Former Gonzaga All-American Adam Morrison answers fan questions regarding the Big 12, the Bulldogs' starting lineup and more on The Perimeter podcast
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00:00 Adam Morrison here. When it comes to top-tier contracting, my go-to choice is McGillivray
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00:55 HDG Architecture is proud to be a sponsor of The Perimeter with Adam Morrison.
01:01 There is another podcast that you all should be listening to, and it's called "If Not Now, When?"
01:08 This podcast, which Josh Hassong of HDG Architecture hosts, has a clear mission,
01:13 to ignite positive change within the Spokane community. On the podcast, Josh brings together
01:19 diverse individuals from city officials, business owners, journalists, influencers,
01:24 and big thinkers to have meaningful conversations about what we can do to help transform downtown
01:30 Spokane into an even more vibrant and robust community. By talking to these movers and shakers,
01:36 the podcast aims to inspire and empower its listeners by actively shaping their city's
01:42 future. You can find the "If Not Now, When?" podcast wherever you are listening to The Perimeter at,
01:48 or you can find it in the description of this episode.
01:50 Welcome to The Perimeter, episode four, presented by McGillivray Environmental. I've got Brendan,
02:07 the producer, on with me. Good to see you. Got a lot of questions and answers this week. I'm
02:13 excited for it. We're going to go through some of that. It was part of a giveaway deal that
02:19 I think was pretty neat, and we got a lot of positive feedback from the listeners, which we
02:26 always enjoy. That's not just lip service. We always want to make this show enjoyable because
02:30 we know people have a lot of options for podcasting, so we want to stay in that lane where
02:36 people are listening to us, obviously. Yeah, so let's get it fired up.
02:40 Yeah, totally. We have a ton of questions. In the thing, I was like, "We're going to feature four,
02:46 and you're going to get a beanie," but I think we have enough Gonzaga swag to give everyone
02:50 something. So I'll figure out how to get all this swag to the people who might just need to come to
02:55 the studio. But yeah, I got a lot of good Gonzaga questions, some questions about you playing
03:00 basketball. But yeah. Do you want to start with some Gonzaga questions first?
03:04 Go for it.
03:05 I think this is on top of everyone's mind, and you've talked about it the last two episodes,
03:10 and it's a Big 12 conversation, but is there any part of you that thinks that maybe Gonzaga
03:17 should stay in the WCC? Is there any reason? Is there anything that makes sense for that?
03:22 Yeah, so here's the reasons why the WCC is still a good conference, and we shouldn't thumb our
03:29 nose to it. Not that Gonzaga is doing it, but as a fan base. It's been a two-bid league for 10-plus
03:36 years. We had a three-bid league when San Francisco got in, when Todd Golden was there before he went
03:42 to Florida. So it's a good conference basketball-wise. I think that season, they graded out
03:48 as the fifth-best basketball conference, right? So he beat out a Power Five, which is fantastic.
03:55 I think the Jesuit aspect to it makes sense to be in the same room with people, like-minded
04:04 thinking, aligned thinking, similar-sized universities, not state schools. You both
04:09 have the same challenges of raising money, smaller gym sizes. All those things are positive.
04:16 I think travel makes way more sense than any other conference. Obviously, the Pac-12,
04:21 before it dissolved, would have made sense. But everything on the West Coast, that's dollars and
04:26 cents. That's less time traveling. That's a lot of positive factors for student-athletes
04:31 that you have. And then the history of it. I know that sounds funny, but it is cool to be
04:38 a conference full of just Jesuit and small Christian universities. I mean, it's different.
04:42 I don't care if you're a believer or not or whatever. It's just different. I think different
04:48 is neat in today's sports world, which it's hard to find unique stuff like that with a power brand
04:56 like Gonzaga. So those aspects, I think, are fantastic. My personal opinion, I think moving
05:05 to the Big 12 is wise, and I've gone over that. And I just think dollars and cents, it's a must
05:14 to fund part of the other athletic programs in the athletic department and also your own program.
05:23 But it's not like we're in the Big West and it's dying or something like that,
05:30 where we're just so far ahead of everybody else. St. Mary's is fantastic, another top 25 team.
05:38 San Francisco has been decent the last few years. So the conference is not complete
05:44 terrible, if that makes sense. But in today's society, as everybody knows,
05:50 this is not even a hot take. It's capitalism, it's money, and it's not greed. It's finances,
05:58 is more is what I should say. You got to balance your book, and you got to try to make a profit if
06:03 you have a big brand to fund other things. That's the way athletics works at the university level.
06:08 And they're absolutely leaving money on the table if they didn't make the move. Do you think
06:12 St. Mary's and San Francisco make a similar move if we leave?
06:17 Well, that's the thing is I don't know where they would fit in as far as a bigger conference. But
06:24 yeah, if you're them, you go, "Well, let's see if we can maybe be a basketball only to the Mountain
06:29 West, or we can be a basketball only to the Big West." I don't know what that would look like,
06:34 but if the WCC would start to crumble, then those programs would... I think Santa Clara is a value
06:42 add for a smaller conference, if that makes sense. Totally, yeah.
