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Speaker 1: This is Tony Pike Cincy three sixty about Cincinnati.

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Speaker 2: From Cincinnati. This is ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

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Speaker 3: Welcome back, Cincy three sixty, ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

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Speaker 3: As we welcome in our number three, let's switch gears,

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Speaker 3: let's talk some college basketball, and we have the honor

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Speaker 3: today to be joined by the newest head coach of

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Speaker 3: the University of Cincinnati men's basketball program.

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Speaker 2: Jery Calhoun. Joins us right now, Coach, what's going on?

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Speaker 2: How are you?

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Speaker 1: I'm doing great? First of all, thanks for having me

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Speaker 1: a million things going on if you really want an

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Speaker 1: honest assessment of my life right now.

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Speaker 4: But it's been great man.

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Speaker 1: Excited to be back, but a lot of work to.

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Speaker 2: Be done obviously.

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Speaker 3: On top of juggling the roster and what this is

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Speaker 3: going to look like going forward, you're also making the

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Speaker 3: rounds in the media as well. Earlier today you're on

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Speaker 3: with Jason and Travis Kelce on New Heights. I've seen

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Speaker 3: you with Corey Blunt and Terry Nelson all over the place.

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Speaker 3: For you, personally, what has this reception been like since

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Speaker 3: you've returned to Cincinnati and and just how people have

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Speaker 3: have kind of wrapped their arms around you as the

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Speaker 3: new head coach of the men's basketball program.

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Speaker 1: Well, I think it's been incredible. You know, it's really

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Speaker 1: just like catching up with, you know, friends that you

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Speaker 1: haven't seen in a while. To be honest with you,

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Speaker 1: there's so many people that you know, whether you at

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Speaker 1: a restaurant, walking around campus, just you know, getting re

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Speaker 1: acclimated with people. It's been really neat. You know, Cincinnati

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Speaker 1: is a sports town. The Bearcats are a big part

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Speaker 1: of the equation here in town. So you know, it's

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Speaker 1: it's been awesome, but it's it's been a lot. And

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Speaker 1: you know, I recruited Travis Kelcey out of high school,

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Speaker 1: so there's a relationship there. A guy in my staff

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Speaker 1: is very close with one of his friends, and I

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Speaker 1: think we'll get them around more and more as we

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Speaker 1: continue to build this program.

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Speaker 3: When you look about this program and especially this fan base,

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Speaker 3: you you made mentioned when when you were introduced last

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Speaker 3: week about your first time here and asking Coach Huggins

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Speaker 3: what it's going to be like. Uh, inside the arena.

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Speaker 3: I was at nearly every home game last year, and

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Speaker 3: I made mentioned to my wife a lot, even when

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Speaker 3: the team was struggling.

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Speaker 2: The seats are full.

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Speaker 3: This this city longs for you see basketball, to be

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Speaker 3: back on that big stage. Talk a little bit about

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Speaker 3: the fan base that you remember from the first time

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Speaker 3: you were here and the fan base that you know

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Speaker 3: as you see basketball.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, it's the best fan base in men's

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Speaker 1: basketball in the state of Ohio.

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Speaker 4: Right.

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Speaker 1: There's some story programs, but none that are on the

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Speaker 1: level of Cincinnati basketball, you know. So I think we've

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Speaker 1: got to connect with the student body. Uh, you know,

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Speaker 1: starting in the fall, we've really got to connect to

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Speaker 1: the student section. We've got to connect to our donor base,

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Speaker 1: our fan base. There's a lot of people that you

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Speaker 1: got to get in front of. And I think the

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Speaker 1: more you get out in the community, we start to

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Speaker 1: add the players. You know, the players we bring in

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Speaker 1: have to really embrace the city and we have to

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Speaker 1: reflect the city the way we play. But you know,

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Speaker 1: the best way to continue the support is you've got

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Speaker 1: to win basketball games, right, you got to get in

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Speaker 1: the NCAA Tournament.

