Speaker 1: Welcome back to this so March's right around the corner
and the Cougar's.
Speaker 2: Are written on metal of it.
Speaker 3: It's time to talk some college basketball on Cougar Sports.
Speaker 2: With Ben Cripples.
Speaker 1: Welcome back to Cougar Sports here on one O, three
nine and ninety eight three ESPN.
Speaker 2: The Fan Ronald the three Man Weaver here.
Speaker 1: Bringing you a special edition of Cougar Sports, a Christmas
Eve edition. Here Brett always bringing the hammer, joined me
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First of all, that's the most important thing. Please be
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Speaker 2: All right, let's just get right into it. Little basketball.
Speaker 1: Aj Debonsa recorded a triple double, first thirty point triple
double and b history. Another guy came close, Danny Ainge.
He had twenty seven ten and thirteen. AJ had thirty three,
ten and ten. The crowd was going crazy. Man, I'm
gonna ask the guy right now. Let's get out to
the ESPN the Fan Hotline and asked a color analyst
for bou Men's basketball friend of the program, Great friend,
Mark Durant. Mark, I know you guys had our close
view of it. I would not have wanted to be
Mihailo Boskovic on Monday to be able to take that shot.
He could have been a hated man in Provo if
it didn't go down.
Speaker 3: Yeah, there's as different ways you can feel pressure in
the basketball game, and that was a unique one.
Speaker 4: But there was a lot of pressure and everybody.
Speaker 3: Everybody knew, and the fans knew, and the team knew,
and we had about five guys ready to check in.
So it was kind of all or nothing on that
shot because AJ was coming out and the Mihailo.
Speaker 4: Stepped up and hit a big shot. That was a
cool moment. That was that was fun. You know.
Speaker 3: We kind of got a little spoiled with Kyle Collinsworth.
I think he had twelve triple doubles over his career.
So we started to think, well, maybe that's something that's normal,
but the triple double is pretty rare, and for a
freshman to do it is incredible, and to get thirty
plus points and do it is even more rare and incredible.
So another another amazing thing we see from AJ. And
we're not even halfway through the season, so you know,
as there's more to come, but man, that was a
cool moment.
Speaker 2: It debly was a cool moment.
Speaker 1: I want to be too early, Mark, and it's my
job to push his you know, agenda and this this
narrative and driving that message of that chip.
Speaker 2: I'm already I'm already sold. I think I've seen enough.
Speaker 1: I think I've seen the number one pick in the
twenty twenty six NBA draft. I've seen enough fit the
skill set at the next level. I know scouts has
he has to do it in conference play, of course,
and in the tournament, but that's all just gonna be validating.
I think AJ's already proven. Hey, I'm gonna play. I'm
gonna be able to play this way at the NBA
because he's done it on NBA courts, he's done it
in the Marriott Center. I mean, do you want him
to do it internationally for crying out loud. I think
that's the last thing we would maybe need to see. Wait, oh,
by the way, he already did that. He won the
gold medals. So what else do you need to see
from him?
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean I'd hate to be the guy who
passes on him because you're gonna look dumb down the road.
Speaker 4: And yeah, I mean, the thing about him is, I
think it's.
Speaker 3: Gonna be easier for him the next level with the
way the NBA plays and how they call things. I mean,
it just suits him so well. He's got all the tools.
I've looked for weaknesses. You think, well, maybe his three
point game is not where it should be, and then
he hits you know, a couple of tough ones last night,
and and he'll.
Speaker 4: Get better at that. But he's got he's got it all.
Speaker 3: I mean, that little kind of back down, pull up
over the defender jump shot is as good as I've
ever seen. It's just so cool. It's a cool shot.
It's an NBA shot, and he can just live on that.
Good luck trying to block it. And then if you
do try and jump the gun, you're gonna put him
on the line or he's just gonna step through with
that big drop step or euro and get to the
hoop where he shoots an amazing percentage at the rim,
drawing contact.