06:48 Because they got fan base, they have programs that are trying to win, it's blah, blah, blah.
06:55 You've had NBA players play there, whatever. So I don't know, man. It's really fascinating to
07:01 watch it unfold. I am like 60/40 yes for it just based on the financial aspect of it, but I'm not
07:09 totally like, "Screw the WCC." I like the history behind it. I like winning the league almost every
07:16 year. There's value in that too. So great question by the listener, but it is fascinating to see
07:23 conference realignment and with a big brand, you don't want to be left out in the cold.
07:27 Yeah. The one question I have, if this happens and we're playing in the Big 12 next year,
07:33 do you think we keep a yearly game with St. Mary's? I feel like that's...
07:38 That's a good point.
07:39 I mean, it's such a history there.
07:40 I think we would, because I think FUE and Randy Bennett's relationship are good enough. They'd
07:45 be like, "All right, let's either play each other at home or just play a neutral every year in your
07:52 state or something. We'll play in Seattle and then we'll play at wherever the Oracle or wherever the
07:59 Warriors play." You know what I'm saying? That's right next door to Walnut Creek.
08:03 I would like to keep that rivalry going, but I don't know, man. That's a really good question.
08:09 I didn't even think about that.
08:10 Totally. It would be a shame, but I mean...
08:13 Things die.
08:14 Things die, though, too.
08:16 Yeah, it's just how it is.
08:17 We stopped playing Washington for...
08:18 For a few years.
08:21 The Perimeter will be right back after a word from our sponsor.
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08:49 [Music]
08:56 Moving on to the Maui Invitational, Danielle asks, "How do you suggest that we stop EAD?"
09:05 That's a really, really good question.
09:09 Okay, so let's just give context to people maybe not remembered last year.
09:14 Player of the Year, decided to come back. I think it's a wise decision.
09:19 In that Portland, we played him at that PK80 or 85 or whatever it's, Portland Classic,
09:27 whatever it was called. And they absolutely destroyed us. And a lot of it was Zach Eady.
09:32 Their backcourt played really good, but I think he had 25 plus. He had one of his signature games
09:38 against us. We tried fronting him, and I'm going to go into some basketball terminology, and if it
09:42 goes over people's head, I apologize. I'm not trying to, but we tried full fronting him. And
09:48 then ball pressure on the pass, that didn't work because he's 7'4" and it's legit 7'4" or whatever,
09:52 7'3". Then we tried playing behind and letting him get a catch, but taking away angles.
09:59 And then double teaming from either topside, which is called a blue,
10:02 or bottomside, which is called black. And then white is where you double off
10:09 a non-shooter, and then red is you double from the strong side. There's a bunch of different
10:13 coverages you can do. And blue didn't work, double from the top. And then black didn't work
10:22 because he's really good going either way, middle or baseline and shooting with either hand. And
10:29 then he's really good at creating angles with his legs, like typical old school post-up.
10:36 And he's just so tall that you can't really contest. So to Daniel, this is going to be such
10:43 a cop-out. I don't know what we do. I know if we stand him up early maybe and not let him get
10:49 really good position, understanding that we might take some cheap fouls, but you got to be physical
10:54 with them. And then hopefully on the offensive end, you get him in foul trouble to get him off
11:00 the floor. I mean, that's such a cliched way to say it, but if you can get a guy off the floor
11:03 being aggressive offensively, it's a bonus for you. But they're really good at finding him in
11:11 the right spots and getting him angle touches. Now, do I think he's going to have that type of
11:17 game? No, because I view him as a player that the first time you play against him, since you can't
11:25 really... Obviously, you know what he is, but you've never played against that. You have a package,
11:31 but you don't know really what to do. I think after a second time, we'll have a better strategy
11:37 or we won't be as shocked on some of his stuff. For me, in that game, their backcourt killed us.
11:43 And so maybe our strategy is, all right, obviously, we don't want Ed to score 40,
11:50 but if he gets 25 and we kind of make him run up and down the floor defensively, but we take away
11:57 their backcourt, we can win this game. You know what I mean? It's not like they beat everybody
12:02 last year and they lost in the first round. But it is a fantastic question, Daniel, because it's
12:07 really fascinating. Normally, I have kind of an answer schematically for what you would do.
12:14 The 7-4 and the angle touches and how they teach how to throw the ball into the kid
12:19 is really, really well coached. So I'm really curious, honestly, myself to see how we do it.
12:25 - Yeah, looking at this box score, I mean...
12:27 - What was it?
12:28 - It was... We lost 84 to 66, but Ben Gregg fouled out, Anton had four fouls,
12:35 Drew Timmy had three fouls, Julian had three fouls. We had 19 fouls in the game.
12:41 And then they went 10 for 26 from the three-point line, which is... So like,
12:46 yeah, you got to take away... You got to let him shoot, right?
12:48 - Yeah. What did he have in that game?
