a Houston Cougar. Physical We're gonna beat 223 00:10:42.159 --> 00:10:44.559 you up and we're gonna guard you ninety four feet. 224 00:10:44.559 --> 00:10:47.279 We're gonna bring pressure and we're gonna make your guards, 225 00:10:47.519 --> 00:10:49.360 you know, break pressure and. 226 00:10:49.440 --> 00:10:51.039 Dare them not to turn the ball over. 227 00:10:51.399 --> 00:10:53.919 Alabama wants to get up and down the floor on offense. 228 00:10:53.960 --> 00:10:56.039 They're the number one team in the country as far 229 00:10:56.039 --> 00:10:59.360 as pace goes. Natos is a really good coach. He's 230 00:10:59.360 --> 00:11:01.440 been in the college game for a long long time. 231 00:11:02.000 --> 00:11:04.519 And Alabama was in the Final Four a year ago 232 00:11:04.679 --> 00:11:07.440 and return a grip of players that were on that team, 233 00:11:07.799 --> 00:11:09.879 namely theyir two headed monster that you need to get 234 00:11:09.879 --> 00:11:10.039 to know. 235 00:11:10.080 --> 00:11:12.360 If you're a BYU fan Mark Sears. 236 00:11:12.600 --> 00:11:15.759 The easy comparison for Mark Sears is Jalen Brunson because 237 00:11:15.840 --> 00:11:18.559 Mark Sears is a left handed point guard that's very 238 00:11:18.600 --> 00:11:22.399 ball dominant, and Alabama runs basically I was looking at 239 00:11:22.399 --> 00:11:25.759 this this morning. Basically all of their half court sets 240 00:11:25.919 --> 00:11:27.960 is with Mark Sears having the ball in his hand 241 00:11:27.960 --> 00:11:31.399 as the primary initiator and decision maker. And he's a 242 00:11:31.480 --> 00:11:34.759 really good ball handler. He's an excellent passer. He's first 243 00:11:34.799 --> 00:11:37.679 team All American. He will be the best player on 244 00:11:37.720 --> 00:11:41.559 the floor tonight, including anyone Brigham Young has. Okay, So 245 00:11:41.840 --> 00:11:44.679 Alabama's offense starts and ends with Mark Sears as the 246 00:11:44.720 --> 00:11:47.679 primary initiator. But they also have a player named Grant 247 00:11:47.720 --> 00:11:52.080 Nelson who had some injury issues year ago. He's been 248 00:11:52.120 --> 00:11:55.240 healthy this year and he's a tremendously skilled big that 249 00:11:55.320 --> 00:11:57.039 can step out and shoot it from three, and he 250 00:11:57.080 --> 00:11:59.519 can also handle it on the wing. Okay, So Mark 251 00:11:59.559 --> 00:12:02.720 Sears the year we're talking about nearly nineteen points, five assists, 252 00:12:02.720 --> 00:12:05.679 three boards, shoots forty percent from the floor, eighty five 253 00:12:05.720 --> 00:12:06.840 percent from the line. 254 00:12:06.919 --> 00:12:08.919 He's just an okay three point shooter. 255 00:12:08.960 --> 00:12:11.879 He shoots thirty three percent from three grat Nelson on 256 00:12:11.919 --> 00:12:15.120 the other hand, twelve points, eight boards, a couple of assists, 257 00:12:15.200 --> 00:12:19.240 forty ft CE, fifty three percent from the floor, sixty 258 00:12:19.279 --> 00:12:21.799 seven from the line, twenty seven percent from three, and 259 00:12:21.840 --> 00:12:25.240 then they've got four shot makers from the outside. They're 260 00:12:25.320 --> 00:12:27.919 like BYU this way, they want to shoot the three. 261 00:12:28.480 --> 00:12:28.720 Now. 262 00:12:28.960 --> 00:12:30.799 One of the dynamics of this game that's going to 263 00:12:30.799 --> 00:12:36.039 be interesting is the defensive metrics will ultimately favor Alabama overall, 264 00:12:36.080 --> 00:12:38.360 but not by much. And if you kind of sort 265 00:12:38.440 --> 00:12:41.720 the metrics on Basketball reference dot Com to favor BYU 266 00:12:41.840 --> 00:12:44.000 over the past twelve games when they're eleven to one, 267 00:12:44.360 --> 00:12:49.720 BYU's defensive metrics lately are actually superior Alabama in one category, 268 00:12:49.799 --> 00:12:53.159 which is the outlier here that could be interesting. So 269 00:12:53.440 --> 00:12:56.879 outside of Sears and Nelson, Aiden Holloway is a knockdown 270 00:12:56.960 --> 00:12:59.759 Cheery shoots forty two percent from three. They bring the 271 00:12:59.799 --> 00:13:01.679 Cris young Blood kit on and off the bench. He 272 00:13:01.720 --> 00:13:04.720 shoots forty percent from three. They want to spread the 273 00:13:04.759 --> 00:13:06.840 floor with Mark Sears. They do a lot of one 274 00:13:06.919 --> 00:13:08.399 four flat and a lot of pick and roll, a 275 00:13:08.440 --> 00:13:11.399 lot of isolation and let Mark Siars and Grant Nelson 276 00:13:11.480 --> 00:13:13.360 create and then they've got a bunch of shooters that 277 00:13:13.399 --> 00:13:16.159 they can kick out to and guard the three. Alabama 278 00:13:16.240 --> 00:13:19.720 here's your outlier on defense, though, which is interesting. Alabama 279 00:13:19.879 --> 00:13:23.200 is the twenty eighth best defensive team guarding the three 280 00:13:23.320 --> 00:13:26.919 in America BYU last check, two hundred and twenty eighth 281 00:13:26.919 --> 00:13:30.320 in the country. BYU does not guard the three that well. Okay, 282 00:13:30.600 --> 00:13:32.600 so when you look at Mark Siars and Grant Nelson, 283 00:13:32.639 --> 00:13:34.879 it's gonna be interesting to see what Kevin Young decides 284 00:13:34.919 --> 00:13:37.799 to do with those matchups. My guess is moet mag 285 00:13:37.879 --> 00:13:40.320 will get the assignment right out of the gates to 286 00:13:40.360 --> 00:13:43.039 guard Grant Nelson, and then I think they'll probably utilize 287 00:13:43.080 --> 00:13:46.799 Trey Stewart, a player that Kevin Young has relied upon 288 00:13:47.080 --> 00:13:49.000 during the final portion of the season in the way 289 00:13:49.039 --> 00:13:53.000 that he didn't prior to So Jegor Demon, who's got 290 00:13:53.039 --> 00:13:56.639 great length and is a really intriguing pro prospect. He 291 00:13:56.679 --> 00:13:58.679 does not have the lateral quickness to keep up with 292 00:13:58.720 --> 00:14:01.720 Mark Spears. I would Mary, you know, Mark Mark Spears 293 00:14:01.759 --> 00:14:04.840 is an NBA rid. I would be surprised if Mark 294 00:14:04.879 --> 00:14:07.679 Sears sees jeg Or Demon outside of switches, of course, 295 00:14:07.720 --> 00:14:11.080 and BYU likes to switch sometimes they switch one through five. 296 00:14:11.639 --> 00:14:13.399 But BYU is gonna have to guard the three in 297 00:14:13.440 --> 00:14:15.480 a way that this season they have not been able 298 00:14:15.519 --> 00:14:15.679 to do. 299 00:14:15.799 --> 00:14:17.519 It's not one of their their strengths. 300 00:14:17.720 --> 00:14:20.840 The other thing Alabama does is they crash the offensive glass. 301 00:14:20.919 --> 00:14:22.919 Okay, So I often talk. 302 00:14:22.840 --> 00:14:25.480 About this in the prism of what BYU looks like 303 00:14:25.519 --> 00:14:28.480 when they play against elite athletes that have speed in physicality, 304 00:14:28.960 --> 00:14:32.960 and that means Caba, Cata and Fos Traiori are going 305 00:14:33.000 --> 00:14:35.559 to have to have good games. CABA's they're starting center, 306 00:14:35.600 --> 00:14:38.080 of course, former ute who's comes in off the bench. 307 00:14:38.120 --> 00:14:41.120 And Fus isn't the athlete the Keba is, but he's 308 00:14:41.159 --> 00:14:43.600 a big, you know, big dude with a big bass 309 00:14:43.600 --> 00:14:46.120 who can box out and get boards. They're gonna have 310 00:14:46.159 --> 00:14:49.679 to protect the glass. They're gonna have to protect the glass. 311 00:14:49.679 --> 00:14:51.320 They're gonna have the defensive rebound. 312 00:14:51.320 --> 00:14:51.399 It. 313 00:14:51.440 --> 00:14:53.679 I wonder if Kevin's gonna send four guys to the 314 00:14:53.679 --> 00:14:56.879 glass on both sides of the floor. And therefore you 315 00:14:56.960 --> 00:14:59.600 gotta be careful because Alabama will get out in transition 316 00:14:59.600 --> 00:15:02.159 if you only you have one player back Alabama if 317 00:15:02.200 --> 00:15:04.600 they get a rebound on the defense is end of 318 00:15:04.600 --> 00:15:06.840 the floor, and if it's yegor demon back and everyone 319 00:15:06.840 --> 00:15:08.919 else crashes the glass because you have to get rebounds. 320 00:15:09.240 --> 00:15:11.039 Alabama will have a lot of sprintouts. 321 00:15:11.080 --> 00:15:14.919 Okay, so the elite athletes that BYU has, they are 322 00:15:14.960 --> 00:15:17.480 going to have to step up because Alabama simply has 323 00:15:17.559 --> 00:15:21.480 more athletes across the board. So elite athletes on BYU. 324 00:15:21.559 --> 00:15:24.000 It's certainly Kavakat, who is one of the most elite 325 00:15:24.000 --> 00:15:27.639 athletes in the entire country. Richie Saunders has great athleticism 326 00:15:27.679 --> 00:15:29.919 in size. Who's Treori coming in off the bench and 327 00:15:30.000 --> 00:15:33.240 mawap mag as the defensive stopper in addition to Trey Stewart. 328 00:15:33.600 --> 00:15:35.519 I don't know if this is a Trevan Nell game. 329 00:15:35.840 --> 00:15:38.159 You know, Trevin's such a knockdown shooter, even though he's 330 00:15:38.200 --> 00:15:40.480 like two years older than Luka Doncicch. You keep him 331 00:15:40.480 --> 00:15:43.200 in the game with the opportunity to knock down shots. 332 00:15:43.240 --> 00:15:46.240 But there's nobody on Alabama who you can hide anybody 333 00:15:46.279 --> 00:15:49.440 on BYU defensively, so that goes for Trevin. 334 00:15:49.519 --> 00:15:49.559 No. 335 00:15:50.159 --> 00:15:52.720 I wouldn't be surprised if Dawson Baker gets more minutes 336 00:15:52.759 --> 00:15:56.759 than Trevin ne Dawson simply a stronger, better athlete than 337 00:15:56.799 --> 00:16:00.960 Trevin is okay. If Yegor Demon, who's had a really 338 00:16:01.039 --> 00:16:05.600 really good NCAA tournament, starts to show his tendency, which 339 00:16:05.600 --> 00:16:08.679 we've seen quite often in the past against Houston and 340 00:16:08.720 --> 00:16:13.039 Iowa State. Specifically, if the speed and pressure of Alabama 341 00:16:13.559 --> 00:16:17.120 starts to disrupt BYU's attack because Jegor kind of cowers. 342 00:16:16.840 --> 00:16:19.120 Away from it, then this is a down Hall game. 343 00:16:19.600 --> 00:16:23.159 Down Hall A seasoned veteran point guard who has a season. 344 00:16:22.799 --> 00:16:26.039 Of Big twelve basketball under his belt is the answer. 345 00:16:26.080 --> 00:16:29.000 It is the anecdote if a young player and Jegor 346 00:16:29.080 --> 00:16:31.720 Demon is not ready to handle the speed and the 347 00:16:31.759 --> 00:16:34.799 pressure that Alabama brings them. These are two good coaches 348 00:16:34.840 --> 00:16:38.600 that run very similar offensive styles. You know, even though 349 00:16:38.679 --> 00:16:42.080 Natoates does not have the NBA background Kevin Young does, 350 00:16:42.159 --> 00:16:45.279 he runs a similar style, a similar NBA style that 351 00:16:45.360 --> 00:16:47.919 Kevin does. Both these coaches have been asked about it, 352 00:16:47.960 --> 00:16:49.600 and both of them have kind of alluded to the 353 00:16:49.639 --> 00:16:51.480 point that it kind of it's kind of like look 354 00:16:51.519 --> 00:16:53.399 in the mirror and when you dig in the tape, 355 00:16:53.480 --> 00:16:55.639 dig into the tape with both these two teams. If 356 00:16:55.679 --> 00:16:57.799 you're a BYU fan, I think the good news is 357 00:16:57.840 --> 00:17:00.799 there are a lot of similarities because you're not running 358 00:17:00.840 --> 00:17:03.639 into a team like Houston that simply has undressed you 359 00:17:03.720 --> 00:17:07.640 twice in fights that have not been fair. And ultimately, 360 00:17:07.720 --> 00:17:10.720 if BYU wants to break this historic streak, if never 361 00:17:10.759 --> 00:17:13.119 going to the final four, they're going to have to 362 00:17:13.160 --> 00:17:16.279 beat a physical team at some point like Houston. But 363 00:17:16.359 --> 00:17:19.200 this is not that team. Alabama doesn't play like that. 364 00:17:19.359 --> 00:17:21.880 Alabama plays a lot like Wisconsin. Like I said, there 365 00:17:21.880 --> 00:17:25.839 Wisconsin on steroids and they play a lot like BYU. Now, 366 00:17:25.960 --> 00:17:28.839 for BYU to beat Wisconsin, they literally had to be 367 00:17:29.000 --> 00:17:31.839 historic with their splits. I mean the splits that we 368 00:17:31.880 --> 00:17:36.640 saw BYU put up offensively against Wisconsin were literally historic, 369 00:17:37.319 --> 00:17:40.119 literally as far as we've never seen it in the 370 00:17:40.240 --> 00:17:44.400 NCAA tournament before. Over forty nine percent from two, over 371 00:17:44.519 --> 00:17:47.920 forty six percent from three, over ninety three percent from 372 00:17:47.920 --> 00:17:50.920 the line. Putting up ninety or more points with eleven 373 00:17:51.000 --> 00:17:54.440 or fewer turnovers and twenty or more assists has never happened. 374 00:17:55.000 --> 00:17:57.440 And you needed every point because you only won by two. 375 00:17:57.839 --> 00:18:00.960 Okay, And let's make no mistake here, Alabama is a 376 00:18:00.960 --> 00:18:02.039 better team than Wisconsin. 377 00:18:02.359 --> 00:18:03.960 They have up upper class leadership. 378 00:18:03.960 --> 00:18:05.960 They just made a run to the final four year ago, 379 00:18:06.319 --> 00:18:08.759 so BYU had to make history to win by two 380 00:18:08.799 --> 00:18:11.920 over Wisconsin. I have a hard time seeing them winning tonight, 381 00:18:12.319 --> 00:18:16.440 but it's the NCAA tournament. Players get hot, players spraint ankles, 382 00:18:16.440 --> 00:18:19.039 you never know. And if you're BYU, you certainly have 383 00:18:19.119 --> 00:18:20.920 enjoyed this run. And we'll see what they're able to 384 00:18:20.960 --> 00:18:24.160 do against a really good NATO's coached Alabama Crimson Tide 385 00:18:24.200 --> 00:18:28.839 team tonight at five oh nine Mountain Time on CBS. Well, 386 00:18:28.839 --> 00:18:30.839 if you listen to the show, you know by now, 387 00:18:30.880 --> 00:18:33.279 once I start a bit, I can't quit it. So 388 00:18:33.359 --> 00:18:35.960 we can't quit the bit with Mark Harlan athletic director 389 00:18:36.000 --> 00:18:38.480 from the University of you Tom making his triumpher return 390 00:18:39.200 --> 00:18:42.279 to the radio program on this beautiful Thursday afternoon. 391 00:18:42.400 --> 00:18:45.720 Mark howerd you, sir, thank you for the time, Spence. 392 00:18:45.799 --> 00:18:48.599 I'm doing great, man, Always good to talk to you 393 00:18:48.799 --> 00:18:51.519 and get caught up in all things Utah a plitics. 394 00:18:51.559 --> 00:18:52.519 But hope you're doing great. 395 00:18:52.640 --> 00:18:54.279 Yeah, man, all good here, all good here. I know 396 00:18:54.319 --> 00:18:56.880 you've been busy, so let's get to it. And it's 397 00:18:56.920 --> 00:18:58.359 been a minute since you and I have been able 398 00:18:58.359 --> 00:19:00.720 to catch up, so I know it's not day's news. 399 00:19:00.759 --> 00:19:02.799 But we'll start with the process. 400 00:19:02.920 --> 00:19:05.640 It landed you on one of the greats to play 401 00:19:05.680 --> 00:19:08.279 at the University of You taught a former mister basketball 402 00:19:08.319 --> 00:19:10.680 in the state in high school, and a guy that 403 00:19:10.920 --> 00:19:14.599 seems to have been the hire. Seems to have been 404 00:19:14.640 --> 00:19:17.400 celebrated by everybody who has reacted to it. No matter 405 00:19:17.440 --> 00:19:19.400 what part of the ecosystem you're in, if you run 406 00:19:19.440 --> 00:19:21.519 the show like you do, if you played up there 407 00:19:21.559 --> 00:19:23.640 like a lot of the former players, if you cover 408 00:19:23.720 --> 00:19:25.480 the team like we do, it seems like this has 409 00:19:25.480 --> 00:19:29.119 been a higher that certainly has been celebrated. So tell 410 00:19:29.200 --> 00:19:31.559 us about this process, Mark, that you went through after 411 00:19:31.640 --> 00:19:33.799 deciding to move on from Craig Smith and landing on 412 00:19:33.880 --> 00:19:34.599 Alex Jensen. 413 00:19:36.799 --> 00:19:40.759 Yeah, it was something that kind of has evolved over time. 414 00:19:40.839 --> 00:19:43.759 You know, it was getting to know Alex, you know, 415 00:19:44.359 --> 00:19:48.640 prior to even the last time we discussed about this possibility. 416 00:19:48.640 --> 00:19:50.119 You know, I'd gone to breakfast with him a few 417 00:19:50.119 --> 00:19:52.640 times when he was working with the Jazz and just 418 00:19:52.720 --> 00:19:56.319 really enjoyed being around him. In just a great intellectual 419 00:19:56.400 --> 00:19:59.799 thinker and just just fun you know, have him walked 420 00:19:59.799 --> 00:20:03.119 me through the time that he was here, and so 421 00:20:03.400 --> 00:20:06.240 just always kind of remained in that kind of contact 422 00:20:06.279 --> 00:20:09.519 with him, and then when I elected to make a 423 00:20:09.680 --> 00:20:13.119 change here, obviously it's not hard to figure that he's 424 00:20:13.160 --> 00:20:15.759 someone that I, you know, very much wanted to dig 425 00:20:15.799 --> 00:20:18.920 in with, and we were able to connect early on 426 00:20:19.200 --> 00:20:23.039 in the process, and I could see his excitement for 427 00:20:23.119 --> 00:20:26.039 the opportunity. I walked him through it. You know, you 428 00:20:26.079 --> 00:20:27.839 got to catch him up and all the things college 429 00:20:27.839 --> 00:20:30.880 athletics that are going on with you know, this transition 430 00:20:30.960 --> 00:20:34.880 from the nil to revenue share, walk through what that 431 00:20:34.960 --> 00:20:37.920 looked like. Because whenever you talk to someone that's got 432 00:20:37.960 --> 00:20:41.119 a great job, right, you just really have to explain, 433 00:20:41.240 --> 00:20:44.079 less selling and just explaining, you know, everything that's going on. 434 00:20:44.160 --> 00:20:47.599 And then he went about thinking about the opportunity, and 435 00:20:47.640 --> 00:20:49.599 we had some other great folks that we talked to. 436 00:20:49.759 --> 00:20:53.720 But eventually, you know, after a lot of conversations with 437 00:20:53.759 --> 00:20:56.759 me and certainly the president and trustees at Revolving Process, 438 00:20:56.839 --> 00:21:00.000 he elected to go. And it was exciting. I was excited, 439 00:21:00.480 --> 00:21:02.559 we all were excited, and you know, you were just 440 00:21:02.599 --> 00:21:06.519 alluding to the public being really excited. So it's been 441 00:21:06.519 --> 00:21:08.960 fun to see that. A lot of work going on 442 00:21:09.599 --> 00:21:12.680 as he builds his staff at the same time, we 443 00:21:12.759 --> 00:21:15.039 have Josh who's just done a remarkable job as interim 444 00:21:15.079 --> 00:21:17.440 head coach, getting our team ready to go down to 445 00:21:17.519 --> 00:21:20.039 Vegas on Saturday to start that tournament. On Monday, matter 446 00:21:20.079 --> 00:21:21.920 of fact, it was just down at basketball practice checking 447 00:21:21.960 --> 00:21:24.279 in with everybody. So a lot going on, a lot 448 00:21:24.279 --> 00:21:26.079 of work, but a lot of really good work as well. 449 00:21:26.359 --> 00:21:28.279 I want to go back a little bit further, And 450 00:21:28.839 --> 00:21:32.000 you know, when it comes to a position like yours, Mark, 451 00:21:32.200 --> 00:21:34.160 I'm sure some of the decisions you have to make 452 00:21:34.920 --> 00:21:37.759 are difficult, and there's a personal side to all these things. 453 00:21:37.759 --> 00:21:41.200 And yes, I know that contracts in college sports include 454 00:21:41.240 --> 00:21:44.039 buyouts that allow coaches a bit of a soft landing 455 00:21:44.079 --> 00:21:47.039 while they're figuring out their next move. But you know me, 456 00:21:47.160 --> 00:21:49.519 I'm a child of an NBA executive and we moved 457 00:21:49.640 --> 00:21:52.160 multiple times throughout the course of my father's career and 458 00:21:52.200 --> 00:21:53.960 I had to say goodbye to friends and family and 459 00:21:53.960 --> 00:21:56.400 all the things, and Craig had to do that. I 460 00:21:57.119 --> 00:21:59.440 wonder if you could illuminate us on some of the 461 00:21:59.519 --> 00:22:03.599 dynamics you considered before electing to Landing on moving on 462 00:22:03.640 --> 00:22:04.279 from Craig. 463 00:22:05.200 --> 00:22:08.000 Well, I think what I'll say, out of respect for 464 00:22:08.079 --> 00:22:11.519 Craig is that he's just a wonderful man. I really 465 00:22:11.599 --> 00:22:15.519 enjoyed working with him, joined his family. I thought he 466 00:22:15.640 --> 00:22:19.079 got here at a time where, you know, the world 467 00:22:19.240 --> 00:22:23.359 was changing, and you know, it's always hard to take 468 00:22:23.400 --> 00:22:26.400 a new job coming off COVID, you know everything that 469 00:22:26.720 --> 00:22:29.119 he had to manage, you know, I just came to 470 00:22:29.160 --> 00:22:31.680 the determination that we needed to go in a different direction. 471 00:22:32.880 --> 00:22:36.960 I've also had some time for for myself to look 472 00:22:36.960 --> 00:22:39.559 in the mirror and figure out what we could do 473 00:22:39.640 --> 00:22:42.279 better in terms of the administration. I mean, I think 474 00:22:42.359 --> 00:22:44.000 you have to when you when you have to make 475 00:22:44.000 --> 00:22:46.480 these kind of changes, if you don't look at yourself 476 00:22:46.519 --> 00:22:48.960 as a leader, I don't think you're you're serving you know, 477 00:22:49.039 --> 00:22:52.440 the institution. Well, so you know, we we have been 478 00:22:52.440 --> 00:22:57.279 going through that process. Obviously, we are going to manage 479 00:22:57.279 --> 00:23:01.279 basketball differently, and I think he's seen by by one 480 00:23:01.279 --> 00:23:04.000 of Alex's hires. That's a big part of what Alex 481 00:23:04.039 --> 00:23:07.079 and I talked about. But as far as Craig goes, 482 00:23:07.240 --> 00:23:09.400 you know, I know he'll land on his feet. He's 483 00:23:09.400 --> 00:23:11.839 too good of a coach, not too and I wish 484 00:23:11.960 --> 00:23:13.480 him truly the very best. 485 00:23:13.920 --> 00:23:15.759 Let me let me follow up with something you just 486 00:23:15.759 --> 00:23:19.599 alluded to, Mark because you know, you obviously have had 487 00:23:19.640 --> 00:23:23.200 an interesting year with everything that happened after the BYU 488 00:23:23.279 --> 00:23:25.359 Utah football game. And I don't want to re litigate 489 00:23:25.440 --> 00:23:27.799 things that are months and months and months in the past. 490 00:23:27.799 --> 00:23:29.680 But you just alluded to wanting to look in the 491 00:23:29.680 --> 00:23:32.440 mirror yourself. And you know, you're a guy that's achieved 492 00:23:32.440 --> 00:23:34.400 a lot of success, and you're an athletic director at 493 00:23:34.440 --> 00:23:37.960 a major college institution, a P four program, And as you. 494 00:23:37.920 --> 00:23:40.119 Know, you forgot my birthday last week. I forgive you. 495 00:23:40.200 --> 00:23:42.519 But as you age, certainly as I age, I look 496 00:23:42.720 --> 00:23:44.680 at certain things that I've done a little bit differently 497 00:23:44.720 --> 00:23:46.799 and wish that I maybe have done this or that 498 00:23:47.000 --> 00:23:47.559 or what have you. 499 00:23:47.640 --> 00:23:49.119 But you got to move on. You got to learn. 500 00:23:49.160 --> 00:23:51.680 What have you learned this year? Personally? 501 00:23:53.599 --> 00:23:56.400 Well, if you're are you specifically talking about the by 502 00:23:57.039 --> 00:23:57.759 you're talking about. 503 00:23:57.559 --> 00:24:00.559 Basketball, everything, everything that involves your job. 504 00:24:00.720 --> 00:24:02.920 Everything that involves your job, Mark, We all have to 505 00:24:03.000 --> 00:24:04.160 learn and grow and evolve. 506 00:24:05.000 --> 00:24:07.160 Yeah. Sure, you know, I've been an athletic director for 507 00:24:07.200 --> 00:24:09.119 now eleven plus years. I've been in the business for 508 00:24:09.759 --> 00:24:12.240 there'll be thirty actually coming up, which is probably why 509 00:24:12.240 --> 00:24:13.920 I forgot your birthday. You know, I'm starting to get 510 00:24:13.960 --> 00:24:17.839 up there. You know, I think you always learn and 511 00:24:17.880 --> 00:24:19.759 you try to grow from the good from the bad. 512 00:24:19.839 --> 00:24:21.799 I mean, you know, you go back to back Rose 513 00:24:21.839 --> 00:24:24.319 Bowl games. That doesn't mean we're doing things, you know, 514 00:24:24.440 --> 00:24:27.839 every way that we should. In my job, in anybody's job, 515 00:24:27.880 --> 00:24:30.720 you always have to you always have to grow and 516 00:24:32.000 --> 00:24:34.200 figure out different ways to do that, especially in this 517 00:24:34.359 --> 00:24:38.359 environment that we are in where it's just different. Right. 