Speaker 4: I mean, you just kind of expected to go in.
Speaker 3: But those are hard shots he's shooting. He's shooting almost
sixty percent from the field, which is incredible. And then
of course he's got the amazing dunks and all that.
But he's a great defender and he's showing that he
can be a great offensive rebounder. A couple of those
putbacks he's had have just been off the charge. Maybe
the best dunk I've ever seen in that one put back.
And so I've tried to figure out what you could
do to stop him, and a lot of really good
coaches so far have tried this stop him, doing a
lot of different things on him, trying to be real
physical with him, double team him.
Speaker 4: Whatever they've done.
Speaker 3: He's figured out and and learned how what he can
do against those those teams and those coaches and those defenses.
Speaker 4: And he'll he'll get better and better.
Speaker 3: I mean, it's just now a matter of just getting
more experience for him. And as he does, he's going
to put that in the in the mental Bank and
and he's just he's just going to be an all
time great, not just a b YU. I think he'll
he'll have one of the great NBA careers. That's how
highly I think of him. And I've always kind of
hesitated to put too much on guys that are that young.
But like you, I mean, there's there's been nothing to
dissuade me from the fact that he has greatness in
him and will be a great, one of the all
time greats at b YU and will be a great
NBA player.
Speaker 4: So I'm just kind of.
Speaker 3: It's cool to be watching it up close where kind
of all beginning and see his see him kind of
just do his thing, and you know, twenty thirty forty
years from now, we're going to be saying, yeah, I
saw aj play in person, I saw when he got
the triple double and all those things, and that will be,
you know, a pretty cool bit for BA you fans
to be able to say, yeah.
Speaker 2: Definitely will be right now.
Speaker 1: I mean, it's very obvious it's going to be between
him and until you find out more health wise about
what's going on with Darren Peterson, but Cam cam Boozer
and aj Aj is right behind Cam for scoring leaders
in all of college basketball. Cam's at twenty three point
three and AGS at twenty three point one. If he
keeps doing this, he's going to be the next gym
or he's going to be the Nasimith Player of the Year.
He's got a great opportunity to win that award if
he keeps us up.
Speaker 2: So we will definitely definitely see.
Speaker 1: But I got to ask you this, you know, because
you've done this with Greg a long time. I don't
know if you guys have had this discussion maybe on
sparking something.
Speaker 2: That dunk by AJ it was nice.
Speaker 1: It's up there and being in have a DISCUSSI As
we're going back and forth and Jonathan talvinar even pushing me, he says, well,
then you got to.
Speaker 2: Get my call, is credit? Where does that dunk rank?
Long time?
Speaker 1: Because the only Child's baptism where you catch a body
was nice too, Mark and is against a rival on
a neutral site.
Speaker 2: AJ's is up there.
Speaker 1: But then I forgot about my calls that don't Why
do you rank that dunk?
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean it's hard. Those are all amazing. Trump
Place Ted had one that is kind of before calling
it kind of shook me at the time.
Speaker 4: They're all cool, kind of in their own way.
Speaker 3: I mean, Yoli doing it against Utah and just going
through two defenders and that picture, I mean that's iconic,
and and Mike Hall seemed to defy all the laws
of physics and just kind of raise and throw that
one down. But I'd probably i mean recency bias.
Speaker 4: I'd probably go with aj just because it wasn't just.
Speaker 3: The dunk, the athleticism and the coolness of the dunk,
but how he was able to reach back and kind
of grab it with one hand and then in the
same motion kind of gathered in that hand, bring it
back over to the middle, and then with the rebounder
in front of it, and.
Speaker 4: Then to throw it down.
Speaker 3: I mean, just it wasn't just about sheer athleticism. It
was a really skilled and amazing basketball move with one
hand to bring that ball, I mean, he was I
didn't think he could even get his hand on it
for the rebound, and he got it corraled that brought
it under control back to the to in front of
himself and.