12:50 - What he had, he went 10 for 16, 23 points.
12:53 - Yeah, 25 was close.
12:55 - Seven rebounds.
12:56 - But 10 for 16 is extremely efficient. Like, he just killed us.
12:59 - And only two fouls.
13:01 - Yeah.
13:01 - Yeah, that is... But I mean, they lost in the first round last year, so people know how to...
13:08 They can have a bad game.
13:09 - Yeah, and then there's a formula to beat, you know, they're not the 96 bulls or whatever. But
13:18 like I said, after you've seen somebody, the second time usually you improve on...
13:25 And I'm saying that as an anomaly for type players. Like a good example is,
13:33 and this is totally random, but I think it applies to this. Like Lamar Jackson,
13:37 the quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens is 16-1 against the NFC because you only play him every
13:45 one or two years and you don't know really how fast and how good of a thrower he is.
13:48 But then if you play him the second time, usually teams do better. It's the same thing.
13:52 - Totally.
13:52 - Like once it's anomaly and like something that's very unique, it's hard to prep for,
13:56 but once you've seen it once, you go, "Okay, now we can kind of do this." So I think
13:59 we should do better against him or have a better plan, if that makes sense.
14:03 - Totally.
14:08 Staying with a Gonzaga question about our lineup is, "If Ryan Nimhard and Nolan Hickman
14:15 are the two starting guards, they're a little underside for some tough defensive sets and we
14:20 don't have much run protection. Could you please explain how the Zags could run a defensive set
14:25 to stop fast guards or scoring machines like Aidan Mahoney? Would it be
14:30 like a half-court press like we did last year?"
14:33 - Yeah. Okay. So the crux of the question is we don't have much size in the backcourt with those
14:39 two guys. That's kind of what we're saying. Well, I think Nolan is a 6'3", 6'4", so he would be
14:46 classified maybe as a smaller two, but I think his quickness and toughness kind of makes up for it.
14:51 I'm a big believer in, especially in kind of positionless basketball in today's world, that
14:58 size matters as far as length, as far as your wings need to be able to defend spots and stuff
15:09 like that. And then your guards, obviously you want them to have length with their arms and
15:14 wingspan and all that stuff. But also I think it gets overvalued a little bit. So I think with
15:21 Mahoney, what we did to him last year is we double teamed in that second game. You remember that?
15:27 Every time he came off ball screens, we did that the last two games. And then the listener asked
15:33 and made a great point is we 30-pressed him our 1-2-2, and it really slowed them down.
15:38 They want to play slow, but it made them where they couldn't run four ball screens with a 30
15:45 clock. You know what I mean? So they had to speed themselves up. So I think we're going to be fine
15:52 in that regard. It's a very valid point to mention that we do get shorter in the backcourt.
16:00 But I think Dusty Stromer off the bench is 6'7", so he brings size from that position.
16:05 Steele Venters, I believe, is 6'6". So it's not like we're tiny, tiny, but it is valid to bring
16:12 up that maybe against some bigger athletic teams that might be an issue. But then it's
16:19 Monday morning quarterback, "Well, we got speed. We'll go around you." You know what I mean? So I
16:22 think that's kind of what B. Mike and Phewy are thinking is we can play extremely fast this season
16:29 with those two guys. But yeah, it'll be fascinating. It's really a fascinating year with
16:37 lineups and smaller guards. Because we've had smaller guards in the past that have been
16:42 successful. Kevin Pangos is the one that comes to mind. I mean, he was tiny, still playing
16:46 professionally, had a great career. Gary Bell was small. That was a small backcourt. I'm trying to
16:51 think of other small backcourts. You could maybe make an argument for Nigel and Josh Perkins when
16:56 Josh Perkins played over the two, but Nigel's kind of a bigger one. Was Joel, is he small?
17:03 Yeah, but he's long athletically. You know what I'm saying? Even though he wasn't 6'6", but
17:08 wingspan, all that stuff matters. Even Blake Stepp was 6'4". Dan's probably 6'1" or 6'2".
17:16 Santangelo and Quentin Hall, but that was way back. But obviously, they're a smaller backcourt
17:24 and they were successful. So I hate to be like, "Your question isn't valid. It is valid, but I
17:30 don't think it has as much weight as you would think in the college game." You know what I'm
17:36 saying? I also think there's just so many what-ifs with this team right now. The next question
17:41 comes from Cheryl. It kind of stays in the same realm. She was so impressed by Braden Huff at
17:46 Craziness in the Kennel. Do you foresee him working his way into the starting rotation?
17:52 Yeah, that's a really good question. I think there's four bigs that we have this year. In
18:01 the last 10 years, we've played three. Normally, we've rotated three. Either they're going to
18:09 switch that up or there's going to be an odd man out. I think they're going to switch that up
18:12 because the four guys have earned their right to play. Anton's going to play no matter what. He's
18:20 earned that right. We go, Graham E.K. was the biggest signing as far as the transfer portal.
