Richard Fox, Greg Heister and Chauncey Jones of ROOT Sports join Gonzaga Nation to discuss their expectations for the Gonzaga Bulldogs this season
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00:00:00 [MUSIC]
00:00:07 Back with another special episode of Gonzaga Nation SI.
00:00:11 The reason it's special, three of my closest and
00:00:14 dearest friends in the Spokane community.
00:00:17 You know them as part of the KHQ Rootsports TV crew for Gonzaga Games.
00:00:23 Good friend of mine, Richard Fox.
00:00:26 Greg Heister, an occasional friend.
00:00:29 And Chauncey Jones, extraordinary producer.
00:00:32 So, fellas, thanks for joining.
00:00:35 >> Yeah.
00:00:36 >> Yeah, when you say special,
00:00:37 it's not because there was a short bus involved in the ride here, right?
00:00:40 >> My goodness, right out the gate, huh?
00:00:41 >> [LAUGH] >> Right out the gate.
00:00:42 >> Like that's not what you mean by special, right, Dan?
00:00:45 Okay, good.
00:00:46 >> No, no, he's special at what he does.
00:00:48 >> And occasion, you're like, okay, he had to throw that out there.
00:00:51 I don't want y'all to think we having Thanksgiving together or anything like
00:00:54 that.
00:00:55 >> So as we get going with each college basketball season,
00:00:58 this conversation goes literally every day on text message in preparing for games.
00:01:04 >> With three of us, Richard- >> Literally every-
00:01:06 >> Richard- >> Tunes out.
00:01:07 >> No, he just blocks us all.
00:01:09 >> Until it gets extreme, and then okay.
00:01:11 >> It's just too much.
00:01:12 I can only handle certain dosages of it.
00:01:16 >> Yeah, so we'll have these arguments every preseason leading up.
00:01:22 We'll have arguments, players, teams, just basketball concepts.
00:01:27 We'll have pregame meetings, and we can go off the rails in no time.
00:01:33 Listeners, viewers of the show, don't hit us on social media too hard this year.
00:01:38 But the fact of the matter is you guys are a ton of fun to work games with.
00:01:43 We have probably the best job in Spokane for, well,
00:01:47 we'd like to have more games than we do, but what do we get, about 12 a year?
00:01:50 How did you get started being the producer for these Gonzaga games?
00:01:54 Let's start there and then we'll get to a bunch of different topics.
00:01:57 >> Yeah, so Heisha and I were just talking about it.
00:01:59 Our first year was actually your senior year, and I wasn't a producer at the time.
00:02:05 I was stats, one of those things, work your way up.
00:02:07 Pat Brown, shout out to Pat Brown.
00:02:08 He left, went to Rue Sports.
00:02:10 And then I just took advantage of the opportunity to be the producer.
00:02:15 And yeah, it's been fun.
00:02:16 But being a part of the program since again, that senior year for
00:02:21 you, it's just been dope, it's been phenomenal.
00:02:24 >> You've been calling the games now for, I mean, that's over 20 years.
00:02:27 >> Yeah, yeah, it's a long time.
00:02:28 >> Your hair looks the same.
00:02:29 >> Well, it's a little whiter, right?
00:02:32 >> As is mine.
00:02:34 >> Yeah, but it's still, it's hanging in there.
00:02:37 Let me say it that way, it's hanging in there.
00:02:39 But no, it's been great, Dano.
00:02:41 I mean, look at the three dudes I get to hang out with all these years.
00:02:45 And the early years, it was Jeff Brown and Craig Elo.
00:02:48 I think John Fritz even did a season as the analyst for one of those years, I think.
00:02:54 So it's just put you in contact with a lot of great people and
00:02:57 good friends over the years, it's been awesome.
00:03:00 >> And Richard, you and I were roommates for a year, and then, sorry.
00:03:05 [LAUGH] Well, actually, it's sorry to us, Kyle Bankhead.
00:03:09 >> Coached at San Francisco with our other roommate.
00:03:10 >> We just got married, right?
00:03:12 >> He did, yeah.
00:03:12 >> Just a good way to go, coach.
00:03:14 >> Yeah.
00:03:15 >> Way over his skis on that one, too.
00:03:17 >> I would imagine so.
00:03:18 >> Yeah, I can confirm.
00:03:19 >> Yeah, you can confirm.
00:03:20 >> [LAUGH] >> We were roommates for a year.
00:03:25 And you did radio, and then you and I both got started in the TV world at
00:03:30 the same exact time.
00:03:30 We're going on 12 years working together, it's been great.
00:03:33 >> Yeah, I did the radio for four or five, and
00:03:35 then you're traveling every game in that gig.
00:03:38 I loved it, but it just became a little bit, just too much of a time commitment.
00:03:43 So then the year I gave it up, SWX launched.
00:03:46 And so all of a sudden, there was a way for me to start doing TV.
00:03:49 And they had a lot of games, not a lot of analysts.
00:03:53 So I did a number of games for SWX.
00:03:54 So when Craig Elow went over to, what was it, Eastern?
00:03:58 >> Yeah.
00:03:58 >> And the seat opened up, they knew me a little bit.
00:04:02 And then all of a sudden, you and I were both doing it, it was great.
00:04:05 So we went to the three man booth.
00:04:06 >> Yeah, it was one of those things where you and I are both good friends, right?
00:04:10 And we know this guy, unfortunately.
00:04:12 And we're trying to figure out, I want the job, you want the job.
00:04:17 I'm still half in the basketball world of trying to coach.
00:04:20 And they gave us the opportunity for us to both do it.
00:04:23 And looking at all these years now, 12 years later, we're still doing it.
00:04:27 >> They never asked me, by the way.
00:04:28 >> [LAUGH] >> Get our opinion, what do you think?
00:04:30 >> Or Chauncey.
00:04:30 >> [LAUGH] >> I still remember Foxy,
00:04:33 when he was doing radio one time, came to the truck and was like, hey,
00:04:37 can I just do a mock standup?
00:04:39 We record everything now, right?
00:04:40 We're all, as y'all know.
00:04:43 But you remember coming to say, hey, can I just do a standup?
00:04:45 >> I think I blocked it out, no.
00:04:46 >> [LAUGH] >> How bad was that?
00:04:48 >> It was bad, bruh.
00:04:50 It was bad, I was like, man, this just sticks with radio.
00:04:52 Nah, but.
00:04:52 >> [LAUGH] >> Nah, it's just dope.
00:04:56 It's one of those things where you wish you still had it.
00:04:58 Cuz even with Elo, when he first started, he wasn't that great.
00:05:01 >> Yeah.
00:05:01 >> He was the sideline guy.
00:05:02 >> It's all a process.
00:05:03 >> Yeah, it's a process.
00:05:04 You grow into it, man, so.
00:05:05 >> Well, I remember my first game on the radio, I mean, first thing,
00:05:10 I'd never done a game before, doing it with Tom Hudson, and someone gets a rebound.
00:05:15 And like Tourette's, all I said was, great rebound.
00:05:17 >> [LAUGH] >> Like nothing else,
00:05:20 like no one can see the rebound.
00:05:22 How do you look to me, really confused, like, and it just blew past me.
00:05:28 >> Yeah, we don't have that issue today with Richard.
00:05:30 >> No.
00:05:30 >> [LAUGH] >> I have grown, I have grown.
00:05:33 Now, I mean, I've been told to wrap it up.
00:05:35 >> Wrap.
00:05:36 >> Yeah, it takes a while, but it's fun.
00:05:37 And I think I always tell everybody it's a really unique and
00:05:41 cool way to stay close to it.
00:05:43 >> Yeah.