518 00:24:38.400 --> 00:24:40.920 I mean, this job, along with so many others here 519 00:24:41.160 --> 00:24:45.720 in elsewhere in college athletics, have dramatically changed. I mean, 520 00:24:46.440 --> 00:24:49.400 I'll put it as simple as this. Our compliance department 521 00:24:49.480 --> 00:24:52.200 are the people that negotiate our contracts over here. Now 522 00:24:52.279 --> 00:24:55.039 think about that for a second, right, that's our compliance 523 00:24:55.079 --> 00:24:58.920 office negotiating contracts for student athletes. It's great, right, you 524 00:24:59.000 --> 00:25:01.359 got to evolve, you got to something differently. But I 525 00:25:01.359 --> 00:25:04.680 think for me personally, I would say after the BYU incident, 526 00:25:05.200 --> 00:25:08.480 it was a time to reflect because I think that 527 00:25:08.759 --> 00:25:11.480 obviously I have such great respect for Kilane and Tom 528 00:25:11.519 --> 00:25:14.640 and everything that they do. It wasn't I didn't say 529 00:25:14.680 --> 00:25:17.079 the right day. And I've said that since and I 530 00:25:17.119 --> 00:25:19.400 continue to mean that. So you learn and you grow 531 00:25:19.440 --> 00:25:21.960 how do you handle stress? How do you how do 532 00:25:22.000 --> 00:25:24.119 you how do you handle things that don't go your way? 533 00:25:24.119 --> 00:25:26.920 It's all the things that you got to learn in 534 00:25:26.960 --> 00:25:29.319 your role. So I think I've grown from it. I've 535 00:25:29.400 --> 00:25:32.079 learned from it, And as far as just everything else 536 00:25:32.119 --> 00:25:34.240 going on in our industry, I do think we've built 537 00:25:34.279 --> 00:25:37.599 such a great team here administratively in our coaches that 538 00:25:37.880 --> 00:25:41.000 I am excited as we go into this new era 539 00:25:41.160 --> 00:25:42.680 where we're going to be and where we can go. 540 00:25:43.039 --> 00:25:45.799 Yeah, Mark, and we all deserve grace for moments that 541 00:25:45.880 --> 00:25:47.519 we wish we could have back, and we all have 542 00:25:47.640 --> 00:25:49.920 those moments, so you know, I know you understand the 543 00:25:49.920 --> 00:25:53.079 spirit of the question, and it's an ever changing landscape 544 00:25:53.079 --> 00:25:56.319 and you're under a lot of pressure, and sometimes pressure 545 00:25:56.440 --> 00:25:58.599 can cause us to say and do things. 546 00:25:58.319 --> 00:26:00.000 That we wish we would not have done. 547 00:26:00.279 --> 00:26:02.960 So I wonder, though, I'll stick with this theme for 548 00:26:03.119 --> 00:26:05.559 a little bit, when you went through the process of 549 00:26:05.680 --> 00:26:09.039 hiring Alex, what did you learn from the process you 550 00:26:09.079 --> 00:26:11.759 went through last time around that landed you on Craig. 551 00:26:12.920 --> 00:26:16.720 Yeah, I think I was probably a lot more open 552 00:26:17.000 --> 00:26:23.720 to NBA background. I think if you look at how 553 00:26:23.799 --> 00:26:28.039 much things have changed and you've got locker rooms with 554 00:26:28.079 --> 00:26:34.039 different pay scales, and you know how you distribute funds. 555 00:26:34.960 --> 00:26:38.960 You know, that's something that someone like Alex has tremendous 556 00:26:39.400 --> 00:26:43.759 experience with, you know, every night, including his experience in 557 00:26:43.759 --> 00:26:46.160 the G League. And so you take that combined with 558 00:26:46.240 --> 00:26:51.759 his incredible acumen in what he runs in basketball defensively, offensively, 559 00:26:52.720 --> 00:26:54.640 and just who he is as a person, much less 560 00:26:54.680 --> 00:26:56.400 the fact that he that he you know, wore the 561 00:26:56.400 --> 00:26:59.599 colors here, which is a great additive, but I would 562 00:26:59.599 --> 00:27:02.960 suggest even if he didn't, he'd be an incredible candidate here. 563 00:27:03.039 --> 00:27:06.240 So you throw all that together and I think that, 564 00:27:07.000 --> 00:27:09.400 you know, he just made perfect sense for where we're 565 00:27:09.440 --> 00:27:11.680 in and as we talk, you know, three or four 566 00:27:11.720 --> 00:27:14.200 times a day, which we've been doing, as we build 567 00:27:14.240 --> 00:27:18.359 the team together, the folks that are around him, you know, 568 00:27:18.440 --> 00:27:20.119 that's a real key thing that we're looking at the 569 00:27:20.359 --> 00:27:24.759 folks that have just really a mixture of experience. I 570 00:27:24.759 --> 00:27:27.200 think you're going to see less people on the bench 571 00:27:27.359 --> 00:27:30.720 because I think we're going to really look at, you know, 572 00:27:30.920 --> 00:27:35.319 just extreme quality of everybody that is sitting next to him. 573 00:27:35.799 --> 00:27:37.880 And I you know, quality and quantity don't mean the 574 00:27:37.880 --> 00:27:40.519 same thing all the time. So we're just like I said, 575 00:27:40.920 --> 00:27:44.519 we're willing to try different things to turn this thing 576 00:27:44.559 --> 00:27:45.720 around ahead in the right direction. 577 00:27:46.279 --> 00:27:48.640 Were you, and I don't want to imply the last 578 00:27:48.680 --> 00:27:51.880 time around, after you were looking for Larry's replacement, you 579 00:27:51.920 --> 00:27:54.519 were not open to former utes and I'm not implying 580 00:27:54.519 --> 00:27:56.640 that at all, but were you more open to that 581 00:27:56.720 --> 00:27:58.079 dynamic this time around? 582 00:27:58.960 --> 00:28:02.079 Yeah, I mean, certainly open to it last time, but 583 00:28:02.160 --> 00:28:07.119 I think now way more assured that this can work right. 584 00:28:07.400 --> 00:28:13.319 And I just again the experiences of where we were 585 00:28:13.400 --> 00:28:17.440 four years ago and where the game is now, it 586 00:28:17.480 --> 00:28:20.880 has literally changed, not just you know, a little bit, 587 00:28:21.079 --> 00:28:24.279 but a lot. And you know, the portal is different now, 588 00:28:24.440 --> 00:28:28.559 the the the money that's involved, and so much more, 589 00:28:29.079 --> 00:28:32.599 much more believing that someone with this type of background 590 00:28:32.839 --> 00:28:34.400 can be very, very highly successful. 591 00:28:34.759 --> 00:28:37.319 You referenced something earlier, and you know, I've known Alex 592 00:28:37.359 --> 00:28:39.160 and his wife Natalie for a number of years, and 593 00:28:39.200 --> 00:28:41.680 I know that they were happy in Dallas, and I 594 00:28:41.720 --> 00:28:43.920 know that Dallas very much liked Alex, and I know 595 00:28:44.000 --> 00:28:47.519 that they very much wanted him to stay. So you 596 00:28:47.519 --> 00:28:50.279 know this to your point, this was not a guy 597 00:28:50.359 --> 00:28:51.640 that needed a job. 598 00:28:51.799 --> 00:28:53.079 This was a guy that had a job. 599 00:28:53.119 --> 00:28:54.480 And this was a guy that had been in pro 600 00:28:54.559 --> 00:28:57.640 basketball for a number of years, And I honestly thought 601 00:28:57.839 --> 00:29:01.240 and still wonder at some point and hopefully Alex coaches 602 00:29:01.319 --> 00:29:03.519 Utah basketball for twenty five years. I always thought he 603 00:29:03.519 --> 00:29:06.599 was an NBA head coach with how much I saw 604 00:29:06.720 --> 00:29:10.160 him develop players and how impressed I was with his 605 00:29:10.200 --> 00:29:13.440 communication style. But what did it make it a little 606 00:29:13.440 --> 00:29:15.519 bit more difficult to kind of make the sell? 607 00:29:15.759 --> 00:29:16.759 And was there a little bit. 608 00:29:16.720 --> 00:29:18.440 Of a push and pull because he did have a 609 00:29:18.480 --> 00:29:20.599 good gig and they lived in a place that they liked. 610 00:29:21.680 --> 00:29:23.440 Well, you know, when you get a chance to talk 611 00:29:23.480 --> 00:29:27.160 to him, I think that he's better served to answer that. 612 00:29:27.240 --> 00:29:30.480 I just think you nailed it when when you're talking 613 00:29:30.519 --> 00:29:35.519 to someone that has a really good job and in 614 00:29:35.559 --> 00:29:39.200 a great situation, and he really liked living in Dallas, 615 00:29:39.559 --> 00:29:42.799 and he really liked Jason Kidd and the folks there. 616 00:29:44.200 --> 00:29:47.480 I just think that that when he was able to 617 00:29:47.559 --> 00:29:53.240 process how things were changing here in terms of rev 618 00:29:53.279 --> 00:29:55.920 share and how that would work, and explained to him 619 00:29:55.920 --> 00:29:58.240 how we're going to do that and the money that 620 00:29:58.279 --> 00:30:02.240 he would have, which it's not everything, but it's extremely important. 621 00:30:02.759 --> 00:30:04.559 When he had a chance to talk to President Randall 622 00:30:04.880 --> 00:30:11.480 and his incredible support of athletics. I think he just 623 00:30:11.559 --> 00:30:13.759 all came together for him. I you know, again, you'd 624 00:30:13.759 --> 00:30:15.319 have to ask him directly. I think there was a 625 00:30:15.359 --> 00:30:19.000 series of things. But what I loved talking about him, 626 00:30:19.000 --> 00:30:21.319 and I've always with him, I should say I've always 627 00:30:21.359 --> 00:30:24.119 enjoyed this with him anyway, but in this particular instance, 628 00:30:24.160 --> 00:30:26.200 it was just how thoughtful he was, the kind of 629 00:30:26.319 --> 00:30:29.640 questions that he asked, and because I think with Alex 630 00:30:30.119 --> 00:30:32.240 what is probably a little under said is he is 631 00:30:32.839 --> 00:30:36.319 extremely competitive and he wants to come here and win. 632 00:30:37.039 --> 00:30:39.680 He's and he's really serious about it, and he's very 633 00:30:39.680 --> 00:30:42.599 strategic in his thinking about it. So once he believed 634 00:30:42.599 --> 00:30:45.960 that everything kind of lined up, you know, he strongly 635 00:30:45.960 --> 00:30:47.160 believed it was time to come home. 636 00:30:47.720 --> 00:30:51.359 So of course, whether it was Alex Jensen or whether 637 00:30:51.400 --> 00:30:53.960 it was the ghost of Rickmanjeris or Phil Jackson, it 638 00:30:53.960 --> 00:30:56.160 doesn't matter who the Canada was, Mark, I'm sure they 639 00:30:56.200 --> 00:30:58.839 all would have asked you the same question, and that is, 640 00:30:58.880 --> 00:31:02.319 what is the finance infrastructure of the program? What is 641 00:31:02.359 --> 00:31:05.759 the what are the economics surrounding what we're able to 642 00:31:05.799 --> 00:31:08.000 do based off of how I can pay players or 643 00:31:08.000 --> 00:31:10.799 how I can pay staff. Where we at with boosters, 644 00:31:10.839 --> 00:31:12.960 where are we at with the Crimson Collective, et cetera, 645 00:31:13.039 --> 00:31:16.440 et cetera. My takeaway is simply because Alex took the job, 646 00:31:16.480 --> 00:31:18.640 he must have liked the answers you gave him. 647 00:31:18.680 --> 00:31:21.240 Can you shed any light on those conversations? 648 00:31:21.440 --> 00:31:23.160 Yeah, well, I think the key thing and we're going 649 00:31:23.200 --> 00:31:28.039 to do some town halls on this for everybody in 650 00:31:28.079 --> 00:31:30.680 the community that wants to engage with this on this 651 00:31:30.720 --> 00:31:35.559 because it's a complicated time. But quickly on your radio show, 652 00:31:36.440 --> 00:31:39.680 you know, July one is another monumental day in the 653 00:31:39.720 --> 00:31:43.720 history of college athletics. You know, when the settlement's approved, 654 00:31:43.759 --> 00:31:46.640 and by all indications it appears it will be. We'll 655 00:31:46.680 --> 00:31:49.880 find out sometime after April seventh. Then everybody gets to 656 00:31:49.960 --> 00:31:52.119 that cap of twenty million. I think we've talked about 657 00:31:52.119 --> 00:31:54.839 this before on your show. So what I explained to 658 00:31:54.880 --> 00:31:56.799 him is how we're going to handle that cap. We're 659 00:31:56.799 --> 00:31:58.960 certainly going to be at the full amount for the 660 00:31:59.039 --> 00:32:02.880 University of Utah letics that's allowable with the settlement, and 661 00:32:02.960 --> 00:32:05.640 obviously our two major revenue sports are going to get 662 00:32:05.640 --> 00:32:09.960 a majority of that money based on what the settlement's 663 00:32:10.000 --> 00:32:12.839 all about so, you know, I walk through that number 664 00:32:12.839 --> 00:32:14.680 with him. We're not going to go public with that 665 00:32:14.920 --> 00:32:17.160 just yet, but I walk through that number with him. 666 00:32:17.200 --> 00:32:20.319 And then I also explained this interim period between now 667 00:32:21.119 --> 00:32:25.240 and you know July one is a period where we 668 00:32:25.279 --> 00:32:27.319 can call it the wild wild West, can call whatever 669 00:32:27.319 --> 00:32:29.200 you want, but it's this period that we've kind of 670 00:32:29.200 --> 00:32:31.359 been in, and so we still can work with the 671 00:32:31.359 --> 00:32:36.359 Crimson Collective until we move on from that that model. Again, 672 00:32:36.480 --> 00:32:39.480 always forever grateful for the Garths for setting that up 673 00:32:39.519 --> 00:32:42.880 for us. And so we have the combination of pretty 674 00:32:42.880 --> 00:32:46.160 healthy revenue share number after July one, and we've had 675 00:32:46.160 --> 00:32:49.200 some unbelievable people really lean in, some that have been 676 00:32:49.279 --> 00:32:51.480 leaning in. I mean, this narrative that we didn't have 677 00:32:51.519 --> 00:32:54.640 anything is just false. We've been pretty healthy. We could 678 00:32:54.680 --> 00:32:58.680 always be healthier, I admit that. But so we've got 679 00:32:58.680 --> 00:33:00.839 a combination of the two for him to build this 680 00:33:00.960 --> 00:33:04.440 roster going forward. And he was really excited about that. 681 00:33:04.640 --> 00:33:07.839 And you know, where a revenue share number is going 682 00:33:07.839 --> 00:33:09.359 forward in the Big twelve is very healthy. 683 00:33:10.119 --> 00:33:14.200 So there are several wealthy folks who have gone on 684 00:33:14.319 --> 00:33:17.960 record publicly, whether it's venture capitalist, private equity. I think 685 00:33:17.960 --> 00:33:22.119 it's Mark Lazri who talked about his desire to potentially 686 00:33:22.119 --> 00:33:26.160 buy into college football program specifically where we'll use a hypothetical. 687 00:33:26.200 --> 00:33:28.440 They write you a check for five hundred million dollars 688 00:33:28.559 --> 00:33:31.160 or whatever the number is, and in exchange, you sell 689 00:33:31.200 --> 00:33:33.519 them forty nine percent of your football team. Then you 690 00:33:33.559 --> 00:33:36.119 have five hundred million dollars to play with. And then 691 00:33:36.160 --> 00:33:38.880 they owned, you know, a good portion of your properties. 692 00:33:38.920 --> 00:33:41.920 And once college football moves into whatever it's going to 693 00:33:41.960 --> 00:33:44.200 move in and nobody knows, then obviously they're going to 694 00:33:44.240 --> 00:33:46.119 make a lot of money. Is that anything you guys 695 00:33:46.119 --> 00:33:49.000 have considered up with you Well. 696 00:33:48.880 --> 00:33:51.279 I'll tell you what what I've said on this matter 697 00:33:51.359 --> 00:33:54.440 before is if we're not looking at anything that makes 698 00:33:54.480 --> 00:33:57.000 sense for us, then we're not doing our jobs. Certainly, 699 00:33:57.039 --> 00:34:00.559 coming into the Big Twelve, Commissioner, your markets brought forward 700 00:34:01.200 --> 00:34:05.920 opportunities in private equity for the conference, different folks that 701 00:34:05.960 --> 00:34:08.599 would come and invest, summer operators some or not, but 702 00:34:08.920 --> 00:34:12.480 you know, learning about that has been great. Whether or 703 00:34:12.519 --> 00:34:14.159 not the Big Twelve decides to do, some of that 704 00:34:14.199 --> 00:34:17.280 will play out over time, but it's also allowed Taylor 705 00:34:17.320 --> 00:34:19.119 and I to consider, you know, what would that look 706 00:34:19.159 --> 00:34:22.360 locally and so you know, as we talk today, no 707 00:34:22.440 --> 00:34:25.239 one in our space has gone that direction because it's 708 00:34:25.320 --> 00:34:28.719 very very complicated, right where state institutions and how would 709 00:34:28.760 --> 00:34:31.719 that all work, and et cetera, et cetera. But when 710 00:34:31.719 --> 00:34:34.800 you go into a situation where you're going to have 711 00:34:34.840 --> 00:34:37.360 to now use twenty two to twenty nine percent of 712 00:34:37.400 --> 00:34:40.719 your revenue student athletes, you have to start thinking differently 713 00:34:40.719 --> 00:34:43.480 and you have to start doing things differently. So it's 714 00:34:43.480 --> 00:34:45.639 something that I think that that vetting out makes a 715 00:34:45.679 --> 00:34:48.119 lot of sense. But at the end of the day, 716 00:34:48.159 --> 00:34:49.800 it has to make sense, right because if you give 717 00:34:49.840 --> 00:34:52.920 up forty nine percent of your revenue and you're supporting 718 00:34:52.920 --> 00:34:56.159 twenty plus sports, you can have a big lump sum. 719 00:34:56.280 --> 00:34:58.199 But you know that'll go away pretty quick if you're 720 00:34:58.199 --> 00:35:00.400 not careful in what what can change with the folks 721 00:35:00.400 --> 00:35:03.719 coming in. But there will be institutions that will do 722 00:35:03.800 --> 00:35:05.599 it if it makes sense for us, we'll certainly take 723 00:35:05.599 --> 00:35:06.320 it very seriously. 724 00:35:06.719 --> 00:35:09.480 News broke a few weeks ago the Huntsman Center, which 725 00:35:09.559 --> 00:35:12.000 is fifty five years old and a place, I mean, 726 00:35:12.239 --> 00:35:14.519 I walked in to do my show last Monday, prior 727 00:35:14.559 --> 00:35:18.000 to AJ's presser, and I've just flooded with great memories, 728 00:35:18.039 --> 00:35:20.360 and there are other memories that I'm not old enough 729 00:35:20.400 --> 00:35:20.880 to remember. 730 00:35:20.920 --> 00:35:22.519 I mean, it is such a historic building. 731 00:35:22.559 --> 00:35:25.159 But I think it is safe to say a facelift 732 00:35:25.239 --> 00:35:28.119 or something more certainly could benefit the community. Can you 733 00:35:28.320 --> 00:35:30.440 illuminate us a little bit on this process and what 734 00:35:30.480 --> 00:35:32.199 you hope to see once it comes to fruition. 735 00:35:33.079 --> 00:35:37.000 Yeah, it's kind of this alignment of a few things, right, 736 00:35:37.079 --> 00:35:39.280 I think the president's vision of what he wants to 737 00:35:39.320 --> 00:35:42.159 do with the campus overall, and encourage people to go 738 00:35:42.199 --> 00:35:45.519 online and look at that, I mean college Town Magic, 739 00:35:46.599 --> 00:35:49.320 which he's named it. You know, it would be incredible. 740 00:35:49.360 --> 00:35:51.800 You know, you talk about restaurants and shopping opportunities on 741 00:35:51.840 --> 00:35:54.639 campus and a refresh to the student union and all 742 00:35:54.679 --> 00:35:57.480 of those things. At the same token, we have this 743 00:35:57.559 --> 00:36:02.679 incredibly awesome arena that does need work, There's no question 744 00:36:02.760 --> 00:36:06.280 about that. And some of our early looks start to 745 00:36:06.320 --> 00:36:10.000 suggest you start getting close to what a refurbishment would 746 00:36:10.000 --> 00:36:14.760 be compared to a new arena. And when those numbers 747 00:36:14.760 --> 00:36:17.280 start to look similar, of course they wouldn't be totally 748 00:36:17.360 --> 00:36:20.239 the same, then it starts making you think, Okay, you know, 749 00:36:20.280 --> 00:36:25.079 we really look at opportunities and options ahead. So we're 750 00:36:25.119 --> 00:36:26.840 going to follow the president's lead on this and our 751 00:36:26.840 --> 00:36:30.079 trustees who voted for this. We're going to work really 752 00:36:30.119 --> 00:36:32.840 hard with our campus partners to look at places we 753 00:36:32.880 --> 00:36:36.559 could go. A lot of work ahead, nothing imminent, but 754 00:36:36.679 --> 00:36:41.159 certainly something that we're really excited to examine. And people 755 00:36:41.199 --> 00:36:43.920 ask me what size or where it would go. Those 756 00:36:43.960 --> 00:36:46.000 are the questions that we have to dive into and 757 00:36:46.320 --> 00:36:48.199 really study. At the end of the day, what we 758 00:36:48.280 --> 00:36:50.920 want to have happened is just a fabulous arena that 759 00:36:51.039 --> 00:36:54.559 has the type of customer experience that you want, what 760 00:36:54.679 --> 00:36:58.360 people expect these day days. It has more accessible parking, 761 00:36:58.840 --> 00:37:02.920 it has ada stand that has all those things at 762 00:37:02.920 --> 00:37:05.920 the same time provides the very best student athletic experience 763 00:37:06.280 --> 00:37:09.199 to compete here along with fans that come. So that's 764 00:37:09.239 --> 00:37:12.199 the work gets ahead and we're really fired up about it. 765 00:37:12.320 --> 00:37:15.519 So I've known the name Wes Wilcox for a long time, 766 00:37:15.719 --> 00:37:19.440 and when Pete Thamil reported this as a possibility, I went, wow, 767 00:37:19.599 --> 00:37:21.840 like that would be a big hire. Wes is very 768 00:37:21.880 --> 00:37:25.280 well respected, been in the NBA for twenty plus years. 769 00:37:25.320 --> 00:37:28.800 He's filled a myriad of different roles, including being the 770 00:37:28.840 --> 00:37:31.880 general manager of an NBA team. He hired Alex and 771 00:37:31.920 --> 00:37:34.519 Cleveland around the G League team. He's coming from a 772 00:37:34.519 --> 00:37:36.800 Sacramento team that right now is a little bit of 773 00:37:36.840 --> 00:37:41.079 a mess. But he becomes the highest ranking NBA official 774 00:37:41.199 --> 00:37:42.679 to take a college job. 775 00:37:43.119 --> 00:37:44.000 This is not nothing. 776 00:37:44.079 --> 00:37:45.880 Of course, a lot of the attention is on Alex, 777 00:37:45.920 --> 00:37:47.679 but you do have a new general manager, which is 778 00:37:47.719 --> 00:37:50.840 a new role in the world of sports. I believe 779 00:37:50.880 --> 00:37:54.039 you referenced this being Alex's higher Is that accurate? 780 00:37:55.719 --> 00:38:00.760 Well, it's first of all, been great to get to 781 00:38:00.760 --> 00:38:04.800 know Wes his family. We stuck him out here because 782 00:38:04.800 --> 00:38:07.199 you know, someone like you would recognize him, and we 783 00:38:07.280 --> 00:38:09.360 stuck him out here and I got a chance to 784 00:38:09.360 --> 00:38:13.920 really visit with them. We walked around and was able 785 00:38:13.960 --> 00:38:15.480 to you know, I got friends in the NBA too, 786 00:38:15.519 --> 00:38:19.119 was able to learn more about him, and you know, 787 00:38:19.280 --> 00:38:21.920 he and Alex are very close. So Alex and I, 788 00:38:22.159 --> 00:38:24.639 you know, we talked about it and I just thought 789 00:38:24.639 --> 00:38:27.480 it made so much sense. And going back to where 790 00:38:27.480 --> 00:38:30.440 we started the interview, you know, it was Georg I 791 00:38:30.480 --> 00:38:33.159 should say it is in the game right now about 792 00:38:33.239 --> 00:38:37.360 roster management. I mean, whether you're Duke, whether you're anyone 793 00:38:37.360 --> 00:38:40.400 else in between, or down below. You know, you're building 794 00:38:40.400 --> 00:38:43.360 these rosters every year. You know this fifty eight to 795 00:38:43.920 --> 00:38:48.800 sixty two percent turnover every year, So you need extreme organization. 796 00:38:49.719 --> 00:38:51.880 You got to be in contact with all the agents, 797 00:38:52.000 --> 00:38:55.960 know them, and it's a lot like again, what they're 798 00:38:56.000 --> 00:38:57.920 doing in the NBA. You know, I would say even 799 00:38:57.920 --> 00:39:00.239 more roster movement as you would know. So I'm just 800 00:39:00.280 --> 00:39:03.079 really excited to have him. His family are just awesome people. 801 00:39:04.159 --> 00:39:06.320 He'll be out here, I believe as early as tomorrow. 802 00:39:06.440 --> 00:39:09.599 Can't wait to see him. And give Alex so much 803 00:39:09.719 --> 00:39:14.559 credit for you know the fact that he's got these 804 00:39:14.639 --> 00:39:16.719 kind of contacts, but most importantly that they want to 805 00:39:16.760 --> 00:39:18.760 work with him because the kind of person Alex is, 806 00:39:18.800 --> 00:39:21.440 so it's just great for the youth. When we got 807 00:39:21.440 --> 00:39:23.039 the word that he was coming, might. 808 00:39:22.960 --> 00:39:25.519 Have to knock the NBA knowledge out of my mind, Mark, 809 00:39:25.559 --> 00:39:28.280 because in the NBA, the coach reports to the GM. 810 00:39:29.159 --> 00:39:31.519 How does this work with your hierarchy? Do they both 811 00:39:31.559 --> 00:39:32.280 report to you? 812 00:39:33.239 --> 00:39:34.079 How's this going to work? 813 00:39:34.639 --> 00:39:37.599 It's a great question, man, because you're seeing more of 814 00:39:37.599 --> 00:39:41.719 that right Like at USC, the general manager there has 815 00:39:41.719 --> 00:39:46.679 got the joint report to Lincoln and to Jim, my friend, 816 00:39:46.679 --> 00:39:47.440 the ad there. 817 00:39:48.280 --> 00:39:50.440 I'm not ready for that. You know, I have such 818 00:39:50.519 --> 00:39:53.440 high belief in our head coaches. So it's set up 819 00:39:53.440 --> 00:39:55.320 that Alex reports to him. But it's going to be 820 00:39:55.360 --> 00:39:58.079 a partnership. I should say that he's reporting Alex, and 821 00:39:58.119 --> 00:39:59.840 that's the way it is. You know, down the line, 822 00:40:00.199 --> 00:40:03.320 we could see certain changes like that, but I, you know, 823 00:40:03.519 --> 00:40:05.880 I want this to be the traditional way. We'll see 824 00:40:05.880 --> 00:40:07.119 if we can still go that way. 825 00:40:07.599 --> 00:40:07.880 But I. 826 00:40:09.679 --> 00:40:12.519 He definitely reports to Alex as well the other assistant 827 00:40:12.519 --> 00:40:16.440 coaches as we continue to fill out the staff. But 828 00:40:16.480 --> 00:40:21.480 the work that Wes will do working with Alex with 829 00:40:21.519 --> 00:40:24.679 my team getting into resources they need. Those things all 830 00:40:24.719 --> 00:40:27.599 have to align. That's our goal, so that we aren't 831 00:40:27.639 --> 00:40:31.000 watching this tournament, rather we're participating in it. 832 00:40:31.360 --> 00:40:34.719 Just checking my sen items in my email here, did 833 00:40:34.719 --> 00:40:38.440 you receive my resume for consideration for the general manager 834 00:40:38.440 --> 00:40:38.840 of SPOT? 835 00:40:39.000 --> 00:40:40.039 I believe I sent it over. 836 00:40:40.920 --> 00:40:44.519 Did you receive the invoice from the Crimson Club and 837 00:40:44.599 --> 00:40:45.599 the Crimson Collective? 