18:28 In the big department, he was probably one of the best bigs in the transfer portal that we got from
18:33 Wyoming. The year before, not last year, he didn't play last year. He was 20-10 on a team that made
18:37 it to the NCAA tournament, a team that hasn't had much success in the Mountain West. That's a real
18:44 thing. That's a good basketball conference. It's better than people think. Ben Gregg really played
18:52 well in stretches last year. Beat out Efton Reed, who ended up transferring, but earned that spot
18:58 to play 12-18 minutes. In his mind, and rightfully so, he's got to play more, right?
19:04 Yeah, totally.
19:05 But then you go, Braden Huff. Everybody's told me, and I've asked candidly, who's had a good camp?
19:14 Everybody always says, and it's not just coaches, players. Braden looks really good this summer.
19:18 He's been the hardest worker. He redshirted last year. He was Illinois player of the year,
19:23 big-time recruit. So he's not coming here to just sit out and do nothing. So I am really curious
19:30 to see how we work in the big rotation. I think Braden can work his way to starting,
19:41 as crazy as that sounds. With Graham, he's more back to the basket, which we dive. We like a mix
19:51 of both. You've got to have some easy post touches on angle baskets and stuff. I think Graham gives
19:56 us that. That's what Drew was. Obviously, Drew had all the spins and stuff. But early in his career,
20:00 he was seal, pocket pass, layup. Petrusev did that. Schimmy did it. We make bread and butter
20:08 off that. A million guys have done that. But he's been hurt the last three years. He's only played
20:13 one season, I think, in three or four. Knock on wood that it doesn't happen again. But Braden's
20:21 going to get an opportunity either through injury, hope it doesn't happen, or he's going to get an
20:25 opportunity just of how great of a camp he has. I think they might have to go with a traditional
20:31 substitution pattern, which is not bad, but they've gone with three bigs. They might just
20:37 have to go, "Okay, Anton, and then Ben, you're back up, and then Graham, and then Braden's your
20:42 backup," and just do it like that instead of the three rotation, kind of the European style,
20:48 which I think is the right way to substitute. Not just because Gonzaga does it. I've done it
20:53 as a coach at the AU level. I think it's just easier. Everybody kind of gets to play those same
21:00 amount of minutes. It's so much easier. And then people are happy, and then you can mix and match.
21:05 Certain kids can do certain different things. It's just the right way to do it. A lot of NBA
21:09 teams do it that way, too. And it keeps players out of foul trouble, too, right?
21:12 100%. It keeps them fresh. And then what it really does, and this might upset the coaching
21:20 staff, not that they care, but it really goes at the end of the day when parents call, and my kid's
21:25 not playing, like, "Well, your kid played 15, and the starter played 21. What do you want me to do?"
21:30 You know what I'm saying? And it is true. But hey, man, and it gives you an out, and with players.
21:38 You go, "Well, look at the box score, bro. You only played four minutes less. Why are you
21:42 complaining? We're a team here, bud." And so you avoid those confrontations. So yeah, that's a very
21:50 good question about Braden, because I've heard he's been fantastic. I was really impressed with him.
21:54 Like Cheryl said on the question at the craziness, he looked the best. He had 19 points or whatever.
21:59 And then I asked, we had Ben Gray gone live on our broadcast, "Who had the best camp?"
22:05 Braden. Same thing with B. Mike and Steven Gentry. "Who had the best camp?" Braden. I mean,
22:11 that was the first person they said. So hopefully he's going to get a chance, but I just, I don't
22:19 know where or how, or where, or the how, but it's going to happen, if that makes sense.
22:25 - Yeah, no, I-- - It's going to be cool.
22:27 - It's going to be very-- these next two games are going to show us a lot, I feel like.
22:31 - Yeah. - Last question,
22:34 and then we have two Adam basketball questions. "What are some of the challenges our Zags will
22:42 face this season, and who do you think will be the next great leader on the court?"
22:47 - Challenges we're going to face. I think early on, finding a team chemistry. Obviously that gets
22:54 built in the summer when you start practice and then move on to fall camp, but finding the
22:59 continuity of not playing with Drew Timmy and Julian Stroth, the two NBA players that can score
23:04 and put up numbers in a hurry, I think that is going to be a natural issue. Doesn't mean it's
23:11 going to be like life or death for us as a club, but I think finding continuity and rhythm is a
23:18 real concern just because it's new faces. I think Maui's going to be difficult. We just talked about
23:25 Zach Eadie. That's going to be a hard game, and then the second round, you play Syracuse or
23:28 Tennessee. We've had great success there. It's been a fun tournament. I'm glad that we're going
23:33 to Honolulu. It's going to be in Honolulu, but that tournament is still going. And then I think
23:40 just trying to keep the complete unit going forward because there's like 10, 11 guys, and we've
23:47 talked about it in episode one and episode two about the roster. There's going to be some guys
23:54 left out just on numbers. So like, Phewy does a good job controlling the locker room, always has,
23:59 and that's the culture that we create. There's going to be some unhappy guys. So sometimes that's
24:04 always a difficult task to manage during a season when guys aren't getting playing time and stuff
24:12 like that. - The question I have to follow up to that is with NIL and with players' personalities
24:20 now, I don't know the players personally on Gonzaga that well, but that seems very real.
