WEBVTT - KJ Live - Lorenzo Romar 0:00:01.280 --> 0:00:10.320 This Yes, kJ Live with Chris john Salli and Chris 0:00:10.440 --> 0:00:13.680 is having conversations with influencers in the sports world and 0:00:13.920 --> 0:00:20.440 entertainment in a strain. Now here's Chris Johnson. You are 0:00:20.480 --> 0:00:24.079 now teamed in to kJ Live. Today's guest on the show. 0:00:24.280 --> 0:00:27.200 We spent twenty five seasons as a head coach of 0:00:27.280 --> 0:00:30.160 this compowder, record of four hundred and forty five and 0:00:30.240 --> 0:00:34.520 three hundred fifty five. Today, he won a national championship, 0:00:35.680 --> 0:00:37.120 is an assistant coach at u C l A and 0:00:37.240 --> 0:00:42.200 is currently the head coach of Pepperdine Waves Men's basketball. 0:00:42.680 --> 0:00:48.360 Please welcome in the great Lorenzo Romar to the show. 0:00:48.479 --> 0:00:53.160 Coach Romar, what's happened my man? How you doing, Kristan? 0:00:54.000 --> 0:00:57.000 I'm great, coach, got this little show. Thank you for 0:00:57.040 --> 0:00:59.400 taking some time to come on. Man. You know life 0:00:59.440 --> 0:01:03.880 is good, coach house, life been for you. It's been fine, man. Yeah, 0:01:04.040 --> 0:01:07.959 I have no complaints. Man. Yeah. Good. So whoever drew 0:01:08.040 --> 0:01:11.800 that picture you in the background, they did a great job. 0:01:12.560 --> 0:01:14.199 I appreciate it. Man. That shout out to the team 0:01:14.240 --> 0:01:16.400 over at the I Heart Radio. They looked that up 0:01:17.160 --> 0:01:19.040 a little some some coach. That's make me feel like 0:01:19.040 --> 0:01:22.600 I'm big time uh coach. I wanted to get right 0:01:22.600 --> 0:01:24.039 to it. I'm glad I got you on the show. 0:01:24.080 --> 0:01:25.760 I want to talk about just a little bit about 0:01:25.800 --> 0:01:29.240 this year's team, your outlook for the twenty three season. 0:01:29.560 --> 0:01:32.920 I mean, you've got some guys Maxwell Lewis, Michael Mitchell, 0:01:33.600 --> 0:01:35.959 um um, some other guys in there that are really 0:01:36.120 --> 0:01:40.880 poised to have big years. What's your outlook expectations and 0:01:40.959 --> 0:01:43.880 do you even level set for seasons like you're entering 0:01:43.959 --> 0:01:47.200 and this year. You know, I think we have some 0:01:47.319 --> 0:01:51.160 really good pieces. But we have pieces. You have to 0:01:51.240 --> 0:01:54.760 learn how to win. We have to, uh learn how 0:01:54.800 --> 0:01:58.840 to pull out games. Often times last year we were 0:01:58.880 --> 0:02:01.920 in games for third minutes and then we would falter 0:02:02.000 --> 0:02:06.280 down the stretch. And again being young, that that can happen. 0:02:06.360 --> 0:02:08.560 But we need to take the next step and if 0:02:08.560 --> 0:02:11.160 we can. I feel good about our team. Like I said, 0:02:11.440 --> 0:02:13.880 I think we have some good pieces. What does the 0:02:13.960 --> 0:02:17.960 offseason preparation look like for you with your guys in 0:02:18.000 --> 0:02:20.120 the summertime and kind of you know, folks, you know, 0:02:20.160 --> 0:02:23.160 as you head until the fall, what did that look like? 0:02:23.320 --> 0:02:27.040 And and did guys get better? Yeah, that's one of 0:02:27.040 --> 0:02:30.800 the things you get back. Remember when UH play for 0:02:30.880 --> 0:02:34.400 coach Harrotck, you know, you would always talk about, UH, 0:02:34.600 --> 0:02:37.240 you build your individual game in the summer, you build 0:02:37.240 --> 0:02:41.000 your team in the fall in the winter, and it's 0:02:41.080 --> 0:02:43.360 it's very important that you go out in the summer 0:02:43.400 --> 0:02:45.880 man and you you grind it. You grind it and 0:02:45.880 --> 0:02:48.360 you do everything that you can to get better. And 0:02:48.400 --> 0:02:51.200 that's where passion comes in. Those that that have a 0:02:51.240 --> 0:02:53.280 passion for the game, those are the ones that you 0:02:53.360 --> 0:02:56.400 