Speaker 4: Then throw it down.
Speaker 3: I mean that was just a It just wasn't kind
of an overpowering wow.
Speaker 4: Athletic dunk. It was like, how did he do it?
Speaker 3: I mean, that was such a hard play to make,
just to control the ball and then to be able
to throw it, and it was so out of nowhere.
I mean, you just weren't expecting it. He didn't have
the ball in his hands. It was a miss three
and you're like, oh, a miss three. And then you're
just you're like, what happened? What just happened? And it
was it was really cool. So I mean they're all great,
They're all good in their own way. But I think,
just fresh off the off, the memory of watching that
play and the difficulty of that dunk was I think
probably the best dunk I've seen in person.
Speaker 1: I will say this, The only two dunks, and I
know I'm a wee we lad, but the only two
dunks they've ever got me off my feet were the
only Child's dunk and then the A J dunk I
was at the I was at both games. One I
was a fan back in the day and the other
is a media member. And I will say this, and
I broke rules and so do other media members. I
I reacted one hundred because I didn't.
Speaker 4: Yeah, well, I feel sorry.
Speaker 3: For your media guys that are supposed to be all
calm and collective. I mean, uh, there may they may
want me to be that way, but I I don't
got I don't have it at you. No no no
no no no no no no no.
Speaker 1: It shouldn't be. You guys are the home broadcast. I
don't think it should be. Though, you guys are objective.
You guys say a good play. I've listened to you guys. Look, look,
you have to be honest. Kelowne going crazy, Brian Santiago,
Dae dabbed up. Uh, you know the pulla twin. Look,
I'm giving people a testament. Guys, we have to be objective.
But I was next to Sean Walker and Jake Hatch
was there, and then you know Stu for BYU, Oh
my goodness, and I I like, I grabbed Sean and this,
and I looked at other people on the front where
I won't name them.
Speaker 2: I know Sean wouldn't care, and we were just like WHOA.
Speaker 1: If you didn't react to that, if you didn't move
as a human, then you just don't have emotions. In
my opinion, my friend Kayla Keiso, she's been going viral
because she was under the rim getting caught in four
K like look like just no one thought that like
when you saw that, And I don't know what's better,
Like Mark, is the dunking better or the staredowns every
time he stares down. I'm really trying to myself just
as a competitor of having played pickup ball like her,
like not like he stare downs or even better.
Speaker 2: When he makes these dunks up. Man, he's a phenomenal athlete.
Speaker 3: I know, I wish I could have ever done anything
in my career that I could have stare at someone down,
but oh yeah.
Speaker 4: I'm not gonna ever have.
Speaker 3: But but listen, you know I do get excited when
BYU does things like that, but sometimes you just have
to get excited about the play that you just are,
regardless of the team. I mean, there's been some dunks
against BYU that I really thought were amazing and I
really enjoyed them because it's just I mean, sometimes you
just got to respect the game and the player and
what he does and regardless of what's on his uniform.
So yeah, that was I think anybody who saw that,
regardless of your feelings about b why you had to
respect that that particular.
Speaker 2: Playa fans will get mad at me.
Speaker 1: But when Darren Darien Williams gave him what the business
last year on one of those plays and one of
those dunks, I said, oh, I said, oh.
Speaker 2: That's nice as a man.
Speaker 1: That's a bad man, as a very very bad man.
He's a Hey, you gotta respect that. I love that
you say. And that's something that Greg he has even
talked about.
Speaker 2: Right. You know, at the end of the day, you
got to give credit.
Speaker 1: To the athlete. You have to do. You have to
have respect for the game. You can't just be the
why on the shirt. It has to be all of
college basketball. You know, there's some BA basketball players that
have been baptized. There have been something that have gotten
their ankles took and look, that's the game. Sometimes you're
on a highlight for someone else and sometimes you put
someone on your highlight.
Speaker 2: It goes both ways.
