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Speaker 1: Hey, welcome, and I'm Doug Godli band. You are listening

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Speaker 1: to All Ball Where UM. Today's guest is head coach

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Speaker 1: UM Georgia Tech, Josh Pastor. Um. He'll take us through

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Speaker 1: his journey growing up in Houston, how his dad became

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Speaker 1: like an AU legend, really kind of interesting, humble beginnings,

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Speaker 1: and how he how he felt as part of a

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Speaker 1: national championship team at Arizona when he was a walk

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Speaker 1: on who was working out a lot of the players.

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Speaker 1: That there's a a bunch of really good stuff in here.

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Speaker 1: It's a two part interview. This is part one, UM,

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Speaker 1: and it's interesting because he just had a tremendous point

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Speaker 1: guard finish his acc Player of the Year at Georgia Tech,

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Speaker 1: and the point guard has been wildly discussed. I've I've

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Speaker 1: been told, I've been told time and again that the

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Speaker 1: position has changed. You can't play the way that you

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Speaker 1: were taught to play. And then I give you Chris Paul. Now, look,

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Speaker 1: Chris Paul, I mean average ten. Part of it was

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Speaker 1: the average. Part of it was he was playing against backups.

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Speaker 1: Part of it is you do look, you gotta score,

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Speaker 1: you gotta keep the defense honest. But there's there's just

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Speaker 1: a difference to how he plays as opposed to a

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Speaker 1: a Russell Westbrook. Right, the numbers look the same to

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Speaker 1: the layman, but the style is very very, very very different.

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Speaker 1: And finally seeing a point guard, the truest of point

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Speaker 1: guards get the claim that he deserves because he finally

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Speaker 1: got out of that second round and to this point

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Speaker 1: isn't injured. Is a great thing, not a good thing,

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Speaker 1: A great thing, I guess. I guess the question is,

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Speaker 1: maybe l asked this of coaches, is does it change

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Speaker 1: the way you evaluate the position that Chris Paul this

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Speaker 1: far in can still do it the way he's always

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Speaker 1: done it. That's a pretty good question, right, Well, that's

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Speaker 1: why I do what I do. Um, I would point

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Speaker 1: out that they've played banged up, banged up teams. I mean,

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Speaker 1: that's fair, that's that's not anywhere and unfair commentary about

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Speaker 1: how and and why they've been able to do what

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Speaker 1: they've been able to do. On the other hand, like

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Speaker 1: if we're gonna say that, we got to point out

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Speaker 1: that they completely and thoroughly whooped the hell out of

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Speaker 1: um out of the Denver Nuggets and look they were

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Speaker 1: it felt like dead to rights beaten. But the mistake

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Speaker 1: that the Lakers and Anthony Davis got hurt and at

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Speaker 1: the end of the first half of Game four, but

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Speaker 1: the Lakers are up two games to one, and they

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Speaker 1: couldn't kill their spirit, like that was a big thing.

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Speaker 1: They just they couldn't kill their spirit. And when you

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Speaker 1: can't kill somebody's spirit, when you allow them to hang

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Speaker 1: around and believe they have a chance to win a game,

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Speaker 1: these are the type of things that oftentimes happen, right.

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Speaker 1: So I think for Monty Williams, considering all of the

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Speaker 1: people know that money Williams lost like two years college

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Speaker 1: because he had hard issues right around the hand gathers

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Speaker 1: time they start testing people's hearts and they shut him

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Speaker 1: down for like a year and a half, and this

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Speaker 1: really really happened. Um, it's special that fer Monty, and

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Speaker 1: you know, I believe it's pretty special for Chris Paul

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Speaker 1: considering how he's been viewed or how he's been portrayed

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Speaker 1: by so many and that well he always gets hurt

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Speaker 1: or you can't be a six foot guard and do

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Speaker 1: it anymore. Not that way. You gotta do it the

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Speaker 1: Steph Curry, the trade young way. I beg to differ

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Speaker 1: still pretty special to watch. All Right, more to come

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Speaker 1: on that. First, let's get to our first part of

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Speaker 1: our talk with Josh Pastor, the head coach of Georgia Tech. Okay,

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Speaker 1: so this is actually my favorite part. Your first memories

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Speaker 1: of basketball not you can't say what you're told. Your

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Speaker 1: actual first memories of basketball are what and where? Well?

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Speaker 1: Good question of my first memories, Um, you know, and

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Speaker 1: what was tall? Yeah, that's a good question. I haven't

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Speaker 1: been asked that maybe in a long time. But um,

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Speaker 1: I do remember in fifth grade telling my father I

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Speaker 1: was watching the Lakers and Celtics. This is when I

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Speaker 1: was in fifth grade. I was watching the Lakers and

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Speaker 1: Celtics playing one of the national networks on a weekend,

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Speaker 1: and I remember telling my dad that, you know, and

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Speaker 1: I even when I was younger, at that age, I

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Speaker 1: loved I loved hoops. I remember telling my dad that, hey, look,

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Speaker 1: if I can't play in the NBA, because I wanted to.

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Speaker 1: You know who doesn't want to play in the NBA.

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Speaker 1: I The next next thing the playing was coaching, and

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Speaker 1: I said, if I'm gonna put all my energy, starts

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Speaker 1: coaching so it allows me to stay in the game.

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Speaker 1: I remember telling that as a fifth Graderay, so this

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Speaker 1: is in Houston, right, This was in Houston, Texas. I

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Speaker 1: grew up in Houston Tech and UM, and then I

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Speaker 1: made my way onto the to the University of Arizona.

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Speaker 1: Well but no, no no, no, no, no no starts skipping steps

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Speaker 1: on me. Okay, So when when you're like your your

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Speaker 1: fitness sixth grade, did you play travel ball? Was your

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Speaker 1: dad coaching you? Like? What was the what was the

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Speaker 1: set up? Yeah? You know what, m Yeah, I was

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Speaker 1: playing travel ball, you know. I was playing all the sports.

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Speaker 1: I was in the baseball, football, soccer, I mean, I

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Speaker 1: played everything. But uh I did uh my my dad

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Speaker 1: actually started a a AU team at the time and

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Speaker 1: it was just really did kind of spend more time

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Speaker 1: father son type thing, never thinking of where it could

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Speaker 1: go to. Um what what what did he sorry, did

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Speaker 1: he do this for a living at the time? Was this? No?

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Speaker 1: He did not, he did not he he he was

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Speaker 1: he was not in basketball. He ran a competitive basketball

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Speaker 1: league in our local community, UM on every Saturday morning,

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Speaker 1: all day Saturdays. UM. It was called the Competitive Basketball

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Speaker 1: League the CBL. And he started a travel team that

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Speaker 1: we just called the Kingwood All Stars. I grew up

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Speaker 1: in Kingwood, Texas, which just north of Houston, north of

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Speaker 1: the or north of the UH. Back in the day

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Speaker 1: they called the Intercontinental Airport is now the George George W.

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Speaker 1: Bush Airport, but just north of that. And but he

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Speaker 1: every Saturday we would have the CBL be a local

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Speaker 1: community basketball league would play and so, but that was

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Speaker 1: just doing it because he loved He knew how much

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Speaker 1: I love basketball, and it was for the community. He

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Speaker 1: did it for the youth and the kids. But that

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Speaker 1: then Doug moved into the Houston Hoops. And that's when

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Speaker 1: the Houston Hoops, which is still going strong today. My

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Speaker 1: dad eventually, my father, how pastor, eventually went into the

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Speaker 1: tournament business and both he had his first his first

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Speaker 1: company with the tournament business. Later on, this is what

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Speaker 1: he went into full time do the Vision Sports UM

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Speaker 1: and then he and then he went into UH Bigfoot Hoops.

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Speaker 1: He sold Vision Sports, sat out a couple of years,

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Speaker 1: came back under Big Foot Hoops, and then ended up

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Speaker 1: selling selling that. He's out of it now but still

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Speaker 1: runs the Houston Hoops. Okay, so the fifth sixth grade,

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Speaker 1: you were you good? Were you the best player? Did you?

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Speaker 1: Did he go out and recruit dudes like you're this

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Speaker 1: Kingswood you know travel team. How good were you? How

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Speaker 1: good was your team? Well? And the Kingwood it was

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Speaker 1: in Kingwood, our king Would all Stars. I mean we

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Speaker 1: were just a local group. I was a solid player.

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Speaker 1: I could shoot the ball, I knew the game. Um,

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Speaker 1: but you know, I was solid. It wasn't until we

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Speaker 1: moved on did we start, you know, and you moved

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Speaker 1: to the Uh when we got more towards the Houston

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Speaker 1: hoops was when you started to track being in recruiting

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Speaker 1: talent and and and and better players. When I say

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Speaker 1: better players, just you know, you know, higher level guys

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Speaker 1: that you weren't just focused in that and just into

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Speaker 1: that city, into that local community you went, you stretched

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Speaker 1: out all throughout Houston. You know. Eventually, obviously as the

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Speaker 1: Houston Hoops continue to progress, you would have guys from

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Speaker 1: Dallas and Louisiana and things like that. But uh, um, yeah,

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Speaker 1: that's kind of that's kind of how it's it started

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Speaker 1: and moved from there. Okay, so high school? Who coached

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Speaker 1: in high school? And what was your high school career like?

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Speaker 1: And and I do want to say Doug because you know,

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Speaker 1: and I you know, I'm obviously uh, and we'll get

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Speaker 1: into it maybe later. But you know, for people that

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Speaker 1: don't know, and I'm sure they do, the ones that

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Speaker 1: follow you on on Twitter and stuff, but you know

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Speaker 1: how close you were to your father and and and

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Speaker 1: and how your dad was you know, I call him

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Speaker 1: coach Scott Lee. How your dad You know, he's he

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Speaker 1: was a college coach, but he the amount of kids

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Speaker 1: he helped, UM And I say this to people all

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Speaker 1: the time, you know, talking about your father and other

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Speaker 1: people in the in the grassroots industry, the amount of

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Speaker 1: young people they've helped all throughout UM and and and

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Speaker 1: not only is it a great bonding between the father

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Speaker 1: and son like you and obviously your brother, UM, but

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Speaker 1: with the time and effort that your dad has put

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Speaker 1: in had put in to help so many other people

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Speaker 1: and UM and the grassroots world of of of that

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Speaker 1: was amazing. And obviously your your dad was a pioneer

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Speaker 1: in in in grassroots basketball, and I wanted to make

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Speaker 1: notice that he's one of the one of the great

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Speaker 1: great people that I've ever come across in in all

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Speaker 1: of in all of hoops. So I've always had a

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Speaker 1: just a fondness for your dad. But when I was

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Speaker 1: at Kingwood High School, I coached. I was coached by

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Speaker 1: Royce Kusman. I've played on the beat team. Uh my

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Speaker 1: freshman year and then my sophomore year, I was on

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Speaker 1: the sophomore team, and then my junior year I was

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Speaker 1: I was to be able to make the varsity group.

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Speaker 1: And then my senior year, I I started and was

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Speaker 1: you know, and I was, um uh played there so

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Speaker 1: it was good. So um, okay, So it's interesting you

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Speaker 1: bring up my dad and how you know part of

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Speaker 1: your dad's reasoning for starting a team so that you

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Speaker 1: spend more time together like my and I read an

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Speaker 1: article the other day which was fascinating, which is, you know, like, um,

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Speaker 1: the the car ride is is the new dinner table

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Speaker 1: right where now your parents Because kids have all these activities,

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Speaker 1: you don't have time to sit down at dinner table.

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Speaker 1: So you grab something to eat and that's when you

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Speaker 1: have your conversations about the day or whatever. Like that

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Speaker 1: was my life, you know, like my dad would pick

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Speaker 1: me up and you know, uh, whether we would go

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Speaker 1: train with like you know, I had two different trainers.

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Speaker 1: I worked two or three different trainers. I worked thro

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Speaker 1: in terms of like my body, or go pick up

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Speaker 1: a teammate and then go to practice, and I would

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Speaker 1: have my books with me, and you know, i'd have

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Speaker 1: to kind of give it a passing glance. Would ever

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Speaker 1: do a little studying, and then I was listening to

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Speaker 1: sports radio or some of his like he had old

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Speaker 1: time radio on tapes. But like most afternoons when we

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Speaker 1: have practice, like that was my existence as a kid.

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Speaker 1: I don't know, Yeah, what do you have? That's what

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Speaker 1: I remember. Um, so what was your what was your

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Speaker 1: You're in high school? Okay, you're on the B freshman team?