see developing the summers. The ones that don't, they don't 0:02:56.440 --> 0:02:58.440 they come back maybe just a little bit better because 0:02:58.440 --> 0:03:00.520 because they're a little older. But the ones that make 0:03:00.560 --> 0:03:03.160 the big jumps have passion for the game. And I 0:03:03.160 --> 0:03:05.400 feel like we have some of those guys that have 0:03:05.560 --> 0:03:08.519 that passion. In June and July were able to get 0:03:08.520 --> 0:03:10.480 out there four hours a week on the floor with 0:03:10.520 --> 0:03:13.320 our guys and work out. And this year we took 0:03:13.320 --> 0:03:16.600 a foreign tour to Costa Rica, so we were able 0:03:16.639 --> 0:03:19.679 to practice ten times before we took that tour. So 0:03:20.919 --> 0:03:24.680 being on the floors, young guys are incoming freshman getting 0:03:24.680 --> 0:03:27.960 acclimated to our system, the other guys reviewing it, kind 0:03:27.960 --> 0:03:30.120 of getting the head start on the season. And then 0:03:30.240 --> 0:03:33.720 some weight training and conditioning, as well as taking classes 0:03:34.200 --> 0:03:38.360 in the summer. But between all those things, uh, we 0:03:38.400 --> 0:03:41.840 feel we were able to make some progress during the summer. No. Absolutely, 0:03:41.880 --> 0:03:44.640 It seems like in the summertime there's just never enough time, 0:03:44.720 --> 0:03:47.320 especially when you got a new group to acclimate. You 0:03:47.400 --> 0:03:49.600 got ten practices. You wish it was more like thirty. 0:03:49.640 --> 0:03:52.000 But you may do. We may do what you got. 0:03:52.040 --> 0:03:55.200 Coach Um, I had a question for you because our 0:03:55.240 --> 0:03:58.440 relationship obviously goes back to U C l A. But 0:03:58.600 --> 0:04:01.360 I met you before then leave. We were in Cincinnati 0:04:01.440 --> 0:04:06.760 or something at the AID. Yeah, Scottsdale, Scottsdale. It wasn't 0:04:06.920 --> 0:04:10.360 it was insane. It was in Cincinnati, Cincinnati. Yeah, So 0:04:10.360 --> 0:04:12.720 so we we go way back, coach, And one of 0:04:12.760 --> 0:04:16.640 my most vivid memories of my college experience with you 0:04:16.720 --> 0:04:19.680 as my assistant coach was our one on one games 0:04:21.160 --> 0:04:25.040 the coach coach the knockout, you know, for for my listeners. 0:04:25.080 --> 0:04:28.240 Coach Romar played in the NBA high level, played at 0:04:28.279 --> 0:04:31.400 you dub major league point guard with a lot of 0:04:31.480 --> 0:04:35.000 herpie jerky hesitation, change your page, changing direction, you know, 0:04:35.040 --> 0:04:37.719 crazy high arching threes and then he'll run away and 0:04:37.760 --> 0:04:39.719 fall off into the stands. I mean, he used to 0:04:39.760 --> 0:04:42.800 do it all. Coach Romar, I had a question for you, 0:04:42.800 --> 0:04:46.720 and you still do You still get down in ones 0:04:46.800 --> 0:04:48.359 with the guys or you leave that stuff to the 0:04:48.360 --> 0:04:52.440 guys like Jeral Browner or some of your younger assistants. Man, 0:04:52.560 --> 0:04:54.280 I hate to say it. I can't give it to 0:04:54.360 --> 0:04:59.040 him anymore, to him anymore. What I'm what I'm really 0:04:59.040 --> 0:05:02.840 good at right now is calling somebody out, challenging somebody. 0:05:02.880 --> 0:05:05.839 Of course it's got to be my ball right one 0:05:06.040 --> 0:05:10.919 possession hey, and and usually goes in that one possession, 0:05:10.960 --> 0:05:12.680 and it's like, you know what I'm I'm through, man, 0:05:12.720 --> 0:05:16.520 I don't hate y'all. Forget y'all. Many y'are not do 0:05:15.640 --> 0:05:20.400 an I'm that guy. Now, what do you still go 0:05:20.520 --> 0:05:24.080 to the jab? Triple threat jab game jumper? I mean, 0:05:24.080 --> 0:05:26.320 what what's your go to move? Just this last thing 0:05:26.320 --> 0:05:29.400 on this? You got to scout You got to scout down. Hey, 0:05:29.480 --> 0:05:32.120 That's all I got. I'm not gonna go buy anybody. 