24:27 Like keeping players to stick around for another year is tough, but is it saying like,
24:33 you'll get an opportunity if an injury happens? Because these guys want to make it to the NBA,
24:41 obviously. And that's what, like, do you think, how do you keep players motivated if they're not
24:51 playing? I guess that's the question. - That's a really good question. I think a lot of it has to
24:56 do with the kid's upbringing too. If you're raised in a household that you're going to run into
25:01 problems in your life, not that it's going to be handed to you, all those messages that our parents,
25:05 I assume told you, I'm sure your parents told you that, my parents did, but sometimes that doesn't
25:11 happen in a lot of households. And some people are like, go to the next place. But I think as a
25:16 player, you got to understand if you're coming to Gonzaga, there might be a year that you don't play
25:20 a lot. And it's not a thing to do with against you, it's just numbers. And the guy in front of you
25:24 just did the same thing you did three years ago or whatever. So it's just how it goes. That's why
25:28 Braden, I think, redshirted. I think he maybe would have played, but he was like, why waste a
25:34 year? But I need to get stronger. But like, Drew Timmy's not coming off the floor. And Anton's
25:38 probably not coming off the floor. And then he had Efton Reed and Ben Gregg in front of him. So
25:43 that's a good question. I think culture helps. The guys you have in the locker room, we always
25:50 have a good one. But I think part of it is just how the kids are raised too. I mean,
25:54 it's stuff that you can't control. It's like, how are you with adversity? Are you a kid that
25:59 can push through it? And sometimes you need those tools to be taught to you later in life, that's
26:04 fine. But also what is mom and dad or guardian or whatever, AU coach, high school coach, whoever you
26:11 look up to basketball wise saying at home, like, oh, you're getting screwed, man. Or they're like,
26:15 hey, man, calm down. It's not going your way. But this is a place that develops players.
26:20 And there's been plenty of guys who didn't play right away that still made it to the NBA and have
26:26 longer careers because they probably stayed and they got better. And this is an NBA type offense.
26:33 So another year of learning it is probably better than going in and going with your eyes like, oh,
26:38 my God, what is this? But that's a very good question with NIL and the theory, which I'm
26:46 pretty right, is that it's kind of turning into minor league sports. That's a real thing with,
26:50 hey, I'm getting paid, F this. You know what I'm saying? Or I could just leave.
26:54 - Totally.
26:54 - You know, it's different. So anyway.
26:57 - Because yeah, those NIL guys, even if they're not playing or they want to play because
27:02 the sponsors want them to play, that's the weirdest part of the NIL side.
27:06 - Well, the NIL stuff is, again, it's a fascinating deal. And it always sounds like a get off my lawn
27:14 take. But the collective stuff is just so convoluted and so gray area. Because you're
27:22 not really getting paid on your name, image, or likeness. You're just, like,
27:25 collectives are just like, here's money. You know what I'm saying? So I think the intention of NIL
27:30 is fantastic. But I think there needs to be some barriers. And it's not just,
27:36 it's not like you want to not have people get money for what they deserve. That's not what
27:43 I'm saying. But it's turning into buying 17-year-old recruits. That stuff feels weird to me.
27:52 - It does feel weird.
27:52 - You know what I'm saying? Like going into a 17-year-old seniors,
27:57 you're like buying a kid for hoops. It's weird. I don't know. It's just weird.
28:01 - And if the rumors are true that now players are requesting or, I don't want to say demanding,
28:08 but like saying like...
28:09 - That is demanding.
28:09 - Yeah, demanding money on visits.
28:12 - On visits. That's insane. We've all heard about the brown paper bag stuff. And I've heard it.
28:17 It was real, like in the '80s, '90s, and 2000s, like in the movie, like the program,
28:25 if that's an old school reference. But that stuff did happen. But that was for like Kevin Garnett
28:32 to come to Duke or whatever, Kentucky or whatever, once in a generation type players. Now it's like
28:39 every kid's like, "Well, I'm entitled to this." It's like, "Hold on, chief." You know what I mean?
28:43 Let's calm down here. But I don't know. It's interesting.
28:47 - Awesome. Well, I have two fun, like one's a high school question and one's a college question.
28:54 This one comes from Tate Kelly. He asks, "What is your greatest high school hoops memory playing
29:01 for Meade High School?"
29:02 - Oh, that's a really good one. There's a lot, obviously.