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Speaker 1: Is that what you said you were on. I was

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Speaker 1: on the freshman B team my freshman year, and then

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Speaker 1: I was on the sophomore team my sophomore ye then

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Speaker 1: was able to make the varsity of my junior year

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Speaker 1: and then started my senior year. Wait, so how good

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Speaker 1: was your varsity? Were? We were? So? I mean we

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Speaker 1: were the coach Roy Scusman was a very good basketball coach,

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Speaker 1: or he isn't a good basketball coach? Was there a

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Speaker 1: long time just you know, very fundamentally sound, and we

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Speaker 1: have some good players and I love playing. We had

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Speaker 1: good pickup games. I mean I had a great passion

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Speaker 1: for the game and and I obviously I still do,

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Speaker 1: but just when I was younger, when I look back,

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Speaker 1: I mean the amount of times, you know, I would

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Speaker 1: play one on one with you know, some of my

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Speaker 1: my teammates. I would we would just go play one

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Speaker 1: on one at the local elementary school at the hoop

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Speaker 1: or the front yard, and just you know, I look

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Speaker 1: back at the amount of you know, games we would play,

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Speaker 1: just just again, whether it's pickup basketball or one on

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Speaker 1: one or you know, you're just doing those type of things,

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Speaker 1: and um, what I would what I would say, um, um,

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Speaker 1: when you're talking about your dad, the training you know,

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Speaker 1: as you know, a very good friend of yours, a

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Speaker 1: very good friend of mine, Miles Simon, kind of the

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Speaker 1: same thing, you know him and his closeness of his father,

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Speaker 1: um through basketball, which was really cool. And then I

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Speaker 1: remember my dad take down in Orange County about when

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Speaker 1: you're talking about shooting. I don't know if you remember

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Speaker 1: if you know this guy you ever heard of Desploo. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: unfortunately he's passed away, but he was known as one

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Speaker 1: of the great shooting coaches at the time. You know,

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Speaker 1: people come to him about shooting. And I actually went

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Speaker 1: out there and spent some time with them, believe it

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Speaker 1: or not. And um, he was a brilliant shooting coach,

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Speaker 1: you know, just with that. So yeah, that knowing that

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Speaker 1: from your area over there. So how did you decide

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Speaker 1: to go to Arizona? Man? I know, like I remember

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Speaker 1: talking to Miles about you, and I remember the Sports

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Speaker 1: Illustrade article about you going there to be a coach.

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Speaker 1: But what's the what was the real story behind how

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Speaker 1: you decided this was the spot? Yeah? You know what

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Speaker 1: I you know, Doug, I sent a letter to every

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Speaker 1: single Division one, Division two, Division three, and ai A

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Speaker 1: Division one and AI Division two schools in America, over

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Speaker 1: a thousand personal handwritten letters to over a thousand schools

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Speaker 1: on and what I wanted to do. You know. Look,

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Speaker 1: I I recognize at that time, I wasn't playing in

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Speaker 1: the NBA. Um, but I still thought I was a

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Speaker 1: good player and I could play, you know. I thought

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Speaker 1: I could go play at Arizona or some school like that.

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Speaker 1: I could just you know, be good enough in my mind.

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Speaker 1: And and uh, but I did send a letter to

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Speaker 1: all of over a thousand schools, personal handwritten letters, and

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Speaker 1: I talked a lot. I can be a positive impact,

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Speaker 1: a positive teammate. Um. You know, I can work the

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Speaker 1: guys out. You know, all those type of things won't

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Speaker 1: count against time limits or anything like that, um um.

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Speaker 1: And and coach Olsen saw the letter and responded to me. Now,

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Speaker 1: I think he also liked our you team because we

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Speaker 1: had a really really good players. Probably wanted to bring

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Speaker 1: me there and and the drag guys that I would

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Speaker 1: drag guys with me too to Arizona. But he gave

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Speaker 1: me an opportunity. Now, at that time, I thought again

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Speaker 1: I would come in there, and I knew Steve ker

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Speaker 1: it played there. I thought maybe I'll be the next

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Speaker 1: step per or something. You know. Man, after that first

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Speaker 1: pickup game in August, when I was there and guys

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Speaker 1: like Miles Simon and Jason Terry and Mike Bibby, literally

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Speaker 1: in that first picket game, I knew it was like, Nope,

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Speaker 1: not happening, and and I could see it right away.

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Speaker 1: And so for myself really ever being a you know,

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Speaker 1: you know, and what was amazing when I was there

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Speaker 1: Doug in this first few because I would be in

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Speaker 1: the gym all the time, Miles Simon, Michael Bibbee, Michael Dickerson,

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Speaker 1: you know, Jason Terry. I tell people all the time

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Speaker 1: I'm the leading rebounder at Arizona because I would just

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Speaker 1: be in the wed be in the gym all the time.

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Speaker 1: I'd be rebounding for these but those first few months,

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Speaker 1: believe it or not, I would then come in and

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Speaker 1: take my turn shooting, and they would end up, um,

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Speaker 1: they would end up rebounding for me. Like he was

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Speaker 1: chasing around them, Miles Simon was chasing around my my

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Speaker 1: missed shots, you know, and passing it back to me.

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Speaker 1: You're doing like two ball three man shooting and all.

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Speaker 1: And I was involved in the like actually because I

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Speaker 1: was still thinking I could work on my game. But

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Speaker 1: eventually that got midway through that my freshman year, we

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Speaker 1: stopped doing that because just I was not gonna end

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Speaker 1: up being a no need for that. Fox Sports Radio

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Speaker 1: has the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch

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Speaker 1: all of our shows at Fox sports Radio dot com

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Speaker 1: and within the I Heart Radio app search f s

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Speaker 1: R to listen live. Um, Okay, so I know, like

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Speaker 1: I was and not as outwardly desirous to be a

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Speaker 1: coach as you were, But you know, like I always thought,

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Speaker 1: I do one of three things I'd keep playing and

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Speaker 1: not either to be a broadcaster or be a coach. Right,

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Speaker 1: it's like in your blood, sing of blood and um.

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Speaker 1: But I didn't take like copious notes. Everything is is

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Speaker 1: up here, which you know sometimes gets it gets skewed.

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Speaker 1: The National Championship run would you learn about coaching and place?

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Speaker 1: Because what I think you had the unique ability to

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Speaker 1: do was he kind of got to do both, which

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Speaker 1: guys don't coaches wish they could be in that position

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Speaker 1: where because you were one of the guys, you got

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Speaker 1: to see how the coaches messages were actually received right

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Speaker 1: or and because you wanted to be a coach, you

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Speaker 1: could see what works and what doesn't work. What was

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Speaker 1: what was it about Lott Olson and the coaching staff

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Speaker 1: that allowed you guys to win the National Championship? From

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Speaker 1: your perspective, yeah, you know, first of all, I remember

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Speaker 1: I was I remember as a as an eighteen year

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Speaker 1: old freshman. I I told the guys in one of

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Speaker 1: the late nights, we're shooting early in August or early September,

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Speaker 1: late August. Hey, man, we're gonna win the National Championship,

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Speaker 1: but we've got to be the hardest working team. And

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Speaker 1: I look back when I told the guys that, I'm

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Speaker 1: thinking to myself here and what was I thinking to

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Speaker 1: even say that at eighteen? And I'm surprised I didn't know. Luckily,

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Speaker 1: we had good guys in Arizona. They didn't just want

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Speaker 1: to like, you know, you know, just pummel me, because

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Speaker 1: like who is this walk on saying this? You know

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Speaker 1: what I mean, like staying you're lane in a sense.

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Speaker 1: But we had good guys, you know, fortunately, and uh um.

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Speaker 1: But you know what I would tell you is a

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Speaker 1: few things. Looking back after that freshman year we won

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Speaker 1: the championship. One I remember after we wanted I remember

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Speaker 1: telling my dad, man, this is easy. We're gonna do

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Speaker 1: this every year. I remember my dad telling me a

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Speaker 1: savior this. And now that I've been a head I've

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Speaker 1: been in the game for a long time now, even

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Speaker 1: though I'm only forty three, but I've been a head

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Speaker 1: coach for twelve years going on my thirteenth year, been

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Speaker 1: a long time assistant. You know, you recognize that it's

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Speaker 1: almost impossible to win the national championship. I mean, it's

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Speaker 1: you gotta get lucky, you gotta get it means only

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Speaker 1: one team. So when I look back about being in

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Speaker 1: that rarefied era of being part of a team that's

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Speaker 1: won the national championship, because it's one of the hardest

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Speaker 1: things to do, Doug, is to win six games in

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Speaker 1: a one game scenario when you're dealing with eighteen of

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Speaker 1: twenty two year olds and you know you have an

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Speaker 1: off night shooting or something's going on. It's just you

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Speaker 1: know you're gonna there's a good chance you're gonna lose

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Speaker 1: the game. So but what I've learned through that that stretch.

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Speaker 1: Number one is coach coach lud Olson. I don't think

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Speaker 1: he gets even though he's in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

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Speaker 1: He and I know you feel the same way about

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Speaker 1: Eddie Sutton, coach Sutton, and and and thankfully he got

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Speaker 1: in the Hall of Fame. He just well deserved. Probably

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Speaker 1: you know he should even got he should have gotten

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Speaker 1: there earlier. But you know, this guy's like Eddie Sutton,

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Speaker 1: and I think the same thing with Ludolson. They're vastly

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Speaker 1: underrated even though they're in the Hall of Fame. A

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Speaker 1: lot of people don't put them in the trajectory sometimes

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Speaker 1: of the elite coaches. They don't get talked about as

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Speaker 1: much for whatever reason that is, and I tell people

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Speaker 1: all the time, like lud Olsen's single handedly built the program,

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Speaker 1: literally built the city in Tucson of what he did

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Speaker 1: in Arizona, I mean took it from just below ground

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Speaker 1: zero and to bring it to where it is is

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Speaker 1: to one of the national elite programs and a stretched

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Speaker 1: to over seventeen years, was the winningest program in the

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Speaker 1: entire country for seventeen straight years. I say all that

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Speaker 1: to say, one of the biggest thing I learned from him.

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Speaker 1: I mean there's a lot of things I learned from

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Speaker 1: but looking at that year number one, his preparation and

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Speaker 1: practice was just unmatched his His preparation and the way

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Speaker 1: he conducted practice was unbelievable. To the the the respect

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Speaker 1: the guys had for him, both fear and respect. I

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Speaker 1: mean I mean fear and respect. They did not want

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Speaker 1: to disappoint him. I mean he that was Husue in three.

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Speaker 1: Let me tell you this, he's one of the hardest

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Speaker 1: working head coaches and recruiting that I've ever seen. And

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Speaker 1: he didn't have to be that way. But he was

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Speaker 1: in the gym from morning new night. And you know

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Speaker 1: when he you know this, Doug, when he walked into

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Speaker 1: a place in southern California in a tournament in Los

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Speaker 1: Angeles or somewhere in the West Coast. It was like

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Speaker 1: a movie star walking in there. You know. Here's like

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Speaker 1: he was always dressed appropriate. I mean like just like

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Speaker 1: like a like an a list will be no, no, no,

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Speaker 1: you're you. You nailed it like they were. I think

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Speaker 1: I'm trying to think there's anybody else there were. Chefski

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Speaker 1: was kind of like a mythical figure like he would

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Speaker 1: come in. But I think Lute and Roy were the

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Speaker 1: guys that they walk in and everyone like, who's he

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Speaker 1: here to see? Who's he here to see? Who's here

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Speaker 1: to see? And and and and Luke was kind of

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Speaker 1: regal right, Um, the silver hair, like perfectly dressed, like

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Speaker 1: you know, Polo never had any sort of wrinkles in it.

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Speaker 1: I mean he was he was. He was always fit right,

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Speaker 1: so it didn't look like a mess. Some of these

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Speaker 1: guys look like a mass. Um. Yeah, he was. He

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Speaker 1: was remarkable. Um. When you won the national teams, I'll

399
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Speaker 1: never forget this ship. I remember going back and watching

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Speaker 1: the game and like right after the game, like you

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Speaker 1: got like right in front of the camera and then

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Speaker 1: they kind of shove you out of the way, Like

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Speaker 1: what was the existence like for you though? As a

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Speaker 1: guy who didn't play, but you're watching and you're very

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Speaker 1: much a part of it, how do you process all that? Yeah? No, look,

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Speaker 1: I mean you're I didn't play, you know anything in

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Speaker 1: meaningful games that where there was a real like you know,

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Speaker 1: I mean I would get in when the game they

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Speaker 1: all wanted a pastor game. I was getting in when

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Speaker 1: I was when we're up twenty or more. So was

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Speaker 1: it called the past game? It would call the pastor

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Speaker 1: game because it made that mean. The restaurants in Tucson

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Speaker 1: were everything was better because it was just a good win. No,

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Speaker 1: it was a no stress game and everyone was we

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Speaker 1: we we got those we got those get right games.

