1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:14,640
And welcome back August 27th, 2024 in the dog days of summer.

2
00:00:14,640 --> 00:00:18,560
All of us teachers are super excited to get back to work.

3
00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:21,280
The Bristol boys are checking in.

4
00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:23,440
Check us out on X or Instagram.

5
00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:27,400
You'll likely be corresponding with Angry J. So there's always a shot that things will

6
00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:29,320
escalate quickly.

7
00:00:29,320 --> 00:00:31,760
And you could have some fun.

8
00:00:31,760 --> 00:00:36,440
Lottie Dottie, studio owner in the house with his captain's shirt on.

9
00:00:36,440 --> 00:00:38,240
Where'd you get that captain's shirt?

10
00:00:38,240 --> 00:00:40,360
I was at the state a couple weeks ago.

11
00:00:40,360 --> 00:00:41,360
Another Yankee W.

12
00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:44,160
Who's your favorite Yankee captain of all time?

13
00:00:44,160 --> 00:00:45,160
Thurman Munson.

14
00:00:45,160 --> 00:00:46,400
That's why you have that on.

15
00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:47,400
That's right.

16
00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:48,400
Number one five.

17
00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:49,400
We've had some good ones though.

18
00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:52,640
Of course he's right up there.

19
00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:53,640
We got the commission.

20
00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:55,520
The commission's brought us a gift today.

21
00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:59,600
You guys are going to find out in a little bit from his days with the pen, with the pen

22
00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:00,600
and the pad.

23
00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:01,600
My famous fruitcake.

24
00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:04,440
A stereo tape.

25
00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:05,440
Angry J.

26
00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:06,440
What?

27
00:01:06,440 --> 00:01:07,440
Yeah.

28
00:01:07,440 --> 00:01:09,320
Thanks for coming.

29
00:01:09,320 --> 00:01:10,320
Best record and baseball.

30
00:01:10,320 --> 00:01:11,920
I still angry.

31
00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:17,400
The Donfather absent studio engineer Kevin Ross.

32
00:01:17,400 --> 00:01:19,680
Thank you for coming Kevin.

33
00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:24,400
A shout out to the original studio engineer who never came to the studio.

34
00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:26,400
The round mound of sound, A.J.

35
00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:27,400
Bonnell.

36
00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:30,000
Crocker, as usual.

37
00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:31,960
You can always count on Crocker.

38
00:01:31,960 --> 00:01:34,600
And our in and out guest, the tax man.

39
00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:36,960
Our special guest in the studio tonight.

40
00:01:36,960 --> 00:01:39,480
One of the best coaches in the area.

41
00:01:39,480 --> 00:01:42,120
High school boys basketball, Ryan Raponi.

42
00:01:42,120 --> 00:01:44,720
He laughs as I say that but he knows that I told him that.

43
00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:45,720
Not just the area.

44
00:01:45,720 --> 00:01:46,720
Not just the area.

45
00:01:46,720 --> 00:01:47,720
Trust me.

46
00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:48,720
The area meaning Connecticut.

47
00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:49,720
I appreciate that guys.

48
00:01:49,720 --> 00:01:51,040
Thanks for having me.

49
00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:52,040
Very welcome.

50
00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:54,800
I have you.

51
00:01:54,800 --> 00:02:01,480
Coach Rap as they call him in the blue collar town of Burlington, Connecticut.

52
00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:04,160
One of the faces of Yukon Men's basketball.

53
00:02:04,160 --> 00:02:05,640
Mayor may not be joining us tonight.

54
00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:09,320
We're going to let you, we're going to have that be a cliffhanger while we talk about the

55
00:02:09,320 --> 00:02:14,160
most important thing in the dog days of summer, the angst.

56
00:02:14,160 --> 00:02:16,800
They may or may not have the best record in baseball right now.

57
00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:21,240
It seems like it's one day they have it, one day they don't.

58
00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:23,240
We still complain whatever.

59
00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:26,280
Angry J. Are you believing in the angst yet?

60
00:02:26,280 --> 00:02:27,280
No.

61
00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:28,280
Why is that?

62
00:02:28,280 --> 00:02:29,280
I've seen this.

63
00:02:29,280 --> 00:02:34,920
They have Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth on their team and after that there's nothing.

64
00:02:34,920 --> 00:02:36,640
We're going to count on standing.

65
00:02:36,640 --> 00:02:37,640
Kamish?

66
00:02:37,640 --> 00:02:38,640
He's horrific.

67
00:02:38,640 --> 00:02:39,880
We got the best player in the game.

68
00:02:39,880 --> 00:02:42,120
We don't have the best team in the game.

69
00:02:42,120 --> 00:02:43,120
Okay.

70
00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:44,120
Taxman.

71
00:02:44,120 --> 00:02:48,000
He doesn't pay attention.

72
00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:49,000
Socks are hot.

73
00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:50,000
Socks are hot lately.

74
00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:52,400
Socks lost eight of a love and he passed.

75
00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:54,080
Unfortunately, socks are all done.

76
00:02:54,080 --> 00:02:55,080
No, they're not.

77
00:02:55,080 --> 00:02:56,080
They're going to make it, right?

78
00:02:56,080 --> 00:02:59,920
No, they're like five games behind the third place wild card.

79
00:02:59,920 --> 00:03:01,880
I don't think they can catch the royals.

80
00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:03,440
They got to keep their guys in the lineup.

81
00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:10,680
They're slurring into the stands and insulting people of all choices and whatever.

82
00:03:10,680 --> 00:03:12,560
Coach Rapp, what do you think about the angster?

83
00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:14,080
Do you care?

84
00:03:14,080 --> 00:03:17,440
Well, I'm a Braves fan.

85
00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:26,280
But listen, I always want the Yankees to actually make the World Series and I'd love them to

86
00:03:26,280 --> 00:03:31,280
play the Braves because my father's a Yankee fan and that would be a good time.

87
00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:33,040
I got a lot of boys that are Yankee fans.

88
00:03:33,040 --> 00:03:37,400
So I feel like we could go back to the old days where you could probably just kick the

89
00:03:37,400 --> 00:03:38,400
Braves ass again.

90
00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:43,680
Speaking of Braves, did you see the magnetic documentary on MLB network?

91
00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:44,680
No.

92
00:03:44,680 --> 00:03:47,680
I got it taped.

93
00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:48,680
Fantastic.

94
00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:49,680
I got to watch that.

95
00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:50,680
You got to check that out.

96
00:03:50,680 --> 00:03:54,440
I did catch Grisham trying to score from second the other night on a single.

97
00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:56,760
Lottie, did you see that?

98
00:03:56,760 --> 00:04:01,400
You're not going to ask me my opinion on the Yankees?

99
00:04:01,400 --> 00:04:02,400
I know your opinion.

100
00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:03,400
Before I get that.

101
00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:04,400
What's your opinion on the Yankees, Lottie?

102
00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:10,120
I think there's a lot of mediocre teams in baseball and they're one of the better mediocre

103
00:04:10,120 --> 00:04:11,120
teams.

104
00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:12,120
That's all.

105
00:04:12,120 --> 00:04:14,120
They have as good a chance as anybody.

106
00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:17,480
What's your question mark going in to playoffs?

107
00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:22,080
I said when we did the show near the trade deadline, they needed a legitimate closer

108
00:04:22,080 --> 00:04:23,080
and they didn't get it.

109
00:04:23,080 --> 00:04:24,520
So that's my biggest concern.

110
00:04:24,520 --> 00:04:28,200
Still, is the back end of the bullpen.

111
00:04:28,200 --> 00:04:31,720
Are those guys out there though?

112
00:04:31,720 --> 00:04:36,880
There were a couple at the time, but I don't think they wanted to get rid of what, you

113
00:04:36,880 --> 00:04:41,120
know, that was at Dominguez, Spencer Jones, those kind of guys.

114
00:04:41,120 --> 00:04:42,120
I saw Spencer Jones.

115
00:04:42,120 --> 00:04:43,120
You saw him one game.

116
00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:44,440
You saw him one game.

117
00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:45,440
You saw him one game.

118
00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:46,440
Goodbye.

119
00:04:46,440 --> 00:04:47,440
That's all it takes.

120
00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:48,440
Yeah, it's all it takes.

121
00:04:48,440 --> 00:04:51,760
We'll make the judgment on the one game in double way.

122
00:04:51,760 --> 00:04:53,040
What about Christian against the Tigers?

123
00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:54,680
Were you checking that out?

124
00:04:54,680 --> 00:04:55,920
Do you guys remember this game?

125
00:04:55,920 --> 00:04:58,080
The one that they lost to Detroit and extra innings?

126
00:04:58,080 --> 00:05:03,640
I think they had to wake them up in the clubhouse to pinch run and then Wells hits one off the

127
00:05:03,640 --> 00:05:08,080
top of the center field wall and he's like the hunchback and Notre Dame between second

128
00:05:08,080 --> 00:05:09,640
and third base.

129
00:05:09,640 --> 00:05:13,000
The guy, Stanton could have beat him in a race from second to home.

130
00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:14,000
That was pathetic.

131
00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:15,000
That was pathetic.

132
00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:17,160
Anger Jay, you know it too.

133
00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:19,040
Does he not want to play?

134
00:05:19,040 --> 00:05:21,720
If you don't want to play, bring up the Martian.

135
00:05:21,720 --> 00:05:22,920
Why was he whole hunched over?

136
00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:25,440
I don't know what he was doing.

137
00:05:25,440 --> 00:05:27,120
He wasn't even taking full steps.

138
00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:28,120
Seriously.

139
00:05:28,120 --> 00:05:30,440
He definitely wanted to stop playing third.

140
00:05:30,440 --> 00:05:32,840
Booney had an elbow in the clubhouse.

141
00:05:32,840 --> 00:05:33,840
He was passed out.

142
00:05:33,840 --> 00:05:35,080
He ate too much of the buffet.

143
00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:37,920
Like get off your ass and get in there and run hard.

144
00:05:37,920 --> 00:05:41,240
Glaver's like, you got a hustle, dude.

145
00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:42,560
I was never so disgusted.

146
00:05:42,560 --> 00:05:44,680
I talked to Bobby Mack the next day in the street.

147
00:05:44,680 --> 00:05:47,520
Oh man, that was bad.

148
00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:48,520
You got to win those games.

149
00:05:48,520 --> 00:05:49,840
They'd be up five, six games.

150
00:05:49,840 --> 00:05:51,280
How many games had they blown?

151
00:05:51,280 --> 00:05:54,600
The game, the Little League game on the Sunday night.

152
00:05:54,600 --> 00:05:55,800
Dominguez had a tough one.

153
00:05:55,800 --> 00:05:57,400
It was one game.

154
00:05:57,400 --> 00:05:58,400
Was that that night?

155
00:05:58,400 --> 00:05:59,400
Yeah, it was.

156
00:05:59,400 --> 00:06:00,400
They brought him up for one game.

157
00:06:00,400 --> 00:06:01,400
He batted fifth.

158
00:06:01,400 --> 00:06:02,400
They sent him down.

159
00:06:02,400 --> 00:06:03,400
But he knew before that he was going back down.

160
00:06:03,400 --> 00:06:05,200
Didn't know when to bring him up.

161
00:06:05,200 --> 00:06:06,720
And who was that against?

162
00:06:06,720 --> 00:06:07,720
That was Detroit.

163
00:06:07,720 --> 00:06:08,720
Yeah.

164
00:06:08,720 --> 00:06:09,720
That wasn't the lefty though, was it?

165
00:06:09,720 --> 00:06:10,720
Yes.

166
00:06:10,720 --> 00:06:11,720
School Buller.

167
00:06:11,720 --> 00:06:12,720
Yeah, that's cool.

168
00:06:12,720 --> 00:06:13,720
And he double clutched on the way.

169
00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:14,720
Yeah.

170
00:06:14,720 --> 00:06:15,720
Bring him up for the left, the best left in the game.

171
00:06:15,720 --> 00:06:16,720
Jesus.

172
00:06:16,720 --> 00:06:18,840
In Homes, coughed it up again.

173
00:06:18,840 --> 00:06:22,080
In the game, I went to Homes, almost coughed it up again.

174
00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:23,840
They were up eight, three going into the eighth.

175
00:06:23,840 --> 00:06:24,840
Lider gave up two bombs.

176
00:06:24,840 --> 00:06:26,000
What game did you go to?

177
00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:29,800
I was at the game on Sunday afternoon when Soto hit two and Judge hit one and Stanton

178
00:06:29,800 --> 00:06:30,800
had one.

179
00:06:30,800 --> 00:06:33,480
Well, Judge, he always had one.

180
00:06:33,480 --> 00:06:37,240
You want to talk about that season, rap, Judge's season?

181
00:06:37,240 --> 00:06:38,600
Have you ever seen anything like it?

182
00:06:38,600 --> 00:06:40,120
It's not even September yet.

183
00:06:40,120 --> 00:06:44,240
He's got a long month here.

184
00:06:44,240 --> 00:06:51,120
Good opportunity to, I guess we could say, take over the real record at this point.

185
00:06:51,120 --> 00:06:55,680
Well, you see, I get the text alerts on my phone.

186
00:06:55,680 --> 00:06:57,840
Every night, it's like, Judge Hormorne, Judge Hormorne.

187
00:06:57,840 --> 00:07:01,280
I'm like, is this from yesterday or is this today?

188
00:07:01,280 --> 00:07:03,120
Good Mitch, are you not watching?

189
00:07:03,120 --> 00:07:04,120
Well, it's not today.

190
00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:07,600
Well, we're not watching right now because you're getting tattooed.

191
00:07:07,600 --> 00:07:08,600
No, we know.

192
00:07:08,600 --> 00:07:10,320
We're coming back to it.

193
00:07:10,320 --> 00:07:12,120
Donati, not a problem.

194
00:07:12,120 --> 00:07:14,320
No, the commission watches.

195
00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:16,600
Commission, you used that never miss a game.

196
00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:19,360
I've got my priorities changed a little bit.

197
00:07:19,360 --> 00:07:21,520
I still am into what they're doing right now.

198
00:07:21,520 --> 00:07:28,800
But yeah, I mean, the team is flawed, but like Lottie said, they're a very good higher

199
00:07:28,800 --> 00:07:29,800
level.

200
00:07:29,800 --> 00:07:31,760
They're one of the better of the mediocre teams, no doubt.

201
00:07:31,760 --> 00:07:36,320
So the first comment we ever got on a YouTube watch was Kenneth Naylor, who was a staff

202
00:07:36,320 --> 00:07:42,840
member at my school, and he told me today, straight face, that the best player in baseball

203
00:07:42,840 --> 00:07:45,640
is Ohtani.

204
00:07:45,640 --> 00:07:48,080
And his argument was, well, he pitches.

205
00:07:48,080 --> 00:07:49,080
When?

206
00:07:49,080 --> 00:07:50,080
Yeah, when?

207
00:07:50,080 --> 00:07:51,080
I said when.

208
00:07:51,080 --> 00:07:54,840
And he's not the best player in baseball this year, that's for sure.

209
00:07:54,840 --> 00:07:55,840
No, not even close.

210
00:07:55,840 --> 00:07:56,840
Not even close.

211
00:07:56,840 --> 00:07:59,360
Can I be, can I complain on something?

212
00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:04,120
When Kenny Naylor called in, wrote the comment, I thought Kenny Naylor was a fake name.

213
00:08:04,120 --> 00:08:07,840
Like, hey, would you blow me or something like that?

214
00:08:07,840 --> 00:08:09,840
Oh, I didn't mean that.

215
00:08:09,840 --> 00:08:10,840
Headed to it.

216
00:08:10,840 --> 00:08:13,240
I was like, no, he works at my school.

217
00:08:13,240 --> 00:08:14,240
I'm like, oh, cool.

218
00:08:14,240 --> 00:08:17,240
He should go by Kenneth.

219
00:08:17,240 --> 00:08:18,240
He does go by Kenneth.

220
00:08:18,240 --> 00:08:25,800
He is a great sports guy, but you know, I brought up Ohtani's record, and he's one of

221
00:08:25,800 --> 00:08:29,600
these guys that says you can't judge wins and losses because like Nolan Ryan had, you

222
00:08:29,600 --> 00:08:31,080
know, barely over a five-point-trick.

223
00:08:31,080 --> 00:08:34,400
You want to know slap this, this says Jeter's overrated.

224
00:08:34,400 --> 00:08:35,400
Yes.

225
00:08:35,400 --> 00:08:36,400
Yes.

226
00:08:36,400 --> 00:08:37,400
There you go.

227
00:08:37,400 --> 00:08:38,400
Another edit.

228
00:08:38,400 --> 00:08:39,400
Bobby Mack.

229
00:08:39,400 --> 00:08:40,400
Bobby Mack.

230
00:08:40,400 --> 00:08:44,080
How good a season is Soto having, and no one's even talking about it.

231
00:08:44,080 --> 00:08:46,080
He's like, vice president.

232
00:08:46,080 --> 00:08:47,080
He's vice president.

233
00:08:47,080 --> 00:08:48,560
We had Garaghan Roos.

234
00:08:48,560 --> 00:08:53,320
You guys going to hit close to 50 home runs and drive over 115 runs?

235
00:08:53,320 --> 00:08:54,320
Right around 300.

236
00:08:54,320 --> 00:08:55,320
And hit right around 300.

237
00:08:55,320 --> 00:08:56,800
Way up there too.

238
00:08:56,800 --> 00:08:59,280
Oh, how about the walks he takes?

239
00:08:59,280 --> 00:09:00,440
They both have over 100.

240
00:09:00,440 --> 00:09:01,960
Yeah, they both do.

241
00:09:01,960 --> 00:09:02,960
Yep.

242
00:09:02,960 --> 00:09:05,800
What does Ohtani get 50-50?

243
00:09:05,800 --> 00:09:06,800
Who cares?

244
00:09:06,800 --> 00:09:11,680
I mean, I'm more impressed with Ellie getting 20 and 60 than that, and he'll probably end

245
00:09:11,680 --> 00:09:13,640
up with 30 and 70.

246
00:09:13,640 --> 00:09:15,480
I mean, that guy is a different player.

247
00:09:15,480 --> 00:09:18,960
Judges putting up Ruth and Bond's numbers.

248
00:09:18,960 --> 00:09:22,720
On a team where they know, after him, nobody's going to hurt you.

249
00:09:22,720 --> 00:09:23,720
Well, that's the thing.

250
00:09:23,720 --> 00:09:27,000
He's hitting his home runs, but they're trying not to let him hit anything.

251
00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:29,000
He's not going to get a pitch in the playoffs.

252
00:09:29,000 --> 00:09:32,480
They're just going to roll it up to the plate and tell Stan to beat him.

253
00:09:32,480 --> 00:09:33,480
You know what then?

254
00:09:33,480 --> 00:09:34,480
We got to get creative.

255
00:09:34,480 --> 00:09:35,480
We got to get him second.

256
00:09:35,480 --> 00:09:36,480
Put Soto behind him.

257
00:09:36,480 --> 00:09:37,480
Put Soto behind him.

258
00:09:37,480 --> 00:09:38,920
Yeah, or Wells is going to beat him.

259
00:09:38,920 --> 00:09:41,760
If there's a righty on the mound, Wells will beat him.

260
00:09:41,760 --> 00:09:42,760
You love Wells.

261
00:09:42,760 --> 00:09:43,760
I love Wells.

262
00:09:43,760 --> 00:09:44,760
But you love Ferdugo too.

263
00:09:44,760 --> 00:09:45,760
We don't play Wells all the time.

264
00:09:45,760 --> 00:09:46,760
I know.

265
00:09:46,760 --> 00:09:48,360
I love Ferdugo until May came.

266
00:09:48,360 --> 00:09:49,360
Vanellies.

267
00:09:49,360 --> 00:09:53,760
And then, although he's hitting better now, Torres is hitting better now.

268
00:09:53,760 --> 00:09:55,760
Got a pitch?

269
00:09:55,760 --> 00:09:57,560
I don't want to hear about Torres.

270
00:09:57,560 --> 00:09:58,560
All right.

271
00:09:58,560 --> 00:09:59,560
You won't.

272
00:09:59,560 --> 00:10:00,560
Enough about the Yanks.

273
00:10:00,560 --> 00:10:05,760
Coach Rapp, I actually do want to hear you talk just about Judge.

274
00:10:05,760 --> 00:10:08,960
You got a dynamic player in your city.

275
00:10:08,960 --> 00:10:10,840
Compare him.

276
00:10:10,840 --> 00:10:11,840
Which there is none.

277
00:10:11,840 --> 00:10:12,840
But go ahead.

278
00:10:12,840 --> 00:10:18,480
Well, I mean, unfortunately with Acuna this season, we haven't had the opportunity to

279
00:10:18,480 --> 00:10:21,840
watch him try to repeat what he did last season.

280
00:10:21,840 --> 00:10:25,120
We're missing an ACL tear there.

281
00:10:25,120 --> 00:10:26,120
Jesus.

282
00:10:26,120 --> 00:10:27,280
Oh, my.

283
00:10:27,280 --> 00:10:32,000
But I mean, Judge just the raw power.

284
00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:37,800
And now that he is getting so selective, I think at the plate, I think a big problem

285
00:10:37,800 --> 00:10:43,720
for him in his younger days was kind of expanding that zone.

286
00:10:43,720 --> 00:10:49,840
And now he shows the patients to take the walks like Bonds did years ago.

287
00:10:49,840 --> 00:10:51,360
And like his teammate, Soto, is.

288
00:10:51,360 --> 00:10:56,640
And I think it makes him very difficult to get him out at this point.

289
00:10:56,640 --> 00:10:58,320
And Acuna has kind of showed that as well.

290
00:10:58,320 --> 00:11:03,480
I think the difference in their games is the speed that Acuna presents.

291
00:11:03,480 --> 00:11:07,160
You know, but right now, Judge is dominating the game.

292
00:11:07,160 --> 00:11:08,880
Rapp, that's a great comment.

293
00:11:08,880 --> 00:11:13,880
And but you got to say this at his size, expanding that the zone is a natural thing

294
00:11:13,880 --> 00:11:15,560
because he can reach the pitches.

295
00:11:15,560 --> 00:11:19,240
It's just he shouldn't swing at him like those little compact guys.

296
00:11:19,240 --> 00:11:23,680
I believe they have an advantage there because like there's they shouldn't swing at some

297
00:11:23,680 --> 00:11:25,520
of those pitches because they can't hit them.

298
00:11:25,520 --> 00:11:31,360
Yeah, I also think, you know, he gets a raw deal sometimes being, you know, so large up

299
00:11:31,360 --> 00:11:37,040
there at the plate where he does have so much to cover, you know, and the umpires maybe

300
00:11:37,040 --> 00:11:41,440
are given a little bit more to the pitchers with him at the plate, you know, than they

301
00:11:41,440 --> 00:11:42,920
should.

302
00:11:42,920 --> 00:11:46,720
So yeah, and his defense, I guess he has to kind of go after some of those pitchers.

303
00:11:46,720 --> 00:11:51,720
Plus the fact that they're not throwing to him, you know, as much as they would be if

304
00:11:51,720 --> 00:11:57,240
he had a little bit more protection in the lineup, you know, makes it even more impressive.

305
00:11:57,240 --> 00:12:01,440
We got a circle back to the great high school coach, Greg Hunt, who we had on a long, long

306
00:12:01,440 --> 00:12:04,320
time ago back in the YouTube days.

307
00:12:04,320 --> 00:12:09,960
And like, the judge wears the high socks and back when you didn't have like, whatever,

308
00:12:09,960 --> 00:12:14,520
stat cast and umpires grading systems and this and that, he said, you should wear the

309
00:12:14,520 --> 00:12:16,720
high socks for this reason.

310
00:12:16,720 --> 00:12:18,600
So the umpire knows where your knees are.

311
00:12:18,600 --> 00:12:20,960
And I think that's awesome by judge.

312
00:12:20,960 --> 00:12:25,400
He's not like a fancy pants, uh, wearing different color stuff all the time.

313
00:12:25,400 --> 00:12:27,440
Like my man, jazz, a lot of teal.

314
00:12:27,440 --> 00:12:28,440
Yeah.

315
00:12:28,440 --> 00:12:29,440
Once in a while.

316
00:12:29,440 --> 00:12:32,120
You, you talk about the, uh, the oven man all the time.

317
00:12:32,120 --> 00:12:35,600
What do you, what do you think about the, like I was a high sock guy.

318
00:12:35,600 --> 00:12:39,480
I used to always want to buy two and judge does, you see these clowns now that they have

319
00:12:39,480 --> 00:12:41,360
them above the knee?

320
00:12:41,360 --> 00:12:43,120
Like you see, it's got to go.

321
00:12:43,120 --> 00:12:44,120
Santa.

322
00:12:44,120 --> 00:12:45,120
Hunter Penn starts.

323
00:12:45,120 --> 00:12:46,120
They're like shorts.