00:05:43 >> Without any of the stress involved with being in it.
00:05:45 So, yeah, it's a lot of fun.
00:05:47 >> Well, the hard part is there is a complete difference in radio and
00:05:51 TV being the analyst.
00:05:54 For the play-by-play guy, you gotta call what you see.
00:05:57 Us as analysts, we kinda elaborate and share why it happened.
00:06:01 But radio, you gotta be quick with your points, and
00:06:04 you also gotta be descriptive.
00:06:06 So, great rebound, that's a great way to start your career.
00:06:08 >> I thought it was really restrictive, cuz I like to elongate my thought.
00:06:11 >> Yeah. >> You do?
00:06:12 >> Yeah. >> Yeah, you've evolved.
00:06:13 >> I've evolved.
00:06:14 >> [LAUGH] >> I've got my natural speed.
00:06:16 But you did simulcast.
00:06:18 How hard is that?
00:06:19 How hard is simulcast?
00:06:21 >> Well, what made it really hard is that, number one, I was terrible, right?
00:06:24 It was my very first year of calling games, so I was kinda feeling my way out.
00:06:30 And so I'm on television calling a radio broadcast, and there's no analyst.
00:06:35 So it's like two hours of heister screaming.
00:06:38 So it was exciting at first, but I'm not sure I'd wanna go through that again.
00:06:46 But I've told this story before, I was doing radio that first year.
00:06:50 And it was, you at LMU, maybe I'm gonna flip this around,
00:06:59 but you hit like eight threes at halftime at LMU.
00:07:02 >> Nine.
00:07:03 >> Nine.
00:07:03 >> But who's counting?
00:07:05 >> Who's counting?
00:07:05 >> [LAUGH] >> But who's counting?
00:07:07 And I never let facts get in the way of a good story, so that's good.
00:07:11 So the next night we have to go to Pepperdine.
00:07:13 >> It was flip flop.
00:07:14 >> Yeah, whatever.
00:07:15 So I get down to Pepperdine, and I pull out the little radio unit to plug it in,
00:07:20 and there's no power cord.
00:07:21 There's no power cord, and you guys know what it's like.
00:07:26 So now I'm looking at the clock, and I'm like, okay, well, I'm a fast driver.
00:07:30 And I'm like, I'll drive back, and then I started doing the math to LMU to try to
00:07:35 find it, and they're like, there's just no way.
00:07:38 So I thought I was gonna be fired the very first year doing these games.
00:07:43 I literally sat down in the chair and I said, okay, I got about 14,
00:07:47 15 games, it's been a good run.
00:07:49 >> [LAUGH] >> It's been a good run.
00:07:53 And then all of a sudden, the SID from Pepperdine comes out with this big box,
00:07:57 and he dumps them out.
00:07:58 And he's like, these are all the other power cables that people that play-by-play
00:08:01 guys have forgotten over the years.
00:08:03 And I'd be damned if one of those didn't plug in the unit, or
00:08:06 else I was gonna be calling the game on the telephone.
00:08:09 >> That's awesome. >> So yeah,
00:08:10 I'll never forget that in Los Angeles.
00:08:13 It was great.
00:08:13 And the country guy in LA, that's a whole other deal.
00:08:18 But what's the name of the highway?
00:08:20 Is it I-5?
00:08:21 >> Pacific Coast Highway.
00:08:22 >> Pacific Coast, yeah.
00:08:23 >> I-5?
00:08:24 >> Whatever, I don't know.
00:08:25 It cruised back and forth to get from one school to the other, but yeah.
00:08:30 It was an interesting year.
00:08:31 And then it culminated in the NCAA tournament with 27% from the floor,
00:08:37 and Blake and Dan having the worst games of their career in Wyoming.
00:08:42 The only NCAA tournament game I ever got to call.
00:08:45 >> That's one of the other things is we have all these inner stories.
00:08:50 So yeah, you can throw a scud that we- >> He rushed right over that, didn't he?
00:08:53 Real quick.
00:08:54 >> We were not good in the NCAA tournament.
00:08:57 But Kyle Bankhead, he almost passed away before the game in the NCAA tournament.
00:09:04 He choked on a vitamin.
00:09:06 >> It's a condition.
00:09:07 It's something with your esophagus.
00:09:10 It's smaller.
00:09:12 So he started choking at the pregame meal.
00:09:14 He couldn't breathe.
00:09:16 And so they had to do a procedure to- >> He had to go to the hospital.
00:09:18 >> What is the procedure?
00:09:19 >> What got caught?
00:09:20 >> A vitamin.
00:09:21 >> Well, it was chicken.
00:09:23 >> Yeah, you're right.
00:09:23 >> Yeah, and then they could take him to the ER.
00:09:26 And he played in the game.
00:09:27 And then they diagnosed him.
00:09:30 So then he had to have this procedure.
00:09:31 I don't know if he does it anymore, where they go in there and
00:09:33 they actually make you expand your esophagus.
00:09:38 And I remember the one time he did it when we were in college.
00:09:40 He was in so much pain.
00:09:42 Why is that story coming up?
00:09:43 I mean, all the stories.
00:09:45 >> Well, why is it coming up today?
00:09:46 >> You're like, what?
00:09:47 >> My God.
00:09:48 >> He literally choked.
00:09:49 >> He was talking about the Wyoming.
00:09:51 So I had to deflect.
00:09:52 >> No, no, but apparently it was pretty scary.
00:09:54 >> My God.
00:09:54 >> He had to take him to the hospital, yeah.
00:09:55 >> And still play.
00:09:57 >> So I remember the time.
00:09:59 >> Yeah.
00:10:00 >> So staying on that topic of your ineptness with technology,
00:10:05 that's one of the great things that we don't have to worry about that.
00:10:08 We got Chauncey making sure that the truck is ready to go for all the TV games.
00:10:12 >> Yeah. >> Unless we're calling a Pepperdine game last year.
00:10:14 >> [LAUGH] >> I'm sorry, too soon?
00:10:18 Too soon?
00:10:19 >> Too soon.
00:10:20 >> We don't have to worry about it.
00:10:22 >> No, no.
00:10:22 >> The thing that people, and I don't quite frankly appreciate it enough,
00:10:25 cuz I just don't even know what goes into it.
00:10:28 But it's so involved, you guys get there what, six, seven hours before the game?
00:10:31 >> So the truck gets there seven hours.
00:10:33 >> So what you're saying is they get there in plenty of time to get it done right.
00:10:36 >> [LAUGH] >> I'm not sure.
00:10:38 >> I wasn't gonna say that.
00:10:42 >> So how much work is it to get behind the scenes?
00:10:45 Obviously we do reading, we do prep, we go to game shoot arounds.
00:10:49 You, what kind of prep do you have leading into a game?
00:10:52 >> Well, that's where I'm always collabing with you guys trying to get
00:10:54 the storylines, cuz that's the biggest thing I always say is we're able to tell
00:10:58 the stories, not the ones that are obvious, so the X and O's that you can do.
00:11:02 But you guys have all the shoot arounds that we're allowed to go to and
00:11:06 all that to be able to tell the stories of these,
00:11:08 the student athletes and the coaches and the programs.
00:11:12 And then in the TV world, again, it's not just me, it's seven.
00:11:16 Again, the engineers get there seven hours ahead of time, and
00:11:18 then you have audio and video.
00:11:21 And sometimes you take that stuff for granted unless you get a situation like
00:11:25 Pepperdine where fire's telling us we gotta move the truck and
00:11:28 things aren't working.
00:11:29 And I can't hear these guys going to the game, going into it, but
00:11:33 you just gotta adjust so that they can't tell at home.