838 00:40:45.719 --> 00:40:48.360 Well played? Well played? All right? Mark? 839 00:40:48.400 --> 00:40:50.719 Before I say you lose, I have one spring football question. 840 00:40:50.719 --> 00:40:52.639 I mean spring football. I mean, it's fun to have 841 00:40:52.679 --> 00:40:55.480 football back. But here's what has struck me. I mean, 842 00:40:55.800 --> 00:40:57.800 you know, you listen to coaches and players and mostly 843 00:40:57.840 --> 00:40:59.280 it's like, hey, it's going to be back. You know, 844 00:40:59.320 --> 00:41:02.280 we're positive, we're happy, blah blah blah. But coach Wit 845 00:41:02.480 --> 00:41:06.000 on a number of different occasions already has said that 846 00:41:06.039 --> 00:41:09.159 there's more positive energy in the building and surrounding the 847 00:41:09.159 --> 00:41:12.079 team than there has been in years past, which it 848 00:41:12.400 --> 00:41:14.599 just struck me because Kyle doesn't suffer fools. He's going 849 00:41:14.639 --> 00:41:16.079 to tell you what it is, and he's going to 850 00:41:16.079 --> 00:41:18.360 tell you the truth. I don't know if that's an 851 00:41:18.400 --> 00:41:21.440 indictment on anyone or anything or the teams in the past. 852 00:41:21.519 --> 00:41:24.239 Maybe if it was the ambiguity of quarterback and all 853 00:41:24.239 --> 00:41:26.679 the health issues. But what do you make of Kyle 854 00:41:26.800 --> 00:41:30.119 saying on multiple occasions already there's just more positive energy 855 00:41:30.119 --> 00:41:30.679 in the building. 856 00:41:31.920 --> 00:41:34.360 Well, first of all, it's absolutely accurate. You can feel 857 00:41:34.400 --> 00:41:38.199 it when you're over there, and you know. So the 858 00:41:38.280 --> 00:41:40.519 question that you have is why you know I could? 859 00:41:40.599 --> 00:41:42.599 I could? I could guess, And that's all I can 860 00:41:42.639 --> 00:41:45.119 do is that the season was hard. It was a 861 00:41:45.199 --> 00:41:49.920 slog It was filled with injuries and close losses and 862 00:41:50.679 --> 00:41:54.039 just wasn't us Well, you pull the car back in 863 00:41:54.079 --> 00:41:56.760 the garage, you make changes, you go out and find 864 00:41:56.760 --> 00:42:02.639 some new guys on the offense, and it's just it's 865 00:42:02.679 --> 00:42:05.320 just a different feeling, right. I Mean, you got a 866 00:42:05.320 --> 00:42:07.760 bunch of leaders on the team that that have been 867 00:42:07.800 --> 00:42:11.320 to rose bulls and championship games, and they're just the 868 00:42:11.360 --> 00:42:14.360 taste is there. So you combine the desire of the 869 00:42:14.400 --> 00:42:18.679 guys along with the staff and and there's a there's 870 00:42:18.679 --> 00:42:20.400 a lot of mojo. You know, we know there's a 871 00:42:20.400 --> 00:42:23.000 ton of work ahead. I'm gonna end this in a 872 00:42:23.079 --> 00:42:24.880 in a bit to get down to practice. But the 873 00:42:25.039 --> 00:42:28.840 energy out there is is it's it's pulpable. I mean, 874 00:42:28.960 --> 00:42:31.679 it's it's real, and I think it's gonna bode well. 875 00:42:31.679 --> 00:42:33.440 And then lastly, you know, it's kind of like we 876 00:42:33.559 --> 00:42:35.039 know we're not gonna be picked to win. We'll be 877 00:42:35.119 --> 00:42:37.840 wherever we get picked, and and you know, maybe that's 878 00:42:37.840 --> 00:42:39.639 not a bad thing for the use, you know, a 879 00:42:39.760 --> 00:42:42.719 pick against us and we'll see what happens. 880 00:42:43.280 --> 00:42:45.599 You having any fun with all this going on? 881 00:42:46.639 --> 00:42:49.000 Yeah, I appreciate that. I got asked by a buddy 882 00:42:49.000 --> 00:42:52.599 the other day. Listen, it's it's uh, it's still an 883 00:42:52.679 --> 00:42:55.079 incredible thing to be around young people. 884 00:42:55.119 --> 00:42:55.280 Man. 885 00:42:55.400 --> 00:42:58.159 I mean, whether they're getting paid a block or more. 886 00:42:58.920 --> 00:43:01.719 There's still people pursuing their dreams and you're fostering that 887 00:43:01.920 --> 00:43:04.280 environment to make sure they can do it. I mean, 888 00:43:04.320 --> 00:43:06.119 I'd say the best moment I've had is when we 889 00:43:06.159 --> 00:43:08.679 got worded about our ninety five percent graduation rate, as 890 00:43:08.719 --> 00:43:12.360 despite two years of transferring in, transferring out and this 891 00:43:12.440 --> 00:43:15.840 money going there, we're still graduating these incredible people. And 892 00:43:16.159 --> 00:43:17.760 I think that puts us right up there first or 893 00:43:17.760 --> 00:43:21.159 second with public schools in the country. And so that's cool, right, 894 00:43:21.239 --> 00:43:22.800 That's the kind of stuff that when you call it 895 00:43:22.840 --> 00:43:25.719 a day, that's the stuff you lean on. So still 896 00:43:25.760 --> 00:43:28.760 loving it. Great interview here, and you know, can't wait 897 00:43:28.800 --> 00:43:29.880 to see what happens next. 898 00:43:29.960 --> 00:43:31.800 All right, before I set you loose, you alluded to 899 00:43:31.800 --> 00:43:34.880 this earlier, and a assistant coaching hire has been made, 900 00:43:34.960 --> 00:43:38.559 Raphael Chilius, who's very well known and both pro and 901 00:43:38.599 --> 00:43:41.519 college basketball circles. Of course, a lot of rumors about 902 00:43:41.519 --> 00:43:44.119 Andre Miller as a gen xer and a ute student 903 00:43:44.119 --> 00:43:46.800 in the nineties. You bring Andrea into a gym, you 904 00:43:46.800 --> 00:43:50.360 get instant credibility. You reference the process of filling out 905 00:43:50.400 --> 00:43:52.960 Alex's staff. Last question for today, where are we at 906 00:43:53.000 --> 00:43:54.119 in that process. 907 00:43:54.760 --> 00:43:57.800 Yeah, he's you know now that I think that Wes 908 00:43:57.840 --> 00:44:00.679 has been secured, you know, Alex, now get on to 909 00:44:00.800 --> 00:44:03.360 the rest of the group, which he's he's he's he's 910 00:44:03.400 --> 00:44:07.280 working on you know, he's as I mentioned earlier, he's 911 00:44:07.320 --> 00:44:09.639 he's kind of not just looking at a typical model 912 00:44:10.239 --> 00:44:11.960 of kind of what a lot of folks are doing. 913 00:44:11.960 --> 00:44:14.360 He's more looking at what's gonna work best for him 914 00:44:14.360 --> 00:44:15.679 and what do you think is going to work best 915 00:44:15.679 --> 00:44:18.679 for our program. So he's working really hard, you know, 916 00:44:18.719 --> 00:44:19.960 Like I said, I'm on the phone in them all 917 00:44:20.000 --> 00:44:24.719 the time. He's got incredible contacts, not only locally here obviously, 918 00:44:24.840 --> 00:44:28.039 but all over the world. So you know, I anticipate, 919 00:44:28.159 --> 00:44:30.320 as we've done over the last week or so, we'll 920 00:44:30.320 --> 00:44:32.880 have we'll have more names coming, whoever they might be. 921 00:44:32.920 --> 00:44:36.159 I want to protect the process. But what's great is 922 00:44:36.199 --> 00:44:39.119 watching how thoughtful he's being what he truly believes we 923 00:44:39.159 --> 00:44:41.760 need going forward, and I have no doubt he'll come 924 00:44:41.800 --> 00:44:42.880 up with some great guys. 925 00:44:43.159 --> 00:44:45.480 Mark, thank you, sir for the time. I always appreciate it. 926 00:44:45.519 --> 00:44:47.639 If we can be of any assistance over this way, 927 00:44:47.679 --> 00:44:48.360 please let us know. 928 00:44:48.440 --> 00:44:51.880 Okay, all right, Svince, thank you say hello to poorer for. 929 00:44:51.880 --> 00:44:54.239 Me, We'll do anybody order. 930 00:44:54.239 --> 00:44:57.920 Mark says hello, Hey, Mark, all right, Mark Carlin, athletic 931 00:44:57.960 --> 00:45:00.719 director at University IF brought to you today by if 932 00:45:00.800 --> 00:45:03.760 A Country Stores. All Right, Any drive to the basket 933 00:45:03.840 --> 00:45:05.760 begins with the first step on the court. That's the 934 00:45:05.840 --> 00:45:09.559 ultimate power move IFA Step one. Crabgrass Preventor and their 935 00:45:09.639 --> 00:45:12.320 lawn Food is the first choice to give your yard 936 00:45:12.320 --> 00:45:13.760 the healthy green look you admire. 937 00:45:14.000 --> 00:45:15.519 The neighbors will be green with envy. 938 00:45:15.559 --> 00:45:19.039 Shop IFA online at IFA dot co op or stop 939 00:45:19.119 --> 00:45:21.000 by one of their neighborhood stores. 940 00:45:21.000 --> 00:45:24.440 Today we got Smitty. 941 00:45:23.679 --> 00:45:26.320 Live in studio for an entire hour coming up in 942 00:45:26.360 --> 00:45:28.679 just about I'll call it twenty five minutes right now, 943 00:45:29.320 --> 00:45:31.960 especially thanks to Mark Harlan athletic director from the University 944 00:45:31.960 --> 00:45:33.079 of Utah stopping by. 945 00:45:33.119 --> 00:45:33.960 In the first hour. 946 00:45:34.039 --> 00:45:37.199 We go from the ad of the utes to the 947 00:45:37.360 --> 00:45:41.800 voice of the Utes, Bill Riley Thursday Afternoon, Ryle's happy Thursdayuddy, how. 948 00:45:41.719 --> 00:45:42.039 Are we doing? 949 00:45:42.599 --> 00:45:45.719 Sorry about the down great spence, Not at all big, 950 00:45:45.760 --> 00:45:46.960 but you had the big boss on. 951 00:45:47.119 --> 00:45:47.559 That's good. 952 00:45:47.599 --> 00:45:50.360 I'm fow tough fact to follow here, Not at all, 953 00:45:50.440 --> 00:45:50.840 not at all. 954 00:45:50.920 --> 00:45:52.280 Ryle's always good to have you on? 955 00:45:52.360 --> 00:45:54.920 You know, I realize I've never asked you the following question, 956 00:45:55.000 --> 00:45:58.440 what landed you on where the streets have no name 957 00:45:58.599 --> 00:46:02.119 on your for the intro for show? We had that 958 00:46:02.159 --> 00:46:04.840 inthrow together for years. I've just never asked you. The 959 00:46:04.920 --> 00:46:05.960 question just dawned on me. 960 00:46:06.599 --> 00:46:09.639 Well, I love you too, big U two fan, And 961 00:46:10.159 --> 00:46:13.159 it's one of those It's got a great build up, 962 00:46:13.199 --> 00:46:15.679 so you could you know, it's kind of a build 963 00:46:15.840 --> 00:46:18.320 into the show type. You can play some highlights over 964 00:46:18.400 --> 00:46:21.599 it or voice track stuff over it. So it was 965 00:46:21.639 --> 00:46:23.880 one of the few songs that had like a decent build. 966 00:46:23.679 --> 00:46:25.639 Up to it. Plus I always liked the song too. 967 00:46:25.599 --> 00:46:27.719 So that's a great song. There's no doubt. There's no 968 00:46:27.760 --> 00:46:29.079 doubt you've seen you two live. 969 00:46:29.199 --> 00:46:31.719 Yeah, I've seen them seven times. 970 00:46:31.719 --> 00:46:33.719 Well, don't be that guy, Bill. You know you don't 971 00:46:33.719 --> 00:46:34.199 have the brass. 972 00:46:34.239 --> 00:46:36.519 I've heard you talking about seeing Dave Matthew's band like 973 00:46:36.559 --> 00:46:37.840 fifteen thousand times. 974 00:46:37.920 --> 00:46:40.000 You know what, It's funny you bring that up. 975 00:46:40.320 --> 00:46:42.239 When I was young, I thought it would be cool 976 00:46:42.239 --> 00:46:44.559 to be the guy that's seen Dave a million times. 977 00:46:44.840 --> 00:46:46.719 And now that I'm old, when people ask me, I 978 00:46:46.800 --> 00:46:48.800 truly get embarrassed. I don't like to say the number. 979 00:46:49.920 --> 00:46:52.159 Okay, well seven, I won't say it again. But the 980 00:46:52.239 --> 00:46:54.119 last time I saw them was at the Sphere last 981 00:46:54.199 --> 00:46:55.119 year and it was pretty cool. 982 00:46:55.280 --> 00:46:57.639 Okay, Bill, you live a life that the rest of 983 00:46:57.719 --> 00:47:00.960 us dream of. We get it, well, you know. 984 00:47:01.079 --> 00:47:05.559 I just I've had great seats to see him before. 985 00:47:05.559 --> 00:47:08.960 But the Sphear thing, it's really really cool. I don't 986 00:47:09.360 --> 00:47:10.880 I don't know if you if you've been down there yet, 987 00:47:10.880 --> 00:47:11.519 have you seen anything? 988 00:47:11.519 --> 00:47:13.920 No, some of us still have to do radio every day. 989 00:47:14.679 --> 00:47:15.639 Oh my goodness. 990 00:47:15.679 --> 00:47:17.639 This is when I was still doing radio every day. 991 00:47:17.639 --> 00:47:19.480 That's when I was still working with you every day. 992 00:47:19.599 --> 00:47:21.800 I'm just messing with you. Somebody has to I know 993 00:47:21.840 --> 00:47:22.280 you missed this. 994 00:47:23.280 --> 00:47:25.280 I do, I do, all right. 995 00:47:25.320 --> 00:47:27.079 We have the banter, yeah, indeed, and we have a 996 00:47:27.079 --> 00:47:29.480 lot to get to because I haven't spoken to you 997 00:47:29.519 --> 00:47:30.840 since the news became official. 998 00:47:30.920 --> 00:47:33.039 I did see you up at the Huntsman, but you 999 00:47:33.079 --> 00:47:34.519 were busy with the MC duties. 1000 00:47:34.760 --> 00:47:37.719 So it's Alex, Alex Jensen, it's AJ, it's youte legend, 1001 00:47:37.719 --> 00:47:41.119 it's mister basketball in nineteen ninety four of you Mont High. 1002 00:47:41.159 --> 00:47:44.079 So what's the reaction and what also is your reaction? 1003 00:47:44.159 --> 00:47:47.599 Of the process that unfolded and landed Mark Harlan I 1004 00:47:47.800 --> 00:47:48.960 Alex Jensen. 1005 00:47:49.480 --> 00:47:52.559 Well, I just you know, I mean, you know Alex. 1006 00:47:52.679 --> 00:47:55.280 I know him in passing. You know, we know of 1007 00:47:55.360 --> 00:47:57.360 each other and we chatted a little bit and we 1008 00:47:57.400 --> 00:47:59.440 had a chance to sit down. But you've known him 1009 00:47:59.440 --> 00:48:02.760 for a long time of Spence, he just he checks 1010 00:48:02.840 --> 00:48:05.280 all the boxes of what you want, both as a 1011 00:48:05.360 --> 00:48:08.920 basketball coach but as a representative of a school in 1012 00:48:08.960 --> 00:48:11.000 a university. And then when you factor in the guy 1013 00:48:11.119 --> 00:48:14.000 is from the state of Utah, He's a legend at 1014 00:48:14.000 --> 00:48:17.320 the school. He ties to the golden years, he ties 1015 00:48:17.400 --> 00:48:21.039 to the greatest coach in school history, and he wanted 1016 00:48:21.079 --> 00:48:23.679 to be a head coach, and the opportunity presented itself. 1017 00:48:23.679 --> 00:48:27.920 I just everything fits the boxes. All check here for 1018 00:48:28.000 --> 00:48:32.079 the Alex Jensen higher it's a slam dunk for this program. 1019 00:48:32.119 --> 00:48:34.119 It may not have been a slam dunk if Marquette 1020 00:48:34.199 --> 00:48:38.280 wanted him, or if Villanova wanted him, there might have been, 1021 00:48:38.360 --> 00:48:42.119 but for here and for now, everything checks both the 1022 00:48:42.159 --> 00:48:44.960 basketball side of it and the non basketball side of it. 1023 00:48:45.039 --> 00:48:48.079 So I think it was a really easy hire for 1024 00:48:48.159 --> 00:48:50.840 Mark to make. And the fact that I think Alex 1025 00:48:50.920 --> 00:48:54.599 is ready to make that jump now too, makes it 1026 00:48:54.599 --> 00:48:58.280 even better. And I think he's because of where he's 1027 00:48:58.360 --> 00:49:01.519 been and what he done on the pro level, and 1028 00:49:01.559 --> 00:49:04.480 because of the way collegiate athletics is becoming so much 1029 00:49:04.519 --> 00:49:07.800 more a pro game. I think it's a great hire 1030 00:49:07.880 --> 00:49:10.119 on that side of it too, And I think the 1031 00:49:10.159 --> 00:49:14.639 two hires you've seen him make from Rafael Chilius, who's 1032 00:49:14.639 --> 00:49:17.280 got so many ties to both the NBA college and 1033 00:49:17.400 --> 00:49:21.480 high school, and then the hire yesterday of the general manager, 1034 00:49:21.559 --> 00:49:24.599 to me, I think Alex has had a plan in mind, 1035 00:49:24.800 --> 00:49:26.679 and I think he kind of knew what he wanted 1036 00:49:26.719 --> 00:49:29.000 to get accomplished when he took this job. 1037 00:49:29.400 --> 00:49:31.800 So I asked Mark this question when he joined us 1038 00:49:32.119 --> 00:49:35.079 last hour. I wonder what you believe or perceived to 1039 00:49:35.079 --> 00:49:40.199 be the main difference between because we know, and it's 1040 00:49:40.280 --> 00:49:43.639 really no secret that after Mark elected to move on 1041 00:49:43.760 --> 00:49:47.119 from Larry, he did speak with Alex before landing on Craig, 1042 00:49:48.039 --> 00:49:50.800 and this time around, there are a lot of differences 1043 00:49:50.880 --> 00:49:53.960 on both sides. Quite frankly, it's not just the differences 1044 00:49:54.000 --> 00:49:57.480 on Utah side, it's the differences on Alex's side, who 1045 00:49:57.480 --> 00:50:00.000 probably did the calculation and said you know, there's a chance, 1046 00:50:00.079 --> 00:50:01.760 so maybe I'm not going to be an NBA coach, 1047 00:50:01.840 --> 00:50:03.400 even though I think he'd be a damn good one. 1048 00:50:03.559 --> 00:50:06.920 What do you think the differences were this time around 1049 00:50:06.960 --> 00:50:08.639 that ended up with Alex getting the gig? 1050 00:50:09.400 --> 00:50:12.079 Well, clearly more you know, four more years of experience 1051 00:50:12.159 --> 00:50:14.800 on Alex's side. But I think, go back to what 1052 00:50:14.880 --> 00:50:17.360 I just talked about a minute ago, the way the 1053 00:50:17.400 --> 00:50:21.159 college game has changed and evolved, the way that it's 1054 00:50:21.239 --> 00:50:24.840 now much more a pro hybrid than it is the 1055 00:50:24.920 --> 00:50:27.639 college game that you and I grew up with. And 1056 00:50:27.679 --> 00:50:33.199 I think Alex's experience in that world, both in the 1057 00:50:33.280 --> 00:50:36.599 D League now G League obviously, and in the NBA, 1058 00:50:37.239 --> 00:50:40.800 I think it lends him even more so to today's game. 1059 00:50:41.440 --> 00:50:44.079 I just think that the college game has gotten so 1060 00:50:44.199 --> 00:50:46.639 much closer to the game that Alex has been coaching 1061 00:50:47.079 --> 00:50:49.519 for the better part of, you know, the last seventeen 1062 00:50:49.599 --> 00:50:50.440 eighteen years. 1063 00:50:50.920 --> 00:50:52.480 Then I think I think it would have been a 1064 00:50:52.480 --> 00:50:52.960 good fit. 1065 00:50:53.199 --> 00:50:54.880 I do. I think he would have been a good 1066 00:50:54.880 --> 00:50:59.159 fit four years ago, but I think now even more so, 1067 00:50:59.440 --> 00:51:02.519 with his experience, it makes all the sense in the world. 1068 00:51:02.679 --> 00:51:05.480 There's a lot of conversation, a lot of which has 1069 00:51:05.519 --> 00:51:08.840 happened on this little radio program about people in the 1070 00:51:08.880 --> 00:51:11.719 community believing that former utes need to be the answer 1071 00:51:12.280 --> 00:51:14.800 almost across the board. Now we'll get to Wes Wilcox 1072 00:51:14.800 --> 00:51:18.480 and you reference Rafael chilias neither of who are former utes. 1073 00:51:18.559 --> 00:51:21.440 And you know, Mark was good last hour to kind 1074 00:51:21.480 --> 00:51:23.719 of illuminate us on the process that's going on to 1075 00:51:23.719 --> 00:51:26.000 fill out the rest of the bench. But as somebody, 1076 00:51:26.039 --> 00:51:27.679 I mean, I know you're a transplant, but you've been 1077 00:51:27.679 --> 00:51:29.880 here forever. It's essentially home now, and so you know 1078 00:51:29.960 --> 00:51:32.760 the market and you understand what you need to do 1079 00:51:32.960 --> 00:51:35.599 to traverse the space that sometimes can be a little 1080 00:51:35.639 --> 00:51:37.760 bit complex, but ultimately it's a great place to live. 1081 00:51:38.199 --> 00:51:40.320 Are you one that believes that in order. 1082 00:51:40.119 --> 00:51:43.920 To be on the staff or coach at Utah you 1083 00:51:43.960 --> 00:51:45.920 really need to understand this market? 1084 00:51:47.320 --> 00:51:49.559 No, I don't. I think you have to have people 1085 00:51:49.599 --> 00:51:52.440 on the staff that do understand the market, but I 1086 00:51:52.440 --> 00:51:53.840 don't think the entire. 1087 00:51:53.599 --> 00:51:54.679 Staff has to. 1088 00:51:55.639 --> 00:51:58.599 I think you have to have somebody that understands, whether 1089 00:51:58.639 --> 00:52:01.400 it's an assistant. Alex clear he does because he grew 1090 00:52:01.480 --> 00:52:04.159 up here, went to school here, lived in the market 1091 00:52:04.199 --> 00:52:07.480 even when he wasn't coaching here. But I think people 1092 00:52:07.519 --> 00:52:10.000 can be educated on that. I didn't know this market 1093 00:52:10.079 --> 00:52:12.800 spence when I moved here twenty four years ago. It's 1094 00:52:13.199 --> 00:52:15.679 not that weird to say twenty four years ago now, 1095 00:52:16.360 --> 00:52:19.119 but you adapt quickly, and now I know it as 1096 00:52:19.119 --> 00:52:21.559 well as I think anybody that's probably grown up here, 1097 00:52:22.000 --> 00:52:25.159 because you've got to educate yourself on that. So I 1098 00:52:25.159 --> 00:52:27.480 think people can do that. I think if you can 1099 00:52:27.559 --> 00:52:30.800 find good Utah people to put on your staff, you 1100 00:52:30.880 --> 00:52:33.920 do that. But you have to find good coaches and 1101 00:52:34.039 --> 00:52:38.039 people that fit your philosophy. Alex knows what he wants. 1102 00:52:38.639 --> 00:52:40.800 He didn't really tell me what that was. I kind 1103 00:52:40.800 --> 00:52:42.280 of picked his brain and he kind of gave me 1104 00:52:42.280 --> 00:52:45.039 an idea, but he didn't get into specifics. He did 1105 00:52:45.079 --> 00:52:47.719 tell me that hiring a GM was a top priority, 1106 00:52:47.880 --> 00:52:51.039 and clearly he got his GM yesterday. But I don't 1107 00:52:51.119 --> 00:52:51.440 think that. 1108 00:52:51.559 --> 00:52:53.960 You know, if you can find guys that have ties. 1109 00:52:53.719 --> 00:52:57.320 To the program, whether they were players or staff members 1110 00:52:57.400 --> 00:52:59.519 or whatever that might happen to be, I think that's great. 1111 00:53:00.360 --> 00:53:03.079 But I think in today's day and age, people are 1112 00:53:03.119 --> 00:53:06.519 a lot more adaptable now than they've ever been. I 1113 00:53:06.519 --> 00:53:09.840 think our society in general just moves so fast and 1114 00:53:09.840 --> 00:53:12.800 if you're successful in life, whether it's as a radio host, 1115 00:53:12.880 --> 00:53:16.000 a coach, an attorney, a salesperson, whatever that might happen 1116 00:53:16.039 --> 00:53:20.079 to be, you learn to adapt in assimbily pretty quickly. 1117 00:53:20.159 --> 00:53:23.039 So if there are some people out there with Utah 1118 00:53:23.119 --> 00:53:25.800 ties that Alex wants to bring on the staff, hey, 1119 00:53:25.800 --> 00:53:28.400 that's great. But I don't think that that is a 1120 00:53:28.440 --> 00:53:32.559 prerequisite for joining this. But I do think having somebody 1121 00:53:32.599 --> 00:53:39.360 that has lifetime knowledge and such a feel for the program, 1122 00:53:39.840 --> 00:53:42.360 I think that certainly helps, and I think Alex fills 1123 00:53:42.360 --> 00:53:43.639 that role, But I don't think you have to have 1124 00:53:43.679 --> 00:53:44.599 a staff full of that. 1125 00:53:45.039 --> 00:53:49.320 Reference Raphael Chilias or coach chill as his nickname is 1126 00:53:49.440 --> 00:53:53.280 on Twitter. What Ryles is a good nickname. But build 1127 00:53:53.320 --> 00:53:54.920 a chill? I mean, is there anything there. 1128 00:53:54.800 --> 00:53:57.239 Can we roll with? Bill the chill? 1129 00:53:57.440 --> 00:53:58.440 Would build a chill? 1130 00:53:58.559 --> 00:54:00.239 Or will the chill? Better? 1131 00:54:01.280 --> 00:54:02.719 Well? Will the chill? Isn't that? 1132 00:54:03.199 --> 00:54:06.199 Wasn't that the third basement from the Giants back in 1133 00:54:06.239 --> 00:54:06.559 the day? 1134 00:54:07.280 --> 00:54:09.320 That was will? That was will the thrill? Will the 1135 00:54:09.360 --> 00:54:10.719 thrill the first basement? 1136 00:54:10.840 --> 00:54:11.519 Yeah? 1137 00:54:11.599 --> 00:54:13.960 I will say, you're you're more chill as you've I 1138 00:54:13.960 --> 00:54:16.320 think Bill the chill actually works because you are more 1139 00:54:16.400 --> 00:54:17.119 chill than you used to be. 1140 00:54:17.159 --> 00:54:17.639 Is that fair? 1141 00:54:18.480 --> 00:54:20.320 I don't know if that we can have two guys 1142 00:54:20.400 --> 00:54:23.719 working in the same department that have the chill as 1143 00:54:23.760 --> 00:54:26.400 a nickname. So I think Coach Chill's probably got that 1144 00:54:26.559 --> 00:54:26.920 over me. 1145 00:54:27.000 --> 00:54:28.119 Okay, we'll stay with Ryles. 