324
00:12:46,120 --> 00:12:47,120
They're like, when shorts, it's awful.

325
00:12:47,120 --> 00:12:48,120
It's like Caprice.

326
00:12:48,120 --> 00:12:49,120
Hunter Penn started it.

327
00:12:49,120 --> 00:12:51,440
It's like those football fans.

328
00:12:51,440 --> 00:12:53,560
Like the white socks back in what was it?

329
00:12:53,560 --> 00:12:54,560
70.

330
00:12:54,560 --> 00:12:55,960
Yeah, but there was, there were actual shorts.

331
00:12:55,960 --> 00:12:56,960
Yeah.

332
00:12:56,960 --> 00:12:57,960
That should be illegal.

333
00:12:57,960 --> 00:13:02,840
I mean, in the NFL, there's tons of fines for uniform police.

334
00:13:02,840 --> 00:13:05,480
I'll volunteer to be the major league baseball.

335
00:13:05,480 --> 00:13:07,120
The game would get better with that.

336
00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:09,320
I was wearing what Jane wants to wear.

337
00:13:09,320 --> 00:13:10,560
All right.

338
00:13:10,560 --> 00:13:13,800
It's interview time.

339
00:13:13,800 --> 00:13:18,240
Our corporate sponsor jumped up a level of corporate.

340
00:13:18,240 --> 00:13:21,920
Joe Moriello, vice president, capital securities.

341
00:13:21,920 --> 00:13:25,600
We all know their motto and his motto by now, a life.

342
00:13:25,600 --> 00:13:27,680
Well planned.

343
00:13:27,680 --> 00:13:29,840
We thank Joe and his company.

344
00:13:29,840 --> 00:13:34,840
Also our consistent sponsor, not in a corporate level, but right up there.

345
00:13:34,840 --> 00:13:37,480
Skygazer brewing John Tice.

346
00:13:37,480 --> 00:13:39,080
And I think Lottie may know this.

347
00:13:39,080 --> 00:13:48,040
I know it, but their motto is, you know, this is Sky Gazer, never stop looking up.

348
00:13:48,040 --> 00:13:53,320
They're hitting it big with a couple of reloads on some of their new items.

349
00:13:53,320 --> 00:13:55,240
Can't keep it on the shelf.

350
00:13:55,240 --> 00:13:58,840
Well, they actually have a new one now, lemon and raspberry.

351
00:13:58,840 --> 00:13:59,840
Really?

352
00:13:59,840 --> 00:14:04,120
I haven't seen a raspberry one in the stores, but he sent a picture of it and boy, looks

353
00:14:04,120 --> 00:14:05,120
like it's there.

354
00:14:05,120 --> 00:14:08,560
There's not a bigger promoter than Bobby Mack on this shandy.

355
00:14:08,560 --> 00:14:11,520
I'm telling you, every store he goes into.

356
00:14:11,520 --> 00:14:12,840
Do you have it?

357
00:14:12,840 --> 00:14:13,840
Do you have it?

358
00:14:13,840 --> 00:14:15,560
And why don't you have it and let's get it.

359
00:14:15,560 --> 00:14:16,560
Yeah.

360
00:14:16,560 --> 00:14:17,560
Doing it for a friend.

361
00:14:17,560 --> 00:14:18,560
Even Walmart.

362
00:14:18,560 --> 00:14:20,080
It's not just that he's our sponsor.

363
00:14:20,080 --> 00:14:21,080
He's our friend.

364
00:14:21,080 --> 00:14:24,080
If you guys haven't had it yet, do yourself a favor and find it.

365
00:14:24,080 --> 00:14:25,480
And you know what else?

366
00:14:25,480 --> 00:14:28,080
He never stops looking up.

367
00:14:28,080 --> 00:14:29,680
All right.

368
00:14:29,680 --> 00:14:34,000
What if I told you the most decorated, one of the most decorated assistant coaches in

369
00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:38,200
men's basketball, NCA division one was going to join us?

370
00:14:38,200 --> 00:14:44,580
What if I told you that this, what if I told you that this coach, coaches at the University

371
00:14:44,580 --> 00:14:46,720
of Connecticut?

372
00:14:46,720 --> 00:14:48,840
What if I told you this is his second stint?

373
00:14:48,840 --> 00:14:53,440
What if I told you he was a head coach at division one Quinnipiac in Hamden, Connecticut?

374
00:14:53,440 --> 00:14:55,920
Would you know who I was talking about?

375
00:14:55,920 --> 00:14:58,120
I'll tell you who I'm talking about.

376
00:14:58,120 --> 00:15:01,640
The commission went back to his sports journalism days.

377
00:15:01,640 --> 00:15:03,960
Broke out the pocket protector.

378
00:15:03,960 --> 00:15:04,960
Oh yeah.

379
00:15:04,960 --> 00:15:07,040
He's writing one on this little pad.

380
00:15:07,040 --> 00:15:08,800
Writing his little hieroglyphics.

381
00:15:08,800 --> 00:15:09,800
Recording everything everyone says.

382
00:15:09,800 --> 00:15:10,800
Oh yeah.

383
00:15:10,800 --> 00:15:12,760
He's got his microphone out.

384
00:15:12,760 --> 00:15:13,760
Okay.

385
00:15:13,760 --> 00:15:16,400
All right, everybody.

386
00:15:16,400 --> 00:15:21,720
So I'm sure you have your guesses, but without any further ado, Yukon men's basketball coach

387
00:15:21,720 --> 00:15:22,720
Tom Moore.

388
00:15:22,720 --> 00:15:23,720
Welcome, Tom.

389
00:15:23,720 --> 00:15:27,600
Hey, great to be here.

390
00:15:27,600 --> 00:15:28,600
Great to be here.

391
00:15:28,600 --> 00:15:31,400
I'm looking forward to joining you guys.

392
00:15:31,400 --> 00:15:34,360
Coach Bobby Mack here.

393
00:15:34,360 --> 00:15:37,920
When did you know basketball coaching was something you wanted to pursue?

394
00:15:37,920 --> 00:15:38,920
Wow.

395
00:15:38,920 --> 00:15:39,920
It's funny.

396
00:15:39,920 --> 00:15:41,000
You know what?

397
00:15:41,000 --> 00:15:48,520
It happened as I realized print journalism was something I didn't want to pursue.

398
00:15:48,520 --> 00:15:49,960
It was crazy.

399
00:15:49,960 --> 00:15:58,560
I went to Boston University back in 1983 because I wanted to stay around sports and I figured

400
00:15:58,560 --> 00:16:03,400
the best way to stay around sports was to be a sports writer.

401
00:16:03,400 --> 00:16:08,440
And back then for the younger people, I don't realize like newspapers were really still

402
00:16:08,440 --> 00:16:10,000
hot and really big.

403
00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:14,880
They were most major cities had morning papers, afternoon papers, and I thought being a sports

404
00:16:14,880 --> 00:16:16,320
writer would be terrific.

405
00:16:16,320 --> 00:16:23,240
So I picked a school coming out of St. John's High School that had a strong journalism program

406
00:16:23,240 --> 00:16:26,200
and I threw myself into it at BU for like three years.

407
00:16:26,200 --> 00:16:27,360
I was on the school paper.

408
00:16:27,360 --> 00:16:29,280
I loved it.

409
00:16:29,280 --> 00:16:30,600
You know, the yearbook.

410
00:16:30,600 --> 00:16:34,480
I was doing everything covering hockey games, basketball games, all that stuff.

411
00:16:34,480 --> 00:16:38,760
I got to the end of my junior year and for whatever reason, I was like, it reality hit

412
00:16:38,760 --> 00:16:41,040
me that like, hey, a year from now, I'm going to be in the profession.

413
00:16:41,040 --> 00:16:42,480
I'm going to be out doing this.

414
00:16:42,480 --> 00:16:44,840
And I just sort of fell out of love with it.

415
00:16:44,840 --> 00:16:47,760
And so now I'm sitting there at the end of my junior year and I'm like, I don't know

416
00:16:47,760 --> 00:16:49,440
if I want to do this.

417
00:16:49,440 --> 00:16:52,200
And I think that's what happens a lot when you go to college.

418
00:16:52,200 --> 00:16:55,360
You try to find out what you want to do, but sometimes you find out what you don't want

419
00:16:55,360 --> 00:16:56,360
to do.

420
00:16:56,360 --> 00:16:59,440
And so then it was like, now what?

421
00:16:59,440 --> 00:17:02,720
And for whatever reason, like being a college basketball coach was always something that

422
00:17:02,720 --> 00:17:04,480
was appealing to me.

423
00:17:04,480 --> 00:17:10,800
And just in covering the BU basketball team, I was really, became friendly with Bill Herrian,

424
00:17:10,800 --> 00:17:17,040
who was an assistant on that team, and Carl Hobbs, who was an assistant too as well.

425
00:17:17,040 --> 00:17:19,360
And just got close to those guys.

426
00:17:19,360 --> 00:17:23,080
And I went to them at the end of my junior year and I said, is there any chance?

427
00:17:23,080 --> 00:17:27,320
Like what do you guys thoughts on me trying to become a college basketball coach?

428
00:17:27,320 --> 00:17:31,160
You know, like didn't play much in high school, didn't play in college.

429
00:17:31,160 --> 00:17:33,280
Is there, you know, is this a pipe dream?

430
00:17:33,280 --> 00:17:34,280
What do you think?

431
00:17:34,280 --> 00:17:35,520
I think both great to me.

432
00:17:35,520 --> 00:17:37,400
They both were like really encouraging.

433
00:17:37,400 --> 00:17:41,000
And then they were like, you know, you're going to start work camps, get to know a bunch

434
00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:42,000
of people.

435
00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:44,000
You're not going to make a lot of money, but you can do it.

436
00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:45,000
You know, both of them.

437
00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:49,600
And they had me meet with coach Mike Jarvis, who was the head coach at BU at the time.

438
00:17:49,600 --> 00:17:51,440
And coach Jarvis was the same way with me.

439
00:17:51,440 --> 00:17:54,920
You know, he's like, work our camps, work a bunch of camps and get out there.

440
00:17:54,920 --> 00:17:56,880
You might have to start division three or whatever.

441
00:17:56,880 --> 00:17:58,480
And that's what, that's how it played out.

442
00:17:58,480 --> 00:18:02,560
I started at division three level, went to the division two level for a year, got back

443
00:18:02,560 --> 00:18:04,360
to division three as a head coach.

444
00:18:04,360 --> 00:18:07,520
And then I got my break when I got here in 94.

445
00:18:07,520 --> 00:18:13,280
But so yeah, I would say long story short, like, I guess I was about 20 years old when

446
00:18:13,280 --> 00:18:18,760
it, when it hit me after thinking, you know, when I was 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, I was going

447
00:18:18,760 --> 00:18:20,720
to be a sports writer.

448
00:18:20,720 --> 00:18:21,720
That's crazy.

449
00:18:21,720 --> 00:18:25,120
It's like being at the right place at the right time, right Tom?

450
00:18:25,120 --> 00:18:26,120
Yeah.

451
00:18:26,120 --> 00:18:31,240
You know, and just like, you know what I often think about is what if Carl or Billy had been

452
00:18:31,240 --> 00:18:34,120
like, yeah, that's probably too hard.

453
00:18:34,120 --> 00:18:37,200
You know, like you, you haven't played, you don't know anyone.

454
00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:38,280
I wouldn't do that.

455
00:18:38,280 --> 00:18:42,200
You know, like, I don't know how I would have, what I would have done if those guys were

456
00:18:42,200 --> 00:18:45,840
discouraging, you know, but both of them were really encouraging.

457
00:18:45,840 --> 00:18:48,080
And you know, I just sort of ran with it.

458
00:18:48,080 --> 00:18:50,880
You might have been covering the UConn team instead of coaching them.

459
00:18:50,880 --> 00:18:51,880
Yes, exactly.

460
00:18:51,880 --> 00:18:52,880
I would have been next to somebody.

461
00:18:52,880 --> 00:18:53,880
That's not a bad gig either.

462
00:18:53,880 --> 00:18:55,600
I know some dorks that did that.

463
00:18:55,600 --> 00:18:56,600
I don't know.

464
00:18:56,600 --> 00:18:57,600
Coach, I know.

465
00:18:57,600 --> 00:18:58,600
Okay.

466
00:18:58,600 --> 00:18:59,600
Yeah.

467
00:18:59,600 --> 00:19:06,400
It was a great, I mean, it's a noble profession and it was like, it was, you know, like I

468
00:19:06,400 --> 00:19:09,880
said, I mean, I'm from Worcester, like that central mass area.

469
00:19:09,880 --> 00:19:10,880
There was a Worcester Telegram.

470
00:19:10,880 --> 00:19:12,280
There was an evening Gazette.

471
00:19:12,280 --> 00:19:13,280
Yeah.

472
00:19:13,280 --> 00:19:18,680
Like I just figured, hey, if I, if I, if I can't play professionally in sports, like,

473
00:19:18,680 --> 00:19:20,040
let me try to cover sports.

474
00:19:20,040 --> 00:19:24,920
I mean, what a great, what a great life, you know, I thought that would be terrific and

475
00:19:24,920 --> 00:19:28,560
something pulled me the other direction and here it is.

476
00:19:28,560 --> 00:19:29,560
Yeah.

477
00:19:29,560 --> 00:19:32,720
Coach, I know you alluded to your head coaching stop at Worcester State.

478
00:19:32,720 --> 00:19:35,480
Could you talk a little bit about that and what it was like being a head coach for the

479
00:19:35,480 --> 00:19:36,480
first time?

480
00:19:36,480 --> 00:19:37,480
Yeah.

481
00:19:37,480 --> 00:19:38,480
How about this?

482
00:19:38,480 --> 00:19:41,160
I'll share a funny story with it.

483
00:19:41,160 --> 00:19:44,160
So I get, I do one year as an assistant at Worcester State.

484
00:19:44,160 --> 00:19:49,720
I do one year as an assistant at Assumption College in Worcester division two school.

485
00:19:49,720 --> 00:19:53,280
And now the Worcester State head coaching job opens up, you know, at the start of my

486
00:19:53,280 --> 00:19:54,280
third year.

487
00:19:54,280 --> 00:19:56,360
Now I'm only 24 years old.

488
00:19:56,360 --> 00:20:03,920
And I've got only two years of experience and, but it's a part-time position.

489
00:20:03,920 --> 00:20:08,200
It's at Worcester State back in, this would be 1989, 90.

490
00:20:08,200 --> 00:20:12,720
And so it's not like there's a lot of people clamoring for a part-time position at the

491
00:20:12,720 --> 00:20:16,520
division three level, which paid $3,500 for the year.

492
00:20:16,520 --> 00:20:21,000
That was like the stipend, you know, so it's like, it's not like I was fighting off like

493
00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:25,160
a young Mike Shieshsky or a young Bobby Knight to try to get the job, right?

494
00:20:25,160 --> 00:20:29,640
So the former assistant, the former head coach who I worked on, the who left, he said, you

495
00:20:29,640 --> 00:20:33,440
should apply, you know, and I'm like, Hey, I don't think I'll get it, but I'll apply.

496
00:20:33,440 --> 00:20:38,200
So they, they take it down to three guys, me and two other guys, they interview us,

497
00:20:38,200 --> 00:20:39,200
right?

498
00:20:39,200 --> 00:20:40,920
And they offer the job to another guy.

499
00:20:40,920 --> 00:20:45,600
So the guy says, he goes, let me think about it for a night and I'll talk to my wife and

500
00:20:45,600 --> 00:20:46,600
see if I want to take it.

501
00:20:46,600 --> 00:20:49,240
He sleeps on it and he comes back and says, I don't want it.

502
00:20:49,240 --> 00:20:52,720
So now it's me and the one other guy, they offer it to the other guy.

503
00:20:52,720 --> 00:20:57,280
So I was third of three, third of three.

504
00:20:57,280 --> 00:20:59,160
And the other guy goes, let me think about it.

505
00:20:59,160 --> 00:21:02,360
I'm going to talk to my wife and see whatever it, they must have looked at it like the amount

506
00:21:02,360 --> 00:21:03,360
of time, 3500 bucks.

507
00:21:03,360 --> 00:21:05,200
I got to be crazy.

508
00:21:05,200 --> 00:21:06,840
So he turns it down.

509
00:21:06,840 --> 00:21:09,920
So like, what a great vote of confidence.

510
00:21:09,920 --> 00:21:10,920
That's unbelievable.

511
00:21:10,920 --> 00:21:11,920
Yeah.

512
00:21:11,920 --> 00:21:16,480
And I think because I didn't have a wife at that time that I was single and I was, I

513
00:21:16,480 --> 00:21:17,480
would have done it for free.

514
00:21:17,480 --> 00:21:21,240
I didn't want to tell them that, but you know, I thought I was coaching at Duke, you know,

515
00:21:21,240 --> 00:21:25,840
to get that opportunity at 24 and off I went, you know, and it was awesome.

516
00:21:25,840 --> 00:21:26,840
I loved it.

517
00:21:26,840 --> 00:21:27,840
I mean, it was great.

518
00:21:27,840 --> 00:21:32,560
Those kids were, those kids, I loved coaching those kids because it's a state college division

519
00:21:32,560 --> 00:21:33,560
three.

520
00:21:33,560 --> 00:21:35,880
And there's two things about those kids that are neat.

521
00:21:35,880 --> 00:21:39,800
One is that most of them, the first generation in their family to go to school.

522
00:21:39,800 --> 00:21:42,520
So it was really rewarding to watch them go through that.

523
00:21:42,520 --> 00:21:48,080
And number two, like those kids love it just as much as these kids do, you know, like we

524
00:21:48,080 --> 00:21:53,400
have 200 people at our games, you know, and here at Yukon, you get, you know, you're

525
00:21:53,400 --> 00:21:56,320
going to play in front of when you play a national championship, you're playing in front

526
00:21:56,320 --> 00:22:01,040
of 70,000, you know, but like these kids wanted it just as badly.

527
00:22:01,040 --> 00:22:06,560
The time commitment they gave, the amount of toughness they showed and, you know, with

528
00:22:06,560 --> 00:22:11,600
the state Salem state game, you know, had the same meaning to those kids as a Yukon

529
00:22:11,600 --> 00:22:14,880
Villanova game would mean to one of our guys.

530
00:22:14,880 --> 00:22:15,880
That's cool.

531
00:22:15,880 --> 00:22:20,560
You guys remember when coach Pichl said in the New York post about not being the first

532
00:22:20,560 --> 00:22:24,560
picked for whoever, maybe it was Rutgers, I wasn't my wife's first choice either and

533
00:22:24,560 --> 00:22:25,560
things worked out.

534
00:22:25,560 --> 00:22:28,080
Yeah, I ended up in sports illustrator that quote.

535
00:22:28,080 --> 00:22:29,600
Yeah, that's funny.

536
00:22:29,600 --> 00:22:30,600
Yeah, yeah.

537
00:22:30,600 --> 00:22:31,600
Yeah.

538
00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:33,080
Coach, Jason Harle here.

539
00:22:33,080 --> 00:22:36,080
It's funny that you were, you're mentioning division three basketball.

540
00:22:36,080 --> 00:22:39,240
I actually coach right down the road from you guys at Eastern Connecticut.

541
00:22:39,240 --> 00:22:41,240
So, um, well, great.

542
00:22:41,240 --> 00:22:42,240
Yeah.

543
00:22:42,240 --> 00:22:46,040
Jason, I used to coach against the years I was there, Dan Swachenko was.

544
00:22:46,040 --> 00:22:50,480
Oh, he actually just retired last year, believe it or not, from teaching.

545
00:22:50,480 --> 00:22:51,480
Yeah.

546
00:22:51,480 --> 00:22:52,480
Yeah, he was terrific.

547
00:22:52,480 --> 00:22:53,480
Yeah.

548
00:22:53,480 --> 00:22:56,600
He was intense and they had great teams there when I was there.

549
00:22:56,600 --> 00:22:57,600
Yeah, they played defense.

550
00:22:57,600 --> 00:22:58,760
I got to ask you this.

551
00:22:58,760 --> 00:23:02,440
Um, a lot of our younger listeners probably don't know that you were on the staff with

552
00:23:02,440 --> 00:23:10,000
Calhoun and when you guys won the first championship back in 99, can you compare and contrast the

553
00:23:10,000 --> 00:23:13,920
coach Calhoun style with coach Hurley style now?

554
00:23:13,920 --> 00:23:17,360
Is there similarities or what, what are the differences?

555
00:23:17,360 --> 00:23:19,440
Yeah, I love talking about it.

556
00:23:19,440 --> 00:23:25,480
I'm going to use up the rest of the show on this thing because those two guys are so similar

557
00:23:25,480 --> 00:23:29,560
in, um, I think, I think I'll put it this way.

558
00:23:29,560 --> 00:23:33,240
They're so similar in their approach to running this program.

559
00:23:33,240 --> 00:23:39,960
Uh, very, very similar, eerily similar in how they attack running the program.

560
00:23:39,960 --> 00:23:46,840
Um, from a, from a coaching and a technical point of view, I think they're both defensive

561
00:23:46,840 --> 00:23:49,280
minded first and foremost.

562
00:23:49,280 --> 00:23:57,160
Um, and I think Dan is, Dan has come up in an age where the offensive sophistication

563
00:23:57,160 --> 00:24:01,240
has become much greater with the influence of the European game.

564
00:24:01,240 --> 00:24:05,960
Um, and, uh, there was a little, there was a little less of that when we were in the

565
00:24:05,960 --> 00:24:08,280
mid, early to mid nineties.

566
00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:17,280
Um, so, um, I think there's a little more emphasis on, on, on offensive actions right

567
00:24:17,280 --> 00:24:22,360
now, you know, that, that Dan has sort of brought and really elevated in the last couple

568
00:24:22,360 --> 00:24:24,160
years in particular.

569
00:24:24,160 --> 00:24:30,240
But um, I think both of them first and foremost are, are defensive minded coaches, but they

570
00:24:30,240 --> 00:24:38,520
are both incredibly driven, um, incredibly passionate about their programs and their

571
00:24:38,520 --> 00:24:39,520
kids.

572
00:24:39,520 --> 00:24:45,720
Um, they are wired so similarly in terms of the commitment they make to the program.

573
00:24:45,720 --> 00:24:53,000
Um, you know, it's, it's eerie that, that, that like married two boys roughly both about

574
00:24:53,000 --> 00:24:56,480
the same age when they were coming through.

575
00:24:56,480 --> 00:25:02,720
Um, you know, like I, I often say about both of those guys, if you wanted to put a hit

576
00:25:02,720 --> 00:25:07,840
out on Dan Hurley or coach Calhoun, you'd be able to, there's one or two places you

577
00:25:07,840 --> 00:25:12,960
could go send the, send the killer either to their house, just wait at their driveway

578
00:25:12,960 --> 00:25:15,280
or their parking space at gamble.

579
00:25:15,280 --> 00:25:16,280
Yeah.

580
00:25:16,280 --> 00:25:20,080
Cause that's where they're going to be all the time.

581
00:25:20,080 --> 00:25:21,080
Right.

582
00:25:21,080 --> 00:25:23,000
Like they are, if they're not at home, they're here.

583
00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:25,000
And if they're not here, they're at home.

584
00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:27,720
You know, they both started in high school too, right?

585
00:25:27,720 --> 00:25:28,720
Exactly.

586
00:25:28,720 --> 00:25:29,720
Yeah, exactly.

587
00:25:29,720 --> 00:25:35,960
But they're very much like they like their, their wives, their two chit, their two boys

588
00:25:35,960 --> 00:25:37,760
and my program.

589
00:25:37,760 --> 00:25:42,280
And that's what they, that's what consumes them like 24 hours a day.

590
00:25:42,280 --> 00:25:43,680
And it's so similar.

591
00:25:43,680 --> 00:25:45,880
Like I might get something from Dan now.

592
00:25:45,880 --> 00:25:51,680
Um, where we're at, you know, 10 at night where it's something about NIL or it's something

593
00:25:51,680 --> 00:25:54,680
about scheduling or something like that.

594
00:25:54,680 --> 00:26:00,040
And I'd get something from coach Calhoun back in the day at 10 PM about like, you know,

595
00:26:00,040 --> 00:26:04,880
a, you know, back then I was doing all the scouting, like a scouting thing or a recruiting

596
00:26:04,880 --> 00:26:10,960
question, you know, so like it's they, they're consumed with, um, the program and they're

597
00:26:10,960 --> 00:26:19,480
both, they both will, will fight tooth and nail to try to not give any ground to anybody

598
00:26:19,480 --> 00:26:21,680
in terms of any aspect of the program.

599
00:26:21,680 --> 00:26:26,880
But they're always competing at trying to make sure that the program doesn't get anything

600
00:26:26,880 --> 00:26:32,840
taken away from it, uh, you know, from a support standpoint or that the program isn't

601
00:26:32,840 --> 00:26:37,400
slighted, you know, from a conference standpoint or from a media standpoint.