00:11:37 But it's a lot, man.
00:11:39 The director, Tom Holmberg, who's been on my side the whole time, and
00:11:43 he goes above and beyond and gets scenics and all that.
00:11:46 So I'm like, dang, Tom, you step it up.
00:11:49 I asked for Heister to ask, where is this at?
00:11:51 >> [LAUGH] >> Live on TV.
00:11:54 So where is this from, Tom?
00:11:57 Did I get it in my ear?
00:11:58 >> But no, it's- >> Try to get it in focus next time, Tom.
00:12:03 >> And to be able to, you said it too, to be spoiled with the crew that knows
00:12:09 the setup and knows how it is, the McCarthy Athletic Center.
00:12:12 And just to get things and make it seem so seamless that you forget about it until
00:12:17 you don't.
00:12:18 >> Yeah, the world sees us and we've all been together for a long time, but
00:12:23 there's a whole production crew, many of which have been around.
00:12:26 >> Statistician.
00:12:27 >> Yeah, they're all familiar faces.
00:12:28 >> Camera guys, lighting.
00:12:30 And your makeup guy too, Greg, they do a great job.
00:12:31 >> Yeah, takes a lot, takes a lot.
00:12:33 Big bucket, yeah, kind of a liquid dump.
00:12:35 >> [LAUGH] >> I like to call it,
00:12:36 just dump it right over my head.
00:12:38 But Brock Salzman, we gotta talk about Brock.
00:12:40 He's been the best that guy that I've ever dealt with in all the years
00:12:45 calling games, doesn't matter who I'm working for.
00:12:47 And Brock's been the best, but Tom Chonce, there's others.
00:12:52 Jim Butler.
00:12:53 >> Yeah.
00:12:53 >> The Magic. >> Travis.
00:12:54 >> Travis, yeah, there's a lot.
00:12:56 >> So you mentioned storylines, and we're back and forth text messaging a couple
00:12:59 days before, make sure we're on a similar page.
00:13:02 Once the game starts, we could get going a different direction.
00:13:05 But when you look at this year's team, what's the biggest storyline for
00:13:08 you, Richard?
00:13:14 >> I mean, I think it's, I think what's defined,
00:13:19 part of what's defined in Zaga's run is that there are players that
00:13:23 define these spurts throughout the run, right?
00:13:26 I think of Mo when he was here, you, that two year period.
00:13:32 And Drew certainly, maybe more than most, really defined the era that he was here.
00:13:37 So to have him leave, I mean, for me, it's just, you lose a personality like that,
00:13:43 you lose a player like that, what is this team gonna look like on both those fronts?
00:13:48 What is the personality of this team?
00:13:50 He's a big voice, who's the leader?
00:13:54 And that's a lot of production on the offensive end to say,
00:13:57 to see leave the program.
00:14:00 And I would imagine on the aggregate,
00:14:02 they'll probably keep scoring as many points as they always do.
00:14:04 But where is that coming?
00:14:07 How do the pieces fit together?
00:14:08 >> Yeah. >> How does a kid like Graham fit in?
00:14:11 Cuz he's talented in his own right.
00:14:13 And I look up front with Ben, Greg, and Brandon,
00:14:19 both those kids are really talented, but that's a lot to lose.
00:14:22 It feels like all of a sudden, we may have kind of shifted from this team really
00:14:26 dominated by what we've had inside, when you think about Holmgren as well,
00:14:31 to now this feels like a very guard dominated team.
00:14:33 There's a lot of talent on the perimeter, and
00:14:35 that feels like that's gonna be kind of the engine of this group.
00:14:38 So I'm curious to see how that comes together, first and foremost.
00:14:42 >> How about you, Greg?
00:14:44 I know you and I've chatted on another episode, but big picture storylines.
00:14:49 >> Yeah, I think it's exciting.
00:14:51 I mean, Coach Fuse got a point guard that he loves, right?
00:14:56 And I think they're gonna go as Nembhard goes.
00:14:59 And I think it's also the story of Anton Watson coming back for
00:15:05 another season and the loyalty, he had options to go elsewhere.
00:15:09 And he's come back for one more to play for Gonzaga and play in front of his fans,
00:15:14 or his family and the great fans here in the city of Spokane.
00:15:17 So, but also my eyes are gonna be on Nolan Hickman, right?
00:15:22 Because here's a guy that maybe the first two years it hasn't gone the way that he
00:15:27 had hoped and dreamed of it going here at Gonzaga, but he's still here.
00:15:31 And he's still here chopping wood and stacking the cordwood.
00:15:34 And so I think that we're gonna see a jump from Nolan Hickman this year.
00:15:37 >> 100% agree with that.
00:15:38 >> Right?
00:15:39 And so I'm excited to look at that.
00:15:42 And Graham Icke, I'm excited.
00:15:44 I've been hearing about him now for a long time and his athleticism and
00:15:49 kind of more physical player like Jonathan Williams was.
00:15:56 So I think that Drew is gone and the team is gonna be completely different.
00:16:02 But I'm really excited as I normally am.
00:16:06 But I wanna see all these pieces work together.
00:16:08 >> Yeah. >> Right?
00:16:09 Because I think there's a lot of talented players again on the floor.
00:16:12 And Dusty Stromer.
00:16:14 >> I mean, I think Adam Morrison and I, we were talking about this.
00:16:19 I mean, going into every year, everyone says there's so much talent,
00:16:22 there's depth, you could go a lot of ways.
00:16:24 Maybe 11 guys could play.
00:16:26 But every year, inevitably, you get to middle of December and
00:16:31 it's about an eight man rotation.
00:16:32 Years, Coach Pheu's comfortable, a ninth man might sneak in.
00:16:36 >> Then you get to March and seven.
00:16:37 >> Yeah, exactly right.
00:16:38 >> I think it'll be different this year though.
00:16:41 >> That's what I'm saying.
00:16:41 >> You really do.
00:16:42 >> Yeah, yeah. >> That's what I was asking you guys.
00:16:43 I was like, could we see nine?
00:16:45 I know till December, definitely trying to figure it out.
00:16:49 That's one of the things that's exciting.
00:16:51 It's not a matter of who starts, but you just name what, six guys, seven, eight?
00:16:55 >> I mean, when you look at the bigs alone,
00:16:57 this is assuming everybody stays healthy, but you gotta get Huff on the floor,
00:17:01 you gotta get Ben Gregg on the floor, and then Anton and Graham.
00:17:05 All four of those guys are gonna have to find time.
00:17:08 They're really deep at three, right?
00:17:11 And so- >> If you consider Anton at times would be
00:17:13 at three, cuz I think they could go big on occasion and put Anton at three.
00:17:17 >> You're still gonna have to get him on the floor.
00:17:18 >> Yeah.
00:17:19 >> Right, meaning that you're taking somebody else off that you're still,
00:17:22 I think he has a hard time whittling this down below ten.
00:17:26 >> Really?
00:17:27 >> Yeah.
00:17:27 >> That'll be interesting to see cuz- >> I know he normally does and
00:17:31 that's been his- >> I see Richard shaking his head.
00:17:32 I'm with Richard on this.
00:17:33 >> Who are you gonna take out the rotation?
00:17:35 >> It's like an 8.5 man rotation.
00:17:37 >> Let's not yell at the guy over here.
00:17:38 >> [LAUGH] >> Well, listen.
00:17:41 >> And this is when I stop paying attention to the text messages at this point.
00:17:47 >> Why?
00:17:47 >> I put in silence alerts and then I check in the next day.
00:17:50 >> Okay.