1146 00:54:28.119 --> 00:54:30.440 Who was it when you and Donny were calling RSL 1147 00:54:30.480 --> 00:54:33.039 games who said they were gonna nickname you the Killer Bees? 1148 00:54:33.079 --> 00:54:34.000 And I had to put an end of that? 1149 00:54:36.079 --> 00:54:36.800 Was he you? 1150 00:54:36.840 --> 00:54:38.920 No, I was the one that said we're not doing that. 1151 00:54:39.280 --> 00:54:40.960 I just can't remember who it was that just came 1152 00:54:41.000 --> 00:54:42.840 to my mind. But the reason I bring him up 1153 00:54:42.880 --> 00:54:45.199 is I don't know him. We've had some guests on 1154 00:54:45.199 --> 00:54:49.559 the show that do and apparently, you know, like for instance, 1155 00:54:49.760 --> 00:54:52.760 Sharif Shah right, Sharif up with the Football Program is 1156 00:54:52.800 --> 00:54:56.920 known for his front facing, outward personality and apparently Coach 1157 00:54:57.039 --> 00:54:57.920 Chill is kind of like that. 1158 00:54:58.519 --> 00:55:00.440 And I don't know him, so I mean anxious to 1159 00:55:00.480 --> 00:55:01.000 get to know him. 1160 00:55:01.000 --> 00:55:03.159 But one of the things that I just wonder about 1161 00:55:03.199 --> 00:55:04.800 Alex and I don't think this is a bad thing, 1162 00:55:04.840 --> 00:55:07.760 I want to be clear, but he is introspective. He's 1163 00:55:07.760 --> 00:55:09.800 a bit of an introvert. If you want the personality 1164 00:55:09.840 --> 00:55:12.039 that lies with his bride. Okay, that's kind of how 1165 00:55:12.079 --> 00:55:14.880 it goes. And so I wonder if the fact that 1166 00:55:15.000 --> 00:55:17.119 coach Chill happens to be more of like a front 1167 00:55:17.159 --> 00:55:19.480 facing more of I don't want to say affable. 1168 00:55:19.480 --> 00:55:21.239 Alex is a sweet guy. He just is more of 1169 00:55:21.239 --> 00:55:21.840 an introvert. 1170 00:55:21.960 --> 00:55:23.440 I wonder if there's a little bit of a yin 1171 00:55:23.559 --> 00:55:26.519 and a yang there, because Rafael Chilius is thought to 1172 00:55:26.559 --> 00:55:28.840 be more of an extra extrovert as opposed to the 1173 00:55:28.880 --> 00:55:31.000 introverted nature of AJ Well. 1174 00:55:31.079 --> 00:55:34.280 I think every good staff has to have some different 1175 00:55:34.320 --> 00:55:38.199 personalities on it, you know. Sometimes you have a fiery coach, 1176 00:55:38.280 --> 00:55:41.360 you have to have that buffer assistant coach that can 1177 00:55:41.440 --> 00:55:44.360 kind of be in between there. Alex, as you said, 1178 00:55:44.440 --> 00:55:48.360 is a very introverted, kind of introspective, a little more 1179 00:55:48.360 --> 00:55:52.079 soft spoken guy. Maybe I've only met Rafael once. I 1180 00:55:52.119 --> 00:55:53.880 met him in the hallway the day he was hired 1181 00:55:53.960 --> 00:55:55.320 up here, and we talked for about. 1182 00:55:55.039 --> 00:55:56.079 Five to five minutes. 1183 00:55:56.119 --> 00:55:58.440 But then once I met him, I made some calls 1184 00:55:58.480 --> 00:56:01.400 around the basketball world, and everybody thought it was a 1185 00:56:01.440 --> 00:56:05.039 slam dunk higher from some NBA people I talked to 1186 00:56:05.039 --> 00:56:07.559 to some college people that I talked to, So that 1187 00:56:07.679 --> 00:56:10.079 might that might be that your your point, he might 1188 00:56:10.159 --> 00:56:13.719 be that bigger personality out on the recruiting trail. I mean, 1189 00:56:13.800 --> 00:56:15.760 you've read the resume, You've seen some of the guys 1190 00:56:15.760 --> 00:56:19.000 that he's both coached and recruited and developed. Uh, there's 1191 00:56:19.039 --> 00:56:22.519 a lot of guys from you know, from from the 1192 00:56:22.599 --> 00:56:24.960 Yukon Days and beyond. Did you, by the way, in 1193 00:56:25.039 --> 00:56:26.960 high school ever play North Kenth Prep? 1194 00:56:27.400 --> 00:56:29.119 I did not, but I spent a summer at Saint 1195 00:56:29.159 --> 00:56:29.800 Thomas Moore. 1196 00:56:30.440 --> 00:56:30.519 Uh. 1197 00:56:30.679 --> 00:56:31.800 And when I was at St. 1198 00:56:31.800 --> 00:56:35.239 Thomas Moore, we did play with players that played up there. 1199 00:56:35.280 --> 00:56:38.760 Like the prep school scene in Connecticut is insanely competitive. 1200 00:56:38.800 --> 00:56:40.159 When I was at Saint Thomas. 1201 00:56:39.800 --> 00:56:42.199 Moore, the other guard was Ed Coda, who was the 1202 00:56:42.239 --> 00:56:46.280 starting starting point guard of Carolina. So, you know, not consistently, 1203 00:56:46.280 --> 00:56:48.719 but I'm familiar with the school because a lot of 1204 00:56:48.719 --> 00:56:51.079 players end up going because when you go up to 1205 00:56:51.119 --> 00:56:53.480 southern Connecticut for prep school, you just can't get any trouble. 1206 00:56:53.519 --> 00:56:56.320 So I go up there, you know, just play basketball, 1207 00:56:56.360 --> 00:56:58.880 get your grades up. So it's not uncommon to have 1208 00:56:59.079 --> 00:57:02.679 tremendous talent besides me up there, you know, playing for 1209 00:57:02.679 --> 00:57:03.960 those Connecticut prep schools. 1210 00:57:05.559 --> 00:57:09.280 Well, I mean you of course you know ed code 1211 00:57:09.400 --> 00:57:12.400 all right. He had an okay go of it, but 1212 00:57:12.920 --> 00:57:15.960 you know, he coached Alan Wright's brother, Durrell Wright. 1213 00:57:16.039 --> 00:57:17.920 He developed a lot of those Yukon gas. 1214 00:57:18.039 --> 00:57:20.719 I just I think it's a great hire because he's 1215 00:57:20.760 --> 00:57:24.039 got ties in all places, from the prep school area 1216 00:57:24.079 --> 00:57:26.119 to the college area to having been in the know. 1217 00:57:26.159 --> 00:57:28.239 He came to Utah from Memphis, where he was a 1218 00:57:28.760 --> 00:57:32.679 personnel guy. I'm very curious to see and I didn't 1219 00:57:32.679 --> 00:57:34.719 hear your interview with Mark because I was tied up 1220 00:57:34.719 --> 00:57:37.599 with something. I'm you know, like everybody, I'm just kind 1221 00:57:37.599 --> 00:57:39.440 of curious to see who some of the other staff 1222 00:57:39.519 --> 00:57:44.239 hires are here in where they're at, because you know, 1223 00:57:45.039 --> 00:57:46.719 the head coach is one thing, but you've got to 1224 00:57:46.760 --> 00:57:48.880 surround yourself with a good staff, and if you surround 1225 00:57:48.920 --> 00:57:50.159 yourself with a good statf you're going to be in 1226 00:57:50.159 --> 00:57:50.960 pretty good shape. 1227 00:57:51.079 --> 00:57:54.239 Are you hearing anything about Andre specifically on his way 1228 00:57:54.320 --> 00:57:56.199 potentially to beyond Alex's bench. 1229 00:57:57.000 --> 00:57:59.199 No, I've not heard anything different than some of the 1230 00:57:59.239 --> 00:58:01.599 rumors that you got as have heard out there. I'd 1231 00:58:01.599 --> 00:58:05.000 heard that he had interest in coming here, but it's 1232 00:58:05.199 --> 00:58:10.559 I've not heard anything different from that recently. So there 1233 00:58:10.639 --> 00:58:12.519 was a lot of chatter about it when Alex first 1234 00:58:12.519 --> 00:58:14.880 got the job, but I haven't heard anything further from that, 1235 00:58:15.400 --> 00:58:17.639 so I don't have anything to add to that. I 1236 00:58:17.719 --> 00:58:20.360 know that a year ago Andrea was very interested in 1237 00:58:20.440 --> 00:58:22.599 just joining the staff in any way, shape or form, 1238 00:58:22.599 --> 00:58:25.079 and that didn't happen. Then you would think that there 1239 00:58:25.159 --> 00:58:27.760 might be an opportunity with obviously him and Alex having 1240 00:58:27.840 --> 00:58:30.480 been teammates, But I've not heard any news on that front. 1241 00:58:30.719 --> 00:58:34.400 So while I was unfamiliar with Raphael chilias certainly familiar 1242 00:58:34.599 --> 00:58:36.760 with Wes Wilcox. I mean when I saw the Pete 1243 00:58:36.800 --> 00:58:39.960 Dama report, I went, wait, wats I mean, he's been 1244 00:58:40.000 --> 00:58:43.159 a general manager, He's run an NBA team. He ran 1245 00:58:43.199 --> 00:58:45.480 the Hawks for three years, he was their assistant GM 1246 00:58:45.519 --> 00:58:49.239 prior to that. He's been a high level executive and 1247 00:58:49.320 --> 00:58:51.440 has served a bunch of different roles in the NBA 1248 00:58:51.559 --> 00:58:55.440 for basically twenty two years. Like you, fans need to 1249 00:58:55.519 --> 00:58:58.880 know like this, this is a good hire that signals 1250 00:58:58.920 --> 00:59:02.559 intent the same way the Alex hire signals intents. I 1251 00:59:02.599 --> 00:59:04.079 don't know what they're paying him, Bill, but I know 1252 00:59:04.119 --> 00:59:06.440 what NBA gms make and I wouldn't be stunned if 1253 00:59:06.440 --> 00:59:08.239 this is close to a seven figure deal. 1254 00:59:08.480 --> 00:59:09.159 I don't know that. 1255 00:59:09.239 --> 00:59:11.440 I want to be clear, so I know this is 1256 00:59:11.480 --> 00:59:13.280 a name that's unfamiliar in the market, but I can 1257 00:59:13.320 --> 00:59:15.800 promise you this is a good hire with a smart 1258 00:59:15.800 --> 00:59:21.559 basketball executive and mark last Hour reference that Wes will 1259 00:59:21.599 --> 00:59:26.159 report probably to Alex. In the NBA, the coach reports 1260 00:59:26.159 --> 00:59:28.480 to the GM, but this is kind of going to 1261 00:59:28.519 --> 00:59:31.239 be an opposite thing there. So tell me your thoughts 1262 00:59:31.320 --> 00:59:33.639 on this new general manager that's going to roll into 1263 00:59:33.719 --> 00:59:35.519 town and help Alex build this thing. 1264 00:59:36.280 --> 00:59:39.159 When I talked to Alex today, he was here for 1265 00:59:39.199 --> 00:59:42.320 the press conference and everything he's hit. My top priority 1266 00:59:42.400 --> 00:59:45.320 is getting a general manager in place. What I didn't 1267 00:59:45.320 --> 00:59:47.559 know at the time was Wes was here. Wes made 1268 00:59:47.559 --> 00:59:50.960 the trip. I saw him at lunch with Alex and 1269 00:59:51.039 --> 00:59:53.199 a big group of people, and I wasn't sure who 1270 00:59:53.199 --> 00:59:55.440 he was, to be fair, at the time, I thought 1271 00:59:55.440 --> 00:59:57.760 at first it might have been Alex's agent, because sometimes 1272 00:59:58.000 --> 01:00:00.320 sometimes your agent will come on a trip. That it 1273 01:00:00.360 --> 01:00:04.199 was Wes, and when when Alex told me that that 1274 01:00:04.360 --> 01:00:06.960 was a priority, I knew he was very serious about it. 1275 01:00:07.000 --> 01:00:09.960 And Spence this is the way now, whether it's football 1276 01:00:10.079 --> 01:00:15.760 or whether it's basketball, you have to have somebody because 1277 01:00:15.800 --> 01:00:18.679 it's it's as we've talked about, there's there's this is 1278 01:00:18.719 --> 01:00:19.760 a real money deal. 1279 01:00:19.840 --> 01:00:20.559 Now you're not just. 1280 01:00:20.599 --> 01:00:24.840 Talking about scholarships anymore. You're talking about, you know, negotiating 1281 01:00:25.440 --> 01:00:29.360 with agents. You're not negotiating with somebody's uncle or their 1282 01:00:29.400 --> 01:00:33.079 AAU coach anymore. You're now negotiating with agents and you're 1283 01:00:33.079 --> 01:00:36.719 managing in essence, a salary cap that you have, So 1284 01:00:36.840 --> 01:00:38.559 you need to have somebody on that. But but I 1285 01:00:38.559 --> 01:00:40.119 think on the other side of it too, because as 1286 01:00:40.119 --> 01:00:43.000 you just said, he's had so many jobs in the NBA, 1287 01:00:43.400 --> 01:00:45.280 I think a guy like Wes is going to be 1288 01:00:45.320 --> 01:00:48.239 able to also help out on the personnel side because 1289 01:00:48.239 --> 01:00:49.880 we all know this. Now you're going to be looking 1290 01:00:49.920 --> 01:00:52.599 at international players, You're going to be looking at players 1291 01:00:52.599 --> 01:00:55.639 that are are for potential portal bounds. You're gonna you're 1292 01:00:55.639 --> 01:00:58.360 gonna be evaluating talent year round. This is not a oh, 1293 01:00:58.360 --> 01:01:00.440 we're going to recruit in the spring and summer anymore. 1294 01:01:00.840 --> 01:01:04.119 So to have this position with somebody with his credentials, 1295 01:01:04.440 --> 01:01:07.960 to me is a huge thing. And much like you, 1296 01:01:08.039 --> 01:01:11.400 I reached out to a couple of people, including Bobby Marx, 1297 01:01:11.440 --> 01:01:13.280 who you know I used to have on my show 1298 01:01:13.400 --> 01:01:15.639 quite a bit. And Bobby said, this is a great 1299 01:01:15.760 --> 01:01:20.079 hire for Utah basketball. So I'm sure you've I'm sure 1300 01:01:20.079 --> 01:01:21.880 you Smitty will talk about it as well. But I 1301 01:01:22.800 --> 01:01:24.519 think this is another one. You know, there's people that 1302 01:01:24.519 --> 01:01:27.239 are like, well, they're getting serious about this. I think 1303 01:01:27.239 --> 01:01:31.280 when you make hires like this, that really shows, Okay, 1304 01:01:31.360 --> 01:01:35.800 we're in this game now, we're serious about upping our 1305 01:01:35.920 --> 01:01:38.440 level and upping our game to match what some of 1306 01:01:38.480 --> 01:01:40.880 the big boys are doing around college basketball right now. 1307 01:01:41.000 --> 01:01:44.760 And maybe Ryle's like, we can't ignore the fact that 1308 01:01:44.920 --> 01:01:47.920 the team about forty miles down south who's going to 1309 01:01:47.920 --> 01:01:52.239 play tonight has a model in place that so far 1310 01:01:52.559 --> 01:01:54.679 has proven to be proof of concept. 1311 01:01:54.920 --> 01:01:56.039 And I don't know. 1312 01:01:56.280 --> 01:01:59.320 And Mark actually said, and let me repeat this for 1313 01:01:59.400 --> 01:02:02.760 listeners that the Mark Harlan interview, he referenced to town 1314 01:02:02.840 --> 01:02:06.199 Hall that they're going to hold after the house settlement 1315 01:02:06.400 --> 01:02:09.119 is expected. They're going to learn the details in April 1316 01:02:09.239 --> 01:02:11.440 and then July first is when they expect to have 1317 01:02:11.519 --> 01:02:14.800 everything done. And after that, Mark reference to town Hall, 1318 01:02:14.840 --> 01:02:17.119 he's going to hold to answer more specific questions. 1319 01:02:17.719 --> 01:02:19.400 But if BYU's paying a j. 1320 01:02:19.599 --> 01:02:22.159 Debants is seven million bucks for five months of basketball 1321 01:02:22.199 --> 01:02:24.719 and the reports are cannon catchings and jegor demon or 1322 01:02:24.760 --> 01:02:28.840 seven figure players, they're obviously spending a lot of money 1323 01:02:29.280 --> 01:02:32.159 down South to build a roster, and they're obviously doing 1324 01:02:32.239 --> 01:02:34.079 it in a way that has shown that it's the 1325 01:02:34.119 --> 01:02:36.000 right way, at least so far. How much of this 1326 01:02:36.039 --> 01:02:38.559 do you think is a reaction to what's happening down 1327 01:02:38.599 --> 01:02:39.039 in Provo. 1328 01:02:40.079 --> 01:02:43.960 I don't think the people have been you know, you've 1329 01:02:44.000 --> 01:02:47.320 heard the same conversation, Oh, they've hired a pro coach 1330 01:02:47.400 --> 01:02:50.039 because BYU did now they hired a guy that was 1331 01:02:50.039 --> 01:02:52.159 a really good coach that's got ties to the program, 1332 01:02:52.239 --> 01:02:54.480 who just so happened to be in the pros. But 1333 01:02:54.559 --> 01:02:56.800 I think the other stuff, and the hiring of the 1334 01:02:56.840 --> 01:02:59.400 GM and some of this, some of this stuff, I think, 1335 01:02:59.599 --> 01:03:03.239 I don't know that it's a direct reaction necessarily to BYU, 1336 01:03:03.440 --> 01:03:06.000 but BYU might be the closest school when they happen 1337 01:03:06.079 --> 01:03:08.480 to be a rival that is now kind of, you know, 1338 01:03:08.599 --> 01:03:11.599 kind of doing what college basketball is trending in the 1339 01:03:11.639 --> 01:03:13.880 direction what some of the other people in college basketball 1340 01:03:13.920 --> 01:03:16.079 are doing and you might say that they were maybe 1341 01:03:16.119 --> 01:03:17.679 a little bit of ahead of the curve a year 1342 01:03:17.719 --> 01:03:20.039 ago when they decided to do this. More and more 1343 01:03:20.079 --> 01:03:22.559 people are jumping on board with this now. I don't 1344 01:03:22.599 --> 01:03:25.159 know that it's a direct reaction to say BYU though 1345 01:03:25.159 --> 01:03:27.719 they're close, But I just think it's a reaction to 1346 01:03:28.199 --> 01:03:30.400 really what it's going to cost to do business now 1347 01:03:30.800 --> 01:03:32.599 in the big time world of college basketball. 1348 01:03:32.920 --> 01:03:33.760 Let me ask you this. 1349 01:03:34.599 --> 01:03:37.800 You know, the Big Twelve wasn't the best conference in 1350 01:03:37.840 --> 01:03:39.000 college basketball this year. 1351 01:03:39.039 --> 01:03:40.559 That was clearly the SEC. 1352 01:03:41.280 --> 01:03:44.119 But every single year the Big Twelve will be top 1353 01:03:44.159 --> 01:03:46.199 two or three, and some years it will be back 1354 01:03:46.199 --> 01:03:48.440 at the top. I mean, you're a Kansas guy, I'm 1355 01:03:48.519 --> 01:03:51.519 sure you've heard about their incoming recruiting class, like they're 1356 01:03:51.559 --> 01:03:54.440 going to be stacked next year and Houston's not going 1357 01:03:54.440 --> 01:03:57.719 anywhere if BYU gets the bulk of their roster back, 1358 01:03:57.760 --> 01:03:59.760 and I do think they will. Outside of Yegor, I 1359 01:03:59.760 --> 01:04:03.039 think gone, they're probably gonna be preseason top fifteen, maybe 1360 01:04:03.039 --> 01:04:03.719 even higher. 1361 01:04:04.320 --> 01:04:07.199 Then there's Arizona. I could keep going, and. 1362 01:04:07.039 --> 01:04:09.599 I've talked to a lot of people, like what's reasonable 1363 01:04:09.639 --> 01:04:13.199 expectations in your opinion year one for Utah basketball under 1364 01:04:13.239 --> 01:04:14.840 Alex in the Big twelve. And I've had a few 1365 01:04:14.840 --> 01:04:17.320 people say, well, maybe top six or seven. Guess what 1366 01:04:17.440 --> 01:04:19.039 if your top six or seven in the Big twelve, 1367 01:04:19.119 --> 01:04:22.800 you're an NCAA tournament team. Right So we don't know 1368 01:04:22.840 --> 01:04:26.440 who's gonna play for Alex. It's impossible to accurately analyze 1369 01:04:26.519 --> 01:04:29.639 right now. But what's a Bill Riiley reasonal expectation? You're 1370 01:04:29.719 --> 01:04:31.599 one in the Big twelve under Alex Jensen? 1371 01:04:32.360 --> 01:04:36.159 Well, yeah, I think you know, it would be unheard 1372 01:04:36.199 --> 01:04:38.880 of to go and win the league next year, but 1373 01:04:38.920 --> 01:04:41.519 who knows. I think we'll have a better feel for this. 1374 01:04:41.440 --> 01:04:43.239 When we see how they fail out the roster. 1375 01:04:44.000 --> 01:04:47.199 But you know, I think it's realistic to say, and 1376 01:04:47.239 --> 01:04:50.360 we've seen other teams do this. Iowa State didd with 1377 01:04:50.400 --> 01:04:54.239 tj Otselberger. If you're able to identify the right talent 1378 01:04:54.280 --> 01:04:56.639 to bring them in, you don't have to have ten 1379 01:04:56.679 --> 01:04:59.239 all stars in the first year, So you don't what 1380 01:04:59.360 --> 01:05:02.360 you need to have this two or three difference makers 1381 01:05:02.400 --> 01:05:05.519 to go with a good corps of guys, and you 1382 01:05:05.639 --> 01:05:07.760 have two or three difference makers. And to be fair, 1383 01:05:07.840 --> 01:05:09.760 Utah hasn't had a lot of difference makers in the 1384 01:05:09.800 --> 01:05:12.079 last couple of years. But if you can find a 1385 01:05:12.079 --> 01:05:14.199 couple of those guys to go with a good core, 1386 01:05:14.480 --> 01:05:18.519 that's what BYU has, you know, by you have, I'll 1387 01:05:18.519 --> 01:05:21.000 be honest. I mean Yegor Demon if he's drafted, is 1388 01:05:21.039 --> 01:05:21.719 a lottery pick. 1389 01:05:21.760 --> 01:05:25.039 It's on potential. He's had games. 1390 01:05:24.719 --> 01:05:27.000 Where he has he's looked very much like a freshman. 1391 01:05:27.440 --> 01:05:29.679 But Richie Saunders is the star of that team. But 1392 01:05:29.719 --> 01:05:31.719 what they've found is they found two or three really 1393 01:05:31.760 --> 01:05:35.280 good players and surrounded them with a terrific cast. If 1394 01:05:35.360 --> 01:05:36.920 Utah is able to go out and find two or 1395 01:05:36.920 --> 01:05:40.320 three difference makers and surround them with a good supporting cast, 1396 01:05:40.320 --> 01:05:42.519 to your points, Spence, I don't think it's out of 1397 01:05:42.559 --> 01:05:44.760 the realm of possibility to say you could be a 1398 01:05:44.800 --> 01:05:47.119 top six or seven team, maybe eight team in the 1399 01:05:47.199 --> 01:05:49.559 league next year, and you could be certainly competing for 1400 01:05:49.639 --> 01:05:51.400 NANCAA Tournament Berth next year. 1401 01:05:51.920 --> 01:05:53.440 I rose before I say you lose. 1402 01:05:53.599 --> 01:05:56.400 You know, spring football is an excuse just to talk 1403 01:05:56.400 --> 01:05:59.800 about football, and it's good for the Attics to get 1404 01:05:59.840 --> 01:06:02.519 there fix and to be reminded that yes, football will 1405 01:06:02.599 --> 01:06:05.320 return and you're gonna be okay. So most of the 1406 01:06:05.360 --> 01:06:07.920 things I hear report like of Nate Johnson's fast you 1407 01:06:07.960 --> 01:06:10.480 don't say like okay, like most of the stuff I 1408 01:06:10.480 --> 01:06:13.280 hear reported, I've just kind of let let go. But 1409 01:06:14.400 --> 01:06:17.119 I'll listen to coaches, I'll listen to players, and when 1410 01:06:17.239 --> 01:06:20.519 something kind of piques my interest, and as my intennas 1411 01:06:20.559 --> 01:06:22.960 go up, I do pay attention. And on more than 1412 01:06:23.000 --> 01:06:26.840 one occasion, coach Witt has said there's more positive energy 1413 01:06:26.880 --> 01:06:28.760 in this building than there has been in a while. 1414 01:06:29.360 --> 01:06:31.960 And Kyle doesn't suffer fools. He's a straight shooter. He's 1415 01:06:31.960 --> 01:06:34.199 gonna tell you the truth. And to me, that's not nothing. 1416 01:06:34.400 --> 01:06:36.000 I'm not trying to make anything out of it as 1417 01:06:36.000 --> 01:06:39.159 far as blaming certain elements in the past, as far 1418 01:06:39.199 --> 01:06:42.519 as ambiguity the quarterback position, or injuries all over the place. 1419 01:06:42.559 --> 01:06:45.639 But when Kyle has said on multiple occasions there's just 1420 01:06:45.760 --> 01:06:48.639 more positive energy in the building than in years past, 1421 01:06:48.719 --> 01:06:51.800 to me, that does say something, even though most spring 1422 01:06:51.800 --> 01:06:54.360 football storylines are a whole lot of nothing. 1423 01:06:54.719 --> 01:06:55.840 Tell me what you make of. 1424 01:06:55.719 --> 01:06:58.159 That, Bill, No, I think it's I've been out to 1425 01:06:58.199 --> 01:07:00.960 practice three time spence and I'm in the building all 1426 01:07:01.039 --> 01:07:03.280 the time, because that's one of you know, I split 1427 01:07:03.320 --> 01:07:05.800 my time between the Huntsman and the football building, and 1428 01:07:05.880 --> 01:07:09.039 there is a different energy and vibe this spring around 1429 01:07:09.039 --> 01:07:13.440 the program. Maybe it's just, you know, Kyle coming back. 1430 01:07:13.559 --> 01:07:16.079 Maybe there's something to that that's settled down. I think 1431 01:07:16.159 --> 01:07:17.679 a lot of it has to do with the new 1432 01:07:17.719 --> 01:07:20.599 offensive staff. Not completely new, but you've got a new 1433 01:07:20.639 --> 01:07:22.360 offensive coordinator Jason Beck. 1434 01:07:22.400 --> 01:07:23.800 You've got a new running. 1435 01:07:23.480 --> 01:07:27.199 Backs coach, and Mark ottawaya mikeah Simon's coaching wide receivers. 1436 01:07:27.239 --> 01:07:30.079 When you're at practice, it's a different energy and a 1437 01:07:30.159 --> 01:07:33.119 different vibe than it's been the last couple of years. 1438 01:07:33.199 --> 01:07:35.360 There's some new play You've got a new quarterback who's 1439 01:07:35.400 --> 01:07:38.880 an energetic, big personality guy who will chirp back and 1440 01:07:38.920 --> 01:07:41.360 forth with some of the defensive guys from time to time. 1441 01:07:41.440 --> 01:07:43.480 So I think that's a lot of it. 1442 01:07:43.559 --> 01:07:45.679 I just think there's some newness in there. 1443 01:07:46.199 --> 01:07:48.880 And again it goes back there was nothing wrong with 1444 01:07:48.960 --> 01:07:51.719 Andy Ludwigs offense or any of that, but just sometimes 1445 01:07:51.920 --> 01:07:54.199 when you freshen things up a little bit, it brings 1446 01:07:54.199 --> 01:07:56.039 a little bit of a new energy, and I think 1447 01:07:56.079 --> 01:07:57.840 we're seeing a lot of that, at least some of 1448 01:07:57.880 --> 01:07:59.400 the practices I've been out to this spring. 1449 01:08:00.440 --> 01:08:03.559 My guy, appreciate the time, always illuminating the way. 1450 01:08:03.559 --> 01:08:06.079 Who do you got tonight? Do you have BYU or Alabama? 1451 01:08:06.159 --> 01:08:09.840 You know, ultimately I think Bama gets it done. Look, 1452 01:08:10.239 --> 01:08:13.559 BYU holds the record thirty two NCAA appearances with no 1453 01:08:13.719 --> 01:08:15.880 Final four. That's not going to end this year because 1454 01:08:15.880 --> 01:08:18.880 if they beat Bama, they get Duke. But they you know, 1455 01:08:19.760 --> 01:08:22.680 Alabama plays a lot like they do, and Alabama plays a. 1456 01:08:22.600 --> 01:08:23.760 Lot like Wisconsin does. 1457 01:08:23.840 --> 01:08:27.760 Okay, and you know by you needed a borderline historic 1458 01:08:27.800 --> 01:08:32.199 performance to be Wisconsin. But ultimately I wouldn't touch the line. 1459 01:08:32.239 --> 01:08:33.800 I think it's gonna be a great game and it's 1460 01:08:33.840 --> 01:08:36.119 gonna be a shootout. But Alabama went to the Final 1461 01:08:36.159 --> 01:08:38.359 four last year. The series kid is an All American 1462 01:08:38.960 --> 01:08:41.479 and BYU when they have struggled this year, it's been 1463 01:08:41.520 --> 01:08:44.239 against elite athleticism and speed and Bama has that, so 1464 01:08:44.600 --> 01:08:47.199 I wouldn't be stunned it's a one off. BYU's playing 1465 01:08:47.239 --> 01:08:49.399 so well. But I do think Bama wins a high scoring, 1466 01:08:49.439 --> 01:08:50.439 close game. What about you? 1467 01:08:51.159 --> 01:08:52.560 I think so too. 1468 01:08:52.640 --> 01:08:55.119 But I think it's a game in the eighties, maybe nine, 1469 01:08:55.119 --> 01:08:57.399 maybe the first team to ninety wins tonight. I'll tell 1470 01:08:57.399 --> 01:08:59.439 you the team that I love. I just I saw 1471 01:08:59.520 --> 01:09:02.439 him in person this year, and I think this is 1472 01:09:02.479 --> 01:09:03.399 the year for this guy. 1473 01:09:03.560 --> 01:09:05.880 I think Houston. I think this is the year for 1474 01:09:05.960 --> 01:09:08.920 Kelvin Samson. Those guys. I've never seen anybody. 