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Speaker 1: You gotta get right, you gotta get your stats right. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: they called the casket, they called the pastor game. And

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Speaker 1: but I I used to tell Miles and those guys

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Speaker 1: all the time, Miles Simon and all those like, hey man,

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Speaker 1: you gotta it's on. It's on you guys to get

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Speaker 1: me in. So like, you guys got to do your part,

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Speaker 1: Like I can't control it. So you guys got to

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Speaker 1: make sure you do your part. But I say all

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Speaker 1: that to say that, Um, look I was I had.

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Speaker 1: I knew at that point I wanted to coach. I

426
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Speaker 1: knew my playing career was gonna be over at you know,

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Speaker 1: this was it like as in terms of if I like,

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Speaker 1: I during to get my fixed, Doug, I would go

429
00:23:07,880 --> 00:23:10,240
Speaker 1: to like the to the whether it's the j c

430
00:23:10,480 --> 00:23:13,399
Speaker 1: C or a local place to go play five on five,

431
00:23:14,280 --> 00:23:17,200
Speaker 1: you know, just like Saturday mornings and stuff. Um, but

432
00:23:17,359 --> 00:23:20,040
Speaker 1: I would, I mean I would be involved in practice

433
00:23:20,080 --> 00:23:22,639
Speaker 1: here and there. But but yeah, I mean I I

434
00:23:22,760 --> 00:23:24,800
Speaker 1: still love. I mean I love to play, but I

435
00:23:24,920 --> 00:23:28,920
Speaker 1: had to go get that fix of actually playing competitively

436
00:23:30,119 --> 00:23:32,159
Speaker 1: in a game type of atmosphere more and pick up

437
00:23:32,200 --> 00:23:36,200
Speaker 1: basketball and Saturday morning, Sunday mornings things like that, Um,

438
00:23:36,400 --> 00:23:38,920
Speaker 1: outside of the team because the reality of it was,

439
00:23:39,240 --> 00:23:40,800
Speaker 1: you know, you look at the guys that we had

440
00:23:40,840 --> 00:23:44,040
Speaker 1: at Arizona. I mean there was no chance. There was

441
00:23:44,119 --> 00:23:45,920
Speaker 1: no chance. So so and I want to say this

442
00:23:46,400 --> 00:23:50,440
Speaker 1: coach Olsen his ability to evaluate. You know, everyone talks

443
00:23:50,480 --> 00:23:55,680
Speaker 1: about recruiting Doug, and every recruiting is I tell people

444
00:23:55,720 --> 00:23:59,119
Speaker 1: recruiting is easy. I anyone can go see that that

445
00:23:59,520 --> 00:24:02,920
Speaker 1: one through twenty and say, Okay, he's a really good player.

446
00:24:02,960 --> 00:24:04,960
Speaker 1: You don't need to be a real expert in basketball

447
00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:07,840
Speaker 1: to determine who's that and that. Yeah, recruiting, can you

448
00:24:07,960 --> 00:24:11,600
Speaker 1: get them and all that, that's enough, But it's about evaluating.

449
00:24:12,119 --> 00:24:16,680
Speaker 1: The best are able to evaluate. Evaluation is everything. And

450
00:24:17,240 --> 00:24:19,760
Speaker 1: and I'm telling you, I don't know who who is

451
00:24:19,880 --> 00:24:23,520
Speaker 1: much better than than coach Olsten at evaluating. I mean,

452
00:24:23,640 --> 00:24:26,359
Speaker 1: how many guys in the West Coast that ended up

453
00:24:26,440 --> 00:24:31,000
Speaker 1: being superstars that nobody wanted that we're in, that were

454
00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:33,359
Speaker 1: in backyards of other schools and people didn't think they

455
00:24:33,400 --> 00:24:37,359
Speaker 1: were good enough. Um and so um, you know. And

456
00:24:37,480 --> 00:24:40,240
Speaker 1: also the thing with Arizona that that even before I

457
00:24:40,280 --> 00:24:44,240
Speaker 1: went there, they were what you were known for was

458
00:24:44,320 --> 00:24:49,080
Speaker 1: that that cactus logo, you know, and and on that Saturday,

459
00:24:49,320 --> 00:24:51,560
Speaker 1: you know, that Saturday afternoon game when in the in

460
00:24:51,640 --> 00:24:54,520
Speaker 1: the PAC twelve and or at the time the PAC ten,

461
00:24:54,680 --> 00:24:57,080
Speaker 1: and so there was always good games like that, and

462
00:24:57,119 --> 00:24:59,840
Speaker 1: you'd always see the cactus logo there. And but think

463
00:24:59,880 --> 00:25:01,719
Speaker 1: of about it, I'm using it again. I'm gonna use

464
00:25:01,720 --> 00:25:03,560
Speaker 1: a guy like Miles Simon because I know he's you

465
00:25:03,680 --> 00:25:06,919
Speaker 1: and him are really close. He was not highly recruited,

466
00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:09,560
Speaker 1: I don't, you know, and and I think coach Olsen,

467
00:25:09,720 --> 00:25:12,119
Speaker 1: you know, did a lot. You know. Well, what happened

468
00:25:12,119 --> 00:25:16,560
Speaker 1: with Miles was the first day of first they have

469
00:25:16,640 --> 00:25:20,440
Speaker 1: a live period in the summer before his senior year,

470
00:25:21,320 --> 00:25:24,600
Speaker 1: Toby Bailey committed to U c l A. And so

471
00:25:24,800 --> 00:25:26,760
Speaker 1: here's where things are different now, and they were and

472
00:25:26,800 --> 00:25:29,600
Speaker 1: I think there's some similarities whatever. Here's where they're different

473
00:25:29,600 --> 00:25:34,040
Speaker 1: now is we hated Toby Bailey, Like we grew up

474
00:25:34,040 --> 00:25:37,040
Speaker 1: playing against debe Bailey and Ricky Price and at the time,

475
00:25:37,160 --> 00:25:39,440
Speaker 1: like we didn't like those guys. They were on a

476
00:25:39,600 --> 00:25:42,879
Speaker 1: rival a U team, and so it's one thing to

477
00:25:43,200 --> 00:25:45,720
Speaker 1: not have offered Miles. And like we grew up as

478
00:25:45,840 --> 00:25:47,760
Speaker 1: U c l A. Like it was right there, like

479
00:25:47,880 --> 00:25:50,600
Speaker 1: they were. He wasn't as close to the program as

480
00:25:50,640 --> 00:25:52,600
Speaker 1: I was. But we went to the games and and

481
00:25:52,680 --> 00:25:54,840
Speaker 1: they were recruiting him, but they hadn't offered him yet.

482
00:25:55,200 --> 00:25:58,119
Speaker 1: So to not offer him right away, to offer Toby

483
00:25:58,200 --> 00:26:00,320
Speaker 1: and Toby take it, and it was like, right, well,

484
00:26:00,320 --> 00:26:02,560
Speaker 1: there goes their wings spot, right, And I think they

485
00:26:02,600 --> 00:26:05,440
Speaker 1: still end up coming around and offering Miles, But it

486
00:26:05,600 --> 00:26:09,840
Speaker 1: was more the they didn't offer him at first and

487
00:26:09,920 --> 00:26:11,960
Speaker 1: they would do the we we just played the five

488
00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:15,520
Speaker 1: best guys sort of BS or whatever. Uh. He just

489
00:26:15,560 --> 00:26:18,280
Speaker 1: felt like one of the spots was gone. So that

490
00:26:18,440 --> 00:26:20,280
Speaker 1: kind of opened him up, and he was the one

491
00:26:20,400 --> 00:26:23,560
Speaker 1: who was. He kind of got me into thinking about Florida.

492
00:26:24,160 --> 00:26:25,520
Speaker 1: The two of us we went to the I remember

493
00:26:25,520 --> 00:26:29,439
Speaker 1: going to Final four, and I was all about Florida

494
00:26:29,480 --> 00:26:35,000
Speaker 1: because my dad coached and recruited Lawn and um and

495
00:26:35,160 --> 00:26:37,879
Speaker 1: he actually visited there and loved it and then got

496
00:26:37,920 --> 00:26:39,320
Speaker 1: on the plane and realized how far it was to

497
00:26:39,359 --> 00:26:42,280
Speaker 1: get back and he's like, I can't do it. But yes,

498
00:26:42,400 --> 00:26:44,520
Speaker 1: he was. He was a little bit of fall through

499
00:26:44,560 --> 00:26:46,720
Speaker 1: the cracks kind of thing, right, And and part of

500
00:26:46,760 --> 00:26:50,440
Speaker 1: it was like SC. We weren't we weren't two cats

501
00:26:50,480 --> 00:26:53,560
Speaker 1: going to SC like stay supposed to went to SC. Uh.

502
00:26:54,119 --> 00:26:56,880
Speaker 1: You know, Cal end up taking Gilanni Gardner and Tony

503
00:26:56,920 --> 00:27:01,119
Speaker 1: Gonzalez who played with us. UM know, dougus you know

504
00:27:01,240 --> 00:27:02,960
Speaker 1: what I was gonna say, And you bring up some

505
00:27:03,040 --> 00:27:06,320
Speaker 1: great memories there and um and obviously Toby Bailey ended

506
00:27:06,359 --> 00:27:08,960
Speaker 1: up you know, they end up win the national title. Yeah,

507
00:27:09,119 --> 00:27:11,520
Speaker 1: and and um and he had a great freshman year.

508
00:27:11,600 --> 00:27:13,639
Speaker 1: I think they were thinking he was gonna, you know,

509
00:27:13,760 --> 00:27:16,199
Speaker 1: continue to progress, you know, and because I remember how

510
00:27:16,240 --> 00:27:17,959
Speaker 1: good I think that it was his freshman years when

511
00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:21,040
Speaker 1: you when they won the national championship. But I'll tell

512
00:27:21,080 --> 00:27:25,040
Speaker 1: you what, it's amazing in the in the grassroots world.

513
00:27:25,359 --> 00:27:26,879
Speaker 1: And you tell me if you agree with me on this.

514
00:27:27,600 --> 00:27:29,920
Speaker 1: Some of the legends and grassroots are all from the

515
00:27:30,000 --> 00:27:32,600
Speaker 1: West Coast. And I'm not talking in today's I'm talking

516
00:27:32,800 --> 00:27:36,600
Speaker 1: in the past. And I remember, and I tell people

517
00:27:36,600 --> 00:27:40,760
Speaker 1: it's like I remember going to um Um, going to

518
00:27:41,119 --> 00:27:43,359
Speaker 1: uh the tournament there is I think it was an

519
00:27:43,400 --> 00:27:48,639
Speaker 1: Ocean View High School champions Yeah. But but but they

520
00:27:48,720 --> 00:27:50,600
Speaker 1: had and the gym was open. You know, the door

521
00:27:50,720 --> 00:27:52,560
Speaker 1: was open because you felt the breeze coming in and

522
00:27:53,119 --> 00:27:55,920
Speaker 1: and but and and so you know, like you look

523
00:27:56,000 --> 00:27:59,920
Speaker 1: back now, like like Izzy Washington Um but like you know,

524
00:28:00,080 --> 00:28:02,600
Speaker 1: obviously you know, like at the time, there was they

525
00:28:02,760 --> 00:28:05,280
Speaker 1: I forget who wrote the book. Was it might have

526
00:28:05,320 --> 00:28:08,520
Speaker 1: been Dan Wessel Was it about with with um, No,

527
00:28:08,640 --> 00:28:12,680
Speaker 1: it wasn't Dan wetell Um. But it was with recruiting

528
00:28:13,680 --> 00:28:16,720
Speaker 1: play their hearts out? Yeah, yeah, but it was but

529
00:28:16,800 --> 00:28:18,520
Speaker 1: it was but but it was in a lot of it.