602
00:26:37,400 --> 00:26:40,000
Um, they're just like, it's their lives.

603
00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:43,040
They throw everything into it to hear all the time.

604
00:26:43,040 --> 00:26:49,120
Uh, and, uh, that's why I say like that's the common denominator too, with, uh, people

605
00:26:49,120 --> 00:26:52,480
ask me all the time, like, how did they play so hard for him?

606
00:26:52,480 --> 00:26:54,880
You know, they used to say that to me about coach Calhoun.

607
00:26:54,880 --> 00:26:57,680
Now the thing about coach early, like, why did they play so hard for him?

608
00:26:57,680 --> 00:27:01,520
It's cause all these dudes know, like he's with them all the time.

609
00:27:01,520 --> 00:27:03,800
Like he is in the fight with them all the time.

610
00:27:03,800 --> 00:27:06,240
I could say the same thing about both of them, you know?

611
00:27:06,240 --> 00:27:10,280
So, um, yeah, they're, they're, they're very, very similar.

612
00:27:10,280 --> 00:27:16,320
It almost, almost like exactly the same in their, in their approach to program to running

613
00:27:16,320 --> 00:27:17,320
the program.

614
00:27:17,320 --> 00:27:18,320
How about this?

615
00:27:18,320 --> 00:27:23,680
Um, I make the comparison of, I don't know if he would like this coach early, but he

616
00:27:23,680 --> 00:27:28,040
reminds me a little bit of a young Rick Bettino, the way he's on the sideline, but I don't

617
00:27:28,040 --> 00:27:29,240
want to make it about them.

618
00:27:29,240 --> 00:27:35,520
I've said this to all the guys here in the past and I've argued with people about this.

619
00:27:35,520 --> 00:27:41,280
I think maybe I'm biased cause I'm a, I'm a Yukon Homer too, but I think Jim Calhoun

620
00:27:41,280 --> 00:27:46,560
has done, did the best job ever of building a division one program.

621
00:27:46,560 --> 00:27:52,280
Just from the fact that, I mean, you know, the field house, the Yankee conference, where

622
00:27:52,280 --> 00:27:57,400
they were, I know people will say, well, John Wood and all that, but like it was LA like

623
00:27:57,400 --> 00:28:00,480
stores Connecticut is like it's a name now.

624
00:28:00,480 --> 00:28:04,280
And I've never seen like, you know what the field house looks like, right?

625
00:28:04,280 --> 00:28:06,200
I mean, the Yankee conference.

626
00:28:06,200 --> 00:28:08,640
I mean, do I have a good case on that?

627
00:28:08,640 --> 00:28:10,840
Cause I'll argue that to death with people.

628
00:28:10,840 --> 00:28:11,840
Oh yeah.

629
00:28:11,840 --> 00:28:12,840
I would agree.

630
00:28:12,840 --> 00:28:16,320
I mean, I'm biased too, obviously cause coach Calhoun means the world to me.

631
00:28:16,320 --> 00:28:18,360
But yeah, I agree with you a hundred percent.

632
00:28:18,360 --> 00:28:22,200
When you think about, you know, I'll debate people.

633
00:28:22,200 --> 00:28:26,240
Sometimes people will talk about, all right, we just coach stand on the top five greatest

634
00:28:26,240 --> 00:28:30,880
coaches of all time and people have them at three or they are math five or they have

635
00:28:30,880 --> 00:28:31,880
my whatever.

636
00:28:31,880 --> 00:28:35,560
And now, you know, you want to say wooden or eight, I guess.

637
00:28:35,560 --> 00:28:38,520
And then you want to sit, you want to say Shoshesky like, okay.

638
00:28:38,520 --> 00:28:40,200
Yeah, but they were good.

639
00:28:40,200 --> 00:28:41,920
They were good before.

640
00:28:41,920 --> 00:28:42,920
Yeah.

641
00:28:42,920 --> 00:28:46,120
But the places they were at, you know, like Duke had a history and Duke had a history

642
00:28:46,120 --> 00:28:47,800
and Duke was in a great conference.

643
00:28:47,800 --> 00:28:52,800
And like you said at UCLA, you had the pack 12, pack 10 back down or probably pack eight

644
00:28:52,800 --> 00:28:56,880
when he was there and you had Los Angeles.

645
00:28:56,880 --> 00:29:00,880
And people will talk about Roy Williams and coach Williams is a phenomenal coach and his

646
00:29:00,880 --> 00:29:04,760
his track record of final fours and lead eights incredible.

647
00:29:04,760 --> 00:29:12,640
But again, his two jobs were Kansas and North Carolina, you know, and so like, yeah, to

648
00:29:12,640 --> 00:29:19,160
think that he built this out in stores, Connecticut, at a place and with those facilities.

649
00:29:19,160 --> 00:29:24,440
And even in the big East, like they used to tell me stories when I first got here about

650
00:29:24,440 --> 00:29:25,440
how they built it.

651
00:29:25,440 --> 00:29:30,560
And they started, you know, like 86 and they were selling the selling the league.

652
00:29:30,560 --> 00:29:37,040
Like they weren't selling Yukon to recruits in those 86 87 88 just getting it going.

653
00:29:37,040 --> 00:29:41,640
They were selling the big East like they were selling play on Big Monday, playing the carrier

654
00:29:41,640 --> 00:29:46,360
don't, you know, play at Villanova, play at Georgetown, play at Syracuse, St. John's,

655
00:29:46,360 --> 00:29:47,960
you know, the big East tournament.

656
00:29:47,960 --> 00:29:48,960
They really couldn't.

657
00:29:48,960 --> 00:29:50,960
They didn't have anything to sell at Connecticut.

658
00:29:50,960 --> 00:29:55,200
You know, they were like, and then if you also notice, if you look at those rosters

659
00:29:55,200 --> 00:30:01,280
of the early teams, like they didn't feel like they could win battles in the Northeast

660
00:30:01,280 --> 00:30:06,320
cities for great players, you know, like they couldn't go to New York City and beat St.

661
00:30:06,320 --> 00:30:10,320
John's and Syracuse were getting guys out of New York City, right?

662
00:30:10,320 --> 00:30:13,080
They couldn't go to Philly and beat Villanova.

663
00:30:13,080 --> 00:30:17,400
They couldn't go to DC or Baltimore to beat Georgetown and beat Georgetown for anyone

664
00:30:17,400 --> 00:30:18,400
worth anything.

665
00:30:18,400 --> 00:30:20,400
From a recruiting standpoint, you're saying?

666
00:30:20,400 --> 00:30:22,080
Yeah, from a recruiting standpoint.

667
00:30:22,080 --> 00:30:23,080
Yes.

668
00:30:23,080 --> 00:30:26,600
So a lot of those guys with the recruiting, but what they did is they sold, you know,

669
00:30:26,600 --> 00:30:30,800
they went after guys that were outside the geographic footprint and they sold the big

670
00:30:30,800 --> 00:30:34,800
East, the allure, the big East, you know, and you think of, you know, some of the guys

671
00:30:34,800 --> 00:30:40,760
over the years that they went after that came in and built like Lyman De Priests is from

672
00:30:40,760 --> 00:30:46,840
Michigan and Rod Sellers is from, you know, down in South Carolina, you know, taking

673
00:30:46,840 --> 00:30:47,840
them in.

674
00:30:47,840 --> 00:30:48,840
Donnie and Ollie.

675
00:30:48,840 --> 00:30:54,520
Yeah, Donnie, Kevin, Travis Knight, like, you know, then he goes from the dove overseas,

676
00:30:54,520 --> 00:30:55,840
you know, and drone overseas.

677
00:30:55,840 --> 00:30:56,840
I love Jeff.

678
00:30:56,840 --> 00:30:58,920
Yeah, Kevin from LA, right?

679
00:30:58,920 --> 00:31:04,160
Like a lot of those guys were from areas that they couldn't, they didn't feel like they

680
00:31:04,160 --> 00:31:08,960
could beat, you know, some of those big East powerhouses and, you know, and then they got

681
00:31:08,960 --> 00:31:14,040
a couple, obviously, Chris Smith is a huge recruit, maybe the most important recruit

682
00:31:14,040 --> 00:31:18,600
because it made it cool for a Connecticut kid, you know, to go to Yukon and then obviously

683
00:31:18,600 --> 00:31:23,440
Scoparelle was a huge recruit because it was an in-state kid.

684
00:31:23,440 --> 00:31:28,720
Once he hit, like, you know, 1990 and that dream team, like it started to really take

685
00:31:28,720 --> 00:31:34,360
off, you know, and it was like a legitimate, you know, basketball powerhouse.

686
00:31:34,360 --> 00:31:37,920
Coach, I want to stay with Coach Calhoun just for another second.

687
00:31:37,920 --> 00:31:42,040
When you were hired in 1994, what was your connection with Coach Calhoun?

688
00:31:42,040 --> 00:31:45,800
Did he know you from Worcester State or did he know you previously or how did that come

689
00:31:45,800 --> 00:31:46,800
to pass?

690
00:31:46,800 --> 00:31:51,440
Well, that's another funny story here, all right, on this one.

691
00:31:51,440 --> 00:31:55,840
It was Carl Hobbs, you know, like, remember how I mentioned it when I was a student at

692
00:31:55,840 --> 00:31:58,800
the U.S. when I met Carl.

693
00:31:58,800 --> 00:32:03,600
I go, so now fast forward, I go one year at Worcester State, one year at Assumption, now

694
00:32:03,600 --> 00:32:09,400
I'm in my fifth year as a head coach at Worcester State and we have made, like, in 1993, we made

695
00:32:09,400 --> 00:32:11,720
the ECA season division three.

696
00:32:11,720 --> 00:32:17,040
It's like the equivalent of, like, the NIT and then we made the NCAA tournament in 94

697
00:32:17,040 --> 00:32:20,320
at Worcester State and they hadn't made it since, like, 75 or 76.

698
00:32:20,320 --> 00:32:25,560
I'm like, this is the best I can do here, you know, like, I've done five years and,

699
00:32:25,560 --> 00:32:29,720
like, I've got to get a division one assistance job somehow.

700
00:32:29,720 --> 00:32:35,880
So I really tried hard after that 93 year and the 94 year and they had a restricted earnings

701
00:32:35,880 --> 00:32:40,880
position which is basically like the third assistance spot at Yukon and Carl, just a

702
00:32:40,880 --> 00:32:45,040
word of mouth, I get out there, Carl finds out I'm interested and Carl's like, I can

703
00:32:45,040 --> 00:32:49,480
get you involved here with this because Carl, actually what happened was Dave Lado took

704
00:32:49,480 --> 00:32:54,000
the northeastern job and they moved, Coach Calhoun moved Carl up from the third spot

705
00:32:54,000 --> 00:32:55,240
to the second spot.

706
00:32:55,240 --> 00:33:01,840
So now the third spot's vacant and it's June, July, August and Coach Calhoun is, like, his

707
00:33:01,840 --> 00:33:06,200
preference is to give it to a former player, you know, because those type of positions

708
00:33:06,200 --> 00:33:10,360
sometimes go to former players, you know, somebody who might have played overseas and

709
00:33:10,360 --> 00:33:13,240
is finishing up their career and they want to get into coaching.

710
00:33:13,240 --> 00:33:15,360
So Coach Calhoun was pretty transparent with me.

711
00:33:15,360 --> 00:33:19,560
He was like, hey, you're impressed, you know, your stuff's impressive.

712
00:33:19,560 --> 00:33:23,240
What you've done, you seem ready, you're 28 years old and stuff and you've already got

713
00:33:23,240 --> 00:33:24,240
a lot of experience.

714
00:33:24,240 --> 00:33:28,320
You could be good at it, but like, I prefer former players and I'm just sort of weeding

715
00:33:28,320 --> 00:33:32,120
out who could be one of those guys, but you're right there.

716
00:33:32,120 --> 00:33:37,080
So he takes his decision into like the end of August and he decides on someone else.

717
00:33:37,080 --> 00:33:43,280
Like he gave it to one of his former northeastern players who had just finished a career overseas

718
00:33:43,280 --> 00:33:46,680
and thought they wanted to get into coaching.

719
00:33:46,680 --> 00:33:49,960
So I came in second again for this job, you know.

720
00:33:49,960 --> 00:33:50,960
So there you go.

721
00:33:50,960 --> 00:33:57,120
I'm in second again, two out of two and so I'm heading back to Wister State for my sixth

722
00:33:57,120 --> 00:34:01,800
year and I'll never forget this is the most faithful night of my life professionally.

723
00:34:01,800 --> 00:34:06,400
I mean, you notice guys, I threw in there professionally because if my wife hears this

724
00:34:06,400 --> 00:34:11,720
and she hears that, I don't say personally, like she's going to be mad at this, but this

725
00:34:11,720 --> 00:34:13,520
was the biggest night of my life.

726
00:34:13,520 --> 00:34:19,200
It was a Friday night, like the third or fourth week in September of 94 and I decided like

727
00:34:19,200 --> 00:34:24,360
there was a AAU tournament going on in Boston at Northeastern and I'm like, should I go

728
00:34:24,360 --> 00:34:26,320
down there and recruit?

729
00:34:26,320 --> 00:34:30,240
You know, it's like, you know, I'm thinking back and forth like I was over at Wister State

730
00:34:30,240 --> 00:34:34,840
that Friday afternoon to like, you know, there was, we had workouts and lifts and whatever

731
00:34:34,840 --> 00:34:38,000
and I'm getting ready again for my sixth season over there.

732
00:34:38,000 --> 00:34:41,680
And this guy at UConn has been working at the job for like, you know, whatever three

733
00:34:41,680 --> 00:34:43,520
or four months or three or four weeks, right?

734
00:34:43,520 --> 00:34:45,360
He had just gotten the job.

735
00:34:45,360 --> 00:34:49,880
And so I decided to go down up to Boston to recruit.

736
00:34:49,880 --> 00:34:51,560
I'm in the stands.

737
00:34:51,560 --> 00:34:56,480
I'm watching games six o'clock, seven o'clock, eight o'clock, nine o'clock, just like recruiting,

738
00:34:56,480 --> 00:34:58,600
you know, for Wister State.

739
00:34:58,600 --> 00:35:03,240
All of a sudden Carl Hobbs walks in at like 9.30 or so, right?

740
00:35:03,240 --> 00:35:07,440
And he sees me and he's like, you know, there's only five or six college coaches there.

741
00:35:07,440 --> 00:35:09,240
He sees me and he's like, what are you doing here?

742
00:35:09,240 --> 00:35:13,120
You know, I'm like, I'm just recruiting, you know, he's like, me and coach are going

743
00:35:13,120 --> 00:35:15,960
to watch a kid in the 10 p.m. game.

744
00:35:15,960 --> 00:35:18,120
And he goes, coach is meeting me here.

745
00:35:18,120 --> 00:35:19,800
He took a separate car.

746
00:35:19,800 --> 00:35:20,800
So I said, oh, all right.

747
00:35:20,800 --> 00:35:21,800
So he's sitting down.

748
00:35:21,800 --> 00:35:22,960
I had no idea he was coming.

749
00:35:22,960 --> 00:35:24,480
He had no idea I was going to be there.

750
00:35:24,480 --> 00:35:26,920
But all of a sudden came comes coach Calhoun, right?

751
00:35:26,920 --> 00:35:29,920
So this is my first time that my, I didn't interview with coach.

752
00:35:29,920 --> 00:35:32,200
I just did a couple of phone interviews, you know?

753
00:35:32,200 --> 00:35:33,560
So this is my first time around them.

754
00:35:33,560 --> 00:35:34,640
I'm nervous to shit.

755
00:35:34,640 --> 00:35:38,880
I'm like, oh boy, like coach Calhoun, you know what him, you know, it's just like, I'm

756
00:35:38,880 --> 00:35:40,400
like, oh geez, you know?

757
00:35:40,400 --> 00:35:42,400
So Carl goes, hey, coach is a Tom.

758
00:35:42,400 --> 00:35:44,800
Remember, you know, you're the Tom Moore for a while.

759
00:35:44,800 --> 00:35:45,920
Hey, nice meeting you in person.

760
00:35:45,920 --> 00:35:46,920
Hey, what's going on?

761
00:35:46,920 --> 00:35:51,040
And we sat there, me, him and Carl, and he was like, just like low key.

762
00:35:51,040 --> 00:35:52,040
He was funny.

763
00:35:52,040 --> 00:35:53,040
He was laughing.

764
00:35:53,040 --> 00:35:54,040
He was joking.

765
00:35:54,040 --> 00:35:55,440
He was like, just a regular guy.

766
00:35:55,440 --> 00:35:57,280
It was just the three of us, you know?

767
00:35:57,280 --> 00:36:02,200
So I was like, wow, coach is like different than what you see on the sideline, you know?

768
00:36:02,200 --> 00:36:07,840
And Monday morning comes and Carl calls me and Carl goes, hey, listen, do you think you

769
00:36:07,840 --> 00:36:12,880
could get out of the, you deal at Wista State this year and come and take this job?

770
00:36:12,880 --> 00:36:13,880
You know?

771
00:36:13,880 --> 00:36:16,720
And I'm like, yeah, I'll walk down there to come down.

772
00:36:16,720 --> 00:36:19,520
I'm like, yeah, yeah.

773
00:36:19,520 --> 00:36:24,000
Even though it was restricted earnings, I was going from, you know, and by this point,

774
00:36:24,000 --> 00:36:29,080
it makes it even interesting, but I was getting married like a week, a week or two later.

775
00:36:29,080 --> 00:36:33,760
And I had to tell my wife, like I was making like the hefty salary of like, I don't know,

776
00:36:33,760 --> 00:36:40,200
25 grand or something at Wista State, and I was going to go now make 16 at Yukon, you

777
00:36:40,200 --> 00:36:41,200
know?

778
00:36:41,200 --> 00:36:43,760
And I had to explain to her that it was a promotion, you know?

779
00:36:43,760 --> 00:36:46,440
There's not going to be a honeymoon.

780
00:36:46,440 --> 00:36:47,440
No, no, exactly.

781
00:36:47,440 --> 00:36:50,960
And it wasn't two because practice started.

782
00:36:50,960 --> 00:36:55,680
We had, at the division three level, practice started November 1st.

783
00:36:55,680 --> 00:36:58,000
So we get married October 22nd.

784
00:36:58,000 --> 00:37:01,200
You know, we picked the date like a year and a half in advance, October 22nd.

785
00:37:01,200 --> 00:37:05,680
We'll do like seven days, take it to like the 29th, and we'll start practice at Wista

786
00:37:05,680 --> 00:37:07,880
State on November 1, right?

787
00:37:07,880 --> 00:37:12,960
But I get the Yukon, I get the thing at Yukon and practice starts October 15th.

788
00:37:12,960 --> 00:37:16,360
So I said to Alina, I'm like, I'm going to be lucky if coach is going to give me a wedding

789
00:37:16,360 --> 00:37:17,360
day off.

790
00:37:17,360 --> 00:37:18,360
Yeah, exactly.

791
00:37:18,360 --> 00:37:19,360
Like a honeymoon.

792
00:37:19,360 --> 00:37:21,960
Yeah, I don't even know if I'm going to get the day, you know?

793
00:37:21,960 --> 00:37:27,680
But so anyway, we ended up, and the reason they did it was just because the guy that

794
00:37:27,680 --> 00:37:32,520
they hired wasn't quite ready to make the transition from playing the coaching and he

795
00:37:32,520 --> 00:37:34,200
didn't do a good enough job, you know?

796
00:37:34,200 --> 00:37:38,920
And coach liked what he saw when he met me and hung out with me for that hour.

797
00:37:38,920 --> 00:37:43,160
He was impressed with me and he was just like, you know, my guys, my former player is not

798
00:37:43,160 --> 00:37:44,160
ready.

799
00:37:44,160 --> 00:37:47,000
Like we got to pull the plug on this and we got to get Tom in here.

800
00:37:47,000 --> 00:37:51,600
You know, and it was like, so just through like, just through trying to do a good job

801
00:37:51,600 --> 00:37:55,200
that night for Wista State, I got like the opportunity of a lifetime.

802
00:37:55,200 --> 00:37:56,840
I'll never forget it.

803
00:37:56,840 --> 00:37:58,960
Everything happens for a reason, right?

804
00:37:58,960 --> 00:37:59,960
Yeah, yeah.

805
00:37:59,960 --> 00:38:07,120
So I want to focus on what you hang your hat on as a staffer there in the Calhoun era

806
00:38:07,120 --> 00:38:10,760
and now, like what do you do primarily?

807
00:38:10,760 --> 00:38:15,960
Is it game prep, recruiting, offense, like guard stuff, postman stuff?

808
00:38:15,960 --> 00:38:20,040
Like what's like your major function on the court and off?

809
00:38:20,040 --> 00:38:21,040
Okay.

810
00:38:21,040 --> 00:38:27,800
Um, the first time I was here, it was, it changed quite a bit from that restricted earnings,

811
00:38:27,800 --> 00:38:30,840
94, 95, I couldn't go on the road recruiting.

812
00:38:30,840 --> 00:38:35,840
That's how the third assistant spot was delineated by the NCAA.

813
00:38:35,840 --> 00:38:40,920
So coach Dickerman, Howie Dickerman was on staff and Hobbs, he was on staff and they

814
00:38:40,920 --> 00:38:45,640
did all the recruiting and I had to, in July and June, I couldn't, during the season,

815
00:38:45,640 --> 00:38:49,160
I couldn't go out and I stayed as the third assistant.

816
00:38:49,160 --> 00:38:53,360
They lifted the restricted earnings tag on that after one year, fortunately.

817
00:38:53,360 --> 00:39:00,720
But um, so I think I stayed from 94 to like, oh, 2000 in that third spot and what coach,

818
00:39:00,720 --> 00:39:04,800
the way coach did it is he had the guy in the third spot to every scout.

819
00:39:04,800 --> 00:39:09,040
So I was on the court for practices and I was on the court, obviously on the bench for

820
00:39:09,040 --> 00:39:12,440
games and I did every scout of every opponent.

821
00:39:12,440 --> 00:39:13,440
Wow.

822
00:39:13,440 --> 00:39:15,440
In those six years, yeah.

823
00:39:15,440 --> 00:39:21,000
And um, and Carl did the guards and coach D did the big and um, but I just sort of picked,

824
00:39:21,000 --> 00:39:23,960
you know, filled in wherever I could here or there or whatever.

825
00:39:23,960 --> 00:39:26,200
Um, I got, I got, I got to jump in.

826
00:39:26,200 --> 00:39:29,040
Are you talking live or VHS type of stuff?

827
00:39:29,040 --> 00:39:33,640
It's not like the technology today where you can click on like, you know, no, it was VHS.

828
00:39:33,640 --> 00:39:34,640
Yeah.

829
00:39:34,640 --> 00:39:39,960
Like deck to deck, like we had two, two VHS players and you had to like cut out, you know,

830
00:39:39,960 --> 00:39:41,600
edit what you needed.

831
00:39:41,600 --> 00:39:42,840
Oh my goodness.

832
00:39:42,840 --> 00:39:44,360
Did managers help you?

833
00:39:44,360 --> 00:39:45,920
No, not really.

834
00:39:45,920 --> 00:39:46,920
Oh my goodness.

835
00:39:46,920 --> 00:39:47,920
They would help it.

836
00:39:47,920 --> 00:39:48,920
Yeah.

837
00:39:48,920 --> 00:39:50,920
They'd help in acquiring the VHS tapes.

838
00:39:50,920 --> 00:39:56,280
You know, we always had a well-stocked library of VHS tapes, but um, you know, I did all

839
00:39:56,280 --> 00:40:01,760
the watching and all the editing and uh, it was just, you settle into a rhythm and a routine.

840
00:40:01,760 --> 00:40:06,800
I mean, it was hard, you know, you get your occasional Saturday, Monday game or something

841
00:40:06,800 --> 00:40:11,440
and it would be hard, but like you just, you just climb through the season and you,

842
00:40:11,440 --> 00:40:16,080
there's a rhythm to it too, you know, that, that is, you know, that, that you just sort

843
00:40:16,080 --> 00:40:20,520
of settle into, you know, but um, and then in the summer I ran his camp.

844
00:40:20,520 --> 00:40:23,680
Like that's what I did basically as soon as we got back from the final four of the

845
00:40:23,680 --> 00:40:28,480
coaches convention and, or if we were in the final four, like I would come back and I just

846
00:40:28,480 --> 00:40:34,640
run to get three weeks of day camp or overnight camp in, in July and I would run that.

847
00:40:34,640 --> 00:40:40,440
And then once I, we got to 2000, 2001, I was, he, uh, I think what, oh, Carl got the George

848
00:40:40,440 --> 00:40:44,480
Washington job and he moved me up to the second spot.

849
00:40:44,480 --> 00:40:48,000
Then he moved me up to the first spot and it was, you know, then it was traditional.