29:05 I didn't play freshman year. I played on the freshman team. And then my sophomore year,
29:13 I came off the bench. And then so my junior and senior year, I led the league in scoring,
29:18 broke the individual single season scoring record. My junior year, and then increased it my senior
29:24 year and then broke the total scoring record for the GSL. So my high school career was fun. We went
29:30 to state. My junior year, my sophomore year, we lost in a game to go to state, but it was a huge
29:35 jump for Meade High School basketball at the time. Then my senior year, we went undefeated and lost
29:40 in the championship game. So I have a ton of really good, positive memories, great teammates,
29:46 played for a great coach in Glenn Williams. Probably,
29:52 one of the coolest memories was we're playing my junior year, we're playing in a game to go
30:03 to state. And it's different now. And I don't want to bore the people that are listening who are not
30:08 familiar with like locals, Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association. Now you get
30:13 the state, but it's like the paths are a lot easier now because like the GSL, there's like
30:17 some teams are in the 4A, some teams are in the 3A. There's actually some 2A teams that you play
30:22 like Rogers and Shadle sometimes and NC, you know, like it's different. You used to have to go to
30:28 districts, then regionals or districts, yeah, regionals, then states. Like it was kind of a
30:33 gauntlet. And then you play some multiple loser out games. And so you'd have a fantastic season,
30:37 have a bad. So anyway, we play Shadle Park my junior year. We haven't beat them all season long.
30:44 We end up losing late. So we have to play Central Valley to, you know, good game to go to state.
30:50 And we're in the locker room and this is in the Yakima Sun Dome. And it's an absolute dump. And
30:54 we're playing on Idaho State's old floor. I mean, it was terrible, like a terrible venue to have
31:00 a game to go to state, like awful. And normally we'd run out with like 25 minutes to 20 minutes
31:06 after team, you know, our coach would come in and team talk and there's like 18 and it's getting
31:11 to 15 and everybody's kind of looking around and you're just like, what the hell's going on? And
31:15 our coach, Glenn Williams comes in and he's like bawling his eyes out. So everybody's kind of like,
31:20 what the hell's going on? It's just like random time to do it. And we had a kid on our team,
31:26 one of our managers that had, I think he had a brain tumor early in life, but it got fixed.
31:33 But he had some cognitive issues, obviously. So he wasn't, his delays weren't because of
31:40 just how he was born. So how do I say this? I'm trying to make sure I'm politically correct, but
31:46 he knew he was normal. And I don't want to be, I don't mean that in a bad way. I don't know
31:51 how else to describe it, before the surgery. And he said to our coach privately, man, I wish I
31:56 really could go out and play today. And my coach lost it. That's how much of like a shirt off your
32:01 back guy. So he like was bawling and he's like, you guys, and he told us what he said. And he's
32:06 like, you guys need to go play your tails off. And that's all he said to us. We ran out of the
32:09 locker room. We weren't losing that game. Win that game, go to state. First time in 10 years.
32:14 Yeah. Something like that. Right. You know what I mean? So it was like goosebumps, chills. And
32:20 it was just a completely random time to have an emotional moment. My coach lost it. And we,
32:28 obviously it pumped us up, but it was just like, it was one of those like, dude, you're lucky that
32:32 you're playing in this game. You know what I'm saying? Like there's people that don't get this
32:36 opportunity. So it was, it was fascinating. That's probably my best moment. Obviously like
32:40 there's a lot of wins that were fantastic, but that's the one that sticks out to me.
32:44 That's awesome. That gives me chills as well. It was incredible. And we won, we beat central
32:50 Valley fourth time that year. We won by like four, just pure grind out. We're not going to,
32:55 both teams like we're not going to lose and we won. So yeah, it was awesome. That's sweet.
32:58 The perimeter will be right back after a word from our sponsor.
33:03 Hey, it's Olive. I just got my first ICCU debit card. Now I just need some money in my account.
33:10 If only there was someone who could transfer in some allowance.
33:13 Wow.
33:14 Last question comes from Neil Sherm Schoenberg. Shooting was your calling card. You had some
33:25 epic lines during your junior year at Gonzaga. If you were shooting around today with no defender
33:32 closing out or a hand in your face, how many threes would you make out of 10?
33:37 Oh, that's a good question. Well, okay. Let me give you context. I obviously I've talked about
33:41 a little bit. I coached my daughter's AAU team and now I'm coaching my son's seventh, eighth grade,
33:47 or seven year old, eight year old team. So little, little guys. That answer depends on which
33:55 basketball I'm using. Am I using a women's ball or a men's ball? Cause I've shot nothing but a
33:59 women's ball the last six years and I still make them. But I've picked up a men's ball when I work
34:04 out my nephew every once in a while. He's a junior at Rogers and it don't go in very much and it
34:10 feels heavy. So really good question. Sometimes we'll do rebounding drills where coach shoot
34:16 and we do this drill with the kids where they close out and then have to shuffle and then
34:20 reclose out and you'll shot, teaching them, walks it out. And sometimes I can string eight or nine
34:24 in a row, but those first like six or seven are way off. So that's a really good question.
34:31 Cause you're in the gym a lot. I am. I exactly. I'm touching a basketball multiple times a week,
34:37 but they're always girls balls and those are smaller. It's just the reality. They're easier.
34:42 But every time I touch a men's ball, I'm like, man, this feels weird. You know what I'm saying?