Speaker 1: Here with Mark Durant, the BYU color analysts, let's change
topics though still in basketball, but really off the court.
I need to know what pair of shoes did Aj
get for you? If he did get you some got
Greg some On Monday, I saw him. I took a
picture of to put it on my Twitter man even
better human to get everybody on the staff, contributors, managers.
He got everybody at Christmas Gift, which I thought was
phenomenal and that really touched one of my friends to
Mussey is one of the managers, and you know, he
was just it was really cool to talk to him
and just hear how Aj is so competitive on the court,
but when he's off the court, who he is as
a person is ten times that.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I've yet to receive my my Christmas shoes, but
I'm not I'm not expecting anybody. Aj is awesome. I mean,
I I just pinched myself. I think, is this real life?
When I watch him out on the floor, and I
think at times you just kind of take for granted
that he's on By's team.
Speaker 4: But he's a huge deal.
Speaker 3: I mean, we were walking the streets of New York
and crowd would gether and want his picture, and you
know he's getting he's getting a hug from Lebron after
the game of the Jazz game, and he's doing commercials
with Shaq. I mean, he is a superstar and he
chose to come to b y U. Still I can't
I can't fathom that that happened. And and he's such
a great representative of BYU. I mean he's always talking
about BYU and and the opportunities and and all the
good things about it.
Speaker 4: I mean, what what what what?
Speaker 3: You know, whatever money he is getting by he's getting
his money, their money's worth and getting a bargain with
AJ with the publicity and the exposure and the games
they're getting and and and the nightly highlights. I mean,
so as a player, he's terrific. But I love it
that that he's a great teammate. I mean, he gets
thirty three last night, and I never once thought, well,
he's he's getting his right, he's he's getting his shots up.
I mean, he's so efficient and he's not you know,
he's not a black hole out there.
Speaker 2: He's not.
Speaker 3: Everything's got to go through him. And he's making his
teammates better. I mean, Richie gets over twenty points last night,
and Rob was right there with him, and Move is
right there. You got seventeen and and you know it's
not all about AJ, and he gets to the triple
double and ten assists. I mean he's making his teammates better.
And you can see when when they do stuff, he
gets excited when they do stuff. He loves his teammates,
and he's very respectful, and I mean, you just couldn't
say enough things about him, and the fact that he
wants to share the good things that are happening to
him and the things he's getting and resources with his
teammates and the coaching staff and managers and all that.
Speaker 4: Says a lot about the kid.
Speaker 3: I mean, I just I don't have anything bad to
say about his game or him as a person. He's
handling all this intense, intense media exposure perfectly. I mean,
he's doing it all the right way. So I'm gushing
about the kid, but I you know, just sometimes, like
I said, I got pinched myself that this is real
life for BYU and that fans get to see him
and and you know, we'll see what happens with the
conference play and all that in the postseason. But whatever happens,
he is a great young man and represents BUYU so
well and it's amazing to have him here.
Speaker 1: Will be an all time great generational player, generational talent.
And I love that this has happened at market BYU
because the fear was of guys. When I say guys
like AG, I mean the publicity, the talent. You know,
could there be egos, very culchable, not entitled at all.
That's the biggest thing in this day and age, especially
with nil and high level players. That was a worry,
especially with BA and the culture. And he is fitting
in and thrived in this and that's I love. What
I love more than anything of on the court is
when he's walking back to the huddle and Kevin Young
needs to tell him something, but Tim Fanning will void
Nate Austin, Chris Burgess. He's so attentive and he's so
listening and he says yes, and then he goes and
he does that. And I said, man, to be that humble,
to be that open minded is really tough to find
in this day and age, you know, when you look
at college athletics, because these kids sometimes are their parents' bosses,
right well, the paychecks that they pay and how hard
that they've worked. So sometimes you know parents for maybe
forget the parent or people in your group can't tell
you anything. That's not the case at all, Mark what
they j.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I think that's right.