850
00:40:48,000 --> 00:40:54,760
I had, uh, the guards and, um, I had a full load of responsibilities of, uh, recruiting

851
00:40:54,760 --> 00:41:00,960
and, and, um, and then he moved me up to the associate head coaching position for a couple

852
00:41:00,960 --> 00:41:03,760
years too, as well before I left for Quinnipiac.

853
00:41:03,760 --> 00:41:05,800
Now it's, it's been different.

854
00:41:05,800 --> 00:41:12,600
I came in with Dan as pretty much a traditional assistant coach where I worked with the bigs

855
00:41:12,600 --> 00:41:16,760
and, um, did scouts and did recruiting.

856
00:41:16,760 --> 00:41:21,960
But in the last two years, Dan is like probably the last year in two years.

857
00:41:21,960 --> 00:41:24,440
We're trying to get ahead of this NIL stuff.

858
00:41:24,440 --> 00:41:28,800
And I think he sort of sees me a little more in terms of a general manager.

859
00:41:28,800 --> 00:41:35,360
So, um, Luke and Kamani have done all the scouts and we've sort of like transitioned

860
00:41:35,360 --> 00:41:40,680
me from even recruiting, um, into more of just the general manager type of thing.

861
00:41:40,680 --> 00:41:46,080
So I'm dealing with NIL and the collective and I'm dealing with scheduling conference

862
00:41:46,080 --> 00:41:47,560
issues and things like that.

863
00:41:47,560 --> 00:41:49,560
So, um, I'm enjoying it.

864
00:41:49,560 --> 00:41:50,560
It's new.

865
00:41:50,560 --> 00:41:51,560
It's different.

866
00:41:51,560 --> 00:41:52,560
It's a new challenge.

867
00:41:52,560 --> 00:41:56,440
And, uh, I'm just, I'm thrilled to be able to still be a part of UConn basketball in

868
00:41:56,440 --> 00:42:00,320
these last two years, obviously, as you guys can imagine, it's been like just a dream.

869
00:42:00,320 --> 00:42:02,720
So Tom, Tom, I have a question for you on the scout.

870
00:42:02,720 --> 00:42:05,320
Um, did you, you did the scout for the 99 game?

871
00:42:05,320 --> 00:42:06,320
Against Duke?

872
00:42:06,320 --> 00:42:07,320
Yes.

873
00:42:07,320 --> 00:42:12,000
And what did you think when you saw them and what was the message to the team to coach?

874
00:42:12,000 --> 00:42:16,760
Um, this is, uh, there's another funny story with this.

875
00:42:16,760 --> 00:42:20,600
It's a coach Calhoun used to have this thing where he had, and if any of the people on

876
00:42:20,600 --> 00:42:23,320
the podcast have read his book, they know the story.

877
00:42:23,320 --> 00:42:30,240
Um, he told a couple of them in regards to this game is he used to watch games like religiously

878
00:42:30,240 --> 00:42:33,280
at home at night, you know, and he had these blue cards.

879
00:42:33,280 --> 00:42:37,240
You're like, uh, index cards and whenever he's played a team that he thought we might

880
00:42:37,240 --> 00:42:43,560
play in the NCA, he would take little notes on different teams that he would watch nationally.

881
00:42:43,560 --> 00:42:47,680
And he had a ton of notes on Duke because he thought we were one of the best teams in

882
00:42:47,680 --> 00:42:52,080
the country and he knew they were one of the best teams in the country.

883
00:42:52,080 --> 00:42:56,320
So he, you know, I think he felt we could meet them in a regional final or a final four

884
00:42:56,320 --> 00:42:58,580
game or a national championship game.

885
00:42:58,580 --> 00:43:04,160
So he had a lot of ideas on them as we approached that week of the final four, we had to get

886
00:43:04,160 --> 00:43:09,080
ready for Ohio State first, but, um, it was a feeling that we would be playing Duke if

887
00:43:09,080 --> 00:43:10,960
we got by Ohio State.

888
00:43:10,960 --> 00:43:17,240
And he had a pretty, he had his all his thoughts and ideas on what he wanted to do ready, um,

889
00:43:17,240 --> 00:43:19,400
you know, for Duke ahead of that game.

890
00:43:19,400 --> 00:43:23,440
But, um, you know, we did come up with, we talked about double teaming out and brand

891
00:43:23,440 --> 00:43:26,200
that was, that was really important.

892
00:43:26,200 --> 00:43:30,480
There was a couple of things like offensively, we really tried to get Ricky more juiced up

893
00:43:30,480 --> 00:43:36,600
about scoring because we knew that they were going to try to deny both ripped and collared

894
00:43:36,600 --> 00:43:37,600
on the wings.

895
00:43:37,600 --> 00:43:43,440
They had, they had played a style of man defense that year where they put extreme ball pressure

896
00:43:43,440 --> 00:43:46,840
on the ball, whoever was handling it on the perimeter.

897
00:43:46,840 --> 00:43:50,960
And then one pass away, they were really in the past some lanes trying to deny.

898
00:43:50,960 --> 00:43:55,200
So like we had told Ricky, like you got to be prepared to beat your man and go try to

899
00:43:55,200 --> 00:43:58,360
score because if you look to your left or you look to your right, they're going to be

900
00:43:58,360 --> 00:44:03,520
really exaggerated and passing lanes and they're going to be pressuring you, Rick, basically,

901
00:44:03,520 --> 00:44:08,800
you know, and Ricky as, as you people remember, the people watch us closely, Ricky was a reluctant

902
00:44:08,800 --> 00:44:09,800
scorer.

903
00:44:09,800 --> 00:44:14,320
He came in as a, as a big time scorer in high school and then he started to lose some confidence

904
00:44:14,320 --> 00:44:19,800
in his shot and then he gets surrounded by two guys who didn't mind like casting them

905
00:44:19,800 --> 00:44:22,200
up and Rick and Colin.

906
00:44:22,200 --> 00:44:23,840
Yeah, that was kind.

907
00:44:23,840 --> 00:44:25,520
So yeah, exactly.

908
00:44:25,520 --> 00:44:27,720
So those two guys never met a shot they didn't like.

909
00:44:27,720 --> 00:44:33,040
So Ricky was like losing sort of offensive scoring confidence and then playing with two

910
00:44:33,040 --> 00:44:35,480
guys who wanted the ball and loved it all the time.

911
00:44:35,480 --> 00:44:41,680
So Rick became like this monster on the ball defender and a really good push point guard

912
00:44:41,680 --> 00:44:46,000
and a good facilitator, you know, but he had to sort of flip his role offensively for that

913
00:44:46,000 --> 00:44:47,000
night.

914
00:44:47,000 --> 00:44:49,480
And if you guys remember, he was big time in the first half.

915
00:44:49,480 --> 00:44:50,480
Yeah.

916
00:44:50,480 --> 00:44:51,480
14 points.

917
00:44:51,480 --> 00:44:55,480
He was like, they were taking away Rip and Colin on the wing and they were trying to pressure

918
00:44:55,480 --> 00:44:57,640
him and no one can keep him in front.

919
00:44:57,640 --> 00:45:02,840
Like you can't keep Ricky more in front of you, but it had worked for coach K that defense

920
00:45:02,840 --> 00:45:04,600
the system all year.

921
00:45:04,600 --> 00:45:08,720
And I, he got to the point where I think he was just like, yeah, we're not changing.

922
00:45:08,720 --> 00:45:13,800
Like, and I also wonder if Duke had come into that game and just said, like, maybe if we're

923
00:45:13,800 --> 00:45:18,360
soft on Ricky on the ball and we sort of cushioned on Ricky on the ball, but we played Colin and

924
00:45:18,360 --> 00:45:23,400
ripped the same, like they, Ricky might have had a little more struggles to try to score.

925
00:45:23,400 --> 00:45:28,000
But you know, when you challenge Ricky at 35 feet with a live dribble, like no one's

926
00:45:28,000 --> 00:45:29,280
keeping in the front of them.

927
00:45:29,280 --> 00:45:32,040
So he got to the lane and he scored on pullups.

928
00:45:32,040 --> 00:45:33,520
They scored on a couple of layups.

929
00:45:33,520 --> 00:45:34,520
He scored.

930
00:45:34,520 --> 00:45:39,880
He scored on one banker where he was dribbling away from the basket, which is a great memory.

931
00:45:39,880 --> 00:45:40,880
Exactly.

932
00:45:40,880 --> 00:45:45,240
You know, and like the other thing that's funny about that game too is the night before coach

933
00:45:45,240 --> 00:45:49,120
would always like, let me do the personnel and say a few things.

934
00:45:49,120 --> 00:45:53,280
I show the video and then I show the person and then I talk about the personnel.

935
00:45:53,280 --> 00:45:55,280
We'd have moments whiteboard, right?

936
00:45:55,280 --> 00:45:58,400
So like you got to remember fellas like that.

937
00:45:58,400 --> 00:46:00,520
They're top seven, eight guys.

938
00:46:00,520 --> 00:46:03,200
Like I think all of them played in the NBA.

939
00:46:03,200 --> 00:46:09,520
Four of them were among the top 14 picks in the draft in 99 later, you know, the drafted

940
00:46:09,520 --> 00:46:11,560
two months after this game.

941
00:46:11,560 --> 00:46:16,440
So I'm explaining these guys to our players and I'm like, I got to be honest.

942
00:46:16,440 --> 00:46:19,840
I'm like, you know, Elton Brand, like, yeah, that's a big guy in the country.

943
00:46:19,840 --> 00:46:23,720
Like William Avery, like one of the best combo guards in the country.

944
00:46:23,720 --> 00:46:28,920
Like Shane Badi, like, you know, one of the most versatile three, fours in the country,

945
00:46:28,920 --> 00:46:32,080
you know, like, and I'm like, I'm gassing these guys up.

946
00:46:32,080 --> 00:46:34,000
They're pretty good, you know?

947
00:46:34,000 --> 00:46:39,320
And I, so then coach would always finish up with some final thoughts.

948
00:46:39,320 --> 00:46:44,800
So I go sit in the back, coach walks up and coach goes, coach, and I can see like Kevin

949
00:46:44,800 --> 00:46:46,440
Freeman's getting pissed at me.

950
00:46:46,440 --> 00:46:50,520
He's in the front row and his knee is like, it's raced it up and down.

951
00:46:50,520 --> 00:46:53,520
Like he's getting pissed that I'm giving them too many flowers, right?

952
00:46:53,520 --> 00:46:58,880
And I guess because like the media had given them so much accolades all year too.

953
00:46:58,880 --> 00:47:02,320
I think our guys were just sick of it, you know, and then to hear me come up there and

954
00:47:02,320 --> 00:47:03,680
I'm praising them, right?

955
00:47:03,680 --> 00:47:08,120
So I go sit down, coach comes up and he goes, well, you know, Vegas says we're 10 point

956
00:47:08,120 --> 00:47:13,160
underdogs and I think everyone else in the country doesn't think we have a shot.

957
00:47:13,160 --> 00:47:15,000
He goes, I guess, including coach Moore.

958
00:47:15,000 --> 00:47:16,000
Oh my God.

959
00:47:16,000 --> 00:47:17,000
All right.

960
00:47:17,000 --> 00:47:22,400
You know, so those guys all like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

961
00:47:22,400 --> 00:47:23,400
All like that.

962
00:47:23,400 --> 00:47:25,400
Yeah, screw coach Moore.

963
00:47:25,400 --> 00:47:26,400
Yeah, exactly.

964
00:47:26,400 --> 00:47:29,960
I was president and come back and it knocked me out.

965
00:47:29,960 --> 00:47:35,000
But another, hey, another funny story from that night, I had to do bed checks.

966
00:47:35,000 --> 00:47:38,800
I was doing bed checks that night, the night before the national championship game and

967
00:47:38,800 --> 00:47:43,640
we're at, you know, these kids at a final four, they have all kind of family and friends

968
00:47:43,640 --> 00:47:44,640
visiting them and stuff.

969
00:47:44,640 --> 00:47:50,080
So Rip and Kevin Freeman used to let always room together on the road and I knew all their

970
00:47:50,080 --> 00:47:53,600
parents and their family and friends were all here and stuff.

971
00:47:53,600 --> 00:47:56,800
So as I'm going to their room, I'm like, oh man, I'm going to be the bad guy now.

972
00:47:56,800 --> 00:47:59,200
I'm going to have to break up like a bunch of people.

973
00:47:59,200 --> 00:48:01,280
They got to leave the room and whatever.

974
00:48:01,280 --> 00:48:03,800
I get close to the door and I can't hear anything.

975
00:48:03,800 --> 00:48:04,800
It's like really quiet.

976
00:48:04,800 --> 00:48:06,280
Knock on the door.

977
00:48:06,280 --> 00:48:09,280
Here comes Kevin to the door and there's not a pin.

978
00:48:09,280 --> 00:48:10,480
Like you can hear a pin drop.

979
00:48:10,480 --> 00:48:15,000
There's no one in the room and he's got his game uniform on.

980
00:48:15,000 --> 00:48:22,560
I before the game at midnight, he's got his 15 Freeman, Yukon, shirt and shorts.

981
00:48:22,560 --> 00:48:23,560
Right.

982
00:48:23,560 --> 00:48:25,440
And I go, I go, what's up, man?

983
00:48:25,440 --> 00:48:26,440
I go, you're right.

984
00:48:26,440 --> 00:48:28,240
First of all, I'm like, why isn't anyone here?

985
00:48:28,240 --> 00:48:30,400
He's like, no, no, no, we kicked them all out.

986
00:48:30,400 --> 00:48:31,520
Like they're all gone.

987
00:48:31,520 --> 00:48:34,320
I go, why are you in your uniform?

988
00:48:34,320 --> 00:48:35,320
Like that, you know?

989
00:48:35,320 --> 00:48:38,600
And he goes, just we're ready like that.

990
00:48:38,600 --> 00:48:41,680
And Rip comes around the corner and Rip's got his uniform on.

991
00:48:41,680 --> 00:48:47,200
And I'm like, all right, I guess you guys are ready, you know?

992
00:48:47,200 --> 00:48:48,680
So anyway, but.

993
00:48:48,680 --> 00:48:53,880
Coach, can I tell you, we had, uh, Raj Maljohn's on this, um, couple months back.

994
00:48:53,880 --> 00:48:56,360
He told a story when they were hanging out in somebody's room that night.

995
00:48:56,360 --> 00:49:02,280
I think it was Ricky's where, um, the local news or the, they, they went to ESPN went

996
00:49:02,280 --> 00:49:07,440
to like some feeds from Carolina and they were already, uh, selling championship t-shirts.

997
00:49:07,440 --> 00:49:11,680
And at that point Ricky said, all right, everybody get the F out.

998
00:49:11,680 --> 00:49:14,600
And then that was on from that point.

999
00:49:14,600 --> 00:49:15,600
That might have been it.

1000
00:49:15,600 --> 00:49:16,840
Then maybe that's why they left.

1001
00:49:16,840 --> 00:49:17,840
Yeah.

1002
00:49:17,840 --> 00:49:19,400
He might've kicked Kevin and Rip out of his room.

1003
00:49:19,400 --> 00:49:20,400
Right.

1004
00:49:20,400 --> 00:49:26,560
You know, who was a better player, number 15 Freeman or number 33 Freeman?

1005
00:49:26,560 --> 00:49:27,560
I'd like 15.

1006
00:49:27,560 --> 00:49:28,560
Yeah.

1007
00:49:28,560 --> 00:49:29,560
Me too.

1008
00:49:29,560 --> 00:49:30,560
Yeah.

1009
00:49:30,560 --> 00:49:31,560
Yeah.

1010
00:49:31,560 --> 00:49:35,720
Coach, we actually sleep in UConn pajamas too.

1011
00:49:35,720 --> 00:49:36,720
Yeah.

1012
00:49:36,720 --> 00:49:39,480
Good stuff.

1013
00:49:39,480 --> 00:49:40,840
Only the first Monday in April though.

1014
00:49:40,840 --> 00:49:41,840
Yeah, exactly.

1015
00:49:41,840 --> 00:49:45,560
Coach, when you win that in 99, there's any thoughts that like, UConn's going to go on

1016
00:49:45,560 --> 00:49:48,920
and run like they did today to this day, all those national championships.

1017
00:49:48,920 --> 00:49:49,920
What'd you think back then?

1018
00:49:49,920 --> 00:49:52,920
Was that like breaking the ice or what did you think?

1019
00:49:52,920 --> 00:49:59,400
Oh, no, I mean, how can you, I don't, you know, I, yeah, you know, I shouldn't say no,

1020
00:49:59,400 --> 00:50:04,280
you know, like, I mean, six over the last 25 years is staggering, you know, when you

1021
00:50:04,280 --> 00:50:09,640
put it in those terms and you really think about it, like, and then you think about how

1022
00:50:09,640 --> 00:50:15,880
many some other schools have won over the last 25 years, you know, and, and like, geez,

1023
00:50:15,880 --> 00:50:24,680
six, you know, basically one every four years is, it's amazing, you know, but I shouldn't

1024
00:50:24,680 --> 00:50:30,400
say that I'm surprised because it's like we said, you know, like he got here in what,

1025
00:50:30,400 --> 00:50:35,480
85 or 86 or whatever, and he gets, he wins the NIT in 88.

1026
00:50:35,480 --> 00:50:38,160
And then he's got the dream season in 90.

1027
00:50:38,160 --> 00:50:43,560
And then really from 90 to 99, like it was, they had a legitimate shot.

1028
00:50:43,560 --> 00:50:44,560
Yeah.

1029
00:50:44,560 --> 00:50:49,120
You know, not to like, yeah, I mean, there were at least a, a round of 32, sweet 16, final

1030
00:50:49,120 --> 00:50:55,760
18, like multiple times, you know, the only year probably was 96, 97, which was the year

1031
00:50:55,760 --> 00:51:01,720
after Ray and Derone and Travis and those guys left where we're ripping and, and Jake

1032
00:51:01,720 --> 00:51:07,440
and Kevin were young, you know, and we lost Kirk and Ricky had that, those suspensions.

1033
00:51:07,440 --> 00:51:12,680
That was the only year I think like, and maybe one of those years, 91 or 92 or something,

1034
00:51:12,680 --> 00:51:14,840
I think Lindsay Hunter beat him in the NIT.

1035
00:51:14,840 --> 00:51:15,840
Yeah.

1036
00:51:15,840 --> 00:51:17,720
But like, when you think, yeah, yeah.

1037
00:51:17,720 --> 00:51:22,560
When you think about it, um, coach was starting to get, see that's, this is the game, the

1038
00:51:22,560 --> 00:51:27,080
game I remember the most where I thought coach was the most relieved in, in, in every single

1039
00:51:27,080 --> 00:51:32,600
game I was with him and I was with him for 450 games or something was the 99 final eight

1040
00:51:32,600 --> 00:51:33,600
game over Gonzaga.

1041
00:51:33,600 --> 00:51:34,600
Yeah.

1042
00:51:34,600 --> 00:51:36,000
Like he had finally made the final four.

1043
00:51:36,000 --> 00:51:37,480
I had never seen him more relieved.

1044
00:51:37,480 --> 00:51:43,160
Like he coached loose and, and, and not, I don't want to say carefree, but he coached

1045
00:51:43,160 --> 00:51:48,080
loose that whole week leading to Ohio State and then he was really loose leading up to

1046
00:51:48,080 --> 00:51:53,520
Duke, you know, because I think he felt like, you know, like it used to be a big thing where

1047
00:51:53,520 --> 00:51:57,200
every year there was this annual thing where like who's the best coach to not make a final

1048
00:51:57,200 --> 00:51:58,200
four.

1049
00:51:58,200 --> 00:51:59,200
Yeah.

1050
00:51:59,200 --> 00:52:03,480
And as you got the 96, 97, 98, he's name starting to become on that list, you know, and, and

1051
00:52:03,480 --> 00:52:08,400
he got that off his back and then he, and then he wanted, but um, no, you know, and

1052
00:52:08,400 --> 00:52:13,120
then like if you look at it, so stop there and you're like, all right, uh, 2000, 2000,

1053
00:52:13,120 --> 00:52:18,120
2000, wasn't quite, wasn't quite, didn't we lost to Tennessee, right?

1054
00:52:18,120 --> 00:52:24,480
But uh, and 01, uh, I'm trying to think of 01, but 02, I don't, I forget.

1055
00:52:24,480 --> 00:52:26,960
02 was Texas, I think it was Maryland.

1056
00:52:26,960 --> 00:52:27,960
Maryland.

1057
00:52:27,960 --> 00:52:28,960
Yeah.

1058
00:52:28,960 --> 00:52:29,960
Maryland.

1059
00:52:29,960 --> 00:52:30,960
Yeah.

1060
00:52:30,960 --> 00:52:31,960
01 I think, yeah.

1061
00:52:31,960 --> 00:52:34,640
Was Texas, 02 was Koran at Syracuse against Maryland.

1062
00:52:34,640 --> 00:52:35,640
Exactly.

1063
00:52:35,640 --> 00:52:36,640
Exactly.

1064
00:52:36,640 --> 00:52:37,640
And then 03 I think was Texas.

1065
00:52:37,640 --> 00:52:38,640
Right.

1066
00:52:38,640 --> 00:52:41,000
And then 04, we win the thing.

1067
00:52:41,000 --> 00:52:44,320
Oh, five we, we were pretty, could have been pretty good.

1068
00:52:44,320 --> 00:52:50,400
We had the two kids, Marcus and AJ had the laptops or the, and then AJ one year had the

1069
00:52:50,400 --> 00:52:53,880
brain aneurysm and now, so now you're 06.

1070
00:52:53,880 --> 00:52:56,440
That team had a chance, you know, um,

1071
00:52:56,440 --> 00:52:58,600
That George Mason, George Mason.

1072
00:52:58,600 --> 00:52:59,600
Yeah.

1073
00:52:59,600 --> 00:53:00,600
That was a tough one.

1074
00:53:00,600 --> 00:53:01,600
That was a tough one.

1075
00:53:01,600 --> 00:53:04,840
George Mason, which was, that was the hardest loss that I ever took here as an assistant

1076
00:53:04,840 --> 00:53:05,840
coach.

1077
00:53:05,840 --> 00:53:09,880
And then, you know, then they, I leave, but they knew they were in 09 in the final four.

1078
00:53:09,880 --> 00:53:13,960
They were there, they win the thing in 11, they win the thing in 14, you know, it's like,

1079
00:53:13,960 --> 00:53:16,800
so I guess they were consistently knocking on the door.

1080
00:53:16,800 --> 00:53:23,040
You could make a case every year from 90 through, you know, 14.

1081
00:53:23,040 --> 00:53:25,440
So that's a, that's, that's quite a run.

1082
00:53:25,440 --> 00:53:26,920
Coach, we gotta ask you this.

1083
00:53:26,920 --> 00:53:29,680
So we're, we're based out of Bristol, Connecticut.

1084
00:53:29,680 --> 00:53:34,800
Obviously the big guy, Donovan Klingon, um, gotta ask you this, we love him.

1085
00:53:34,800 --> 00:53:35,800
We have, we've had him on.

1086
00:53:35,800 --> 00:53:37,800
How do you think he's going to do in the NBA?

1087
00:53:37,800 --> 00:53:40,320
How do you think he's going to stack up?

1088
00:53:40,320 --> 00:53:45,840
I think he's going to be great because I think like his, his rim protection is a real

1089
00:53:45,840 --> 00:53:46,840
thing.

1090
00:53:46,840 --> 00:53:52,880
Like his, his instincts and his lengths, I think it translates even to the, to the larger

1091
00:53:52,880 --> 00:53:56,800
players in the league, you know, that's one thing on the defensive end.

1092
00:53:56,800 --> 00:54:01,800
He's much more nimble and moves better than people think.

1093
00:54:01,800 --> 00:54:05,960
I think people look at him and they see, you know, seven, two, two, 80.

1094
00:54:05,960 --> 00:54:09,640
And they assume that he doesn't move in, in short areas.

1095
00:54:09,640 --> 00:54:13,280
Well, but that's a, that's, that's a mistake.

1096
00:54:13,280 --> 00:54:20,760
He's very agile in, in short spaces, you know, and quick off his feet for someone his size.

1097
00:54:20,760 --> 00:54:26,120
Second thing, I think offensively he's going to be much more diverse in the league.

1098
00:54:26,120 --> 00:54:30,440
I think he'll be an excellent like high post passer.

1099
00:54:30,440 --> 00:54:34,920
He's a very good low post passer and he's, and he's a good high post passer, but I think

1100
00:54:34,920 --> 00:54:36,440
he's going to get even better.

1101
00:54:36,440 --> 00:54:41,280
And the other thing is I think he'll become a really good shooter as a five man in the

1102
00:54:41,280 --> 00:54:42,280
NBA.

1103
00:54:42,280 --> 00:54:47,960
Like it's, his touch has been there, you know, like his dance, dance thing with like a lot

1104
00:54:47,960 --> 00:54:52,200
of people ask us like, all right, why didn't Dan let him shoot more threes or something

1105
00:54:52,200 --> 00:54:53,720
in college?