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Speaker 4: You got to make deep runs.

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Speaker 1: It's been seven years since we've been in the NCAA

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Speaker 1: Tournament to drought. That's been way too long. So We're

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Speaker 1: going to work tirelessly to make that happen. And I

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Speaker 1: feel really, really good the direction we're headed right now.

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Speaker 3: I grew up on Cincinnati basketball, and I remember at

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Speaker 3: all times you didn't know if it was going to

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Speaker 3: be the prettiest or the cleanest at times, but you

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Speaker 3: did know that every time UC took the floor, the

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Speaker 3: other team was going to be in for a fight.

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Speaker 3: And they knew that fight was coming. It was part

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Speaker 3: of the brand of UC basketball. And it just doesn't

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Speaker 3: go to the players. I know, you knew guys like

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Speaker 3: Jason Maxiel and Eric Kicks, but also coaches with Hugs

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Speaker 3: and Mick Cronin and Andy Kennedy, all of those guys.

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Speaker 3: What do you think of when you think nationally of

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Speaker 3: UC basketball? What's tagged alongside with that name and that university.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, I think toughness. You know, I think

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Speaker 1: they had a clear identity. I think every great program

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Speaker 1: has an identity.

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Speaker 2: You know.

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Speaker 1: Obviously, every coach has their own style. They played to

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Speaker 1: you know, different ways. There's a million ways to do

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Speaker 1: it will be totally different probably than you know those coaches.

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Speaker 1: The game has certainly changed. It's a modern game of basketball,

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Speaker 1: so We like guys that know how to play, guys

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Speaker 1: that are efficient, guys that can pass, catch, shoot. We

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Speaker 1: want to be disruptive defensively and really create space offensively.

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Speaker 1: So I think it'll be a really good brand of basketball.

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Speaker 1: I think it'll reflect the city. And you know, I

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Speaker 1: think it's all about getting kids that can work together, right,

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Speaker 1: So as you're recruiting guys, you have to get kids

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Speaker 1: that buy into we over meet guys that buy into

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Speaker 1: the team, and that's got to be done on the

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Speaker 1: front end. So there's a lot of work to be

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Speaker 1: done over the next forty.

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Speaker 4: To fifty days.

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Speaker 1: And then as you get them here in the summer,

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Speaker 1: that's really when you start building the team and the

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Speaker 1: character and then really put in your concepts and your identity.

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Speaker 1: But yeah, I think it's going to be exciting brand

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Speaker 1: of basketball. The people be really proud.

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Speaker 3: Of the style is the excitement that comes. And you

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Speaker 3: mentioned identity. I think in years past sometimes that identity

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Speaker 3: is kind of lacking. If you had to stick one

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Speaker 3: out there. What do you want folks to say about

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Speaker 3: your program at the University of Cincinnati from an identity standpoint.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, I think the biggest thing is we

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Speaker 1: want to be unselfish, you know, we want to make

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Speaker 1: sure that we're making the right play on both sides

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Speaker 1: of the ball and really just putting the team first.

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Speaker 1: So when you watch us play while that team is

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Speaker 1: really connected, not just in our communication, but our concepts

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Speaker 1: and the way we play. I think that's what basketball

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Speaker 1: is made to be. You know, as the Kelsey said, yes,

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Speaker 1: you know this morning, it's such a fast paced game, right,

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Speaker 1: so you have to play green, you have to play

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Speaker 1: to the next advantage.

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Speaker 4: You can't stop in basketball. But guys got to know

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Speaker 4: how to play and they got to play together.

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Speaker 1: So those are some of our things we really try

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Speaker 1: to concentrate on.

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Speaker 3: One of the unique things that I've learned as I've

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Speaker 3: watched this year's NCAA tournament and especially the final four

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Speaker 3: teams remaining, is that you can kind of lean on

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Speaker 3: different things that these rosters have built themselves around. Certainly

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Speaker 3: Arizona's roster is not what Illinois or Yukon or Michigan.