Speaker 3: And you know from my experience watching greatness and great players.
They kind of have two really defining characteristics. One is
that they are supremely ultimately and just confident. They believe
in themselves. And you think, well, you know, they got
a big ego. No, it's they know what they've got
and have a complete belief in themselves. But along with that,
and this is important to have this second characteristic because
they have a thirst to know more and get even better.
And if there's a coach or someone that can give
them insight or they can learn something new, they have
a thirst for that. And so you can have an
have enormous confidence and yet still be humble enough to
want to learn more and to absorb all the information
just to.
Speaker 4: Be the best you can be.
Speaker 3: And from what I've seen from Aj, he's kind of
got that and from what everything Coach Young has told
me about him, and he's super coachable and Coach Young
likes having him out there because it's almost an extension
of himself out there. He just has a good knowledge
of the game and Coach Young can trust him to
do the right things, make the right decisions, and.
Speaker 4: Do what's best for the team.
Speaker 3: So yeah, I mean super confident kid as he should
be because because why not, why wouldn't you be? But
also humble enough to know that he doesn't know everything
thing that he can get better and can learn more
about the game, and he has a thirst for that.
Speaker 4: So I think it's really cool.
Speaker 2: Definitely really cool for sure.
Speaker 1: Here with Mark duranty Ba you call it analysts on
the line here with this on Christmas Eve, Christmas Eve
edition of Cougar Sports Wins A December twenty fourth Mark,
last couple of things and I'll let you get out
of here. The biggest thing that this team needs to
improve on going in a conference play next Saturday, January third,
Crazy that we're in twenty twenty six, already eleven am
mount the standard time they will tip off to begin
Big twelve play.
Speaker 2: On the road against Kansas State and Manhattan.
Speaker 3: Well, you know, I think they're in a good spot.
I mean, but you know, there's some consistency issues. Obviously,
There's been a lot of talk about first half, second
half team, and again last night, they just they didn't
look they didn't look good, particularly.
Speaker 4: On defense in the first half, and I worry.
Speaker 3: You know, you can get away with that sometimes, but
I worry that with the level of competition in the
Big Twelve, which is just off the charts, man. I mean,
there's so many good teams in the Big twelve that
you can't afford to have, you know, five or six
minutes where you're not you know, you can't have those lapses,
I guess and expect to recover.
Speaker 4: But LBA, he's done a.
Speaker 3: Good job of having tough halfs or tough times and
winning games still. But I just don't think you can
do that or expect to do that in the Big twelve.
There's just two good and so you need a little
more consistency on both ends for forty minutes. Obviously, bench
plays a little bit of an issue. You've got Beato
Aukman and coming in and he's I love, I just
love having him because they need some size and shop
blocking and rebounding to spell Cata and so. But overall
bench play, you know, this four game stretch was nice
to get Tyler Moruss and like I said, cost it
some time and some conf evidence and you know, the
Hallo and they're not going to need a lot from
the bench with this team, but you know there's going
to be forty fifty bench minutes and you need to
have some production or at least that have some threats
out there, so teams can't just focus on the Big three.
And so there's a couple areas certainly you can get better,
but that that starting five is really really good, and
I think can can win and win the Big twelve.
Now that's that's tall order a lot of good teams,
but they certainly be ways a team that will be
in the mix and we'll have to be dealt with.
And but in a lot of ways, I think this
team Ron is just scratching the surface too. So I
think they can get better, which is exciting. And and
we'll see how It's going to be tough.
Speaker 4: It's tough for everybody in the Big twelve.
Speaker 3: But I'm excited to see what this team can put
on the floor and have a lot of confidence in
this group of young men.
Speaker 4: It's certainly with coach young.
Speaker 3: And staff, I think they'll be ready to go, and
this preseason will have done a good job of getting
them ready for the rigors of a Big twelve play.