1106
00:54:53,720 --> 00:54:58,480
If he hadn't gotten hurt twice this sophomore year, he would have been shooting threes.

1107
00:54:58,480 --> 00:55:03,000
Like coach, coach was, coach was by the time we got to the end of the year, coach was

1108
00:55:03,000 --> 00:55:07,040
starting to play around with like, we may have him pick and pop or have him take a trail

1109
00:55:07,040 --> 00:55:08,040
three.

1110
00:55:08,040 --> 00:55:10,840
Like Dan always had him shooting threes.

1111
00:55:10,840 --> 00:55:15,160
If any of you guys saw us pre game and if, you know, we don't have our shootarounds are

1112
00:55:15,160 --> 00:55:20,480
closed, but our practice is a close, but like he would have, uh, Donovan shooting threes

1113
00:55:20,480 --> 00:55:21,480
in practice.

1114
00:55:21,480 --> 00:55:26,120
But what Dan's great at offensively, one of the many things he's great at is he really

1115
00:55:26,120 --> 00:55:30,800
knows how to get guys to grow their own game within the con, within the context of their

1116
00:55:30,800 --> 00:55:32,520
career and a year.

1117
00:55:32,520 --> 00:55:37,760
So I think like, again, had he not got hurt in the preseason, um, you know, cause he got

1118
00:55:37,760 --> 00:55:43,600
hurt preseason and he really, his first practice was the day before the first game.

1119
00:55:43,600 --> 00:55:48,760
So if you guys remember, he had a lot of rust on him, uh, those first five, six, seven games,

1120
00:55:48,760 --> 00:55:49,760
right?

1121
00:55:49,760 --> 00:55:50,760
Like he was still trying to get caught up.

1122
00:55:50,760 --> 00:55:54,560
Then he starts to sort of come out of it and then he hurts the foot again, December

1123
00:55:54,560 --> 00:56:00,160
20th, um, at Seaton Hall and now he's back again on the shelf for maybe about four, three,

1124
00:56:00,160 --> 00:56:01,600
four weeks or something.

1125
00:56:01,600 --> 00:56:06,640
He has more rust when he comes back, but then by the time he hit like early February through

1126
00:56:06,640 --> 00:56:11,040
March, I mean, he was like running well, moving well.

1127
00:56:11,040 --> 00:56:15,880
And what Dan wanted him to do offensively is like master the low post stuff.

1128
00:56:15,880 --> 00:56:19,920
And then once you, once you sort of mastered all the low post stuff, like then we'll get

1129
00:56:19,920 --> 00:56:23,680
you in the high post a little more and then we'll have you shooting threes.

1130
00:56:23,680 --> 00:56:28,520
So I mean, I think he just ran out of time in his sophomore year, but I tell people that,

1131
00:56:28,520 --> 00:56:32,640
you know, I said, if we played an NBA season last year and we played 82 games or if we

1132
00:56:32,640 --> 00:56:36,880
won the whole thing and we played like a hundred games, he'd have been shooting three or four

1133
00:56:36,880 --> 00:56:38,520
threes a game by the end of the year.

1134
00:56:38,520 --> 00:56:42,800
Cause that's how Dan likes to sort of layer all these guys off of the games.

1135
00:56:42,800 --> 00:56:43,800
Yep.

1136
00:56:43,800 --> 00:56:44,800
All right.

1137
00:56:44,800 --> 00:56:45,800
Good.

1138
00:56:45,800 --> 00:56:46,800
All right.

1139
00:56:46,800 --> 00:56:47,880
Coach, you got to give us one second here.

1140
00:56:47,880 --> 00:56:48,880
Yeah.

1141
00:56:48,880 --> 00:56:49,880
We got a phone call.

1142
00:56:49,880 --> 00:56:52,600
We're going to call on you with us, which never happens.

1143
00:56:52,600 --> 00:56:53,600
Yeah.

1144
00:56:53,600 --> 00:57:00,600
It's just for you, coach.

1145
00:58:23,600 --> 00:58:28,600
Hello?

1146
00:58:28,600 --> 00:58:29,600
Hello?

1147
00:58:29,600 --> 00:58:34,280
Hey, you're on your coach.

1148
00:58:34,280 --> 00:58:35,280
What do you want to say?

1149
00:58:35,280 --> 00:58:36,280
Charter.

1150
00:58:36,280 --> 00:58:37,280
Oh, we got to merge them now.

1151
00:58:37,280 --> 00:58:38,280
They're both there.

1152
00:58:38,280 --> 00:58:39,280
Coach, are you there?

1153
00:58:39,280 --> 00:58:40,280
Yes.

1154
00:58:40,280 --> 00:58:41,280
Yeah.

1155
00:58:41,280 --> 00:58:43,520
We've got a rather tall guest here.

1156
00:58:43,520 --> 00:58:47,200
We got, we got Donovan on for you, coach.

1157
00:58:47,200 --> 00:58:49,600
What's up, Donovan?

1158
00:58:49,600 --> 00:58:54,200
How are you doing, man?

1159
00:58:54,200 --> 00:58:55,200
I'm good.

1160
00:58:55,200 --> 00:58:56,200
Good.

1161
00:58:56,200 --> 00:58:57,200
How are you?

1162
00:58:57,200 --> 00:59:00,400
They just, they just asked me a question about you and I said you'd have been taking

1163
00:59:00,400 --> 00:59:04,000
three or four threes a game if we played an NBA season.

1164
00:59:04,000 --> 00:59:05,000
How's that?

1165
00:59:05,000 --> 00:59:06,000
Yeah, maybe.

1166
00:59:06,000 --> 00:59:07,000
Hold on.

1167
00:59:07,000 --> 00:59:08,000
Hey, Donovan.

1168
00:59:08,000 --> 00:59:16,000
Are you, uh, there's, there's rumors, Donovan, you're going to come visit us soon again.

1169
00:59:16,000 --> 00:59:17,000
Is that true?

1170
00:59:17,000 --> 00:59:18,000
Yeah.

1171
00:59:18,000 --> 00:59:20,000
I've been here for a couple of days.

1172
00:59:20,000 --> 00:59:21,000
Awesome.

1173
00:59:21,000 --> 00:59:22,720
Donovan, what did Coach Moore mean to you, Donovan?

1174
00:59:22,720 --> 00:59:27,000
I know, um, you know, he had a role with big guys before you were there, but just what

1175
00:59:27,000 --> 00:59:29,000
did he mean to you?

1176
00:59:29,000 --> 00:59:32,600
Coach, uh, he's the one that recruited me from the beginning.

1177
00:59:32,600 --> 00:59:39,400
Um, you know, obviously Hurley came and watched me, um, my sophomore year of high school,

1178
00:59:39,400 --> 00:59:44,440
but you know, from when coach offered me to, you know, the time I got to UConn, you know,

1179
00:59:44,440 --> 00:59:48,760
coach Moore really just built a great relationship with me and my family and just, you know,

1180
00:59:48,760 --> 00:59:53,200
really helped, you know, persuade me to go to UConn, even though, you know, the whole

1181
00:59:53,200 --> 00:59:58,840
time I thought obviously knew that UConn was probably where I was going to end up, but

1182
00:59:58,840 --> 01:00:04,760
you know, just, you know, coach Moore definitely made my decision feel like it was the right

1183
01:00:04,760 --> 01:00:05,760
one.

1184
01:00:05,760 --> 01:00:06,760
It's great.

1185
01:00:06,760 --> 01:00:10,760
Coach, what kind of worker was this young man in practice?

1186
01:00:10,760 --> 01:00:11,760
Go ahead, Don.

1187
01:00:11,760 --> 01:00:12,760
We like stories.

1188
01:00:12,760 --> 01:00:13,760
Go ahead.

1189
01:00:13,760 --> 01:00:14,760
Oh, yeah.

1190
01:00:14,760 --> 01:00:17,760
He was, uh, he was a great worker.

1191
01:00:17,760 --> 01:00:18,760
He was a great worker.

1192
01:00:18,760 --> 01:00:27,040
He, it was, uh, it was quite a, uh, an indoctrination form, like right away because he, we had him

1193
01:00:27,040 --> 01:00:29,760
guarding this guy named Adamas Sanogo.

1194
01:00:29,760 --> 01:00:36,600
He took no prisoners every single day and was about as physical a guy as you could get.

1195
01:00:36,600 --> 01:00:43,720
So Donovan went from being guarded by and guarding like, uh, five 11 centers from Rocky

1196
01:00:43,720 --> 01:00:57,800
Hill to a six nine, 245 pounds like cyborg who wanted to score every single time he got

1197
01:00:57,800 --> 01:00:58,800
the ball.

1198
01:00:58,800 --> 01:01:06,320
So his adjustment to college was unbelievable.

1199
01:01:06,320 --> 01:01:11,040
It's amazing the job he did in his little window from the end of his high school season

1200
01:01:11,040 --> 01:01:12,600
to when he got to us.

1201
01:01:12,600 --> 01:01:17,160
Like he really did a great job of getting himself into phenomenal shape.

1202
01:01:17,160 --> 01:01:21,720
Like people told us and, and we were nervous watching him in high school a couple times

1203
01:01:21,720 --> 01:01:23,400
at like that.

1204
01:01:23,400 --> 01:01:27,400
His body was changing, you know, like you're different when you're 15 than when you're

1205
01:01:27,400 --> 01:01:32,440
17, you know, and, and so he was taking on some pounds and then he had a tough, you know,

1206
01:01:32,440 --> 01:01:37,560
he had to play through COVID to his weld while during a high school season was hard to as

1207
01:01:37,560 --> 01:01:38,560
well.

1208
01:01:38,560 --> 01:01:43,440
But by the time he got to Yukon and we started the summer before his freshman year, he had

1209
01:01:43,440 --> 01:01:49,480
done an incredible job of him and coach Barrett and all the people at Bristol central of just

1210
01:01:49,480 --> 01:01:58,480
getting physically ready for this, you know, and then he's humble, came from great parents

1211
01:01:58,480 --> 01:02:04,520
and a great background and he's tough and he has no ego.

1212
01:02:04,520 --> 01:02:09,960
So like all that stuff factored into him being like it's such a seamless transition, you

1213
01:02:09,960 --> 01:02:16,320
know, into college and the workload that we require at Yukon and how demanding coach

1214
01:02:16,320 --> 01:02:22,320
early is on a day in, day out basis, play in, play out basis.

1215
01:02:22,320 --> 01:02:24,520
He was ready for that, you know, and he had to tell you.

1216
01:02:24,520 --> 01:02:26,720
Yeah, I'll never do that again, coach.

1217
01:02:26,720 --> 01:02:32,720
No, no, no practice hasn't been like that yet.

1218
01:02:32,720 --> 01:02:34,720
No more stairs.

1219
01:02:34,720 --> 01:02:36,720
No more stairs.

1220
01:02:36,720 --> 01:02:43,160
One of my favorite Donovan stories real quick is it'll forever be known as the Joey Calcuttaire

1221
01:02:43,160 --> 01:02:49,240
at Georgetown game, you know, before his freshman year in gamble, where we were losing

1222
01:02:49,240 --> 01:02:54,160
to not a great Georgetown team and we came back with this great run and Joey made the

1223
01:02:54,160 --> 01:02:59,440
big three and Tim Brando says bingo, bingo, bongo and it was just a, I, the gambles that's

1224
01:02:59,440 --> 01:03:01,240
about as loud as I've ever heard.

1225
01:03:01,240 --> 01:03:02,240
Yeah.

1226
01:03:02,240 --> 01:03:06,200
During that time and Donovan gets his tooth knocked out.

1227
01:03:06,200 --> 01:03:08,760
I think for a second time, Donovan, our first time.

1228
01:03:08,760 --> 01:03:13,640
So first time in the first half of them, I got hit again in the second half.

1229
01:03:13,640 --> 01:03:14,640
Yeah.

1230
01:03:14,640 --> 01:03:18,280
So he has it knocked out in the first half and he, and the training puts a temporary

1231
01:03:18,280 --> 01:03:21,440
thing of it to try to stabilize it or whatever.

1232
01:03:21,440 --> 01:03:27,840
Then he's in the second half and he blocks a shot, but in, in, in blocking the shot,

1233
01:03:27,840 --> 01:03:30,360
the guy hit him with an elbow and knocked it out again.

1234
01:03:30,360 --> 01:03:33,360
So he's trying to save the tooth.

1235
01:03:33,360 --> 01:03:39,720
The guy gathers the ball up again, challenges him again while Donovan's fixing his tooth.

1236
01:03:39,720 --> 01:03:45,160
He blocks the shot again, gets the ball, outlets it and you can see him like trying

1237
01:03:45,160 --> 01:03:47,240
to play with the tooth on the way up.

1238
01:03:47,240 --> 01:03:51,760
But you know, the next, I knew it was all around the mouth.

1239
01:03:51,760 --> 01:03:54,640
He's just trying to like not lose the tooth, right?

1240
01:03:54,640 --> 01:04:01,240
So the next day in film, we're going over that play and Dan's saying to him, why are

1241
01:04:01,240 --> 01:04:03,240
you, why are you playing with your mouth?

1242
01:04:03,240 --> 01:04:05,240
Stop playing with your mouth.

1243
01:04:05,240 --> 01:04:07,480
Like keep your hands up on people.

1244
01:04:07,480 --> 01:04:14,080
I like to get bought two shots with a broken tooth and save the tooth and got the outlet.

1245
01:04:14,080 --> 01:04:21,440
That's a great story.

1246
01:04:21,440 --> 01:04:27,320
I needed it though.

1247
01:04:27,320 --> 01:04:32,640
So both of you like how often do the boys come back to campus to work out?

1248
01:04:32,640 --> 01:04:33,640
Are they there during the summer?

1249
01:04:33,640 --> 01:04:38,520
I'm talking about Adama and all these other guys that are in the league or trying to play

1250
01:04:38,520 --> 01:04:40,040
overseas or whatever they're doing.

1251
01:04:40,040 --> 01:04:42,960
How often are the guys working out?

1252
01:04:42,960 --> 01:04:45,840
I try to get there whenever I can.

1253
01:04:45,840 --> 01:04:46,840
Yeah.

1254
01:04:46,840 --> 01:04:47,840
Yeah.

1255
01:04:47,840 --> 01:04:48,840
I love it there.

1256
01:04:48,840 --> 01:04:49,840
I missed it.

1257
01:04:49,840 --> 01:04:50,840
Yep.

1258
01:04:50,840 --> 01:04:54,280
I missed it, but you know, I just whenever I'm home, I'm definitely trying to get up

1259
01:04:54,280 --> 01:04:55,280
there.

1260
01:04:55,280 --> 01:04:56,280
Yeah.

1261
01:04:56,280 --> 01:05:00,960
It's a little different guys for like some of the guys who aren't Connecticut guys,

1262
01:05:00,960 --> 01:05:05,840
you know, that have home bases in other areas of the country.

1263
01:05:05,840 --> 01:05:09,320
But because stores isn't really a destination spot, right?

1264
01:05:09,320 --> 01:05:15,640
I don't know if they could go and stay in Miami or LA or something like that.

1265
01:05:15,640 --> 01:05:19,520
But like they do find their way back here whenever they can.

1266
01:05:19,520 --> 01:05:23,320
It's great to see them come back through and especially the guys who have been here for

1267
01:05:23,320 --> 01:05:24,320
a while.

1268
01:05:24,320 --> 01:05:25,320
Yeah.

1269
01:05:25,320 --> 01:05:31,400
Steph was here last week and he looks great and he seems happy and he's excited about this

1270
01:05:31,400 --> 01:05:34,520
year in San Antonio.

1271
01:05:34,520 --> 01:05:36,080
You'd be proud of him, Donovan.

1272
01:05:36,080 --> 01:05:39,320
He's got a great maturity for a 19 year old.

1273
01:05:39,320 --> 01:05:40,600
I keep having to remind myself.

1274
01:05:40,600 --> 01:05:41,600
Yeah, I know.

1275
01:05:41,600 --> 01:05:42,600
But oh my word.

1276
01:05:42,600 --> 01:05:46,360
Hey, Don, what did you think of coaches brought up the castle?

1277
01:05:46,360 --> 01:05:49,480
He had, you know, that big first summer league game and then all of a sudden he came up with

1278
01:05:49,480 --> 01:05:53,440
the fandom sprain wrist where they they're like, we've seen enough of this guy.

1279
01:05:53,440 --> 01:05:55,880
We just make sure he doesn't get hurt in a summer league.

1280
01:05:55,880 --> 01:05:57,880
No, yeah.

1281
01:05:57,880 --> 01:06:02,400
I mean, I mean, Steph was going to have a little bit of edge that game.

1282
01:06:02,400 --> 01:06:03,880
I mean, I did too.

1283
01:06:03,880 --> 01:06:08,160
You know, I'm still bummed that we weren't able to win that game.

1284
01:06:08,160 --> 01:06:12,840
But you know, Steph, it just shows you a step, that's a different type of player.

1285
01:06:12,840 --> 01:06:14,880
You know, he could play at any level, any team.

1286
01:06:14,880 --> 01:06:19,800
And, you know, he's just such a team guy and he's so skilled and, you know, he just

1287
01:06:19,800 --> 01:06:23,960
parts of the game that, you know, an NBA you're able to show, you know, they're not

1288
01:06:23,960 --> 01:06:27,320
able to show him in college just because of the way that, you know, teams play defense

1289
01:06:27,320 --> 01:06:29,560
and, you know, the spacing on the floor.

1290
01:06:29,560 --> 01:06:34,960
But, you know, Steph is, you know, going to be a very, very good player and, you know,

1291
01:06:34,960 --> 01:06:40,080
he's going to have, you know, great career and make a lot of money and win a lot of

1292
01:06:40,080 --> 01:06:41,080
stuff.

1293
01:06:41,080 --> 01:06:48,360
Guys, I want to just share a perspective real quick on what made last year's team so special

1294
01:06:48,360 --> 01:06:50,920
is Steph Castle and Donovan Klingon.

1295
01:06:50,920 --> 01:06:56,240
This will give you a little hint as to what's how special these two young guys are.

1296
01:06:56,240 --> 01:07:02,720
And again, like how young they are and how humble they are, how well raised they were.

1297
01:07:02,720 --> 01:07:08,160
They were the fourth and fifth leading minutes guys on our team and the fourth and fifth

1298
01:07:08,160 --> 01:07:11,520
leading field goal attempted guys on our team.

1299
01:07:11,520 --> 01:07:17,680
Tristan, Cam and Alex all took more shots and scored more points than Donovan and Steph.

1300
01:07:17,680 --> 01:07:21,120
And Donovan and Steph ended up getting picked fourth and seventh.

1301
01:07:21,120 --> 01:07:27,080
And it was never, ever a peep out of any of the, either of those two about playing a bigger

1302
01:07:27,080 --> 01:07:28,760
role or having more shine.

1303
01:07:28,760 --> 01:07:35,200
So, I mean, I'll never forget that about this team and how much humility and how humble

1304
01:07:35,200 --> 01:07:36,760
both of those two guys were.

1305
01:07:36,760 --> 01:07:37,760
That's special.

1306
01:07:37,760 --> 01:07:39,400
Hey, coach and Donovan.

1307
01:07:39,400 --> 01:07:41,920
Sorry, this is Ryan Raponi.

1308
01:07:41,920 --> 01:07:45,800
I was going to say, it's hard to ask for a shot when you win national titles.

1309
01:07:45,800 --> 01:07:46,800
That's true.

1310
01:07:46,800 --> 01:07:52,360
Guys, this is Ryan Raponi, head coach over Lewis Mills and I was sorry to hear that

1311
01:07:52,360 --> 01:07:57,320
our seven games against Donovan didn't really prepare him for that division one level.

1312
01:07:57,320 --> 01:08:03,000
But I could also attest, Coach Moore was talking about your ability to make threes and I could

1313
01:08:03,000 --> 01:08:07,840
attest that Donovan can make a three in a basketball game with the scoreboard on because

1314
01:08:07,840 --> 01:08:09,560
he did it against us a couple of times.

1315
01:08:09,560 --> 01:08:16,120
But you know, my question for you talking about, you know, I think you can, you know,

1316
01:08:16,120 --> 01:08:21,200
for a long time you talked about the similarities with Coach Calhoun and Coach Hurley on defense

1317
01:08:21,200 --> 01:08:26,720
and rebound and but I think the exceptional thing that I saw, you know, with your team

1318
01:08:26,720 --> 01:08:31,760
this, the past couple of seasons and with Donovan included and you just talked about

1319
01:08:31,760 --> 01:08:37,720
it is that the ball movement and the sharing, you know, of the ball offensively and in the

1320
01:08:37,720 --> 01:08:40,560
blending of actions and concepts.

1321
01:08:40,560 --> 01:08:44,200
And I just want to hear what are the major points of emphasis, you know, and either of

1322
01:08:44,200 --> 01:08:49,040
you could get in and answer this, you know, to the development of that over the past few

1323
01:08:49,040 --> 01:08:51,040
years that's made you so unstoppable.

1324
01:08:51,040 --> 01:08:54,040
Team Warhouse, that's on real quick.

1325
01:08:54,040 --> 01:08:56,040
Go ahead, Donovan.

1326
01:08:56,040 --> 01:09:01,560
Something about like the way Coach Hurley and really the staff teaches, you know, not

1327
01:09:01,560 --> 01:09:05,640
even just halfway basketball or offense is just like, you know, if you want to win games,

1328
01:09:05,640 --> 01:09:06,640
you want to do something special.

1329
01:09:06,640 --> 01:09:07,640
It's not about you.

1330
01:09:07,640 --> 01:09:12,480
It's about, you know, everyone else and about making, making a sacrifice for someone else

1331
01:09:12,480 --> 01:09:17,040
and, you know, it's always like, you know, I'm going to take this shot contested or I'm

1332
01:09:17,040 --> 01:09:20,920
going to pass it wide up to the guy wide open where there's a better chance, you know, and

1333
01:09:20,920 --> 01:09:25,040
that's just something we always practice and, you know, Coach Hurley, like our offense is

1334
01:09:25,040 --> 01:09:30,240
something that, you know, and I'm talking to coaches now and they're, you know, I feel

1335
01:09:30,240 --> 01:09:34,800
like I've never seen offenses like that, you know, it's our offense is ran so perfect

1336
01:09:34,800 --> 01:09:41,880
and the way we practice and prepare for games and the situations that coach put us in,

1337
01:09:41,880 --> 01:09:49,240
like it's just, we're always ready for whatever defense is coming at us and, you know, everyone

1338
01:09:49,240 --> 01:09:53,840
on our team is just so selfless and always wants to make the play for the next guy.

1339
01:09:53,840 --> 01:09:57,120
And you know, something about like these college teams is, you know, everyone's trying to get

1340
01:09:57,120 --> 01:10:01,320
their own and trying to, you know, just score as many points as they can, but, you know,

1341
01:10:01,320 --> 01:10:07,000
not winning games and, you know, our team, we have multiple players who are, excuse me,

1342
01:10:07,000 --> 01:10:11,480
like all five starters who are in double figures and we're winning games.

1343
01:10:11,480 --> 01:10:12,480
You know what I mean?

1344
01:10:12,480 --> 01:10:17,120
And so if you're just looking to play, play for the next person and just like have that

1345
01:10:17,120 --> 01:10:22,960
bond, I feel like something that the coaches have really, you know, like just taught us

1346
01:10:22,960 --> 01:10:27,000
well and really enforced just, you know, we got to play for another like the guy next

1347
01:10:27,000 --> 01:10:31,880
to us because, you know, it might be a better shot than the shot you're about to take.

1348
01:10:31,880 --> 01:10:32,880
Well said.

1349
01:10:32,880 --> 01:10:33,880
What a great message.

1350
01:10:33,880 --> 01:10:34,880
I could have said it better myself.

1351
01:10:34,880 --> 01:10:36,880
Donovan, we don't want to take up too much of your time.

1352
01:10:36,880 --> 01:10:39,440
I thought it would be a good surprise for Coach Moore.

1353
01:10:39,440 --> 01:10:40,440
Thanks for coming.

1354
01:10:40,440 --> 01:10:41,440
Good job, Don, buddy.

1355
01:10:41,440 --> 01:10:42,440
We'll see you soon.

1356
01:10:42,440 --> 01:10:43,440
Best of luck.

1357
01:10:43,440 --> 01:10:44,440
Yes, we'll see you soon.

1358
01:10:44,440 --> 01:10:46,960
Stop throwing, man.

1359
01:10:46,960 --> 01:10:52,520
Stop throwing passes off my son's face.

1360
01:10:52,520 --> 01:10:53,520
For the alley-oop.

1361
01:10:53,520 --> 01:10:54,520
All right, Coach.

1362
01:10:54,520 --> 01:10:56,520
All right, thank you guys.