0:05:32.160 --> 0:05:34.400 I just gotta jab you to get off me. I 0:05:34.440 --> 0:05:36.640 love it. I love it goes in after that. That's 0:05:36.640 --> 0:05:39.840 all I got. Oh man, that's hilarious. Coach, think about 0:05:39.880 --> 0:05:42.040 I'm not. Hey, I'm not like you. You You you were 0:05:42.080 --> 0:05:46.120 a bucket. Well yeah, with the bucket, the footwork extraordinary. 0:05:46.960 --> 0:05:48.960 I learned for some good from some good ones. You know, 0:05:49.200 --> 0:05:51.560 Pops had me around, you know, a lot of pros 0:05:51.640 --> 0:05:53.680 early and you know you're soaking You're soaking up like 0:05:53.720 --> 0:05:57.479 a sponge man. You did that, Yeah, no question. But 0:05:57.720 --> 0:05:59.640 back to are you s l a days coach? I mean, 0:06:00.800 --> 0:06:03.960 my find Another one of my fondest memories was obviously 0:06:03.960 --> 0:06:08.400 winning the championship. Um. We were all heartbroken. Um And 0:06:08.440 --> 0:06:11.400 I've never really publicly talked about this, but after the championship, 0:06:11.480 --> 0:06:13.719 you you obviously had a chance to advance your career 0:06:14.560 --> 0:06:17.799 and go to Pepperdine as for your first stentis head coach. 0:06:18.839 --> 0:06:22.000 I always wanted to know kind of publicly as close 0:06:22.040 --> 0:06:24.160 as we were to you, as much as we loved you, 0:06:24.279 --> 0:06:26.680 and and it's well documented how much we all love 0:06:26.760 --> 0:06:31.000 coach Romar. How hard was it to leave that u 0:06:31.040 --> 0:06:34.360 c l A group or was it hard and easy 0:06:34.400 --> 0:06:37.760 at the same time because you were achieving sort of 0:06:37.880 --> 0:06:40.880 a first kind of goal as becoming a head coach 0:06:40.920 --> 0:06:45.400 in college? It was extremely hard, extremely hard. And then 0:06:45.800 --> 0:06:47.720 even when I went on to become a head coach. 0:06:47.760 --> 0:06:49.279 I had to leave a couple of times. And it 0:06:49.360 --> 0:06:52.359 was extremely hard when when we were together at U 0:06:52.400 --> 0:06:55.600 C l A. You know, as far as recruiting and 0:06:55.640 --> 0:06:58.880 spending all the time together and the phone calls and 0:06:59.279 --> 0:07:03.680 time away from from the court, you know, time laughed together, 0:07:03.800 --> 0:07:08.800 cry together, all that stuff, you know, and uh, you 0:07:08.920 --> 0:07:12.400 feel a bond, You're feel an attachment and to where 0:07:13.000 --> 0:07:16.160 it's almost like a movie where you don't want to 0:07:16.240 --> 0:07:19.200 leave because you want to see how it ends and 0:07:19.280 --> 0:07:21.080 to be there with you guys to see how it 0:07:21.160 --> 0:07:23.800 was gonna end. You know, it was hard to to 0:07:24.120 --> 0:07:27.880 uh to leave that. And but again it was for 0:07:27.920 --> 0:07:31.000 a situation where I was able to become a head 0:07:31.000 --> 0:07:34.480 coach and and and move from there. But it was 0:07:35.160 --> 0:07:38.120 it was difficult. There was some one on one conversations 0:07:38.200 --> 0:07:43.320 and but uh, everybody was just fine. Yeah, everybody was 0:07:43.400 --> 0:07:45.920 just fine. I can't say we would have turned out 0:07:45.920 --> 0:07:49.080 the same way had you stayed, but who knows now, Uh, 0:07:49.520 --> 0:07:53.720 you know, hindsight is always, Uh, coach, what made you 0:07:54.160 --> 0:07:58.119 believe that a six four and three quarter two hundred 0:07:58.160 --> 0:08:01.240 and seventy five pounds center out of Crenshaw High School 0:08:01.880 --> 0:08:05.040 could play I was to seventy five, could play at 0:08:05.120 --> 0:08:07.280 u C l A and contribute in the Pac ten. 0:08:07.400 --> 0:08:10.760 How did you could, guys convince Poach Herrick to take 0:08:10.800 --> 0:08:12.280 a flyer on me because he didn't like my game 0:08:12.320 --> 0:08:14.200 at first? Coach, I know this, so you don't don't 0:08:14.200 --> 0:08:16.440 try to play it off. I know what's up, coach, 0:08:16.800 --> 0:08:23.640 