530
00:28:18,560 --> 00:28:22,280
Speaker 1: And then people don't. People really don't know this and

531
00:28:22,400 --> 00:28:25,040
Speaker 1: you you'll know this, but like one of the great

532
00:28:25,600 --> 00:28:32,320
Speaker 1: incredible stories was Shay Cortin and he was he was

533
00:28:32,440 --> 00:28:37,359
Speaker 1: like Lebron James before Lebron James in high school, if

534
00:28:37,440 --> 00:28:41,080
Speaker 1: that makes sense. Obviously he didn't have the same career

535
00:28:41,080 --> 00:28:43,440
Speaker 1: as Lebron James, but but the hype he was at

536
00:28:43,480 --> 00:28:47,040
Speaker 1: that time. Remember there's no social media. He was on

537
00:28:47,120 --> 00:28:50,080
Speaker 1: the cover of Sports Illustrated Illustrated about in high school

538
00:28:50,080 --> 00:28:53,480
Speaker 1: and that was yes, so his jumping ability like like

539
00:28:53,720 --> 00:28:56,000
Speaker 1: like when you would talk about people would because again

540
00:28:56,080 --> 00:28:59,920
Speaker 1: there was no social media. People like the myth about him,

541
00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:03,880
Speaker 1: the mythical things around the country about him in grassroots basketball.

542
00:29:04,120 --> 00:29:09,120
Speaker 1: He was Lebron James in high school before Lebron James. Again,

543
00:29:09,200 --> 00:29:12,080
Speaker 1: it's a different career past, but I don't know if

544
00:29:12,120 --> 00:29:16,120
Speaker 1: people or Zion right he left there, you go, Yeah,

545
00:29:17,280 --> 00:29:21,000
Speaker 1: what's what's crazy about Shay is he was he was

546
00:29:21,120 --> 00:29:24,880
Speaker 1: so talented, so good. His brother wasn't his head brothers

547
00:29:24,960 --> 00:29:27,160
Speaker 1: like a couple of years older my age or maybe

548
00:29:27,200 --> 00:29:29,840
Speaker 1: a little bit older. His brother actually made the NBA

549
00:29:30,600 --> 00:29:34,040
Speaker 1: and had half the talent of Shay. So it really

550
00:29:34,200 --> 00:29:37,280
Speaker 1: is a you know, it's about finding a role, it's

551
00:29:37,280 --> 00:29:42,240
Speaker 1: about the little things, you know. Um, you know, it's

552
00:29:42,400 --> 00:29:44,880
Speaker 1: it's I'm not a proponent of guys going straight from

553
00:29:44,960 --> 00:29:46,600
Speaker 1: high school to the pros, but if there's a guy

554
00:29:46,720 --> 00:29:48,920
Speaker 1: that and that was that was why he was on

555
00:29:48,960 --> 00:29:51,120
Speaker 1: the cover sports, right, could he go straight from high

556
00:29:51,120 --> 00:29:54,640
Speaker 1: school the pros? And he didn't, And Kevin Garnett did

557
00:29:54,680 --> 00:29:57,640
Speaker 1: the year before and he probably should have. And had

558
00:29:57,720 --> 00:30:00,200
Speaker 1: he had he had done that, he would have was

559
00:30:00,280 --> 00:30:02,320
Speaker 1: stuck in the NBA for a decade. Well, you know,

560
00:30:02,520 --> 00:30:05,840
Speaker 1: and I think the book was called Shoe Wars, wasn't it. Oh,

561
00:30:05,920 --> 00:30:07,600
Speaker 1: there was one called Shoe Wars as well. I was

562
00:30:07,640 --> 00:30:10,520
Speaker 1: thinking of George Jorman's book on a little bit later

563
00:30:10,600 --> 00:30:13,640
Speaker 1: generation one before that Shoe Wars, and you know, and

564
00:30:13,920 --> 00:30:15,680
Speaker 1: and and a lot of it was you know, the

565
00:30:15,800 --> 00:30:20,120
Speaker 1: guy the the there was a uh just slips my

566
00:30:20,240 --> 00:30:22,360
Speaker 1: mind there. But but a lot of it was with

567
00:30:22,520 --> 00:30:25,680
Speaker 1: with with Southern California recruiting and and stuff like that.

568
00:30:25,880 --> 00:30:27,560
Speaker 1: But it was called Shoe Wars at the time. That

569
00:30:27,680 --> 00:30:31,680
Speaker 1: kind of was the first talk about about grassroots basketball

570
00:30:31,720 --> 00:30:34,760
Speaker 1: and how everything was maneuvering, you know, in in in

571
00:30:34,880 --> 00:30:41,880
Speaker 1: grassroots basketball. Um there's actually one. There's actually one um

572
00:30:42,560 --> 00:30:45,840
Speaker 1: called Raw Recruits. Maybe that's what it is, Raw recruits,

573
00:30:45,880 --> 00:30:50,400
Speaker 1: maybe rob recruits. So Raw Recruits was armand Kitan and

574
00:30:50,520 --> 00:30:52,360
Speaker 1: my dad's actually in that book when I was in

575
00:30:52,520 --> 00:30:54,840
Speaker 1: sixth grade is the true story is a great story.

576
00:30:55,240 --> 00:30:57,560
Speaker 1: That was in sixth grade. We had a kid named

577
00:30:57,640 --> 00:31:03,440
Speaker 1: Lorenzo Lilou and Lorenzo was Simoan. He was six ft mustache.

578
00:31:04,760 --> 00:31:07,640
Speaker 1: Uh we well, I like my group now we called

579
00:31:07,680 --> 00:31:11,320
Speaker 1: we we we spot the mustaches like mustache or in trouble.

580
00:31:11,840 --> 00:31:14,480
Speaker 1: You know, he had muscles and so he was the

581
00:31:14,760 --> 00:31:17,440
Speaker 1: he was he was the best. The two best players

582
00:31:17,480 --> 00:31:21,479
Speaker 1: in Southern California at that age. Kobe was really good. Uh,

583
00:31:21,800 --> 00:31:26,360
Speaker 1: but it was Cameron Murray and Lorenzo Lego and we

584
00:31:26,560 --> 00:31:30,560
Speaker 1: played them. We played Cameron's team in the Southern California

585
00:31:30,640 --> 00:31:33,880
Speaker 1: Championships for the AU national title and we lost. And

586
00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:35,800
Speaker 1: so they got to pick up two guys to our teams.

587
00:31:35,880 --> 00:31:41,040
Speaker 1: They picked up me, coach's son, and Lorenzo, and you know,

588
00:31:41,160 --> 00:31:43,800
Speaker 1: my dad was you know, I don't know, Lorenzo's dad

589
00:31:43,840 --> 00:31:46,880
Speaker 1: started driving a new minivan and I don't know, Rich

590
00:31:46,960 --> 00:31:49,640
Speaker 1: Colberg boughttom the minivan or whatever. But we never had

591
00:31:49,760 --> 00:31:52,680
Speaker 1: Lorenzo Lagoa ever. Again, I don't think he was ever.

592
00:31:52,880 --> 00:31:54,479
Speaker 1: I think he played. He was good for one more

593
00:31:54,600 --> 00:31:57,200
Speaker 1: year and then he was the exact same player. Rich

594
00:31:57,240 --> 00:32:00,800
Speaker 1: Goldberg's team was art wasn't it a r C A

595
00:32:00,960 --> 00:32:05,080
Speaker 1: RC mid Valley. So they had they had Alex Lopez.

596
00:32:06,480 --> 00:32:08,400
Speaker 1: The guys that went on to playing college were very good.

597
00:32:08,480 --> 00:32:11,680
Speaker 1: I think Michael Quinn played for them anyway. So yeah,

598
00:32:11,720 --> 00:32:14,760
Speaker 1: I played for them that national tournamentally beat everybody. I

599
00:32:14,840 --> 00:32:18,720
Speaker 1: didn't play that much. And um, yeah that was that

600
00:32:18,800 --> 00:32:21,520
Speaker 1: was Robert Cruits. So it's in Robert Cruitz. And it's

601
00:32:21,640 --> 00:32:26,320
Speaker 1: it's interesting because, um there was a line in there

602
00:32:26,560 --> 00:32:29,880
Speaker 1: in the book and I love your opinion on this,

603
00:32:31,280 --> 00:32:32,840
Speaker 1: and it was about my dad and it was I

604
00:32:32,960 --> 00:32:36,080
Speaker 1: think Armand wrote it if like basketball is a game

605
00:32:36,200 --> 00:32:41,160
Speaker 1: that my dad loved, it didn't love him back, And um,

606
00:32:41,240 --> 00:32:43,080
Speaker 1: I thought it was pretty harsh at the time. I

607
00:32:43,200 --> 00:32:45,960
Speaker 1: think there's there was some reality to it, but I

608
00:32:47,040 --> 00:32:52,160
Speaker 1: actually now I just totally disagreed, like it didn't give

609
00:32:52,280 --> 00:32:55,840
Speaker 1: him back financially, and he when he when they got

610
00:32:55,880 --> 00:32:57,760
Speaker 1: fired in eighty four and he went up he's at

611
00:32:57,760 --> 00:33:01,840
Speaker 1: Oregon State, like a volunteer assistant for a year, but

612
00:33:01,960 --> 00:33:06,360
Speaker 1: after that he never got back in. It gave him

613
00:33:06,800 --> 00:33:10,160
Speaker 1: everything he needed in his life. He didn't need. He

614
00:33:10,280 --> 00:33:13,120
Speaker 1: wasn't about the money. He liked the game, and he

615
00:33:13,240 --> 00:33:16,320
Speaker 1: liked the kids, and he like helping the kids succeed.

616
00:33:16,440 --> 00:33:20,880
Speaker 1: Like that's literally what he loved. And you know your dad,

617
00:33:21,080 --> 00:33:23,400
Speaker 1: I think the game has given him a lot and

618
00:33:23,520 --> 00:33:26,280
Speaker 1: has given you, guys, an incredible relationship, and it has

619
00:33:26,320 --> 00:33:30,880
Speaker 1: given you a great amount. What's your perspective on what

620
00:33:31,040 --> 00:33:34,880
Speaker 1: a reasonable expectation should be on what the game can

621
00:33:34,960 --> 00:33:37,720
Speaker 1: give you back? Like, what is how should how do

622
00:33:37,800 --> 00:33:41,400
Speaker 1: you perceive something like that? Yeah, great question, Doug. I

623
00:33:41,440 --> 00:33:43,480
Speaker 1: mean look, I mean the game has been just awesome

624
00:33:44,240 --> 00:33:46,440
Speaker 1: to all of us. I mean, look, I look at

625
00:33:46,480 --> 00:33:49,120
Speaker 1: myself here. I mean I've been to I'm coaching in

626
00:33:49,160 --> 00:33:51,280
Speaker 1: the a c C because of the game of basketball,

627
00:33:51,400 --> 00:33:54,920
Speaker 1: you know what, right, I mean, I'm you know, I

628
00:33:55,000 --> 00:33:58,240
Speaker 1: mean I've been to multiple countries. You know, I've traveled

629
00:33:58,960 --> 00:34:01,880
Speaker 1: just all because of ask. I could have a laundry

630
00:34:02,000 --> 00:34:06,400
Speaker 1: list of things and so um. The people that you meet,

631
00:34:07,200 --> 00:34:10,120
Speaker 1: you're the connection. I could just go on. And people

632
00:34:10,360 --> 00:34:15,560
Speaker 1: love basketball globally, they love basketball Um, and I can

633
00:34:15,640 --> 00:34:18,200
Speaker 1: tell you how many doors things have opened just based

634
00:34:18,239 --> 00:34:23,879
Speaker 1: on even grassroots basketball because someone's son or daughter wants

635
00:34:23,920 --> 00:34:26,239
Speaker 1: to be a you know, a basketball player and they're

636
00:34:26,280 --> 00:34:30,160
Speaker 1: in grassroots basketball. I say all that to tell you this, Um,

637
00:34:31,080 --> 00:34:34,880
Speaker 1: you know, and you know, you've you've you've coached, you

638
00:34:34,920 --> 00:34:38,160
Speaker 1: know obviously, UM, you know overseas with with the in

639
00:34:38,239 --> 00:34:40,799
Speaker 1: the Maccabi games, and obviously your dad was a coach.