1363
01:10:56,520 --> 01:10:58,520
Thanks, Donovan.

1364
01:10:58,520 --> 01:11:04,600
Hey, this has been terrific.

1365
01:11:04,600 --> 01:11:10,400
The Yukon stuff, it speaks for itself, selfishly, as a high school Connecticut basketball,

1366
01:11:10,400 --> 01:11:11,400
basketball fan.

1367
01:11:11,400 --> 01:11:14,320
I have to ask you a few questions about Quinnipiac.

1368
01:11:14,320 --> 01:11:18,480
The first one would be, there was a youngster from Trinity Catholic.

1369
01:11:18,480 --> 01:11:20,600
I asked Rashemel about this guy, too.

1370
01:11:20,600 --> 01:11:25,640
I saw him in a state tournament or a state championship game, a time or two, by the name

1371
01:11:25,640 --> 01:11:27,720
of Tevin Baskin.

1372
01:11:27,720 --> 01:11:31,760
And I saw him against Crosby at Gamble.

1373
01:11:31,760 --> 01:11:36,040
And I swore the kid would be like a stud on the Division I level.

1374
01:11:36,040 --> 01:11:37,400
And I know he bounced around.

1375
01:11:37,400 --> 01:11:38,600
He was with you guys for a minute.

1376
01:11:38,600 --> 01:11:40,440
He may have gone into coaching.

1377
01:11:40,440 --> 01:11:42,880
You just talk a little bit of, was he there during your time?

1378
01:11:42,880 --> 01:11:43,880
He was, right?

1379
01:11:43,880 --> 01:11:44,880
Yes, he was.

1380
01:11:44,880 --> 01:11:45,880
Yeah, he was.

1381
01:11:45,880 --> 01:11:48,120
Incredible, incredible high school player.

1382
01:11:48,120 --> 01:11:49,120
Wasn't he?

1383
01:11:49,120 --> 01:11:50,760
Yes, he really was.

1384
01:11:50,760 --> 01:12:01,040
And a really good kid with a good family, like a kind soul, like a really good kid.

1385
01:12:01,040 --> 01:12:03,360
And he was, I think, one of those kids.

1386
01:12:03,360 --> 01:12:04,920
And this happened sometimes.

1387
01:12:04,920 --> 01:12:07,400
And actually, you guys mentioned Rash.

1388
01:12:07,400 --> 01:12:13,680
Rash fell into this a little bit, too, where they might have peaked, you know, like sophomore

1389
01:12:13,680 --> 01:12:14,680
year of high school.

1390
01:12:14,680 --> 01:12:19,680
You know, some kids are just like comets where they like all of a sudden, sixth, seventh,

1391
01:12:19,680 --> 01:12:21,120
eighth, ninth grade.

1392
01:12:21,120 --> 01:12:25,480
And they're just like, really, Edmund Saunders was another kid like that, right?

1393
01:12:25,480 --> 01:12:26,480
From Waterloo.

1394
01:12:26,480 --> 01:12:27,960
You guys remember Edmund?

1395
01:12:27,960 --> 01:12:28,960
Yeah.

1396
01:12:28,960 --> 01:12:37,320
Like sometimes just athletically and physical gifts wise, they're really, they hit a spurt.

1397
01:12:37,320 --> 01:12:40,600
And they're just so far ahead of kids their age.

1398
01:12:40,600 --> 01:12:43,400
And then they, it levels off a little bit.

1399
01:12:43,400 --> 01:12:47,840
You know, I think some of that happened with Tevin.

1400
01:12:47,840 --> 01:12:55,400
I don't know that his, you know, his overall game ever, ever like quite caught up to his

1401
01:12:55,400 --> 01:12:57,360
athletic gifts.

1402
01:12:57,360 --> 01:13:00,880
But he was a terrific player.

1403
01:13:00,880 --> 01:13:09,560
And we had him, I think, for one year at Quinnipiac, if I'm not mistaken, and he ended up transferring.

1404
01:13:09,560 --> 01:13:18,000
But he was a, he was nothing but a joy coach and having the program.

1405
01:13:18,000 --> 01:13:21,640
And we were really excited when we got him because we saw the same thing.

1406
01:13:21,640 --> 01:13:25,080
We saw great potential and great upside.

1407
01:13:25,080 --> 01:13:29,800
And it didn't, you know, it didn't really like blossom at Quinnipiac as much as we

1408
01:13:29,800 --> 01:13:31,880
would have hoped.

1409
01:13:31,880 --> 01:13:33,760
But he's, he was coaching.

1410
01:13:33,760 --> 01:13:38,520
Last I knew, he was coaching up at St. Michael's with Eric Eaton, who used to be one of my

1411
01:13:38,520 --> 01:13:39,520
assistant coaches.

1412
01:13:39,520 --> 01:13:40,520
Oh, that's neat.

1413
01:13:40,520 --> 01:13:45,560
And I think, yeah, I think he's taken another job if I'm not mistaken.

1414
01:13:45,560 --> 01:13:49,120
But yeah, he was a terrific player at a young age.

1415
01:13:49,120 --> 01:13:53,040
Were you at the game at Gamble when they played Crosby out of Waterbury?

1416
01:13:53,040 --> 01:13:54,040
I didn't see that one.

1417
01:13:54,040 --> 01:13:55,040
No.

1418
01:13:55,040 --> 01:13:58,200
I mean, Crosby out of Waterbury had BJ Montero, who was a heck of a player.

1419
01:13:58,200 --> 01:14:01,960
Anthony Ireland, who might have been MVP of what was it?

1420
01:14:01,960 --> 01:14:02,960
Who?

1421
01:14:02,960 --> 01:14:03,960
Saunders.

1422
01:14:03,960 --> 01:14:04,960
Oh, a Saunders.

1423
01:14:04,960 --> 01:14:05,960
A Duquesne.

1424
01:14:05,960 --> 01:14:06,960
Yeah.

1425
01:14:06,960 --> 01:14:07,960
Yeah.

1426
01:14:07,960 --> 01:14:08,960
Also a Duquesne.

1427
01:14:08,960 --> 01:14:09,960
Mike, Mike Saunders?

1428
01:14:09,960 --> 01:14:11,960
Two of those kids wanted Duquesne.

1429
01:14:11,960 --> 01:14:12,960
Yeah.

1430
01:14:12,960 --> 01:14:14,520
Man, what a crazy game.

1431
01:14:14,520 --> 01:14:16,520
Now were you there for Peter Kiss?

1432
01:14:16,520 --> 01:14:18,520
Was he a Quinnipiac guy?

1433
01:14:18,520 --> 01:14:19,520
Yes.

1434
01:14:19,520 --> 01:14:20,520
Yes.

1435
01:14:20,520 --> 01:14:26,080
Because he went on to Rutgers and, you know, we thought he'd be something there and then

1436
01:14:26,080 --> 01:14:29,080
he ended up at Bryant and then went bananas finally, right?

1437
01:14:29,080 --> 01:14:33,960
Can you talk a little bit about Peter Kiss?

1438
01:14:33,960 --> 01:14:38,280
I love Peter, but you earn your paycheck every day.

1439
01:14:38,280 --> 01:14:42,640
You know what?

1440
01:14:42,640 --> 01:14:44,360
The juice is worth the squeeze.

1441
01:14:44,360 --> 01:14:48,400
That's what I like to say because he was a talented player, man.

1442
01:14:48,400 --> 01:14:52,560
Talented, talented player and a super competitive kid.

1443
01:14:52,560 --> 01:14:59,040
You know, he had an athletic rage about him that sometimes he couldn't harness.

1444
01:14:59,040 --> 01:15:05,840
And as a coach, you're working every day to try to just control that, you know?

1445
01:15:05,840 --> 01:15:09,960
And it's a lot of energy and a lot of effort that goes into it.

1446
01:15:09,960 --> 01:15:15,720
But like I said, if you're at Quinnipiac, you're at Bryant, it's worth it in my opinion.

1447
01:15:15,720 --> 01:15:20,560
You know, I think he would have, I ended up getting fired at the end of his freshman

1448
01:15:20,560 --> 01:15:21,560
year.

1449
01:15:21,560 --> 01:15:25,080
And Mikey Dixon was the other kid in the backcourt that we had as freshmen.

1450
01:15:25,080 --> 01:15:29,040
And I was like really hopeful I would have had an opportunity to coach those guys for

1451
01:15:29,040 --> 01:15:32,560
a couple of years because this was pre-NIL days.

1452
01:15:32,560 --> 01:15:36,640
You know, like if this was NIL back then, those two both would have got offers at bigger

1453
01:15:36,640 --> 01:15:41,680
schools and they would have left me, you know, after their freshman year.

1454
01:15:41,680 --> 01:15:48,600
But we had never lost a guy to transfer that we didn't want to have stay, you know, at

1455
01:15:48,600 --> 01:15:49,600
Quinnipiac.

1456
01:15:49,600 --> 01:15:52,960
And the school was, you know, I think the school was, it's a great school.

1457
01:15:52,960 --> 01:15:54,800
It was a great arena.

1458
01:15:54,800 --> 01:15:58,760
It was a fun conference to play in both when we were in the NEC because we were near the

1459
01:15:58,760 --> 01:16:01,240
top of that league and in the Mac, you know?

1460
01:16:01,240 --> 01:16:04,240
So kids were generally happy there.

1461
01:16:04,240 --> 01:16:09,600
And I think Peter and Mike both were the state had I been retained.

1462
01:16:09,600 --> 01:16:12,800
And it would have been awesome to try to coach, you know, to be able to coach those guys into

1463
01:16:12,800 --> 01:16:14,000
their sophomore year.

1464
01:16:14,000 --> 01:16:18,560
And, you know, maybe we could have kept them even as juniors because Peter was super talented

1465
01:16:18,560 --> 01:16:21,640
and super competitive to as well.

1466
01:16:21,640 --> 01:16:23,600
I still, I have a good relationship with him.

1467
01:16:23,600 --> 01:16:26,040
I still talk to his mom too as well.

1468
01:16:26,040 --> 01:16:30,840
And he just actually signed another contract for another European team.

1469
01:16:30,840 --> 01:16:33,040
So he could play for a while.

1470
01:16:33,040 --> 01:16:37,400
Like he's, he's that talented and, and that competitive coach.

1471
01:16:37,400 --> 01:16:40,800
Would you, would you entertain a head coaching job in the future?

1472
01:16:40,800 --> 01:16:42,600
Are you set where you are?

1473
01:16:42,600 --> 01:16:44,600
I know, yeah, obviously.

1474
01:16:44,600 --> 01:16:46,440
Yeah, I would.

1475
01:16:46,440 --> 01:16:48,640
It would really have to be the right one.

1476
01:16:48,640 --> 01:16:50,120
Like I'm 59 now.

1477
01:16:50,120 --> 01:16:55,600
And it's not something that I'm looking to have end my career.

1478
01:16:55,600 --> 01:16:58,560
It's not something that like consumes me.

1479
01:16:58,560 --> 01:17:02,120
It's not really how I see my career ending right now.

1480
01:17:02,120 --> 01:17:08,160
But you know, it's the, it's the right low major job came up in the Northeast.

1481
01:17:08,160 --> 01:17:12,000
Like I had interviewed at Holy Cross two years ago and I would have loved that because

1482
01:17:12,000 --> 01:17:16,240
I'm a central mascot and I love and respect the tradition of the school.

1483
01:17:16,240 --> 01:17:19,480
But it just, you know, it didn't, it didn't really, it didn't happen.

1484
01:17:19,480 --> 01:17:24,480
But so yeah, I'm happy with, I love being with Dan.

1485
01:17:24,480 --> 01:17:25,480
He's terrific.

1486
01:17:25,480 --> 01:17:29,400
He's the best college basketball coach in the country right now.

1487
01:17:29,400 --> 01:17:33,880
And I told this to one of our, one of our trustees the other day.

1488
01:17:33,880 --> 01:17:40,280
It's inspiring working with him just as it was working for Coach Calhoun because of how,

1489
01:17:40,280 --> 01:17:41,280
how good he is.

1490
01:17:41,280 --> 01:17:47,640
I mean, I catch myself sometimes in his, in, you know, being in a meeting with him, with

1491
01:17:47,640 --> 01:17:53,920
one of our players at how great he is at pushing players buttons, but mostly like watching

1492
01:17:53,920 --> 01:17:59,400
him call a game and hearing him in timeouts and watching him in practice.

1493
01:17:59,400 --> 01:18:06,560
I mean, he does his best work in practice and it's, it's highest level stuff.

1494
01:18:06,560 --> 01:18:08,560
You know, he's 51 years old.

1495
01:18:08,560 --> 01:18:15,000
I don't think there can be many better right now at offensive, offensive philosophy, defensive

1496
01:18:15,000 --> 01:18:22,720
philosophy, preparation, roster construction, what he's, you know, again, in team building,

1497
01:18:22,720 --> 01:18:26,800
he's like checking every box at the highest level.

1498
01:18:26,800 --> 01:18:31,920
So it's, it's great being a part of this and I'm really enjoying it.

1499
01:18:31,920 --> 01:18:34,640
Coach, we're gonna, we're gonna ask you a couple more questions before we wrap it up.

1500
01:18:34,640 --> 01:18:39,520
But I want to know on this year's team, who can we look forward to make a big step from

1501
01:18:39,520 --> 01:18:43,240
last year and which newcomers have impressed you the most?

1502
01:18:43,240 --> 01:18:49,120
Okay, I'd say from last year, the two guys we, we're relying on the most that are probably

1503
01:18:49,120 --> 01:18:52,320
Jaylin Stewart and Solomon Ball.

1504
01:18:52,320 --> 01:18:58,480
Jaylin flashed his talent in certain moments last year, the big game in the Big East tournament

1505
01:18:58,480 --> 01:19:00,680
and he had some other moments too as well.

1506
01:19:00,680 --> 01:19:06,240
He's like, I'd like to compare Jaylin to a sort of a poor man's Karam Butler.

1507
01:19:06,240 --> 01:19:09,680
I hear him very similar in size and game.

1508
01:19:09,680 --> 01:19:10,680
Yeah.

1509
01:19:10,680 --> 01:19:13,680
And I did say poor man's now because of that.

1510
01:19:13,680 --> 01:19:15,680
Unless he gets to the NBA.

1511
01:19:15,680 --> 01:19:17,560
Yeah, that's, yeah.

1512
01:19:17,560 --> 01:19:20,080
He was like a 15, 16 year NBA player.

1513
01:19:20,080 --> 01:19:25,080
And when the ball went up, there was no one you wanted in your corner more than, more

1514
01:19:25,080 --> 01:19:26,080
than that guy.

1515
01:19:26,080 --> 01:19:28,440
I tell people who don't know him, like we referenced it earlier.

1516
01:19:28,440 --> 01:19:34,720
Go watch the 2002 Elite Game where he almost single handedly beat the Maryland champion,

1517
01:19:34,720 --> 01:19:35,720
you know?

1518
01:19:35,720 --> 01:19:36,720
Yeah.

1519
01:19:36,720 --> 01:19:42,120
And so Jaylin's got, got, got ability like that though, you know, he can shoot it, he

1520
01:19:42,120 --> 01:19:43,120
can pass it.

1521
01:19:43,120 --> 01:19:45,120
He's got a lot of game.

1522
01:19:45,120 --> 01:19:46,800
Things come naturally to him.

1523
01:19:46,800 --> 01:19:52,040
He's got to get his sort of cardio right, his body right and his play in and play out

1524
01:19:52,040 --> 01:19:54,160
consistency right.

1525
01:19:54,160 --> 01:19:58,720
And I think that'll happen this year because he's going to have a longer rope this year

1526
01:19:58,720 --> 01:20:03,960
because of, you know, with a couple of the older guys not being in the program, you know,

1527
01:20:03,960 --> 01:20:07,800
I think he'll be able to play through a couple more mistakes and miss shots.

1528
01:20:07,800 --> 01:20:11,320
And once he's allowed to feel comfortable out there, I think you're really going to

1529
01:20:11,320 --> 01:20:12,320
see him blossom.

1530
01:20:12,320 --> 01:20:16,960
The other guy, Solomon is just, he shoots it, so shoots it better than we thought.

1531
01:20:16,960 --> 01:20:20,880
His catch and shoot game is, is at a higher level than we thought coming in.

1532
01:20:20,880 --> 01:20:25,640
He's got to improve a little bit on his handle and his passing and just sort of refine some

1533
01:20:25,640 --> 01:20:31,760
of his guard skills, but the athletic, athleticism is there, the shooting is there.

1534
01:20:31,760 --> 01:20:36,320
And as far as the new guys, you know, we took two older transfers in, in Tarris Reed and

1535
01:20:36,320 --> 01:20:37,320
Aidan Mahaney.

1536
01:20:37,320 --> 01:20:38,560
They'll both be very good.

1537
01:20:38,560 --> 01:20:40,000
They've got a track record.

1538
01:20:40,000 --> 01:20:45,560
They've played in big games, but Liam McNeely of the new guys is probably the most game

1539
01:20:45,560 --> 01:20:47,400
ready right now.

1540
01:20:47,400 --> 01:20:49,800
I think you call fans are going to love him.

1541
01:20:49,800 --> 01:20:53,240
He's like six, eight, he can really shoot the ball.

1542
01:20:53,240 --> 01:20:55,240
He's a confident offensive player.

1543
01:20:55,240 --> 01:20:56,640
He's got a lot of swagger.

1544
01:20:56,640 --> 01:21:01,200
Again, he's going to be one of those guys that I think big East teams are going to probably

1545
01:21:01,200 --> 01:21:02,200
hate.

1546
01:21:02,200 --> 01:21:03,200
He's six, eight.

1547
01:21:03,200 --> 01:21:04,200
Fans are going to love.

1548
01:21:04,200 --> 01:21:05,200
Yeah.

1549
01:21:05,200 --> 01:21:06,200
Yeah.

1550
01:21:06,200 --> 01:21:10,000
And he's like, and he can really, really shoot the ball, you know, so like, and he's

1551
01:21:10,000 --> 01:21:13,440
got other parts of his offensive game too, as well.

1552
01:21:13,440 --> 01:21:16,440
That are pretty, that are pretty diverse too, as well.

1553
01:21:16,440 --> 01:21:22,960
So we got to get him a little bit more understanding of how we play defense, but he's not reluctant.

1554
01:21:22,960 --> 01:21:27,120
You know, he's just got to get caught up conceptually with, with sort of how we do things.

1555
01:21:27,120 --> 01:21:32,840
But boy, he's got, I think he's got the, the self confidence as a freshman to pull the

1556
01:21:32,840 --> 01:21:33,840
thing off.

1557
01:21:33,840 --> 01:21:38,760
You know, and what I mean by that is like, you know, he's, he's mocking in these early

1558
01:21:38,760 --> 01:21:42,360
20, 25 mock drafts as like a top 10 pick.

1559
01:21:42,360 --> 01:21:47,960
And I think he has enough self belief and I think he'll flourish in our, in our offensive

1560
01:21:47,960 --> 01:21:52,800
system that he'll show well enough that he could have that come true.

1561
01:21:52,800 --> 01:21:56,200
So I don't think we'll, we'll have him long, you know,

1562
01:21:56,200 --> 01:22:00,760
You better hope so because if you guys don't three P you're on a hot seat here.

1563
01:22:00,760 --> 01:22:05,960
Dan doesn't shy from it, right?

1564
01:22:05,960 --> 01:22:10,160
Every time the dance talks to anyone, he's like, yeah, let's go for it.

1565
01:22:10,160 --> 01:22:11,160
Yeah.

1566
01:22:11,160 --> 01:22:14,720
Coach, that leads me to my question.

1567
01:22:14,720 --> 01:22:19,520
It's just so impressive how you guys have struck a balance between the transfer portal

1568
01:22:19,520 --> 01:22:24,320
and, and bringing in the recruits like a Klingon and a caravan and then the transfer stuff

1569
01:22:24,320 --> 01:22:27,080
with new and in Spencer.

1570
01:22:27,080 --> 01:22:32,640
I know the landscape of college basketball has changed, but when it became a big, a big

1571
01:22:32,640 --> 01:22:37,840
thing for rosters, did you guys really sit down and talk about that in the off season

1572
01:22:37,840 --> 01:22:44,040
with coach early in a coaching staff, how you guys wanted to attack and create your roster

1573
01:22:44,040 --> 01:22:47,240
using both the portal in recruiting?

1574
01:22:47,240 --> 01:22:48,240
Oh yeah.

1575
01:22:48,240 --> 01:22:49,240
Yeah.

1576
01:22:49,240 --> 01:22:54,640
I mean, when we lost that New Mexico state game a couple of years ago, I think Dan did

1577
01:22:54,640 --> 01:23:04,000
an incredible job of like sort of self reflecting on, on how the whole thing works and then

1578
01:23:04,000 --> 01:23:10,440
correcting, sort of course correcting how he was constructing his teams and what he was

1579
01:23:10,440 --> 01:23:14,000
looking for and, and sort of how he was coaching them.

1580
01:23:14,000 --> 01:23:21,040
And he's, he's in addition to being, you know, a great coach, he's, he's incredibly smart.

1581
01:23:21,040 --> 01:23:25,440
And I'd like to say, hey, the whole staff and the four of us put our heads together

1582
01:23:25,440 --> 01:23:26,440
with everybody.

1583
01:23:26,440 --> 01:23:34,320
He's the one who, who like, who just sort of drives every decision and he, he just realized

1584
01:23:34,320 --> 01:23:38,720
like, you know, at that point he's like, he saw what Alex could be.

1585
01:23:38,720 --> 01:23:45,640
And he's like, we need a more of an offensive, offensively diverse format, someone who could

1586
01:23:45,640 --> 01:23:51,480
shoot and pass and he wanted to play four out, five out and, and be able to do more

1587
01:23:51,480 --> 01:23:53,040
things on offense.

1588
01:23:53,040 --> 01:23:56,240
And he saw our Alex as a key piece in that.

1589
01:23:56,240 --> 01:24:01,440
And then, you know, he always felt like, let's get a couple, like, you know, maybe try to

1590
01:24:01,440 --> 01:24:08,360
get one like stud freshman who's ready to do it right away, maybe get a couple projection

1591
01:24:08,360 --> 01:24:14,160
type of guys, freshmen, make sure you back on your player development because he's a

1592
01:24:14,160 --> 01:24:15,600
huge proponent of that.

1593
01:24:15,600 --> 01:24:18,280
And he thinks we do a really good job of getting these guys better.

1594
01:24:18,280 --> 01:24:21,720
So you got to have sophomores that are going to become juniors, the freshmen are going

1595
01:24:21,720 --> 01:24:25,920
to become sophomores that are, that are getting better and know your program and you can rely

1596
01:24:25,920 --> 01:24:26,920
on them.

1597
01:24:26,920 --> 01:24:33,440
And then like, sort of supplement the thing at the very top with some transfers who you,

1598
01:24:33,440 --> 01:24:38,280
who have proven track records that you think will fit in as people and players.

1599
01:24:38,280 --> 01:24:43,840
And he's, he's got it like he wants probably about three of each, maybe two transfers or

1600
01:24:43,840 --> 01:24:50,800
three transfers in life for those, those improving program guys and then three or four freshmen.

1601
01:24:50,800 --> 01:24:53,640
And he's like, that's the perfect roster construction.

1602
01:24:53,640 --> 01:24:55,040
It works for him.

1603
01:24:55,040 --> 01:24:56,040
That's what he liked.

1604
01:24:56,040 --> 01:24:57,520
And he's really good at that.

1605
01:24:57,520 --> 01:24:58,520
That's great.

1606
01:24:58,520 --> 01:25:00,520
So the team guys, yeah, progressed.

1607
01:25:00,520 --> 01:25:01,520
So.

1608
01:25:01,520 --> 01:25:02,520
All right, coach.

1609
01:25:02,520 --> 01:25:04,240
We, we can't thank you enough for coming on.

1610
01:25:04,240 --> 01:25:05,880
We have to ask you one tough one.

1611
01:25:05,880 --> 01:25:08,200
Are we getting Malik Thomas?

1612
01:25:08,200 --> 01:25:09,200
No.

1613
01:25:09,200 --> 01:25:10,600
Um, Mount Rushmore.

1614
01:25:10,600 --> 01:25:14,800
Mount Rushmore, you got to come up with your four guys.

1615
01:25:14,800 --> 01:25:17,760
You've been here for good 25, 30 years, right?

1616
01:25:17,760 --> 01:25:19,520
Who are your four Yukon players?

1617
01:25:19,520 --> 01:25:22,160
We can't put Coach Galhoun on or Coach Hurley.

1618
01:25:22,160 --> 01:25:24,880
You got four guys for the Yukon.

1619
01:25:24,880 --> 01:25:26,720
And they could have been there during your Quinnipiac years.

1620
01:25:26,720 --> 01:25:29,760
Just give us four since when you got there.

1621
01:25:29,760 --> 01:25:31,760
Oh, wow.