34:46 Can this one even go in? You know what I mean? So really good question. I think I can still,
34:52 if I get going. But like if there's defense or anything out there, like I don't have a chance,
34:59 man. Brutal. Can't run anymore. A little follow up to that. You posted a really
35:05 awesome video this summer out at the Lake cabin and you were making like, I mean, it's just in
35:12 your back and it's like that a little hoop that's like, but you were, I think you made like five in
35:18 a row and it was, it was cool to see. Yeah. We put a little eight and a half hoop up there and we
35:24 have it on grass, but it's one of those, it's just a cool aesthetic. But yeah, every once in a while
35:28 I can get going and that's when I start talking trash to kids. You know, I probably had a few
35:34 if I'm out there. And so he gets, your dad used to play. Shut up dad. You know, I was like, shut up.
35:41 But yeah, it's fun. Do we got any more, man? That was fun. I kind of like,
35:46 could put it in the hots, even though they were, you know, nothing crazy. I mean, a lot of people
35:50 were asking just starting line up, a lot of starting line up questions. And then there was,
35:56 you know, the, like the leader of the team. And I mean, I didn't even, that wasn't one of the first,
36:02 I didn't even cover that. So that, that's my fault. But I think, I think Ryan Nemhardt's going to move
36:07 into that capacity just because he's proven it. Obviously Anton, but I think Anton's a quiet kid.
36:12 He's a leader with actions. Not that I'm saying he's completely non-vocal, but I think his
36:18 personality is just a chill personality, I guess. So I think Ryan will move into that deal. It is
36:25 funny when we interviewed Ben Gregg on a broadcaster in Craziness in the Kennel, he's like,
36:29 yeah, they're looking, these guys look at me like I'm a, like I'm the old guy now. And he's like,
36:33 I am, but it's just feels weird, you know, cause he's a junior. So it's a really good question.
36:38 But I think Ryan Nemhardt is the, is the front runner for that. And I think guys respect him
36:44 enough because he played well at Creighton and his brother played here. So some of the guys know
36:50 Andrew, you know what I mean? There's just those ties. And then obviously your point guard,
36:55 it's funny, people are going to laugh at this, but you're always nice to your point guard.
36:58 Right. You're always nice to your point guards. They obviously throw you the ball. So like,
37:03 I was always nice to Derek Ravnor, even though he's my boy, but I was always,
37:06 when I first got to campus, Hey man, what's up? I'm always open on the wing, man. You know? So,
37:12 you know, I think he'll naturally fit in that role, but I think it's with, with cause because
37:18 he's a good player and he's proven it. Yeah, no, I, I mean, I think the player
37:24 questions are just so tough right now. I just, I know it is, it's all conjecture. And obviously
37:28 the show is based on, you know, what my thoughts are, but like, there's so many moving pieces
37:33 and obviously I don't want to beat a dead horse either. It's like, dude, I got to talk about
37:37 potential starting lineups. There's a lot of options. Totally. And it sounds funny, but like,
37:42 check out the box score and Baylor, the Baylor Gonzaga scrimmage game. That'll kind of tell you,
37:48 oh yeah. You know, minutes, minutes played. Not, not, not, not that it's, you know, a finality is
37:53 what I'm trying to say, but that's where it's at right now. And we'll find out, excuse me,
37:58 when we play Lewis and Lewis Clark state college, but obviously the first game versus Yale, who's
38:02 going to be a solid team. And that's not just me trying to hype it up. They've won games in the,
38:07 the Ivy league and the last few years, like 20 wins a season. November 10th is where you'll see,
38:12 okay, who's coming off the bench right away. Who's allowed to take a few shots, you know,
38:17 and then obviously if it's a blowout, you'll see who's playing blowout minutes. Not that that's a,
38:21 you know, a true indicative of how you're going to be the whole season, but that's where a coach
38:27 thinks you're at right now. So it can be some hurt feelings is what I'm trying to get out this year.
38:31 Not a bad way, but it's, it's number of games, man. Like I've been on teams, obviously my most,
38:35 a lot of my NBA career was like number game. This is like on really good teams, like just how it
38:40 works out. Totally. You know what I'm saying? I feel like the buzz this year is this so I can't,
38:46 I have a, I have a terrible memory of like, like I just always forget what happened like 10 years
38:51 ago and got forgotten saga, but like, I don't remember a time where like there was this many
38:57 questions about the team and like, and now this big 12 buzz. It's awesome for us. We get content
39:03 every year. Exactly. The show can go on. Yeah. No, yeah, no, I think it's going to be like that.