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Speaker 3: They're all kind of different in a way, and they've

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Speaker 3: all found success. It tells me there's more than one

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Speaker 3: way to successfully build a championship roster. How do you

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Speaker 3: want to build your roster at the University of Cincinnati.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean those are really valid points, right. You

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Speaker 1: look at Illinois, their front predominantly they have picked and

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Speaker 1: roll team, Yukon runs a lot of sets. Obviously, Arizona

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Speaker 1: and Michigan they have great positional size. You know, we

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Speaker 1: want to have positional size in the Big twelve. You

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Speaker 1: have to have an elite passing point guard and a

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Speaker 1: good playmaker. The Big twelve is very aggressive and pick

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Speaker 1: and roll coverages, so you've got to have a big

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Speaker 1: that can create advantages.

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Speaker 4: So we'll do it.

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Speaker 1: You know. On offense, we have a clear vision of

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Speaker 1: every position. We want versatile wings, we want skilled forwards.

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Speaker 1: We want fives that can create advantages and provide rim protection.

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Speaker 1: We want to build a bench. You know, I think

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Speaker 1: basketball so much longer than most sports, so you've got

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Speaker 1: to have nine or ten players. And then we want development.

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Speaker 1: We want guys that really want to be here and

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Speaker 1: develop in red shirt and are on a five year plan.

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Speaker 1: So everybody's different that comes into the program, but there

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Speaker 1: is a real plan, and you know we're able to

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Speaker 1: do that. At Utah State back to back tournaments, winning

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Speaker 1: a first round game against Villanova, you know, on the

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Speaker 1: brink of, you know, possibly beating Arizona. So our style

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Speaker 1: has worked, Our you know, pedigree of how we want

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Speaker 1: to play, and our identity has been very clear, and

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Speaker 1: now we just got to bring that to light here

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Speaker 1: at Cincinnati.

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Speaker 3: I thought, of all the teams that UC played last year,

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Speaker 3: Arizona to me was the clear cut leader in the

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Speaker 3: Big Twelve. And obviously that's why they're still playing basketball.

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Speaker 3: Going up against a team like that at their very

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Speaker 3: best from the conference you are now coaching in, is

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Speaker 3: there things that you can draw from that now, from

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Speaker 3: that game and going forward to how you're assembling this roster.

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Speaker 4: Yeah.

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Speaker 1: I mean, you know, one thing about Tommy Lloyd, he's

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Speaker 1: very convicted in his recruiting. He loves positional size. I

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Speaker 1: thought they had the biggest front line in the country,

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Speaker 1: you know, very similar to Michigan. So I think it'll

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Speaker 1: be a great matchup. But you know, the reality of

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Speaker 1: it is, we've been a top twenty five team for

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Speaker 1: two years in a row at the mid major plus level.

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Speaker 1: So every coach is going to have a different style

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Speaker 1: coach to their strengths. Yet you got to figure out

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Speaker 1: what works. But yeah, certainly seeing it up close, seeing

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Speaker 1: Coopede and you know Bury's and some of these guys

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Speaker 1: that are at the top of the Big twelve, and

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Speaker 1: you know, playing for a national championship. I think it

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Speaker 1: really gave me a gauge on the you know, the

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Speaker 1: talent that you need. But you know, we had played

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Speaker 1: great teams over the last two years. Certainly Arizona is

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Speaker 1: probably the best we've seen, and I think that helped me,

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Speaker 1: you know, as a week later when I got to Cincinnati.

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Speaker 2: Job roster construction.

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Speaker 3: You know, in today's basketball, it is a little bit

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Speaker 3: easier to go from where a team was the previous

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Speaker 3: year to where they want to be because of.

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Speaker 2: The growth and because of the portal.

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Speaker 3: How do you incorporate the transfer portal and also recruiting

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Speaker 3: freshmen into the program as well? How do you find

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Speaker 3: that balance as a coach in today's game.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, we don't want fifteen active guys, that's

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Speaker 1: the first part of it.