1622
01:25:31,760 --> 01:25:33,760
Wow.

1623
01:25:33,760 --> 01:25:37,040
I just want to let you know what got Ray Allen.

1624
01:25:37,040 --> 01:25:40,160
When we had Ross Jones on, we were at, we did a, who would you rather?

1625
01:25:40,160 --> 01:25:43,080
So we pitted him with one Yukon guy versus the other.

1626
01:25:43,080 --> 01:25:44,520
We're giving you an open book.

1627
01:25:44,520 --> 01:25:47,040
He was, he was key.

1628
01:25:47,040 --> 01:25:49,160
He answered quickly and honestly.

1629
01:25:49,160 --> 01:25:50,160
Yeah.

1630
01:25:50,160 --> 01:25:51,160
Yeah.

1631
01:25:51,160 --> 01:25:52,160
Yeah.

1632
01:25:52,160 --> 01:25:56,680
So we're going to say Ray Allen, um, rip.

1633
01:25:56,680 --> 01:26:03,520
Um, boy, this is, uh, um, um, um, um, Mecca.

1634
01:26:03,520 --> 01:26:07,480
Oh, and then now, now.

1635
01:26:07,480 --> 01:26:08,480
Say it, Tom.

1636
01:26:08,480 --> 01:26:09,480
Say it.

1637
01:26:09,480 --> 01:26:10,480
Number three.

1638
01:26:10,480 --> 01:26:16,000
If I had to go, if I had to go, see, I, I, I want to say Kembo for what he accomplished.

1639
01:26:16,000 --> 01:26:17,960
I didn't coach him, you know.

1640
01:26:17,960 --> 01:26:20,760
Um, so I'm going to couch this.

1641
01:26:20,760 --> 01:26:28,640
And I feel like I have to take, uh, someone from the disc, uh, these, this last, these

1642
01:26:28,640 --> 01:26:33,400
last two teams to represent the last two teams.

1643
01:26:33,400 --> 01:26:35,920
Um, so I'm going to go Donovan.

1644
01:26:35,920 --> 01:26:36,920
Wow.

1645
01:26:36,920 --> 01:26:38,400
You're on a Bristol podcast.

1646
01:26:38,400 --> 01:26:41,080
I tell you, Daniel gets no love anymore.

1647
01:26:41,080 --> 01:26:43,080
How about Karan?

1648
01:26:43,080 --> 01:26:45,200
No, we got a special guest.

1649
01:26:45,200 --> 01:26:46,200
Karan's online.

1650
01:26:46,200 --> 01:26:50,000
Hey, you can't go wrong.

1651
01:26:50,000 --> 01:26:51,560
There's so many good guys.

1652
01:26:51,560 --> 01:26:55,080
We want to thank one of the most decorated assistant coaches in the history of division

1653
01:26:55,080 --> 01:26:56,080
one college basketball.

1654
01:26:56,080 --> 01:26:57,400
I think, I think he's a hall of fame.

1655
01:26:57,400 --> 01:27:02,000
Four time national champion, future hall of famer entering his 20th season overall at

1656
01:27:02,000 --> 01:27:03,120
UConn.

1657
01:27:03,120 --> 01:27:05,920
Thank you for all you do for the state and for the Huskies and we'll be rooting for

1658
01:27:05,920 --> 01:27:07,120
you guys all year.

1659
01:27:07,120 --> 01:27:08,120
Thanks coach.

1660
01:27:08,120 --> 01:27:09,120
Thank you coach.

1661
01:27:09,120 --> 01:27:10,120
Thank you.

1662
01:27:10,120 --> 01:27:11,120
It fellas, my pleasure.

1663
01:27:11,120 --> 01:27:12,120
This is, yeah, thank you.

1664
01:27:12,120 --> 01:27:15,640
This has been an honor and a thrill and it's been a lot of fun.

1665
01:27:15,640 --> 01:27:16,640
So thanks a lot.

1666
01:27:16,640 --> 01:27:17,640
Save it for next time.

1667
01:27:17,640 --> 01:27:18,640
All right.

1668
01:27:18,640 --> 01:27:19,640
Yeah.

1669
01:27:19,640 --> 01:27:20,640
Thank you coach.

1670
01:27:20,640 --> 01:27:21,640
You can go to your car now.

1671
01:27:21,640 --> 01:27:22,640
All right.

1672
01:27:22,640 --> 01:27:23,640
Thank you.

1673
01:27:23,640 --> 01:27:24,640
Hey, Tom, thank you so much.

1674
01:27:24,640 --> 01:27:26,920
We really appreciate it.

1675
01:27:26,920 --> 01:27:27,920
My pleasure.

1676
01:27:27,920 --> 01:27:28,920
My pleasure.

1677
01:27:28,920 --> 01:27:33,040
Hey, and coach, I hope I didn't insult you with one of your centers, the 511 guy from

1678
01:27:33,040 --> 01:27:33,920
Rossi L.

1679
01:27:33,920 --> 01:27:40,040
Yeah, we were trying to defend him with a 511 sophomore the first time we played him and

1680
01:27:40,040 --> 01:27:43,640
the closest we ever came was the first time I coached against him and that it just kept

1681
01:27:43,640 --> 01:27:47,640
getting wider and the gap kept getting wider and wider and wider.

1682
01:27:47,640 --> 01:27:48,640
Yeah.

1683
01:27:48,640 --> 01:27:50,640
Not a problem though.

1684
01:27:50,640 --> 01:27:56,000
Well, listen, it was a pleasure doing this with you guys.

1685
01:27:56,000 --> 01:27:57,000
I appreciate it.

1686
01:27:57,000 --> 01:27:59,640
I'm still sitting in the academic study hall.

1687
01:27:59,640 --> 01:28:00,640
Yeah, it's awesome.

1688
01:28:00,640 --> 01:28:05,520
Because I never, yeah, there were enough people around still in the offices that I, every

1689
01:28:05,520 --> 01:28:08,280
time I poked my head out, there were people still around.

1690
01:28:08,280 --> 01:28:10,640
So I said, I'll just stay here and finish the park.

1691
01:28:10,640 --> 01:28:12,960
Just throw hurly on your recruiting call.

1692
01:28:12,960 --> 01:28:15,320
Really appreciate your time.

1693
01:28:15,320 --> 01:28:16,320
Exactly.

1694
01:28:16,320 --> 01:28:17,320
Tom, awesome.

1695
01:28:17,320 --> 01:28:18,320
Thanks so much.

1696
01:28:18,320 --> 01:28:19,320
Thanks.

1697
01:28:19,320 --> 01:28:20,320
All right, take care guys.

1698
01:28:20,320 --> 01:28:22,320
Yep, bye now.

1699
01:28:22,320 --> 01:28:27,840
Okay, guys, that's right up there with one of our best segments.

1700
01:28:27,840 --> 01:28:28,840
Unbelievable.

1701
01:28:28,840 --> 01:28:31,120
Coach Moore, well-spoken, commissioned thank you again.

1702
01:28:31,120 --> 01:28:34,440
Donovan showing up, studio engineer Kevin Ross.

1703
01:28:34,440 --> 01:28:36,560
I can't believe you navigated that.

1704
01:28:36,560 --> 01:28:40,840
Can't believe you didn't hang up on one or the other or both.

1705
01:28:40,840 --> 01:28:42,840
That was great.

1706
01:28:42,840 --> 01:28:47,920
Better than I thought it would be and I was looking forward to it all week anyway.

1707
01:28:47,920 --> 01:28:51,440
That being said, we're going to shift gears.

1708
01:28:51,440 --> 01:28:53,920
Capital securities, Joe Morello, a life.

1709
01:28:53,920 --> 01:28:54,920
Well planned.

1710
01:28:54,920 --> 01:28:55,920
Well planned.

1711
01:28:55,920 --> 01:28:59,000
We're going to go into the Hoot Your Rather segment and welcome Coach Wrapped in with

1712
01:28:59,000 --> 01:29:02,280
Crocker and the tax man if they want to get in.

1713
01:29:02,280 --> 01:29:03,280
Angry J.

1714
01:29:03,280 --> 01:29:04,280
We got a million guys in this tonight.

1715
01:29:04,280 --> 01:29:05,640
Yeah, we got to go quick.

1716
01:29:05,640 --> 01:29:06,640
Yeah, that's fine.

1717
01:29:06,640 --> 01:29:07,640
That's...

1718
01:29:07,640 --> 01:29:08,640
I think these are all listeners right here.

1719
01:29:08,640 --> 01:29:09,640
I think these are all listeners right here.

1720
01:29:09,640 --> 01:29:10,640
We're all over the place with this tonight too.

1721
01:29:10,640 --> 01:29:11,640
No fill-up.

1722
01:29:11,640 --> 01:29:14,760
Running backs, quarterbacks, the Jackson Five and food.

1723
01:29:14,760 --> 01:29:15,760
No.

1724
01:29:15,760 --> 01:29:16,760
So here we go.

1725
01:29:16,760 --> 01:29:18,880
Joe Jackson, Tony Dorsett.

1726
01:29:18,880 --> 01:29:19,880
Bo.

1727
01:29:19,880 --> 01:29:20,880
Bo.

1728
01:29:20,880 --> 01:29:21,880
Touchdown Tony.

1729
01:29:21,880 --> 01:29:22,880
Bo Jackson.

1730
01:29:22,880 --> 01:29:23,880
If you're talking NFL careers, TD.

1731
01:29:23,880 --> 01:29:24,880
I'm going with Tony Dorsett too.

1732
01:29:24,880 --> 01:29:25,880
Touchdown Tony.

1733
01:29:25,880 --> 01:29:36,440
All right, we're going just college.

1734
01:29:36,440 --> 01:29:37,440
Running backs now.

1735
01:29:37,440 --> 01:29:38,440
They're college career.

1736
01:29:38,440 --> 01:29:40,640
Herschel Walker, Barry Sanders.

1737
01:29:40,640 --> 01:29:41,640
Barry.

1738
01:29:41,640 --> 01:29:42,640
Herschel.

1739
01:29:42,640 --> 01:29:43,640
Georgia.

1740
01:29:43,640 --> 01:29:44,640
Barry.

1741
01:29:44,640 --> 01:29:46,840
Barry.

1742
01:29:46,840 --> 01:29:49,640
George as well.

1743
01:29:49,640 --> 01:29:50,640
Herschel.

1744
01:29:50,640 --> 01:29:54,640
He was unheard of in the early 80s for a guy like that.

1745
01:29:54,640 --> 01:29:55,640
I will go with that too.

1746
01:29:55,640 --> 01:29:56,640
Herschel Walker.

1747
01:29:56,640 --> 01:30:00,640
All right, we're going again just college running back careers.

1748
01:30:00,640 --> 01:30:02,640
Ricky Williams, Archie Griffin.

1749
01:30:02,640 --> 01:30:06,640
Ricky.

1750
01:30:06,640 --> 01:30:07,640
Ricky Williams.

1751
01:30:07,640 --> 01:30:12,640
I kind of want to go Griffin, but I'm going to go Ricky.

1752
01:30:12,640 --> 01:30:14,520
I'm going Ricky Williams.

1753
01:30:14,520 --> 01:30:15,520
Ricky as well.

1754
01:30:15,520 --> 01:30:18,120
What do you haze this guy?

1755
01:30:18,120 --> 01:30:19,120
Oh, thank you.

1756
01:30:19,120 --> 01:30:20,120
We finally got one smart guy in there.

1757
01:30:20,120 --> 01:30:21,120
I'm going Archie Griffin too.

1758
01:30:21,120 --> 01:30:24,720
The only guy that wins two Heisman trophies, and we can't get any love there.

1759
01:30:24,720 --> 01:30:26,400
All right, NFL careers.

1760
01:30:26,400 --> 01:30:28,240
Jerome Betis, Franco Harris.

1761
01:30:28,240 --> 01:30:29,240
NFL.

1762
01:30:29,240 --> 01:30:30,240
NFL.

1763
01:30:30,240 --> 01:30:31,240
The bus.

1764
01:30:31,240 --> 01:30:32,240
Harris.

1765
01:30:32,240 --> 01:30:35,320
Crock, you can't answer this one.

1766
01:30:35,320 --> 01:30:37,100
I'm going, I'm going to bus.

1767
01:30:37,100 --> 01:30:39,280
Yeah, I'm going to bus.

1768
01:30:39,280 --> 01:30:41,880
As a Steeler fan, I'm going to bus.

1769
01:30:41,880 --> 01:30:47,880
I think I'm going to go Franco because he's from Penn State.

1770
01:30:47,880 --> 01:30:49,200
I'm going Franco's army.

1771
01:30:49,200 --> 01:30:50,360
We did this for Crocker too.

1772
01:30:50,360 --> 01:30:52,880
So Terry Bradshaw, Ben Ralfersburg.

1773
01:30:52,880 --> 01:30:53,880
Bradshaw.

1774
01:30:53,880 --> 01:30:55,880
A big Ben.

1775
01:30:55,880 --> 01:30:57,880
Bradshaw all day.

1776
01:30:57,880 --> 01:30:59,880
Terry Bradshaw.

1777
01:30:59,880 --> 01:31:01,880
I got to go Ben.

1778
01:31:01,880 --> 01:31:03,880
He was a better passer.

1779
01:31:03,880 --> 01:31:08,880
Bradshaw can't remember any of the four Super Bowls, but I'm still going with Bradshaw.

1780
01:31:08,880 --> 01:31:12,880
I will second that, but I'm not going with the Super Bowls.

1781
01:31:12,880 --> 01:31:15,880
I'll go because he was in the Cannonball run in that movie Rock.

1782
01:31:15,880 --> 01:31:19,880
All right, Michael Jackson or Janet Jackson.

1783
01:31:19,880 --> 01:31:21,880
MJ all day.

1784
01:31:21,880 --> 01:31:22,880
Michael.

1785
01:31:22,880 --> 01:31:24,880
You were not alone.

1786
01:31:24,880 --> 01:31:26,880
Me too, Michael.

1787
01:31:26,880 --> 01:31:31,880
I'll be the only guy that remembered that Super Bowl halftime show, Janet Jackson.

1788
01:31:31,880 --> 01:31:32,880
I'm with you, Rap.

1789
01:31:32,880 --> 01:31:33,880
Janet.

1790
01:31:33,880 --> 01:31:36,880
One of the best entertainers of all time, MJ.

1791
01:31:36,880 --> 01:31:39,880
Oh, you guys are, I'm going to shine it through it.

1792
01:31:39,880 --> 01:31:40,880
Right.

1793
01:31:40,880 --> 01:31:43,880
Entertainer or looks?

1794
01:31:43,880 --> 01:31:44,880
Whatever.

1795
01:31:44,880 --> 01:31:45,880
Whatever.

1796
01:31:45,880 --> 01:31:46,880
Here we go.

1797
01:31:46,880 --> 01:31:47,880
Here we go.

1798
01:31:47,880 --> 01:31:48,880
Grilled cheese.

1799
01:31:48,880 --> 01:31:50,880
Wait, who would you rather have babysit your kids?

1800
01:31:50,880 --> 01:31:51,880
Shane A.

1801
01:31:51,880 --> 01:31:54,880
Charles Manson.

1802
01:31:54,880 --> 01:31:55,880
That's part of it.

1803
01:31:55,880 --> 01:31:58,880
Grilled cheese or peanut butter and jelly?

1804
01:31:58,880 --> 01:31:59,880
You know what?

1805
01:31:59,880 --> 01:32:02,880
I'm on the PvP and J-Tip right now.

1806
01:32:02,880 --> 01:32:04,880
Peanut butter and jelly.

1807
01:32:04,880 --> 01:32:05,880
Grilled cheese.

1808
01:32:05,880 --> 01:32:06,880
Ketchup?

1809
01:32:06,880 --> 01:32:09,880
I mean grilled cheese if I could add bacon, tomato, to it.

1810
01:32:09,880 --> 01:32:10,880
No, no, no.

1811
01:32:10,880 --> 01:32:11,880
You can't have that.

1812
01:32:11,880 --> 01:32:13,880
Peanut butter and jelly for me, I had steak.

1813
01:32:13,880 --> 01:32:15,880
Rap and I are getting along.

1814
01:32:15,880 --> 01:32:18,880
You throw a little fresh-garded tomato on that grilled cheese all day long.

1815
01:32:18,880 --> 01:32:19,880
Wasn't a question.

1816
01:32:19,880 --> 01:32:20,880
All day long.

1817
01:32:20,880 --> 01:32:21,880
Peanut butter and jelly.

1818
01:32:21,880 --> 01:32:22,880
Grew up on it.

1819
01:32:22,880 --> 01:32:23,880
Come on.

1820
01:32:23,880 --> 01:32:25,880
Yeah, peanut butter and jelly with the strawberry jam.

1821
01:32:25,880 --> 01:32:27,880
All right, French fries, onion rings.

1822
01:32:27,880 --> 01:32:29,880
Oh, fries.

1823
01:32:29,880 --> 01:32:30,880
Onion rings.

1824
01:32:30,880 --> 01:32:31,880
Fries.

1825
01:32:31,880 --> 01:32:37,880
You know, onion rings is like a step up from the fries, but fries are classic.

1826
01:32:37,880 --> 01:32:39,880
I go fries.

1827
01:32:39,880 --> 01:32:41,880
Is it shoestring onion rings?

1828
01:32:41,880 --> 01:32:42,880
That onion rings.

1829
01:32:42,880 --> 01:32:43,880
Steak fries, regular fries.

1830
01:32:43,880 --> 01:32:46,880
I'm going steak fries all day long.

1831
01:32:46,880 --> 01:32:47,880
Fries.

1832
01:32:47,880 --> 01:32:48,880
Onion rings.

1833
01:32:48,880 --> 01:32:49,880
All right, two to go.

1834
01:32:49,880 --> 01:32:52,880
Mint chocolate chip ice cream or black raspberry?

1835
01:32:52,880 --> 01:32:53,880
Ooh.

1836
01:32:53,880 --> 01:32:54,880
Both gross.

1837
01:32:54,880 --> 01:32:55,880
Yeah, that's vanilla.

1838
01:32:55,880 --> 01:32:58,880
I'm going to say black raspberry.

1839
01:32:58,880 --> 01:33:00,880
Neither for me.

1840
01:33:00,880 --> 01:33:01,880
Tax, man.

1841
01:33:01,880 --> 01:33:02,880
You can't do that.

1842
01:33:02,880 --> 01:33:03,880
We're going to order you.

1843
01:33:03,880 --> 01:33:04,880
Okay, black raspberry.

1844
01:33:04,880 --> 01:33:10,880
I go mint chocolate chip because it's almost disguised as pistachio.

1845
01:33:10,880 --> 01:33:16,880
Both of my wife and I love both of those, but I'm going to go mint chocolate chip.

1846
01:33:16,880 --> 01:33:19,880
Black raspberry with your cracker.

1847
01:33:19,880 --> 01:33:21,880
Black raspberry.

1848
01:33:21,880 --> 01:33:29,880
Also, last one, vanilla ice for Dugo or Jean Carlo stand for the rest of the year.

1849
01:33:29,880 --> 01:33:30,880
Man.

1850
01:33:30,880 --> 01:33:32,880
You got to play one every day.

1851
01:33:32,880 --> 01:33:33,880
That's the question.

1852
01:33:33,880 --> 01:33:34,880
One of them has to play every day.

1853
01:33:34,880 --> 01:33:35,880
They have to play every day.

1854
01:33:35,880 --> 01:33:36,880
Stand.

1855
01:33:36,880 --> 01:33:37,880
Stand.

1856
01:33:37,880 --> 01:33:39,880
Stand all day.

1857
01:33:39,880 --> 01:33:41,880
Stand gets on a heater.

1858
01:33:41,880 --> 01:33:43,880
Can't you start them both?

1859
01:33:43,880 --> 01:33:44,880
No.

1860
01:33:44,880 --> 01:33:46,880
What do you got?

1861
01:33:46,880 --> 01:33:48,880
Stand, I guess.

1862
01:33:48,880 --> 01:33:53,880
Stand's one of my least favorite Yankees of all time, but it's stand by a wide margin.

1863
01:33:53,880 --> 01:33:56,880
I'm going for no ice because I hate stand.

1864
01:33:56,880 --> 01:33:58,880
Well, then you don't want to win.

1865
01:33:58,880 --> 01:33:59,880
I don't.

1866
01:33:59,880 --> 01:34:01,880
I don't want to play vanilla ice.

1867
01:34:01,880 --> 01:34:04,880
I have a baseball player out there.

1868
01:34:04,880 --> 01:34:07,880
Angry J. Those were great.

1869
01:34:07,880 --> 01:34:09,880
Thanks for the 30 seconds.

1870
01:34:09,880 --> 01:34:12,880
I thought I was going to say vanilla ice cream or black raspberry.

1871
01:34:12,880 --> 01:34:15,880
I thought it was vanilla ice or OPP or something.

1872
01:34:15,880 --> 01:34:19,880
It's probably a fucking coffee ice cream.

1873
01:34:19,880 --> 01:34:21,880
Only chocolate chip.

1874
01:34:21,880 --> 01:34:27,880
We're going to take a turn here toward the serious with our studio guest tonight, Coach Rapp.

1875
01:34:27,880 --> 01:34:29,880
How many years you haven't Lewis Mills now?

1876
01:34:29,880 --> 01:34:31,880
Is this four or five?

1877
01:34:31,880 --> 01:34:33,880
Five and this is year six coming up right now.

1878
01:34:33,880 --> 01:34:34,880
Okay.

1879
01:34:34,880 --> 01:34:36,880
So he's going in five years.

1880
01:34:36,880 --> 01:34:39,880
He has taken a team that no one liked.

1881
01:34:39,880 --> 01:34:42,880
Didn't like the kids of the community.

1882
01:34:42,880 --> 01:34:48,880
And turned them into like a darling on the CCC and state level.

1883
01:34:48,880 --> 01:34:50,880
People want to go see him.

1884
01:34:50,880 --> 01:34:52,880
They like the way the kids act.

1885
01:34:52,880 --> 01:34:54,880
Love the way the kids play.

1886
01:34:54,880 --> 01:34:57,880
He's been a lot of that and he won't take the credit,

1887
01:34:57,880 --> 01:35:00,880
but it's really due to the way the guy coaches.

1888
01:35:00,880 --> 01:35:08,880
They've not been able to retain a coach more than a few years and a lot of coaches here.

1889
01:35:08,880 --> 01:35:10,880
And there's a reason for it.

1890
01:35:10,880 --> 01:35:12,880
Nobody wants to be there.

1891
01:35:12,880 --> 01:35:14,880
They don't want to hear it from the school or the parents or whatever.

1892
01:35:14,880 --> 01:35:17,880
But he's already in five years been to Mohegan's son.

1893
01:35:17,880 --> 01:35:21,880
And from what I hear, that's a really difficult accomplishment.

1894
01:35:21,880 --> 01:35:24,880
I think too, when we heard they're going from the Berkshire League to the CCC.

1895
01:35:24,880 --> 01:35:26,880
We were laughing at it.

1896
01:35:26,880 --> 01:35:28,880
I thought, I wonder what they think they are.

1897
01:35:28,880 --> 01:35:30,880
Now you're going to play with the big boys.

1898
01:35:30,880 --> 01:35:33,880
You'll be okay in soccer, but wait a basket ball.

1899
01:35:33,880 --> 01:35:35,880
Next thing you know, we're watching them in Uncusville.

1900
01:35:35,880 --> 01:35:37,880
Rap.

1901
01:35:37,880 --> 01:35:39,880
You love it, right?

1902
01:35:39,880 --> 01:35:41,880
Oh man. Yeah.

1903
01:35:41,880 --> 01:35:45,880
It's been, you know, in my coaching career, I mean, which, you know,

1904
01:35:45,880 --> 01:35:49,880
I mean spans, you know, multiple sports and, you know,

1905
01:35:49,880 --> 01:35:53,880
upwards to almost 20 years now with my years as an assistant.

1906
01:35:53,880 --> 01:35:55,880
I mean, this is just, this was a great decision.

1907
01:35:55,880 --> 01:36:01,880
I couldn't be happier, you know, to be the coach of Lewis Mills basketball right now.

1908
01:36:01,880 --> 01:36:05,880
And I got to give, you know, a lot of credit to my players.

1909
01:36:05,880 --> 01:36:10,880
You know, when I came in, talked about four things being really important to us,

1910
01:36:10,880 --> 01:36:16,880
you know, respect, responsibility, hard work and being a good teammate.

1911
01:36:16,880 --> 01:36:21,880
And my first team, which, you know, won't get a lot of accolades unfortunately,

1912
01:36:21,880 --> 01:36:23,880
because, you know, we didn't win a ton of games.

1913
01:36:23,880 --> 01:36:25,880
We were 0-6, believe it or not.

1914
01:36:25,880 --> 01:36:29,880
And then in CCC, when people thought we were going to go on 20,

1915
01:36:29,880 --> 01:36:33,880
and they stuck with it, you know, those first group of guys that I had.