Speaker 1: They've been tested in a non conference, they've experienced different atmospheres, venues,
parts of the world, and they've passed all the tests
as far Man. You just wish, if you wish, if
they'd have had two more minutes in the Yukong game
where they have passed all the tests, but they've learned
a lot about themselves. And I'm just gonna tell everybody
in a big twelve, look out for BYU Kansas State.
You gonna have to look out Arizona State. You tall
the boys up north TCU Texas Tech.
Speaker 2: All of these games.
Speaker 1: Number one Arizona man Bo has an opportunity to finish
I think as a top five team in the country.
If you take down the likes of Kansas number one, Arizona,
number eight, Houston, number three, Iowa State. All of those
games that you get some of them at the MC,
the best college basketball place that I've experienced atmosphere on
the planet. It's a privilege to cover this team and
talk to you.
Speaker 2: Mark.
Speaker 1: I'll let you out of here on this the hard
hitting jade journalism question. Need to know what are the
Christmas traditions? The Christmas song and the Durant home. What
are you guys doing for Christmas?
Speaker 3: Well, uh, you know, we got some different things. We
got some movies we like to watch, you know, elf,
and Christmas Story and Christmas vacation.
Speaker 2: Great movies.
Speaker 3: I mean that's always fun singing Yeah, Papa Elf, the
North Pole, those are those are good things. Oh, it's
so funny, so fun I was in New York City
the other day and I just, yeah, I went in
the Empire State Building and pressed all the buttons on
the elevators. But yeah, but it really is just about
family and being together and Christmas Morning together. And my
son and his three kids were from They live up
in Idaho. They were down for this weekend, so we
got to spend some time with them. But it's just
about family, man, It's about being grateful and uh, and
being around family and loving each other. And uh, I'm
a I'm a blessed man round around, as you know.
And uh, you know, I'm just so grateful to be
able to call the BYU games and to associate with
b YU and and be around BYU fans.
Speaker 4: I love it.
Speaker 3: It's it's an honor for me, and I know it's
you know, it's a real cool thing for me to
be able to do.
Speaker 4: I don't take it lightly. And it just makes me.
It makes me feel happy to be able to do that.
Speaker 3: And and it's important to me and my family and anyway,
I'm kind of rambling on, but it's I'm just grateful.
Speaker 4: I'm grateful to.
Speaker 3: You for all that you do and uh and just
uh to be a part of b y U sports
in general and a little bit and UH, it's blessed
my life.
Speaker 4: So I'm grateful for it.
Speaker 2: It's a blessed my life too.
Speaker 1: Man, right back at you, I'm blessed you to be
able to talk to you and uh, to cover this
great team, this great coaching staff, Tyson Jackson, information director
does a great job. And to be able to tell
the story this is b a your basketball team, and
tell your story through your eyes. That one of the
reasons I got into journalism is the story and the relationships,
not about the money. It's about the story and the
connection that you build with people. And I felt that, Well,
Merry Christmas, Mark, happy holiday, is happy new Year, and
we will definitely catch up with you in a few
weeks kicking off twenty twenty six, and we'll see where
BYU is that in conference.
Speaker 2: Playing a few weeks. I definitely think it's gonna be glorious.
Speaker 4: All right, my friend, I appreciate you.
Speaker 2: Thank care YEP, I'll let you go.
Speaker 1: That was Mark Durant, everybody and a little talking basketball
college basketball here on Cougar Sports. And it was brought
to you by one of our favorite sponsors, Premo Golf Apparel.
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the Fan.
Speaker 2: We'll go to break, don't go anywhere. Let's get into
our flour.
Speaker 1: Still a lot more to get to in that five
o'clock Ouverhill from Ben Critles in you with Scott Mitchell next,
and then I will take it back over Laine Aller
to close out the show. You're listening to Cougar Sports
on a Christmas Eve edition, Wednesday, December twenty fourth, right
here on one of three nine.
Speaker 2: In ninety eight, three