39:10 Most of the years because transfer portal. Yeah. I mean, it's as simple as that and NIL. And I know
39:17 people, we talk about it a lot, but it's the new reality. So every year you're going to have
39:22 question marks and you're going to have new players that are going to be playing like
39:26 prominent roles in a rotation that you never, you know, you didn't recruit during the year,
39:33 you know, then all of a sudden this guy's coming here. You know what I'm saying? Like,
39:36 cause you don't, it's not a recruit normal, like high school recruiting process. So it's just,
39:40 it's, it's fascinating. It's great for us. And I, like I mentioned on episode three is
39:47 like last year was more fun. We go to the lead eight, but like everybody didn't like our team
39:53 completely, but like, it was fun being like in closer games and like, it was cool. Like, yes,
39:59 I love, you know, being a number one seed and all that stuff, but it was also kind of fun. Like to
40:03 be like, Hey man, you know, we won by 12 tonight instead of 35. And you're just like falling
40:09 asleep when you're calling the games. And then, I mean, I have people that it's like, I turned the
40:12 game off at halftime. I'm like, I don't blame you, dude. I've done that when I wasn't covering
40:16 you watched Gonzaga game, what part, you said a look on people's face. And I'm like, I don't know,
40:22 man, I turned it off, man. It's nothing against, I'm not watching this crap or like it's on in the
40:26 background. And you know, it is, you do something else, you know, you start cooking or whatever.
40:30 And I get to go to the, all the home games. Cause I get this in the press box, but like
40:35 there are some times in the WCC games where I'm just like, yeah, this game, this game is,
40:39 yeah. Like, let me, let me beat the crowd. I'm going to go listen to Adam and Tom,
40:43 what kind of stories like, yeah, listen to the, listen to that.
40:50 Anyway. Yeah. We, we will definitely do this again this season.
40:53 No, it's fantastic. I like, I like the questions. I think it's great that,
40:57 you know, cause it gives us a different angle on, on what people want to know,
41:02 because I think I cover as much as I can, but obviously there's certain things. And
41:06 I know everybody says this, but it's true. There's no such thing as a dumb question either. Like,
41:11 if it's something that you may think that I might think is obvious, I'm not going to embarrass you
41:16 on the, on the podcast to the, to the listener who submits it. But like sometimes, you know,
41:21 when I go over terminology and certain things, I don't want to like go over people's head. And I,
41:28 you know, when I do the radio broadcast, I try to take pride in that, explaining it
41:33 in layman's terms. And I'm no like hardcore expert, but I know more, obviously I have a show
41:38 about it, but I know more than most people about hoops. But I want to explain it to a way that
41:42 makes it where, you know, the, the casual to the barely above casual fan can be like, Oh, that,
41:49 that helped broaden my horizon or my knowledge for basketball. So then when I do watch the next
41:54 Gonzaga game, I'm not complaining about something or upset about something. Adam explained it. Oh,
42:00 that's makes sense. Why isn't this guy playing? You know what I'm saying? Or things like that,
42:04 or why are we playing this team in the regular, you know, the non-conference? Well,
42:09 talked about scheduling and, and wins and a hundred percent, you know, stuff like that. So
42:13 feedback I always get about the show is they love your perspective on, on hoops and, and how you go
42:21 a little bit deeper than other shows that they might listen to. And so I, I think people really
42:26 respect that. And it's it's definitely, I definitely learning a lot. Yeah. Well, that's,
42:33 that's the point that, you know, we want to be an insider type show, you know,
42:38 but we're not going straight like analytical and nerd on it. And I don't mean that a bad way,
42:42 but like that, that stuff's boring. I know there's a value in that too, but
42:46 you know, I want to make it where like, if you were sitting next to me at a bar and we were
42:52 watching the game, he asked me a question, I could explain it to you, but I didn't talk the whole
42:56 time when we were watching it with me. Cause I don't want to explain the whole time. So if you
43:00 ever see me out, ask me like a couple and then I'll give you my fair answer. But I don't want
43:05 to like talk the whole time about like, like steps career or something like that. I'll just be like,
43:10 I don't care, dude. It happens. It happens in a nice way. And it's mostly, it's mostly,
43:16 and people are trying to be nice. And that's what I mean. But sometimes I'm like, I don't care, man.
43:20 I no offense. I don't really care. Totally. And it's not a bad thing, but I just don't,
43:25 don't really care. So it's a careful balance, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah. Well, I mean,
43:32 just like any topic, like if you talk about it too much, it gets boring.
43:35 Totally.
43:36 You know? And then so that's politics, that's religion, that's culture, music. Like if you
43:43 talk about it nonstop after a while, doesn't it get boring?
43:46 Yes, it does.
43:46 Right. So that's, that's kind of what, that's what I'm trying to say.
43:49 Yeah. Well, next episode will be all about religion and politics.
43:52 Yeah. Right. And no more sponsors. Show's canceled. What happened? We dipped our toe
44:01 into the wrong stuff, especially in today's society. No way. Not touching that with a 10 foot
44:05 pole.
44:05 Me either.
44:07 No, thanks. But yeah, we good?
44:10 We're good. Yeah.
44:10 All right. Well, thank you to McGilvrey Environmental, Idaho Central Credit Union,
44:15 and HDG Architecture for sponsoring the show. Thank you for listening. Episode four. Keep
44:21 listening. Yeah.
44:31 [Music]