1916
01:36:33,880 --> 01:36:37,880
And, you know, that kind of laid the groundwork, you know,

1917
01:36:37,880 --> 01:36:39,880
for the belief that we could win in that league.

1918
01:36:39,880 --> 01:36:42,880
And we ended up finishing up 8-12.

1919
01:36:42,880 --> 01:36:43,880
Geez.

1920
01:36:43,880 --> 01:36:45,880
You know, we qualified for the state tournament.

1921
01:36:45,880 --> 01:36:51,880
But so this was COVID year, you know, unfortunately, 2019-20.

1922
01:36:51,880 --> 01:36:56,880
We were all set to get on a bus on a Tuesday afternoon, you know,

1923
01:36:56,880 --> 01:36:58,880
and head over to Ellington High School.

1924
01:36:58,880 --> 01:37:01,880
You know, we had a really good team, you know, they were a higher seed.

1925
01:37:01,880 --> 01:37:03,880
But, you know, my guys were really confident.

1926
01:37:03,880 --> 01:37:04,880
I was really confident.

1927
01:37:04,880 --> 01:37:10,880
And that morning, they made the call and said that the tournament was going to be canceled,

1928
01:37:10,880 --> 01:37:14,880
you know, and obviously a lot of teams, you know, were upset about that.

1929
01:37:14,880 --> 01:37:17,880
Some of our, you know, local teams, you know, Bristol Central, you know,

1930
01:37:17,880 --> 01:37:20,880
it was very good that season, had a good chance to make a run.

1931
01:37:20,880 --> 01:37:25,880
But, yeah, for me and my players, it was very disappointing.

1932
01:37:25,880 --> 01:37:30,880
We were able to bounce back, you know, a couple of years later and get back in there.

1933
01:37:30,880 --> 01:37:33,880
Let me say something before Lottie's question here.

1934
01:37:33,880 --> 01:37:37,880
I think the CIC did the right thing based on the information they had that year.

1935
01:37:37,880 --> 01:37:39,880
The where I thought they fell short was the following year,

1936
01:37:39,880 --> 01:37:43,880
when you could have easily had that tournament at the higher seeds place

1937
01:37:43,880 --> 01:37:47,880
and just let their parents come in because that was a stupid rule at that point.

1938
01:37:47,880 --> 01:37:51,880
And you could have played a state championship in, let's say, Bristol Central's gym

1939
01:37:51,880 --> 01:37:53,880
and you would have had a state champion.

1940
01:37:53,880 --> 01:37:57,880
Why can you, why, they have to look back and regret it.

1941
01:37:57,880 --> 01:38:02,880
Why can you play up to this many games against local teams?

1942
01:38:02,880 --> 01:38:04,880
But, I mean, COVID traveled.

1943
01:38:04,880 --> 01:38:05,880
It traveled.

1944
01:38:05,880 --> 01:38:07,880
It was getting off the bus no matter who you are.

1945
01:38:07,880 --> 01:38:12,880
Put the mask on, play the state tournament at the higher seed and play it out.

1946
01:38:12,880 --> 01:38:14,880
They should have done that.

1947
01:38:14,880 --> 01:38:16,880
So we had two years and no state champion.

1948
01:38:16,880 --> 01:38:18,880
Give me a break.

1949
01:38:18,880 --> 01:38:24,880
I mean, we, we, we, we dubbed Bristol Central state champs because they didn't lose for two straight years.

1950
01:38:24,880 --> 01:38:25,880
And what they went through.

1951
01:38:25,880 --> 01:38:28,880
I mean, come on, Windsor Northwest and East.

1952
01:38:28,880 --> 01:38:31,880
I mean, but still, I mean, that's, that's almost as difficult.

1953
01:38:31,880 --> 01:38:34,880
We've talked about it almost as difficult as winning a state championship.

1954
01:38:34,880 --> 01:38:36,880
Yeah, it's winning CCC.

1955
01:38:36,880 --> 01:38:40,880
Yeah, look at the teams they, they played to win the CCC.

1956
01:38:40,880 --> 01:38:41,880
Windsor Northwest.

1957
01:38:41,880 --> 01:38:42,880
And East.

1958
01:38:42,880 --> 01:38:43,880
Yes.

1959
01:38:43,880 --> 01:38:48,880
I remember that COVID, obviously with the, you know, being a little bit close to the St. Paul thing,

1960
01:38:48,880 --> 01:38:54,880
beating Maloney and then we were going to play a short handed talent and then you win that and anything happens.

1961
01:38:54,880 --> 01:39:00,880
And, but to go on six and then win eight of your last 14 is very impressive first year.

1962
01:39:00,880 --> 01:39:10,880
Now, I know, I know a lot of, there's been a lot of openings and I know a lot of people would love to have you as their, as their head coach.

1963
01:39:10,880 --> 01:39:12,880
What keeps you at Mills?

1964
01:39:12,880 --> 01:39:35,880
I mean, as I said, you know, the, the players, I tell you what, the players, um, and, you know, I give credit a lot of, you know, to the parents and the administration when, you know, when I met that entity or banquet, you know, this season, um, which was, you know, a celebration, you know, we were disappointed to come up short, you know, in that state championship game, you know, we had a really good shot.

1965
01:39:35,880 --> 01:39:40,880
Um, you know, we didn't play our best early and, you know, we really gave it a good run at the end.

1966
01:39:40,880 --> 01:39:57,880
But, um, you know, when we were looking back on it and just, you know, my overall appreciation for the way that these players buy in, um, you know, the work that they've been putting in in the off season and, you know, just the way they act in general, you know, in the building and the community and everything along those lines.

1967
01:39:57,880 --> 01:40:14,880
I do give a lot of credit, you know, to the parents, you know, and the people that, you know, coach these kids beforehand, you know, because it put us as a coaching staff in a really good starting place, um, you know, and allowed us, you know, to really kind of take off and do what we were able to do with these guys.

1968
01:40:14,880 --> 01:40:22,880
All right, Rep. I'm watching that game and, um, I really had no reason to still be there. That was on Saturday, right?

1969
01:40:22,880 --> 01:40:23,880
Yeah.

1970
01:40:23,880 --> 01:40:24,880
Saturday afternoon.

1971
01:40:24,880 --> 01:40:30,880
You had a reason to be there. Well, no, my point was we were saying my whole family stayed.

1972
01:40:30,880 --> 01:40:31,880
Yeah.

1973
01:40:31,880 --> 01:40:32,880
And many of our families stayed.

1974
01:40:32,880 --> 01:40:33,880
We were out there.

1975
01:40:33,880 --> 01:40:44,880
And, um, it's half time and like you just couldn't keep up with them athletically and you came out and made an adjustment and I think you went triangle on two on those guys.

1976
01:40:44,880 --> 01:40:45,880
Got it to one, right?

1977
01:40:45,880 --> 01:40:49,880
Did you practice that? Because I thought it was a ballsy, ballsy call.

1978
01:40:49,880 --> 01:40:56,880
And next thing you know, you're down one and your big guns aren't doing what they normally do because all bets are off when you're down there.

1979
01:40:56,880 --> 01:41:08,880
Well, and I'll tell you this, like, and this just goes to our, you know, philosophy and the buy-in from our players over the past few years, which is like, you cannot allow your offense to dictate the way that you play defense, you know.

1980
01:41:08,880 --> 01:41:17,880
And if we had allowed our offense to dictate defense when we first started playing, uh, in the CCC, I mean, you know, we wouldn't have much success.

1981
01:41:17,880 --> 01:41:19,880
We wouldn't have made the tournament all these seasons.

1982
01:41:19,880 --> 01:41:20,880
You know, we've made it every season.

1983
01:41:20,880 --> 01:41:26,880
There's been a tournament and we've also made the CCC tournament, um, the last three seasons as well.

1984
01:41:26,880 --> 01:41:27,880
Not easy.

1985
01:41:27,880 --> 01:41:28,880
Not easy.

1986
01:41:28,880 --> 01:41:29,880
Our seed keeps going up.

1987
01:41:29,880 --> 01:41:31,880
Unfortunately, we've lost some close ones to some good teams.

1988
01:41:31,880 --> 01:41:40,880
But that, that being said, in that moment right there in that locker room and, you know, obviously you're a multiple state championship, you know, coach.

1989
01:41:40,880 --> 01:41:47,880
So, you know, going, going into that locker room, you have a little bit more time than you usually do.

1990
01:41:47,880 --> 01:41:48,880
You know, it's different.

1991
01:41:48,880 --> 01:42:00,880
And I think it actually allowed our guys to kind of process what was going on a little bit quicker, you know, and I didn't have to, you know, just jump in there and start making adjustments.

1992
01:42:00,880 --> 01:42:11,880
And that defensive adjustment that we made is something that we actually pulled out in multiple games this season, you know, and it's something that we had practiced.

1993
01:42:11,880 --> 01:42:16,880
And, you know, some of our biggest wins have actually been in that defense.

1994
01:42:16,880 --> 01:42:22,880
I don't know if you know that Platt has a couple guys that are going to be playing Division one basketball this season.

1995
01:42:22,880 --> 01:42:29,880
And the year before that, we were down 12 going into the fourth and we implemented that defense.

1996
01:42:29,880 --> 01:42:32,880
And came all the way back and beat them by about five or six.

1997
01:42:32,880 --> 01:42:33,880
Oh, that's great.

1998
01:42:33,880 --> 01:42:37,880
So it's, it's been a kind defense to us.

1999
01:42:37,880 --> 01:42:41,880
I got a, you know, it was kind of, it was a Rick Majeris thing, I believe.

2000
01:42:41,880 --> 01:42:50,880
And, you know, I looked at a lot of his, you know, coaching tapes and things along those lines and you got to have the kids that are willing to do it though.

2001
01:42:50,880 --> 01:42:55,880
And I had guys that weren't overly concerned with how many points they were going to score.

2002
01:42:55,880 --> 01:43:05,880
And they just became, you know, defensive guys that were willing to lock big time players up and just give it all out on that end of the floor.

2003
01:43:05,880 --> 01:43:15,880
And, you know, this year, you know, things like Charlie Joyner, Jack Nester, you know, those guys, Eli Pelletier, Tristan Mota, I mean, all of them would do it if you asked them to.

2004
01:43:15,880 --> 01:43:22,880
And I think that's why we're so successful and we were able to come back in that game is, you know, they didn't believe like we're out of it.

2005
01:43:22,880 --> 01:43:26,880
You know, this is actually, they believed it was going to work every time we did it.

2006
01:43:26,880 --> 01:43:28,880
Well, that's more than half the battle.

2007
01:43:28,880 --> 01:43:31,880
That's probably about 95% of the battle.

2008
01:43:31,880 --> 01:43:34,880
If they think it's going to work, they'll make it work.

2009
01:43:34,880 --> 01:43:41,880
Funny you say Jack Nester, his father, I believe, went to our college with Angry J.

2010
01:43:41,880 --> 01:43:43,880
That's right, they have heard that.

2011
01:43:43,880 --> 01:43:45,880
I want to make another, I think he's an Eagle fan too, is he?

2012
01:43:45,880 --> 01:43:46,880
Oh, he's a diehard Eagle fan.

2013
01:43:46,880 --> 01:43:47,880
Big Billy, yeah.

2014
01:43:47,880 --> 01:43:53,880
Listen, he was the punter on the Western football team that would go one in ten every year.

2015
01:43:53,880 --> 01:43:57,880
And I think that dude got so much work, they were calling for the punter and threw down.

2016
01:43:57,880 --> 01:43:59,880
They're like, let's get him out there.

2017
01:43:59,880 --> 01:44:07,880
Before we go any further back, but without blowing up either one of you too much, but I just want to say this,

2018
01:44:07,880 --> 01:44:12,880
I watch what Angry J did with a class that's Lichfield program.

2019
01:44:12,880 --> 01:44:18,880
And I watch what you did with the Mills program, and I'm literally seeing the same thing, and I know you don't know what he did,

2020
01:44:18,880 --> 01:44:24,880
but you're doing the same things he did, and they both work at both places, which are easy places to coach.

2021
01:44:24,880 --> 01:44:27,880
You know, you got student body in there.

2022
01:44:27,880 --> 01:44:30,880
You held your players to a higher standard.

2023
01:44:30,880 --> 01:44:36,880
You made work in the offseason, not mandatory, but as close to it as you can.

2024
01:44:36,880 --> 01:44:43,880
And consequently, one of the games I saw you at this year, you beat, you know, Central.

2025
01:44:43,880 --> 01:44:49,880
At Central, and the students wouldn't leave until you walked into the locker room, and they clapped as you went in there.

2026
01:44:49,880 --> 01:44:52,880
Now, if there was 400 of them, it would have been way cooler.

2027
01:44:52,880 --> 01:44:59,880
As it turns out, there's about 14 of them, but those 14, I mean, kids, they wouldn't leave until coach Rapp went into the,

2028
01:44:59,880 --> 01:45:05,880
they're holding your sign up, they're clapping, and like, you've created a basketball culture in a place

2029
01:45:05,880 --> 01:45:07,880
where they thought they had one, and they didn't.

2030
01:45:07,880 --> 01:45:09,880
They could say Thunderdome all they wanted.

2031
01:45:09,880 --> 01:45:13,880
It wasn't a thing until you got there, so you've done a great job.

2032
01:45:13,880 --> 01:45:21,880
Well, I appreciate that, and I've heard a lot of what Jay did, you know, at Litchfield, and obviously, you know,

2033
01:45:21,880 --> 01:45:26,880
I know that, you know, they were very formidable over there in years past,

2034
01:45:26,880 --> 01:45:32,880
and obviously, you know, they got a good relationship with Coach Kaczynski, and I think he's going to do great at Ken, by the way.

2035
01:45:32,880 --> 01:45:37,880
But the fan section's been awesome, I will have to say.

2036
01:45:37,880 --> 01:45:42,880
And I went to some Loose Mills games in the past, and they definitely had them there,

2037
01:45:42,880 --> 01:45:51,880
but the consistency of which they show up with to our games at this point, I mean, any game doesn't matter who you're playing.

2038
01:45:51,880 --> 01:45:52,880
It winning helps that though.

2039
01:45:52,880 --> 01:45:54,880
Well, yes, yeah, I mean.

2040
01:45:54,880 --> 01:45:55,880
Let me throw this at you.

2041
01:45:55,880 --> 01:46:02,880
So when you took over at Mills, did you have a, did you have a system that you knew you wanted to run right away,

2042
01:46:02,880 --> 01:46:07,880
or did you have to kind of check out the personnel, or how did that work?

2043
01:46:07,880 --> 01:46:15,880
So, you know, I was an assistant coach at Bristol Eastern for nine seasons, and, you know, Bunti Ray, when he first got the job,

2044
01:46:15,880 --> 01:46:19,880
and he's doing a great job over there right now with his guys.

2045
01:46:19,880 --> 01:46:20,880
They're loaded.

2046
01:46:20,880 --> 01:46:22,880
We've had some great matchups.

2047
01:46:22,880 --> 01:46:23,880
He's doing great.

2048
01:46:23,880 --> 01:46:32,880
And, you know, Mike Givonazo, you know, is who I played for, and my godfather, you know, and, you know, his philosophy, you know,

2049
01:46:32,880 --> 01:46:39,880
was always, you know, a scouting report and making sure that we were spreading up and down the floor, defending,

2050
01:46:39,880 --> 01:46:45,880
rebounding, and just being competitive, you know, and that was, the main goal was to compete for 32 minutes.

2051
01:46:45,880 --> 01:46:47,880
And that's really where I started.

2052
01:46:47,880 --> 01:46:59,880
And from an offensive aspect, like, I didn't quite know what type of talent I had going in, and I didn't know what type of style was really going to work.

2053
01:46:59,880 --> 01:47:01,880
I took some things that we had done there.

2054
01:47:01,880 --> 01:47:12,880
But, you know, my big thing, you know, on the offensive side, a lot of the time has really been to watch a lot of, you know, other, you know, teams play at the college level,

2055
01:47:12,880 --> 01:47:17,880
do a lot of research and kind of see what fits in my assistance.

2056
01:47:17,880 --> 01:47:24,880
Now, I got Isaiah Roscoe, who I believe played for you, you know, over at Western Connecticut, and he's a great contributor to us.

2057
01:47:24,880 --> 01:47:34,880
And Michael Keefe and Xavier Wade and other coaches I've had in the past have just, you know, continue to kind of aid in the way that we, you know, develop our game

2058
01:47:34,880 --> 01:47:36,880
and what's going to make us successful.

2059
01:47:36,880 --> 01:47:37,880
You know what's funny?

2060
01:47:37,880 --> 01:47:39,880
This is an admission by me.

2061
01:47:39,880 --> 01:47:46,880
I watched the detail that you pay attention to and coach to.

2062
01:47:46,880 --> 01:47:50,880
And for me, I'm thinking, ah, come on, you don't need all of that.

2063
01:47:50,880 --> 01:47:55,880
But all of that is what's gotten you certain wins, you know, and I coached a different sport.

2064
01:47:55,880 --> 01:48:02,880
So, like, pay attention to detail to a degree and then just let them go out there and make mistakes.

2065
01:48:02,880 --> 01:48:05,880
I hope that they make fewer as the year goes on.

2066
01:48:05,880 --> 01:48:11,880
But to your credit, all that little stuff you do makes a difference in the end.

2067
01:48:11,880 --> 01:48:13,880
What's the little stuff you're talking about?

2068
01:48:13,880 --> 01:48:26,880
Like, he'll get, like, crazy on like a baseline out of bounds and study it multiple times in offense the way somebody uses a screen,

2069
01:48:26,880 --> 01:48:29,880
changing a rotation on defense.

2070
01:48:29,880 --> 01:48:31,880
I mean, it's really finite.

2071
01:48:31,880 --> 01:48:35,880
And I think that's, I don't know if Jay, you were like that at Litchfield.

2072
01:48:35,880 --> 01:48:37,880
Listen, you do things right.

2073
01:48:37,880 --> 01:48:38,880
You don't do them right once in a while.

2074
01:48:38,880 --> 01:48:39,880
You do them right all the time.

2075
01:48:39,880 --> 01:48:42,880
That's kind of one of the things we used to say all the time.

2076
01:48:42,880 --> 01:48:48,880
To coach his point, like he mentioned about playing hard, kind of like one of the first things I did when I went to Litchfield.

2077
01:48:48,880 --> 01:48:49,880
It was the same thing.

2078
01:48:49,880 --> 01:48:51,880
Like, I just convinced him they weren't playing hard.

2079
01:48:51,880 --> 01:48:52,880
They weren't.

2080
01:48:52,880 --> 01:48:54,880
I mean, every 14, 15-year-old thinks they're playing their guts out.

2081
01:48:54,880 --> 01:48:55,880
Because they sweat.

2082
01:48:55,880 --> 01:48:56,880
Yeah.

2083
01:48:56,880 --> 01:48:57,880
And they're pretty much just getting exercise.

2084
01:48:57,880 --> 01:49:01,880
And then we kind of, we used to use the slogan.

2085
01:49:01,880 --> 01:49:06,880
I never really told anybody this, but some of the guys, I actually, more of the kids just went to a stag on Friday night.

2086
01:49:06,880 --> 01:49:07,880
You love stags?

2087
01:49:07,880 --> 01:49:08,880
Yeah.

2088
01:49:08,880 --> 01:49:13,880
But one of the, he said it to me at the stag, we used to say Sputari Sanghi.

2089
01:49:13,880 --> 01:49:15,880
It's Italian for sweat blood.

2090
01:49:15,880 --> 01:49:16,880
Oh.

2091
01:49:16,880 --> 01:49:18,880
It was like one of our slogans when we were there.

2092
01:49:18,880 --> 01:49:19,880
So.

2093
01:49:19,880 --> 01:49:20,880
That's pretty sick.

2094
01:49:20,880 --> 01:49:21,880
Where did you get that from?

2095
01:49:21,880 --> 01:49:23,880
I actually got it from a book.

2096
01:49:23,880 --> 01:49:27,880
A book, or was it Seven Seconds or less with Mike D'Anthony?

2097
01:49:27,880 --> 01:49:29,880
I'm actually, I'm reading that book right now.

2098
01:49:29,880 --> 01:49:34,880
You see, I told you to repair those for you guys.

2099
01:49:34,880 --> 01:49:35,880
Anyway, rap.

2100
01:49:35,880 --> 01:49:37,880
This was great.

2101
01:49:37,880 --> 01:49:38,880
Thanks for coming.

2102
01:49:38,880 --> 01:49:40,880
You got the horses next year or what?

2103
01:49:40,880 --> 01:49:46,880
I got guys that are ready to step in and, you know, help us get as far as we possibly can.

2104
01:49:46,880 --> 01:49:47,880
I really like our group.

2105
01:49:47,880 --> 01:49:49,880
I mean, I got young guys.

2106
01:49:49,880 --> 01:49:51,880
I'm going to tell you that they don't.

2107
01:49:51,880 --> 01:49:54,880
But that's the type of guy is, he's not going to back down.

2108
01:49:54,880 --> 01:49:58,880
He's going to go with the hand he's dealt and he's going to make a buster straight into something.

2109
01:49:58,880 --> 01:49:59,880
I'm telling you.

2110
01:49:59,880 --> 01:50:01,880
Yeah, we'll be ready to compete.

2111
01:50:01,880 --> 01:50:02,880
Absolutely.

2112
01:50:02,880 --> 01:50:03,880
Thank you guys.

2113
01:50:03,880 --> 01:50:04,880
I appreciate this.

2114
01:50:04,880 --> 01:50:08,880
Best of luck every night except when you play the Lancers and the Rams.

2115
01:50:08,880 --> 01:50:12,880
I'll be rooting for coach Ray.

2116
01:50:12,880 --> 01:50:18,880
You don't play Saint Paul, but I'll be rooting for coach Barrett and the boys.

2117
01:50:18,880 --> 01:50:22,880
You and Suddenton is intriguing and I also see parallels there.

2118
01:50:22,880 --> 01:50:26,880
Like finally they turned it around with this coach.

2119
01:50:26,880 --> 01:50:28,880
Yeah, I mean, I teach at Sudden actually.

2120
01:50:28,880 --> 01:50:34,880
So I know some of these players and they got some good kids, tough nose kids over there.

2121
01:50:34,880 --> 01:50:38,880
And, you know, obviously coach Quick is doing a great job.

2122
01:50:38,880 --> 01:50:39,880
And coach O'Toole.

2123
01:50:39,880 --> 01:50:42,880
They're slightly down too.

2124
01:50:42,880 --> 01:50:45,880
And when I say down, they're just losing immense athletes.

2125
01:50:45,880 --> 01:50:46,880
Yeah.

2126
01:50:46,880 --> 01:50:48,880
And you're losing an all-state play.

2127
01:50:48,880 --> 01:50:52,880
You know, you had Hamerlin and Conor Evans, you know, as an all-state player.

2128
01:50:52,880 --> 01:50:56,880
So when you graduate, those types of guys that, you know, do so much, you know, within your program.

2129
01:50:56,880 --> 01:51:02,880
And I have six seniors, you know, who we just went out and played golf with before they went off to college.

2130
01:51:02,880 --> 01:51:06,880
And I can't wait to see what happens with them, you know, and just their lives in the future.

2131
01:51:06,880 --> 01:51:08,880
But it was just a great group of guys.

2132
01:51:08,880 --> 01:51:15,880
So when you graduate, guys, it could be a little bit more difficult, but you got a next, you know, next guy up mentality.

2133
01:51:15,880 --> 01:51:17,880
And then these guys got to slide in.

2134
01:51:17,880 --> 01:51:21,880
You'll be like Coach Harlow having breakfast with these guys in 20 years.

2135
01:51:21,880 --> 01:51:23,880
Anyway, Tom Moore to Commish brought him.

2136
01:51:23,880 --> 01:51:25,880
Kevin Ross gets Donovan on here.

2137
01:51:25,880 --> 01:51:27,880
And the headline?

2138
01:51:27,880 --> 01:51:29,880
Coach Rapp.

2139
01:51:29,880 --> 01:51:33,880
Out of the hardworking blue collar community of Burlington, Connecticut.

2140
01:51:33,880 --> 01:51:36,880
Where they let the coaches do their thing.

2141
01:51:36,880 --> 01:51:38,880
Coach Rapp, thank you.

2142
01:51:38,880 --> 01:51:40,880
Angry J, we're going through the World Series.

2143
01:51:40,880 --> 01:51:42,880
Grisham's got to learn how to run, Mike.

2144
01:51:42,880 --> 01:51:43,880
Commish.

2145
01:51:43,880 --> 01:51:44,880
Well done.

2146
01:51:44,880 --> 01:51:48,880
Studio engineer Kevin Ross signing off with the Bristol boys.

2147
01:51:48,880 --> 01:51:50,880
Everybody bristling.

2148
01:51:50,880 --> 01:52:15,880
Good night.