1475 01:09:08.560 --> 01:09:11.520 Warm up harder or play harder than that team. And 1476 01:09:11.560 --> 01:09:13.399 they've got some guys who can shoot it and score 1477 01:09:13.439 --> 01:09:15.960 the basketball, not just guys that are great athletes. 1478 01:09:16.600 --> 01:09:18.319 I think Houston's they. 1479 01:09:18.159 --> 01:09:20.039 May cut down the net. So I don't know, but 1480 01:09:20.680 --> 01:09:22.560 there's something about that team that I really like, and 1481 01:09:22.560 --> 01:09:23.560 I love the way they play. 1482 01:09:23.680 --> 01:09:26.239 Yeah, yeah, I wouldn't be surprised. Man, they're really really good. Bill, 1483 01:09:26.439 --> 01:09:27.279 I appreciate the time. 1484 01:09:27.319 --> 01:09:27.760 Man, be good. 1485 01:09:27.800 --> 01:09:29.640 Okay, Well, Julius Fence. 1486 01:09:29.560 --> 01:09:31.760 Voice of the You. It's Bill Riley brought to you today. 1487 01:09:31.800 --> 01:09:34.479 But I love volleyball. Love volleyball is back with games 1488 01:09:34.479 --> 01:09:37.399 on April fourth and fifth at the Bruins Arena. Our 1489 01:09:37.399 --> 01:09:41.640 next guest is definitely dangerous. He's definitely honest. The question 1490 01:09:41.800 --> 01:09:44.880 is does he know what he wants? He is Richard Smith. 1491 01:09:44.880 --> 01:09:47.960 He's live in the studio for the next hour. Smitty dangerous, honest. 1492 01:09:48.039 --> 01:09:49.720 I know that about you. But do you know what 1493 01:09:49.760 --> 01:09:50.079 you want? 1494 01:09:50.560 --> 01:09:54.199 These these are all major questions that people have been 1495 01:09:54.239 --> 01:09:55.079 asking about me. 1496 01:09:55.079 --> 01:09:58.199 For most of my life. Oh yeah, this is nothing new. 1497 01:09:58.279 --> 01:09:59.199 Where are we at today? 1498 01:09:59.319 --> 01:09:59.520 You know? 1499 01:09:59.600 --> 01:10:02.439 Hey, by the way, like I thought, I thought my 1500 01:10:02.640 --> 01:10:06.960 so called intro song was was where the Streets have 1501 01:10:07.039 --> 01:10:09.880 No Name? And then I hear Bill Bill Riley gets it, 1502 01:10:09.920 --> 01:10:11.439 and then I hear, well, this is what we used 1503 01:10:11.479 --> 01:10:15.520 to use or whatever. And so obviously Porter just elbows 1504 01:10:15.600 --> 01:10:18.199 me right to the side, into the gutter and he 1505 01:10:18.279 --> 01:10:21.359 goes with something else, and and I got you know, 1506 01:10:21.439 --> 01:10:23.239 I see, I see what's going on here now? 1507 01:10:23.279 --> 01:10:24.720 Porter, you want to stand up for yourself. 1508 01:10:24.760 --> 01:10:25.680 I'm out, I'm out. 1509 01:10:25.520 --> 01:10:26.920 Of town for a couple of weeks, and all of 1510 01:10:26.960 --> 01:10:29.199 a sudden, it's just you know, bing bang boom. 1511 01:10:29.279 --> 01:10:31.000 I don't think he gets the context, but I'll let 1512 01:10:31.039 --> 01:10:31.560 you go first. 1513 01:10:33.640 --> 01:10:35.960 I mean, a man wants his walk up song, You 1514 01:10:36.000 --> 01:10:36.920 want his walk up song? 1515 01:10:37.239 --> 01:10:39.119 That was? That was the intro to Bill's show for 1516 01:10:39.159 --> 01:10:39.800 the years. 1517 01:10:39.880 --> 01:10:41.279 I know, That's what I'm saying. 1518 01:10:41.319 --> 01:10:42.920 You know what, if you want, we got one more 1519 01:10:42.960 --> 01:10:44.720 segment with you. We can bring a little the Streets 1520 01:10:44.720 --> 01:10:48.159 out No Name if you want. But my question remains 1521 01:10:48.159 --> 01:10:50.000 still on this day, do you know what you want. 1522 01:10:50.079 --> 01:10:51.840 We know you're honest, we know you're dangerous, But do 1523 01:10:51.880 --> 01:10:52.600 you know what you want? 1524 01:10:52.720 --> 01:10:52.920 Yes? 1525 01:10:53.000 --> 01:10:55.680 I always know what I want, Spencer. Right now, what 1526 01:10:55.840 --> 01:10:57.600 I want I want to be able to spend a 1527 01:10:57.680 --> 01:11:04.600 good solid hour getting education. You all things utes, basketball, 1528 01:11:05.000 --> 01:11:08.680 youte football, by U basketball, jazz. I know you have 1529 01:11:08.760 --> 01:11:11.199 all the answers for the jazz. You know that's what 1530 01:11:11.239 --> 01:11:12.640 we've been waiting for all year long. 1531 01:11:12.720 --> 01:11:14.520 S Matty, you're the one that educates. I just asked 1532 01:11:14.520 --> 01:11:15.279 the questions, No. 1533 01:11:18.039 --> 01:11:20.279 This is If this is the premise, then we're in 1534 01:11:20.319 --> 01:11:21.760 a lot of trouble. Let me tell you. 1535 01:11:21.880 --> 01:11:24.560 Well, I'll tell you what you're uniquely qualified to talk 1536 01:11:24.600 --> 01:11:27.520 about the UH and we'll do mostly college hoops here 1537 01:11:27.520 --> 01:11:31.520 and I don't know, maybe we'll do some jazz. Alex Jensen, 1538 01:11:31.680 --> 01:11:34.640 it is official. Since you and I last spoke last Monday, 1539 01:11:34.640 --> 01:11:36.319 we were up at the Huntsman Center doing the show, 1540 01:11:36.359 --> 01:11:38.680 which was a lot of fun. You worked with Alex 1541 01:11:38.760 --> 01:11:40.880 Jensen closely with the Utah Jazz for a number of 1542 01:11:40.960 --> 01:11:42.880 years and we have discussed this. But now that the 1543 01:11:42.880 --> 01:11:46.159 news is official, Smitty, what should Ute fans know about 1544 01:11:46.159 --> 01:11:48.960 the seventeenth head coach in Utah men's basketball history. 1545 01:11:49.079 --> 01:11:49.319 Yeah. 1546 01:11:49.359 --> 01:11:53.039 Well, well Alex is obviously everybody one of One of 1547 01:11:53.079 --> 01:11:55.279 the key things I think right right off the bat, 1548 01:11:55.399 --> 01:11:58.520 Spence is that for just for Utah fans, is that 1549 01:11:59.199 --> 01:12:03.079 there's no acquainted period. There's no like, Okay, who's this guy, 1550 01:12:03.439 --> 01:12:05.159 what's he about? What's what? 1551 01:12:04.880 --> 01:12:04.920 What? 1552 01:12:05.159 --> 01:12:08.520 What is this going to look like? Everybody in this community. 1553 01:12:08.560 --> 01:12:12.119 Everybody who's a Utah fan knows Alex Jensen, knows who 1554 01:12:12.159 --> 01:12:14.199 he is, knows what he's about. 1555 01:12:14.359 --> 01:12:14.520 Uh. 1556 01:12:14.560 --> 01:12:17.319 They know his lineage, they know his background, they know 1557 01:12:17.359 --> 01:12:21.479 all the experience he's had as both a player collegiately 1558 01:12:21.640 --> 01:12:25.359 and professionally overseas and then in his coaching career and 1559 01:12:25.399 --> 01:12:29.119 so so none of that is is uh is they 1560 01:12:29.159 --> 01:12:31.640 get to know me period. So so everybody's hitting the 1561 01:12:31.640 --> 01:12:35.720 ground running in that regard. You know, he knows what 1562 01:12:35.800 --> 01:12:39.119 he's doing. It's just you know again, Uh, it's just 1563 01:12:39.199 --> 01:12:40.960 it's just going to be a question for the utes 1564 01:12:41.039 --> 01:12:43.439 of you know, how long it takes them on the 1565 01:12:43.520 --> 01:12:47.239 recruiting trail to start getting guys uh that can compete 1566 01:12:47.359 --> 01:12:49.760 you know, the big twelve level and uh and be 1567 01:12:49.840 --> 01:12:52.319 able to go to war night in the night out 1568 01:12:52.359 --> 01:12:55.640 and I'll tell you what. They got two great people 1569 01:12:56.520 --> 01:12:59.720 working with him right off the bat in Raphael Chilias 1570 01:12:59.800 --> 01:13:02.800 and Wes Wilcox. Those are two guys I know, and 1571 01:13:03.079 --> 01:13:08.079 two guys who are really big gets for Alex, and 1572 01:13:08.119 --> 01:13:10.840 so I'm excited for them because that is a good 1573 01:13:10.880 --> 01:13:16.039 start to building a great foundation in terms of your staff. 1574 01:13:15.720 --> 01:13:16.399 And your programs. 1575 01:13:16.439 --> 01:13:18.359 See this is good because I don't think there's anybody 1576 01:13:18.359 --> 01:13:21.359 else in the market that knows Raphael Chilias and Wes Wilcox. 1577 01:13:21.399 --> 01:13:22.279 I certainly don't. 1578 01:13:22.600 --> 01:13:26.239 I know Wes's pedigree more than I know coach chills pedigree. 1579 01:13:26.239 --> 01:13:28.399 But let's start with Rafael Chilias, who is the first 1580 01:13:28.439 --> 01:13:32.520 assistant that Alex has hired. And when you read through 1581 01:13:32.920 --> 01:13:36.399 his background, he's done a lot of different jobs at 1582 01:13:36.439 --> 01:13:39.119 a lot of different levels, high school, college, and pro 1583 01:13:40.000 --> 01:13:41.800 very well known in circles that you run in. So 1584 01:13:41.880 --> 01:13:44.000 what should you fans know about this new assistant coach. 1585 01:13:44.119 --> 01:13:48.119 Well, he's first and foremost, he's a top flight recruiter, 1586 01:13:48.600 --> 01:13:51.119 and he's a guy who knows all the grassroots. He 1587 01:13:51.199 --> 01:13:54.399 knows all the AAU people, he knows all the guys 1588 01:13:54.439 --> 01:13:57.960 around the country West coast, East coast, in the South. 1589 01:13:58.000 --> 01:14:02.079 He knows how to get into homes into with with 1590 01:14:02.239 --> 01:14:06.039 agents now that that that are working a lot for 1591 01:14:06.119 --> 01:14:09.640 these high school kids and even the portal kids. And 1592 01:14:10.000 --> 01:14:12.199 you know, he's a guy who knows the landscape. He 1593 01:14:12.319 --> 01:14:16.960 knows all the levels. Spence, you're talking about the prep level, 1594 01:14:17.000 --> 01:14:19.439 which is you know for people around here. I'm familiar 1595 01:14:19.479 --> 01:14:21.319 with that and it's a big thing on the East Coast. 1596 01:14:21.319 --> 01:14:23.640 But the prep level is the high school level. So 1597 01:14:23.720 --> 01:14:25.920 you talk about the top of kids who want you know, 1598 01:14:25.960 --> 01:14:28.720 Donovan Mitchell was a prep, prep school kid, you know, 1599 01:14:28.800 --> 01:14:32.720 from from New England. You know all these these this level. 1600 01:14:33.079 --> 01:14:35.920 He knows those guys. He knows everybody in college. He 1601 01:14:36.000 --> 01:14:39.159 was a great recruiter for Lorenzo Romar in two different 1602 01:14:39.159 --> 01:14:41.920 stints when he was at the University of Washington and 1603 01:14:42.039 --> 01:14:45.119 had it rolling up there for a while. And and 1604 01:14:45.319 --> 01:14:48.039 of course he's been working in the NBA and in 1605 01:14:48.319 --> 01:14:52.239 a couple of different stints with player development, so he's 1606 01:14:52.319 --> 01:14:55.840 got the full scope of the landscape of what you 1607 01:14:56.000 --> 01:14:58.680 need to do and who you need to get in with. 1608 01:14:59.119 --> 01:15:02.239 So now he's the guy who can can get into doors, 1609 01:15:02.560 --> 01:15:05.479 can get the ear of some kids, some agents, and 1610 01:15:05.520 --> 01:15:08.199 then you know from there, you know, what the what's 1611 01:15:08.239 --> 01:15:10.760 the U offering, what's their program, what it's what's it 1612 01:15:10.800 --> 01:15:13.079 gonna look like? Or how's Alex gonna coach him? All 1613 01:15:13.079 --> 01:15:16.800 that kind of stuff. But uh, Chill will be a great, 1614 01:15:17.159 --> 01:15:19.359 a great resource for him in that regard. 1615 01:15:19.840 --> 01:15:20.000 Uh. 1616 01:15:20.000 --> 01:15:23.000 And then Wes Wilcox, of course is uh you know, 1617 01:15:23.439 --> 01:15:26.880 is a proven veteran NBA guy who's worked his way up, 1618 01:15:27.239 --> 01:15:30.439 you know, from a college and the intern you know, 1619 01:15:30.479 --> 01:15:33.399 to a video coordinator, through being an assistant coach on 1620 01:15:33.479 --> 01:15:36.079 the staff, to being to being in the front office 1621 01:15:36.079 --> 01:15:39.920 with player uh play a personnel uh and being a 1622 01:15:40.039 --> 01:15:42.159 GM in Atlanta. 1623 01:15:41.800 --> 01:15:45.159 And now assistant gym and in Sacramento. 1624 01:15:45.239 --> 01:15:49.159 So they've got they've got two main guys in key 1625 01:15:49.239 --> 01:15:53.479 positions who are top flight guys that you would want 1626 01:15:54.199 --> 01:15:57.960 when you're trying to retool in a situation like the 1627 01:15:58.079 --> 01:16:00.960 U is. So I'm not sure that you can have 1628 01:16:01.199 --> 01:16:05.319 a better start to assembling a staff than getting guys 1629 01:16:05.479 --> 01:16:08.439 like coach Jill and like Wes Wilcox. 1630 01:16:08.640 --> 01:16:11.319 You know what, Porter, I've decided something. I need a 1631 01:16:11.359 --> 01:16:15.039 cool nickname, like everybody has. We just had Bill on Ryles. 1632 01:16:15.079 --> 01:16:19.119 We got Smitty coach chill ll cool tray ll cool 1633 01:16:19.159 --> 01:16:21.560 Tray maybe the coolest nickname? Do you have a cool nickname? 1634 01:16:21.560 --> 01:16:24.039 Because I think I need a cooler nickname than than 1635 01:16:24.119 --> 01:16:26.199 what I have. I don't really all right, we need 1636 01:16:26.199 --> 01:16:29.880 to work on that. You and I coach chill, Smitty Ryles. 1637 01:16:30.079 --> 01:16:33.399 My grandpa did nickname me Doobie when I was young. 1638 01:16:33.479 --> 01:16:34.680 He called me Spencer Dooby. 1639 01:16:34.800 --> 01:16:37.079 See that That's where we had our issue is because 1640 01:16:37.079 --> 01:16:39.279 that's literally what my family has called me since I 1641 01:16:39.319 --> 01:16:39.880 was a baby. 1642 01:16:40.159 --> 01:16:43.640 Well, okay, so Porter and I have the same nickname, 1643 01:16:42.439 --> 01:16:47.279 but but Dooby has double meanings. My grandfather certainly had 1644 01:16:47.319 --> 01:16:49.600 no context for what doubey meant. When I got into 1645 01:16:49.640 --> 01:16:52.359 high school, my brother DearS. 1646 01:16:52.039 --> 01:16:57.000 Did so my my family called my dad. No one 1647 01:16:57.079 --> 01:16:59.600 knew his real name. It was Doobie because when he 1648 01:16:59.640 --> 01:17:01.840 was a baby be he was wrapped up in a 1649 01:17:01.840 --> 01:17:04.359 little thing and his his aunt, who they left called 1650 01:17:04.439 --> 01:17:06.920 him made him said he looked like a little Doobey 1651 01:17:06.920 --> 01:17:08.800 because he was wrapped up in a white blanket. 1652 01:17:08.920 --> 01:17:10.119 I see you as Doobie. 1653 01:17:09.880 --> 01:17:11.279 Forever, I still, Smitty. 1654 01:17:11.319 --> 01:17:13.960 You knew my mother's father, my grandfather, There's no way 1655 01:17:14.039 --> 01:17:15.680 he knew what a Doobie was I can promise you 1656 01:17:15.720 --> 01:17:18.119 that I have no idea why he decided to call 1657 01:17:18.159 --> 01:17:20.159 me Spencer Dooby. And then I get in a high school, 1658 01:17:20.199 --> 01:17:22.159 I'm like, you want me to smoke a what? What 1659 01:17:22.199 --> 01:17:24.319 are you talking about? So Smitty, we need to work 1660 01:17:24.319 --> 01:17:26.119 on this. I need a cooler nickname than what Hey. 1661 01:17:26.199 --> 01:17:29.279 I think you guys could could easily go around with 1662 01:17:29.439 --> 01:17:32.239 matching t shirts that say Doob one and Doob two, 1663 01:17:32.399 --> 01:17:35.199 Like I think I think that's something that you guys 1664 01:17:35.279 --> 01:17:35.880 could roll with. 1665 01:17:35.920 --> 01:17:38.359 But we could be sued because the Doobie brothers might 1666 01:17:38.359 --> 01:17:39.479 take issue. 1667 01:17:39.720 --> 01:17:42.520 You spell it differently. You know you spell it do ob. 1668 01:17:43.039 --> 01:17:44.600 Why you spell it do ob? 1669 01:17:44.920 --> 01:17:46.800 I so you're an idea like that? 1670 01:17:46.840 --> 01:17:49.119 Yeah, yeah, you do some trick thing with it, you know. 1671 01:17:49.159 --> 01:17:51.880 Okay, let me but let me ask you about coach 1672 01:17:51.960 --> 01:17:56.239 Chill's personality, because you know, Alex is a little reserved 1673 01:17:56.239 --> 01:17:57.479 and he's a little more introverted. 1674 01:17:57.520 --> 01:17:59.319 And it's not a bad thing. I mean, it's just 1675 01:17:59.520 --> 01:17:59.960 is a thing. 1676 01:18:00.159 --> 01:18:02.319 So when it comes to kind of that yin and 1677 01:18:02.359 --> 01:18:04.600 the yang, is he the type of person that's a 1678 01:18:04.600 --> 01:18:06.840 little bit more front facing than Alex tends to be. 1679 01:18:07.039 --> 01:18:08.439 Yeah, and and and and Uh. 1680 01:18:09.039 --> 01:18:09.159 Uh. 1681 01:18:09.319 --> 01:18:12.880 Coach Chill is is. Uh, he's a great gregarious person. 1682 01:18:13.279 --> 01:18:14.439 He's an outgoing guy. 1683 01:18:14.960 --> 01:18:15.279 Uh. 1684 01:18:15.359 --> 01:18:18.479 That's how you get to uh be able to be 1685 01:18:18.560 --> 01:18:22.680 sustained in this business, if that's what your niche is, Uh, 1686 01:18:22.720 --> 01:18:27.359 being able to get into into homes relative to recruiting, 1687 01:18:27.439 --> 01:18:32.760 being able to make get relationships and sustain them with agents, 1688 01:18:32.840 --> 01:18:36.680 with coaches, you know, in the grassroots level. Uh, that's 1689 01:18:36.680 --> 01:18:39.680 what he's been able to do, you know, for a 1690 01:18:39.720 --> 01:18:44.560 long long time. He's well known, he's he is the 1691 01:18:44.640 --> 01:18:48.119 kind of guy who will be outgoing more so than Alex. 1692 01:18:48.159 --> 01:18:50.920 He'll be a kind of guy who, you know, maybe 1693 01:18:50.920 --> 01:18:53.119 on the bench, you know, and Alex is more of 1694 01:18:53.159 --> 01:18:56.880 a subtle, you know, quiet leader, and and Chill will 1695 01:18:56.920 --> 01:18:59.720 be the kind of guy who's you know, ranting and 1696 01:18:59.800 --> 01:19:02.159 rais being on the sideline yelling at the kids or something, 1697 01:19:02.199 --> 01:19:04.920 and Alex may just be there pointing to a spot 1698 01:19:05.279 --> 01:19:07.359 or two or say, you know, get over here, whatever, 1699 01:19:07.479 --> 01:19:09.960 and uh, you know, in the heat of the battles, 1700 01:19:10.039 --> 01:19:13.279 so to speak. But uh, he'll serve as a great 1701 01:19:13.359 --> 01:19:17.399 counterbalance uh to Alex in that regard, you know, which 1702 01:19:17.439 --> 01:19:20.199 is I don't know if that's planned, if that if 1703 01:19:20.199 --> 01:19:22.680 that just happens to be, you know, part of the makeup. 1704 01:19:23.039 --> 01:19:23.239 You know. 1705 01:19:23.399 --> 01:19:28.239 I think I think coach Chill's uh track record and resume, 1706 01:19:28.840 --> 01:19:30.720 you know, is what really got him in the in 1707 01:19:30.760 --> 01:19:32.439 the his foot in the door in terms of being 1708 01:19:32.479 --> 01:19:35.520 considered for a job like this, and and in the 1709 01:19:35.560 --> 01:19:37.560 conference like the Big Twelve where you have to go 1710 01:19:37.640 --> 01:19:40.239 against you know a lot of heavyweights, and in the 1711 01:19:40.319 --> 01:19:44.119 recruiting battles, you know, and so so that's that's that's 1712 01:19:44.119 --> 01:19:46.520 a big time get in my opinion, you know, for 1713 01:19:46.600 --> 01:19:47.039 the you No. 1714 01:19:47.119 --> 01:19:49.239 It's really good to know, it's really good context. You're 1715 01:19:49.319 --> 01:19:51.319 the guy that knows a lot of people in this 1716 01:19:51.399 --> 01:19:53.760 ecosystem that most do not, So that's good to know. 1717 01:19:55.479 --> 01:19:59.119 And you know, coach Wait has Shreef Shaw, who's more 1718 01:19:59.159 --> 01:20:01.079 of like a front feet seen kind of our word. 1719 01:20:01.279 --> 01:20:03.960 Funny dude, didn't I was trying to think of like 1720 01:20:04.000 --> 01:20:06.520 the Jerry phil dynamic. I mean, Jerry was the guy 1721 01:20:06.560 --> 01:20:08.079 that was kind of firing and Phill is the one 1722 01:20:08.119 --> 01:20:10.159 that's trying to make sure he doesn't get ejected. But 1723 01:20:10.439 --> 01:20:12.760 in coaching staffs, it does help to have different types 1724 01:20:12.800 --> 01:20:13.359 of personality. 1725 01:20:13.439 --> 01:20:16.119 Of course, you know, in the early years of the 1726 01:20:16.199 --> 01:20:20.039 jazz you know, Frank Frank Layden was the gregarious, outgoing guy. 1727 01:20:20.159 --> 01:20:22.840 Jerry Sloan, you know, was the hard nose you know, 1728 01:20:23.079 --> 01:20:26.520 a teacher, a former player guy, and and and that 1729 01:20:26.680 --> 01:20:29.520 balanced off, you know, at that time Scott Leyden was 1730 01:20:29.560 --> 01:20:33.439 on the bench, and Scott was a studious guy, you know, 1731 01:20:33.560 --> 01:20:36.760 and and was really involved in the UH in the 1732 01:20:36.800 --> 01:20:40.840 scouting and and the the pro scouting advanced scouting game 1733 01:20:40.880 --> 01:20:43.760 planning that consot say had a balance around a lot 1734 01:20:43.800 --> 01:20:46.479 of that. Now, one thing I was interested to hear 1735 01:20:46.479 --> 01:20:49.520 from Mark Harlan in your interview earlier with him where 1736 01:20:49.640 --> 01:20:51.880 where I think he said it. I don't know if 1737 01:20:51.880 --> 01:20:54.199 it was you. I think he here's what who mentioned 1738 01:20:54.199 --> 01:20:56.600 that they maybe, uh, they may end up with a 1739 01:20:56.680 --> 01:20:58.079 smaller staff. 1740 01:20:58.119 --> 01:20:59.720 Yeah, yeah, I thought you would like that. 1741 01:21:00.520 --> 01:21:00.840 Well. 1742 01:21:00.880 --> 01:21:02.760 I just think that that, you know, I think if 1743 01:21:02.800 --> 01:21:05.319 they're looking at things, I think it's you know, you know, 1744 01:21:05.439 --> 01:21:07.720 you can have in my opinion, you know, there is 1745 01:21:07.760 --> 01:21:10.399 such a thing as too many cooks in the you know, 1746 01:21:10.640 --> 01:21:13.000 totally agree with you, and and you know, staffs have 1747 01:21:13.359 --> 01:21:17.239 grown over the years and people have different responsibilities. But 1748 01:21:17.239 --> 01:21:20.119 but I do think there's been a wave and this 1749 01:21:20.159 --> 01:21:23.720 isn't isn't new you know, last ten, fifteen, even twenty years, 1750 01:21:23.720 --> 01:21:29.039 and in both college and the NBA, where where organizations 1751 01:21:29.039 --> 01:21:33.119 are afraid that they're missing something if they don't have 1752 01:21:33.960 --> 01:21:36.880 somebody who fits the role that the other guys have, 1753 01:21:37.199 --> 01:21:40.039 and if the other guys are having any success, then 1754 01:21:40.039 --> 01:21:43.520 it's a copycat situation. Right, So you get you get 1755 01:21:43.560 --> 01:21:46.640 staffs where there's you know, seventeen guys in the in 1756 01:21:46.680 --> 01:21:49.760 the in the pullovers and in the half zips, on 1757 01:21:49.800 --> 01:21:52.039 the on the on the bench, and you're going, well, 1758 01:21:52.079 --> 01:21:54.359 they have more coaches than they have players on the 1759 01:21:54.399 --> 01:21:58.039 thing and whatever. Both yeah, both collegeen and pro you know, 1760 01:21:58.159 --> 01:22:01.479 and it's uh, and it's overkill, you know. I mean, Uh, 1761 01:22:02.760 --> 01:22:05.680 Gary Briggs are great trainer for the jazz and the 1762 01:22:05.720 --> 01:22:09.279 in the in the two thousands. You know, he used 1763 01:22:09.279 --> 01:22:11.199 to do the job when he was in Cleveland. We 1764 01:22:11.199 --> 01:22:14.760 were talking one night about this where uh he did 1765 01:22:14.800 --> 01:22:18.600 the job uh in the early days where now there 1766 01:22:18.600 --> 01:22:23.199 are literally six other full time people doing the different 1767 01:22:23.239 --> 01:22:26.159 responsibilities that he used to do by himself. 1768 01:22:26.199 --> 01:22:27.840 And Gary probably didn't get six the money. 1769 01:22:27.880 --> 01:22:28.960 No, that's exactly right. 1770 01:22:29.000 --> 01:22:32.640 And so you know, these things can be done if 1771 01:22:32.680 --> 01:22:37.000 you're smart, if you're efficient, if you know what you're doing, Uh, 1772 01:22:37.039 --> 01:22:40.279 you can do it, you know more is it always 1773 01:22:40.479 --> 01:22:43.079 more to coin the phrase? 1774 01:22:43.279 --> 01:22:43.439 Uh? 1775 01:22:43.720 --> 01:22:45.640 You know, if you're smart about who you have on 1776 01:22:45.680 --> 01:22:49.359 your staff and what they're about and what they're trying 1777 01:22:49.399 --> 01:22:51.720 to do, you know, then sometimes that can be a 1778 01:22:51.760 --> 01:22:55.279 benefit to you so that you don't have too many 1779 01:22:55.359 --> 01:22:58.039 voices in the room and too many conflicts going on 1780 01:22:58.239 --> 01:23:00.359 and you know, in terms of what you're trying to 1781 01:23:00.359 --> 01:23:01.039 get across and. 1782 01:23:02.760 --> 01:23:03.960 Work with with your team. 1783 01:23:04.079 --> 01:23:06.119 So let's move over to Wes Wilcox now. And when 1784 01:23:06.119 --> 01:23:08.560 I first saw the Pete Themill report, I went, man, 1785 01:23:08.600 --> 01:23:11.119 that would be a be a really good hire. Leg 1786 01:23:11.920 --> 01:23:14.279 Wes has been a GM. He ran the Hawks, he 1787 01:23:14.399 --> 01:23:17.159 was the director of player development in Cleveland and then 1788 01:23:17.239 --> 01:23:19.600 the GM of the G League team. And Wes hired 1789 01:23:19.640 --> 01:23:22.720 Alex to coach the Canton Charge where Alex won G 1790 01:23:22.840 --> 01:23:24.439 League Coach of the Year D League back then and 1791 01:23:24.479 --> 01:23:28.520 won the D League championship thirty nine years old. From 1792 01:23:28.560 --> 01:23:32.680 what I understand, very analytically driven, and Mark actually referenced 1793 01:23:32.680 --> 01:23:36.680 that Wes most likely will report to Alex now. In 1794 01:23:36.760 --> 01:23:39.159 the NBA, the coach reports to the general manager. At 1795 01:23:39.199 --> 01:23:44.319 least historically speaking, coach wit Bleckin is the general manager 1796 01:23:44.319 --> 01:23:46.760 who reports to Kyle. So maybe this is a new 1797 01:23:46.800 --> 01:23:48.560 college model. But tell me what you make of this, 1798 01:23:48.600 --> 01:23:50.199 and also what should we know about Wes Willcox. 