00:17:51 >> Where's the competitor in you?
00:17:52 Come on, Richard.
00:17:53 >> No, I just think it is, give me a good example of when Mark or
00:17:58 any other coach from a high level team is playing ten guys.
00:18:03 >> I should have looked it up.
00:18:04 >> You have to, I mean, at some point, you have to tighten that rotation because
00:18:08 it's not enough to say to a kid, you're really good, here's 12 minutes a game.
00:18:13 I mean, you know this as a player, you need to be able to play, get a rhythm, and
00:18:17 actually be on the court for some prolonged period of time to have an impact.
00:18:22 You might see that in the big man rotation,
00:18:26 you might see the fourth big only get 10 to 12,
00:18:28 maybe that's Brandon, given he's the youngest.
00:18:30 But he's too talented not to play.
00:18:33 I think the question I have is just on the perimeter.
00:18:35 I mean, you're locked in with Pickman and Nembhard starting for sure.
00:18:41 But Dusty can play today.
00:18:44 I mean, he's gonna play.
00:18:46 >> Yeah. >> And
00:18:47 then I think you look at just some of the younger guys,
00:18:49 like the Croatian Luke, and he's a big guard.
00:18:53 He's got a lot to learn, but in a normal environment-
00:18:56 >> So now you're up to nine.
00:18:57 >> Now you're, no, I'm saying-
00:18:58 >> You're up to nine.
00:18:59 >> No. >> He's doing the math on his hands.
00:19:00 >> No, no, no, my point is, I mean, at some point you say to a kid like Luke maybe,
00:19:05 and I'm not picking on the kid, and he might break through and
00:19:08 play 25 minutes a game.
00:19:09 But I think at some point you look at it and say, well,
00:19:11 I gotta give a guy like Dusty 22, 25 minutes a game.
00:19:16 Someone's gonna suffer from that.
00:19:18 And I just think this is gonna be an eight-man rotation when it's all said and
00:19:21 done.
00:19:22 And I think when you get to the tournament, he's gonna play seven, and
00:19:25 they're gonna win a lot of games.
00:19:26 And that's always how it's been, and
00:19:27 I don't know why it would be different this year.
00:19:29 >> So let's go, you don't have to give me a specific number of games won, but
00:19:34 I mean, it's another gauntlet of a schedule.
00:19:37 The Maui Invitational, they open with Purdue.
00:19:40 Then you're playing USC in Vegas, you're playing-
00:19:43 >> Connecticut.
00:19:44 >> UConn in Seattle, UW in Seattle.
00:19:47 It's another great schedule.
00:19:48 They're playing at Kentucky.
00:19:49 I mean, what do you guys see big picture?
00:19:52 Is this a, I know it's early, we haven't seen them in a game setting yet.
00:19:55 Is this a second weekend team like they've been the last eight years?
00:19:59 >> Absolutely it is.
00:20:02 Yeah, it has to be, you're at Gonzaga.
00:20:04 >> Wow. >> Well,
00:20:05 that's become the step or the barometer, the basement.
00:20:09 >> I think what you're asking is, and you and I talk about it this way too.
00:20:11 It's like, is this a first weekend, second weekend, or final four team?
00:20:14 And I think it's a second weekend team.
00:20:16 And if things break right and they're playing in a final four,
00:20:19 am I gonna be shocked?
00:20:20 No, no, last year, I thought that team last year topped out in the Elite 18.
00:20:24 >> I thought they maximized- >> Maximized who they were.
00:20:26 >> Yeah.
00:20:27 >> You gotta get there to have a chance to win the game.
00:20:30 And if things turn out well, you gotta get lucky too.
00:20:32 >> Yeah. >> If you're playing your best,
00:20:34 you get a little lucky, all of a sudden you might be in a final four.
00:20:36 I like this team better than last year's team in a lot of ways,
00:20:39 cuz they have Nem Martin.
00:20:40 I just think having, he's a high level point guard,
00:20:43 it allows Hickman to come over, play off the ball more.
00:20:46 He's gonna have the ball in his hands plenty, but not be asked to run the show.
00:20:51 And I just think he's too good a scorer, and so to get him off the ball, and
00:20:55 those two play really well together.
00:20:58 >> Well, Coach, these best teams have always had two ball handlers.
00:21:00 >> Yeah, and Nem Martin, he's different than his brother, but
00:21:03 he is, I think, gonna be just as impactful as his brother in his own way.
00:21:07 >> You were giving the time out.
00:21:10 What comment do you wanna make to that?
00:21:11 >> In the next ten minutes, tell me why I'm so wrong.
00:21:14 >> [LAUGH] >> And
00:21:14 then go ahead and tell everybody why you're right.
00:21:16 >> [LAUGH] >> Well, isn't that what you normally do?
00:21:20 Listen, you're at Gonzaga.
00:21:23 If you're not thinking north of Sweet 16, what are you doing here?
00:21:27 >> This is what just happened.
00:21:28 We said that's what we felt.
00:21:30 >> Okay, and so listen, Ryan Nemhart was a possession away a year ago
00:21:34 from the final four.
00:21:36 He's been brought here to take this program to a final four.
00:21:40 He's that caliber of point guard.
00:21:42 So yeah, I think Sweet 16 is the- >> Floor, you say?
00:21:46 >> Is the floor, and I think the final four is the target.
00:21:52 >> But the hard part, though, is the fans have become so spoiled.
00:21:54 Like eight straight Sweet 16s,
00:21:56 I think there's only three runs in history that it's been longer than that.
00:21:59 >> Look, they all have to stay healthy.
00:22:03 >> Which they've done a tremendous job.
00:22:05 >> Yeah, but I'm not gonna undersell them because I haven't seen them
00:22:10 play together yet.
00:22:12 Look, there is a collection of talent that once again is here in Spokane to play
00:22:17 basketball, and for 20 plus years now, Mark Few and his staff has been able to get
00:22:22 everyone to play together and to create chemistry and
00:22:25 create a winning program and a team.
00:22:28 And for anybody to sit and
00:22:29 assume that that's not gonna happen again this year, I think is delusional.
00:22:33 >> Well, I would tell you, the coach, I didn't say any of that, right?
00:22:37 To be clear, you two heard me talk about how I thought they were second weekend
00:22:41 teams, which by definition is the Sweet 16.
00:22:43 >> Yeah, yeah.
00:22:44 >> But who might be delusional are the coaches in the WCC.
00:22:47 I could not believe they were second.
00:22:48 What are we doing?
00:22:50 >> I mean, nationally, yeah, Gonzaga's ranked 11th, 12th, 13th,
00:22:54 St. Mary's 23rd, 24th.
00:22:55 But when you look at everything, or Ken Palm to start the season, Gonzaga's-
00:23:02 >> But it's going based off the fact that
00:23:04 you lost Drew Timmy and you lost Julian Strother, your two leading scorers.
00:23:09 You lost Malachi, who was about eight or nine-
00:23:11 >> There's Gonzaga fatigue in the WCC.
00:23:13 That's what it's about.
00:23:14 >> But the crazy thing, though, is St. Mary's also did lose Logan Johnson.
00:23:19 >> Yeah, two NBA guys.
00:23:20 >> Kyle Bowen, they're two best defenders.
00:23:22 >> Yeah. >> So it is interesting how that was
00:23:25 the case.
00:23:26 So let's go to the topic that I know is gonna bring up some interesting-
00:23:31 >> Are we going to LeBron and
00:23:31 Michael already?
00:23:32 >> No, I have notes on that.
00:23:34 I brought notes today.
00:23:35 >> I see.
00:23:35 >> The WCC- >> How many deep breaths do Greg need to
00:23:38 take before you ask this question?