Coach rolling? Interesting interesting story. Uh, Chris, you were you 0:08:23.680 --> 0:08:26.600 were one of those that had passion. You love to play, 0:08:26.640 --> 0:08:29.480 you love to work out, and you know, we we 0:08:29.600 --> 0:08:31.960 knew it was in the jeans as well. You know 0:08:32.000 --> 0:08:34.599 with your the DNA that was in year. It was 0:08:34.679 --> 0:08:37.880 in there, and you know, people act like you were 0:08:37.920 --> 0:08:40.920 this late bloomer. You were the were two times city 0:08:40.920 --> 0:08:44.880 player of the year. Yeah, I believe that if you 0:08:45.080 --> 0:08:49.160 can recollect yeah right right, yeah, yeah, you were the 0:08:49.160 --> 0:08:51.760 player of the year. You could play. The question is 0:08:51.840 --> 0:08:55.280 what position does he play? He's undersize what you know, 0:08:55.280 --> 0:08:58.400 who does he guard? And it was kind of figure 0:08:58.440 --> 0:09:00.640 that out for the other four guys. Just have him 0:09:00.679 --> 0:09:04.439 on the court in that matter position he plays. And uh, 0:09:04.480 --> 0:09:06.640 I'll tell you we kept talking to coach about you. 0:09:07.120 --> 0:09:10.680 About coach. We're telling you we'll put our reputation we'll 0:09:10.679 --> 0:09:15.320 put our jobs on the line. But Chris, Chris can play. 0:09:15.480 --> 0:09:18.120 Chris can play for us? You think, so, yeah, but 0:09:18.200 --> 0:09:23.720 what position? Uh, Coach, let's go watch and play. So 0:09:23.800 --> 0:09:29.040 we drive out to cal Poly Pomona to watch you play, 0:09:29.400 --> 0:09:32.640 and coach Eric hadn't seen you play yet. So it's 0:09:32.720 --> 0:09:35.480 him and I and we're talking. I'm saying that, just coach, 0:09:35.559 --> 0:09:38.280 just remember now, this is his game and don't expect this. 0:09:38.679 --> 0:09:41.120 He's not just gonna be flying through the air dunking 0:09:41.160 --> 0:09:44.240 on everybody. That's not his game. He's just going to 0:09:44.280 --> 0:09:46.720 be able to score it whenever he wants to score it. 0:09:47.120 --> 0:09:49.720 And we said, he said, all right, all right, I'm listening, 0:09:49.800 --> 0:09:52.600 I'm gonna watch. And we get there. I think we're 0:09:53.000 --> 0:09:56.320 two minutes late for your game. We walk in, we 0:09:56.559 --> 0:09:59.679 sit down, and we weren't there for two minutes. When 0:09:59.760 --> 0:10:02.920 you out of rebound, you busted out of the pack 0:10:03.520 --> 0:10:07.360 and drove the land, drove coast to coast, and someone 0:10:07.440 --> 0:10:09.680 got in your way and drew a charge and you 0:10:09.760 --> 0:10:14.079 hurt your ankle on the same place. Do you remember 0:10:14.120 --> 0:10:23.839 that your ankle? And you were done and he said, 0:10:24.480 --> 0:10:32.560 roma r, let's go, let's go. We got up and left, 0:10:33.080 --> 0:10:39.160 and then you continued to just dominate the circuit that summer. 0:10:39.240 --> 0:10:43.160 So finally we were all in coaches houses condo and 0:10:43.559 --> 0:10:46.720 him and the staff, myself, coach laughing, Coach Godfrey. We 0:10:46.760 --> 0:10:49.040 were all over there and we're just telling him, coach, 0:10:49.480 --> 0:10:52.440 just it doesn't matter what you take. We gotta we 0:10:52.480 --> 0:10:55.040 gotta take. He said. We said, look, you know what, 0:10:55.240 --> 0:10:59.960 let's call Ed Pepper rest in peace, blessing soul. Let's 0:11:00.000 --> 0:11:02.199 call Ed Pepper, who was at the time the winning 0:11:02.240 --> 0:11:04.760 his coach and the state of Washington history. He was 0:11:04.800 --> 0:11:07.480 a coach at Mercer Island and he was coached against you, 0:11:07.559 --> 0:11:10.120 and in a game you had thirty one of your 0:11:10.160 --> 0:11:12.680 many times that you had thirty, and just forched him. 0:11:13.040 --> 0:11:15.800 So we put him on speaker phone. We said, Coach Pepper, 0:11:16.120 --> 0:11:20.240 just tell us how good is Chris Johnson And what 0:11:20.280 --> 0:11:21.959 do you think you think he could play? U C 0:11:22.120 --> 0:11:24.840 l A. He says, I just know we had nobody 0:11:24.920 --> 0:11:30.880 to guard him. He said his footwork was was impeccable. 