1799 01:23:50.279 --> 01:23:52.600 Yeah, I think that I think that model Spence is 1800 01:23:52.640 --> 01:23:57.000 what's taking place in college is that the head coach 1801 01:23:57.079 --> 01:24:00.359 is really the guy who's who's the point per for 1802 01:24:00.359 --> 01:24:04.159 the whole program. So he's gonna he's going to hire 1803 01:24:04.720 --> 01:24:07.840 a person to serve in the GM role, the GM role, 1804 01:24:08.279 --> 01:24:10.960 you know, maybe you know in the NBA, we're used 1805 01:24:11.039 --> 01:24:14.199 to the coach reporting to the GM, the GM reporting 1806 01:24:14.239 --> 01:24:17.119 to the owner kind of thing. In the college, they're 1807 01:24:17.159 --> 01:24:19.960 they're kind of reversing that. They're having the head coaches 1808 01:24:20.039 --> 01:24:23.800 the main guy, the GM reports to him, and then 1809 01:24:24.079 --> 01:24:27.520 the head coach in turn reports to the athletic director. 1810 01:24:27.600 --> 01:24:30.560 And so, uh, this won't be an unusual setup if 1811 01:24:30.560 --> 01:24:32.960 that's what they're what they're doing, because most of the 1812 01:24:33.000 --> 01:24:36.239 college setups are are doing that now. So that so 1813 01:24:36.279 --> 01:24:41.399 that there's no miss misperception about who's who's reporting to 1814 01:24:41.439 --> 01:24:44.960 the athletic director or who's reporting to you know, the 1815 01:24:44.960 --> 01:24:46.680 main booster group or whatever it is. 1816 01:24:47.119 --> 01:24:47.279 Uh. 1817 01:24:47.319 --> 01:24:49.399 The general manager is going to be the person who 1818 01:24:49.399 --> 01:24:52.920 comes in and keeps everything in in ther in the uh, 1819 01:24:53.560 --> 01:24:58.760 within the program organized heads up, the people who are 1820 01:24:58.760 --> 01:25:03.520 doing the recruiting up the overseas, the NIL stuff or 1821 01:25:03.560 --> 01:25:06.479 whatever it's going to be, the revenue sharing stuff going forward, 1822 01:25:06.880 --> 01:25:10.600 however that falls out through the NCAA. They're going to 1823 01:25:10.640 --> 01:25:13.720 be like the guy who keeps everything organized so that 1824 01:25:13.760 --> 01:25:19.199 the head coach can spend a good chunk, not all 1825 01:25:19.560 --> 01:25:23.079 and maybe not even majority sometimes, but a good chunk 1826 01:25:23.119 --> 01:25:26.760 of their time actually coaching basketball, actually trying to get 1827 01:25:26.760 --> 01:25:30.760 their players better, to be more competitive on the floor, 1828 01:25:31.159 --> 01:25:33.840 and to leave the so called day to day business 1829 01:25:33.920 --> 01:25:38.079 stuff to the guy who's the GM. And so Wes 1830 01:25:38.119 --> 01:25:43.520 Wilcox is perfectly situated for that great resume, a great experience, 1831 01:25:44.640 --> 01:25:49.479 really an organized guy and and will be really good 1832 01:25:49.479 --> 01:25:53.760 for Alex. And again, those guys know each other. Alex 1833 01:25:53.840 --> 01:25:57.199 reported to Wes when they were in a part of 1834 01:25:57.239 --> 01:26:00.760 the Cleveland Cavaliers organization, you know, almost twenty years ago 1835 01:26:00.840 --> 01:26:04.079 now and then uh, and now it's come kind of 1836 01:26:04.079 --> 01:26:08.359 full circle and uh, Wes is going to be part 1837 01:26:08.359 --> 01:26:12.079 of his staff and uh, you know again a nice 1838 01:26:12.119 --> 01:26:16.159 balance because while alex can can concenter in the basketball part. 1839 01:26:16.600 --> 01:26:20.560 Wes will concentrate on organizing the office, the people who 1840 01:26:20.600 --> 01:26:23.439 work there, how they're doing all their their stuff on 1841 01:26:23.479 --> 01:26:27.439 a day to day basis, recruiting, n I L blah 1842 01:26:27.479 --> 01:26:30.039 blah blah, all those kinds of things, and and what's 1843 01:26:30.119 --> 01:26:34.840 is very uh he's a very organized, very streamlined type 1844 01:26:34.880 --> 01:26:38.560 of guy. And so that's uh again another great get 1845 01:26:38.920 --> 01:26:42.359 for them now they have they're getting a good staff 1846 01:26:42.399 --> 01:26:46.000 in place. They're getting a good core of the guys 1847 01:26:46.079 --> 01:26:48.079 that that that you like to see and and what 1848 01:26:48.119 --> 01:26:52.279 their what their skill sets are, and what they can do. Now, 1849 01:26:52.359 --> 01:26:57.079 what's the bottom line, spets? You gotta get horses. Yeah, 1850 01:26:57.279 --> 01:26:59.720 So so that's what it's gonna be. All these guys 1851 01:26:59.720 --> 01:27:02.399 can do what they want to do. And you know, 1852 01:27:02.439 --> 01:27:04.960 the great lesson I learned way way way back when 1853 01:27:05.439 --> 01:27:10.159 the Jazz were playing the Lakers and Lakers eighty eight 1854 01:27:10.199 --> 01:27:13.800 playing with pat Riley, and pat Riley's in an interview 1855 01:27:13.840 --> 01:27:16.159 with the press and they're talking about this new stuff 1856 01:27:16.199 --> 01:27:19.600 they were doing at the time with video stuff, and 1857 01:27:19.760 --> 01:27:22.159 the press was asking, do you think that gives you advantage? 1858 01:27:22.199 --> 01:27:24.760 And he said, I don't know, Well, you're using this technology, 1859 01:27:24.880 --> 01:27:30.000 which at that time was new, using plays and watching 1860 01:27:30.079 --> 01:27:33.079 video halftime, which teams didn't do at that time, And 1861 01:27:33.359 --> 01:27:35.279 finally they were pressing him on it, and pat Riley 1862 01:27:35.319 --> 01:27:37.560 finally said, well, and I don't know if it helps 1863 01:27:37.600 --> 01:27:40.159 us that much or not. He said, I think I 1864 01:27:40.239 --> 01:27:42.359 think the better advantage we have is that we have 1865 01:27:42.520 --> 01:27:46.399 Kareem and magic. And to me, you know, at that moment, 1866 01:27:46.479 --> 01:27:49.720 I remember thinking, and I thought about that ever since. Specias, Yeah, 1867 01:27:49.760 --> 01:27:52.079 we can do all this other stuff behind the scenes, 1868 01:27:52.079 --> 01:27:54.520 and we can dance around, and we can spend money, 1869 01:27:54.600 --> 01:27:57.119 and we can have seventeen coaches and we can do 1870 01:27:57.199 --> 01:28:01.479 whatever whatever we need magic and Kareem on the floor, 1871 01:28:01.760 --> 01:28:04.560 and if that's what we have, then we're gonna be okay. 1872 01:28:04.600 --> 01:28:07.479 And I was the recipient of that because, you know, 1873 01:28:07.720 --> 01:28:12.640 my basically my first eighteen twenty years in the NBA, 1874 01:28:13.199 --> 01:28:16.800 you know, I was riding on the coattails with John 1875 01:28:16.840 --> 01:28:20.239 and Carl and that's that's how that went. Everybody was 1876 01:28:20.319 --> 01:28:24.039 and that's why everybody looked good and whatever it was 1877 01:28:24.119 --> 01:28:27.399 they did because John and Carl were there and we're 1878 01:28:27.439 --> 01:28:30.039 playing every night, and so okay, thank. 1879 01:28:29.880 --> 01:28:30.560 You very much. 1880 01:28:31.039 --> 01:28:35.239 Nineteen eighty eight was I think probably my first real 1881 01:28:36.359 --> 01:28:40.239 indoctrination in a playoff basketball right. And I just remember 1882 01:28:40.279 --> 01:28:43.239 that Jazz Lakers series. Remember going every home game, I 1883 01:28:43.279 --> 01:28:46.600 did a little project Wassatch Elementary Missus Farman shout out 1884 01:28:46.600 --> 01:28:48.800 fifth grade, I did a little Jazz Lake and I 1885 01:28:48.840 --> 01:28:53.199 remember when I'll say we lost Game seven, how gutted 1886 01:28:53.680 --> 01:28:55.800 I was as a ten year old, and I think 1887 01:28:55.800 --> 01:28:57.680 I was just hooked for life. I'm like, man, playoff 1888 01:28:57.720 --> 01:29:00.479 basketball rules because that was so fun. And that was 1889 01:29:00.560 --> 01:29:03.479 kind of like, uh, okay, you know, the Jazz aren't 1890 01:29:03.960 --> 01:29:05.920 not some little team out in saut Lake anymore. Like 1891 01:29:05.960 --> 01:29:08.159 the Jazz actually are building something. It felt like that 1892 01:29:08.279 --> 01:29:10.000 was a and then was it the next year where 1893 01:29:10.039 --> 01:29:11.359 the Warriors got pretty Yeah? 1894 01:29:11.520 --> 01:29:14.680 The next year was it was the Yeah, the fame, 1895 01:29:14.880 --> 01:29:17.600 the famous sweep you know, was you know, but but yeah, 1896 01:29:17.640 --> 01:29:21.800 eighty eight was really the you know, from a historical perspective, 1897 01:29:22.479 --> 01:29:26.079 the way I see it sought then now even more 1898 01:29:26.119 --> 01:29:29.520 so in my mind was the coming out party was that, well, 1899 01:29:29.600 --> 01:29:32.760 these guys are for real, you know, and uh and 1900 01:29:32.800 --> 01:29:35.119 then you know, hey, during the nineties, what they what 1901 01:29:35.159 --> 01:29:37.720 the Jazz did, And then like in ninety eight, you 1902 01:29:37.760 --> 01:29:41.760 know Lakers with Shaq and Kobe and oh oh those 1903 01:29:41.760 --> 01:29:44.000 guys are pretty good. The Jazz going and whack them 1904 01:29:44.000 --> 01:29:46.720 forth straight yep, you know, to get back to the finals, 1905 01:29:46.760 --> 01:29:49.000 and you know that was you know, that's you know, 1906 01:29:49.399 --> 01:29:52.239 all all that's time in between, that's when you knew, 1907 01:29:52.680 --> 01:29:55.279 you know that your team was was competitive and was 1908 01:29:55.319 --> 01:29:58.239 able to fight with anybody night in the night out, 1909 01:29:58.279 --> 01:30:00.159 and that that's really what will be the test for 1910 01:30:00.199 --> 01:30:03.359 the you know, going forward, as all this other stuff will, 1911 01:30:03.800 --> 01:30:07.119 we'll obviously play major roles in it behind the scenes, 1912 01:30:07.199 --> 01:30:09.720 but at the end of the day, you know they're 1913 01:30:09.720 --> 01:30:11.880 gonna have to get players there and gonna have to 1914 01:30:11.920 --> 01:30:15.039 figure out a way to be competitive on the floor 1915 01:30:15.079 --> 01:30:15.800 in the Big twelve. 1916 01:30:15.840 --> 01:30:16.880 You have to have talent. 1917 01:30:16.960 --> 01:30:19.720 I mean, just while we're in the space, I can remember, man, 1918 01:30:19.800 --> 01:30:23.600 you reference Scotty. My freshman year at the U, professor 1919 01:30:23.640 --> 01:30:25.479 gave us an assignment. You need to go out and 1920 01:30:25.520 --> 01:30:27.199 find somebody in the field you want to work in 1921 01:30:27.239 --> 01:30:29.279 and go interview them. That was kind of the deal. 1922 01:30:29.279 --> 01:30:31.119 And Scott was the GM of the Jazz when I 1923 01:30:31.159 --> 01:30:32.840 was at the U, and so I sat down with Scott. 1924 01:30:33.199 --> 01:30:35.199 One of my first questions was, and I thought he 1925 01:30:35.239 --> 01:30:37.199 was gonna say Larry. Thought he was gonna say Larry Miller. 1926 01:30:37.239 --> 01:30:40.000 I said, who is the most important person in the 1927 01:30:40.079 --> 01:30:43.840 jazz organization? Scott didn't hesitate. He says, there's two. It's 1928 01:30:43.880 --> 01:30:46.880 John and Carl in the whole organization including I thought 1929 01:30:46.880 --> 01:30:48.880 he was gonna say ownership, and he said John and Carl. 1930 01:30:49.039 --> 01:30:49.319 Yeah. 1931 01:30:49.359 --> 01:30:54.399 Well, you know, the most popular people during the so 1932 01:30:54.479 --> 01:31:00.239 called heyday was hot Rod and the Bear. Those are 1933 01:31:00.239 --> 01:31:05.960 the two most popular, uh in the organization with the fans. 1934 01:31:06.119 --> 01:31:09.520 And then but the most important you're you're you know, 1935 01:31:09.520 --> 01:31:13.439 Scott's exactly right, is is because when you have players 1936 01:31:13.479 --> 01:31:17.279 and they're driving, winning and you can do that, that's 1937 01:31:17.520 --> 01:31:21.079 that's what trickles down to everything else in the organization. 1938 01:31:21.359 --> 01:31:22.920 That's that's where it comes from. 1939 01:31:23.439 --> 01:31:26.359 Uh. That's why you know the current iteration of the 1940 01:31:26.439 --> 01:31:28.840 jazz where they're trying to you know, get some traction 1941 01:31:29.000 --> 01:31:33.000 and and uh really you know, slipping and sliding so far. 1942 01:31:33.680 --> 01:31:36.439 You know in this uh, this new approach that they 1943 01:31:36.640 --> 01:31:39.760 that they they've chosen to take. It's it's surprising that 1944 01:31:39.840 --> 01:31:42.840 they chose to get rid of players who were main 1945 01:31:42.920 --> 01:31:46.399 guys who were in their prime. You know and under contract, 1946 01:31:46.439 --> 01:31:48.960 you know, for whatever the reasons were, uh, and and 1947 01:31:49.039 --> 01:31:51.319 to let them go because because those things are hard 1948 01:31:51.359 --> 01:31:54.520 to find as they're as they're they're finding out there 1949 01:31:54.520 --> 01:31:56.560 in the middle of and and when you have those 1950 01:31:57.039 --> 01:31:58.840 you try and hold on to them as long as 1951 01:31:58.880 --> 01:32:03.000 you can to make sure that you can sustain success 1952 01:32:03.039 --> 01:32:06.119 and have everybody else do what they do to the 1953 01:32:06.159 --> 01:32:07.159 best of their ability. 1954 01:32:07.279 --> 01:32:10.399 I can't remember what year it was, but at some 1955 01:32:10.479 --> 01:32:13.439 point in the nineties when Riley had gone to Miami 1956 01:32:13.520 --> 01:32:15.640 and Jeff took over for Pat in New York Van 1957 01:32:15.680 --> 01:32:16.920 Gutn he was the head coach of the Knicks in 1958 01:32:16.920 --> 01:32:20.640 New York. It was after a game and I can't 1959 01:32:20.640 --> 01:32:22.600 remember if they played the Bulls. It may have been 1960 01:32:22.640 --> 01:32:24.760 the game where Jordan came back and dropped fifty five 1961 01:32:24.840 --> 01:32:27.279 with the Garden the double nickel, the famous game. And 1962 01:32:27.640 --> 01:32:30.279 Jeff was getting ready to address the media and Phil 1963 01:32:30.359 --> 01:32:32.479 Jackson had just released a book I think they called it. 1964 01:32:32.520 --> 01:32:35.279 I think it was Sacred Hoops, and Frank I saw 1965 01:32:35.359 --> 01:32:39.159 last Jeff. He said, Jeff, have you read Phil's new book? 1966 01:32:39.399 --> 01:32:41.359 I may have told you this, and Jeff said, oh, 1967 01:32:41.359 --> 01:32:42.840 I actually have a copy of her write here and 1968 01:32:42.840 --> 01:32:44.880 he took a blank piece I think it was a statuet, 1969 01:32:45.279 --> 01:32:48.119 turned it over and he wrote number twenty three on 1970 01:32:48.159 --> 01:32:50.840 it and handed it to Frank Iola because obviously Phil 1971 01:32:50.840 --> 01:32:54.279 wrote sacred hoops after a great run coaching somebody named 1972 01:32:54.279 --> 01:32:54.840 Michael George. 1973 01:32:54.920 --> 01:32:55.279 That's right. 1974 01:32:56.000 --> 01:32:59.199 And Phil Jackson a very smart guy and a good 1975 01:32:59.239 --> 01:33:02.439 basketball guy. But what was he even smarter at He 1976 01:33:02.520 --> 01:33:05.279 knew that he had the run in the nineties with 1977 01:33:05.359 --> 01:33:08.399 the Bulls, had a couple of years off, and then 1978 01:33:08.439 --> 01:33:11.079 he had other opportunities, and then he looked around and go, 1979 01:33:12.600 --> 01:33:14.119 maybe I'll go coach the Lakers. 1980 01:33:14.159 --> 01:33:16.720 They got Shaq and Kobe, right, Yeah, maybe I'll do that. 1981 01:33:16.840 --> 01:33:19.039 Yeah, you know, yeah, I mean that's the smart park, 1982 01:33:19.159 --> 01:33:21.680 because you know, if you got him in place, then 1983 01:33:21.760 --> 01:33:23.920 you just you know, you you do a little dressing 1984 01:33:23.960 --> 01:33:26.439 around the edges and then you let those guys go 1985 01:33:26.479 --> 01:33:26.840 to work. 1986 01:33:27.000 --> 01:33:29.800 Richard Smith forty years in the NBA with Utah Jazz 1987 01:33:29.880 --> 01:33:33.239 is Live and Studio on a beautiful Thursday, mischiet Bonnie 1988 01:33:33.239 --> 01:33:33.680 this morning. 1989 01:33:34.000 --> 01:33:35.920 I know, I know, I'm sorry about that, man. 1990 01:33:35.960 --> 01:33:38.319 How'd you do forty one thirty nine? 1991 01:33:38.680 --> 01:33:40.439 Did you really? Really? 1992 01:33:40.479 --> 01:33:42.720 And I didn't make any putts. I don't know why 1993 01:33:42.760 --> 01:33:46.560 I was. My ball striking was both surprising and very pleasing. 1994 01:33:46.640 --> 01:33:48.800 Really yeah, I played well Wow, but no putts, Smitty, 1995 01:33:48.840 --> 01:33:49.880 I gotta start making putts. 1996 01:33:50.079 --> 01:33:51.760 Let's get out soon. Huh. 1997 01:33:51.800 --> 01:33:52.159 All right? 1998 01:33:52.159 --> 01:33:54.920 Coming up next BYU with a big one tonight Alabama. 1999 01:33:55.279 --> 01:33:57.079 Maybe we'll do some jazz. I don't know, but Smittye 2000 01:33:57.079 --> 01:33:58.840 Live and Studio brought to you by Burt Brothers. With 2001 01:33:58.920 --> 01:34:02.159 over thirty years of experience, ariance and nearly thirty locations. 2002 01:34:02.199 --> 01:34:05.960 Burt Brothers AC certified technicians bring expertise in professionalism INTE 2003 01:34:05.920 --> 01:34:09.720 every interaction industry leading warranties and low price tier guarantees. 2004 01:34:09.760 --> 01:34:12.880 One stop shop for allowable repairs and maintenance from tires 2005 01:34:12.880 --> 01:34:15.279 and alignments to fluids and breaks, offering a full range 2006 01:34:15.279 --> 01:34:18.119 of automotive services tailor to meet your needs now offering 2007 01:34:18.239 --> 01:34:21.079 value tire options such as Americas and some attires. Starting 2008 01:34:21.159 --> 01:34:23.039 is just sixty nine dollars with warranties to go up 2009 01:34:23.079 --> 01:34:25.600 to seventy thousand miles. As one of the few Triple 2010 01:34:25.640 --> 01:34:28.239 A certified shops in Utah, Burt Brothers upholds the highest 2011 01:34:28.279 --> 01:34:32.560 standard in automotive service. Stopped by Burt Brothers or Tirebuster's locations, 2012 01:34:33.039 --> 01:34:35.760 or schedule an appointment today to experience the trusted service 2013 01:34:35.760 --> 01:34:38.000 that has made them a Utah favor for over three decades. 2014 01:34:38.039 --> 01:34:41.399 Burt Brothers doing it better since day one. More information 2015 01:34:41.399 --> 01:34:44.159 can be found at Burt Brothers dot com. Yankees lead 2016 01:34:44.239 --> 01:34:46.840 the Brewers for one Bottom of the Eighth more with 2017 01:34:46.840 --> 01:34:49.600 Smitty coming up next. Right here on ESPN seven hundred, 2018 01:34:53.000 --> 01:34:56.640 Richard Smith live in studio, so we've hit our YouTube 2019 01:34:56.720 --> 01:34:57.439 quota for the day. 2020 01:34:58.239 --> 01:34:59.840 I will not knock on Porter. 2021 01:34:59.640 --> 01:35:03.079 For giving the people what they want. Little streets have 2022 01:35:03.199 --> 01:35:05.279 no name with Ryles. Have you seen you two in 2023 01:35:05.319 --> 01:35:06.399 person and live. 2024 01:35:06.239 --> 01:35:07.800 In person several times? 2025 01:35:08.560 --> 01:35:12.119 And Bill okay, yeah and go yeah, it's you know, 2026 01:35:12.279 --> 01:35:13.359 they put on quite a show. 2027 01:35:13.399 --> 01:35:16.000 That's great, terrific. Yeah, all right, we. 2028 01:35:16.039 --> 01:35:18.640 Got the Madness of March resumes in one hour from 2029 01:35:18.760 --> 01:35:21.680 now as Breagham Young will take on Alabama and the 2030 01:35:21.680 --> 01:35:22.399 Sweet Sixteen. 2031 01:35:22.399 --> 01:35:23.119 We've got four. 2032 01:35:23.239 --> 01:35:25.880 If you're a college basketball fan, I cannot wait to 2033 01:35:25.880 --> 01:35:28.239 go home, and just I will marinate on the couch 2034 01:35:28.279 --> 01:35:29.079 tonight for hours. 2035 01:35:29.079 --> 01:35:30.279 I've got all of them recorded. 2036 01:35:30.640 --> 01:35:33.920 Because if you've been paying attention between commercial breaks and 2037 01:35:34.199 --> 01:35:39.439 video reviews, oh my gosh, man, can we please play basketball? 2038 01:35:40.199 --> 01:35:42.560 This is this is this is what's driving It's this 2039 01:35:42.640 --> 01:35:45.119 whole thing, the whole thing. I think if you really 2040 01:35:45.800 --> 01:35:49.199 taken a thirty five thousand foot view of the whole thing, 2041 01:35:49.239 --> 01:35:51.960 it's really kind of funny. Like you know how much 2042 01:35:52.039 --> 01:35:54.479 money they pull in and how much they market all 2043 01:35:54.520 --> 01:35:58.520 this and and you know what used to be amateur sports, right, 2044 01:35:58.680 --> 01:36:01.479 it's is a whole different thing, and it doesn't it 2045 01:36:01.479 --> 01:36:03.319 doesn't matter. All that stuff's out the window. 2046 01:36:03.439 --> 01:36:05.760 Yeah, but spitty, like, I'm a grown up. I know 2047 01:36:05.800 --> 01:36:09.359 they're making money, play your ads, but the reviews, like, dude, 2048 01:36:09.520 --> 01:36:12.600 we can all see what is going on. We do 2049 01:36:12.680 --> 01:36:15.039 not need a ten minute stoppage to decide whether or 2050 01:36:15.039 --> 01:36:16.479 not the ball went off the player. 2051 01:36:16.680 --> 01:36:16.920 Yeah. 2052 01:36:17.000 --> 01:36:21.119 Yeah, it's always it's always that that that that stuff 2053 01:36:21.159 --> 01:36:24.760 in this sport and also in football, you know, in 2054 01:36:24.800 --> 01:36:27.159 the NFL. It just it drives me crazy when they 2055 01:36:27.520 --> 01:36:29.000 you know, I don't know, I always think, you know, 2056 01:36:29.039 --> 01:36:30.439 I don't know what they did in the old days, 2057 01:36:30.439 --> 01:36:33.960 the old days. Uh spence, Spence, check its was the line, judge. 2058 01:36:34.000 --> 01:36:35.520 You just said it was this or that and you 2059 01:36:35.560 --> 01:36:38.159 went on like, well, you know, now everybody's got a 2060 01:36:38.199 --> 01:36:41.279 way in they scrutinized. Of course they're afraid if they're 2061 01:36:41.279 --> 01:36:43.399 wrong that that, you know, millions of people are going 2062 01:36:43.439 --> 01:36:46.079 to get on them because they they saw the tape 2063 01:36:46.079 --> 01:36:46.479 and everything. 2064 01:36:46.520 --> 01:36:47.399 It's just it's awful. 2065 01:36:47.720 --> 01:36:49.600 But before we get to the games tonight, you were 2066 01:36:49.600 --> 01:36:51.920 good enough to remind me during the break commutual friend 2067 01:36:51.960 --> 01:36:55.279 of ours and the man who was the original jazz 2068 01:36:55.319 --> 01:36:59.560 Bear and the jazz Bear for two decades plus, I 2069 01:36:59.600 --> 01:37:01.479 mean more than twenty years, and just the sweet guy. 2070 01:37:01.520 --> 01:37:04.239 His name is John Apsey. We got some bad news 2071 01:37:04.680 --> 01:37:07.840 about John and we're all here to support him. So Smitty, 2072 01:37:07.880 --> 01:37:10.479 for our listeners that are not familiar with the news 2073 01:37:10.520 --> 01:37:12.159 that came down over the past week or so, why 2074 01:37:12.159 --> 01:37:12.960 don't you fill us in? 2075 01:37:13.079 --> 01:37:18.399 Yeah, John, John Absey, the longtime bear for the Utah Jazz, 2076 01:37:18.439 --> 01:37:24.159 has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer stage three. Talked with 2077 01:37:24.239 --> 01:37:28.399 him last night. I asked him if if he was 2078 01:37:28.479 --> 01:37:31.279 okay with me just mentioning it on the air today, 2079 01:37:31.359 --> 01:37:34.600 and he said, of course. His His goal is more 2080 01:37:35.439 --> 01:37:38.840 to educate the public and to try and help people 2081 01:37:39.159 --> 01:37:43.920 who might find themselves in similar health situations, who feel, 2082 01:37:44.039 --> 01:37:46.279 you know, when they get a shot to the to 2083 01:37:46.319 --> 01:37:48.560 the gut like this, and and all of a sudden 2084 01:37:48.560 --> 01:37:51.039 it comes out of the out of left field, Adam 2085 01:37:51.199 --> 01:37:54.279 that that you not only get staggered, but you also 2086 01:37:54.439 --> 01:37:57.279 sometimes your head is spinning about, Okay, how do I 2087 01:37:57.359 --> 01:38:02.479 handle this? How do I systematically go about getting the 2088 01:38:02.560 --> 01:38:07.199 proper care, getting my insurance stuff lined up, making sure 2089 01:38:07.279 --> 01:38:10.159 I can try and and and deal with whatever my 2090 01:38:10.279 --> 01:38:13.359 health issue is. And and and John really wanted to 2091 01:38:13.520 --> 01:38:15.439 just get the word out that, you know, while he 2092 01:38:15.560 --> 01:38:19.399 fights his own individual battle, that that he's trying to 2093 01:38:19.399 --> 01:38:23.399 put together information that will help other people who get 2094 01:38:23.479 --> 01:38:26.880 you know, similar type diagnoses during their lives to maybe 2095 01:38:27.000 --> 01:38:30.479 have a starting point of of a how to how 2096 01:38:30.520 --> 01:38:34.199 to start looking for care, how to start doing this 2097 01:38:34.279 --> 01:38:36.840 thing that that might that might help them. So he's, 2098 01:38:37.000 --> 01:38:40.800 he said, along his journey that's still in front of him, 2099 01:38:40.840 --> 01:38:43.439 he's going to be trying to put together a guide 2100 01:38:43.479 --> 01:38:47.159 book of sorts or or a blue book, so to speak, 2101 01:38:47.199 --> 01:38:49.800 to try and help people. You know, these are the 2102 01:38:49.840 --> 01:38:52.239 steps you should be taking. This is the stuff you 2103 01:38:52.239 --> 01:38:55.000 should do, you know, when the if if in one 2104 01:38:55.039 --> 01:38:57.600 you or some loved ones, uh find yourself in this 2105 01:38:57.720 --> 01:39:00.680 kind of a situation to try and help you more organized, 2106 01:39:00.680 --> 01:39:03.920 because I can tell you, Spence, nobody has done more 2107 01:39:04.319 --> 01:39:08.239 in this community, not only in their job, which which 2108 01:39:08.319 --> 01:39:11.239 was his job with the Jazz for over two decades, 2109 01:39:11.279 --> 01:39:16.479 and in that regard in terms of charitable efforts, but 2110 01:39:16.720 --> 01:39:21.920 John did so much stuff outside of the Jazz on 2111 01:39:21.960 --> 01:39:27.800 his own, for groups, for kids, for disadvantage people that 2112 01:39:27.960 --> 01:39:30.399 I can't even tell you, you know how many people 2113 01:39:30.880 --> 01:39:34.000 you'll really owe a debt to him, just in terms 2114 01:39:34.079 --> 01:39:37.359 of how he has lived his life to this point 2115 01:39:37.760 --> 01:39:41.640 in service of others. And it's you know, he wants. 