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Speaker 4: We want twelve.

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Speaker 1: So I want three kids sitting out or I want

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Speaker 1: you know, a walk on and then two developmental guys.

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Speaker 1: So you take your roster size down to twelve, and

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Speaker 1: then you start prioritizing where you really want to spend

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Speaker 1: your money on each position and the value of each

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Speaker 1: player and the impact. Right there's you know a lot

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Speaker 1: of analytics involved. I'm a big numbers guy, kind of

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Speaker 1: a nerd guy when it comes to that, but I'll

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Speaker 1: also trust my eyes and I also value different positions.

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Speaker 1: So yeah, I mean I think Cincinnati fans should, you know,

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Speaker 1: expect and hope to be back in the NCAA Tournament.

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Speaker 1: I mean that's the expectation right away. You know, in

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Speaker 1: ten months, eleven months, whatever it is, we've got to

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Speaker 1: really assemble a roster that works together, that can compete

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Speaker 1: at the highest level in the Big twelve on a

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Speaker 1: national stage, and then get to work.

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Speaker 4: But it's, you.

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Speaker 1: Know, we want to be back in the NCAA Tournament

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Speaker 1: next year.

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Speaker 4: That is the goal.

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Speaker 3: What happens now, I know the portal officially opens on

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Speaker 3: April seventh. You've already seen a lot of players that

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Speaker 3: have declared to enter the transfer portal. But I know

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Speaker 3: it's not just a time that you guys are sitting

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Speaker 3: around waiting what does this schedule in college basketball? For

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Speaker 3: the four teams that are playing, we know what it is,

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Speaker 3: and they're still working on next year as well. But

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Speaker 3: what does this time now look.

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Speaker 2: Like for you? As that portal date gets closer and closer.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, so much has changed. They moved back

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Speaker 1: obviously the opening of the portal. You know, college basketball

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Speaker 1: is ever changing, so you have to change with the times.

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Speaker 4: My staff and I will go to the Final four.

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Speaker 1: I'm actually speaking at one of the clinics to some

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Speaker 1: you know, interviews and different things to continue to spread

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Speaker 1: the brand, get the excitement about Cincinnati basketball out, and

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Speaker 1: then next week the.

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Speaker 4: Portal will open.

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Speaker 1: Right, So you've got to be very detail organized, figure

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Speaker 1: out who you want to bring the campus, and then

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Speaker 1: execute a plan for each guy that you bring the campus.

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Speaker 1: You know, the last two years we betted probably an

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Speaker 1: eighty percent rate when we brought kids into campus.

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Speaker 4: So you don't want to waste time.

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Speaker 1: I think that was some of the things that coach

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Speaker 1: Masamino taught me is the less time you waste, the better.

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Speaker 1: So we'll have a precise plan. We're dealing with agents.

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Speaker 1: I would say ninety percent of players now have agencies

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Speaker 1: you know that they're working with, so you're able to

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Speaker 1: communicate with them. You cannot communicate with the player right now.

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Speaker 1: The portal is not officially open, and then it'll be

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Speaker 1: about forty five days of you know, NonStop chloral combat

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Speaker 1: is what I call. Right, Guys will come in and out,

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Speaker 1: and it'll be an exciting time for fans. You know,

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Speaker 1: it's kind of like, you know, free agency in the NBA.

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Speaker 1: Fans love this time of year. They love to see

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Speaker 1: who is coming on campus, all the different rumors, and

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Speaker 1: we try to keep everything very very tight to the

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Speaker 1: best and you know, just get their signatures as they

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Speaker 1: come onto our campus.

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Speaker 3: I know, with New Heights, with Travis and Jason, you

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Speaker 3: mentioned Joe Mizula and your relationship with him. How much

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Speaker 3: can a guy like that, who's coaching at the highest

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Speaker 3: level in the National Basketball Association, winning championships at that level,

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Speaker 3: how much can he help you in a situation where

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Speaker 3: it does feel more and more like free agency at

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Speaker 3: the college level.