0:11:31.400 --> 0:11:33.600 We couldn't stop him. And then he was a tough kid. 0:11:33.720 --> 0:11:36.559 He got the rebounds and he went on and on, 0:11:36.840 --> 0:11:39.160 and we said, all right, we're all staring at coach 0:11:39.200 --> 0:11:41.480 while he's telling us this, right because he's on speaker 0:11:41.520 --> 0:11:45.080 phone on and he hung up, and uh, coach eventually 0:11:45.240 --> 0:11:50.040 decided to take you. And eventually, at one time you 0:11:50.080 --> 0:11:54.200 were leading the entire conference and scoring right before you left. Yeah, 0:11:54.480 --> 0:11:59.760 that's right, exactly, that's so brother. Well, I appreciate that, coach, 0:11:59.800 --> 0:12:02.440 and I appreciate you guys for going to bad for me. 0:12:02.559 --> 0:12:04.480 You know, I know it could be tough sometimes when 0:12:04.800 --> 0:12:06.880 you got a player that was like me. I wasn't 0:12:06.920 --> 0:12:10.000 fashionable back then. I would be fashionable now because they 0:12:10.240 --> 0:12:13.520 people I'm like a Bruce Brown or Draymond Green, where 0:12:13.559 --> 0:12:15.800 you know, six four or six five, and you know, 0:12:15.840 --> 0:12:18.480 we could get this going. But back then they wanted 0:12:18.520 --> 0:12:21.720 the stereotypes, not the stereotype, but the prototypes of of 0:12:21.720 --> 0:12:24.959 of a forward or guard. So but I appreciate PJ. 0:12:25.080 --> 0:12:28.760 Tucker absolutely. I mean I didn't have that defensive prowess 0:12:28.800 --> 0:12:30.720 is PJ. But everything else I could do it and 0:12:30.920 --> 0:12:33.840 not just as good, if not better, But I really 0:12:33.840 --> 0:12:35.640 appreciate it. That and we capped that thing with with 0:12:35.679 --> 0:12:38.160 a championship and that was just an amazing experience. Fox 0:12:38.160 --> 0:12:41.280 Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in the nation. 0:12:41.600 --> 0:12:44.520 Catch all of our shows at Fox Sports Radio dot 0:12:44.559 --> 0:12:47.560 com and within the I Heart Radio app search f 0:12:47.880 --> 0:12:51.040 s R to listen live. But coach, speaking of the 0:12:51.040 --> 0:12:53.360 state of Washington, you you brought up ed Pepple, You 0:12:53.400 --> 0:12:56.960 went up to you dub after I believe it was St. Louis. 0:12:57.160 --> 0:12:59.400 You're standing St. Louis right, because you follow you follow 0:12:59.480 --> 0:13:02.960 spoonball swoon ouncer. And I remember that you did the St. 0:13:02.960 --> 0:13:05.000 Louis thing for a little bit, very competitive there, and 0:13:05.040 --> 0:13:07.560 then you went to you dub, you dub. You coach 0:13:07.640 --> 0:13:12.240 seventeen players taken in the NBA Draft, including eleven first rounders. 0:13:12.240 --> 0:13:15.080 One of my favorite players of all time and during 0:13:15.120 --> 0:13:20.520 your tenure is Brandon Roy. Coach, how special was Brandon Roy? 0:13:20.720 --> 0:13:22.800 And how special could he have been if it were 0:13:22.800 --> 0:13:26.959 not for the injuries? Grandon, let me just tell you this, 0:13:27.400 --> 0:13:31.160 he was extremely gifted. And you sit down and watch 0:13:31.240 --> 0:13:34.240 an NBA game or college game or any game and 0:13:34.440 --> 0:13:37.760 listen to him analyze the game, and you listen to 0:13:37.800 --> 0:13:42.720 his comments, and at some point you're gonna go, my goodness, 0:13:43.480 --> 0:13:46.720 I mean, he's just a brilliant high basketball like you. 0:13:47.440 --> 0:13:50.360 He uh had trouble passing the s a t. He 0:13:50.480 --> 0:13:54.960 finally passed it, so he became eligible in January of 0:13:55.040 --> 0:13:58.440 his freshman year. He couldn't practice with us because of that, 0:13:59.000 --> 0:14:02.240 and he comes out and uh, we talked. I said, 0:14:02.240 --> 0:14:05.560 hey man, you