00:23:40 >> The WCC, I've said for the last couple years,
00:23:42 the league keeps trending in the right direction.
00:23:45 And I swear- >> My God.
00:23:46 >> So boring, okay.
00:23:48 Break it down for me, cuz two years ago, three teams were in the dance.
00:23:51 >> It is like rotted and disappeared.
00:23:53 >> Last year, two teams.
00:23:54 >> Fertilizer.
00:23:55 >> A forest has grown.
00:23:56 >> Yes, where the birds- >> I'm with you, Dan.
00:23:58 >> There's St. Mary's- >> There's flowers growing on it.
00:24:00 >> I'm with you, man.
00:24:01 >> Hey, for all intents and purposes, St. Mary's gave UConn a better game than
00:24:04 Gonzaga last year in the NCAA tournament.
00:24:06 >> And so anybody can do that in any game.
00:24:09 >> Yeah. >> But you're talking about a whole league
00:24:12 for a whole season.
00:24:13 >> Well, we're not talking the whole league.
00:24:14 >> And it's a dead horse.
00:24:16 >> I think that it's tired, Dan.
00:24:17 It's tired.
00:24:19 Like it's tired.
00:24:20 >> But- >> No wonder you don't get invited to
00:24:21 shoot around.
00:24:22 >> [LAUGH] >> God.
00:24:23 >> [LAUGH] >> He might be right about that.
00:24:28 >> [LAUGH] >> He might be.
00:24:30 >> So no, honestly, in all honesty,
00:24:32 I do think the league has incrementally gotten better.
00:24:34 You disagree, and you disagree.
00:24:37 >> Well, Pepperdine's gonna be so talented but just so young.
00:24:41 LMU's gonna have, it's gonna be the same storylines every year.
00:24:46 Every year.
00:24:47 >> I think the challenge the league has had is they've not been able to keep up
00:24:50 with the, they haven't kept the same pace as Gonzaga as far as Gonzaga's
00:24:54 ascension, right?
00:24:55 So the league, even if it does incrementally get better,
00:24:58 I think the gulf between Gonzaga and where they're going in the league just
00:25:03 keeps getting wider.
00:25:05 And when you say incremental, I think it's trying to, yes,
00:25:08 St. Mary's is an exceptional program.
00:25:11 They've won, I mean, they just are.
00:25:12 Santa Clara's made real investments as a university in their athletics, and
00:25:18 Sendak's a good coach, and they put out two first round draft picks last two years.
00:25:22 That's a great sign.
00:25:23 >> They still didn't win.
00:25:25 They still don't really play with GU.
00:25:29 Pepperdine is gonna be young forever and really talented.
00:25:33 >> [LAUGH] >> Every year.
00:25:34 >> And every year I go there, every year I call a game there,
00:25:37 they talk about this brand new shiny arena that they're gonna build.
00:25:40 I've never seen any dirt move.
00:25:42 >> Yeah.
00:25:43 >> Now I think they are actually doing it now, but it's been like a decade.
00:25:47 And so you just go down, I think, the whole league.
00:25:50 San Francisco, I'm biased, certainly with my relationship to Kyle.
00:25:54 And they've had, they'll put together a great stretch, that coach will leave, and
00:25:58 they have to kind of redo it all over again.
00:26:00 And they just don't have the facilities, they're kind of landlocked in the city,
00:26:04 right, so they can't necessarily lean in to trying to really invest in their program.
00:26:10 So the league is good, it's a solid league, it's certainly a top ten league.
00:26:15 But it's not.
00:26:15 >> BYU's gone.
00:26:17 >> Yeah, that hurts.
00:26:18 >> But they never won the league.
00:26:19 >> It hurts it a lot.
00:26:20 >> It was league championships, the BYU and that.
00:26:22 >> It doesn't matter.
00:26:23 >> They had a lot of money.
00:26:24 >> It made the top of this league a lot better.
00:26:25 >> I agree with you on that.
00:26:26 >> They're gone.
00:26:28 >> And they beat some of the great Gonzaga teams over the years and
00:26:31 went to the tournament.
00:26:32 >> So I know.
00:26:32 >> So it's like, look, the league is fine.
00:26:35 But if the league was ascending the way that you're implying every single year.
00:26:40 >> But if you look at, he just said-
00:26:41 >> Gonzaga would not be looking around as much as they are.
00:26:43 >> Right, so if he's gonna use Ken Palm Analytics to talk about Gonzaga should
00:26:47 have been ranked higher than St. Mary's in the WCC coaches poll, fine.
00:26:51 Well, then use Ken Palm Analytics for how good the WCC is.
00:26:55 I believe they were seventh or eighth as a league last year.
00:26:58 >> Okay, that's fine.
00:26:59 >> That's last year.
00:26:59 >> I don't disagree with that though.
00:27:00 >> It's last year.
00:27:01 >> I think that's fair.
00:27:02 I said top ten league.
00:27:02 >> It's last year.
00:27:04 >> But that's fine.
00:27:05 But there's the gulf between the seventh best team league and
00:27:08 the fourth best league or fifth best league is only getting wider.
00:27:13 >> That's fair enough.
00:27:14 It is getting wider.
00:27:15 And that kind of leads to the next point.
00:27:17 And I mean, we've talked about this.
00:27:19 The Big 12, it's like the elephant in the room.
00:27:22 You think it's dead and then another comment comes up.
00:27:25 You think it's dead and then another school talks about it.
00:27:28 The Big East actually even last week made a comment about expansion.
00:27:33 Well, I think that's the one that fits Gonzaga perfectly.
00:27:36 Because you could be more centric to a basketball league,
00:27:40 cuz Big East was built on basketball in the 80s on the East Coast.
00:27:45 You broke it into three sections, East, Midwest, West.
00:27:47 West being Gonzaga, obviously, probably San Francisco,
00:27:52 Denver cuz it's a big market, Grand Canyon.
00:27:54 You go Midwest, DePaul, Creighton, Marquette, East Coast,
00:27:58 your traditional, St. John's, Georgetown, Providence, Yukon.
00:28:02 That to me makes sense.
00:28:04 Now, I'm curious, each of your three points on league realignment and
00:28:08 what would make the most sense for Gonzaga.
00:28:10 >> I think it looks like it's gonna be inevitable.
00:28:13 Cuz to your point, when we're talking about the WCC a few years ago,
00:28:17 not speaking for markets, just wanted everyone to invest.
00:28:19 Like you're saying, come on, let's build these programs up.
00:28:23 Let's try to do things, knowing that the difficulties of them, cuz it's stepping
00:28:26 stones in a lot of these.
00:28:28 I go to San Francisco, I wanna go to WSU next as a coach.
00:28:30 You know what I'm saying?
00:28:31 I'm waiting for that.
00:28:33 But with everything happening in realignment, you can't get left behind,
00:28:38 right? >> So
00:28:38 you have to always be thinking about it.
00:28:39 >> The musical chair is gonna stop.
00:28:41 >> Yeah. >> At some point.
00:28:42 >> You can't be like, man, we're stuck here.
00:28:45 And it's to that point now where your location,
00:28:48 you can still play your other games.
00:28:50 And that, I think it's gonna happen in the next two, three years,
00:28:54 I believe, that they're gonna be gone.
00:28:56 I don't know which one is gonna be the best.
00:28:58 Is it gonna be where someone's gonna say, okay, GU, we already know.
00:29:02 You can just take them by themselves, right?
00:29:05 But if you say, okay, you and St. Mary's to keep that going, is it worth it?