640
00:34:40,880 --> 00:34:44,080
Speaker 1: And I know you're coaching your son's group now and um,

641
00:34:44,600 --> 00:34:47,520
Speaker 1: but you know, with coaching, and I think your dad

642
00:34:47,560 --> 00:34:49,360
Speaker 1: would agree with this, and I think you'll agree with this,

643
00:34:50,000 --> 00:34:52,920
Speaker 1: as we all know. When you're a coach, when you

644
00:34:53,080 --> 00:34:55,600
Speaker 1: you know, the game is just it gives you so much,

645
00:34:55,680 --> 00:34:59,600
Speaker 1: it's so much joy, but there's no doubt. When you lose,

646
00:35:00,120 --> 00:35:04,360
Speaker 1: it's it hurts. And and only a coach can fully

647
00:35:04,440 --> 00:35:07,040
Speaker 1: understand that. Like you know, sometimes people say, well, it's

648
00:35:07,080 --> 00:35:12,040
Speaker 1: just a game when you are invested emotionally and and

649
00:35:12,520 --> 00:35:16,400
Speaker 1: and when that ball is not fallen and and and

650
00:35:16,480 --> 00:35:19,480
Speaker 1: it's such a maker miss game and it's such a

651
00:35:19,680 --> 00:35:22,640
Speaker 1: fine line. And I've heard Jeff ben Gunn you say

652
00:35:22,680 --> 00:35:25,200
Speaker 1: this before, like good coach, bad coach, really determined that

653
00:35:25,239 --> 00:35:27,960
Speaker 1: the ball going or not. And I see it all

654
00:35:28,040 --> 00:35:31,799
Speaker 1: the time. You've sometimes to be successful. Yes, you've gotta

655
00:35:31,800 --> 00:35:34,640
Speaker 1: have good players and be you know, good tactician in

656
00:35:34,760 --> 00:35:36,960
Speaker 1: some areas and all that good. But you've got to

657
00:35:37,000 --> 00:35:38,880
Speaker 1: be a little lucky along the way. You've got to

658
00:35:38,880 --> 00:35:41,440
Speaker 1: be a little lucky with just your team staying healthy.

659
00:35:41,440 --> 00:35:44,440
Speaker 1: You gotta be lucky that possibly that that the guys

660
00:35:44,520 --> 00:35:47,480
Speaker 1: you recruit are better than maybe that you expected. You've

661
00:35:47,520 --> 00:35:49,680
Speaker 1: got to be lucky along the way that a couple

662
00:35:49,719 --> 00:35:52,160
Speaker 1: of shots go in in a certain game to give

663
00:35:52,160 --> 00:35:55,480
Speaker 1: you some momentum. I mean, it's really a fine line

664
00:35:55,560 --> 00:35:59,160
Speaker 1: of the game in coaching, and is there I don't.

665
00:35:59,239 --> 00:36:02,360
Speaker 1: I mean, it is such a small margin, Doug, you

666
00:36:02,480 --> 00:36:04,879
Speaker 1: know that. I mean, a free throw here, a free

667
00:36:04,920 --> 00:36:08,160
Speaker 1: throw there, a turn over there, a whisk like I

668
00:36:08,320 --> 00:36:11,719
Speaker 1: think college officials like a call here and a call there,

669
00:36:11,840 --> 00:36:14,759
Speaker 1: can change the outcome of the game, not intentionally or not,

670
00:36:14,960 --> 00:36:17,520
Speaker 1: but things can change and and and it can change

671
00:36:17,640 --> 00:36:20,640
Speaker 1: the whole course of a someone's career and our season.

672
00:36:21,200 --> 00:36:25,120
Speaker 1: And it's such a fine line. And so I think

673
00:36:25,160 --> 00:36:28,120
Speaker 1: there's so much joy out of the game of basketball

674
00:36:28,120 --> 00:36:29,960
Speaker 1: and gives us all so much, But I also do

675
00:36:30,200 --> 00:36:34,439
Speaker 1: think on those losses, it's it can wear. It's it's

676
00:36:34,480 --> 00:36:36,560
Speaker 1: not easy when you know, when you're invested into it,

677
00:36:36,680 --> 00:36:40,200
Speaker 1: it's it wears on you. And then secondly it the

678
00:36:40,320 --> 00:36:42,960
Speaker 1: game is when you're a coach, it is such a

679
00:36:43,040 --> 00:36:45,200
Speaker 1: fine line in so many areas. I don't know if

680
00:36:45,200 --> 00:36:47,880
Speaker 1: you would agree with that or not. Oh, I agree

681
00:36:47,920 --> 00:36:52,160
Speaker 1: on every different level there, every level, every level. I mean,

682
00:36:52,200 --> 00:36:54,839
Speaker 1: you know, think about it. When you're you're, you're, you're

683
00:36:54,920 --> 00:36:58,520
Speaker 1: constantly thinking, okay, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're. You

684
00:36:58,640 --> 00:37:00,879
Speaker 1: don't you know at night, you're you wake up you're

685
00:37:00,920 --> 00:37:05,000
Speaker 1: thinking this or thinking that. There is no like you're

686
00:37:05,040 --> 00:37:09,440
Speaker 1: You're never off. There's no off switch. And that's where

687
00:37:09,480 --> 00:37:12,640
Speaker 1: I tell people, like, yeah, it's not you're not a

688
00:37:13,480 --> 00:37:15,920
Speaker 1: you can't And it's not about the money you make

689
00:37:16,080 --> 00:37:18,279
Speaker 1: or anything. It's not anything to do with that. It's

690
00:37:18,320 --> 00:37:23,040
Speaker 1: just that you're never off because you're constantly thinking about

691
00:37:23,280 --> 00:37:25,520
Speaker 1: what do we gotta do to run a program to

692
00:37:25,719 --> 00:37:28,160
Speaker 1: continue to try to be successful with winning. But then

693
00:37:28,160 --> 00:37:29,640
Speaker 1: you've got to get the guys bet. I mean, there's

694
00:37:29,680 --> 00:37:33,400
Speaker 1: just so many things moving and there is no off switch,

695
00:37:33,480 --> 00:37:35,239
Speaker 1: and it doesn't matter if you're off season or not,

696
00:37:35,600 --> 00:37:39,880
Speaker 1: there's you're just if you're on all the time. How

697
00:37:39,960 --> 00:37:42,640
Speaker 1: did you get the Memphis job? Oh? I got the

698
00:37:42,719 --> 00:37:45,480
Speaker 1: Memphis job because I got lucky right place, right time.

699
00:37:45,520 --> 00:37:47,400
Speaker 1: You kid in me. I tell this, tell people all

700
00:37:47,400 --> 00:37:49,880
Speaker 1: the time, and I try to get other jobs. I

701
00:37:49,920 --> 00:37:52,960
Speaker 1: couldn't even get an interview. The only reason I got

702
00:37:53,040 --> 00:37:56,960
Speaker 1: the Memphis job, Doug, was because I was John Caliperry's assistant.

703
00:37:57,040 --> 00:37:58,880
Speaker 1: Thank the good Lord, he gave me the opportunity to

704
00:37:58,880 --> 00:38:02,920
Speaker 1: be as assistant. And because he went to Kentucky and

705
00:38:03,000 --> 00:38:05,719
Speaker 1: in his last four years at Memphis, he was the

706
00:38:05,880 --> 00:38:08,120
Speaker 1: winningest coach in the history of the n C two

707
00:38:08,160 --> 00:38:10,560
Speaker 1: A in a four year time period. Nobody wanted to

708
00:38:10,640 --> 00:38:13,799
Speaker 1: follow him. They try to hire so many coaches, they

709
00:38:13,840 --> 00:38:18,320
Speaker 1: couldn't hire anybody because nobody wanted the job, because nobody

710
00:38:18,360 --> 00:38:21,040
Speaker 1: wanted to follow John Caliparia. I just happened to be

711
00:38:21,160 --> 00:38:25,160
Speaker 1: as assistant. I was there, I was excited, and I

712
00:38:25,280 --> 00:38:27,719
Speaker 1: didn't and ready to go to Kentucky with coach Caliparia.

713
00:38:27,719 --> 00:38:31,440
Speaker 1: I didn't think about the Memphis job. I just so,

714
00:38:31,800 --> 00:38:35,120
Speaker 1: how did so? How did it happened? So? Because and

715
00:38:35,200 --> 00:38:36,840
Speaker 1: you've only been there a year. Was it like you

716
00:38:36,920 --> 00:38:39,400
Speaker 1: were there for the one year, You're only there for

717
00:38:39,480 --> 00:38:42,040
Speaker 1: a year. I was only there a year. Okay, So

718
00:38:42,160 --> 00:38:44,239
Speaker 1: where where were you when you found out first he

719
00:38:44,400 --> 00:38:47,560
Speaker 1: was going to take the Kentucky job. Well, if you

720
00:38:47,680 --> 00:38:50,160
Speaker 1: if you ever look at his his first contract, I'm

721
00:38:50,440 --> 00:38:52,759
Speaker 1: I'm the signed witness on the contract because I was

722
00:38:52,960 --> 00:38:54,880
Speaker 1: at his house like one in the morning signing, you know,

723
00:38:54,960 --> 00:38:57,680
Speaker 1: as his witness to sign the contract. It was incredible

724
00:38:57,719 --> 00:38:59,840
Speaker 1: because the entire time we were all stuck in his

725
00:39:00,040 --> 00:39:03,520
Speaker 1: house because there's helicopters in Memphis flying over his house.

726
00:39:03,600 --> 00:39:06,600
Speaker 1: That's how crazy basketball is in Memphis. There's nothing like it,

727
00:39:06,960 --> 00:39:09,400
Speaker 1: because they were trying it from the news stations to

728
00:39:09,520 --> 00:39:12,160
Speaker 1: trying to find you know, usually in helicopters hovering over

729
00:39:12,239 --> 00:39:16,960
Speaker 1: someone's house, it's a hostage negotiations. Not not a coach.

730
00:39:18,520 --> 00:39:20,960
Speaker 1: It's it's not going whether you're going to Kentucky, you're

731
00:39:20,960 --> 00:39:23,160
Speaker 1: staying at Memphis for a basketball coach. But that's how

732
00:39:23,239 --> 00:39:26,120
Speaker 1: intense it was. And so we were holed up in

733
00:39:26,200 --> 00:39:28,880
Speaker 1: his house when he said he was officially going, Um,

734
00:39:29,360 --> 00:39:31,239
Speaker 1: you know, I ended up having I stayed there util

735
00:39:31,280 --> 00:39:33,880
Speaker 1: really late until the you know what you know, like

736
00:39:33,960 --> 00:39:35,640
Speaker 1: I said one something in the morning to signed, to

737
00:39:35,719 --> 00:39:38,040
Speaker 1: be the witness of the signing of the contract. And

738
00:39:38,400 --> 00:39:40,400
Speaker 1: uh but I say all that to say I was excited.

739
00:39:40,440 --> 00:39:42,560
Speaker 1: It was over like a seven day. They couldn't hire anyone.

740
00:39:42,640 --> 00:39:45,480
Speaker 1: I didn't even talk to the AD minute. I wasn't

741
00:39:45,760 --> 00:39:49,759
Speaker 1: there was no interview. I was. I was gone. I

742
00:39:49,920 --> 00:39:52,560
Speaker 1: just happened to get a call in the last like say, hey, man,

743
00:39:52,600 --> 00:39:54,600
Speaker 1: I the athletic director time you said he needed to

744
00:39:54,640 --> 00:39:57,719
Speaker 1: see me. We had a great recruiting class coming in

745
00:39:58,239 --> 00:40:01,960
Speaker 1: John Wall, DeMarcus Cousin, z Eric bled so Zavia, Henry

746
00:40:02,239 --> 00:40:06,759
Speaker 1: and we had all these guys just and at some

747
00:40:06,920 --> 00:40:09,520
Speaker 1: point and so I thought they hired their head coach

748
00:40:09,600 --> 00:40:11,200
Speaker 1: and they were gonna ask me to stay on as

749
00:40:11,239 --> 00:40:13,239
Speaker 1: like the associated coach, trying to try to keep some

750
00:40:13,320 --> 00:40:15,399
Speaker 1: of the recruits. And I knew you're gonna be able

751
00:40:15,440 --> 00:40:16,880
Speaker 1: to do that because all these guys are coming to

752
00:40:16,920 --> 00:40:20,239
Speaker 1: play for Calipari. And you know, that's what the sell

753
00:40:20,400 --> 00:40:23,160
Speaker 1: was Coach cal And so when I'm going to see

754
00:40:23,200 --> 00:40:25,600
Speaker 1: the A D, the A D was like you know,

755
00:40:26,480 --> 00:40:28,520
Speaker 1: and he just literally just handed me the job. Just

756
00:40:28,680 --> 00:40:31,000
Speaker 1: he just said just take it, like because there was no.