passed your eligible to play, so let's 0:14:05.600 --> 0:14:07.600 go up and he was fired up. Let's go up 0:14:07.640 --> 0:14:10.600 to the gym and just trying to teach you best 0:14:10.640 --> 0:14:15.160 we can the offense. And he learned it in forty 0:14:15.200 --> 0:14:19.000 five minutes. Forty five minutes something that everybody else was 0:14:19.040 --> 0:14:22.560 still trying to learn after several months. Forty five minutes 0:14:22.560 --> 0:14:26.400 and knew it. And we go out and play and 0:14:26.440 --> 0:14:29.280 it was just you couldn't speed him up. He could 0:14:29.720 --> 0:14:33.360 play around the rim with either hand, he could pass 0:14:33.400 --> 0:14:36.200 the ball, he could dribble the basketball. He just was 0:14:36.880 --> 0:14:39.000 He was just a phenomenal player. And you know, I 0:14:39.040 --> 0:14:42.000 remember his junior year, we did our research. He was 0:14:42.120 --> 0:14:43.920 thinking about coming out, by the way, he would have 0:14:43.960 --> 0:14:46.120 liked to going straight out of high school if he could. 0:14:46.680 --> 0:14:49.240 He realized he wasn't quite ready and take his credit. 0:14:49.560 --> 0:14:52.520 He continued to work and after his junior year, we 0:14:52.800 --> 0:14:56.560 did our research and NBA's feedback was that he was 0:14:56.880 --> 0:14:59.200 going to be a second rounder. And he said, well, 0:14:59.240 --> 0:15:01.680 that's not what my goals are. He says, I'm coming 0:15:01.680 --> 0:15:03.120 back to school. I don't need to go to the 0:15:03.160 --> 0:15:06.200 pre draft camp. He said, I'll come back to school. 0:15:06.240 --> 0:15:09.560 He comes back and uh, he was just phenomenal and 0:15:09.640 --> 0:15:12.120 just put us on his back, and uh did some 0:15:12.920 --> 0:15:15.920 extraordinary things as a senior. And we went to the 0:15:15.960 --> 0:15:19.560 sweet six team and it wasn't for the dumb coach 0:15:20.080 --> 0:15:23.320 not call making us file. They hit the three points 0:15:23.360 --> 0:15:25.960 to send the game, and over time, you can, yeah, 0:15:26.160 --> 0:15:29.800 I remember that game. Understand that. Yeah, I remember that. Yeah, 0:15:29.840 --> 0:15:32.560 we just had a good chance to go to the 0:15:32.560 --> 0:15:35.080 final four. What's really funny, I'm looking at your face. 0:15:35.440 --> 0:15:37.720 Usually you would say something like, yeah, what happened with that? 0:15:37.720 --> 0:15:39.720 Why did No? No, I'm not gonna do that. I'm 0:15:39.720 --> 0:15:42.160 not gonna do that right now, but I'm thinking it. 0:15:42.200 --> 0:15:47.760 I'm thinking it, but I'm not gonna do that. But anyway, 0:15:47.920 --> 0:15:50.400 that's how good of a basketball player he was. He gone. 0:15:50.440 --> 0:15:53.520 He went on to become the sixth pick in the draft, 0:15:53.560 --> 0:15:57.200 first team All America, Rookie of the Year, and then 0:15:57.520 --> 0:16:00.360 an NBA All Start And I believe, I truly believe 0:16:00.960 --> 0:16:02.840 he would have been in the Basketball Hall of Fame 0:16:02.920 --> 0:16:04.520 and one has gone down is one of the greatest 0:16:04.560 --> 0:16:08.000 guards to ever played. Again, I agree with that assessment. Coach. 0:16:08.320 --> 0:16:10.480 We're not for his knee injuries. That's what prevented him 0:16:10.520 --> 0:16:13.440 from doing Yeah. Absolutely, I mean a big guard high 0:16:13.440 --> 0:16:16.400 i Q could make all the shots. Even Kobe had 0:16:16.400 --> 0:16:19.520 the highest of praises for Brandon Roy, but coach a 0:16:19.520 --> 0:16:23.760 lot of them guys out of that area UM during 0:16:23.920 --> 0:16:26.520 your years and even a little bit before you kind 0:16:26.520 --> 0:16:28.720 of fit that mold I would. I've been talking to 0:16:28.840 --> 0:16:33.320 different Cats about the state of Washington. So Roberto Bergerson 0:16:33.440 --> 0:16:35.240 is a guy that's gonna be in a couple of 0:16:35.280 --> 0:16:38.320 weeks on an episode, and we talked at length about 0:16:38.400 --> 0:16:41.680 just the culture of basketball up in that Seattle Tacoma 0:16:41.800 --> 0:16:46.800 area up in Washington. Can you talk about just what 0:16:47.000 --> 0:16:50.800 that connectivity is like in that basketball culture and why 0:16:51.040 --> 0:16:55.880 it produces so many high level UH basketball players that 0:16:55.880 --> 0:16:59.000 fit a certain mode high i Q skilled and usually 0:16:59.160 --> 0:17:02.480 with some size. I've never seen anything like it, and 0:17:02.520 --> 0:17:04.439 I've been there a lot of cities, a lot of 0:17:04.440 --> 0:17:07.439 states have been around basketball a long time. You know, 0:17:07.600 --> 0:17:11.639 the Doug Christie's and Michael Dickerson's Donnie Marsh some of 0:17:11.680 --> 0:17:15.000 those guys began to pay the weight for these guys 0:17:15.040 --> 0:17:17.320 and to create kind of that interest, that thirst. And 0:17:17.359 --> 0:17:23.040 then Jamal Crawford was so dynamic in high school, so dynamic, 0:17:23.440 --> 0:17:29.080 an absolute wizard, charismatic and a great, great human being, 0:17:29.600 --> 0:17:32.159 to where there's so many that just they wanted to 0:17:32.200 --> 0:17:35.119 be doing what Jamal Crawford did. You know. Right after that, 0:17:35.280 --> 0:17:38.960 Jason Terry and so on and so forth, Well, Jamal 0:17:39.080 --> 0:17:42.000 kind of was the guy that really started from Seattle 0:17:42.560 --> 0:17:45.760 started to mentor some of the younger kids, you know, 0:17:45.920 --> 0:17:48.639 and that was right around you know, Jason Terry and 0:17:48.640 --> 0:17:51.960 those guys, and then the Brandon Roys came around and 0:17:52.680 --> 0:17:56.800 they would mentor Isaiah Thomas's and then Isaiah Thomas with 0:17:57.040 --> 0:18:00.920 with mentor you know, Nate Robinson, Will Conroy. These guys 0:18:01.200 --> 0:18:05.560 kept they continue to hand down their knowledge and work 0:18:05.600 --> 0:18:08.520 with these kids, and uh, it was just a thing 0:18:08.560 --> 0:18:10.879 of beauty. And you know they would come up to 0:18:10.920 --> 0:18:13.720 the University of Washington all the time and and work 0:18:13.720 --> 0:18:16.880 out and use the gym, and and you're right, it's 0:18:16.920 --> 0:18:19.879 carried all the way down now to Pollo Ben Carroll 0:18:20.119 --> 0:18:22.639 to where those same guys that mentor and you watch 0:18:23.040 --> 0:18:25.560 he's gonna be mentoring some kids, he's gonna be mentoring 0:18:25.560 --> 0:18:28.400 the next ones, and it just keeps getting handed down. 0:18:28.480 --> 0:18:30.680 And that's why I think he continued as one of 0:18:30.720 --> 0:18:33.920 the reasons you continue to see great talent come out 0:18:33.960 --> 0:18:37.280 of the Seattle Tacoma area. Yeah, and I like, what 0:18:37.560 --> 0:18:39.960 something that something someone talked about as far as like 0:18:40.040 --> 0:18:43.359 how that area you have like coaches that kind of 0:18:43.359 --> 0:18:46.359 instilled this foundation of fundamentals and drilling, and then you 0:18:46.400 --> 0:18:48.600 had the athletes and sort of that thing kind of 0:18:48.640 --> 0:18:52.280 married that that that match, that match of athleticism with 0:18:52.359 --> 0:18:55.480 that old school sort of fundamentals and you know, you know, 0:18:55.520 --> 0:18:58.000 the drilling of that side of the game, and that's 0:18:58.040 --> 0:19:00.920 why a lot of those guys are so guild and talented. 0:19:00.960 --> 0:19:02.879 I mean, when I'm looking at your resume, coach, and 0:19:02.960 --> 0:19:05.040 you coached the number one pick in the draft, I mean, 0:19:05.080 --> 0:19:07.240 you've coached a six pick. You've coached a bunch of 0:19:07.760 --> 0:19:11.600 high level guys from that area, and um, I just 0:19:11.680 --> 0:19:14.480 want to say, man, props to you for that, coach. 