00:29:09 You know what I mean? >> Yeah, I mean,
00:29:10 they gotta make a decision before they get left out.
00:29:12 >> That's it, yeah.
00:29:13 It's gradually shifting to even more emphasis on the power conferences.
00:29:17 I don't know if you guys saw this, the NIT, did you see what they did?
00:29:20 They're no longer taking the automatic conference winner
00:29:24 into their tournament now.
00:29:26 Like say, Eastern in the big sky- >> Wins the regular season.
00:29:29 >> Wins the regular season title,
00:29:30 doesn't win the tournament.
00:29:31 >> Whoa, whoa, whoa, that's- >> They're not in the NIT.
00:29:33 >> Yeah, but- >> But it's shifting all the money and
00:29:34 the power again to those power schools.
00:29:36 >> That's not about realignment though.
00:29:37 >> No, but it is in a way because it's all the focus on-
00:29:40 >> They want the best teams.
00:29:41 >> Taking care of the school.
00:29:42 >> They want the best teams.
00:29:44 >> How can you be the best team if you're five and 15 and weak?
00:29:47 There was a Big Ten team.
00:29:48 >> No, that's what I'm saying.
00:29:49 >> They would have been in the NIT.
00:29:50 >> They wanna be able to pick the best teams to be in their tournament, and
00:29:53 there's nothing wrong with that.
00:29:55 >> See, I disagree with that.
00:29:56 >> I think it's money.
00:29:57 It's money that's- >> I don't think money drives anything in
00:30:00 college sports.
00:30:00 >> [LAUGH] >> I think the best teams will drive
00:30:04 the money.
00:30:05 Maybe I'm confused at what you're saying, but
00:30:07 the NIT doesn't want conference championships to get an automatic birth
00:30:11 into the NIT.
00:30:12 >> They say if you win your small school, Eastern,
00:30:14 you win your regular season championship, but you lose in your conference tournament
00:30:17 so you don't go to NCAA.
00:30:19 Historically, the NIT would say, well, Eastern, you're automatically in NIT.
00:30:22 Now they're saying, we're not gonna do that anymore.
00:30:24 >> So what they've said is, we're gonna take the next two teams from the power
00:30:28 conferences, and we're gonna put them.
00:30:30 So Ohio State, in this example, I think is the one I read.
00:30:32 >> Yeah, but Dan- >> They were five and
00:30:33 15 in the Big Ten last year.
00:30:34 There's no reason you should be in the postseason tournament.
00:30:37 >> I would make the argument, though,
00:30:39 that prior to realignment, that would be a fact anyways.
00:30:42 >> I cannot believe we're talking about the NIT right now.
00:30:44 >> Seriously, I can't either.
00:30:45 And Ethan's is like, it's like this virus that's gonna grow up.
00:30:50 Listen, here's what, sorry, I almost kicked your ball over.
00:30:54 >> Well, at least you're wearing pants this time.
00:30:56 You're wearing shorts.
00:30:57 >> Well, they zip off, though,
00:31:01 because I wasn't sure what you guys would be wearing.
00:31:04 So I came with a versatile wardrobe here.
00:31:08 Listen.
00:31:09 >> So what do you think about the Gonzaga leaving?
00:31:11 Do you wanna say?
00:31:14 >> Yes, I do.
00:31:15 I mean, look, I could write a book right now about all this.
00:31:18 The thing that concerns me most about realignment, first of all,
00:31:22 it hasn't happened for basketball, football, drive, okay?
00:31:25 It's all about football at this point in time.
00:31:28 And everybody's making decisions based on what they think is gonna happen.
00:31:32 And at the end of the day, nobody really knows what's gonna happen.
00:31:36 And there's a scenario out there that in three to five years,
00:31:39 football's gonna go off and do their own thing anyways.
00:31:41 >> I think that's what'll happen.
00:31:42 >> And then you're gonna have all of these other universities wanna come back and
00:31:45 compete regionally in every other sport that they have,
00:31:49 which makes the most financial sense.
00:31:51 So you could make these decisions based on what's best for today,
00:31:57 and then have it all come back to you in three or four, five years anyways.
00:32:03 Now, having talked to Coach Few about all of this stuff on a deep level,
00:32:08 I think the thing that concerns him most is that if these conferences continue to
00:32:13 grow in size, and Mick Cronin talked about it as well down at the Blackwell Media
00:32:18 Days when I was there, that if the conference schedules grow to be 20,
00:32:22 21, 22 games a year, there may not be enough games left on their schedule
00:32:28 to get Gonzaga the looks that they need to stay relevant.
00:32:32 And so I think from a scheduling standpoint alone, that to me is at the top
00:32:37 of the list on why it makes sense to align with somebody else.
00:32:41 But I don't think that that's a foregone conclusion, that you're not gonna be able
00:32:45 to fill your non-conference schedule with enough teams and
00:32:49 good teams to stay relevant.
00:32:51 And so whatever bag might be out there that everybody keeps talking about that
00:32:55 Gonzaga's gonna get, you gotta remember, they go to the Big 12,
00:32:59 they're now flying that private charter a lot farther.
00:33:02 Even though Utah, Colorado, and Tucson are now kind of in their region,
00:33:09 the other schools are not.
00:33:11 So there's gonna be an immense expense that goes up.
00:33:13 You're gonna have to fly the women's teams the same way.
00:33:16 And then commercially, you're gonna have to fly everybody else.
00:33:20 And so whatever that bag is that everybody keeps talking about,
00:33:23 which I don't think is gonna be substantial,
00:33:25 a lot of it is gonna be soaked up by travel.
00:33:31 And so I don't know.
00:33:35 I look at that and I see, now I think what does happen is that if you go
00:33:39 to a new league, it kind of revives everything.
00:33:42 There's a new energy, a new spirit.
00:33:43 - I can see that. - Right?
00:33:44 Like a refreshed start.
00:33:46 Like I think that would be really cool on many levels, but I'm not 100% certain
00:33:52 that the realignment that's happened in football is gonna happen in basketball
00:33:56 for a program that doesn't have football.
00:33:59 Like UConn in the Big East, why would UConn stay in the Big East if they have
00:34:03 football?
00:34:04 The real money's with that football program.
00:34:06 So I don't think they're long for the Big East.
00:34:09 If anybody's gonna realign in basketball, it's gonna be UConn.
00:34:13 Now, Gonzaga's gonna have the opportunity.
00:34:14 There's no doubt in my mind.
00:34:17 I think the Big 12 wants them.
00:34:19 And as long as the other universities sign off on it, I think that they're gonna go.
00:34:24 But I don't know, you know, it's concerning for me, and not that I'm anybody.
00:34:31 - You are.
00:34:32 - But it's just because we don't know what the future is.
00:34:35 As much as we think we might know, we don't know what the future is.
00:34:38 - Well, I wanna hear Richard's point on this, but I think that, honestly,
00:34:42 I think a decision is gonna have to be made sooner rather than later because you
00:34:45 can't keep playing the dance.
00:34:46 It's like meeting, talking, meeting, talking, goes quiet,
00:34:49 three months later, it comes back up.
00:34:52 I think it's...
00:34:52 - It's not Gonzaga's decision.
00:34:55 If Gonzaga gets offered the Big 12, they're gone.
00:34:57 - They're gone?
00:34:57 - I think so.
00:34:58 - Oh, yeah.
00:35:00 Yeah, they're not turning them down.
00:35:02 - I think Greg made...I hadn't heard that point before.
00:35:04 I think that was really insightful, which is...and I've agreed that,
00:35:08 or I've had the same thought that at some point, football is just gonna be its
00:35:11 own thing.