2116 01:39:42.319 --> 01:39:46.199 He's not putting all this stuff out there to to 2117 01:39:46.279 --> 01:39:49.079 get people to be feel sorry for him. He's trying 2118 01:39:49.079 --> 01:39:51.880 to put it out there to get people to rally 2119 01:39:51.920 --> 01:39:55.359 around others and to help other people, you know, find 2120 01:39:55.840 --> 01:39:59.640 their way through whatever their challenges are, to help them 2121 01:39:59.720 --> 01:40:04.159 to to get to get better, to get the kind 2122 01:40:04.199 --> 01:40:07.319 of care and support that they need, and whatever their 2123 01:40:08.039 --> 01:40:11.399 individual challenges are. So so we we love John and 2124 01:40:11.560 --> 01:40:14.279 and we hope the best for he and and Sean 2125 01:40:14.359 --> 01:40:17.319 and their girls and in this fight and we're with 2126 01:40:17.439 --> 01:40:18.359 him on. 2127 01:40:19.680 --> 01:40:25.000 So John Absey, the original Jazz Bear, is fighting pancreatic cancer. 2128 01:40:25.159 --> 01:40:26.680 Okay, So that's the diagnosis. 2129 01:40:26.720 --> 01:40:30.399 There is a go fund me and I would just 2130 01:40:30.520 --> 01:40:34.119 encourage you to google John Absey, which is spelled j 2131 01:40:34.359 --> 01:40:38.399 O N then A B S E Y. You can 2132 01:40:38.399 --> 01:40:40.439 include go fund me and your Google search and the 2133 01:40:40.479 --> 01:40:41.319 link will come up. 2134 01:40:41.800 --> 01:40:41.960 Uh. 2135 01:40:42.039 --> 01:40:44.880 These types of things, uh you know, the cruel reality 2136 01:40:45.439 --> 01:40:48.000 is they cost a lot of money and even if 2137 01:40:48.039 --> 01:40:51.119 you have insurance, oftentimes it only covers a portion of it. 2138 01:40:51.600 --> 01:40:53.760 I will not give you a commentary on my take 2139 01:40:53.800 --> 01:40:57.920 on the social uh you know, situation regarding medical care 2140 01:40:57.920 --> 01:40:59.760 in America and how many I think it's twenty million 2141 01:40:59.760 --> 01:41:02.960 plus US Americans per year go bankrupt as a result 2142 01:41:03.000 --> 01:41:05.000 of the inability to pay for medical care, which is 2143 01:41:05.039 --> 01:41:06.800 pathetic in a lot of ways. 2144 01:41:06.840 --> 01:41:09.079 But let's just leave that there because we won't get political. 2145 01:41:09.079 --> 01:41:12.960 But John Apsey, Original Jazz Bar fighting pincreatic cancer. If 2146 01:41:13.000 --> 01:41:16.279 you're able to donate to the GoFundMe, they are trying 2147 01:41:16.279 --> 01:41:19.680 to raise money to help John fight this this horrible disease. 2148 01:41:19.720 --> 01:41:22.039 So there you go, smitthe I appreciate that reminder. I 2149 01:41:22.039 --> 01:41:23.279 was going to bring that up, and I'm glad you 2150 01:41:23.279 --> 01:41:26.399 brought it up. And to your point, the sweetest guy around, 2151 01:41:26.479 --> 01:41:29.039 you know, and for so many years nobody knew who 2152 01:41:29.039 --> 01:41:31.079 the jazz bear was, right because you weren't supposed to do. 2153 01:41:31.119 --> 01:41:32.840 And then you know, now we know that it was 2154 01:41:32.920 --> 01:41:37.000 John who I thought among, if not the best mascots. 2155 01:41:37.119 --> 01:41:38.840 And I'm dead serious, I'm not just saying that. 2156 01:41:38.920 --> 01:41:42.079 I mean, I've been so of you, how many NBA arenas, 2157 01:41:42.079 --> 01:41:44.880 probably all of them. When John was doing the John 2158 01:41:44.920 --> 01:41:46.520 stuff at the top of his game, I don't know 2159 01:41:46.520 --> 01:41:47.520 that there was anybody better. 2160 01:41:47.600 --> 01:41:50.159 Well, they have a thing that you know, most people 2161 01:41:50.199 --> 01:41:53.640 don't know about. It's probably more of an internal organization anything, 2162 01:41:53.640 --> 01:41:57.159 but the mascots community, you know, both on the collegiate 2163 01:41:57.239 --> 01:42:00.640 level and the professional level across all sports, they they 2164 01:42:00.640 --> 01:42:04.319 have their own community. And John, while he was doing it, 2165 01:42:05.079 --> 01:42:09.359 he was he was the seventh time Mascot of the Year. 2166 01:42:09.760 --> 01:42:13.840 Whoever votes on that and however that's decided. You know, 2167 01:42:14.159 --> 01:42:16.640 he's considered a pillar in that, in that community, and 2168 01:42:16.680 --> 01:42:20.359 it's in the in the Mascot Hall of Fame again 2169 01:42:20.600 --> 01:42:23.960 whatever however that's decided. But but you know, he's just 2170 01:42:24.359 --> 01:42:28.119 he's been seen over the years by those people who 2171 01:42:28.119 --> 01:42:32.079 are inside of that that that business as one of 2172 01:42:32.119 --> 01:42:34.239 the best to ever do it and one of the 2173 01:42:34.359 --> 01:42:37.840 kindest guys to ever do it, and that's that's why 2174 01:42:37.880 --> 01:42:41.319 he's so highly thought of by the people in the 2175 01:42:41.359 --> 01:42:42.319 sporting community. 2176 01:42:42.520 --> 01:42:44.960 Well said, all right, last segment, If you missed it, 2177 01:42:45.399 --> 01:42:48.720 really good insight. Smitty is one of the very few 2178 01:42:48.760 --> 01:42:52.560 people in the basketball ecosystem that is familiar with both 2179 01:42:52.560 --> 01:42:55.359 Wes Wilcox and Raphael Chilas. So we did some Utah 2180 01:42:55.399 --> 01:42:59.039 basketball talking about the Alex Jensen Higher becoming official. If 2181 01:42:59.039 --> 01:43:01.119 you missed any of that, go to the podcast page 2182 01:43:01.119 --> 01:43:03.159 and hear what Smidia had to say about coach chill 2183 01:43:03.159 --> 01:43:07.039 and Wes Wilcox hired by the U. Tell if Alex 2184 01:43:07.079 --> 01:43:10.000 build this thing, how much middy before you give the 2185 01:43:10.000 --> 01:43:13.760 games tonight? Kevin Young, former NBA coach, You guys can 2186 01:43:13.800 --> 01:43:15.720 go look at his staff. They're all former NBA G 2187 01:43:15.840 --> 01:43:18.000 League guys. There's a little bit of a BYU flavor, 2188 01:43:18.039 --> 01:43:22.359 but not much. Charles Abuo is on his staff, but 2189 01:43:22.399 --> 01:43:24.880 it's mostly x NBA guys or X G League guys 2190 01:43:25.920 --> 01:43:29.279 and Bringham. Young is reported to have two seven figure 2191 01:43:29.279 --> 01:43:32.319 players on the roster this year, and if the reports 2192 01:43:32.319 --> 01:43:34.560 are true, they're paying aj The bands is seven million 2193 01:43:34.600 --> 01:43:37.319 dollars to play five months of basketball next year in Provo. 2194 01:43:38.279 --> 01:43:40.239 There are a lot of people that are doing the 2195 01:43:40.319 --> 01:43:42.880 narrative like Utah is just ripping off the BYU model 2196 01:43:42.920 --> 01:43:45.319 to try to build their program. Certainly BYU is not 2197 01:43:45.399 --> 01:43:49.880 the only only program in the country that as XNBA 2198 01:43:49.960 --> 01:43:54.399 guys are a grip of NIL support. But things are 2199 01:43:54.439 --> 01:43:56.680 happening down in Provo on the basketball side of things 2200 01:43:56.680 --> 01:43:58.399 that are hard to ignore, right, I mean, as far 2201 01:43:58.439 --> 01:44:00.520 as the money they have and the NBA model they 2202 01:44:00.560 --> 01:44:01.439 put in place. 2203 01:44:01.279 --> 01:44:02.039 Well, they have a lot. 2204 01:44:02.119 --> 01:44:05.079 You know what BYU has to my understanding, I don't 2205 01:44:05.119 --> 01:44:09.600 know this you know firsthand, but I believe that they 2206 01:44:10.720 --> 01:44:16.359 with the new NIL influence in college athletics now, BYU 2207 01:44:16.439 --> 01:44:19.920 has been able to tap into their donor base and 2208 01:44:19.960 --> 01:44:24.560 their support base, which involves a lot of people through 2209 01:44:24.560 --> 01:44:27.680 this tech corridor if you will, spend between Salt Lake 2210 01:44:27.720 --> 01:44:31.159 and Prova Silicon the Silicon Slopes, and there's a lot 2211 01:44:31.199 --> 01:44:35.439 of BYU people involved in that. And my understanding is 2212 01:44:35.479 --> 01:44:38.800 that there's a lot of them who have chosen to 2213 01:44:38.800 --> 01:44:44.239 get involved on a financial level for the program. They 2214 01:44:44.319 --> 01:44:46.800 don't want a lot of publicity. I know a lot 2215 01:44:46.840 --> 01:44:49.680 of them saying hey, look, I'll get involved, I'll donate, 2216 01:44:49.800 --> 01:44:51.199 I'll do this or whatever it is. 2217 01:44:51.640 --> 01:44:53.119 But I don't want to be that guy. 2218 01:44:53.159 --> 01:44:54.800 I'm just you know, I just want to do my 2219 01:44:54.920 --> 01:44:57.399 part and you know, slide in the side door and 2220 01:44:57.479 --> 01:44:59.319 sit down in my seat, watch the game and go 2221 01:44:59.399 --> 01:45:02.119 home whatever. So there's a lot of those people. I 2222 01:45:02.159 --> 01:45:05.319 think Ryan Smith, the owner of the Jazz uh you know, 2223 01:45:05.439 --> 01:45:08.680 is a big b YU booster. You know, he's right 2224 01:45:08.800 --> 01:45:12.279 front and center. You know, he kind of gets a 2225 01:45:12.279 --> 01:45:14.840 lot of the attention, you know, for what's going on. 2226 01:45:15.560 --> 01:45:17.720 You know, whether that's accurate or not, I don't know. 2227 01:45:18.319 --> 01:45:20.840 I do know he's a he's a terrific uh b 2228 01:45:21.039 --> 01:45:24.880 YU supporter, and he's had a lot of the games 2229 01:45:25.560 --> 01:45:28.520 with his family and and and they're big boosters there. 2230 01:45:28.760 --> 01:45:30.960 But there are a lot of other people involved also 2231 01:45:31.079 --> 01:45:34.199 that have helped by you in that regard. And and 2232 01:45:34.239 --> 01:45:37.439 we've mentioned before Spence on on this show, there's there's 2233 01:45:38.279 --> 01:45:42.159 you don't normally get if you're you're if you're a 2234 01:45:42.279 --> 01:45:47.359 church related school located in Provo, Utah, you don't normally 2235 01:45:47.439 --> 01:45:51.079 get into the living room of the top A national 2236 01:45:51.159 --> 01:45:55.399 recruit who happens to be from Boston Massachusetts. You know, 2237 01:45:55.520 --> 01:45:59.159 without something going on, you know that that that attracts 2238 01:45:59.239 --> 01:46:02.640 that individual will to to a program like b YU 2239 01:46:02.840 --> 01:46:06.359 and so uh and and and look it's it's all, 2240 01:46:06.399 --> 01:46:09.560 it's all above board, it's all. That's what it is now, 2241 01:46:10.119 --> 01:46:14.760 that's what's going on. And so uh until that changes, uh, 2242 01:46:14.800 --> 01:46:16.880 you know with the revenue sharing or how they're gonna 2243 01:46:17.000 --> 01:46:20.279 how that's all gonna play out in college athletics. You know, 2244 01:46:20.359 --> 01:46:23.439 the you know b YU has uh has figured out 2245 01:46:23.479 --> 01:46:25.920 how to do that. To this point, they're on a 2246 01:46:26.000 --> 01:46:29.520 nice little run here. I love how people always you know, 2247 01:46:29.600 --> 01:46:33.960 these things get amplified this time of year, right or wrong, Uh, 2248 01:46:34.000 --> 01:46:36.960 based on how you you play one game or or 2249 01:46:37.000 --> 01:46:37.840 a particular game. 2250 01:46:37.880 --> 01:46:38.039 You know. 2251 01:46:38.199 --> 01:46:40.960 Colorado State, you know, maybe should have could have won 2252 01:46:41.000 --> 01:46:44.479 their game last week against Maryland. They hit a game 2253 01:46:44.520 --> 01:46:47.359 winning shot with six seconds left. Maryland comes down, the 2254 01:46:47.399 --> 01:46:50.560 guy hits a floater, you know, fallaway shot at the buzzer, 2255 01:46:50.600 --> 01:46:53.039 and they end up winning instead in Colorado State goes home. 2256 01:46:53.239 --> 01:46:55.319 But Colorado State would be a nice story if they 2257 01:46:55.359 --> 01:46:58.119 had that shot hadn't gone in and and and they're 2258 01:46:58.159 --> 01:47:01.279 in the sweet sixteen. But b YU played two good games. 2259 01:47:02.239 --> 01:47:06.279 Shot the ball well. Played well against Wisconsin and was 2260 01:47:06.319 --> 01:47:09.000 able to hold on at the end even though they 2261 01:47:09.039 --> 01:47:11.600 tried to lose the game the last couple of minutes 2262 01:47:11.640 --> 01:47:14.399 the way they played, but they had enough of a 2263 01:47:14.399 --> 01:47:17.439 cushion to survive and then had to stop right at 2264 01:47:17.479 --> 01:47:19.640 the end to win the game. So they're in a 2265 01:47:19.640 --> 01:47:23.640 great position tonight playing a tough Alabama team that is 2266 01:47:23.680 --> 01:47:28.000 really athletic, and it's gonna test BYU's ability to match 2267 01:47:28.079 --> 01:47:31.720 up to be able to defend them and to be 2268 01:47:31.800 --> 01:47:35.199 able to be able. They're going to have to be 2269 01:47:35.199 --> 01:47:38.119 able to shoot the way that they're capable of doing 2270 01:47:38.760 --> 01:47:40.920 if they're going to have a chance to be in 2271 01:47:40.960 --> 01:47:41.560 it at the end. 2272 01:47:42.319 --> 01:47:45.880 So that brings us to tonight, And before we get 2273 01:47:45.920 --> 01:47:50.800 to BYU Alabama smiddy, there are sixteen teams left in 2274 01:47:50.880 --> 01:47:55.479 college basketball and zero Cinderellas. Don't tell me Arkansas of 2275 01:47:55.520 --> 01:47:58.680 Cinderella Cal has like three or four pros. They were 2276 01:47:58.720 --> 01:48:01.399 just hurt to start the year and they didn't play well. 2277 01:48:01.520 --> 01:48:05.439 And when I watch them play Kansas, you could tell 2278 01:48:05.479 --> 01:48:08.079 that the talent on that roster did not actually reflect 2279 01:48:08.079 --> 01:48:12.439 the ten seed. Only four conferences represented seven teams from 2280 01:48:12.479 --> 01:48:15.479 one conference. Is this the new re I mean, I 2281 01:48:15.520 --> 01:48:17.680 know you don't though out of bracket and I fill 2282 01:48:17.720 --> 01:48:20.239 one out and like an idiot, I picked Cinderella's because 2283 01:48:20.279 --> 01:48:23.640 you know, I've watched the thing my entire life. Is 2284 01:48:23.680 --> 01:48:26.479 it the new reality of college basketball where we're just 2285 01:48:26.479 --> 01:48:29.279 going to see more separation from the top to the bottom. 2286 01:48:29.399 --> 01:48:31.479 Yeah, well, I think I think for two reasons, Spence. 2287 01:48:31.520 --> 01:48:34.840 One is is it the nil stuff Until they get 2288 01:48:34.840 --> 01:48:38.560 a handle on that, until there's some form of so 2289 01:48:38.640 --> 01:48:42.600 called salary cap like they have in the pros, programs 2290 01:48:42.640 --> 01:48:44.880 are going to be able to get the top players. 2291 01:48:44.920 --> 01:48:48.039 And no matter what you say, how you phrase it, 2292 01:48:48.119 --> 01:48:51.079 how you approach it. You know kids who are juniors 2293 01:48:51.119 --> 01:48:54.840 and seniors in high school who have aspirations to, you know, 2294 01:48:54.920 --> 01:48:58.760 maybe play someday as a professional, or even if they 2295 01:48:58.760 --> 01:49:03.279 don't get there, maybe their college experience will end up 2296 01:49:03.439 --> 01:49:08.760 being their professional experience in terms of financial reward. So 2297 01:49:09.119 --> 01:49:11.560 they're looking at schools that are going to give them 2298 01:49:12.159 --> 01:49:15.920 an opportunity to earn some money right out of the gate. 2299 01:49:16.279 --> 01:49:19.119 And then the other the other equation is the fact 2300 01:49:19.119 --> 01:49:22.439 that you have this open transfer portal process. So you know, 2301 01:49:22.640 --> 01:49:25.800 Randy Ray, you know, the great weaver state coach who 2302 01:49:25.800 --> 01:49:29.720 retired a couple of years ago, and by his own admission, 2303 01:49:29.800 --> 01:49:32.800 probably the three or four years earlier than he wanted 2304 01:49:32.800 --> 01:49:35.600 to or had originally planned to. He got out because 2305 01:49:35.640 --> 01:49:37.920 he said, I can see it coming. I don't want 2306 01:49:37.960 --> 01:49:39.920 to have to deal with it because if I get 2307 01:49:39.960 --> 01:49:43.640 fortunate enough in the recruiting process to get another Damian 2308 01:49:43.680 --> 01:49:46.960 Lillard to come to Weaver State and play well my 2309 01:49:47.039 --> 01:49:50.720 fresh his freshman year, he doesn't come back his sophomore 2310 01:49:50.800 --> 01:49:55.359 year because he's going to Kansas. So he's going to Texas. 2311 01:49:55.359 --> 01:49:58.439 So he's going to use CLA or whoever has the money. 2312 01:49:58.720 --> 01:50:02.399 And I would not want to stop them, because that's 2313 01:50:02.439 --> 01:50:06.960 what it's all about, right, Yeah, I mean so uh, 2314 01:50:07.000 --> 01:50:09.079 you know, so that's what's gonna happen. So you're you're 2315 01:50:09.119 --> 01:50:11.920 seeing the so called cream rising to the top. All 2316 01:50:11.960 --> 01:50:14.520 the big boys are going to continue to be the 2317 01:50:14.560 --> 01:50:18.319 bigger boys because as long as they have those kind 2318 01:50:18.319 --> 01:50:22.039 of financial resources and the situations that they're in, you know, 2319 01:50:22.119 --> 01:50:27.159 to to attract collegiate players, that's what's gonna happen. And 2320 01:50:27.159 --> 01:50:30.680 and you know this thing like you know, going up 2321 01:50:30.720 --> 01:50:33.239 to the U this year, and I'm an you but 2322 01:50:33.439 --> 01:50:35.359 I like all the teams in the state. I go 2323 01:50:35.439 --> 01:50:37.279 to the U Games because there are five minutes from 2324 01:50:37.319 --> 01:50:39.680 my house and I and I support I've supported the 2325 01:50:39.720 --> 01:50:41.600 program for a long time. But I go up there 2326 01:50:41.680 --> 01:50:44.920 this year, and you know, they were competitive. Craig Smith 2327 01:50:45.000 --> 01:50:49.000 is a good coach. He knows what he's doing on 2328 01:50:49.279 --> 01:50:52.359 x's and o's stuff. He just didn't have the horses. 2329 01:50:52.920 --> 01:50:56.079 And and if you looked at that roster, all these 2330 01:50:56.119 --> 01:51:00.159 guys who came from different schools from last year other 2331 01:51:00.239 --> 01:51:03.239 than the Madson kid, you know, we're from different schools 2332 01:51:03.239 --> 01:51:06.159 that they plucked from the transfer portal. And you don't 2333 01:51:06.159 --> 01:51:10.840 have any connection to these guys. They're not the kids 2334 01:51:10.840 --> 01:51:14.399 who are freshmen and sophomores now. They're your juniors and 2335 01:51:14.479 --> 01:51:17.119 seniors who you've been rooting for and that's my guy 2336 01:51:17.279 --> 01:51:20.119 and whatever. You don't see him grow up. They're just 2337 01:51:20.279 --> 01:51:23.880 passing through because as soon as they get a different thing, 2338 01:51:24.600 --> 01:51:27.119 they're gone to the next thing, whatever that is. And 2339 01:51:27.119 --> 01:51:30.640 that was born out last year when when Utah had 2340 01:51:30.680 --> 01:51:35.720 the Devin Smith kid who came in Davon and and 2341 01:51:35.720 --> 01:51:39.079 and uh and he played well enough and boom boom, 2342 01:51:39.359 --> 01:51:41.680 he's off to Saint John's you know, this year, and 2343 01:51:41.720 --> 01:51:46.680 so that's just going to continue to happen. And unless 2344 01:51:46.720 --> 01:51:51.479 you have you know, some unusual, you know, magic potion 2345 01:51:52.119 --> 01:51:54.800 that gets your kids to want to play for good 2346 01:51:54.800 --> 01:51:58.279 old you know state to good old University and be 2347 01:51:58.439 --> 01:52:01.359 part of that fabric for three or four years, like 2348 01:52:01.399 --> 01:52:04.840 the old Alex Jensen days and Michael Doliacs and Andre 2349 01:52:04.960 --> 01:52:07.800 Miller's and Keith Van Horns and all these guys who 2350 01:52:07.840 --> 01:52:10.640 stayed four years, and we're part of the fabric of 2351 01:52:10.680 --> 01:52:14.880 that that that's everything's just gonna be a revolving door. 2352 01:52:15.279 --> 01:52:17.439 And so how do you root for them? 2353 01:52:17.640 --> 01:52:20.399 In fact, I asked I was on a trip last 2354 01:52:20.399 --> 01:52:24.600 week with a bunch of BYU fans and and and 2355 01:52:25.000 --> 01:52:27.239 as we were visiting, I just asked them casually, Hey, 2356 01:52:27.319 --> 01:52:31.680 I'm just curious now that this whole landscape has changed, 2357 01:52:32.079 --> 01:52:34.279 and we know kids are getting paid, and we know 2358 01:52:34.359 --> 01:52:37.520 what's going on, you know, in that regard you as 2359 01:52:37.560 --> 01:52:42.399 a fan, do you find your fandom having changed at 2360 01:52:42.439 --> 01:52:45.960 all in terms of how you think about the kids 2361 01:52:46.000 --> 01:52:48.920 you're coming to root for every night. Has that changed 2362 01:52:48.960 --> 01:52:51.880 your the way you look at it, or it just 2363 01:52:51.920 --> 01:52:54.640 doesn't matter to you as long as they're winning. 2364 01:52:54.960 --> 01:52:55.960 That that kind of thing. 2365 01:52:56.479 --> 01:53:00.960 And everyone I asked, you know, individually, they they said, nah, 2366 01:53:01.000 --> 01:53:03.680 you know, I know it's changed and whatever. But you know, 2367 01:53:04.159 --> 01:53:06.199 I go with my family because it's a good time 2368 01:53:06.319 --> 01:53:08.239 and you know, we can root to something we can 2369 01:53:08.319 --> 01:53:11.640 do together as a family or as friends going to 2370 01:53:11.720 --> 01:53:15.479 a game. But obviously if they're winning, that makes it 2371 01:53:15.600 --> 01:53:20.279 much more fun, right And the other part how they're winning, 2372 01:53:20.439 --> 01:53:23.560 Why they're winning. They're paying the guys the most money, 2373 01:53:23.560 --> 01:53:24.720 so they got the better guys. 2374 01:53:24.800 --> 01:53:25.199 Whatever. 2375 01:53:25.840 --> 01:53:28.319 I really don't think about it, you know, I just 2376 01:53:28.359 --> 01:53:31.079 think about they're wearing. You know, it's the old Jerry 2377 01:53:31.079 --> 01:53:34.800 Seinfeld bit about laundry, you know, laundry. I'm not really 2378 01:53:34.880 --> 01:53:38.000 rooting for my guys. I'm rooting for laundry because whoever's 2379 01:53:38.000 --> 01:53:41.039 wearing the shirt of my school, that's who I'm rooting for. 2380 01:53:41.159 --> 01:53:43.560 Yeah, you know, yeah, I wonder one more thing here 2381 01:53:43.560 --> 01:53:45.199 that I do want to get your thoughts on what 2382 01:53:45.359 --> 01:53:47.840 we could see tonight. B Why you getting going just 2383 01:53:47.880 --> 01:53:51.800 about forty minutes from now. But my listeners are probably 2384 01:53:51.840 --> 01:53:53.800 sick of hearing me say this. I just think it's 2385 01:53:53.920 --> 01:53:57.319 the only solution, and I think it needs to happen sooner. 2386 01:53:57.399 --> 01:53:59.319 Rather than later, which is simply. 2387 01:53:59.079 --> 01:54:02.760 Leaning more into the model allowing the players to unionize 2388 01:54:02.760 --> 01:54:03.920 and collectively bargained. 2389 01:54:04.399 --> 01:54:05.720 And therefore. 2390 01:54:06.720 --> 01:54:09.600 Gabe Mattson signs a three year contract with a fourth 2391 01:54:09.680 --> 01:54:12.560 year option to play for the Utes, which means you're 2392 01:54:12.560 --> 01:54:15.039 here for three years and then or whatever two years 2393 01:54:15.079 --> 01:54:17.319 third year option. At least you've got the guy for 2394 01:54:17.319 --> 01:54:19.359 two years, and if he's a pro after that, the 2395 01:54:19.399 --> 01:54:21.319 third year options is and he leaves, or if he's 2396 01:54:21.359 --> 01:54:23.439 not that good, the third year option is ours. 2397 01:54:23.439 --> 01:54:26.159 So your ours for three years. I don't see any 2398 01:54:26.159 --> 01:54:28.840 other way around it. Smitty to me, that's the only solution. 2399 01:54:29.000 --> 01:54:33.439 Well, they have to have some kind of cap or 2400 01:54:33.560 --> 01:54:35.640 ceiling on what they do. In other words, it's got 2401 01:54:35.680 --> 01:54:38.720 to be some kind of stability. Right now, it's a 2402 01:54:38.760 --> 01:54:42.399 revolving door for both. Look look at the coaches. Look 2403 01:54:42.399 --> 01:54:44.359 at just in the last week. It's a good point 2404 01:54:44.479 --> 01:54:46.560 the coaches who have moved on, you know, whether it 2405 01:54:46.640 --> 01:54:49.239 was and how about the guys who were involved in 2406 01:54:49.239 --> 01:54:51.000 the NCAAA scandal. 