0:19:14.520 --> 0:19:16.080 I got a couple more questions for you. I know, 0:19:16.160 --> 0:19:17.919 you got films and stuff like that, and you gotta go. 0:19:17.960 --> 0:19:19.600 But I wanted to know this because no one ever 0:19:19.640 --> 0:19:21.520 talks about this and this hit me out the blue 0:19:21.520 --> 0:19:25.080 when you took the job, talk to me about this. 0:19:25.600 --> 0:19:27.960 You've been on the sidelines at u c l A, 0:19:28.040 --> 0:19:32.439 you dubed and you have a coach. What was that 0:19:32.600 --> 0:19:35.320 year behind the bear down iron curtain? Like? I always 0:19:35.320 --> 0:19:37.680 wanted to know about what was that experience like in 0:19:37.800 --> 0:19:40.560 Arizona coach, because that was that was an interesting thing 0:19:40.600 --> 0:19:43.639 when I read it across the ticker. You know, it 0:19:43.760 --> 0:19:46.840 had to be interesting, right because competing against Arizona all 0:19:46.880 --> 0:19:49.440 those years at U c l A and then even 0:19:49.480 --> 0:19:52.439 at Washington, there was a time when you know, we 0:19:52.440 --> 0:19:55.200 were able to win a couple of championships and uh 0:19:55.280 --> 0:19:57.600 beat them out and you know, they they were the 0:19:57.640 --> 0:19:59.879 top dog a lot of times with U c l A. 0:20:00.040 --> 0:20:03.080 And it was interesting, as you said, going behind the 0:20:03.160 --> 0:20:07.359 scenes there. Uh, they have a really nice operation over there. 0:20:07.800 --> 0:20:12.840 The support fan support is unbelievable. You you really can 0:20:12.880 --> 0:20:15.840 feel that there. It happened to be the year where 0:20:15.840 --> 0:20:19.240 there was the FBI investigation. It happened to be that year, 0:20:19.359 --> 0:20:21.800 my only year that was there. But I'm gonna tell 0:20:21.840 --> 0:20:25.400 you what, Uh it wasn't always fun because of that. 0:20:25.520 --> 0:20:28.760 But aside from that, I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. 0:20:28.760 --> 0:20:31.239 I thoroughly enjoyed my time working with Sean Miller and 0:20:31.840 --> 0:20:34.280 the assistance the group that I was with. It was 0:20:35.040 --> 0:20:38.359 I just really enjoyed it, really enjoyed my time. Man, 0:20:38.800 --> 0:20:41.359 that was a really interesting time. You guys did pretty 0:20:41.359 --> 0:20:43.320 good that season. I think he won twenty seven games. 0:20:43.320 --> 0:20:45.440 I mean, obviously coached the big time players, but that 0:20:45.520 --> 0:20:47.679 I always wanted to ask you that coach one more 0:20:47.760 --> 0:20:50.040 question then I'll let you go. I wanted to just 0:20:50.080 --> 0:20:53.080 talk to you about how the n I L and 0:20:53.119 --> 0:20:58.960 the Transfer Portal has either altered or affected the way 0:20:59.000 --> 0:21:04.520 that you're approach to recruiting. Has that cause you to 0:21:04.600 --> 0:21:06.560 sort of change up the way you do things a 0:21:06.600 --> 0:21:09.840 little bit, or are you sticking to your guns um 0:21:09.880 --> 0:21:11.960 and and kind of gonna do things how you've always 0:21:12.000 --> 0:21:14.159 done them. First of all, I think the n I 0:21:14.359 --> 0:21:17.280 L is great, I really do. The n I L 0:21:17.400 --> 0:21:19.640 to me is a modern version of back in the day, 0:21:19.720 --> 0:21:22.520 long time ago. You get recruited, Hey can you get 0:21:22.520 --> 0:21:25.760 me a summer job? You know, and they provide summer 0:21:25.840 --> 0:21:29.000 job for you, right, so, so now it's not the 0:21:29.040 --> 0:21:31.760 summer job as much as an N I L. I 0:21:31.840 --> 0:21:34.040 do think the question I had asked before, how will 0:21:34.080 --> 0:21:36.480 you monitor it? And that's the thing that I think 0:21:36.560 --> 0:21:40.040 the n C double A is still working through. And Uh, 0:21:40.080 --> 0:21:43.240 there's definitely the rich can get richer with it because 0:21:43.480 --> 0:21:46.359 a lot of programs aren't able to provide what some 0:21:46.480 --> 0:21:49.879 others can with that N I L situation. So I 0:21:50.520 --> 0:21:53.280 think it's great. It just has to be worked out. Uh. 0:21:53.840 --> 0:21:56.360