757
00:40:31,560 --> 00:40:35,239
Speaker 1: There was no talk of philosophy. He just in to

758
00:40:35,360 --> 00:40:38,240
Speaker 1: not make a long story a short story. He literally

759
00:40:38,280 --> 00:40:40,680
Speaker 1: just said do you want the job? Initially I said

760
00:40:40,719 --> 00:40:42,640
Speaker 1: no because I thought he was offered. When he said

761
00:40:42,640 --> 00:40:44,080
Speaker 1: you want the job, I thought he meant to say,

762
00:40:44,320 --> 00:40:45,920
Speaker 1: I want to be the associate. That's what That's what

763
00:40:46,000 --> 00:40:47,919
Speaker 1: I thought. I want to be the assistant to stay

764
00:40:48,000 --> 00:40:50,279
Speaker 1: with the next coach. Then when he told me he

765
00:40:50,320 --> 00:40:53,920
Speaker 1: was gonna be the head coach, you know, and um

766
00:40:54,320 --> 00:40:56,600
Speaker 1: and and that's that. Literally, it's how I got job.

767
00:40:56,719 --> 00:40:59,319
Speaker 1: I've told this to so many people there. I could

768
00:40:59,360 --> 00:41:01,680
Speaker 1: list a million and people that were more deserving of

769
00:41:01,840 --> 00:41:03,759
Speaker 1: me to be the coach at Memphis. And I was.

770
00:41:03,840 --> 00:41:06,280
Speaker 1: I wasn't deserved to be the head coach at Memphis.

771
00:41:06,760 --> 00:41:10,760
Speaker 1: But Doug, in life, opportunities come at just different times.

772
00:41:10,920 --> 00:41:13,840
Speaker 1: Doors open when you kind of least expected. It was

773
00:41:13,960 --> 00:41:17,240
Speaker 1: just a door open and then and and and I again,

774
00:41:17,360 --> 00:41:19,719
Speaker 1: I'm the first to say I didn't. I didn't earn

775
00:41:19,840 --> 00:41:23,200
Speaker 1: that job. Coaches were so much better and more deserving

776
00:41:23,239 --> 00:41:25,040
Speaker 1: than me to be the head coach at Memphis. I

777
00:41:25,200 --> 00:41:29,640
Speaker 1: understand I skipped a lot of steps, but however, I

778
00:41:30,160 --> 00:41:32,719
Speaker 1: that door open and then it's in life. It's on

779
00:41:32,840 --> 00:41:35,920
Speaker 1: you to take advantage of that opportunity. And I was

780
00:41:36,000 --> 00:41:37,960
Speaker 1: there for seven years, and that seven years at the

781
00:41:38,040 --> 00:41:40,040
Speaker 1: head coach allowed me to become the head coach in

782
00:41:40,080 --> 00:41:43,920
Speaker 1: the a c C at Georgia Tech. Okay, I have

783
00:41:44,320 --> 00:41:46,200
Speaker 1: two more for this. This is part one. You're going

784
00:41:46,280 --> 00:41:49,480
Speaker 1: to do a part two whether you like it or not. Okay,

785
00:41:49,760 --> 00:41:55,640
Speaker 1: So here's the first thing. Um, what's the magic to Caliperi?

786
00:41:56,320 --> 00:42:00,239
Speaker 1: What's the Because I think I do think he's a

787
00:42:00,760 --> 00:42:06,000
Speaker 1: much better than perception coach, the excellent basketball coach, but

788
00:42:06,200 --> 00:42:09,080
Speaker 1: there is something to his personality which has allowed him

789
00:42:09,680 --> 00:42:14,279
Speaker 1: to be a great recruiter. You've lived it, you felt it? Um,

790
00:42:14,800 --> 00:42:17,600
Speaker 1: what is it? What? What? What is the what's the secret? Sauce?

791
00:42:17,680 --> 00:42:20,239
Speaker 1: If you are yeah, no, you're you're you're spot on,

792
00:42:20,480 --> 00:42:24,560
Speaker 1: Doug Number one is um. Um. He's a very very

793
00:42:24,600 --> 00:42:27,680
Speaker 1: good basketball coach and and people always talk about his recruiting,

794
00:42:27,920 --> 00:42:30,200
Speaker 1: obviously because he's getting great, but he is a very

795
00:42:30,360 --> 00:42:32,960
Speaker 1: very good basketball coach, very very good. You don't win

796
00:42:34,040 --> 00:42:36,480
Speaker 1: the amount of wins that he does has had in

797
00:42:36,560 --> 00:42:39,239
Speaker 1: the level that he's won at without being a I

798
00:42:39,280 --> 00:42:41,359
Speaker 1: don't care if you have great players because it's it's

799
00:42:41,360 --> 00:42:44,560
Speaker 1: also it's also challenging because you know he and I

800
00:42:44,800 --> 00:42:46,960
Speaker 1: and this might have been it might have been, yes,

801
00:42:47,040 --> 00:42:48,719
Speaker 1: it might have been the last year there, or might

802
00:42:48,760 --> 00:42:50,799
Speaker 1: have been a couple of years before. He got mad

803
00:42:50,840 --> 00:42:54,120
Speaker 1: at me because at the start of the season, I said, well,

804
00:42:54,120 --> 00:42:56,360
Speaker 1: that's how you beat Memphis. You gotta slow him, you

805
00:42:56,400 --> 00:42:57,839
Speaker 1: gotta put him in the half court, make him think.

806
00:42:58,080 --> 00:43:00,560
Speaker 1: So he calls my boss and says, that's a comment.

807
00:43:00,640 --> 00:43:02,480
Speaker 1: I was like, what, So then he calls me like,

808
00:43:02,560 --> 00:43:05,160
Speaker 1: Here's what I like about John is is he will

809
00:43:05,239 --> 00:43:06,719
Speaker 1: just call you like he doesn't just go through a

810
00:43:06,760 --> 00:43:09,600
Speaker 1: bunch of layers and and some of these guys you

811
00:43:09,680 --> 00:43:12,120
Speaker 1: know you, they don't like you, and they tell they

812
00:43:12,560 --> 00:43:15,799
Speaker 1: your bosses to not use you, but they'll to your

813
00:43:15,840 --> 00:43:17,680
Speaker 1: face they'll be the greatest. Whereas John was just like, look,

814
00:43:17,719 --> 00:43:20,000
Speaker 1: you can't say that. And I was like, wise like,

815
00:43:20,040 --> 00:43:22,440
Speaker 1: because you're saying, make them think I have an all

816
00:43:22,520 --> 00:43:25,200
Speaker 1: black team, you're saying my kids because they're black, they

817
00:43:25,239 --> 00:43:28,319
Speaker 1: can't think. It's like John, that's that's bullshit. I was like, Look,

818
00:43:29,040 --> 00:43:30,799
Speaker 1: I was like, are they easier or harder to coach

819
00:43:30,800 --> 00:43:32,439
Speaker 1: because they're younger. He's like harder. I was like, yeah,

820
00:43:32,440 --> 00:43:36,279
Speaker 1: because they haven't seen multiple defenses. They haven't seen you know,

821
00:43:36,400 --> 00:43:39,840
Speaker 1: all the different ball screen coverages. They they haven't seen it.

822
00:43:40,000 --> 00:43:42,040
Speaker 1: The game hasn't slowed down for him yet. So you

823
00:43:42,080 --> 00:43:43,600
Speaker 1: put some in the half court and you make them

824
00:43:43,760 --> 00:43:46,000
Speaker 1: have to read the situation instead of just out there hooping.

825
00:43:46,560 --> 00:43:49,080
Speaker 1: It's like, self, scout, John, how would you play? He's like, well,

826
00:43:49,120 --> 00:43:50,879
Speaker 1: I play. So I was like, well, no, ship That's

827
00:43:50,920 --> 00:43:53,640
Speaker 1: all I said. So he was like I understand. He's like,

828
00:43:53,680 --> 00:43:55,719
Speaker 1: you just gotta be very cautious about what you say

829
00:43:56,239 --> 00:43:58,520
Speaker 1: because he could be perceived. It's like John Warren as

830
00:43:58,520 --> 00:44:01,239
Speaker 1: sport where seventy five percent of players are black, like

831
00:44:01,960 --> 00:44:04,640
Speaker 1: any comment could be construed as racist if you want

832
00:44:04,680 --> 00:44:06,359
Speaker 1: to go. He's like, so, we had a good back

833
00:44:06,400 --> 00:44:11,319
Speaker 1: and forth about it, but I I actually think that, yes,

834
00:44:11,640 --> 00:44:13,880
Speaker 1: if you give me Anthony Davis, and you give me

835
00:44:14,040 --> 00:44:17,759
Speaker 1: Eric Bledsoe, and you give me you know. But they

836
00:44:17,800 --> 00:44:21,040
Speaker 1: all come in with agendas, as you know, right, and

837
00:44:21,160 --> 00:44:23,680
Speaker 1: they all come in thinking they're great players. When they're

838
00:44:23,719 --> 00:44:26,880
Speaker 1: great high school players, they're not great college players. And

839
00:44:27,000 --> 00:44:29,080
Speaker 1: in a short period of time, you've got to make

840
00:44:29,200 --> 00:44:32,760
Speaker 1: them into a a great college player and a better teammate.

841
00:44:33,120 --> 00:44:36,920
Speaker 1: That's actually harder on some levels then coaches that recruit

842
00:44:37,040 --> 00:44:39,560
Speaker 1: inferior players but in the past have had them for

843
00:44:39,719 --> 00:44:43,160
Speaker 1: three or four years. Well, no, Doug. Look, I mean, yes,

844
00:44:43,280 --> 00:44:45,520
Speaker 1: you gotta have good talent. He's had great players. And

845
00:44:45,600 --> 00:44:47,680
Speaker 1: and look, part of your job is to get great

846
00:44:47,680 --> 00:44:50,719
Speaker 1: players as part of the that's there's nothing there's nothing

847
00:44:50,760 --> 00:44:53,080
Speaker 1: to be wrong. There's nothing wrong with that if getting

848
00:44:53,200 --> 00:44:54,759
Speaker 1: the best players. I mean, we all want to get

849
00:44:54,800 --> 00:44:57,359
Speaker 1: the best players. But he is a great coach, there's

850
00:44:57,400 --> 00:45:00,560
Speaker 1: no denying that. And then secondly with that, he's he's

851
00:45:00,560 --> 00:45:04,680
Speaker 1: a master. And I say that if he wasn't a coach,

852
00:45:04,800 --> 00:45:07,840
Speaker 1: pretend like he wasn't a coach, and he ran a business,

853
00:45:07,920 --> 00:45:10,480
Speaker 1: he ran a pizza shop, he would be a multi

854
00:45:10,640 --> 00:45:14,760
Speaker 1: multimillionaire being the owner of the pizza shot. His vision

855
00:45:14,880 --> 00:45:20,480
Speaker 1: in business and marketing is just off the chain. And like,

856
00:45:20,719 --> 00:45:23,040
Speaker 1: I mean, I can't say how many times in recruiting

857
00:45:23,560 --> 00:45:25,800
Speaker 1: we'd be going somewhere and he would say, Man, you

858
00:45:25,880 --> 00:45:28,439
Speaker 1: see that corner spot there, Josh, that place isn't gonna

859
00:45:28,480 --> 00:45:30,560
Speaker 1: make it. But then we take a left. You see

860
00:45:30,600 --> 00:45:33,920
Speaker 1: that corner spot there. If we started, uh, like a

861
00:45:34,719 --> 00:45:37,799
Speaker 1: business in there, put a restaurant there, a pizza place there,

862
00:45:38,080 --> 00:45:40,520
Speaker 1: would it would just go his a vision to see

863
00:45:40,760 --> 00:45:43,160
Speaker 1: and he'd be thinking about He'd be literally seeing things

864
00:45:43,239 --> 00:45:47,080
Speaker 1: around the corner before they happened. And he's got an

865
00:45:47,080 --> 00:45:50,920
Speaker 1: incredible work ethic. Like he's I mean his energy and

866
00:45:50,960 --> 00:45:55,640
Speaker 1: I've told him this before. Um, like I'm a high

867
00:45:55,719 --> 00:45:57,840
Speaker 1: energy guy, Doug, like I I can go, but he

868
00:45:58,280 --> 00:46:02,879
Speaker 1: he is a guy that can be practicing, you know, work, work,

869
00:46:02,960 --> 00:46:06,320
Speaker 1: the players out, you know, go to a function, go