2407 01:54:50.720 --> 01:54:53.159 And the Maryland coach took the Villanova job, but he 2408 01:54:53.199 --> 01:54:53.960 is coaching tonight. 2409 01:54:54.159 --> 01:54:56.399 Yeah, yeah, yeah, right right, I mean, you know, but 2410 01:54:56.600 --> 01:55:02.119 I mean it seems like most people involved don't really 2411 01:55:02.239 --> 01:55:07.600 care as long as you somehow have a formula that allows. 2412 01:55:07.239 --> 01:55:09.760 You to have some level of success. 2413 01:55:10.039 --> 01:55:13.479 Okay, whether it's a Sean Miller who got run out 2414 01:55:13.520 --> 01:55:17.159 of Arizona because and in part because of that that 2415 01:55:17.239 --> 01:55:22.000 bribery scandal, or Will Wade LSU who got run out 2416 01:55:22.119 --> 01:55:23.199 because of the same thing. 2417 01:55:23.640 --> 01:55:25.000 And they go to lesser. 2418 01:55:24.760 --> 01:55:27.520 Schools, do do do do they have a couple of 2419 01:55:27.600 --> 01:55:30.159 good years? Here we are back in the line light 2420 01:55:30.279 --> 01:55:33.920 at the big schools, you know, with Sean Miller going, uh, 2421 01:55:34.199 --> 01:55:37.359 going to Texas and and and and Will Wade going 2422 01:55:37.479 --> 01:55:40.960 n C State. I mean, you know, like to me 2423 01:55:41.359 --> 01:55:43.319 my opinion, you're like, you got to be kidding me, 2424 01:55:43.479 --> 01:55:47.479 Like this is it's so blatant about how schools are 2425 01:55:47.479 --> 01:55:51.319 handling their business now and uh, but who's on the 2426 01:55:51.399 --> 01:55:54.880 other end of the spectrum. Somebody like Saint Francis of Pennsylvania, 2427 01:55:55.319 --> 01:55:59.199 Scott Layden's old school, who decides last week they get 2428 01:55:59.239 --> 01:56:02.399 in the the the first four right because they won 2429 01:56:02.439 --> 01:56:03.760 their league tournament. 2430 01:56:04.319 --> 01:56:04.880 They lose. 2431 01:56:05.720 --> 01:56:08.119 A couple of days later, they announced that they're moving 2432 01:56:08.239 --> 01:56:11.680 next year to Division III, that they're getting out of 2433 01:56:11.720 --> 01:56:15.680 this scrum. They'd say, we can't do it. It's not 2434 01:56:15.760 --> 01:56:19.079 gonna work for us the way everybody else is doing it. 2435 01:56:19.600 --> 01:56:24.079 We understand what's going on. We can't compete in that regard. 2436 01:56:24.600 --> 01:56:29.279 So we're going back to what everybody was originally supposed 2437 01:56:29.319 --> 01:56:33.479 to be forty fifty sixty years ago, right, which was 2438 01:56:34.000 --> 01:56:39.239 which was a student activity and the process of being 2439 01:56:40.000 --> 01:56:43.319 a program on campus where the students came and they 2440 01:56:43.359 --> 01:56:46.279 got scholarships to go to school and then they played 2441 01:56:46.319 --> 01:56:49.479 for good Old U. And now it's not that. Now 2442 01:56:50.199 --> 01:56:53.039 it's a big time business and it's really a professional 2443 01:56:53.079 --> 01:56:56.560 sports business that colleges are running. And it's interesting that 2444 01:56:57.199 --> 01:57:00.479 how many schools are just you know, just chasing that 2445 01:57:00.479 --> 01:57:03.479 that dollar down that rabbit hole. And it's it's really 2446 01:57:03.479 --> 01:57:08.520 interesting to me that that more presidents of high schools, 2447 01:57:08.520 --> 01:57:12.000 of higher institute higher learning aren't looking at that and going, 2448 01:57:12.039 --> 01:57:13.479 wait a minute, do we do we need to have 2449 01:57:13.520 --> 01:57:15.720 a meeting about this, like what are we doing? 2450 01:57:15.920 --> 01:57:16.159 You know? 2451 01:57:16.319 --> 01:57:19.399 And whether it's the Ivy League schools or whether it's 2452 01:57:19.399 --> 01:57:22.880 other smaller schools who know they can't compete and they 2453 01:57:23.479 --> 01:57:26.159 are getting out of it like that, So that's interesting 2454 01:57:26.159 --> 01:57:28.840 to me. And that's but this whole march madness thing. 2455 01:57:28.920 --> 01:57:31.920 This thing is like, this is some beast that's out 2456 01:57:31.960 --> 01:57:36.199 of out of whack, and everybody, everybody goes along with it. Spence, 2457 01:57:36.239 --> 01:57:39.479 It's interesting. It's like Mark Cuban said years ago in 2458 01:57:39.479 --> 01:57:44.439 interview about copyright infringement copyright laws, and the biggest copyright 2459 01:57:44.439 --> 01:57:54.039 infringement company going is YouTube because YouTube uses everybody else's contact. 2460 01:57:54.520 --> 01:57:56.159 They have nothing that's the wrong. 2461 01:57:56.600 --> 01:58:01.199 They they use everybody else's stuff and they don't pay them, 2462 01:58:01.439 --> 01:58:06.439 and everybody acknowledges it, and everybody goes whatever, all right, 2463 01:58:06.479 --> 01:58:06.920 and they. 2464 01:58:06.760 --> 01:58:07.479 Shrug, right. 2465 01:58:07.760 --> 01:58:09.720 I mean that's and and we all fall into it 2466 01:58:09.760 --> 01:58:12.760 because we all use YouTube right to look at something 2467 01:58:12.840 --> 01:58:15.479 or whatever, and YouTube wouldn't have it if they had 2468 01:58:15.520 --> 01:58:18.279 to pay copyright and image blah blah blah, And so 2469 01:58:18.840 --> 01:58:20.079 we all fall into it. 2470 01:58:20.159 --> 01:58:21.119 We're all part of it. 2471 01:58:21.279 --> 01:58:24.840 We're all as guilty as the next guy for participating 2472 01:58:24.840 --> 01:58:27.840 and being part of it. And it's it's just interesting 2473 01:58:27.880 --> 01:58:30.840 that that's that's what we find in college athletics, and 2474 01:58:30.880 --> 01:58:34.159 it's getting more so that way, right, That's that's the 2475 01:58:34.720 --> 01:58:35.640 direction that's going. 2476 01:58:35.760 --> 01:58:38.720 As we currently have this conversation live on our YouTube 2477 01:58:38.760 --> 01:58:41.960 streaming channel, you can subscribe to the ESPN seven hundred 2478 01:58:42.000 --> 01:58:44.560 YouTube channel. All Right, somebody, before I say you lose. 2479 01:58:45.680 --> 01:58:49.640 BYU struggles this year. For the most part, they've had 2480 01:58:49.680 --> 01:58:51.840 some outliers. They lost to the U, they got smoked 2481 01:58:51.840 --> 01:58:55.359 by Cincinnati randomly. Their struggles this year have been when 2482 01:58:55.359 --> 01:58:58.800 they ran up against a team that has elite physicality, athleticism, 2483 01:58:58.800 --> 01:59:02.039 speed and strength. That's kind of who Bama is. Bama's 2484 01:59:02.039 --> 01:59:05.119 not Houston. Excuse me, Bama's not Houston physical, but they're 2485 01:59:05.199 --> 01:59:07.479 faster than Houston. They play with the best pace in 2486 01:59:07.920 --> 01:59:11.039 college basketball. They're the fastest team in college basketball. I 2487 01:59:11.039 --> 01:59:12.720 don't know you think about the Sears kid, but he's 2488 01:59:12.760 --> 01:59:16.840 a really seasoned veteran college basketball point guard. They were 2489 01:59:16.840 --> 01:59:18.520 in the final four year ago. They lost a great 2490 01:59:18.520 --> 01:59:21.319 game to Yukon. When you look at the numbers, these 2491 01:59:21.319 --> 01:59:23.199 two teams are similar. They want to get up and down, 2492 01:59:23.239 --> 01:59:26.720 they want to score. Alabama is a five point five 2493 01:59:26.760 --> 01:59:30.760 point favorite. Where Alabama excels where BYU does not is 2494 01:59:30.800 --> 01:59:33.079 Alabama guards the three a little bit better than BYU. 2495 01:59:33.119 --> 01:59:35.159 BYU is one of the worst defensive teams of guarding 2496 01:59:35.199 --> 01:59:36.880 the three. In Bama lets to shoot the three. Bama 2497 01:59:36.920 --> 01:59:40.600 is a great offensive rebounding team. Okay, but Canada fus Treori. 2498 01:59:40.680 --> 01:59:42.960 BYU's got some athletic bigs might be able to hang. 2499 01:59:43.600 --> 01:59:45.079 How do they get it done? And you think they 2500 01:59:45.159 --> 01:59:49.359 can as BYU takes on Bama in just about forty minutes. 2501 01:59:49.119 --> 01:59:52.720 Right, yeah, I think Well, if BYU is going to 2502 01:59:52.800 --> 01:59:55.199 win and they're going to be in it at the end, 2503 01:59:55.319 --> 01:59:57.880 they're going to have to They're gonna have to shoot 2504 01:59:57.880 --> 02:00:00.840 the balls. That's what they rely on well the whole season. 2505 02:00:00.880 --> 02:00:02.680 So they can't get away from that. 2506 02:00:02.680 --> 02:00:02.760 That. 2507 02:00:02.880 --> 02:00:05.840 You can't shy away and try and change your game plan. Now, 2508 02:00:05.920 --> 02:00:08.279 this is what got you here, this is what you know. 2509 02:00:08.520 --> 02:00:10.520 The girl you brought to the dance, that's who you're 2510 02:00:10.600 --> 02:00:13.039 dancing with. So they've got to be able to shoot 2511 02:00:13.039 --> 02:00:15.760 the three. They've got to be able to get good 2512 02:00:15.800 --> 02:00:18.600 looks that they're comfortable with, and they've got to make 2513 02:00:18.760 --> 02:00:22.479 their share. They've got to make eleven, twelve, thirteen threes 2514 02:00:22.960 --> 02:00:25.479 during the course of the game and get in a 2515 02:00:25.520 --> 02:00:29.239 flow that they feel comfortable doing that with. The Other 2516 02:00:29.279 --> 02:00:34.119 thing for them is, you know, Alabama is so athletic, 2517 02:00:35.560 --> 02:00:39.640 can attack them. They've got to have a better transition 2518 02:00:39.800 --> 02:00:42.680 defense to slow it down to get in some kind 2519 02:00:42.680 --> 02:00:46.279 of a rhythm defensively for BYU. But then if they 2520 02:00:46.319 --> 02:00:50.279 get into a clutch game, which is in the college 2521 02:00:50.680 --> 02:00:53.560 three three points or less or two minutes to go, 2522 02:00:54.039 --> 02:00:56.880 b YU has to handle it better than they did 2523 02:00:56.960 --> 02:01:00.159 against Wisconsin. They did not do a good job at 2524 02:01:00.159 --> 02:01:02.920 the end. Wisconsin, they had a big enough cushion they 2525 02:01:02.920 --> 02:01:06.520 were able to survive it barely. But they have to 2526 02:01:06.560 --> 02:01:09.119 be able to handle it better and they're gonna have 2527 02:01:09.159 --> 02:01:14.159 to rely on their key guy Saunders and Demon And 2528 02:01:14.239 --> 02:01:16.439 then usually when you have a game like this, this 2529 02:01:16.640 --> 02:01:21.560 deep in the tournament, Spence, someone else shows up and 2530 02:01:21.680 --> 02:01:23.560 has the game of the year for them. 2531 02:01:23.920 --> 02:01:25.159 Who is that? I don't know. 2532 02:01:25.479 --> 02:01:28.479 Is it Trey ri who comes in and gets twelve 2533 02:01:28.560 --> 02:01:31.359 rebounds and it goes six for six from the field 2534 02:01:31.399 --> 02:01:32.560 because he keeps getting. 2535 02:01:32.319 --> 02:01:34.319 Duck ins and dunks or whatever. 2536 02:01:34.760 --> 02:01:38.720 Or is it Trevinnell who gets free because Alabama doesn't 2537 02:01:38.760 --> 02:01:41.520 respect him quite as much on the weak side and 2538 02:01:41.560 --> 02:01:44.520 he's able to drill four threes in the second half 2539 02:01:44.880 --> 02:01:48.119 or something like that. That comes out of the woodwork 2540 02:01:48.239 --> 02:01:51.079 that helps you to get over the hump. But I'm 2541 02:01:51.079 --> 02:01:53.119 excited for the game It's gonna be fun to watch a. 2542 02:01:53.039 --> 02:01:55.399 Lot of good basketball tonight. Good night if you're a 2543 02:01:55.399 --> 02:01:58.319 college basketball fan. Smitty, Great to see my friend, and 2544 02:01:58.319 --> 02:01:58.720 we'll see you. 2545 02:01:58.680 --> 02:02:00.000 Next weekk neks Man, appreciate it. 2546 02:02:00.079 --> 02:02:02.720 Richard Smith brought to you today by IFA Country Stores. 2547 02:02:02.760 --> 02:02:05.079 The weather is warm, which means you need to start 2548 02:02:05.079 --> 02:02:07.840 thinking about your lawn. Any drive to the basket begins 2549 02:02:07.880 --> 02:02:09.760 with the first step on the court. That's the ultimate 2550 02:02:09.800 --> 02:02:13.399 power move. IFA Step one Crabgrass Preventer and their lawn 2551 02:02:13.399 --> 02:02:15.239 food is the first choice to give your yard the 2552 02:02:15.239 --> 02:02:16.600 healthy green look you admire. 2553 02:02:16.960 --> 02:02:18.560 The neighbors will be green with envy. 2554 02:02:18.600 --> 02:02:21.479 SHOPIFA online, at IFA dot co op, or stopped by 2555 02:02:21.479 --> 02:02:24.720 one of their neighborhood stores. Today a lot of speculation 2556 02:02:24.920 --> 02:02:27.239 about whether or not Dion Sanders is going to get 2557 02:02:27.279 --> 02:02:32.319 involved in the landing spot for his son Shadoor. Dion 2558 02:02:32.399 --> 02:02:36.199 gave an interview today where he said he will be 2559 02:02:36.319 --> 02:02:39.880 happy with wherever Shador Sanders is drafted NFL Draft less 2560 02:02:39.920 --> 02:02:43.479 than a month away. Skip Bayless is still doing media. 2561 02:02:43.479 --> 02:02:45.079 I didn't know that it was on the Skip Bayless 2562 02:02:45.079 --> 02:02:45.640 show today. 2563 02:02:46.039 --> 02:02:46.279 Quote. 2564 02:02:46.319 --> 02:02:48.880 Shador has told me he's talked to me intently about 2565 02:02:48.920 --> 02:02:50.720 all the visits he's had with all the teams, so 2566 02:02:50.760 --> 02:02:51.760 I know where his heart is. 2567 02:02:52.279 --> 02:02:53.680 I know where he wants to go. 2568 02:02:54.279 --> 02:02:56.359 If it's New York, if it's New York, if it's Tennessee, 2569 02:02:56.399 --> 02:02:59.079 Cleveland Raiders, if it's New Orleans, any. 2570 02:02:58.960 --> 02:03:00.439 Of these teams that are seeking a quarterback. 2571 02:03:00.439 --> 02:03:02.520 I'm happy with it because I know he's going what 2572 02:03:02.560 --> 02:03:04.079 he's going to mean to the organization. 2573 02:03:05.399 --> 02:03:06.720 Does that mean he wants to go to New York. 2574 02:03:07.720 --> 02:03:10.720 I'm still stuck on the Skip still do a media thing. 2575 02:03:10.840 --> 02:03:13.159 I didn't know that Skip Bayless was doing media, but 2576 02:03:13.239 --> 02:03:16.199 I saw the the Dion Sanders story and I clicked 2577 02:03:16.239 --> 02:03:18.520 on it, and Skip is still doing Skip stuff. 2578 02:03:18.600 --> 02:03:22.079 Yeah, he's still doing stuff. I don't know, man. I 2579 02:03:22.479 --> 02:03:22.880 think that. 2580 02:03:24.680 --> 02:03:28.600 We hear a lot about this pre draft, not every year, 2581 02:03:28.680 --> 02:03:31.720 but most years, and then it's only really come to fruition. 2582 02:03:32.039 --> 02:03:36.279 I want to say, like Philip Rivers, Eli Manning scenario. Yeah, 2583 02:03:36.359 --> 02:03:39.760 John Elway for sure. But I feel like we have 2584 02:03:39.800 --> 02:03:44.239 a conversation every year. I don't know when the next 2585 02:03:44.239 --> 02:03:46.520 time we see one of those types of power moves happen, 2586 02:03:46.960 --> 02:03:51.000 but if it were anybody, it might be a Dion 2587 02:03:51.079 --> 02:03:55.000 and uh Dion's kids to make it happen. But I 2588 02:03:55.239 --> 02:03:58.479 I ultimately think that Shador is going to get drafted. 2589 02:03:59.000 --> 02:04:01.960 He's gonna go to that team, and hopefully it's in 2590 02:04:01.960 --> 02:04:03.800 a situation where he can sit for a year or so, 2591 02:04:03.960 --> 02:04:07.359 and then I think he might be a pretty talented player. 2592 02:04:07.399 --> 02:04:09.600 Speaking yeah, I mean the talent's there, but speaking of 2593 02:04:09.600 --> 02:04:12.479 an obnoxious media members, I was honestly not gonna mention this. 2594 02:04:13.640 --> 02:04:16.640 And for years, you know, because we like to cover 2595 02:04:16.720 --> 02:04:18.800 the NBA on the show, wish we could cover the 2596 02:04:18.880 --> 02:04:20.720 jazz more, but they're just not interesting. 2597 02:04:21.800 --> 02:04:23.680 I've always fought the narrative like that. 2598 02:04:23.760 --> 02:04:27.119 The NBA feels scripted in the league feels like the WWE. 2599 02:04:27.439 --> 02:04:29.720 But what ESPN has pulled over the past twenty four 2600 02:04:29.720 --> 02:04:32.079 hours where Lebron went on the McAfee show to take 2601 02:04:32.119 --> 02:04:34.960 a shot at steven A and then steven A this. 2602 02:04:35.079 --> 02:04:37.079 Blowhart the media. 2603 02:04:37.239 --> 02:04:39.920 The way media members have ruined this business, namely Skip 2604 02:04:39.960 --> 02:04:43.520 baylists and steven A Smith are so so exhausting, and look, 2605 02:04:44.319 --> 02:04:46.880 I'm not a hater. Go get your bag, go get 2606 02:04:46.880 --> 02:04:49.720 your money, but this feels scripted to me. You know, 2607 02:04:49.760 --> 02:04:52.079 steven A comes out, he's claiming that he would throw 2608 02:04:52.159 --> 02:04:52.600 hands at. 2609 02:04:52.600 --> 02:04:54.319 Lebron so embarrassing. 2610 02:04:54.399 --> 02:04:58.159 Yeah, the whole thing is embarrassing. I did think that 2611 02:04:58.279 --> 02:05:01.119 Lebron actually handled himself really well for the most part. 2612 02:05:01.119 --> 02:05:03.039 On the McAfee show. I thought his Windhorse stuff was 2613 02:05:03.039 --> 02:05:04.920 a little cheap. I thought that was a little unnecessary. 2614 02:05:04.960 --> 02:05:08.640 I think, for my prison, Brian Windhorst has done nothing 2615 02:05:08.680 --> 02:05:11.359 but stand up for Lebron over the course of their 2616 02:05:11.920 --> 02:05:13.920 relationship in his media career, I thought that was a 2617 02:05:13.960 --> 02:05:16.920 little cheap. But I don't watch the McAfee show. I 2618 02:05:16.960 --> 02:05:19.520 did end up watching that, and then all that does 2619 02:05:19.600 --> 02:05:21.840 is allow Steven A. Smith to do his YouTube thing, 2620 02:05:22.000 --> 02:05:24.279 and then he's complaining and then he goes on first take. 2621 02:05:24.840 --> 02:05:28.319 This feels very wwe ish to me. 2622 02:05:28.560 --> 02:05:32.680 Yeah, and you mentioned it, the stephen A stuff, that 2623 02:05:32.680 --> 02:05:35.720 the Skip Bayless stuff. For me, that's where sports media 2624 02:05:35.760 --> 02:05:39.479 has gone wrong in a big way when we engagement 2625 02:05:39.520 --> 02:05:42.560 farm rather than just analyze right. That to me is 2626 02:05:43.039 --> 02:05:45.840 something I've never had any interest in. The first take stuff, 2627 02:05:45.880 --> 02:05:50.000 the back and forth stuff where you argue two sides 2628 02:05:50.039 --> 02:05:52.439 of an argument that you don't even agree with. That 2629 02:05:52.520 --> 02:05:54.920 to me is something that I have zero interest in 2630 02:05:54.960 --> 02:05:57.239 when it comes to covering sports. When it comes to 2631 02:05:57.279 --> 02:06:00.279 why I'm in this business, But when it becomes the story, worry. 2632 02:06:01.000 --> 02:06:03.279 I guess we talk about it and yeah, man, it 2633 02:06:03.600 --> 02:06:07.439 seems contrived. It seems like something that they're they're pushing. 2634 02:06:07.479 --> 02:06:09.880 Of course, Lebron goes on and hits a game winner 2635 02:06:09.960 --> 02:06:13.039 on ESPN that night, which which only adds to it. 2636 02:06:13.079 --> 02:06:16.439 But for me and and you're a you're you know, 2637 02:06:16.600 --> 02:06:20.479 you don't hesitate to maybe critique Lebron here and there. 2638 02:06:20.840 --> 02:06:22.760 I think you're you're fair in saying that this has 2639 02:06:22.800 --> 02:06:25.800 been ugly in a lot of ways, but more so 2640 02:06:25.880 --> 02:06:28.920 on the ESPN side. Man, to have one of your 2641 02:06:29.039 --> 02:06:32.520 lead broadcasts, your lead analyst, who is getting paid I 2642 02:06:32.520 --> 02:06:34.920 want to say, one hundred million dollars. Steven A Smith 2643 02:06:35.479 --> 02:06:40.640 going on and talking about putting hands like fighting a player, 2644 02:06:41.039 --> 02:06:43.680 going on and talking about the the late Kobe Bryant. 2645 02:06:43.680 --> 02:06:47.800 For some reason, he mentioned Gloria James this morning. Steven 2646 02:06:47.840 --> 02:06:50.840 A did like he is just going on like this 2647 02:06:51.359 --> 02:06:55.000 hall of fame tour of hater uh and it's it's 2648 02:06:55.079 --> 02:06:57.079 kind of a bad look if you if you ask me, 2649 02:06:57.119 --> 02:06:59.600 I don't like steven A's approach in general, but this 2650 02:06:59.720 --> 02:07:04.159 last has been a really bad look in general, the 2651 02:07:04.199 --> 02:07:08.000 wind Horse stuff. We haven't heard his name brought up 2652 02:07:08.039 --> 02:07:11.039 in those scenarios at all, because for twenty years he 2653 02:07:11.159 --> 02:07:14.840 just goes about covering Lebron and doing his job and 2654 02:07:15.640 --> 02:07:18.880 we don't get the pushback because there's none there. I 2655 02:07:18.920 --> 02:07:21.119 will say I watched First Take the other day and 2656 02:07:21.159 --> 02:07:25.680 it was the first time in my entire life, following Braun, 2657 02:07:25.680 --> 02:07:29.960 following Windhorse, that I heard Brian kind of maybe step 2658 02:07:30.000 --> 02:07:31.960 into that realm a little bit. He was kind of 2659 02:07:32.000 --> 02:07:34.600 speaking for Lebron and in some weird ways on First 2660 02:07:34.640 --> 02:07:39.359 Take yesterday morning. So to hear Lebron go and mention 2661 02:07:39.479 --> 02:07:41.840 Brian by name, I think it was directly connected to 2662 02:07:41.880 --> 02:07:45.680 the interview he did on ESPN the other morning. But Yeah, 2663 02:07:45.760 --> 02:07:47.359 like you said, I think a lot of it's contrived, 2664 02:07:47.439 --> 02:07:50.000 a lot of it's seems like an ESPN thing, And 2665 02:07:50.520 --> 02:07:55.399 I know that's our the flagship, we have broadcast partnerships there, 2666 02:07:55.439 --> 02:07:59.920 But I just I hate it. I think it's something 2667 02:08:00.000 --> 02:08:01.760 we have to get away from it. Unfortunately, we're not 2668 02:08:02.039 --> 02:08:02.680 getting away. 2669 02:08:02.560 --> 02:08:06.960 From nothing about it feels real unfortunately. So if you're 2670 02:08:06.960 --> 02:08:10.760 an adult with internet act with internet access, chances are 2671 02:08:10.800 --> 02:08:13.479 you heard about this. It was just dumb, all right, 2672 02:08:13.560 --> 02:08:15.720 fun show, fun show, A lot of good stuff today 2673 02:08:15.760 --> 02:08:17.640 Porter before we get out of here, what comes our 2674 02:08:17.640 --> 02:08:20.079 way out of Friday edition of the radio show. 2675 02:08:20.159 --> 02:08:22.960 On a Friday edition of The Drive, Howard Beck stops 2676 02:08:22.960 --> 02:08:26.560 by the program talks some MBA with Howard, of course, 2677 02:08:26.720 --> 02:08:29.039 but we just were discussing it was a lot of 2678 02:08:29.039 --> 02:08:32.079 college hoops on the show today. Andy Larson stops by 2679 02:08:32.159 --> 02:08:35.079 for a little jazz basketball, maybe some RSL as well. 2680 02:08:35.359 --> 02:08:37.680 Are you went to golf? PGA Tour Leaderboard update on 2681 02:08:37.680 --> 02:08:39.920 a Friday with our friend Paul Pugmeyer as we do 2682 02:08:40.000 --> 02:08:42.319 each and every week. And then the final hour of 2683 02:08:42.359 --> 02:08:46.279 the show Josh Eilert, who of course is prepping for 2684 02:08:46.359 --> 02:08:50.119 a Monday college basketball Crown matchup, and then we'll chat 2685 02:08:50.199 --> 02:08:54.079 with Larry Fulmer also got a pretty busy weekend ahead 2686 02:08:54.159 --> 02:08:57.720 with the Golden Gloves at the Fulmer Boxing Academy which 2687 02:08:57.760 --> 02:09:00.000 is just opening. So some fun stuff on the show 2688 02:09:00.000 --> 02:09:03.439 show tomorrow, a lot of NBA, a lot of college hoops, 2689 02:09:03.479 --> 02:09:05.039 and we'll go from there. 2690 02:09:05.119 --> 02:09:07.399 Good stuff on a Friday, Get your weekend started out 2691 02:09:07.399 --> 02:09:09.399 the right way with us, and we will say good 2692 02:09:09.520 --> 02:09:12.399 night with a special thank you to Mark Harlan, Bill 2693 02:09:12.479 --> 02:09:14.319 Riley and Richard Smith for any of the sound you 2694 02:09:14.319 --> 02:09:17.039 may have missed from the show. ESPN seven hundred Sports 2695 02:09:17.079 --> 02:09:20.119 dot Com is where you go download our. 2696 02:09:19.960 --> 02:09:21.880 Mobile app, take us on the go. It's very easy. 2697 02:09:21.880 --> 02:09:24.119 It's the way I listen to our radio station. It's 2698 02:09:24.159 --> 02:09:26.119 called the ESPN seven hundred App. It's available in the 2699 02:09:26.159 --> 02:09:28.600 App Store of the Google Play Store. Then, finally, for 2700 02:09:28.720 --> 02:09:31.720 what we do in our space, specifically four hours every 2701 02:09:31.800 --> 02:09:34.680 day in the afternoon, the podcast page is the way 2702 02:09:34.720 --> 02:09:37.840 to do it because you can consume whichever part of 2703 02:09:37.880 --> 02:09:40.600 the show you want to on your time. Podcast is 2704 02:09:40.640 --> 02:09:42.760 called The Drive with Spence. Check its It's available wherever 2705 02:09:42.760 --> 02:09:45.840 you get your show. Subscribe, rate, review, say nice things 2706 02:09:45.840 --> 02:09:47.560 in the comments, give us all the stars. Also, we 2707 02:09:47.600 --> 02:09:51.239 got our book today. Our February ratings. We're smoking our competition. 2708 02:09:51.479 --> 02:09:53.239 Thank you so much for your years. We don't take 2709 02:09:53.279 --> 02:09:56.079 any of you for granted. He's Porter, I'm Spence, Sagan 2710 02:09:56.079 --> 02:09:57.640 and I have a great Thursday evening. We'll tatch you 2711 02:09:57.680 --> 02:09:59.760 out a Friday drive as always, you can catch that 2712 02:09:59.880 --> 02:10:01.600 right here on ESPN seven hundred. 2713 02:10:02.000 --> 02:10:04.840 Mm hmm