00:35:12 They're gonna turn the NCAA and say, "Thanks, but no thanks."
00:35:14 And they're gonna create whatever they're gonna create, and it's gonna be all the
00:35:18 teams you think they're gonna be.
00:35:18 And it's basically gonna be professional football on Saturdays.
00:35:22 And then, all of a sudden, if I'm Arizona and I get asked to do that in football,
00:35:28 and that travel budget for my women's crew team, this, that,
00:35:32 it's just gonna be harder.
00:35:34 And do you see these programs wanna come back home a little bit from a geographic
00:35:38 perspective?
00:35:39 I haven't considered that.
00:35:40 I think that's actually pretty smart.
00:35:43 But what I don't think you can do is I don't think you can wait for it all to
00:35:47 play out and be like, "Okay, then I think you have to err on the side of being
00:35:50 aggressive for yourself."
00:35:52 And if the decision you make doesn't pan out the way that you want it to or you
00:35:57 thought it might, I think you're still in a better position having made that
00:36:00 decision than you would be if you did nothing at all.
00:36:03 And I think for Gonzaga, you know, I'm just like Greg, I'm nobody when it comes
00:36:08 to what the conversations are having.
00:36:10 But I certainly would be really uncomfortable if the plan was,
00:36:14 "Let's just see how it shakes out."
00:36:16 You don't have time for that.
00:36:17 At some point, the music stops and you gotta have a seat at somebody's table
00:36:20 somewhere.
00:36:21 - And you wanna be at a more powerful...
00:36:23 - What I'm interested to see is what happens with the Pac-12, you know,
00:36:26 they've got two members left.
00:36:27 - Two Pac.
00:36:27 - But is there like a reverse merger where you see them basically poach the
00:36:30 Mountain West?
00:36:31 - Yeah.
00:36:31 - And now it makes sense.
00:36:33 Okay, this is certainly a step up in competition and money on the West Coast.
00:36:41 We still have, as a Pac-12, a seat at the table with these networks.
00:36:46 You know, we're able to compete as a conference against these other
00:36:50 conferences.
00:36:52 Are you better off giving a little runway to see if that might develop in the next
00:36:58 six to eight months?
00:36:59 Because I don't think you're waiting two years to see what the Pac-12 looks like.
00:37:02 That to me feels, from a geographic perspective, travel budget perspective...
00:37:06 - Makes a lot of sense.
00:37:07 - And then also from a style of play, I mean, no one talks about that.
00:37:11 We do, but I mean, your roster looks different if you're in the Big 12.
00:37:17 - Yeah, it has to.
00:37:17 - Way different.
00:37:19 And we've never wanted to play that way.
00:37:21 - No.
00:37:21 - No.
00:37:22 - It is a different style of play versus on the West Coast, even some modified
00:37:26 versions of Pac-12, you presume, I do anyway, it's gonna be more in line with
00:37:30 what the Pac-12 is today than all of a sudden become the Big 10.
00:37:33 - Yeah, no, that's a great point.
00:37:35 And that was my thing I was thinking about.
00:37:37 I was like, in those meetings, what is the Pac-12 doing?
00:37:41 Another one or are you just waiting?
00:37:43 And I know they're having these meetings, talking about it every day,
00:37:46 because you got to be aggressive with what you can.
00:37:49 Right now, you got the Tupac, you know what I'm saying?
00:37:52 It's like, okay, who can you go get?
00:37:53 Because if you can bring something like that and make it intriguing, it's like,
00:37:56 okay, we got enough on this.
00:37:58 - Yeah, well, what was it about, and I don't know, you guys are,
00:38:00 the two of you were dialing with the Pac-12, because you guys call those games,
00:38:03 so you don't have to comment on this, but it sure feels like leadership at the Pac-12
00:38:09 ain't all that aggressive or that proactive, or they wouldn't probably be
00:38:12 where they are.
00:38:13 Maybe I'm, you know, presuming too much, but I sure know the guy at the Big 12,
00:38:19 Big 10, SEC, they're going to go get it.
00:38:22 - What was interesting to me was, what was that alliance?
00:38:25 The Pac-12, the Big 10, and the ACC, they had the alliance with the presidents
00:38:29 and the ADs, and then that was supposed to be like in support of each other.
00:38:33 And then all of a sudden, randomly out of the blue, USC, UCLA jump ship to a Big 10,
00:38:39 and then Oregon and Washington does the same thing.
00:38:40 So there was a loose affiliation partnership.
00:38:43 - I think it makes all the sense in the world for Gonzaga to be a new Pac-12
00:38:47 member, a non-football member, but I have no confidence that the Pac-12
00:38:51 leadership's even thinking about it that way and looking at Gonzaga and saying,
00:38:54 "That's a great brand for our basketball program."
00:38:59 They might be in such survival mode that they're trying to deal with the problem
00:39:03 in front of them.
00:39:03 Nothing about what's happened to the Pac-12 the last year or two indicates that
00:39:08 there's a strategic plan or forward plan about what they're trying to do.
00:39:11 They're just reacting.
00:39:12 - Well, and you mentioned like reverse merger.
00:39:14 That possibly could be in the works and maybe why it's taken a while.
00:39:18 Like Gloria Navarez, the commissioner of the Mountain West,
00:39:21 was the commissioner of the WCC.
00:39:23 So she knows Gonzaga inside and out.
00:39:25 She knows the WCC.
00:39:26 - And she may be the commissioner of the new Pac-12.
00:39:28 - Yes, because she did spend time at the Pac-12, I think,
00:39:31 as the second or third in command.
00:39:33 So she knows the landscape of the West as well as anybody.
00:39:37 The George Klevkoff, who has been most recently in charge of the Pac-12,
00:39:42 he came in never having run a college conference.
00:39:47 So that's an interesting point.
00:39:49 You talk about a reverse merger.
00:39:50 - So over or under 18 months, Gonzaga and the WCC, yes or no?
00:39:55 - 18 months?
00:39:56 - No, I say no.
00:39:57 - I say no.
00:39:58 - I want to say yes because it's been good and it's a better league than you guys
00:40:01 get credit for.
00:40:02 But I don't think they will be.
00:40:05 Yeah.
00:40:06 - Dang.
00:40:06 - So, all right.
00:40:08 Big news, Gonzaga fans.
00:40:11 Petrushev back in the league, but he got traded like two games
00:40:14 into his NBA career.
00:40:16 Like, I know we talk a lot about NBA stuff in our different threads,
00:40:20 but can the Clippers win with four superstars?
00:40:24 - We're still calling Westbrook a superstar in this moment?
00:40:26 - We're still calling him a superstar.
00:40:27 - And Harden?
00:40:28 - And Harden?
00:40:29 - Well, I'm just saying because you got four guys.
00:40:30 - And Kawhi, who's only played...
00:40:31 - He plays 25 games a year.
00:40:32 - 20 games?
00:40:33 - No, the answer to your question is no.
00:40:35 - Yeah.
00:40:35 - It is pretty cool to see all these guys playing though, like Holmgren.
00:40:39 - Yeah.
00:40:39 - You know, even, you know, seeing Collins more now because he's playing
00:40:42 with Wambayama.
00:40:44 - Suggs had a good game last night against the Lakers.
00:40:46 - Strother's last two or three games in the rotation with the Nuggets,
00:40:49 you know, getting some run.
00:40:52 It's just amazing to see.
00:40:53 - I mean, I think they're the fifth college team, like, in line of amount
00:40:58 of NBA players.
00:41:00 Like, when you look at, I think Duke or Kentucky's number one.
00:41:03 Gonzaga's got 11 players in the NBA right now.