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Speaker 1: Now, yeah, I mean, first of all, you know, Joe

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Speaker 1: and I go back twenty years, So he doesn't just

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Speaker 1: help me in basketball, helps me day to day, right,

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Speaker 1: He's one of my best friends. So just having real conversations,

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Speaker 1: I think you know that you have to have, you know, mentors,

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Speaker 1: you have to have people you can rely on in

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Speaker 1: the offseason and just friendships, right that that go pretty far.

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Speaker 1: But you know, certainly our ties to the NBA I

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Speaker 1: think will go a long ways. You know, there's very

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Speaker 1: few people that can say they coached and had a

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Speaker 1: guy in their staff and was the best man in.

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Speaker 4: The guy's wedding. So, you know, I joke about it

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Speaker 4: all the time.

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Speaker 1: He's just Joe to me, you know, But obviously he's

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Speaker 1: an NBA championship head coach.

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Speaker 4: But you know, I have a lot of different ties

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Speaker 4: to different people.

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Speaker 1: Another one of my best friends, Mike Gansey, as the

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Speaker 1: general manager of the Cleveland Calves. We talked three or

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Speaker 1: four times a day by text message. So I think

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Speaker 1: our style, I think our contacts to the NBA. There

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Speaker 1: is a lot that we sell throughout the presentation during

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Speaker 1: a recruiting you know, day or two, how many of

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Speaker 1: the days we bring them in.

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Speaker 4: And kids want to know. Kids want to know.

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Speaker 1: A path, they want to know your connections, they want

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Speaker 1: to know your style of play. And at the end

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Speaker 1: of the day, basketball is an entertaining sport, right People

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Speaker 1: want to see the ball go in the basket. We

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Speaker 1: put our offense up against anybody in the country in

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Speaker 1: our style of play. So when they get here, we

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Speaker 1: break down and you show them a lot of different

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Speaker 1: things how we'll make them better. But certainly, Coach Missoula

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Speaker 1: will have a major, major presence because of our friendship.

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Speaker 3: I know you mentioned earlier today that you squared up

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Speaker 3: against Lebron James in high school. At the other side

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Speaker 3: of that, in Lebron's senior year when they won the

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Speaker 3: state title, the Reading Blue Devils, which I was a

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Speaker 3: part of, also won the state title right before Lebron

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Speaker 3: took the floor that year. If you go back to

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Speaker 3: two thousand and six, Connor Barwin from the football program

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Speaker 3: joins Mick Cronin. Had Barwin said no, I'm sure that

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Speaker 3: Coach Cronin's next call would have been to me. So

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Speaker 3: for you, do you guys have any need for a

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Speaker 3: six to six forty year old shooting guard that has

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Speaker 3: no interest in going in the paint strictly as a

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Speaker 3: practice player, and is there an nil package available available

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Speaker 3: for that?

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Speaker 1: You know, you'd have to call this uneral manager, Corey Evans,

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Speaker 1: But they say you're one of the best athletes, the

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Speaker 1: most famous bear Cats out of here, So yeah, we

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Speaker 1: would certainly, uh, you know, welcome you to a crowd

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Speaker 1: here in the summer, Coach.

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Speaker 3: What since you've been back to Cincinnati and now this

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Speaker 3: time around you come with your family, You get to

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Speaker 3: take part in the opening day parade right away and

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Speaker 3: in such an integral part of this city. I know

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Speaker 3: it's so hectic right now. What are some other things

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Speaker 3: that you're looking forward to to to see and I

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Speaker 3: know it's changed a lot since the last time you've

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Speaker 3: been here, and also introducing your family to now back

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Speaker 3: in Cincinnati.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, really, just uh, you know, figuring out where we're

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Speaker 1: going to live. You know, I think there's so many

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Speaker 1: great options, but there's just no houses available. So I'm

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Speaker 1: really looking forward to see, you know, rarely where the

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Speaker 1: next two to three weeks takes us, you know, what

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Speaker 1: side of town, what community will be you know, acclimated with.