870
00:46:06,480 --> 00:46:09,719
Speaker 1: out recruiting. Then on the way back writing his book,

871
00:46:09,880 --> 00:46:11,879
Speaker 1: you know, you know, writing chapters four. I mean it's

872
00:46:11,920 --> 00:46:17,200
Speaker 1: just it's seven, you know, like you find this, this

873
00:46:17,320 --> 00:46:21,879
Speaker 1: is what you'll find. Um, they're they're all like that. Yeah,

874
00:46:22,120 --> 00:46:24,960
Speaker 1: Like like if you go and you're you know, you

875
00:46:25,080 --> 00:46:29,680
Speaker 1: go backstage with a really successful artist, their their their

876
00:46:29,800 --> 00:46:32,880
Speaker 1: ability to dial up the energy when they get on

877
00:46:33,040 --> 00:46:38,200
Speaker 1: stage is unmatched. You know, Like I met like Kenny

878
00:46:38,280 --> 00:46:41,840
Speaker 1: Chesney and Derris Rucker. Like dudes are tired, Like Darius

879
00:46:41,840 --> 00:46:43,800
Speaker 1: will go and play thirty six holes of golf. He

880
00:46:43,880 --> 00:46:45,759
Speaker 1: has to do a meet and greet. He's traveled all

881
00:46:45,840 --> 00:46:47,719
Speaker 1: over the place, blah blah blah blah blah, and then

882
00:46:47,719 --> 00:46:49,080
Speaker 1: all of a sudden, like you gotta go on stage

883
00:46:49,239 --> 00:46:51,560
Speaker 1: and and he can just hit the switch and he's

884
00:46:51,600 --> 00:46:54,759
Speaker 1: got the energy. Right then, No, I was gonna say,

885
00:46:54,800 --> 00:46:57,760
Speaker 1: you're it's it's it's all. It's anyone in any profession

886
00:46:57,840 --> 00:47:00,920
Speaker 1: that's at the top of their profession. You're right. It

887
00:47:00,960 --> 00:47:03,560
Speaker 1: doesn't matter if you're a music in the music industry

888
00:47:03,640 --> 00:47:08,279
Speaker 1: and entertainer, a coach, an athlete, all those people men,

889
00:47:08,640 --> 00:47:11,280
Speaker 1: men or women who are at the high level. There's

890
00:47:11,320 --> 00:47:14,040
Speaker 1: just something about that of innate ability to to to

891
00:47:14,560 --> 00:47:17,279
Speaker 1: you know, they just they have a real they have

892
00:47:17,360 --> 00:47:20,440
Speaker 1: a real drive. You know. It's just it's like an

893
00:47:20,480 --> 00:47:23,440
Speaker 1: extra it's like an extra gas tank. That that that

894
00:47:23,640 --> 00:47:27,080
Speaker 1: regular people. That's not for everybody. That's not for everybody. No, no,

895
00:47:27,239 --> 00:47:30,799
Speaker 1: it's it's not. Um okay, last one for part one,

896
00:47:31,840 --> 00:47:35,839
Speaker 1: you get the Memphis job. You mentioned Xavier Henry, Well,

897
00:47:36,360 --> 00:47:40,400
Speaker 1: he went to Kansas where his mom went, uh we

898
00:47:40,600 --> 00:47:43,800
Speaker 1: know where John wall and bled So went, and the

899
00:47:43,880 --> 00:47:48,799
Speaker 1: Markets cousins and Marcus cousins, right, so he took them

900
00:47:48,840 --> 00:47:52,000
Speaker 1: all with him. What is that like to I finally

901
00:47:52,080 --> 00:47:56,160
Speaker 1: get a job and it's a great job. Now you've

902
00:47:56,160 --> 00:47:59,200
Speaker 1: got to follow a guy who's been incredible, right, and

903
00:47:59,280 --> 00:48:01,800
Speaker 1: we know what happened that U mass trying to follow

904
00:48:01,880 --> 00:48:04,000
Speaker 1: him And it was hard at Memphis, and I'm sure

905
00:48:04,040 --> 00:48:06,399
Speaker 1: when he leaves Kentucky it'll be hard there as well.

906
00:48:07,320 --> 00:48:10,120
Speaker 1: What is that like to be the head coach at

907
00:48:10,200 --> 00:48:13,759
Speaker 1: Memphis and you're trying to put together your first roster

908
00:48:13,880 --> 00:48:16,399
Speaker 1: and this before the transfer portal and you're just kind

909
00:48:16,440 --> 00:48:18,719
Speaker 1: of patching holes there? What was that like for you?

910
00:48:20,040 --> 00:48:22,160
Speaker 1: You know, Doug One, You're right, Zadia Henry left. I

911
00:48:22,360 --> 00:48:24,319
Speaker 1: begged his brother to I just needed to fill out

912
00:48:24,320 --> 00:48:26,840
Speaker 1: a roster. I begged his brother, C J. Henry, a

913
00:48:26,920 --> 00:48:29,320
Speaker 1: baseball player who was drafted by the Yankees, will you

914
00:48:29,400 --> 00:48:31,799
Speaker 1: stay on and play? I was begging him. He ended

915
00:48:31,840 --> 00:48:33,960
Speaker 1: up not staying him, but I was begging. I was.

916
00:48:35,360 --> 00:48:38,440
Speaker 1: I had I said on an email to to like different, Hey,

917
00:48:38,480 --> 00:48:41,000
Speaker 1: anyone got available players like I got this. I got

918
00:48:41,600 --> 00:48:45,399
Speaker 1: this one guy from from Austin, Texas. UM, thank god

919
00:48:45,440 --> 00:48:46,879
Speaker 1: he sent me that. He told me about this kid.

920
00:48:46,920 --> 00:48:49,520
Speaker 1: It was just he had some like Division three offers

921
00:48:49,560 --> 00:48:52,360
Speaker 1: and Division two. I just took the kids sight unseen.

922
00:48:52,760 --> 00:48:54,640
Speaker 1: He said he was a nice athlete. I took him

923
00:48:54,640 --> 00:48:57,680
Speaker 1: sight on seen end up being his name is DJ Stephens,

924
00:48:57,719 --> 00:49:00,480
Speaker 1: you know, being a unbelievable four year play or for me,

925
00:49:01,040 --> 00:49:03,560
Speaker 1: you know, and he's he and he's and he's gotten

926
00:49:03,600 --> 00:49:06,120
Speaker 1: some work in the NBA as well too. And um

927
00:49:06,400 --> 00:49:09,399
Speaker 1: so it was and looked and you never saw him play.

928
00:49:09,680 --> 00:49:11,400
Speaker 1: I never saw him play, just took him on a

929
00:49:11,440 --> 00:49:14,200
Speaker 1: base on the email. I didn't have any wed who

930
00:49:14,280 --> 00:49:18,759
Speaker 1: emailed you he uh Max there, coach Max from the

931
00:49:18,880 --> 00:49:22,759
Speaker 1: D one Ambassadors AU team down in Texas. Because I

932
00:49:22,920 --> 00:49:25,600
Speaker 1: was just looking out. We didn't have enough to play.

933
00:49:26,160 --> 00:49:28,840
Speaker 1: And so let me just say this, most of the

934
00:49:28,960 --> 00:49:32,480
Speaker 1: guys that were the entire recruiting class went to went

935
00:49:32,560 --> 00:49:36,000
Speaker 1: to Kentucky I And I wasn't mad about that, like

936
00:49:36,120 --> 00:49:38,880
Speaker 1: I was. People are like, aren't you, I says no.

937
00:49:39,480 --> 00:49:42,600
Speaker 1: The entire time, Like when when I was involved recruiting

938
00:49:43,239 --> 00:49:46,239
Speaker 1: with those guys, I was all I talked about. I

939
00:49:46,280 --> 00:49:48,600
Speaker 1: was playing for John Calipari and that it was the

940
00:49:48,680 --> 00:49:51,120
Speaker 1: greatest thing to play for him, Come play for him.

941
00:49:51,400 --> 00:49:53,320
Speaker 1: I couldn't all of a sudden in the last minute

942
00:49:53,880 --> 00:49:56,640
Speaker 1: for for a whole year recruiting that way, and then

943
00:49:56,680 --> 00:49:58,960
Speaker 1: in the last minute try and tell Zavi Henry or

944
00:49:59,480 --> 00:50:01,800
Speaker 1: John wa hey, come play for me. Now you know

945
00:50:01,840 --> 00:50:04,880
Speaker 1: what I mean? Everything I said this disregard that it

946
00:50:05,040 --> 00:50:08,200
Speaker 1: was not happening. I knew it so um Like, I

947
00:50:08,360 --> 00:50:10,239
Speaker 1: wasn't mad and I it was just we just kind

948
00:50:10,239 --> 00:50:11,319
Speaker 1: of and I just say, if you want to come

949
00:50:11,360 --> 00:50:13,560
Speaker 1: to Memphis, come But I get it, like, man, I

950
00:50:13,640 --> 00:50:15,400
Speaker 1: get if you're gonna go play with coach cal like

951
00:50:16,040 --> 00:50:19,520
Speaker 1: see you, you know. And so the reality of it

952
00:50:19,680 --> 00:50:22,920
Speaker 1: was we had some um, we had some returning guys

953
00:50:23,000 --> 00:50:26,520
Speaker 1: that were older, um that we're seniors. And I always

954
00:50:26,600 --> 00:50:29,920
Speaker 1: tell people this, when you take over a job, the

955
00:50:30,120 --> 00:50:33,160
Speaker 1: first year is not the hardest because you usually have

956
00:50:33,560 --> 00:50:37,759
Speaker 1: some seniors left over from the previous coach. It's the

957
00:50:37,880 --> 00:50:40,480
Speaker 1: second year when it's the hardest because that's when you're

958
00:50:40,520 --> 00:50:44,600
Speaker 1: starting kind of from the bottom, starting over. You you're young,

959
00:50:44,760 --> 00:50:47,040
Speaker 1: you have your first recruiting class in, you have a

960
00:50:47,080 --> 00:50:50,759
Speaker 1: bunch of freshmen, and that's usually the hardest part when

961
00:50:50,760 --> 00:50:53,239
Speaker 1: you take over job is the second year. For me though,

962
00:50:53,280 --> 00:50:56,759
Speaker 1: Doug here am taking over Memphis at thirty one in

963
00:50:57,080 --> 00:51:02,120
Speaker 1: in that following John Calipari. That environment, we're in a

964
00:51:02,239 --> 00:51:06,839
Speaker 1: fifty mile radius, there's nothing bigger than than than than

965
00:51:07,160 --> 00:51:11,800
Speaker 1: than Memphis basketball, you know, and and everyone thought I

966
00:51:11,800 --> 00:51:13,520
Speaker 1: would you know who I mean, most people think you're

967
00:51:13,520 --> 00:51:15,359
Speaker 1: probably gonna last a year or two. I mean, I mean,

968
00:51:15,440 --> 00:51:18,960
Speaker 1: it's a monster job. I'm telling you that thing is

969
00:51:19,040 --> 00:51:22,120
Speaker 1: a monster job. And following him, I used to tell

970
00:51:22,160 --> 00:51:24,600
Speaker 1: people the guy that follows Calipery, you gotta be you

971
00:51:24,680 --> 00:51:27,279
Speaker 1: gotta be crazy, like you gotta be crazy to follow

972
00:51:27,360 --> 00:51:29,960
Speaker 1: this guy. I ended up being a crazy guy because

973
00:51:29,960 --> 00:51:32,640
Speaker 1: I was just at the right place, right time. How

974
00:51:32,680 --> 00:51:35,919
Speaker 1: did you put together your staff? You know? I mean, look,

975
00:51:36,200 --> 00:51:38,840
Speaker 1: I you know, and I was a first time head coach,

976
00:51:39,960 --> 00:51:42,759
Speaker 1: and um, you know, I took my time on on

977
00:51:43,040 --> 00:51:47,000
Speaker 1: on hiring, but I you know, I hired three guys,

978
00:51:47,680 --> 00:51:50,759
Speaker 1: three assistants at the time that I knew, uh, just

979
00:51:50,920 --> 00:51:53,040
Speaker 1: through through the game of basketball. And they all did

980
00:51:53,120 --> 00:51:54,960
Speaker 1: a good job for me. And they've all you know,

981
00:51:55,560 --> 00:51:57,880
Speaker 1: Um like I hired Jack Murphy, who I who was

982
00:51:57,960 --> 00:52:00,600
Speaker 1: with me when I was at Arizona. UM. I hired