00:41:05 If you're sitting down to watch a game and there's, say, three,
00:41:08 four different NBA games that have a Gonzaga guy, who are you making sure
00:41:12 you watch?
00:41:13 - I'm watching Holmgren right now.
00:41:14 - Holmgren right now?
00:41:16 - Yeah.
00:41:16 - Yeah, his rookie year.
00:41:17 That's who I wanted to see too because I was like, man, even with the competitive
00:41:21 spirit that he has too and then finding it being on a team with someone who's a...
00:41:25 SGA's top 10 player now, right?
00:41:27 Can we say that?
00:41:28 - Who?
00:41:28 - Yeah.
00:41:29 - Shea Gillis Alexander for...
00:41:30 Okay, see?
00:41:31 - Yeah.
00:41:32 - And then to be able to...
00:41:33 You don't have to force...
00:41:34 It's not as much pressure on him like it is a victor.
00:41:37 Now, I'm not saying it, you know, talent-wise, but he can just ease into it,
00:41:41 find his way, do what you do.
00:41:42 What did he have, seven blocks the other night?
00:41:44 - Yeah, four last night.
00:41:46 - Yeah, so I think that that's exciting.
00:41:48 But to your point of...
00:41:50 And this is for people out there who have these aspirations, right?
00:41:53 Because we can never say, "Is this person an NBA versus that?"
00:41:56 I mean, there's some where you can't.
00:41:57 But to even be able to stay ready, right?
00:41:59 Because when we're talking about Patrusak being...
00:42:03 You know, going from this system to another one, now you got to see where you
00:42:06 fit in here, but then staying ready.
00:42:08 And you know how it goes.
00:42:08 It's all going to depend on what's around you and who's believing in you.
00:42:12 But guys like Malachi or Drew Timmy, you know what I'm saying,
00:42:15 getting those training camp invites on the G League teams, just to be able to just
00:42:20 find your way.
00:42:21 But you're hoping that there's someone in there to say, "Hey, if you do this,
00:42:24 this is the thing that you can work on."
00:42:26 You're talking about strategic planning.
00:42:28 There has to be some of that in there too to invest in you, right?
00:42:31 I mean, the ones we know, Jalen and Chad and those guys,
00:42:35 they're going to be fine.
00:42:36 But you just hope that someone's there investing in you like, "Hey,
00:42:39 I'm going to be able to do this."
00:42:40 And I think that's what we're going to see.
00:42:41 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:42:42 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:42:43 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:42:44 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:42:45 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:42:46 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:42:47 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:42:48 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:42:49 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:42:50 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:42:51 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:42:52 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:42:53 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:42:54 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:42:55 I think that's his point.
00:43:16 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:43:44 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:43:45 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:43:46 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:43:47 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:43:48 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:43:49 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:43:50 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:43:51 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:43:52 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:43:53 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:43:54 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:43:55 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:43:56 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:43:57 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:43:58 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:43:59 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:44:00 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:44:29 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:44:30 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:44:31 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:44:32 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:44:33 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:44:34 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:44:35 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:44:36 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:44:37 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:44:38 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:44:39 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:44:40 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:44:41 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:44:42 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:44:43 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:44:44 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:44:45 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:45:13 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:45:14 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:45:15 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:45:16 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:45:17 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:45:18 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:45:19 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:45:20 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:45:21 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:45:22 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:45:23 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:45:24 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:45:25 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:45:26 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:45:27 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:45:28 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:45:29 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:45:54 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:46:22 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:46:24 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:46:25 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:46:26 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:46:27 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:46:28 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:46:29 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:46:30 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:46:31 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:46:32 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:46:33 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:46:34 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:46:35 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:46:36 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:46:37 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:46:38 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:46:39 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:47:05 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:47:08 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:47:09 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:47:10 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:47:11 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:47:12 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:47:13 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:47:14 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:47:15 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:47:16 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:47:17 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:47:18 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:47:19 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:47:20 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:47:21 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:47:22 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:47:23 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:47:51 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:47:52 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:47:53 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:47:54 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:47:55 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:47:56 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:47:57 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:47:58 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:47:59 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:48:00 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:48:01 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:48:02 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:48:03 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:48:04 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:48:05 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:48:06 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:48:07 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:48:35 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:48:36 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:48:37 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:48:38 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:48:39 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:48:40 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:48:41 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:48:42 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:48:43 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:48:44 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:48:45 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:48:46 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:48:47 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:48:48 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:48:49 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:48:50 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:48:51 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:49:16 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:49:21 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:49:26 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:49:29 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:49:34 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:49:39 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:49:44 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:49:49 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:49:54 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:49:57 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:50:02 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:50:07 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:50:12 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:50:17 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:50:22 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:50:27 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:50:32 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:50:37 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:50:42 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:50:47 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:50:52 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:50:57 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:51:02 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:51:07 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:51:12 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:51:17 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:51:22 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:51:27 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:51:32 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:51:37 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:51:42 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:51:47 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:51:52 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:51:57 I think that's what we're going to see.
00:52:02 >> Before we get there, I know comparison is a thief of joy.
00:52:07 >> What did he say?
00:52:12 >> Comparison is a thief of joy.
00:52:17 >> I think he's officially not coming back.
00:52:22 I asked, coming in, is he the best zag?
00:52:27 >> Yes.
00:52:32 I don't think there's even any debate.
00:52:37 >> Best player or best career?
00:52:42 >> I'm wishing him the best as an NBA player.
00:52:47 He's going to carve out an NBA career somehow, someway.
00:52:52 It's not going to be as easy as a lot of people think.
00:52:57 I think Drew has that nose to the grindstone.
00:53:02 He's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:53:07 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:53:12 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:53:17 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:53:22 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:53:27 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:53:32 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:53:37 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:53:42 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:53:47 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:53:52 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:53:57 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:54:02 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:54:07 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:54:12 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:54:17 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:54:22 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:54:27 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:54:32 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:54:37 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:54:42 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:54:47 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:54:52 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:54:57 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:55:02 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:55:07 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:55:12 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:55:17 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:55:22 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:55:27 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:55:32 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:55:37 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:55:42 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:55:47 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:55:52 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:55:57 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:56:02 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:56:07 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:56:12 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:56:17 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:56:22 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:56:27 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:56:32 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:56:37 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:56:42 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:56:47 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:56:52 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:56:57 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:57:02 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:57:07 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:57:12 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:57:17 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:57:22 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:57:27 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:57:32 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:57:37 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:57:42 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:57:47 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:57:52 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:57:57 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:58:02 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:58:07 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:58:12 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:58:17 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:58:22 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:58:27 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:58:32 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:58:37 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:58:42 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:58:47 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:58:52 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:58:57 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:59:02 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:59:07 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:59:12 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:59:17 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:59:22 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:59:27 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:59:32 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:59:37 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:59:42 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:59:47 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:59:52 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
00:59:57 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
01:00:02 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
01:00:07 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
01:00:12 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
01:00:17 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
01:00:22 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
01:00:27 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
01:00:32 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
01:00:37 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
01:00:42 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
01:00:47 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
01:00:52 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
01:00:57 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
01:01:02 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
01:01:07 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
01:01:12 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
01:01:17 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
01:01:22 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
01:01:27 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
01:01:32 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
01:01:37 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
01:01:42 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
01:01:47 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
01:01:52 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
01:01:57 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
01:02:02 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
01:02:07 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
01:02:12 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
01:02:17 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
01:02:22 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
01:02:27 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
01:02:32 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
01:02:37 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
01:02:42 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
01:02:47 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
01:02:52 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.
01:02:57 >> I think he's going to play in the NBA for a bit.