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Speaker 1: You know, I think there's so many great school districts.

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Speaker 1: You know, my kids have have you know, been all

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Speaker 1: over recently, right Obviously, we spent a ton of time

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Speaker 1: in the Youngstown area, some of our best friends. Then

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Speaker 1: we go out west, you know, and really I think

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Speaker 1: one of the best basketball fan bases in America. So,

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Speaker 1: you know, I think this is it for us. You know,

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Speaker 1: we're ready to really put our roots down. They've heard

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Speaker 1: so much about Cincinnati, but they've never really been here.

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Speaker 1: So they're getting acclimated just driving around. And I think

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Speaker 1: the excitement you know, of our university, not just the

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Speaker 1: basketball program, but our enrollment, all the other different sports.

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Speaker 1: You know, I think it's just a great time to

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Speaker 1: be here. I think everything in life is about timing,

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Speaker 1: and I thought the timing of this was just unbelievable.

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Speaker 1: You know, it really fits us. And I really credit

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Speaker 1: Brad Pike and John Cunningham in Mick Cronin. You know,

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Speaker 1: my conversations with Mick to get this program back. This

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Speaker 1: place means a ton to him, and it's really what

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Speaker 1: kind of set it over the top.

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Speaker 3: Before we let you go, coach, I do have to

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Speaker 3: ask the campus itself, the facilities, the structure on campus,

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Speaker 3: off campus, housing, facility, everything that this campus has. Now,

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Speaker 3: when when you're talking about recruiting, I know a lot

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Speaker 3: of times it's about money, but does it check every

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Speaker 3: other box from a facility standpoint that these athletes are

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Speaker 3: looking for when they come to a university.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean I took like a little you know,

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Speaker 1: pre run kind of a trial run yesterday of what

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Speaker 1: our campus tour would look like, right, just to learn

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Speaker 1: and understand. I've been out walking every day for thirty

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Speaker 1: forty minutes, just trying to get landmarks and figure out

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Speaker 1: what's what I think it is. I think it's one

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Speaker 1: of the neatest campuses, you know. I love a campus

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Speaker 1: where you can walk. You can get from A to

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Speaker 1: B two C. I think you can get from your

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Speaker 1: classes to your apartments to the arena all within you know,

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Speaker 1: five minutes, right, So I think the convenience part of

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Speaker 1: it is really neat, you know, and it's just to me,

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Speaker 1: it's just grown so much, you know, enrollment, We've continued

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Speaker 1: just to expand the development around you know, the campus.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, I really do.

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Speaker 1: I think it's a phenomenal university and we can really

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Speaker 1: sell this.

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Speaker 4: There's no doubt about it.

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Speaker 3: It's the head coach of the University of Cincinnati men's

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Speaker 3: basketball program, Jared Calhoun, coach. I know it's an extremely

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Speaker 3: busy time, so I want to thank you even more

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Speaker 3: for your time today, and as a former Bearcat, more importantly,

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Speaker 3: a lifelong men's basketball fan at the University of Cincinnati,

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Speaker 3: can't tell you how excited I am and so many

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Speaker 3: others I am that I know to have you as

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Speaker 3: the head coach. We wish you the best of luck.

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Speaker 3: Is there anything we can ever help out with. Don't hesitate,

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Speaker 3: but thanks so much for your time and I look

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Speaker 3: forward to talking again sometime soon.

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Speaker 4: Absolutely thanks for having me.

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Speaker 3: Yes, sir, that is the head coach of the University

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Speaker 3: of Cincinnati men's basketball program. We'll take a break when

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Speaker 3: we come back. Plenty more to go in our number three.

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Speaker 3: Since he three sixty on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati sports stations.

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Speaker 1: No better