983
00:52:00,600 --> 00:52:02,879
Speaker 1: Glenn Siffrian who I knew, who I knew sit through

984
00:52:03,000 --> 00:52:06,600
Speaker 1: through the business. Um and then I and then Willis Wilson,

985
00:52:07,760 --> 00:52:09,120
Speaker 1: who I knew from a long I used to go

986
00:52:09,200 --> 00:52:12,680
Speaker 1: to his camps back in the day, and um, so

987
00:52:12,840 --> 00:52:15,080
Speaker 1: I hired all I hired three guys, and then I

988
00:52:15,200 --> 00:52:18,920
Speaker 1: hired Eric Sebastian who's now with the Washington Wizards as

989
00:52:19,000 --> 00:52:21,279
Speaker 1: my ops. And he was and he was with me

990
00:52:21,360 --> 00:52:24,960
Speaker 1: all seven years at at at at Memphis, so you know,

991
00:52:25,360 --> 00:52:27,279
Speaker 1: and then and then throughout there, I've I lost guys

992
00:52:27,320 --> 00:52:30,080
Speaker 1: the head coaching jobs. Jack Murphy had got a head

993
00:52:30,120 --> 00:52:32,880
Speaker 1: coaching job, Sip ended up getting another great opportunity as

994
00:52:32,880 --> 00:52:36,279
Speaker 1: an assistant at Texas A and m Willis Wilson got

995
00:52:36,600 --> 00:52:38,360
Speaker 1: U became a head coach again. So I had to

996
00:52:38,440 --> 00:52:41,520
Speaker 1: keep hiring guys. And that's where I hired Damon Stottomeyer

997
00:52:41,760 --> 00:52:44,600
Speaker 1: and I hired Jason Gardner, two guys that you know

998
00:52:44,680 --> 00:52:47,799
Speaker 1: from Arizona. They both end up getting head job head

999
00:52:47,840 --> 00:52:51,080
Speaker 1: coaching jobs. I you know, I hired a bunch of

1000
00:52:51,200 --> 00:52:54,120
Speaker 1: guys throughout. Luke Walton was worked for me for a

1001
00:52:54,200 --> 00:52:57,560
Speaker 1: short period of time during the lockout, so um I

1002
00:52:57,640 --> 00:53:00,640
Speaker 1: had you know, Acki Collins, who's now opposite in that

1003
00:53:00,760 --> 00:53:03,600
Speaker 1: Penn State. And you know what, you know, what's interesting

1004
00:53:03,680 --> 00:53:08,360
Speaker 1: about Damon obviously Jason lost his gig, and Luke is

1005
00:53:09,120 --> 00:53:12,400
Speaker 1: Luke and Damon especially, they made a lot of money, right,

1006
00:53:12,600 --> 00:53:15,480
Speaker 1: and the fear with those guys is always like do

1007
00:53:15,600 --> 00:53:17,800
Speaker 1: you really want to do this or do you just

1008
00:53:18,560 --> 00:53:20,960
Speaker 1: want to collect the check and have insurance picked up

1009
00:53:21,000 --> 00:53:24,040
Speaker 1: and be a part of a team. Um, how did

1010
00:53:24,160 --> 00:53:26,080
Speaker 1: you know that they really wanted to do it? Well,

1011
00:53:26,160 --> 00:53:30,040
Speaker 1: you know, for Luke, Luke Walton, um, you know, I

1012
00:53:30,120 --> 00:53:32,760
Speaker 1: think the experience he had with me in college probably

1013
00:53:33,400 --> 00:53:35,200
Speaker 1: showed him saying, I don't probably don't want to be

1014
00:53:35,320 --> 00:53:37,000
Speaker 1: a college coach, you know. I mean a lot of

1015
00:53:37,840 --> 00:53:39,840
Speaker 1: it was during the lockout, during the lockout, but but

1016
00:53:39,960 --> 00:53:41,960
Speaker 1: but I had him involved in recruiting and he was

1017
00:53:42,120 --> 00:53:45,680
Speaker 1: great with the players, but he did not enjoy recruiting.

1018
00:53:45,719 --> 00:53:47,520
Speaker 1: And he was a good recruiter people. He was good

1019
00:53:47,560 --> 00:53:50,120
Speaker 1: because he's good with people. But I don't he it

1020
00:53:50,320 --> 00:53:52,960
Speaker 1: wasn't being on the phone all the time and and

1021
00:53:53,160 --> 00:53:55,200
Speaker 1: and going through all that that that wasn't something that

1022
00:53:55,400 --> 00:53:58,120
Speaker 1: that that was a passion for him. But but but

1023
00:53:58,239 --> 00:54:00,279
Speaker 1: he's a very good coach. I think from that time

1024
00:54:00,360 --> 00:54:02,120
Speaker 1: here and I don't want to speak for Luke, but

1025
00:54:02,160 --> 00:54:04,600
Speaker 1: I think he felt, hey, I've been through that experience.

1026
00:54:04,680 --> 00:54:08,360
Speaker 1: I love the NBA and Um, and we're Damon who's

1027
00:54:08,400 --> 00:54:10,359
Speaker 1: done it, and Luke's done it. I thought it. Luke

1028
00:54:10,360 --> 00:54:12,520
Speaker 1: did a great job with the Lakers. He's done a

1029
00:54:12,640 --> 00:54:16,000
Speaker 1: great job with the Kings. I mean, the Kings are young,

1030
00:54:16,160 --> 00:54:17,680
Speaker 1: and those guys are going to continue to get better.

1031
00:54:17,719 --> 00:54:20,680
Speaker 1: And I know the future is bright with Sacramento. I'm

1032
00:54:20,760 --> 00:54:23,600
Speaker 1: so happy that UH because I think Sacramento is gonna

1033
00:54:23,600 --> 00:54:26,600
Speaker 1: be a playoff team in the UH in the twenty

1034
00:54:26,640 --> 00:54:29,759
Speaker 1: two season. And then Damon Stottemeyer has done just an

1035
00:54:29,840 --> 00:54:33,880
Speaker 1: incredible job at Pacific. I mean just awesome job. I

1036
00:54:33,960 --> 00:54:38,440
Speaker 1: mean taking something over literally at at Yeah, I mean

1037
00:54:38,600 --> 00:54:42,799
Speaker 1: starting over at zero, and how he's built that program

1038
00:54:42,920 --> 00:54:44,719
Speaker 1: and what he's done. He's been coach of the Year

1039
00:54:44,760 --> 00:54:47,880
Speaker 1: in the league. And so yes, both Luke Walton and

1040
00:54:48,040 --> 00:54:50,359
Speaker 1: Damon Stottemeyer made a lot of money. They don't need

1041
00:54:50,440 --> 00:54:54,000
Speaker 1: the coaching jobs, but they love coaching. They're great coaches.

1042
00:54:54,040 --> 00:54:57,080
Speaker 1: They're they're they're great with people, and they both are

1043
00:54:57,239 --> 00:55:00,839
Speaker 1: very good people. And so to see both are successes

1044
00:55:00,920 --> 00:55:05,600
Speaker 1: and um, you know, heck, Damon stotdomy Or should get

1045
00:55:05,600 --> 00:55:09,640
Speaker 1: the Trailblazers job. I mean, I don't see why I

1046
00:55:09,680 --> 00:55:12,080
Speaker 1: don't see why Portland doesn't hire. I think Damon is

1047
00:55:12,080 --> 00:55:15,440
Speaker 1: a really good coach and and and he's played in

1048
00:55:15,560 --> 00:55:19,560
Speaker 1: Portland's he knows the NBA. The players love him, you know,

1049
00:55:19,840 --> 00:55:21,719
Speaker 1: and I think he'd be a great And I'm not again,

1050
00:55:21,760 --> 00:55:24,279
Speaker 1: I'm not speaking for Dame and I just think he'd

1051
00:55:24,280 --> 00:55:26,680
Speaker 1: be a great hire for the Trailblazers. All right, So

1052
00:55:26,800 --> 00:55:29,800
Speaker 1: here's our need for part two. Okay, I need we

1053
00:55:29,960 --> 00:55:35,520
Speaker 1: need to discuss your Memphis Georgia Tech the best recruiting stories,

1054
00:55:35,520 --> 00:55:38,279
Speaker 1: including a point guard last year. I love the hair

1055
00:55:38,600 --> 00:55:40,719
Speaker 1: in the future. Okay, So you've got a little time

1056
00:55:40,760 --> 00:55:43,800
Speaker 1: to prep for it and and we'll we'll do it.

1057
00:55:44,200 --> 00:55:46,800
Speaker 1: I really appreciate your time. You've been more than generous.

1058
00:55:47,760 --> 00:55:50,400
Speaker 1: And thanks so much, Doug. I really appreciate it. You know.

1059
00:55:50,480 --> 00:55:53,440
Speaker 1: I think about you and your family and and um,

1060
00:55:53,560 --> 00:55:56,600
Speaker 1: I'm always always happy and I and I always said this,

1061
00:55:57,360 --> 00:55:59,040
Speaker 1: and and you have a great gig at what you do,

1062
00:55:59,120 --> 00:56:01,160
Speaker 1: and you're very good at what you do. I think

1063
00:56:01,200 --> 00:56:03,880
Speaker 1: you'd be a good coach if you ever, I mean

1064
00:56:04,040 --> 00:56:06,359
Speaker 1: you are you know basketball, Whether you never really wanted

1065
00:56:06,400 --> 00:56:08,399
Speaker 1: to get into coaching, you and I've had some conversations

1066
00:56:08,440 --> 00:56:10,520
Speaker 1: offline about you wanted to be a coach or not. Again,

1067
00:56:10,560 --> 00:56:13,320
Speaker 1: I don't want to speak for you, but I do

1068
00:56:13,520 --> 00:56:15,680
Speaker 1: know your love and passion for the game, and I

1069
00:56:15,760 --> 00:56:18,960
Speaker 1: think you'd be a great coach if you ever decided

1070
00:56:18,960 --> 00:56:21,360
Speaker 1: and want to go into that avenue. I appreciate you

1071
00:56:21,520 --> 00:56:23,800
Speaker 1: never wanted to hire me, but I do appreciate you

1072
00:56:24,760 --> 00:56:27,080
Speaker 1: you want to do my assistant, I promise you, I

1073
00:56:27,360 --> 00:56:32,680
Speaker 1: just like you. Send it. Thanks Doug. That was pretty fun,

1074
00:56:32,800 --> 00:56:37,000
Speaker 1: wasn't it. Okay, you're gonna wait. Part two is amazing. Right.

1075
00:56:37,080 --> 00:56:39,279
Speaker 1: We started to get into being a head coach, what

1076
00:56:39,440 --> 00:56:42,560
Speaker 1: it was like at Memphis. We started talking about putting it,

1077
00:56:42,760 --> 00:56:45,360
Speaker 1: putting a team together, what he learned as a head coach,

1078
00:56:45,480 --> 00:56:48,560
Speaker 1: and then um, and then you know, moving on and

1079
00:56:48,600 --> 00:56:50,719
Speaker 1: getting the Georgia Tech job. How it all went down,

1080
00:56:50,880 --> 00:56:53,080
Speaker 1: and what all of this has been like, putting together

1081
00:56:53,360 --> 00:56:56,560
Speaker 1: a team that won the a c C tournament. Um,

1082
00:56:56,800 --> 00:56:59,560
Speaker 1: you know, battling through probation, all the all the different stuff.

1083
00:56:59,719 --> 00:57:02,360
Speaker 1: Well to all that up coming reminder, The Doug Gotli

1084
00:57:02,440 --> 00:57:05,920
Speaker 1: Show is daily three to six Eastern twelve three Pacific.

1085
00:57:06,280 --> 00:57:10,920
Speaker 1: By the way, um, there's an archive of amazing all balls.

1086
00:57:11,160 --> 00:57:13,440
Speaker 1: Not that this hasn't been good, but I'm just looking

1087
00:57:13,480 --> 00:57:15,839
Speaker 1: through the catalog of them. They're really, really really good.

1088
00:57:16,280 --> 00:57:20,240
Speaker 1: In the meantime, thanks so much for listening. I'm Doug Gottlieb. Download, subscribe, rate,

1089
00:57:20,320 --> 00:57:22,520
Speaker 1: run a review. I I think I might actually make

1090
00:57:22,560 --> 00:57:24,280
Speaker 1: a little more money if you write reviews. That's cool.

1091
00:57:25,200 --> 00:57:26,080
Speaker 1: This is all ball